#5 of which involve the same rotation of character

[animangalover-writes]

Yes yes we all ship the toxic/doomed yaoi in squid games, it's very fun yippee. But where are the freaks who ship the hwang brothers??? I need more of them. They have so much potential, someone feed me.

[averlym]

ghost story premiere day! check @melliotwrites for more info

[1thesewordsaremyown1]

Look, I get people being upset about Bobby dying. What I don't get is people turning around and saying "that's it, I'm done with the show" (and I'm not just talking about here among the fandom, I'm talking about what I've seen from the GA as well). But I think we all just need to take a moment and wait for a clear head once our emotions have died down a bit.

For starters, it's an ensemble show - if you were watching it solely for one character, were you really enjoying the show? I'm not quite sure how you could be enjoying any episodes where that character is in the background while someone else is in the spotlight if that was the case.

Secondly, and most importantly, a main character dying is not abnormal for a TV show, especially a procedural (I'll go into this a bit more later). In fact, the fact that 911 is now approaching its 9th season and up until now has had no major character changes since the end of season 1/start of season 2 is in fact abnormal (I'm talking about central, primarily 118/first responder characters here. Yes I know Michael left in Season 5, but I feel he was a main in very much the same way that Chris is a main - they were/are in the show enough to be classified as more than a recurring, but they aren't central to the plot most of the time and are easily left out of episodes, much like Karen). Most shows, particularly ones that have a long shelf life, get that way by rotating characters to keep stories fresh. And I love 911, but let's face it, one of the last "new" storylines was Buck realising he was bi. Everything else has mostly been a rehash/repeat of old storylines (Madney pregnancy, Henren family troubles, Eddie's inability to move on from Shannon, Bobby and the fire that killed his family etc).

And yes, I get that if they wanted to write Bobby off, they could have had him just retire, except for one small problem - his wife is also a main. Having Athena around but Bobby somehow disappearing off the face of the planet and never interacting with anyone else again, especially with Buck who is like a son to him, would have the same vibe as Grace not being around in the final season of Lonestar - very strange and off putting and overall doesn't feel right.

Now, back to main characters dying/leaving in TV shows, particularly procedurals. It happens all the time and has been going on for decades. And guess what? Despite losing beloved characters, those shows continued, some for many years after the fact. Here are some examples: Dr Greene in ER, one of the fans' favourite characters on that show, died in Season 8 - ER finally finished after FIFTEEN seasons. Derek Sheppard in Grey's Anatomy died in Season 11 - they are now up to season 21. Here in Australia, Maggie Doyle was killed in Season 7 of the immensely popular police show Blue Heelers, which ended after 13 seasons. All of these characters were original mains who were around from day 1 of their respective shows and very much loved. They were considered an important part/the heart/the backbone of the shows they were in, and people cried out that the shows would not survive without them. They did.

Now, regarding 911, it all comes down to the writing whether 911 can weather the storm they have created and come out stronger. Many of us have had our criticisms, but if this is the kick up the arse that the show needed and all of a sudden we're back to getting more rescues, more recurring characters (the disappearance/vastly reduced screen time of many secondary characters over the years I feel has hurt the show as it's made it rather insular by only focusing on the 118) and new story lines? If people are willing to give the show a chance, it might very well surprise us and be worth the watch.

Not to mention, there's no guarantee we won't ever see Bobby again. This show has not been afraid to use flashbacks (the Begins episodes anyone?) and if we ever did say a Tommy Begins episode, that could very well involve Bobby as he was his Captain for a significant period of time. Or they could go the Lonestar route, in which Bobby could appear in a coma dream, or (for example) if Buck and Tommy get married or have kids, have the spirit of Bobby watching over them (like they had with TK and his mum at the wedding). I mean, Tim found a way to bring back the actress who played Shannon, even though Shannon died 6 seasons ago - I'm sure if Peter was willing he could find a way to bring Bobby back if he wanted to (not saying they should do a Bobby doppleganger though - once is enough).

Look, I love the show. Has it been perfect? Of course not. Have there been times when I thought, "Oh, this has pissed me off, do I want to keep watching?" Yup (when Maddie and Chim decided to break up was my first, the BuckTommy break up, the second), but I still stuck around because at the end of the day it's one of the few shows I actually enjoy watching - it's quirky, it's fun (usually) and I love ALL the characters. I'm going to miss Bobby, sure, but I'm going to keep giving the show a chance - there are still so many things I want to see! I want Buck to not only get back together with Tommy but finally experience a stable relationship and see where that ultimately leads (crossing fingers for an engagement at some point!). I want to see if Hen takes over the Captain role, and if so, the challenges she has to face taking over from someone as influential as Bobby. I want Chim to have a meaty storyline again! (He was my OG favourite of the show before Buck stole my heart.) And Athena; oh I want to see how she handles her loss - Angela Bassett, the actress that she is, will KILL that story line.

My only hope is that there aren't so many people who decide to abandon the show and the ratings plummet, which triggers a cancellation. I know people are upset, but I hope that in the two weeks until the next episode, once the shock isn't as strong and the emotions aren't running high, people will have calmed down enough to give the show a chance to prove they were right in going in this direction. Because, and call me selfish for wanting this, while I understand tv shows don't last forever, I'm not ready to leave this one behind just yet. I'm not saying people should be forced to watch the show if they don't want to - if it is genuinely making you unhappy and you're not enjoying it, by all means, stop watching. But if people are making the decision to abandon the show based on this one thing, all I ask is for people to stop and take a breath. Give the show one last shot to see where they go from here. If you don't like the direction it's going, then feel free to abandon ship, I certainly wouldn't blame you.

All I'm asking is for the audience to at least give it a chance.

[mochinomnoms]

Hi, there (Again) 🌼

Second and last order:

Type: Romantic, fluff, hurt/comfort

Reader: Female but neutral it's okay 👍

Promt: "I think the local florist is in love with me. Their shop is making a killing off my Hanahaki. Do you think they'll give me a discount?"

With Sebek

I hope I haven't gone too far with the order request. But in case I exceeded you can discard my order but if not. Take your time and no pressure with My resquest, thank you 🌷💐✨

sebek zigvolt x f!reader [tags] – fluff, hurt/comfort [wc} – 2,820 prompt 5: “I think the local florist is in love with me. Their shop is making a killing off of my Hanahaki. Do you think they'll give me a discount?” note - hi (again)! this one scratched my brain real good and sebek is a fun character to write for. a floral inconvenience

stargazer lily – symbolizes love and passion. They are often given as romantic gestures or used in wedding bouquets to represent the purity and commitment of love.

“Eeugh, dude! Magic sicknesses suck!” You bemoaned, raising your voice to reach the person who stood guard outside the bathroom door. 

“Hurry up! I don’t wish to miss any more of class because of you, human!” Sebek barked, making no effort to hide his annoyance. 

Being the only girl at school had its perks. Most of the men were generally nicer with you, some of the ones raised more old-fashioned, like Riddle, were extra attentive to you and your comfort. Even Floyd handled you with more softness than he’d usually care for, though you think that was Azul’s doing. 

This also meant that you had no locker rooms or restrooms for yourself, which became awkward fast for everyone involved. Soon a system was put in place where your classmates each period would rotate and act as your guard, barring anyone from entering the room, so you could change or use the restroom in peace. 

Some were happy to help. Others…were less so. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming!” Rolling your eyes, you rinsed off your face and hands, grabbing the bunch of lilies. 

Picking at the lily petals, you failed to see Sebek standing firmly guard directly in front of the restroom door. You stumbled into his back, making an ‘oof’ sound as he stumbled forward. 

“Ack! Watch where you’re going human!” He turned to glare at you, eyebrows furrowing as he saw the lilies in your hand. “Did-did you bring those from out of the restroom?”

“Yes, I dragged you out in the middle of class to stand guard, just so I could grab a bunch of lilies from the boy's restroom.” you replied, deadpan. 

You think you liked Sebek. He was abrasive, yes, but also honest and genuine to a fault. In a school full of half-lies and snide remarks, it was refreshing. Plus, Sebek still treated you the same regardless if you were a girl or not. You think he liked you too, since you were his only friend that would listen attentively to his rants about the ‘Young Master’ with little complaints. 

He was passionate, expressive, and very easy on the eyes. What’s not to appreciate? He was also extremely easy to rile up, and admittedly you liked the attention. 

Sebek gave you an unamused look, crossing his arms and huffing, “Do not patronize me! I don’t have to come accompany you! I’m doing this to not bring shame as the Young Master’s ward!”

“Actually, you do have to accompany me, this is your assigned week. Next week is one of the guys from Octavinelle.” 

You shrugged as you walked past him to head back to class, the Sebek following. 

“Anyways, I didn’t find them, I coughed them out.” You continued past him nonchalantly, looking over your shoulder and grinning as he paused. His face shifted from one of confusion to mild horror. 

Cute. 

“Let’s get back to class before Crewel—”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU COUGHED THEM OUT??? HUMAN, YOU NEED TO GO TO THE NURSE!”

Cackling you, started to quicken your pace, speed walking turning to a light jog as Sebek chased after you. 

“Awww, are you worried about me? Hahaha—AH!” 

Suddenly and swiftly, the distance between you and the ground grew as Sebek swiftly, and effortlessly, lifted you up and hoisted you over his shoulder. You choked and felt yourself going warm, feeling his left arm wrap over your waist to steady you as his right arm grabbed your legs. Presumably to keep you from kicking free. 

“I will NOT be held responsible for you getting sick or hurt while on my watch, we are going to the infirmary, now!” 

True to his word, Sebek dropped you off with the nurse and left back to class swiftly, though you weren’t sure why you were so disappointed by that. 

The nurse told you that you had developed hanahaki, a magical flower sickness that developed due to one’s affections for another, usually due to an unawareness or denial of one’s feelings. It seemed that you were the former, as you had no clue who you apparently have a crush on. 

You told the nurse as such, who was puzzled and unamused, calling you ‘emotionally stunted’ and prescribed you some potions to manage the symptoms until they died down or you figured out what your heart already knew. 

Your friends were also unamused as you told them at lunch later that day. They were more than happy to bully you mid-tuna sandwich. 

“How do you not know who you like?” Jack asked, twirling some pasta onto his fork.

“Yeah!” Ace nodded in agreement, pointing his spoon at you. “Are you really that dense to your own emotions?”

