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hkthatgffan · 10 months

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NEW VIDEO ON MY CHANNEL!!

I recently had the chance to talk with Ethan Marak of Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, about his work on the Gravity Falls episode Little Gift Shop of Horrors.

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He shared some great new info on the stop motion process and never before seen photos from the set.

Below is a transcript of what I asked and his answers...

1. How did you get involved with Gravity Falls and were you a fan of the show beforehand?

I was working as an Animation Director at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios when this project came my way. The studio producers would cast Animation Directors to projects that were a good fit, and my known love of classic stop-motion animation in the Ray Harryhausen style made them consider me for this job.

2. Alex Hirsch mentioned in the GF box set that they contacted you directly about working on the show? What was that process like?

As I recall Alex was very into the idea of using stop-motion for this episode and he was very enthusiastic and excited visiting the set and seeing all the puppets and sets. When we translate an established 2d animation to stop-motion, there are a lot of creative considerations and decisions that need to be made for the designs and animation style to work. As I remember Alex trusted us to guide that process, and was flexible with any small limitations that came up.

3. Additionally, he mentioned that Disney originally did not want to do stop motion due to the cost and so Alex said he inquired about frame by frame costs and looked through everything that was done to see if it would fit the budget. How did that whole situation affect the filming and in turn, what was it like working with Alex and the GF team?

I wasn’t involved in any aspect of the budgeting for the project so I’m not sure what give-and-take with Disney occurred to make the numbers work for stop-motion. I don’t remember feeling like the shoot was under-funded.

4. How much creative freedom did you have in regards to the episode? Were things planned out beforehand or did the crew let you come up with ideas for the stop motion as you went along?

The team from GF provided character designs, storyboards and backgrounds. It was our job to create the puppets and shoot the animation in a way that fit into the background plates convincingly. I can’t remember for sure, but I think GF did the final compositing themselves. Everything is meticulously planned out in stop-motion animation, so that we don’t spend time building or shooting anything that isn’t going to be on screen. We had a lot of freedom as far as the style of the animation, and we were going for a cartoony look that worked for GF but also paid homage to Harryhausen, which meant paying more attention to the weight and subtleties than we might on other projects.

5. Were there any scrapped/deleted or cut aspects of the animation that did not make it into the episode? These can be scenes either planned out or animated that never made the final episode.

Not that I recall, no.

6. Would you be okay with sharing any behind the scenes photos, videos, memories, stories or more from your work on the episode that would be okay to be public now? These can be of the shoot, interesting stories or trivia about it, crew reactions, set up, etc. I understand completely if that is not possible but it would be great to learn about/see the animation process for this episode, the sets, characters, etc.

I’ll let you know if I ever find the behind the scenes photos I took.

Side note: Ethan did find a ton of photos to send to me that you can access here or as I shared below...

However, there were several I was asked to not share, such as behind the scenes images of the character designs and storyboards of the animated version of the monsters that was used to help map out the movement of the stop motion. Those are internal works that are not allowed to be shared and I will sadly not be able to. That said, @robertryancory shared these designs of the character publicly years back that look very similar to what I was sent. But what I was shown were colorized versions and almost final looks of the characters.

7. Do you still own the models or sets made for this episode? If so, what condition are they in (and if possible could a photo(s) be provided)?

I checked with the studio and as far as I can tell the puppets were given back to Disney at some point. There was a brief period where I remember the puppets were displayed in the lobby at Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.

8. Overall, what were your thoughts on working on Gravity Falls, the episode overall and the show later on? If Alex Hirsch or another GF crew member from it were to ask about helping in work on a new project, be it for GF or another show, would you do it?

I really enjoyed working on the episode and it is a stand-out project for me! It came out really beautifully and the GF team was really kind and respectful to us, and genuinely interested in our process. I’d absolutely partner with Alex on something else if it came up.

9. One extra question; Did you work on the mini stop motion bumper for Disney XD as well? If so, what was that like and what ideas were made for it that perhaps did not make the final promo?

Yes I directed that spot. It was another really cool project that gave us the ability to bring GF to life in stop-motion. The Stan puppet was amazing and looked so good- and our animators really brought him to life. We went though an extensive design process for the XD logo creature before deciding on the version you see in the spot. The goal was to make it look convincing as a taxidermy creation that Stan would have built, and to work in as many little eyeballs and body parts as possible that could move around.

BEHIND THE SCENES FOOTAGE OF THAT PROMO!

A huge thank you to Ethan for sharing this info and photos with me. Please do go check out his personal work on his Instagram, as it's some really cool retro stuff that I really loved checking out.

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stardustizuku · 1 year

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Why Miraculous LadyBug Is the Worst Thing To Happen To Magical Girl Genre in All Its History.

It would be easy to sit here and tell you all the logical reasons why Ladybug is a bad show. It has horrible pacing, it has low stakes, repetitive episodes, and a dialogue that is cringe worthy enough to get its own tiktok sound.

But saying that, would be beating a dead horse at this point. Everyone knows this show is a bunch of wasted potential, only made worse by a director who keeps thinking he created gold, when in fact he messed up in a lot of areas – particularly the fact that he’s a grown man who thinks he knows what little girls want.

I’m not here for that.

Particularly, because I can be quite forgiving to shows like this. I mean, they’re kids' shows! Meant for little girls, and I haven’t been one for a few years now. But I still enjoy them.

Why? Well, cause I’m a massive fan of Magical Girl animes. I love the glitter, the sparkles, the silly adventures with friends, and the transformation sequences! Even with all its flaws, I really like them. So, stories or shows that borrow from them, get a pass in all these things.

I mean, I have fun re-watching WINX Club, I love Star Vs The Forces of Evil despite its flaws. Steven Universe holds a deep place in my heart and She-Ra is…She-Ra is in its very own league of how amazing it is.

So, no. Be it a very dumb show or a very smart one, I can have fun. It’s very rare when a show with, you know, glitter, girly stuff and animals CAN’T hold my attention.

But, well, MLB failed at that.

It’s just, not a good show.

I mean, it could be. But the age demographic would need to drop several, several age groups just to be barely watchable – and even then, I seriously doubt that it would be good for young girls to watch it. The lessons it teaches are concerning, to say the least.

And at this point, you may be thinking,

"Why do you care so much about this show? It’s dumb and you’ve acknowledged it treats its demographic as toddlers. Why do you care so much?"

Well, because I've been here... for a very, very long time.

Listen, I started watching Miraculous Ladybug, back when I was in high school. Maybe a bit old, but, hey, a lot of unique cartoons came out around that time. (Star Vs, Steven Universe, etc). So, I was hopeful. Really hopeful.

Mainly, because I was here before it EVEN premiered. I remember it. The original PV was 2D animated and it had this vague Princess Tutu vibes that JUST I couldn’t resist. It was clear as day that it borrowed a lot of its inspiration from magical girls from the 90's, probably even 80's.

The premise looked similar enough to Kaito Jeanne, and Kaito St. Tail for me to draw those conclusions.

It had a dynamic very similar to Princess Tutu and seemed like a mix of silly and dark like that one was.

To be honest, I could even see hints of Sugar Sugar Rune with Pierre and Felix.

Not to mention, the animation was beautiful.

I will never, never forget that scene with Chat looking at Ladybug starry-eyed under the Paris Moonlight. That was so beautiful, a genuine touch of romance that rang so similar to the Magical Girl animes I grew up with.

I was thrilled, I was excited. I wanted this show to succeed, before even the premier had dropped.

This is all to say -

I never came to this show with the intention for it to fail.

And I didn’t expect nor want it to be ground-breaking or a giant of the genre. I just hoped I could have a fun time.

I didn't want subversions, I didn't want it to be dark, or deep. All I wanted, was sparkles, fun and a good time.

So, when it first aired, I tried to stay positive. I tried to like it, even when it had all these massive red flags.

I’ve never been a big fan of 3D animation, and especially not how it’s used in Magical Girl animes. (We all know the disaster the first season of Sailor Moon Crystal was).

But I swallowed it down.

The characters were different from the original PV

But I swallowed it down.

The background scenery was bland and generic and hardly felt unique.

But I swallowed it down.

I was here since day 1. I was here when Stormy Weather premiered. I was here before many of you were, and

I swallowed it all down.

Because I really, really wanted this to be good.

And I really thought it would.

But things should have been made clear, when they fucked up the one thing they shouldn't. The one thing that held this all together. The one thing that kept me here even as everything was burning to the ground, and I was too naive to realize it.

They fucked up the thing that started all this, to begin with.

MasterList >> NEXT

#miraculous ladybug #MLB #mlb salt #marinette dupain cheng #ml ladybug

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genshinlover101 · 2 years

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hello! could i request lisa, ningguang, yae miko, beidou, and ei x reader but their realities are switched? they're in the real world and reader is a character in genshin impact. would they pull for reader? reaction to reader's teaser/trailer, ect. i hope this isn't too much hope you have a great day :D

Would She pull for You if You Were a Character?