Epel piped in, “Yeah! How are you gonna get rid of the hanahaki if you can’t confess?!” 

Deuce gasped, “Are you gonna be sick forever!?” He slammed his hands down on the table, looking distraught. “You’re gonna be sick forever, aren’t you!?”

“I don’t know, I don’t think about that sort of stuff!” You waved your hands in alarm, holding them up defensively. You made eye contact with Sebek, who was eerily quiet, staring at you with an emotion you couldn’t decipher. Maybe wonder at your stupidity. 

“It’s fine, the nurse gave me some potions to help with the symptoms. She put me on a schedule to take them, speaking of that.”

You turned to address Sebek directly, “She told me to tell you that you’re responsible for picking them up and making sure I take the potions.”

“What!” Sebek yelled, drawing the attention of the entire cafeteria. You continued, unbothered. 

“Yeah, she said it’s punishment for leaving me behind.” You imitated the nurse’s complaint from earlier, “she was like ‘just because this is an all-boy school doesn’t mean he can’t be a gentleman! Where are his manners? Boys are animals, not minding a young lady’ etcetera, etcetera.”

“B-but, I can’t! I—”

You interrupted, “I don’t know man, go ask her yourself!”

True to your word, when Sebek rushed over to the nurse to verify, she had given him a schedule. Even when he lamented that this would interfere with his duties as Malleus’s guard, she chastised him. 

“This will teach you to be a nice young man to a nice young woman!”

He’s sure that if she saw the way you fought with some of the more aggressive students, she’d take the ‘nice’ of that. 

Nevertheless, Sebek dutifully checked in every day with you, bringing the potions to you during mealtimes. He was annoyed at first, since you two didn’t share the same schedule being in different homerooms, minus the singular alchemy class you had in the afternoon. He had to go out of his way to check in on you during the day,

Surprisingly though, he didn’t complain nearly as much as you expected. He was quick to mother hen you, though, worried every time you’d cough up another lily. 

When asked, Sebek told you that he was concerned that the flowers would choke you, and that ‘your magicless human body surely can’t handle a magical sickness’ so it would be better for you to get over it faster. For your own sake, of course.

He insisted that the faster you got over your symptoms, then the faster you could get over your “ridiculous affections” for the mystery person. 

You found that, while mildly inconvenient, you could use the lilies to your advantage. Sam heard of your predicament, and eagerly told you that florists paid handsomely for hanahaki blooms, due to their extraordinary beauty compared to natural flora. He offered you free hot meals, groceries, and discounted premium tuna for Grim, if you let him sell the stargazers for a profit. 

It seemed to be an easy enough hustle, and anything you bought was from Sam’s shop anyway, so it wasn’t like he wouldn’t get that money regardless if you sold them on your own. 

You’d gone to Sam after school to give him another batch of the lilies, smiling as you munched on the food he’d given you in exchange. A local florist, who supplied him with rare herbs and potion materials for the shop, told him that they were ecstatic to have a steady supply of full bloom stargazer lilies in November.

“They said that these are some of the most astounding stargazers they’ve gotten in years! You keep them coming, and I might even consider giving my favorite imp a permanent store discount!”

Basking in the glory of saving money, you failed to notice Sebek at your front door, smashing into his back. 

“Oof! What the what—oh hey Sebek, whatchu doin’ here?”

Sebek grabbed you to steady your wobbling, looking at you exasperatedly, though a bit affectionately. “I’m here to deliver your potion for the evening…I also brought you this”

He shoved a paper bag with Octavinelle’s emblem on the front. Peeking inside, you saw a small to-go box with what you think was the smell of salmon. 

“It’s salmon carpaccio, a favorite of mine.” He mumbled, a blush adoring his features. “It’s served chilled, I thought you’d like something different, seeing as you’ve been eating nothing but warm soups and food to soothe your cough.”

You beamed at him, a strange giddiness steeping through your bones like the lemon dressing in the salmon.

“Aw, thanks! That’s so nice of youuuu—ACK!” You started hacking, feeling the tickle of petals and leaves as you choked out another bouquet of brilliant crimson-pink lilies. They seemed to be glowing particularly lovely this time. 

“Y/N!” Sebek called out, eyebrows furrowing. “Here, take the potion now.” 

As he started to uncap the small vial, you waved him off, clearing your throat. 

“No, no, it’s fine!” You sniffled a bit, adjusting the bag into your other hand as you shook the spit off the bouquet. “I think I’m actually gonna try and keep the hanahaki going for as long as possible.”

“W-what?” Sebek replied, almost meekly under his breath. He looked like he was going to throw up the flowers himself.  

“Yeah! I think the local florist is in love with me. Sam says they’re making a killing off my Hanahaki, think they'll give me a discount?”

Sebek looked appalled. “Y-you’re selling the flowers?”

“Weelll, technically no?” You pursed your lips. “I give them to Sam and he sells them, I just get discounts and free food!”

Grinning, you held up the latest bouquet. “These ones are extra pretty, I bet I can get him to get a new uniform—”

The lilies were smacked from your hand, cascading down your legs as they settled between your and Sebek’s feet. You yelped, looking up at Sebek, whose eyes were filled with anger and…jealousy?

“Are you idiotic?! What am I saying, of course you are!” He scoffed, letting out a disbelieving laugh. 

“You’re a stupid, magicless human! You haven’t even considered the long term effects this would have on you? What they’d have on me?!” 

He leaned down to growl, “May I remind you that I am the one stuck trailing after you? Do you think I enjoy this? Because I don't. The sooner you rid yourself of this disease, the sooner I can rid myself of you, and that can't happen soon enough.”

Sebek’s harsh words hurt. Like actually physically hurting you, a sharp pain shooting up your sternum right up to your heart. Wincing, you pressed a hand to your chest and rubbed your burning eyes, which were now tearing up. 

You’d failed to notice that the flowers, which were still scattered around both of your feet, had started to rapidly wilt until they were black and dry. Tears grew into small streams going down your cheeks, until you started to audibly bawl. 

“H-human-Y/N I—” Sebek started to stutter, distraught falling over his features as he took in what he said and your sobbing face. “I didn’t mean it like that—wait!”

You pushed Sebek out of your way, ignoring his pleas for you to hear him out. To take back what he said. Slamming the door in his face, you curled up into a ball, tightening yourself up smaller and smaller, hoping that you could just disappear. This time, the stargazers that bloomed in your hair looked more droopy and lifeless. 

From there you spent the last week avoiding Sebek as much as possible, which proved harder than expected. Like before, Sebek was going out of his way to interact with you, this time with you avoiding him at every turn. 

Eventually though, he’d managed to corner you in the hallway on Sunday, when you went to visit the headmage for your weekly prefect assignments (he made you file his paperwork).  

Currently, you were huffing, turning your cheek at Sebek who was pleading for you to hear him out. As immature as it might be, you were still upset and wanted the satisfaction of seeing him suffer a few more days. 

“Please! Y/N, just listen to me! I beg of you!” Despite your anger, the guilt at seeing the anguish and pleading look in his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t properly slept the last few days. 

“...fine.” You mumbled, leaning against the wall he trapped you against, finding your shoes to be particularly interesting. 

“Say whatever you want to spit out, it doesn’t change the fact that you apparently hate me.” Now you were just being mean.

“But I don’t!” Sebek cried out, making you jump at both the volume and surprisingly whiny tone of his voice. 

“I don’t hate you. I like you, incredibly so!” His shoulders slouched as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

A single lily, bright and glowing popped out of the top of your head. Your mouth fell open as you stared at Sebek with shock. 

“You’re so frustratingly annoying. And stupid,” You made an offended noise. “I won’t take that back. But…” 

He sighed, wiping his frustrated tears.

“You’re also weirdly kind to me, you listen to every word I say like it should be revered when anyone else would tell me to shut up. You’re not from Twisted Wonderland, yet you’re so determined to flourish here that it’s hard to imagine a world without you.”

Sebek started waving his arms around in exaggerated motions, more focused on his rant rather than the cute flower crown forming on your head. 

“I’ve lived here all my life, but I can’t seem to make friends like you do, you have so many just eating out of your hand! And yet you go out of your way to speak to me. I hate that I look forward to that!”

“Um, Sebek—”

“So seeing you with the flower sickness, knowing that you loved someone that wasn’t me was torture—”

“Sebek—”

“I tried to be nice, to care for you. Hoping that the sickness would leave and you’d fall for me instead.”

“Sebek—”

“Then you mentioned selling the flowers, UGH! It was like you didn’t even notice my attentiveness, my mother did in fact teach me how to properly court like a gentleman, you know!”

“Oh my god! Sebek—”

“And to add insult to injury, you’re spouting my favorite flower! You sprout the favorite flora of your loved one, and the person you love also likes stargazer lilies? How ridic—”

“SEBEK!” 

Your shout startled him mid-rant, as you grabbed the sides of his face, making him behold your cherry red cheeks and the pink speckled stargazers framing your face like the prettiest picture frame he’d ever seen. 

“...Yes?” he squeaked meekly, his voice unusually quiet and soft. 

“God, I’m so stupid, and you’re as dense as me.” You let out an exasperated laugh, leaning your head on his chest. 

“I-I am?”

“Think, stupid—” Sebek yelped as you dragged down his face to yours, inhaling sharply as your lips hovered over his. 

“—who do I know that likes stargazer lilies? Hmm? It’s certainly not Ace, Deuce, Epel or Jack. ” 

You inched closer, delighting in the whine he let out, his own face turning so red it put Riddle to shame. He was so easy to rile up. 

“I-I-I—”

“And none of them are quite like you: honest, genuine, you’ve never treated me any different for being a girl, and you’re sooo easy to stir up it’s cute~”

A shiver went up Sebek’s spine as you pressed your lips to his. You teasingly swiped your tongue over his lips, causing him to whimper. He shakily raised his hands to cradle your face as nervously returned the kiss. 

You giggled as the two of you parted, Sebek flushed and panting as he straightened and covered his mouth with his arm. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots that it was you.”

“A-ah, I suppose we were both a bit foolish, weren’t we?” Sebek looked away, hiding his sheepish smile before deciding to lean back down to share another kiss.

Perhaps Crowley’s paperwork could wait just a bit longer. 