(Irl!AU Roles Reversed)

Characters: Lisa, Ningguang, Yae Miko, Beidou, Raiden Shogun x gn!reader

Warnings: None

A/n: You guys already know I’m a pure sucker for Irl AUs <3 this one in particular I feel is a really interesting headcanon just cause my sole reason to pull for characters aren’t because their kits or anything but cause I think they’re pretty

• Lisa is the lazy type, she doesn’t speed run events or farm for chests. She lets her primogems pill up until she finds a specific cutie that catches her eye. However whenever a cutie is released, she goes crazy for them, prefarming and everything for their materials.

• Your character in particular was teased many months prior to your release date. Just your character design awkwardly t-posing without animations was all she needed for Lisa to know who she was pulling for next. From that point on, she wouldn’t pull for any character/weapon unless it was you.

It was three minutes until the previous banner disappeared and yours would make an appearance. Lisa had exactly nine ten pulls, just enough to pull you, but not enough if she happened to lose the 50/50. She was relaxed in her chair however, her head resting in the palm of her hand which was balanced on her wooden desk. Not a sign of anxiety, she was determined that you two were fate, you were bound to belong to her.

Two minutes left until your banner was released, she licked her lips as she looked at your teasers from Twitter on her phone. She practically had hearts in her eyes, as she prepared herself. She found herself analyzing every detail of your character on your official character art until the banner switched.

She wasted no time pressing the 10 pull option, she was confident that she didn’t even need all 90 of her wishes. Her eyes illuminated as the blue color of the screen faded from a purple color for a split second to a golden arch. “Fufufu~” she let out. She knew it was fate.

Just three left clicks of her mouse was all it took to see you appear in a 2D form, she just had to take a picture to flex on Jean. She spammed through the other seven wishes, spiraling around your character as she looked at your 3D model that was already placed in her empty party.

She had waited three long months for your character, excited to scroll through your friendship level one voice lines, even the smooth animations that you did whenever you completed an attack combo. Her love for Genshin was reestablished as she farmed for your artifact set for the next three months.

btw she def took your character to that ladder spot in Mondstadt where the characters walk up it slowly to the beat of that tiktok, iykyk. She just couldn’t control herself.

• Ningguang is that stinky rich girl everyone was jealous of. Everyone thought she was daddy’s money but in reality, she just invested her money wisely. That meant you better believe she’s a Giga whale. Genshin is just a hobby for her however, she would only really play every once in a while.

• That was until she saw a teaser of the newest character on Twitter. She’s never felt so hyped for a character, she was less invested in your playstyle and kit and more in your character design. Yes, your abilities were a perk, but she was focused on many different assets.

Ningguang sighed as she stared at her grand total of 11 accumulated wishes. Knowing her luck in gacha games she knew she wouldn’t be able to pull you with that small amount. Because of this, she tapped her heavy, thick, black express card on her glass desk anxiously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears as she crossed her legs.

She bit her lip while she stared at your banner, even if the gods didn’t want you two to be united she would fight against all odds with all her copious amounts of money. With a single click of her mouse, she pulled her ten pull, the star unsurprisingly gleaming purple. She grunted “Just my luck,” before skipping her rewards and immediately going to the shop.

Buying just enough for 80 pulls, she took a deep breath. She would go insane if she had lost the 50/50, preparing for such a circumstance nonetheless. Her eyes rolled all the way back in her skull as she spent each wish to no avail. It really made her hit hard pity as she groaned once again.

The gold star not even phasing her as she was severely disappointed that it felt like she was getting scammed by Hoyoverse. When your player card appeared in bright colors she was practically ripping her golden-hued hair out, secretly hoping if anything that she would have left over wishes for a single constellation.

Regardless she spent the next hour smirking at your 3D model in satisfaction. Watching your idle animations and your voice lines. Getting ultimate satisfaction as she clicked ‘e’ to watch your abilities. It wasn’t long till she found herself staring at your weapon banner, thinking about topping up again just because. “It would look quite weird to put a four-star weapon on a five-star wouldn’t it hmm,” she mumbled to herself while she pictured you wielding a weapon that perfectly fit your aesthetic.

• Yae Miko was interested in everything about the game. She rolled for whoever was cute, beneficial for her team, or just cause she liked seeing big numbers. Whenever Hoyoverse made their characters cute, strong, and interesting, that was a win-win in her book.

• When your character was released, whether you were meant to be a DPS, support, or healer, she was determined to pull for you. Impressing others, big numbers, her financial situation, nothing mattered anymore. Your character design alone was enough to entice her to pull for you.

Since your banner was teased three months prior to your actual run, she made sure she had an adequate amount of wishes for at least one copy of you. She had prepped for months, regardless of who gets a rerun or who was announced within the time that it took for you to release. She had exactly 180 wishes, ready for that small chance that she was super unlucky and hit hard pity and lose the 50/50 simultaneously.

Her sharp nails tapped against the desk in stress, with her saved wishes and scheming she was confident that you’d be finally hers. It was the matter of how many copies she could pull of you, if you were both strong at C1 and cute it would mean the world to her.

She took a deep breath, as she clicked the 10 pull option. The wishing session began, she even had your theme music playing in the background. She firmly believed in manifestation, even going to an area on the map that meant significant importance to your character. Lastly, she had her fourth spot open just for you to auto-join her party, the other three members were characters that you interact with frequently.

All of these rituals would create the perfect conditions for you to come home to mama. To no surprise however, her first 50 wishes were to no avail, only pulling copies of the four-stars and occasional weapons. When she finally hit soft pity she began getting anxious. “Don’t be difficult with me little one,” she mumbled. Biting her lips she clenched her legs together in anticipation.

She must’ve been at least 70 wishes in to pull at least one copy of you. She had to take a breather before going after constellations, spiraling the screen around your avatar. She admired your hit animations, your elemental skills, and your voice lines. She’d probably even take you to a hilichurl camp at level one just to get one shot on accident in a world level eight with no hope and less than 500 hp.

• Beidou isn’t rich or anything, but she is definitely a whale. She plays Genshin like it’s a new pokemon game, she has to collect them all or she doesn’t feel complete. She might even stream her pulls on twitch for all three of her loyal viewers, Ningguang, Kazuha, and Xinyan.

• Beidou hadn’t been genuinely excited for a character in a while. But when your kit was released, your talent scaling, your constellations, she just had to C6 R5 you. She doesn’t make the rules, it was already determined the moment you released she’d drop 800 on the game.

Beidou focused as she proceeded to purchase $500 worth of genesis crystals. Unless she was extremely lucky, it wouldn’t be enough to C6 R5 you. She wanted at least all of your constellations, and if lucky two refinements of your signature weapon. She smiled at her webcam as she prepared herself by going to her lucky corner of the map.

She had pulled all her characters in one specific spot, strategies were nothing without a little bit of preparation and rituals. Her viewership consistied of Ningguang spamming in the chat about how ridiculously stupid and financially incompetent she was, Kazhua praying for her, and Xinyan gassing her up. As Beidou smirked at Ningguang’s rage she pulled up the wishing screen. “Watch this sugar plum,” she said as calmly and collected as possible.

She clapped her hands together once before shouting “Okay!” as a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead from the combination of nerves and humidity. She gripped her mouse in determination like it was some scene from the movies, ready to speed run through all the wishes.

It didn’t take long for her to blast through 100 wishes by pressing the skip button. Maybe if she continued another minute or two for another 100 she would be counting down her luck as she continued to hit soft pity. Regardless of if she took you up to C6 or not she at least had one copy. Switching her agenda towards the weapon banner.

She prayed for herself, genuinely hoping she would not have to top up again, financial stability wasn’t a problem for her. It was just the teasing Ningguang in her chat that she’d have to deal with the next month if she didn’t hit her goals. Whatever the case was she exited the wishing screen, admiring your character’s idle animations before she continued to wish. “Look at this beauty eh?” she bragged with a big smile.

• Ei probably plays Genshin because Miko forced her to. She doesn’t really have any real passion for video games, let alone Genshin Impact. Because of this, she doesn’t really farm for any primogems, wishing whenever she gets exactly 160 because she lacks the patience.

• Ei probably pulled you on accident, she was unintentionally building pity throughout the many banners only for yours to land exactly on the 90 wish hard pity mark. Miko saw how beneficial you’d be on Ei’s team so she forced her to build you. It wasn’t until she realized how cool your character was that she actually began caring for the game.

Ei sat up in her bed lazily as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, a scowl on her face when she received a text message from her dearest friend Yae Miko to hop on Genshin Impact. Such a tedious game she felt, how pointless to farm this digital form of currency. Nonetheless, Ei searched for the Paimon insignia application on her phone, accepting the unusually fast world join request from her friend Miko.