[markantonys]

rotating potential Mat Show Structures in my brain...........assuming that ebou dar is cut (which feels likely if mat is indeed already having a southwestern coastal roadtrip with elayne and nynaeve in s3), what if:

s3: gets his marriage prophecy, tanchico trip with the girls, meets tuon (without knowing she's Prophecy Wife) but they go their separate ways by the end of the season

s4: returns to rand's side, forms the band, leads the band as part of the dumai's wells rescue mission because dumai's wells needs to involve as many main characters as possible goddammit (and because i need the romance of mat helping rescue rand)

s5: leads a campaign against the seanchan with rand and/or on rand's behalf (depending on what else rand has going on this season), reencounters tuon and kidnaps her (but may or may not yet know she's Prophecy Wife; either way, kidnapping motive is instead something calculating like taking a high-ranking seanchan as a prisoner of war, or something morally righteous like rescuing her from her own people's assassins and taking her off with him to keep her safe)

this would be adding mat into rand's TPOD storyline, of course, but at the same time it would ALSO be mat absorbing ituralde's storyline from the next few books. i remember talking once with @butterflydm about how ituralde is basically Knockoff Mat in that he's getting a whole spotlit Clever General storyline while mat, who's supposed to be our main Clever General, is off fucking around in the circus.

so i feel like involving mat in the seanchan campaigns could be an elegant solution all around. mat actually gets to fulfill his narrative role of leading armies on rand's behalf, the seanchan campaign storyline is in the hands of a main character (vs. rand doing it only briefly and then ituralde taking over the bulk of it), mat gets involved with the seanchan in a manner more organic than "author drops a wall on him to force him to encounter them", and it lends a huge amount of much-needed enemies-to-lovers narrative tension to the mat/tuon relationship if he is actively leading military campaigns against her forces (like he did for about.......5 pages in the books).

now wandering off into very-hypothetical ship-related territory thinking of what mat/tuon would look like in this scenario.

i'm thinking mat never finds out during s3 that tuon is a high-ranking seanchan and thinks she's just His Good Buddy Tuon (because she's disguised and undercover). but as the s3 finale stinger, the audience finds out that tuon is mat's Prophecy Wife AND is the heir to the seanchan throne, so we've got some tasty dramatic irony. s4 has tuon doing a solo storyline of seanchan political intrigue, either still in the western westlands or back in the actual court in seanchan (the latter would be sooooo cool, but it depends on how many times they want her zipping back and forth between continents). but her time spent with mat, elayne, and nynaeve (two marath'damane who are in fact people!) in s3 has got the gears turning, and in s4 we get to see tuon in her natural habitat but we also see that she's starting to question and doubt some Seanchan Ways because our kids have expanded her worldview.

in s5, tuon is tasked with heading up the next wave of military efforts in the westlands. so when mat crosses her path again, she is decked out in full seanchan regalia and he realizes that His Good Buddy Tuon is a high-ranking seanchan and must have been using him in s3 when she acted like his friend, so he's all hurt and betrayed (alternately, this reveal could happen as their final scene in s3 and mat is still feeling betrayed when they reunite in s5), but tuon genuinely did like him in s3 so she's hurt that he now hates her but she also can't reveal any of this weakness because he's the enemy general and her people would think she's a traitor if she shows any hints of non-hostile feelings towards him, and despite his anger mat can't help holding onto some non-hostile feelings for her which makes him even more angry with himself, and it's all very delicious.

kidnapping happens, and for s6 they embark on a roadtrip back across the continent (maybe with mat intending to deliver tuon as a hostage to rand; we could even mix the 2 motives i brainstormed, where he impulsively saves her life out of feelings but Then justifies it as taking her with him as a hostage), and all this prior development means several good things for the show being able to sell their relationship as a bona fide romance (and tuon as a dynamic, complex character).

1) tuon having spent time with westlanders and free channelers already in s3 and having spent s4-5 questioning Seanchan Ways on her own means she is now primed for a final push over the edge of unlearning seanchan conditioning and admitting that slavery is wrong (which she has to do IF the show wants mat/tuon to be a bona fide romance rather than a political marriage; a political marriage with an unrepentant tuon would also be a viable route, but show!mat would never ever ever fall in love with an unrepentant slaver so if it's going to be a bona fide romance then she has to repent) and ideally admitting that she herself can channel (feat. tasty scene early in the season of her accidentally channeling for the first time to protect mat). now tuon is a complex character who grows and develops over the course of the story, and it does not defy all reason, credibility, and established characterization that mat could fall for her. improvement!

2) if mat is feeling angry and betrayed by the discovery of tuon's seanchan identity, and if tuon is hurt by this because she genuinely likes him and wasn't faking friendship in s3 and wishes he would believe her, now mat has the "upper hand" in their roadtrip dynamic, so to speak, and tuon is in the position of needing to work to earn mat's trust. so rather than mat nonsensically handing over his loyalty and protectiveness at the drop of a hat to tuon who's used to being worshipped and takes mat doing so as her due and walks all over him with no pushback, now it's a more equal dynamic and a better power balance because tuon has to work hard to give mat (and the audience) a reason to believe she's Better Than Other Seanchan. improvement!

imagine how hard the "you're not my enemy, but your empire is" line would go in this context!

and i haven't even thought about when mat would find out tuon is Prophecy Wife in this structure. i would love for it to be not until after he's already falling for her naturally, but if he's fighting against a seanchan army that she's leading in s5, he might not be able to go very long without hearing the "daughter of the nine moons" title. idk! even if he does find out fairly early, i know that show!mat would not let this information immediately remove his spine from his body, so i have faith either way.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Before we get to the box... Here's another update from the toy box.

Combat Carl returns in TOY STORY 5, he'll be voiced by Ernie Hudson. Carl Weathers previously voiced him, but he passed away a year ago. Pixar usually nails it in casting, and that's a good get for the character(s). Will it be the same mini ones seen in TOY STORY 4? The one we met at the motel in TOY STORY OF TERROR!? Maybe all of them? A new one? Either way, you gotta have Combat Carl. He was a big part of Jessie's little arc in OF TERROR! - my favorite TOY STORY anything to have come out of this franchise since the release of the third film, and Jessie is said to be the focus of TOY STORY 5... So, makes sense!

The closer we get to the movie existing, the more trickles out.

Box office...

Third place is THE KING OF KINGS, which tracks, because it was Easter weekend. I expect a hefty drop afterwards, but the film slipped 9% and has made $45m to date here and $49m everywhere. Cost $15m to make, so I imagine a lot more Biblical animated movies will come from Angel. Complete w/ QR code PSAs trying once more to astroturf their sales!

7th place goes to GKIDS' release of COLORFUL STAGE! THE MOVIE: A MIKU WHO CAN'T SING. $2.8m from 800 locations, $10m everywhere.

New opener SNEAKS - seemingly TOY STORY but with footwear... Shoe Story... From distributor Briarcliff Entertainment, fell outside of the Top 10. Playing in around 1,500 cinemas, SNEAKS only took in $530k... Woof... My cinema didn't get the movie, and I've heard from some that it's unfortunately a misfire. It had some great people involved (Rob Edwards and Chris Jenkins directed, they have solid resumes), in fact it was almost helmed by Pixar vet and frequent Brad Bird collaborator Teddy Newton. I still await a feature film directed by him, for he was supposed to do this pretty edgy picture for Pixar that entered development around 2012, but never got formally announced by Disney or Pixar, nor went anywhere. Then he was at Paramount Animation for a bit, Warner too, hopped around some, but has never done a feature. Only his pretty solid 2D/CG hybrid Pixar short DAY & NIGHT that ran before TOY STORY 3... And also BOYS NIGHT OUT, a 2003 short that was apparently a re-cooked deleted scene from THE IRON GIANT.

Anyways, SNEAKS looks to come and go, and will rotate on a streamer somewhere.

The PRINCESS MONONOKE re-release dropped 69%, has made $17m to date, plays in 40 theaters.

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP plays in 42 theaters, having lost 43 this week. 67% drop, $8.8m domestic / $11m worldwide.

FLOW, still floating somewhere. $26m+ worldwide. Looks like MOANA 2 and MUFASA finally packed their bags and left.

Again, it's relative quiet time until ELIO gets here, and honestly, that may be a quiet opener too. I certainly hope it's a big hit, we need to see a Pixar original/non-sequel actually make back its ridiculous budget in a post-COVID breakout era. Even a $350m-ish gross, great for a sub-$100m DreamWorks movie like THE WILD ROBOT, would be considered a failure for ELIO. $496m was called just that for ELEMENTAL. Ludicrous curve these things are graded on. The Walt Disney Company really needs to adjust to the field here.

A good solution for Disney and Pixar is to simply not blow $200m+ on these things. A sequel, maybe, but something less familiar? Nah. A lower budget doesn't HAVE to be a bad thing. In fact, one could take more risks with less, so long as it's not a crunchy production made under screwy regulations or lack thereof. (Like what happens, in say, Vancouver's animation sphere.) Think Disney Animation Florida making LILO & STITCH for $80m in comparison to the main unit in Burbank sinking $140m into TREASURE PLANET. L&S did well in theaters, exploded on home video, and is beloved to this day, TREASURE PLANET bombed hard but it did get a deserved following afterwards. I love both movies, myself.

Like, why can't Pixar - and WDAS for that matter - just have solid units outside of California making smaller, lower budget, quirkier movies that don't need to climb Mount Everest in order to turn a profit? I know why, but it's a nice thought to have.

Because this just isn't sustainable. ELIO looks to be the first Pixar original movie that is scrubbed of anything "autobiographical"... Supposedly the thing that caused SOUL, LUCA, TURNING RED, and ELEMENTAL to "flop"... Never mind that three of those movies never saw a proper theatrical release, couldn't because of a literal deadly virus... As in one that opens wide, and lasts for months...

I heard through the trenches that the original version of ELIO that was being directed by Adrian Molina mirrored what it was like for him growing up gay - a kid who feels alone on Earth and finds community with aliens... Like yeah, and that was the "autobiographical" thing that had to be pulled from the film to make it more "universal". Now, what happens if that movie fails? What are Disney bean counters going to blame it on then?