Rolling her eyes deeply as she immediately hounded Ei to complete her commissions, even forcing her to turn them in for rewards to that strange Katheryne lady. Once she had seen that she collected exactly 160 of the star currency she ignored all of Miko’s petty teasings. Not hesitating to click on the limited banner and spend the single wish.

A single blue light shined on her screen, quickly turning a golden hue. “Huh?” She mumbled to herself, she’d pulled five stars before, but didn’t care much. Miko probably cared more now that she thought about it. It didn’t take her long before she changed her second party member, your character popping out of the blue.

Miko wasted no time facetiming Ei, only to receive her cold-hearted ignorance and a swipe up to ignore the buzzing notification. Ei didn’t understand the commotion, but she supposed your character was kind of cool. When your splash art flashed on her screen she would be in lying if she said her heart didn’t pound in momentary excitement.

Miko kept spamming her with calls, texts alike, in-game trying to explain the hype of what exactly she had just pulled. Upon hearing the confirmation that she needed from Miko, she used all the on-hand materials she had to level you up, your talents, your weapon. Even searching online the best artifact set for you, locations for your ascension materials. “Help me with the talent-book domain,” Ei typed, ignoring all of Miko’s cries in the chat.

#lisa x reader #ningguang x reader #yae miko x reader #Beidou x reader #raiden shogun x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #lisa minci #Ningguang #yae miko #beidou #raiden shogun

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theeio · 7 months

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What got you into livio? Was it fic, art, another friend, or did you just see him and go: “wowza.”

HI IM BLOWING A KISS TO U CHRIS

there are…. SEVERAL factors to why i fixated on livio so here it is. ive written this elsewhere before but HERE IT IS AND HERE IT GOES:

Livio was a pivotal character in my absolute favourite episodes in Tristamp. Episodes 5-7 is one of the most breathtaking things I’ve seen in anime in a while. It’s not often you see such *strong* visual storytelling and show not tell in an anime, the BEAUTIFUL score and sound design, and seeing the tragedy of the blessing children, with the wonderfully done 2d animation, having one of the best action sequences in the season (Vash vs Livio), and how meaningful every moment was and how it aids in seeing the character’s motivations (especially Wolfwood). I could go on.

The found family between Livio and Wolfwood got to me. YES I KNOW. IM PREDICTABLE. Their moments, both in their backstory and when Wolfwood wakes him up...was so warm and tender it was unbelievable. How gentle they were as children, vs how the Eye of Michael made them to be now. Man that hurt. Also the bit in their childhood friendship montage including bonding by trying to smoke worm legs was INCREDIBLY FUNNY

And on that note. I think part of why love Livio is also because episode 7 was one of the FUNNIEST viewing experiences of anything in my LIFE. So story time I was watching this show for the first time with my older sister and mom, and when Vash was telling Wolfwood that in order to save Livio he needed to Make him remember (“There has to be something he cant forget") I joked offhandedly "lol wolfwood revives livio with weed" and then??? half a minute later THEY ACTUALLY WENT THERE?2?1?1?1?11?1?11?? WOLFWOOD ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY REVIVED LIVIO WITH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND WEED AND WE WERE LOSING OUR SHITS AND SCREAMINGGGG and then right after that Livio [REDACTED]s and then we were like

4. DVDJDBDJDJDKDJDKDFHKDDK but anyway yeah like, conceptually the episodes Livio in was RIDICULOUS but bro. I am UTTERLYYY OBSESSED with how they Made made it work???? So well??? Somehow those were the moments hit hardest emotionally for me. It was so, SO good.

5. Also Tristamp Livio relatable to me on an insanely specific level….like can’t move on from the best friend you made before you were 12 who had to leave from life circumstances, whose name also starts with “Nico” specific? Yeah me too Livio

6. And finally just. Knowing that Livio has SO MUCH MORE going for him in the source material? I haven’t read the manga yet but I’m so unbelievably excited to see more of this character, be it in Trimax or the next season of Tristamp. I love him and Razlo’s design and he intrigues me greatly from what I’ve seen and heard from manga readers. I’m vibrating at the idea of seeing him rigged up and animated in his full buff cowboy glory

OKAY IM DONE HDDJJDDJDJDK THIS GOT TOO LONG AND SILLY DHSKSHSKS have a livio scribble as a thanks🥰BYE

#LMFAO TY FOR READING AND TY FOR THIS ASK YOU JUST GET IT #post #text #😭😭😭😭#tristamp livio #trigun stampede #livio #hope youve been well!!#draws #doodles #trigun

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behindthewanderlust · 9 months

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Noodle’s Gift

Characters - Noodle, Murdoc, Russel, 2D

Summary - It’s Murdoc’s birthday and all he wants is to get the day over with. It’s a good thing Noodle’s a good kid

Word Count - 1,284

Warnings - Everyone is OOC (sorry), Murdoc wallowing in his own sadness, this is ooold

A/N - A really bad fic I wrote last year😭 I gladly welcome constructive criticism! Anything that’ll help me improve :)

——————————————————————————

The sun shining through the window awoke Murdoc. He did his best to avoid it by rolling over, but the stubborn sunlight kept invading his room. Accepting defeat, he grumbled as he kicked his sheets off and got out of bed. Murdoc started to make his way to the bathroom, each step reminding him of what day it was.

Step.

June

Step.

Sixth

Step.

2005

Step.

Your

Step.

39th

Step.

Birthday.

His face naturally twisted into the usual scowl it always carries. Birthdays had never been great for Murdoc. As a kid, all he wanted was a nice birthday party. As an adult, he couldn’t care less about the day.

His scowl grew deeper as he remembered the pencil his father got him for his eleventh birthday.

Fucking Sebastian, he thought, couldn’t have at least pretended to care for a second and get me something I didn’t already have.

Sharp rattles were suddenly heard on the door and Russel’s deep voice was heard. “‘D and I made breakfast, you should come eat.”

“Fine,” Murdoc grumbled, “I’ll be down in a minute.”

Russel’s feet shuffled away while Murdoc quickly put his pants on and made his way to the kitchen, wanting to get breakfast over with so he could come back to his room and be miserable.

Breakfast was quiet. 2D and Russ tried to celebrate Murdoc’s birthday back in ‘98, but were met with his shouts and curses, so they never uttered a word about his birthday since. Russel had shared what had happened to Noodle, who never mentioned his birthday, heeding Russel’s warning. This year was different. Noodle was stubborn. Some may say she was too stubborn.

Noodle scarfed down her breakfast despite multiple warnings from Russel and 2D. She didn’t bother listening though. She was excited! She took another bite of food and prepared to speak with her mouth full before she was interrupted by heavy coughs.

Russel, who was closest to her, immediately began patting her back to get her to stop choking.

“Now I don’t know how many times we told you to slow down while you eat,” Russel gently scolded once she stopped choking, “slow down and stop eating like an animal!”

“Sorry, Russ!” she began, “I just-”

“We don’t know what we’d do if this turned into something serious!” 2D jokes, not meaning to interrupt.

“Sorry, I just-“ interrupted again.

“I don’t know any of that CPR stuff, love, Dents here would’ve had to revive ya, and I don’t think any of us would like that,” Murdoc half joked.

“Sorry-“

“You gotta start listening to us when we tell you things! We don’t nag just to nag, y’know,” Russel continued.

Noodle internally groaned. Today is her day to make Murdoc feel nice! And here they are, fussing over her.

“Sorry,” she finally managed to say, “I’m just excited.”

2D was the first to speak up, “about what?”

“You’ll see!”

Breakfast continued to be uneventful, with the boys sneaking glances at Noodle to make sure she ate slowly.

2D had offered to wash the dishes, and began collecting them to put in the sink. Noodle beamed, she could finally do what she wanted to do! With a quick, be right back!, she darted to her room. She gently collected her gifts for Murdoc and walked back to the kitchen.

“Surprise! Happy birthday!” she shrieked, setting her gifts on the table in front of Murdoc, who looked at her in shock. A small red velvet cake, a birthday card with crudely drawn art of the members on the front, and a green balloon sat in front of him. He sat there in shock, not knowing what to do with himself. He had never seen that many birthday gifts before, and he never thought he’d see so many presents addressed to him.

“…do you like it?” she squeaked out.

Murdoc had gone quiet since she walked back in the kitchen. Noodle began to second guess this decision, but a soft hug from Murdoc killed those thoughts.

“…I appreciate this, Noodle,” he managed to get out. He ruffled her hair and frowned, “didn’t have to get me anything, though.”

“I wanted to! I’ve never gotten you anything before,” she smiled.

At first, Russel and 2D were quiet. They were both worried Murdoc would react poorly to the gifts. Russel, relieved to see Murdoc hugging Noodle, broke his silence.

“Happy birthday, Murdoc. Hope it’s a good one.”

2D quietly stood and started to walk over the counter. Murdoc glanced over, suddenly remembering how he yelled at him and Russ the last time he tried to celebrate his birthday. Murdoc began to speak before 2D cut him off.

“I brought plates for the cake,” 2D began to nervously say, “happy birthday, Mudz.”

“Thanks Dents, you too, Russ.”

Noodle clasped her hands together, glad that her gift had been so well received. She quickly grabbed the knife to cut the cake, the fact that she should probably sing the ‘happy birthday’ song slipping her mind. She gave the first piece to the birthday boy, then Russel, 2D, and finally herself. The band enjoyed a nice and quiet moment while happily munching on their slices. Noodle occasionally looked up at Murdoc, curious to see if he was enjoying the cake as much as she was.

On the other end, Murdoc snuck glances at his bandmates (mostly Noodle). He’d never had a birthday celebration, he didn’t exactly know what to do. Still, he felt content. Something he hasn’t felt in a long time.

While eating their last bites, Noodle asked, “how do you feel?”

“The same as always, love.”

“But it’s your 39th! You really don’t feel anything? I’m gonna feel so grown-up when I turn 15 later this year! 15 is so different from 14, which feels even more different from 13.”

Her bandmates shared a laugh, much to her confusion.

“Once you get older, kid, each day feels like the last. 38 and 39 aren’t too different compared to 15 and 14,” Murdoc replied. Noodle nodded, not exactly liking the answer she got.

Finishing his slice of cake, Murdoc placed his plate in the sink.

“Right, I’m off to the showers,” he stated. 2D and Russel shared their plans while placing their plates in the sink. Noodle wasn’t finished though, and wanted to spend more time with everyone.

“Wanna watch a movie?” she asked, giving the three her best puppy dog eyes.

“I’ve got nothin’ better to do,” 2D shrugged, before turning his attention to dishes.

Russel smiled, “of course, Noodle, I’m always down to watch movies with you.”

Murdoc ruffled her hair once again. “I’ll be down once I finish showering, alright?”

Noodle nodded before rushing off to pick a movie.

Murdoc began the walk back to his room, balloon and birthday card clutched in hand. He slammed the door and locked it before collapsing on the floor. Broken sobs escaped his mouth, unable to stop the sounds by covering his mouth. He tried to wipe his tears but his eyes were like waterworks - no use at all. He stared at the balloon in his hand. He always wanted one as a kid. His father never let him have any normal kid things.

Murdoc remembered seeing a bunch of balloons at birthday parties on TV, and how his dad slapped him when he asked for one. All that didn’t matter though, he finally had one of his own! And it was all thanks to the kid he at first thought nothing of.

Murdoc glanced and the card Noodle gifted him. He didn’t know what he would do with that girl, but he did know one thing:

She would have the best 15th birthday ever.

#2d gorillaz #gorillaz fanfiction #gorillaz headcanons #murdoc gorillaz #russel gorillaz #noodle gorillaz

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fryandleelasbigfling · 1 year

Text

on fry, leela, and the baby carriage (pre-hulurama)

aka “jen infodumps about her freela parenting headcanons for a very long time”

i think about this a lot. other people in the fandom think about this a lot. if fry and leela do get permanently married and settle down... would they ever have kids? could that work in the narrative, somehow?

this is, in my opinion, a complicated question, but one that i think would be utterly fascinating for the show to address. and to explain it, i’m going to talk about leela and fry’s individual trauma surrounding family, the struggles this would cause them in trying to have kids, and whether they would want to give it a shot anyway.

this is going to be a very long post.

leela

i’m gonna be honest. leela has mom energy. i think this is the inevitable reality of any character played by katey sagal, but the show itself has leaned into this characterization several times -- bender sarcastically calling her “mom” in “fry am the egg man,” and of course “2d blacktop” making an entire joke about her suddenly acting like a soccer mom (though her character writing in that episode is a bit weird... i think it’s the Written By Men of it all).

but despite this, leela has a bit of a complicated relationship with the idea of motherhood. there are two episodes where she’s been convinced to conceive a child under the guise of repopulating her species. i obviously don’t count these instances towards her wanting to be a mother because A) it was out of obligation and she never suggests otherwise and B) she didn’t properly consent to either situation.

her excitement to start a family with adlai gives a bit more credence to the idea she would genuinely want kids. in fact, she even gets the idea to adopt because of her own experience as an orphan.

however, this is complicated by how superficial her relationship with adlai was. was she genuinely excited to be a mother at this point? or was she just happy that her very normal childhood crush wants to start a nuclear family with her? is it about her actual feelings, or is she just doing what she thinks she’s “supposed” to do?

there’s also the fact she has no emotional connection (so far) to her biological offspring with kif, consistently calling them “her DNA” rather than “her kids.” this is because culturally, they’re amy’s kids, and i like that she (and the narrative) respects that they came from kif and amy’s love. it’s almost guaranteed that the tadpoles will return and i think it would be very interesting to address leela’s relationship (or lack thereof) with them. after all, part of her connection to motherhood in several of these situations is that it’s what’s expected from a committed, loving, normal relationship -- if she has a loving husband and good kids, it means she proved that she’s a lovable, capable woman after all. her accident with kif doesn’t mean any of that.

despite these nuances, it’s clear leela is an extremely caring, dare i say maternal (no matter what her sims 3 counterpart says) person. it’s a core trait that she will do anything to take care of what she perceives as a helpless animal, probably because she spent decades without anybody to take care of her. she coddles nibbler like he’s her own baby boy, and the way he refers to himself as the “object of [her] misplaced affections” is primarily about her lack of a boyfriend, it also kind of leans into him as her substitute baby, especially since she seemingly has this hover pram thing already set up:

she was good at babysitting the de-aged coworkers in "teenage mutant leela's hurdles." she also obviously connects very strongly to the kids at the orphanarium and wants to be a good role model to them. she connects with the young jrrr and even outright says she hopes he always sees her as his mama (before he drops the detail that his species eats their mothers).

in “the bots and the bees,” she’s the only one who isn’t fully repulsed when bev gives birth, jumps up to help her out, and is generally the most interested in bender’s journey through fatherhood. while this is because she’s a naturally helpful person with a lot of personal hangups about parenthood, i just think it’s worth noting here.

she also gushed over the nannybot back in the fox era!

even in “meanwhile,” despite a later joke that i’ll discuss later, her response to the unexplained glimmer is “if it keeps bugging us, we'll either kill it or adopt it.” literally right after their wedding, i love it so much.

i also have to bring up the futurama comics because, while they are only debatably canon, there are multiple instances that pretty much confirm that leela wants kids. issue #26 (my favorite comic hands-down) sets up leela being forlorn about the fact she isn’t close to falling in love and having a family, playing on the “biological clock” trope.

however, after the harrowing ordeal of raising her own infant and teenage selves (god i love this comic!), she stops obsessing over her biological deadline and just lives in the moment, appreciating herself. i love that!

even more explicit is issue #62. this comic sets up that leela wants to be a mom despite the rest of the crew not thinking she’s sensitive enough to be one. (personally i think it’s kind of shoehorned dialogue and that fry is OOC to talk to leela like this at this point in their relationship, but it is very, very comics-canon that leela wants kids.)

the plot of the comic is basically she gets amnesia, zapp claims her and convinces her that she’s his wife and they have three teenage robot kids. it’s a bit of a weird plot and it’s a weak zapp characterization imo, but it does establish that leela works well taking care of the kids and they get very attached to each other to the point she wants to have a biological baby of her own.

she’s not in a fully lucid position though and she could very well just be leaning into the tradwife role because she doesn’t know anything else until later. however, when she does get her memory back, she obviously rejects zapp violently, but she is genuinely endeared to the robot kids to the point of crying. so this probably goes beyond just leela wanting to prove she can do something she was told she can’t do.

(granted the comic does have this as the punchline but it’s pretty clear that as caring as leela is, she’s got a lot on her plate which would get in the way of her being a mother in her actual working life)

there’s also an extremely cute comic where everybody becomes a scout leader and leela leads a bunch of mutant scouts and it gets me feelsy. it’s literally the issue right before the mommy leela one. something on the writers’ minds i guess.

so does this mean leela should be a mom? honestly, i would like to see her accept that she doesn’t have to be a mom to have worth in her life, but she still wants to be, once she feels ready to do so. a lot of leela’s arc is learning that she doesn’t have to fit someone else’s idea of a perfect woman, or a perfect family, or a perfect love life, just to stop being lonely -- she needs to lean into what makes her feel confident and happy. if she feels fulfilled taking care of a child, then she should go ahead and do it. not out of obligation towards the universe or towards the “good, respectable woman” mold -- just cuz it would make her happy. (this is why, if her role as “the other” really is referring to her needing to be a mom to fry’s child for some sort of Chosen One prophecy, i really hope they don’t play that straight, because i very much want leela’s autonomy to be a focus of any arc dealing with her being a mother and i do not want her to be forced into it after multiple other episodes where she almost gets tricked into conceiving a child.)

i can see her struggling with perfectionism about it, though. we see in issue #26 that she struggles to calm her baby self and communicate with her teenage self and i think not knowing exactly what to do would put a lot of stress on her because she’s so used to being the one who has everything together. i think she might have to reel herself in from lashing out and then feel guilty about not being an “ideal” loving mother.