They'll come up with something. No "space movies", no "alien movies". Remember how MARS NEEDS MOMS flopping - way back in 2011 - convinced Disney heads that people won't see movies about Mars, and that lead to JOHN CARTER OF MARS losing the OF MARS? To now just being a guy's name? And then some 4 years later, Fox released THE MARTIAN - before being bought by Disney - and it did really really well? Dingus corporate stooges spending too much money on movies that they try way too hard to sand off for an audience that would probably hate it for other reasons because that's just where we are right now lol. And if those tariffs really go into affect, Disney's not gonna have the Chinese box office that they so need for a $200m+ endeavor to break even... So, yeah, as you could tell, I think Disney is stuck in a weird self-destructing cycle that someone with guts has got to break them out of. Make me the CEO, then!

[super-hero-confessions]

The biggest thing that has turned me away from comics is the new generation of fans. Unfortunately a lot of people have come from other media like cartoon and films, which isn’t a problem if they genuinely want to get into the comics but most I’ve seen cherry pick based on ch ships and then get really loud about it when what they’ve created in fanon isn’t in canon. This wouldn’t matter so much if it hadn’t started influencing the canon writing but it has, which is mu and writers fault obviously but it all stems from the new fans.

Comics are dark and gritty (marvel/dc/the boys etc) thats the point. Purity culture is killing the comics by trying to erase dark media from franchizes that were built from dark themes. If you can’t stomach this then comics aren’t for you, stick to the cartoons and films instead of becoming an overwhelming majority that spoils it for the actual comic fans by pressuring writers/directors to change it for your views. What happened to don’t like don’t read or don’t like don’t watch? Also for those people, which seem to be a lot of them in the last 5-10yrs who only have an interest in ch for the ships, comics aren’t for you. If you don’t understand that relationships in the comic universe have to change every now and then you shouldn’t be including yourself in the comic fandom. Comics rotate to keep it interesting, new au’s and canon ships are essential to keeping the franchize and stories alive, please stop abusing creators for wanting to explore new things for these characters. The same thing over and over again gets boring and stale, it puts people off of ships and characters. Relationships break up, change, come back, break up again. Marriages don’t last and that’s a good thing. It shows different sides to the characters and gives storylines creative freedom. That’s how comics work. Your otp and endgame doesn’t give you the right to harass creators and other fans when those otp’s aren’t liked or are having a canon shakeup, that’s just how things go. The entitlement some fans have is outrageous, it’s very obvious to see who is a fan of the ship rather than the characters and media and who is a comic fan. More and more comic fans are being pushed out of fandom and even abandoning the franchize so they don’t have to deal with the interlopers who know nothing yet have the most to say. It’s not right. It’s also a big reason as to why old comic storylines are coming back, they’re POPULAR because that was written at a time when comic fans knew how to behave and enjoy a ch and story without being unhinged if it doesn’t have their fav ship etc involved. New comics just don’t cut it, they’re aimed at the new fans who have no genuine interest and only like it for a ship or pretty art rather than the actual story. Also hyping up writers who don’t actually know what they’re doing because they’re fans of your otp isn’t it either, writers should have respect for the individual characters they writer for as well as a decent story. You’re bigging up bullies and people who simply shouldn’t be in that line of business for a fictional ship? Wild.

As they say; if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Comics aren’t for you if you can’t cope with dark themes and canon changes, stop ruining it for everyone else.

[needlesandnilbogs]

top 5 femslash rarepairs

why do you ask me the hardest questions artemisssssss.

not counting arada/overse bc that's not really a rarepair any more (mostly through my own efforts but there are still 30ish ao3 works that aren't mine and also they're canon and people generally like them as a couple so it doesn't feel rare the same way). one ship per media

0. monty/magpie. i've been shipping them since book 2 and it's just. okay the most happy they can be canon-compliantly involves lying and murders and having to hide for years. the actually canon compliant version in my head is about betrayal by your best friend and realizing your whole relationship has been a lie for a very long time. i rotate them in my head constantly.

aida/amneris, while i'm on an opera kick. they could have made each other either better or worse but they would have changed each other. i can count on one hand the number of existing fics about their relationship be it platonic or romantic.

cat/scarlett aurora cycle. disappointed the authors went with the het ships because they had the same banter that cat and ty did and i think they definitely hooked up at the academy a few times. booo compulsory heterosexuality (tell me why exactly the canon ships were ALL het except for one surprise book 3 pairing with the character who was very clearly autistic aspec-adjacent lesbian from the beginning. gee i wonder why this is typical ya scifi.)

cimorene/morwen enchanted forest chronicles. this is more lowkey and background shipping but i think they'd marry for practicality reasons and to force cimorene's parents to get less homophobic and less weird about magic real fast. mostly i see this as married and living quite happily in their separate homes, you wouldn't know they're married to each other unless you happened to ask them. kazul is the third parent to any and all of their kids.

tie: kat/char but in the most aspec not-relationship way possible. like more qpr situation than anything. it's not exactly healthy but it's also not entirely toxic either. or sydney/tabitha which has been background for me since book 3 and honestly it's more @fishyupmywishy 's ship than mine but it's a good setup for a lot of plots and has bonus angst potential.

bonus ones with minimal explanation: monty/clementine: unrequited precanon pining, cameryn coyle/bryden bandweth/adrienne attoms: polycule with mckeyla completely misunderstanding everything, odette/odile: angsty lovers to enemies, sugar plum fairy/rose/snow queen: girlboss polycule, maddie hatter/raven queen: friends with benefits (the benefits: therapy), duchess swan eah/raven girl (modern ballet)/firebird (stravinsky)/maybe-odile-or-odette-if-it-wouldn't-technically-be-incest-given-duchess: angsty bird girls ballet polycule (they met at a support group)

[pricemarshfield]

Answer the prime numbers. Do All Tha Prime Numbers 🫵

good lord. okay but i’m putting it under the cut

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

biiiit of both? i know very concretely where i want a fic to start & end, i know the general placement of a few important scenes throughout the fic, and then i have Loose outlines about how each chapter will get me there. but mostly i write as i go; i just have an idea of the endpoint so i don’t wander off into the wilderness (drive my outline wildly off course)

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

well since playing bg3 it’s: become haunted by an idea involving raphael baldursgate, say oh my god no i haven’t even written any of my current wips in months i don’t have time, and then blacking out with 6k of porn that’s somehow not even close to done on my google docs. and this repeats forever

but also. i kinda just do it idk. i sit at my computer and write until it’s done

5. Do you like constructive criticism?

context dependent. if i ask for it, yeah. unprompted in comments, nah. people are much better about this than they used to be, which is funny because i’m less bothered now than i used to be. baby fic author sarah was haunted by concrit; current me is like yeah critique is the only way to improve but i am writing this for funnnn so leaf me alone

(should specify i Just mean in terms of like. technical advice here. if i’m being a bigot in my writing somehow, that is something i want to know and fix asap)

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

vibessss. whoever i wanna write more in the moment unless the specific scene only works from one perspective. this is why talk is getting a sequel (threequel. i guess. bc i’m also doing the two-part “endings”) which is just the same fic but from raphael pov bc i want to write him now

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

only three? damn. can i do four 😭 you sent me over a dozen questions i’m doing four.

of street names & subway wall prophecies by @dalgursbate is SO good. buffyverse au shadowstarion, so well-characterized and vivid and also FUN i LOVE it. i already liked shadowstarion (shocking! girl who multiships everything likes pairing between two of her favorite characters!) but now i rotate them in my mind forever. i want to bind this physically so i have it and am only stopped by having not actually kept most of my bookbinding stuff when i moved. but i need a physical copy so i can Eat It. also everyone should read everything else molly’s ever posted

who will burn who by @pouralaura is so good i’m proselytizing for it. PHENOMENAL fic. professor au raphael and he is SOOO fun; he fits so well in this verse without being defanged into something unrecognizable. and also it’s HOT!!!! SO HOT! fanning myself when i read it! the prose is just soooo fucking nice in this too. all of what i’ve said about this fic is true of all of laura’s fics and once again. everyone should read everything she’s ever posted

Blood in the Wine by @atrueneutral is so fucking interesting that i literally had to lie in bed and just stare at my ceiling and THINK about it after i read the latest chapter today. priest raphael au But Watch Out. i’m so deeply intrigued by the world-building in this, and neutral’s tav is INCREDIBLY compelling. this fic makes me want to paint again and if i had a canvas on hand i probably would have by now. and not to sound like a broken record but everyone read all of neutral’s fics too tyvm 🙏

Cooler Than Me by @wetcatspellcaster has absolutely brightened my day with every update, which has been nice because boyyy am i going through it a little bit. an academic/celebrity modern au with rosalie frostsong, love of my life, as the academic consulting on a film about a historical figure she Hates, and astarion, playing that guy. it’s so fun and funny and fluffy, and i just love seeing how all the different characters are translated to this AU because they’re ALL bangers. fox you are my roommate and know this already but for anyone just reading through, i absolutely cannot recommend all of emma’s fics enough :)

for all of these peep me being #insane in the comments and also know i could have listed like eight more fics even Just sticking with bg3, plus like 10 more if i brought in all the banger d20 ones i still need to catch up on. anyway i’m gonna go reread all of these once i finish answering this ask

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

FOR ME show don’t tell works. because i treat it as a mantra to make sure i’m showing what i’m telling, since my (unedited) writing style is just. so direct. my characters are introspective and love to think “i am doing x because y which results in z” and that’s fun but sometimes less is more. but also i think it’s a tip that’s oft misused and not always helpful hence the For Me

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

i simply do something else 👍 i am past the point of forcing words out of myself. i wrote a 40 page paper in one night bc i procrastinated so badly in my senior year of college and i don’t want to return to the mental state that invoked in me. especially not for Fanfiction, my Hobby

19. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

post-canon, fluff, and alternate universe - canon divergence are the main three; i should note that these are largely one-off fics under 2k i wrote half a decade ago, and most of my fics now are messy longfics with a lot of smut. the canon divergence one is still real though

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

🗣️ if you’re stuck, go back three sentences!!! oh my GOD did this save my editing process. the fact i finish editing chapters ever is due to this. also write what you want to write when you want to write it; if you’re writing for a self-imposed deadline or entitled commenters, the fun’s gonna get sucked out of it Fast.

also if you get someone who makes a Lot of fic requests that brush veryyyy close to what you’re not comfortable taking just block them. it’s fine. protect your peace