“teenage mutant leela’s hurdles” shows her deliberately trying to live out what she thinks a “normal” teenage youth entails because she never got that as an actual child, and i wonder if she would project these same ideal expectations onto her own child, particularly if she had a daughter. (i do think fry is good at helping her outgrow this desire to fit a particular mold, though, as are her parents.) she’s also really obsessed with being a good role model (”a leela of her own,” “yo leela leela”) and i can see her worrying that any fault of her child is a reflection of her “failures” as a parent.

it’s interesting to think that leela probably never expected to have biological kids due to being the last of her kind (though i do headcanon she once had a pregnancy scare with sean). but i also headcanon that mutants don’t have a lot of kids, as we don’t see many, if any kids in the sewers (barring an issue or two in the comics where mutant kids show up). it would make sense because A) a lot of mutants don’t want to bring kids into their life situation, B) they can mutate enough to live for very long times so reproducing isn’t as needed, and C) i don’t think a lot of them want to or even can have sex with each other, ha ha. i can see there being a lot of pressure from her parents, because they probably also want to live vicariously and actually be able to raise a baby like they always wanted to, especially on the surface. 0′)

i don’t think her being a “strong independent woman” is at odds with this arc, either, as long as it’s not treated as an obligation. bojack horseman has a great example in princess carolyn of a character who still wants to have a family despite being a career woman who is incredibly attached to her work, and she doesn’t have to give either of it up if she has people to support her. i think it helps that we have amy to contrast, as she didn’t want kids (despite ending up with them, though i suspect kif will be the one taking care of them).

(also, female writers. that goes a long way in making an arc like this not come across as a derailment.)

fry

there is much more to say about leela than fry because they haven’t done as much with this subject when it comes to him. sure, he has a son, technically, but y’know... it’s his dad, and he never sees that as anything but a weird sexual encounter he had in the past.

but i do think fry would want kids with leela, especially if that’s what she wants. there’s a one-off line that implies he’s not opposed to this in “the cyber house rules,” though this is before he (knowingly) sees leela as anything more than an attractive coworker and doesn’t care much about long-term goals yet. it’s really more a joke about fry just being extremely persuasive (especially given how he gets roped into bender’s mass adoption scheme).

but the actual biggest thing that makes me wanna see fry as a dad: he is so, so, so attached to taking care of things, usually in the context of animals in need. he saved seymour from starvation, brought the orphaned leelu out of depression, and protected mr peppy at the risk of his own life. creatures are naturally drawn to him for some reason, probably because he’s got such a big heart and lacks the reservations most people have. he connects to animals at their level and doesn’t have the confidence to act superior most of the time. i think this can easily be applied to kids as well.

“fry am the egg man” is probably the most glaring example of this, because he immediately latches onto the egg when he learns the egg has a chance of hatching. (which kind of raises some “pro-life” questions that aren’t necessarily contradictory to fry’s political upbringing, but i think He Could Outgrow That in the right situation, ideally.)

his initial plan is to eat it but he does genuinely get so attached and protective and it’s sweet to me. he does drop it at the end and quickly detach but i think this at least shows that he has a real sense of love even if his sense of responsibility and focus can slip sometimes. (this is where i remind the audience that leela lays eggs according to “leela and the genestalk” so fry being good at raising eggs could be very useful there)

fry grew up with a very inconsistently-affectionate, often emotionally neglectful family. like leela, he doesn’t have a really clear reference point of what a good family unit entails, but he isn’t self-aware enough to seek it out. he can be reckless and indulgent, and that often puts whatever he’s caring for at risk, but he is loving. we know from his behavior towards leela (and bender, and even a few of his other girlfriends) that he will put his life on the line for what he loves. and i think if he had a baby with leela, it would mean so much more to him, because he loves leela so much i don’t think he would want any child of hers to be in danger. he just needs to be able to recognize what danger is.

one of the comics i didn’t bring up yet is issue #32, which introduces us to the closest thing we have to a canon freela baby: leelan von fry-bot, a hybrid clone mixed with fry and leela’s DNA (so not the result of nookie😔) that also takes over a bender copy’s body and overthrows humans for oppressing him like a boss. anyway my point is that fry’s initial reaction to having a kid isn’t more than “oh cool this means leela and i have sex” (and thus getting slapped bc their dynamic is still kind of like that by this point in the comics), but when leelan gets apprehended, he straight-up forgives the little genocidal maniac.

i don’t think fry really thought of himself with kids before leela. pre-canon, i don’t think he expected to settle down or have any committed relationship that didn’t exist for the purpose of mooching and surviving. i do think, if he did have a child, fry always saw himself with a son (again, not counting yancy sr). there’s a joke in “the route of all evil” that is analogous to him wanting a son (”i hope it's a lager, so I can take it to a ball game”), and in FATEM, he specifically wants the egg “to blossom into a beautiful young man, like [he] did as a baby.” it’s just easier for him to project that way and i think the culture of his house (i.e. the persistence of the yancy fry name) would put a lot of expectations on the boys to have sons. i think not having a son would surprise him but he’d still get so excited. he’d probably expect his daughter to be an action hero as much as leela does (though i think his expectations are way lower).

we also see in later episodes that while he represses it, fry really does miss having family and gets very quickly attached to the family he does have ("near death wish," "game of tones") so i think having a kid, especially biological offspring, would shake him to his core in a way he didn't expect could ever happen. it helps solidify to him that leela truly is his family now.

there’s also a gag early in the comics when they need to get more humans on earth and it’s implied fry asks leela to repopulate the planet but otherwise idrk if there’s much specifically with him and kids.

there’s the other joke in “meanwhile” where he implies it’s good they didn’t have children because they might get violent with them (and admittedly they have gotten a bit aggressive with kids in the past, i.e. leela trying to hit cubert), but personally i don’t think fry would do that, even if it’s been implied domestic abuse was uncomfortably normalized for him. leela might be tempted but i think she can reel herself in. and the reason i think they didn’t have kids in the meanwhile timeline is just because it would be too risky to bring a child into a universe where nobody else is sentient and able to help them out, especially after fry and leela die.

so my conclusion is that fry might not be knowledgeable on the traditions and necessities of healthy parenting right away, but i think he would try to learn. he clearly tries to learn for the people he loves, even when it’s hard, and making leela happy is his top priority. he doesn’t want her to get stuck with all the hardship (even if she’s still gonna be better at organization and the like). and i think he has such an earnest, unfiltered sense of love that he can connect to his own children immediately. and i think they’d sense that.

here’s a fry kid dogpile for extra cuteness

the narrative potential

fry and leela having kids has been thrown around the writers’ room a lot, according to commentaries. now most of this information i’ve gotten secondhand as i haven’t listened to most commentaries or read older interviews as much. there is an interview/commentary (i forget specifically which) where the writers joke that fry and leela would not be good parents because they’d either be dragging their kids with them on dangerous space missions all the time or leaving them home for long periods of time. (edit: there's also this 2010 bit where DXC says he doesn't want them to "[have] a baby and [move] to the suburbs" or anything for the show's sake lol)

this is an extremely understandable reason not to give fry and leela kids. it’s already bad enough when you overthink where cubert and dwight are during farnsworth and hermes’ various adventures, and fry and leela both work so this is an obstacle. there are ways around this practically -- get leela’s parents or even nibbler to babysit, or get a hologram or something as a proxy, or even have fry stay home at times. but it changes up the dynamic of the show in ways that might be hard to adapt to, especially if they’re already doing something similar with amy and kif. plus, they probably don’t wanna make fry and leela too domestic -- i know they worried about that back in season 6 which led to all the on-and-off stuff, but i think now their concern is just staying sci-fi and not simpsonsy.

but they’ve also, reportedly, teased the idea before, and i think the changing landscape of adult animation (a bit more room for serialization and more serious story elements, which futurama always dabbled in even before other shoes did). rumor has it that the original plot of “law and oracle” involved fry and leela’s son coming back from the future (and i think talking backwards or something???), but it was scrapped for i believe being too dark. i think a time traveling child is a great way to avoid the status quo shift of raising a child, even though it would be pretty big and tragic for fry and leela to meet their child and then watch them go knowing they won’t exist for several years. it’d be funny to see their child try and ensure their conception, or maybe even prevent it in some sort of twist on the trope. (this is one of my theories for “the temp.”)