29. What’s your revision or editing process like?

finish draft. take a full day away from it. reread. fix mistakes. i absolutely Should do more—reading aloud, probably make comments to myself and then go back—but tbh. i am impatient. i want to Post and see people’s Thoughts right away

31. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

used to be characters and a Vibe and the plot would come after, now plots complete with characters and themes attack me in the night until a new outline appears in my google docs. i blame raphael

37. How do you choose where to end a chapter?

“okay so this chapter should end at this scene :) oh god why is this other scene getting so long. ah fuck this is already 6k words and i’m not halfway through my plans. oh jesus christ wait a second it’s incredibly self-indulgent additional scene with the steel chair!!” and then i keep writing until i hit whatever is in my outline. don’t do this. you can change your chapter count. i am inflexibly stubborn but everyone else can and should do that. or just don’t commit to a chapter count at first. don’t be like me

41. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

I LOVE REREADING FICS !!! i guarantee every single fic i recommended above i have reread at least a dozen times times, and i think all three of them came out this year. one i discovered a momth ago. i have some fics i have reread Hundreds of times. i Love to reread fics

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

*poorly hiding a comically large mallet behind my back* i’m sooo nice to my characters actually. ignore the longfic which is just my tav’s bad end. and also the one where i put her in a version of hell she’d hate more than usual. and also all the things i’m gonna do in later knife’s edge chapters. and also that time i posted “this sucks for everyone but me, the writer who loves making things worse”

47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

one. two if i’m really motivated. like a quarter of the way through before i give up and post immediately if i’m really UNmotivated. don’t be like me

53. How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

i go through phases of each. i’ve written a lot this month, i read a lot last month. i think probably like 60:40 reader/writer but it’d probably be 50:50 if i wasn’t so committed to leaving comments with my full thoughts (and i love commenting. so i will not give that up)

59. Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

my mom said she’d read my noir au when i told her about it (she has not). my grandma tried to figure out what to get me for my birthday by asking what fanfiction characters i liked right now. my aunt who i don’t even like has my ao3. i have no shame and also my writing fucks so like

61. Why do you continue writing fics?

I Need. To Read My Ideas. I Need Them To Exist. The Words Need To Be Out Of My Head And In A Form I Can Enjoy. also it’s fun and i like the community aspect of fandom

67. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

i love prompts and challenges but the fics i’ve been most excited to write have been fully independent ideas. still, fics i’ve loved and think are some of my best have come from challenges! so. idk i guess wishy-washy copout answer It Depends

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

i got a note on my phone with bullet points that are not clear enough and that i will be confused about later until at 3am i remember what the hell i meant by a bullet simply reading “jowan” (note: this is a real example. it is not a dragon age fic)

73. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

i got no clue. i’m so bad at describing my own writing in general, i have no idea how to differentiate it from others’ work. i like it though! i’m just terrible at articulating stuff about my Own writing lmfao

fox you sent this to me An Hour Ago. if there are typos dont tell me. if i missed a prime number for Sure dont tell me. goddamn.

[davisexplainableart]

Alright, allow me to explain what's going on here, as this is something I've never brought up before (aside from one time back in January).

This morning (April 4, 2025) marks the 20th anniversary of Great 5 Productions' online preschool block for Cartoon Network known as "Cartoon Preschool". The block would run from 2005, all the way to the beginning of 2021 (New Year's Day to be exact).

Not counting programs from the 90s such as Big Bag and Small World, this marks the first time that CN has delved into the world of preschool programming (launching a few months before Tickle U).

The block was created with 2 rules in mind:

Always deliver programming that parents and teachers not only trust, but can utilize to help enhance and improve the skills of children both at home and in school.

NEVER abbreviate the block's name, no matter what!

In hindsight, that's probably why my logo ideas were always rejected.

With that out of the way, let's talk about some history involving the block.

The block would begin as an interactive slideshow/playlist with lessons and topics for preschool teachers to utilize in a classroom setting, featuring episodes of 8 different shows.

These slideshows would be added to the Cartoon Preschool website every weekday at 6am, just in time for teachers in school to begin setting up their lectures at 8am. Here were the shows in question...

6:00 AM - The Learning Show: While the main title was a bit basic, the idea was simple and easy to pull off. The host, named Edlen (at least I think that's his name, I can't remember), would guide the audience through a different topic each episode, whether it be arts and crafts or learning simple words from another language (pretty much any topic safe for preschoolers could be the subject of an episode). Oftentimes, at least early on, the topic of the episode would continue to apply to the rest of the shows for that particular day. While the show would end in 2016, it would still start off nearly every broadcast of Cartoon Preschool's run.

TL;DR - Guy with weird name talks about a topic.

6:30 AM - Hi-5: It should be noted that much of Cartoon Preschool's programming, especially by the late 2010's, would be acquired from other networks (due to partnering with many different companies and channels). Case in point, the Australian TV series known as Hi-5. To quote Wikipedia, "The series is designed for a pre-school audience, featuring five performers who educate and entertain through play, movement and music, which is an integral part of the series. The segments of the show are based on an educational model." While the block would start out including the full 30-minute episodes, these would be shortened to about 22-minutes by 2010 (around the time that the block began broadcasting in the form of livestreams) in order to save time.

TL;DR - 5 Australian people encourage movement through music.

7:00 AM - PBS Kids: The Adventures of Dash & Dot: Now THIS one definitely screams "we were only allowed to make this because we partnered with the copyright holders". While this show would mainly focus on the titular brother and sister characters, there would also be instances of other characters (most of them can be seen in this piece of fanart by user LuxoVeggieDude9302) getting the spotlight at times. While their names in the 2020 semi-reboot would originate from cast members from the PBS series ZOOM (the same names that the fandom has coined for them), the original series would give them their own names. This is also the first series we'll be talking about that's interactive, with the characters engaging the audience in order to help solve a problem that a character is having. While the series would end in 2012, it would eventually get a spin-off series in 2016 (based around the online game "Kart Kingdom"), as well as the semi-reboot in 2020 that I mentioned earlier (retaining a similar art style, but with stories and topics for a modern audience). By 2017, the block would often rotate between reruns of the original series and its continuations (i.e. an episode of the original series would air one day, and then an episode of Kart Kingdom might air the next).

TL;DR - Interactive adventures with green characters.

7:30 AM - Childhood Cartoons: Yet another one with a strange name, but also another one with interactive elements. The show is set in "CC Studios", a radio station with 2 hosts guiding the audience through music. Their names are Jean, pronounced "John" (a guy with dots for eyes, but also a silly haircut), and Luc, pronounced "Luke" (a guy with squares and straight lines for a body), a duo of friends who not only play music, but also show segments (2 in nearly each episode) of kids going through different problems that the target audience may go through as well. The segments are almost always shown from the POV of the child figuring out the problem, and the 2 shown in each episode would always focus on a singular topic or idea. Instances of music numbers would also be included via the 2 radio guys playing them from their studio. It should be noted that another significant aspect of the show is the dynamic of Jean and Luc, which would be expanded upon in later episodes (most notably the show's Christmas special, which I might talk about at a later date). While the show would end in 2014, the series would continue to air on the block for the rest of its run.

TL;DR - 2 guys host a radio show, but only sometimes play music.

8:00 AM - The Wiggles: Yet another acquired program, and also yet another one from Australia. I mean, do I even need to explain who the Wiggles are? They're probably one of the most well known children's bands out there. While the block would begin airing the band's TV shows (introducing the later ones when they came out), they would eventually start airing the group's made-for-video specials (usually saving them for special occasions).

TL;DR - Any online source like Wikipedia or the official website will have a better explanation of who the Wiggles are than I could ever come up with.

8:30 AM - The Reaching Show: This one is often considered the black sheep of the original Cartoon Preschool lineup. That name is definitely warranted, because this show just sucks. It's a show about... reaching for things... wow, I'm thrilled. The block tried to justify it's existence by claiming it was useful for stuff like stretching exercises, but no one was convinced. It was just a show about reaching for things, and absolutely no one cared about it. By the beginning of 2007, the higher ups at Great 5 productions were fully aware of the poor reception and pulled the show from its lineup in late May. After this point, the show would never be mentioned by the network ever again.

TL;DR - Dumb show that no one cared about was cancelled and forgotten.

9:00 AM - Emmy + Dave: Just like PBS Kids, this show featured a brother and sister, and had 2 11-minute segments in each episode. Unlike PBS Kids, this show had limited dialogue, aside from a narrator and the siblings' parents. The show is about the 2 titular siblings (who later became the hosts of the block as they got older) learning about the outside world in different ways (whether it be their backyard, the school playground, the beach, etc.), while also learning morals and understanding how to be a good person. Despite overall positive reception, the series would be pulled in 2013. Part of this is because of the siblings teaching the same lessons as hosts for Cartoon Preschool, which left the series mostly irrelevant. However, this is also because the show only lasted 1 season with 13 episodes (26 segments total), so the series was dropped to make way for another show that we'll get to later. That said, the show would still have a webpage on the Cartoon Preschool site for the rest of the block's run (unlike the Reaching Show).

Before we move on, I should note that this show is an early instance of a show being filmed in the Cartoon World, as shown by the inclusion of a talking little yellow octopus named Otto, who the siblings befriend after he's found washed up on the beach all alone. The octopus would also make appearances during Emmy and Dave's hosting segments, suggesting that he has an extended lifespan (just like other cartoon characters).

TL;DR - Hosts of the Cartoon Preschool block encourage kids to touch grass.

9:30 AM - Traveling Adventures: Lastly, we have this show. Once again, this one is a bit weird. It's about a boy named Markus who, one day while walking home from school, comes across a mysterious girl who can't seem to remember where she's from or where her parents are. However, she does seem to have a love for Geography, and that she isn't malicious at all. After bringing her home to his mother (who is skeptical, but willing to trust her), she reveals that her name is Gianna (Gia for short), and that perhaps traveling the world could help her rediscover her parents. She reveals that she has a necklace that the person wearing it can use to teleport to other locations (if they want to go back, they simply take it off). Since Markus isn't a fan of his school's Geography lectures, he figures that this could make it more interesting (and fun to learn about).

But who and where are Gianna's parents? Well, near the end of season 1, Gianna accidentally finds out that she can shape-shift into different animals (don't worry, there was plenty of foreshadowing beforehand), giving way for speculation regarding her origins. At the end of the series, it's revealed that her parents are talking elephants living in the African savannah. It's also revealed that Gianna's elephant (which had made a number of appearances up to that point) from was actually her main form this whole time, which had been shown by her personality traits matching that of an elephant (sometimes bold, sometimes shy, curious or afraid, etc.).

While the show was well-received, lasting 2 seasons, it would later be pulled from the lineup in 2014 (being cancelled in late 2012). The reason being that despite the positive reception, the show was clearly meant for a slightly older audience than the other shows on Cartoon Preschool. Despite this, reruns of the show would later return for special occasions.

TL;DR - Boy and elephant travel the world.

That's it for the shows that were on the block at the start. Now let's move onto the later introductions. For the sake of time, we'll just be looking at the 3 original shows that were introduced (I'll save the acquired stuff for when I create a page for the block on the CN Fanon Wiki)...

8:30 AM - A Kid's Life: Introduced on May 26, 2008, the series A Kid's Life would air in the Reaching Show's old time slot (pushing Emmy + Dave and Traveling Adventures back to their old time slots, after they were moved back half-an-hour in 2007). The series followed a kid named Jack and his father Charles. The episodes would be about Charles guiding Jack through everyday life. While the show would mainly be from Jack's POV, certain episodes would follow Charles as he tried not only to prevent talking down to his son, but to also show Jack that he cares about him. While the show's reception was somewhat mixed at first, it soon became a worthy member of the block's lineup (especially compared to the Reaching Show).

TL;DR - Father teaches son about everyday life.

Moving onto 2010, Cartoon Preschool would make 2 changes on May 29 of that year. The first was changing its logo (the same day that CN introduced its Check It rebrand)...

The second change was introducing a proper broadcasting format, in the form of livestreams on the block's website (which then began also streaming on YouTube a year later in 2011), with the block now properly running from 6am - 10am. While there would be a few technical difficulties at first, things did eventually get sorted out.

This leads us onto our next show...

9:00 AM - Big and Little: Introduced on May 27, 2013 (the same day that Cartoon Preschool started airing commercial breaks), Big and Little would air in Emmy + Dave's old time slot. The show centers around 2 aliens from outer space, a giant named Big One (who is rarely shown from the waist up) and a young creature with a bean-shaped body and no arms or legs named Little One (who uses telekinesis to carry things around). The 2 creatures live together and spend episodes learning that "there are some things that only big guys can do, as well as things that only little guys can do."

It should be noted that this is actually a joint production with the British company BBC, as shown by the instances where the duo get in contact with the British duo Big & Small in order for them to solve a problem that they're having.

TL;DR - Giant creature and small creature with no arms or legs do tasks that fit their respective sizes.

Lastly, we have...

9:30 AM - Hello World: Introduced on March 24, 2014, Hello World would air in Traveling Adventures' old time slot. We have 2 siblings (an older sister named Jackie, and a younger brother named Edward), who discover a magic wand in their new bedroom that they can use to travel the world. It's somewhat like Magic Tree House in a way, mainly since the one who created the wand is an enchantress (named Madison, or M for short). While she seems kind and trustworthy in the first few seasons, she's soon revealed to actually be greedy, eager to steal the siblings' family's money for her own gain. After she is dealt with in the special "M's End", her much nicer husband, Lionel (or L for short), takes her place.

I actually brought up this show once before. Back in January, I talked about CN Fridays' January 13, 2017 show, in which I mentioned that the M's End special had premiered during this show.

Despite the series ending in 2019, reruns would continue for the rest of the block's run.

TL;DR - 2 Siblings travel the world using a magic device.

Hello World would be the last original series that Cartoon Preschool released. Everything that was introduced afterwards would be acquired from (or based around something from) other networks.

As for the block's reception, while it was well received for its educational aspects (especially compared to Tickle U), it was also panned by some for having live action shows attached to a channel meant for cartoons (i.e. Hi-5 and The Wiggles).

That's about everything I have time to talk about, I'll be saving the rest for-

*ahem*

*sigh* Fine, I guess we have time to talk about one more show.

On September 2016, The Wiggles was temporarily removed from the lineup. The group's then-upcoming 9th TV series (Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle!) was still in production, and the show wouldn't return until it was ready to air. But that wasn't the only reason the show was briefly dropped...

8:00 AM - Blue's Clues: In honor of the show's 20th anniversary, Cartoon Preschool began airing reruns of Nick Jr.'s Blue's Clues in its place. To quote Wikipedia, "The show follows an animated blue-spotted dog named Blue as she leaves a trail of clues/paw prints for the host [Steve (and later Joe)] and the viewers to figure out her plans for the day."

The show, airing in mostly chronological order (aka production order), would run from September 5, 2016 - October 6, 2017.

Similar to airings of the show during the late 90's and early 2000's, Cartoon Preschool would air one episode of Blue's Clues 5 times a week. When asked why, it was stated that kids learn best through repetition.

Despite being removed in 2017, the show would return on several occasions starting in late 2019, and would once again become a mainstay the following Spring.

TL;DR - Look up Blue's Clues' Wikipedia page. The show was acquired by Cartoon Preschool and aired in place of The Wiggles, at least until the band's newest series was finished.

Alright, once again, I'll be saving the rest of Cartoon Preschool's history for when I get around to creating a page about the block on the CN Fanon wiki.

Please let me know if I made any grammatical errors on this post, as I'm too tired to check for myself.

[project-sekai-facts]

is it possible that we just get a Mizuki perm mixed event instead of Minori? Mizuki is due for their second mixed event. she could end up being an exchange card because she's been a 4* on 2 Kanade events so far

So then it would be Kanade event → Mizuki perm mixed event → Mafuyu focused new year's event with MinoShizu colorfes

Mafuyu could also end up being the exchange card so the Kanade lineup could be Kanade 4★ Ena ★ and VS ★ (I'm guessing either Meiko or Kaito) because Kanade has two events in a row where the VS is the exchange card

Mizuki for sure will be a reward card on the Kanade event purely based on the sheer amount of 4*s they have right now. Them being the perm mixed event is definitely possible, but my concern is that there’s only 5 people left for a second mixed, 3 of them are from units that have had a NY event (and one of them is Akito), and one of them is Kanade, which leaves Mizuki or Honami’s 4th L/n event (the only unit that works for lims giving the schedule).

Mafuyu is gonna be the 4* on Kanade's event due to Ena's sanrio 4* card running at the same time, so she can't be the New Years event. for the kanade event i'm expecting the lineup to be kanade/mafuyu/kaito 4* (kaito hasn't had a card since anni and also like. cmon) and then ena 3* mizuki 2* (although you can swap those two and it doesn't really make a difference).

back to the perm mixed event, given the 5 possible characters, we can kick off kanade (unit event), akito (on the current event and too many cards), and emu (sanrio), which leaves only mizuki and minori. i think it could go either way on who gets the perm and who gets the lim, but I think Mizuki is much more likely to get the lim banner, minori fes or not just based on the fact they've gone longer w/o a lim and n25 doesn't have a NY event. leoni honami banner is also possible for new years as an alternate (but less likely?) option (and also doesn't involve nuking the valentines/white day events (they're clearly trying to end the current rotation on the event before the .5 anni again and if you don't run a unit lim event in either NY, Vday or Wday then you end up going over (end of month lim also kinda makes sense bc it would mean the song gets announced on the next broadcast station episode which explains why there was only one event song announced on the last one (i'm really reaching ignore this)))).

kanade->minori->mizuki (or honami?) (+tkem fes?)

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

2, 11, 25, 58!

from these writer asks thank you! :)

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

Depends how long the piece is. Most of the time: I just hit the ground running either right when inspiration strikes, or after the idea has marinated in my brain for a little while. After I write a handful of paragraphs (maybe 1-3k words?), I have a better idea of how long I'm actually going to take to tell the story, and start my "notes" paired document where I sketch out a general outline/sequence of events. I keep the notes document open on the right half of the screen and my actual working document on the left, shifting between them as needed. After I get to whatever feels like a comfortable stopping point for the first chapter, I check how much of the outline that's actually covered, and guesstimate chapter amount and breakdown from there. For longer works, I do put more detail/time into the outline, including random later sentences or passages as they come to me, just so I don't lose track. For things under 10-15k, I'm more comfortable just winging it and keep any outlining fairly lose.

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Oh man. Not sure if this means to read or that i've written myself, but let's go with recent reads. Hmmm also I'm gonna do 3 Veilguard (won't mention any spoilers or even pairings but those following me who have seen my Veilguard posts can Guess lmao) and then 3 pre-Veilguard since Quark can't click the da4 ones yet. Perpetual disclaimer that I only really read things under about 15k these days, so they're all one shots or short chapter fics!

veilguard:

In Spite Of You (11.5k) by BlazingQuill

the baseless fabric of this vision (15k) by teddywesworl

At The End Of Her World (11.5k) by flowersforthemachines

and pre-veilguard:

Somewhere I have never travelled (5.5k) by debit: DA2 Orana POV (& background FenHawke), recent discussion about ye olde kink!meme days had me recollecting this one and how much i loved it, so I went to find & reread it on AO3 :)

nothing on my tongue (11k) by EllsterSmash: series of short Solavellan vignettes, lovely exploration of their relationship over time. And the (pre VG so only hypothesis/vague) ending in Ch. 23 makes me very sad which is what i look for most in a piece writing

Lost by @baejax-the-great (2.5) is coming to mind next bc i read & reblogged it again this month, bc i love me some FenHawke angst!!!! Oh how miserable to consider the long-term effects of lyrium in one's skin...

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Hahaha as is typical my favorite fic I've ever written has the least number of views--Like Teeth Against His Heart, my DAI-era Solavellan prose-poem. Also on AO3, but formatting for poetry is hard and weird, so I like the booklet view of the tumblr upload.