we’ve seen hints of them as parents in “the route of all evil” where they both get hype about bender’s analogous pregnancy with beer, though they’re also excited to... have beer, lol. also some of my friends read a lot into the way they look at tonya in “stench and stenchability” and i do not blame them for that.

this concern about the status quo is also where adoption can come up again, as i can totally see fry and leela adding some wayward teenager to their family, someone just self-sufficient enough to not be too much of a detriment to the crew. i know the orphanarium kids are all adopted (though they could easily go back on that) but ideally i’d like them to adopt a mutant kid; i think it would mean a lot to leela for obvious reasons. maybe an alien or a robot, even. it doesn’t need to be formal adoption -- i can see them just picking up some lost little outcast guy because they feel bad he has nobody to raise him. maybe not for the rest of the series but even for an episode it’d be funny.

however, i think the idea of them having biological kids is utterly fascinating. is there precedent for a mutant breeding with a normal human? if leela “occasionally lays an egg,” what other weird stuff happens with her reproduction system? having an egg to carry could be another way to make the baby plot easier without incapacitating leela and fry too much after all. (and like i said before it’d be so cute to imagine fry carrying around an egg all protectively... like the dad in harvey beaks.) i think more people should take advantage of leela’s mutant genetics and give their offspring a bit more of her latent mutant traits, or traits from her parents’ side. more tentacles and tails and sheddable skin! hell, give them three eyes like leela’s grandma!

(but i think leela actually being pregnant would be interesting too. you know she’d be even more emotionally fucked up than usual on hormones, and would get so stubborn about not being incapacitated and not needing help even though fry keeps wanting to dote on her. also i wonder if mutant pregnancy would be different at all? radioactive morning sickness? fun! it would make some aspects of the show harder to work around though, like i do not know if she could fit behind the wheel while pregnant without making weird adjustments, and i also worry about the infamy behind the whole MWC pregnancy arc, but i don’t think that same uncomfortable and traumatic risk translates to animation.)

and what about fry’s genetics? does his child inherit the lack of delta brainwave? this comes up a lot in freela baby talk, especially with the “chosen one” theory, that fry’s brain thing and leela’s mutant thing might combine in some world-saving combination. again, i’d rather this be deconstructed, because nibbler trying to coax fry and leela to have babies for the sake of the universe is amusing but also pretty fucked-up, and we know fry doesn’t like being used and leela has already had this kind of deceptive thing happen to her before. i want them to do this because they want to, not out of some debt to the universe. that’s way too much pressure on them and their kid.

even putting that aside, i can see both fry and leela having insecurities about having a child, especially biologically. leela of course has her mutant/cyclops trauma and aforementioned perfectionism, but i think fry would be worried too about “ruining” their child with his own mental issues. i can see a sitcom type of story where they try to conceive (maybe with some weird sci-fi assistive technology) but start panicking when it doesn’t work and blaming themselves. one of my theories for “parasites regained” is that fry only takes the worms again when he’s trying to get leela pregnant, because he knows leela loves him for him by now, but he still wants to make sure their child is as perfect and healthy as can be. (i could even see a twist with leela also taking the parasites due to having these same issues.) honestly them getting pregnant on accident (and you know fry’s pullout game weak) would also throw them for a loop.

there’s also the complicated drama and fun of bender getting jealous of fry putting his attention towards not just his wife, but some smelly brat he put inside her. bender sometimes has the vibes of being fry and leela’s bratty teenage son so i love him interacting with their kid like a bitter older brother.

even if they don’t give fry and leela a kid, i could see them bait-and-switching the audience cuz they know it’s such a big deal to some people. like leela seems to have pregnancy symptoms but it’s really just some weird facehugger possession or womb horror. or they catch a glimpse of their future and think they see themselves with a kid but it’s out of context. or they knock fry up instead cuz they love making the guys pregnant instead. i have this joke idea for when the kif babies come back that leela seems to get baby fever really bad, but it’s a literal fever she contracted from the amphibiosian swamp and it’s only cured by the insanity of babysitting the kif babies.

honestly if they decide they’re not ready to have kids, if they’re not emotionally stable enough or they don’t have a good place to live or if they’re worried about bender or their careers, i’m fine with that. i’d actually love them communicating and deciding on that together! i think it’s just an interesting subject to explore and i really hope the revival does something with it. :)

#freela #futurama #philip j fry #turanga leela #leela #fry #freela baby fever #hulurama predictions #analysis #if u think they shouldnt have kids or wouldnt be good parents thats fine #and this post isnt for u #im just making my case on why this subject interests me #i even conceded that them deciding not to have kids is also interesting!

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baambastic · 2 years

Text

Thoughts on Battle of the Super Sons (major spoilers for the entire plot):

Grazer is great as Jon

Laura Bailey’s Lois is great

I don’t particularly care for Travis Willingham’s Clark. His Superman is fine, but his voice sounds wrong coming out of mild-mannered journalist Clark Kent.

Love the whole opening. Especially love the old comics-style (complete with benday dots) montage of Clark’s life up until Jon’s birth

Glad to see we’re skipping the complicated multiverse stuff

Jon immediately jumping to “cosplay” as the reason for the Superman costume under the bed has made my day

But also Clark why was it just under your bed. Presumably while you were on a League mission for two weeks.

“I don’t care that you’re sorry! I just want you to be here!” OOF

The child is very sad, but at least the cat’s alive!

Jon feels like an actual kid, constantly excited by all the superhero stuff

They mentioned Kon!

Oh wow this movie has blood in it. I’m a bit surprised, even with the age rating

Tom Kenny Penguin! Haven’t heard that since 2004

Troy Baker doesn’t really sound like he wants to be here

It’s not Super Sons if Damian doesn’t make me want to punt him out the nearest window at first

Damian continues his bad habit of pushing kids to their deaths in the Batcave.

They did not make Jon an uwu soft bean, and for that I am grateful. He dishes out sass equal to or greater than Damian’s.

Also Griffo really sold how Damian felt about being rejected by the Titans. Really solid

Griffo’s Damian voice sounds like Damian’s trying to copy Batman’s gruff voice. I like it

Why is Damian the only person in this movie who says Jon and not Jonathan?

BAT-COW!!!!

Using two members of each main young hero team (Teen Titans, TT2003, YJ Animated (not the ‘98 version bc of overlap with TT2003)) for the Teen Titans is an interesting idea

Kind of surprising that Ollie and J’onn are the only other League members we get to see on the Watchtower

Blue Beetle and Hawkman (and I think the Atom?) were also shown on Starro’s hitlist, so it’s weird that they’re nowhere to be seen

I still need to get my hands on a hoodie like Jon’s

Those students have really low standards for insults

Bruce Don’t Beat Up Your Son Challenge (success on technicality of mind control)

Also, really effective body horror for something so bloodless

Damian you big softy

More body horror. yay

I dunno why i’m surprised Damian suggested killing Lois

Yo they made Krypto scary. Nice

Jor-El why did you send them to the watchtower if you thought they were probably gonna die

Lois continues to be awesome

Nice to see you, J’onn. Too bad you don’t get to do anything.

The dynamic between Lois and Lex is always fun to watch

Interesting Starro design. A bit too spiky for my tastes tho

“I’ve eliminated all human-based problems on your planet.” “You’re going to eat the planet!” “Correct.” Love that

Aw, poor baby demon brat

Oh, I never thought I’d see the day that Lois Lane used a DIY flamethrower on Lex Luthor. Incredible

I question the decision to include two green-skinned shapeshifters in the same fight scene

Speaking of, that’s a really cool effect they’ve got on J’onn when he’s burning

Jesus. No punches pulled on the sons v dads fight

Batman got punched out by an 11-year-old farmboy. He’ll never live that down

Man, this evacuation scene is wholesome

“I don’t know” *pushes all the buttons*

This whole Starro burning scene is very visceral, I gotta say

Jon and Dami are adorable, even when they think they’re about to die

Superdad to the rescue, with Jon looking like he’s about to cry with relief

Bathug! (they’re so awkward lol)

Starro covered in charred flesh? No thanks, I’m good

I think that lake water might be one of the few 2D animated things in this movie

Even with the character development, Damian’s still a demon brat (positive)

Aw, he’s so excited to go to Jon’s game

“Gotham’s Billionaire Prince Bruce Wayne Spotted With Son Damian at Middle School Baseball Game in Smallville, Kansas”

“Still can’t fly” *pained groans can be heard from the ground below*

They really didn’t mention any of the other Bats, huh? That’s surprising.