It's also the piece I wrote for the Solamancy zine, which means probably more people who ordered the zine did actually read it--but I don't get to see people's reaction to physical merch/they can't just leave a comment online as easily, so it's hard to tell! But at the same time the people who have bothered to find it to comment on anyway are always SUPER kind so that's rewarding in its own way ♥︎

58. What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc)

Oh definitely brainstorming first, followed by writing. I concede to making outlines only because my brain is too fallible to just hold it in my head the way I'd prefer/used to be able to, and my editing is more reluctant copyedits than actual true editing, with rare exceptions. I save my more rigorous planning, revision etc for original works rather than fanfic--especially since those usually involve a lot more worldbuilding/lore notes since it all comes from me vs a fandom wiki. But as I've shamefully admitted online many times, I'm one of the rare weirdos who is perfectly happy to write 5-20k words and then just... sit on them for myself forever. Rotating characters through situations in my head is the way I get to know the characters; writing it down is how I cement those thoughts & feelings. Sharing them is like... a fun extra, and sometimes what I have feels like something I can thread enough plot through to make a good story, and sometimes is just for my own whims and i don't need to give it an audience.

I think that's why so much of what I actually have published on AO3/tumblr comes from prompts--there's more a push to actually post something if it comes from a request rather than my own head (though this past year I'm trying to be better at that, and actually dig out more of my personal works to post). I like the "writing challenge" aspect of a prompt, of thinking about characters/situations outside my instincts and what i can add to it that would also make it compelling to myself.

[vixencaw]

This is the first entry for my process journal on modeling and printing a 3D figure.

The first thing to note is I have not had any prior experience with 3D modeling or printing before starting this project. My dad, however, has a 3D printer (Ender 3 Pro) that he uses often. He is also somewhat familiar with the 3D modeling program Blender, so that is the program I decided to learn.

Before starting to learn Blender, I drew a simple design of the pose and elements of my figure (image 1). The figure is of a character from a story I am currently writing—he is an angel who wears a cloak and has two sickles as weapons. I had a feeling this would be quite the undertaking for a beginner, but I also didn’t know how quickly I would pick up Blender. If I was going to learn it quickly, I wanted to have enough elements to really challenge myself with.

Once I downloaded Blender, my dad showed me the basics: how to move, scale, and rotate objects; how to add new objects and create meshes; and how to apply modifiers to an object. I also messed around a bit on my own, sculpting a circle to look like a head (image 2). However, I was going to need to learn more in order to create a full figure.

I found this YouTube tutorial by PIXXO 3D which showed me how I could model an entire figure from just a single cube. This video introduced me to mirroring and extrusion, as well as how objects can be altered by selecting and editing a single face. These new techniques allowed me to create first a torso and then limbs and a head by creating new shapes that were attached to preexisting ones. Once I learned how the techniques worked, I used the video as an example but tried to shape the figure on my own (image 3). I did run into some difficulties since the tutorial used an older version of Blender. There were certain ways of morphing an object that didn’t work the way the video showed, and so I had to figure out a different way to achieve the same effect.

After creating a full figure, I then had to pose it. I figured the best way to do so would be to separate the model into pieces that I could rotate and arrange independently of each other (image 4). (You can also see I was messing around with how to create wings—more on that later.) I moved the pieces around, splitting some of them further to achieve the pose that I wanted (image 5). Once the pose was complete, I figured out how to fill in the gaps: by selecting the edges of the gap, I was able to create a new face that joined the pieces together (image 6).

As for the wings, I came up with a technique involving bézier curves. By creating a curve, connecting it in a loop, and then subdividing it with multiple points, I was able to manipulate it into the exact shape I wanted the wing to be. Then I could convert it to a mesh and use grid fill to fill in the shape. I did run into an issue where the fill wasn’t even—there was some weird wrapping going on at the bottom, probably because of how the curve was oriented. But I decided to use it as it was for the moment—I’ll redo the wings later.

I mirrored the wing I’d made and set both of them into the back of the figure (image 7). This was a rough prototype and I wanted to try and print it. I sent my dad the .stl file and he put it into UltiMaker Cura, a program for splicing. Splicing takes a 3D model and figures out what the layers have to be for it to be printed. There were some parts that lacked support because they were hanging in the air (the hands and the wingtips), so my dad showed me how to put supports in that could easily be removed after printing. We scaled the figure to be four inches high and could see the printing would take about three hours.

This was where things got tricky. The first print attempt ended with a big spirally ball of plastic. It seemed the wings were too thin and would need more supports, otherwise the plastic wouldn’t stick to itself and would end up creating a mess. The second print went better, although there were still problems with it—namely, the torso fell out of the body (image 8). The rest of it was in decent shape, but it seems I’ll have to do some work to strengthen the connections. I assume this will involve thickening the objects in Blender so they have more surface area melding them together.

So far, I’ve been able to get the hang of Blender fairly well. This surprised me a bit, although I have had experience with photo-manipulation programs (GIMP) before, so maybe that is helping me more than I thought it would. I am glad the modeling portion is going smoothly, however, since it looks like the printing stage is going to require more finagling than I initially thought.

[nobodysdaydreams]

1, 5, 32 and/or 71 for the ask game! Hope you’re doing well, don’t forget hydration and sleep!

At long last I am beginning to clean out the inbox. Thank you Katie for the hydration tip and for the asks!

(1) Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

This is a hard one to answer. One shots (I consider anything less than 20k words a one shot because I have a problem, and I don’t think I can write real one shots😔), are easier in that they don’t take as long, and I can get the idea out, show you all my story, and get feedback relatively quickly. However, once a one shot is written, it’s written, and then it’s back the drawing board to come up with new ideas. Whereas with really long multi chapter fics, the idea keeps going, there’s always something new to think about, another “one shot” or character moment or twist to weave into the story, and I love seeing your reactions and how invested different people get into different subplots and storylines. What is frustrating about multi chapter fics is that there’s a lot of delayed gratification involved for me and for you as the reader, because I have twists and ideas in SOS that I want to show you and talk about and I can’t yet, because we’re not there yet, whereas for something like the Martina Redemption fic, it’s technically a multi chapter fic, but they’re short chapters, and I wrote it all over a long weekend. Whereas I’ve been writing SOS since January and rotating the idea for it since before I even got a tumblr so… yeah that’s over a year now dang. So I’d say multi chapter fics, with the acknowledgment that there is probably a balance to be had somewhere in between the two extremes. SOS is a lot of fun to write, but I don’t think I could commit to writing another huge multi chapter fic at the same time, whereas it’s a lot easier to balance multiple wips when they’re one shots.

5. Do you like constructive criticism?

Interesting question. About my writing or in general? For my writing I’d say yes, but so far I haven’t gotten any. Which might be a good thing, although I did say when I first started writing fic, “hey I’ve never done much or any creative writing before, so if you have any feedback on things I can improve, please let me know”, but I haven’t gotten anything yet so I guess that means I’m doing okay? At least I hope. As for criticisms of myself or my blog in general, I’d accept constructive criticism on that too, as long as it’s worded nicely and doesn’t trigger my RSD.

32. Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

Ah, fishing for compliments I see /j /lh. But please do not make me choose so many of you are so good! I want to tag every fic author in the fandom, and yet I’m so paranoid I’ll forget just one or two people and would never forgive myself. So besides you @myfairkatiecat (obviously), I’ll say the authors whose stuff I’ve read the most recently: @sophieswundergarten (for her amazing Sticky fic I seriously cannot hype that one up enough), @phtalogreenpoison (the Reynie is Curtain’s prodigy AU is incredible), and @heyitsthatonesmolgay because I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the greatest fear AU it sounds so good (check out snippets here and here)!

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, etc. ?

Very good question. For my longer stuff, I start with the scenes and moments I have pinned down in my head that inspired the fic, bullet point the scenes in chronological order, and then write in the details that go in between and ideas for how to get from bullet point A to bullet point B and how I can write in additional “one shots” or impactful and interesting character moments to make those transitions seem less like plot filler and more exciting and fun to read and have it add something to either the characters or the story. Then when I’ve already written part of my fic, I still try to keep track of unfinished plot threads, cliff hangers, or things I plan to explain later (e.g., What happened with Sticky’s parents? Where did Isaac and Lindsey go? What’s up with Miss. Perumal’s past?). As for the characters, I do try to take the time to flesh out minor characters, because you can do that a bit more in a novel vs. tv format, but I also try to make sure I keep the main characters interesting and don’t create an unbalanced plot. I’ve talked about this before, but an unbalanced plot happens in a lot of shows where a few characters have these big mysteries that the whole fandom is super involved in and then these other main characters either end up with filler or their character development gets backtracked and rerun because they don’t know what to do with their storylines (this was one of my season 3 worries when season 3 was gonna be a thing and you can click the link to read more if you’re curious). I try to make sure all the main characters get some focus, and I also do that by letting some characters establish themselves before I start writing about other ones. For example, in SOS, that started as mostly Curtain and his friends, I establish a sense for their dynamic, and then Nicholas and his friends came into the story, and I’m slowly bringing more focus on Rhonda and Number Two, and as I’m going into season 2 I plan to write a lot more with Number Two especially, because of all the time she spends with Curtain and Nicholas in the compound.

I hope this answered your questions and thank you so much for the amazing asks (and yes, I will be drinking water). I hope you have a wonderful day! 🥰🥰🥰

[brocoffeeengineer]

Flat Yet Fascinating: How 2D Animation Creates the Illusion of 3D

When you watch your favorite animated films—from classic Disney features to the latest streaming originals—you might be surprised to know that some of the most convincing 3D-looking scenes are, in fact, flat. That’s the magic of 2D animation: it relies on centuries-old techniques and clever modern tricks to create the illusion of depth. Despite living in an era dominated by 3D animation, the charm and technical brilliance of 2D continue to captivate artists and viewers alike. So, how exactly does 2D animation trick your brain into believing it’s seeing depth?

The Psychology Behind Perceived Depth

Our brains are wired to interpret visual cues in specific ways. Depth perception primarily relies on binocular disparity—our eyes viewing slightly different angles of the same object and merging them into one 3D perception. But even when viewing a single flat image, we still infer depth using monocular cues, which are crucial for 2D animation.

These cues include:

Occlusion: One object partially covering another implies depth.

Linear perspective: Parallel lines converging toward a vanishing point create distance.

Size and scaling: Objects appearing smaller are interpreted as farther away.

Lighting and shading: Highlights and shadows indicate volume and position in space.

In 2D animation, these cues are intentionally designed frame by frame to mimic how we see the real world, creating an illusion convincing enough to fool the most discerning eye.

Techniques That Animate Flat Worlds into 3D Experiences

Over the years, animators have refined multiple methods to simulate 3D environments in 2D animations:

1. Parallax Scrolling

This technique, born in early video games and side-scrollers, layers background elements that move at different speeds relative to the foreground. The slower the background moves, the further away it feels. It's simple but wildly effective in adding dimensionality.