I’m guessing, since Jon can actually control his powers, all that stuff with Kathy and the milk hasn’t happened here

Battle of the Super Sons was a ton of fun! It has good writing, good humor, good emotional moments, and is consistently nice to look at. Shame it’s only got a 6.7 on imdb. I honestly might prefer this over the original Super Sons comics run

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simp999 · 1 year

Text

A New Home Ch. 7

Various Splatoon Manga x Skilled! Isekai'd! Reader

Wc: 2.2k

A/N: Can you tell that I love the Cyan Team? I may have remembered this whole battle by heart

A/N 2: Sorry about the wait! I've been busy taking splatoon manga art requests :D

Back to the start! Previous Next

Your destination is set on Walleye Warehouse, excited to see another interesting battle. On the way to Inkopolis Tower, you think you hear your name being mentioned. You take a look around and see a group of squids that immediately move their attention to each other when they saw that you took notice of them.

“Odd.”

Ignoring that, you get comfortable in the stands at Walleye Warehouse. This wasn’t an official battle, so there were only a couple of people there. You’re sure more would come once people start to hear about the battle, but you’d enjoy the quieter-than-usual stands for now.

Mask’s back on the cargo box in the middle of the stage, it seems he sent that text message to the Blue Team then didn’t bother moving. Designer is sitting on the ground, leaning back against the same cargo box that Mask is on, Gameboy in hand. Luna and Jersey are doing the same, while Jersey is looking over her shoulder to watch Luna play whatever video game she has inserted in her DS.

‘Looks like typical Cyan team alright.’

You smile to yourself, enjoying how much more lively - if you can call it that - the characters seem. They seem less like, well, characters from a manga. Less lifeless and 2d. Sure, they’re just being lazy, but seeing the way Jersey’s eyes light up when Luna presumably does well or seeing Designer move his Gameboy in the way you would in MarioKart, even though it’s useless, only reminds you that you’re really there. Mask shifts his phone from one hand to the other, you assume he’s watching anime while waiting for his opponents. It almost seems careless, but you know he has the strength to back it up.

He notices the Blue Team’s presence before you do, and he introduces himself. The way he says he’s a part of the S4 is almost scary, you’re sure a sense of dread would wash over any other opponent. But Team Blue sure is built differently, and that’s what’s going to give them their win today.

‘Oh, never mind,’ you think after hearing the way Headphones screeches in terror, and how surprised Specs is.

“I caaaan’t believe you guys actually fell for that text message…you idioooots.”

“I thought it might be a trap.”

You look beside you, recognizing Rider’s voice right away. It almost seems as if that was directed at you, the way he said it. You hadn’t noticed him before, probably because you were too focused on Cyan Team.

Goggles tries to hype up his team, but Mask cuts them off, denying his optimism and stating the usual “I hate all inkings who enjoy life.” shenanigans.

“You wooon’t be smiling once I’m done with youuu.”

‘Yeah, okay, then beat them, Mask. ’ You think to yourself, mocking the way he overestimates himself.

The Squid Sisters announce the teams, and it the battle starts. Both teams begin inking, and you notice how the Cyan team moves in one at a time. It doesn’t seem very effective, but they each have their own area to cover, along with the strength to do so. The one to move in the farthest away from spawn is Luna, which makes sense as she’s the first to attack with her sub-weapon. Ink mine.

‘I guess it’d be kinda dumb to put ink mines right at spawn, figures that she’s out first.’

Jersey’s up next, attacking for a second to distract Specs after placing a sprinkler, just long enough for him to successfully get splatted. Next comes Designer’s disrupter. It slows Goggles down enough for Mask to unleash a Seeker bomb, splatting Goggles without any effort. You hear Mask snicker while watching Goggles’ little squid-ghost float away, it looks like he’s enjoying the battle. Not for long, though. You remember this panel, and although it’s hard to see under his gasmask, you know that he’s smiling.

You lean forwards, wanting to hear Mask announce those scary words. You wouldn’t wanna go up against this.

“This is our… Sub Weapon Hell!”

You smile at that and sit back in your seat, enjoying the way Mask is crushing his opponent with minimal effort. For the time being. You giggle at Bobble when she remarks that it’s not fair play. But hey, if the Judd-ges don’t call you out for it then it works.

And since when do Carbon rollers splat in one shot when rolled over? Bobble must have already been weakened, you figure.

“Hey. You swing your roller down before running your opponent over, though.” Rider projects his voice enough for Mask to hear and respond, and you just shrug your shoulders.

The Cyan team spreads out, ready to attack from any angle. Mask sneaks up behind headphones and Specs.

“Does he have Ninja Squid? That sounds perfect for him. I bet he has sub saver, ink saver, and special charge-up. Speaking of, usually, the gasmask comes with tenacity, right? But his teammates don’t die very much, so maybe the main ability is Special Charge up too?” You focus back on the battle before you. You lean forward once again, knowing what’s coming.

“Oh, here comes Mask’s bomb rush! Seekers sound like a pain to avoid for this one.”

There’s barely any time to dodge the barrage of seekers, and Goggles gets crushed by the bombs. It looks like it inked a fair part of the stage, too. Bobble is the only one left unsplatted, and here comes the turnaround. Mask does his best to scare her, but his efforts are futile when Bobble makes him rethink the way he battles.

You’re disappointed in the way such a high-ranker like him just lets himself be struck by the inkstrike, even if he was slightly distracted. You shake your head and frown slightly. But it looks like that might be a weakness that should be written down in your manual, assuming he’s not used to being uncertain of things. How did that Inkstrike manage to get all of Team Cyan anyways, were they really all grouped up that close? What a noob move. You start to rethink his rank, but then you remember how unbeatable they seemed to be just a few minutes ago and chalk it up to maybe Mask just having an off day or something. It still sucks, but it’s not like you’re there to battle beside him and help him. Ah, it looks like Jersey doesn’t have Ninja Squid. Skill issue. Mask gets distracted once again, underestimating goggles and letting him attack from behind. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Rider chimes in again, seemingly proud of Team Blue. That’s cute, you’re glad to see some character development from him, too.

You chuckle when you hear Luna mention the idea of ‘cursing’ Team Blue. Again, typical Team Cyan. It’s really too bad you aren’t friends with anyone, or the fact that you’re not allowing yourself to be known, because hanging out with these squids does seem fun. Yeah, just imagine having a Mario Kart tournament between Team Cyan! Oh well, that’s too bad. You pick up your weapon and bag, giving the battleground one last look before leaving. Mask gives them the Skull warning, and they overlook it. Something that will be quickly regretted. With your back turned, Rider’s about to reach out towards you, but hesitates. ‘Maybe some other time,’ he thinks.

Next part

Apr.28.23

#Those headphones were very annoying to draw hh #but I love desi so its worth it <3 #splatoon #splatoon 3 #splatoon 2 #splatoon fanfic #splatoon manga #splatoon manga team cyan #splatoon manga s4 #splatoon manga mask #splatoon x reader #splatoon manga x reader #x reader #splatoon rider x reader #splatoon fanart #fanfic #splatoon manga rider

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sweet-potatah-pie · 1 year

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i’m a chronic twitter user and there’s been a lot of patf discourse happening over the past week and a half. for starters there’s speculation that disney might end up canceling the tiana series because on disney’s website they changed the release date from “2024” to “coming soon”. also, there’s rumors that disney is working on a disney live action and there’s been a shit ton of terrible fancasts (like someone said avan jogia from victorious should play naveen and i busted out laughing LMFAOO).

since you’re a big fan of the franchise, i really wanted to know your thoughts. is there anyone you would want to see in a live action if it happens? personally, i really don’t want a patf live action cause i find the idea of watching realistic looking frogs falling in love to be a bit bizarre 😭😭😭. plus disney’s live action track record isn’t really that great imo (but i can’t see what they do with the little mermaid). also, i’ll be really disappointed if the tiana series ends up actually being cancelled cause i’ve been looking forward to it for a while.

OMG! If Disney canceled the animated show I would be soooo heartbroken!!! 💔😭💔😭That's all I want from them!

I’m not surprised that this sort of discourse would be all over Twitter though. People probably feel emboldened by the presence of a Black female live action lead with Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid remake, and think now’s the time to push for a live action Tiana. Even the director that Disney tapped for the animated series, Stella Meghie, straight up went to Disney in the hopes of making a live action The Princess and the Frog before they came to her with the idea of the animated show.

TO ME, that is telling of her true intentions. Because if she really wanted to just make art/tell stories, an animated series is the way to go in my book. But wanting to direct a frame-for-frame live action remake is just about making money. There’s nothing new or artful about that. But all those shitty remakes gross $1 Billion. I’m not even the least bit excited for The Little Mermaid. Congrats to Halle on securing the bag though. 🤷🏾‍♀️And I guess, at least brown kids coming up now will have a little bit more representation.