2. Camera Panning and Rotation

Even without a physical camera, animators replicate movements to simulate real-life cinematography. Panning across a scene with multiple planes of depth tricks the eye into interpreting space and volume.

3. Foreshortening

This artistic technique depicts an object or figure in a picture in depth. For instance, when a character’s arm stretches toward the audience, it's drawn disproportionately larger, creating the sense of it coming "out" of the screen.

4. Dynamic Lighting and Shading

Shadows not only anchor characters in the scene but also provide critical information about their placement, volume, and interaction with the environment. By adjusting light sources and shading contours, animators add a pseudo-3D feel to even the flattest designs.

5. Multiplane Camera Setup

Popularized by Walt Disney in the 1930s, this innovation involved stacking transparent layers at varying distances from a moving camera. As the camera moved, each layer moved at different speeds, intensifying the parallax effect.

The Comeback of 2D Animation and Technological Evolution

While the 2010s saw 3D animation dominate mainstream content, there's been a notable revival in 2D styles in the last few years—especially in hybrid forms. Shows like Arcane (Netflix) and Klaus employed 2D aesthetics with 3D technology, blurring the lines between dimensions. This resurgence is not just nostalgic; it’s a testament to 2D animation’s versatility and growing demand in new-age storytelling.

Today’s 2D animators are not just drawing with pencils—they’re working with software like Toon Boom Harmony, TVPaint, and Adobe Animate, which offer advanced layering, rigging, and lighting tools to enhance depth.

Latest Developments: AI Meets 2D Animation

One of the most intriguing trends reshaping animation is the role of artificial intelligence. In early 2025, several AI-driven tools emerged that assist in automatic inbetweening (creating intermediate frames), smart coloring, and even real-time parallax adjustments. For example, Runway's Gen-2 and Adobe Firefly are now capable of generating consistent motion sequences with depth perception, allowing artists to focus on storytelling and design.

However, the rise of AI has not replaced human creativity. Instead, it has made 2D animation more accessible to indie creators and smaller studios by reducing time and cost, while still enabling depth-rich visuals. In fact, a recent report by Animation Magazine in May 2025 highlighted a spike in AI-assisted short films in global festivals, many of which used 2D formats mimicking 3D depth.

Why Our Brains Still Fall for It

Despite knowing intellectually that the animation is flat, we still "feel" the space. That’s because our brains are more interested in consistency and cues than actual geometry. If an animator sticks to the rules of perspective and light—even in a cartoonish style—the illusion holds up.

Interestingly, even children, whose visual perception is still developing, instinctively understand the depth crafted in 2D worlds. That’s why animations across generations—Looney Tunes, Naruto, Rick and Morty—remain immersive, each employing its own set of tricks to guide the viewer’s eye through space.

Global Expansion of 2D Animation Education

As storytelling becomes more visual and accessible tools become widespread, the need for skilled 2D animators is rising. From YouTube creators and ad agencies to educational platforms and gaming companies, there's a renewed demand for professionals who can craft 3D-feeling scenes with a 2D touch.

This boom has sparked a growing interest in formal training. Students and professionals are enrolling in niche programs worldwide, with some cities emerging as learning hubs. In India, one region witnessing increased attention is Bengaluru. With its rich tech and creative ecosystem, the city is now home to a thriving animation community. Many aspiring creators are seeking an Animation course in Bengaluru that covers not only traditional skills but also new-age techniques in illusion, lighting, and AI-assisted workflows.

The Future: 2D with a New Perspective

We’re living in a time where content consumption is at an all-time high. Animation, with its boundless creative freedom, is no longer just for children. It's shaping advertisements, explainer videos, music visuals, and even corporate communication.

With tools becoming more intuitive and animation being integrated into fields like augmented reality (AR) and virtual production, 2D artists will need to evolve further. The depth illusion is likely to grow more sophisticated as creators experiment with motion sensors, neural networks, and AI-generated lighting cues.

Yet, no matter how advanced the tech becomes, the fundamentals will remain rooted in the same age-old principles: perspective, light, and movement. The genius lies in making flat drawings feel alive, dimensional, and emotionally engaging.

Conclusion:

The timeless power of 2D animation lies in its ability to bend perception—proving that you don’t need three dimensions to create immersive experiences. As the medium continues to evolve, cities like Bengaluru are playing a key role in training the next generation of visual storytellers. Whether you're an aspiring artist or a professional looking to upskill, a 2D animation course Bengaluru can open doors to mastering the illusion of depth and beyond.

[doubleddenden]

Time for pt... 6? I think? Of me changing up Ash's teams. Today we approach Sinnoh, and honestly there isn't really a lot I'd change so much as I'd evolve or add.

In case you're wondering, yes, I did ditch Gliscor. It's a cool Pokemon and do love Ash has one, but I think it'd be better off with Dawn or Brock. To keep the spirit alive, I'd say Weavile inherits his quirks. And just to make it clear, this is a continuation of my AU, fresh off of an Orre arc after Battle Frontier.

More blurb under the cut

So like I said, I wouldn't change much storywise or team wise.

The first obvious change is Weavile- after Ash was kidnapped to Orre and Sneasel joined his team, Sneasel ended up following Ash to Sinnoh because he liked Ash and didn't get much of a chance to travel with him. He takes the place of Aipom in this case, who while I enjoyed, I hate Ambipom and how Dawn left it behind after trading. No real reason that should have happened. It also takes the place of Gliscor, who again I think is a great Pokemon, bit the type clash killed me even as a kid.

Sneasel would evolve into Weavile shortly after the gang arrives to Veilstone City for the first time. After meeting Paul's brother, he gives Ash a special item that will help it evolve. Weavile would then choose to evolve to protect Chimchar from Paul's Electabuzz. Paul is very triggering for Weavile, especially seeing how Paul has treated Chimchar while there. Weavile would associate thus with how he was treated in Orre before Ash saved and purified him, so he forges a particularly special bond with Chimchar to help him get stronger, and that bond persists even after It evolves into Infernape. He'd also become like a big brother to Brock's Happini and Dawn's Piplup, but a bit of a bad influence that Pikachu has to correct sometimes. Weavile would kind of become a kleptomaniac, which causes slight trouble, until he learns to keep it among the group as slight pranks.

The other change would be how Ash would obtain Buizel, and it would eventually evolve to Flostzel. Instead of trading, Dawn would just give him to Ash since he enjoys battling. He would evolve into Floatzel after training on Iron Island with Riley and Lucario, scored a huge win against a horde of Steelix. Behavior wise, it doesn't change.

Gible would be caught much sooner and be rotated out.

Torterra and Infernape would also evolve sooner, and Torterra would actually win fights instead of lose so damn often.

The last change I'd make to the team would be that Ash would receive an egg towards the end that'd hatch into a Mantyke. It's still a baby, so Dawn and Brock would actually help raise it sometimes and even hold it on their teams sometimes.

Story would remain mostly the same, except Ash would finish as runner up in the Sinnoh League against Tobias. It'd be a bit of a closer match, and I'd imagine hid team would look like this

Tobias did have Darkrai and Latios on his team already, so I think he'd be the type of player to cheat using Action Replay or Game Shark for legendaries and shinies. We'd also actually have some time to get to know Tobias, as he'd go on to become a villain character in the next arc.

Ash would lose, but he'd get through 5 of his team members before finally falling to Crescelia. Suddenly he'd get invited by Scott to the Sinnoh Battle Zone. Up North. Tobias would take up a villain role as he'd attempt to hunt down the legendary Heatran. Ash and Barry would meet up with Palmer, and Lyra would join the crew with her Chikorita and Marill (In HGSS promotion, since both have the same Battle Frontier). Lyra would resume teasing Dawn and Ash a bit. Buck would be Ash's main rival for this arc, but on a friendlier term since they're both hunting Heatran.

Tobias would end up being exposed as a fraud- all but his Darkrai are clones made using the same technology used to make Mewtwo but perfected, and this would be a huge Team Rocket operation involving Giovanni himself.

It turns out Tobias has "DNA Balls" that can sample any Pokemon its thrown at, even if the capture itself fails, and form an almost perfect copy that can even be altered for the shiny gene. The only of Tobias's pokemon that wasn't a clone was his Darkrai, who has a legitimate bond with Tobias after he was the only trainer it met to not shy away from its nightmares.

Ash and the gang would end up stopping Tobias and making him realize what he was doing was wrong, and Tobias would release all of his Pokemon to try and start over again. Giovanni attempted to take over the attempt at Heatran, but a last minute help from Paul ended up giving the gang the last push they needed to save it.

Paul would have matured and realized the error of his ways, and actually apologized to Infernape. Although by this point, Ash would have beaten the Battle Zone, the final battle of this saga would be with Paul, same as it was when it started. Paul would have a team that looks a lot like this

Terrifying on the surface, until you see Lucario on his team. It turns out that after losing to Ash, Cynthia gave him an egg to hatch. Paul initially refused, but Cynthia recognized that Paul came to a realization of how he treated Pokemon after his and Ash's last fight. "Raise this Pokemon the way you think it should be raised, and you will finally understand."

Paul is definitely still brash and cold, but he is kinder to his Pokemon now and knows Ash is the best way to test and see if this works.

It would be a close call, with another brawl between Infernape and Electivire, then A final one between Pikachu and Lucario. In a narrow win, Pikachu wins. Ash and the others are concerned that Paul would turn back to his old ways after losing, but instead, Paul simply admits that he needs more time to properly bond with his Pokemon, and that he'd continue trying.

The rest of the saga would end normally. Brock realizes he wants to become a doctor, and Dawn becomes a fashion designer.

However, in a surprise, there's 1 more arc between Sinnoh and Unova- another custom arc, yes. After Ash's impressive feats in the Battle Zone, he gets invited to Poketopia by a friend of Scott's. Lyra decides to accompany him since it looks fun, and Dawn decides to check out Poketopia on her first trip solely for fashion purposes. Brock, however, decides it really is his time to head home. It was fun, and Ash and Brock thank each other for being best friends for close to 4 years now. Ash matured a lot, and Brock got to travel and see all sorts of things thanks to these travels.

With that, they say fairwell, and Ash, Dawn, and Lyra continue to Poketopia.

Which will come next time in this au.