There aren’t any actors I’d cast in a live action PATF, because that is not a movie I want in the slightest. 🤣The fancasts are all atrocious though. People forget that Tiana has a rich, deep brown complexion and that she should LOOK 19-years-old. LOL! (Okay, I guess I would MAYBE cast Coco Jones as Tiana if I HAD to??? And then I give up after that, because I remember I don't want this remake. 🙃)

Also, if Disney were to “rewrite” the live action remake as a “fixit” film so that Tiana (and maybe Naveen) are human the whole time… why not just put that creative energy into telling completely new stories about them? Or into reviving their beautiful 2D animation?

I guess this is all just to say, I think Disney’s live action remakes are lazy, capitalist money grabs, and I don’t support them at all. 🙃👋🏾I get wanting Black women actors and directors to make money, but it will not be MY money they will be taking.

#patf #the princess and the frog #princess tiana #tiana show #live action #the little mermaid

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tatertotcosmonaut · 3 months

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Ne Zha was a movie I said I was gonna see, and ended up never touching it on my List, hahaha. Instead, I watched this movie about a black cat kinda spirit. I forgot the name. Another Chinese animated movie I watched was Big Fish Begonia.

Huh. I probably value hand-drawn animation a bit more than 3D, that's why.

Come, give me an elevator pitch for NeZha!

I haven’t seen the film in like a year or two so I don’t remember it too closely. Ne Zha (specifically the 2019 one, there’s another Ne Zha film) is mainly known for the second half of the film, which makes sense as it’s more action oriented. The animation is pretty, it’s clear there was passion behind it. The music score also goes very hard-

The story isn’t all that, very basic. I think it’s just a loose retelling of the tales of Ne Zha and Ao Bing. Pretty simple story about feeling like an outcast, the heavy weight of destiny, and how heavy the expectations of your family can be on a young mind. Also tragic yaoi lol! Ne Zha x Ao Bing is a well liked ship, mainly when the film came out. I saw zines themed around the two running around.

I understand the love of 2D animation, I also prefer 2D animation. If you do like 2D animation, I would recommend “Spare Me, Great Lord!” some really cool pieces of animation in that film.

There’s also some other Chinese animated films (3D and 2D) that are coming out sooner or later but I forgot the names of them. One of my favorite xuanhuan is getting a donghua adaptation in 2025 though and the trailer was released last year. It looks good and is going to be animated by the same people that made the MDZS donghua, so I’m excited about that!

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sleezeboss · 1 year

Text

2022 Art Summary and Thoughts

stealing this from a mutual- just wanted to reflect on the art I’ve made this year, what I’ve learned, and where I’d like to see myself go from here.

The end of the year is weird for me, artistically. I always slow down with art and get really immersed in family, holidays, and my life outside of art. And because I’m not cranking out art 7 days a week, it skews my view of my output and self worth, and it makes me end the year feeling like I’ve quit art, like I haven’t made anything, like it’s time to hang up my hat and move on or something.

But! When I stop being dramatic for like 5 seconds, I can see that that’s not true at ALL, and in actuality, in the last year, I’ve made some incredibly profound strides with my art that I am so excited to carry into the next year.

I’m hoping that sitting down and contemplating these strides will help solidify them and make them more tangible to me.

So let’s dive in!

At the beginning of 2022, I had a LOT of fun reacquainting myself with Ren and Stimpy. I started rewatching it on a whim while working out one day, having not watched the show since I was.... 6? and was instantly transported to a world of inspiration and love for my art and art-making that I hadn’t experienced for some time. The expressions, dynamism, and sheer energy of that show reminded me a lot about what I love most about my art. I felt encouraged to pursue my strengths, rather than constantly focusing on what I need to improve or need to change about my art. And I felt it blossom. I made some pieces I really loved in 2022, and I hope to continue with that energy and love for my own work that keeps art-making enjoyable and meditative for me.

These were all expression studies of screencaps from Ren and Stimpy episodes. I got ADDICTED to seeing my boys with these big, bold expressions.

This is the screenshot that kicked it all off lmao. This unlocked something so crazy in me.

This was me taking a stab at pulling expressions from my head, no reference.

After that, during the summer, I took a 6 week animation course through Animation Mentor, an online school. I loved it so much, that as soon as it finished, I immediately signed up for a second course that started not even 2 weeks after. Not to be dramatic, but no joke? For the first time in my artistic journey, I felt capable and confident about animating. It was the first time in my life that 2D animation was actually presented to me in an accessible (and achievable!!) manner. I have ALWAYS struggled with animating. I love it so much! I am a cartoon fanatic and Disney animation enthusiast at heart, and to love something so deeply and to only be mediocre at it at best can really be hurtful and demoralizing, but! These two animation courses really helped rewrite that narrative for me.

This was my second-to-last assignment, the floursack test.

This was my final assignment for my first course, 2D animation for beginners. A head-turn.

Moving into the new year, I would really like to see myself animate more. Making several small, 2-3 second animations and getting the practice in, building up a personal portfolio of animation is something I really want to see for myself. I want to see my characters live and breath, god damnit!!

Animating inspired me to make some style guides for my boys, rather than ref-sheets. I think ref sheets can become outdated quickly as your style adapts and changes, but a style guide, one typically used by animators, is a great guideline for keeping characters consistent. I thought that would be very useful for me, so I made one for Rex and Bub, naturally.

In the fall, I finally finished a mini comic I had started earlier in the year, Belphi’s New Pussy.

(cropped for NSFW material)

Comic-making was admittedly hard for me last year. I think graduating from my iPad to a new tablet set-up and learning CSP from scratch really shook my artistic confidence and motivation for comic making. All last year, I was beating myself up about not working on chapter 5 of Badbeat, so I am amazed and proud that I was able to get BNP out. Not only did I get it out, but it ended up being one of the most successful posts of my twitter career lmao. I’m really happy with how it looks, but I think it’s becoming clear to me that that level of comic polish is not sustainable for more than 1 chapter a year. If I want to finish Badbeat in my life time, I’m gonna need to simplify my process. Maybe even keep it to my iPad. Something about drawing and sketching is easier on my iPad, whereas the actual comic formatting can be done in CSP. I’m obviously still trying to learn my optimal workflow for efficiency, speed, and sanity haha.

In the comic year, I really would like to get chapter 5 out. That is my comic goal for the new year.

All and all, it has been a really productive year artistically. I feel like quantity-wise I have produced less than maybe the year prior, but I think the things I DID produce have been profound. Pushing Bub and Rex’s designs and expressions has been profound. Taking the steps to learn animation has been profound. Making a comic entirely in a new program that I have owned for less than a year is profound.

I am very proud of myself and can’t wait to see what the new year has in store!

#2022 art wrap #2022 art summary #blog #art blogging

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drewzelle · 3 months

Text

“nine mutuals you want to know better” tag game!

Tagged by @sarenhale ! I didn't have access to my computer the past couple days so I'm a bit late, but this was a lot of fun!! Thank you for the tag <3

Last Song: lately I've been relaxing to the Hollow Knight OST (City of Tears best track) but in terms of lyrical music, I recently rewatched the music video for "Little Dark Age" by MGMT because its vibes are fucking impeccable and mesmerizing (I can watch it on repeat for hours)

Favorite Color: purple is my go-to answer (especially blue-ish purples), but I also really love dark greens and desaturated earthy colors so much

Last Movie/TV Show: I feel like I haven't been watching movies lately (I'm more of a show person because I like longer form narratives) but I think the last one I watched was "Better Off Dead" while I was visiting my family for the holidays. It was a weird/surreal but good time! As for shows, I finally got around to watching Scavenger’s Reign!! Every aspect was just amazing, especially the worldbuilding and visuals. 2D animation is probably my favorite medium, so I'm really glad we're seeing more animation for adults that wants to tell a story instead of being a delivery device for lame sex jokes and cringe humor. OH ALSO DUNGEON MESHI!!! For a lot of the same reasons! Excited to watch the new episode tonight :>

Sweet / Spicy / Savory: I have a HUGE sweet tooth, so if I had to pick one, that would be it. Savory foods are great and I love them, I just have a leftover "now's your chance!" impulse from not being allowed much sugar as a kid that I can't seem to get rid of. I'm also weak to the "I deserve a lil treat" trap if I've got a bunch of sweet snacks around, so I have to be careful. As for spicy….I am SO completely unable to handle spicy food it’s almost funny, but really it’s just tragic because I LOVE cuisines known for being spicy, like mexican and thai. If I eat out, I always have to be like “can you please make it mild?” and even then, if it's not seasoned for the babiest of babies, my mouth will burn and my weak, white-person tummy will hurt.

Relationship Status: I keep forgetting I’m getting married in less than six months. My partner and I got engaged like two years ago and have lived together for almost five, so my brain just defaults to "there’s probably a guy nearby" and doesn’t think much deeper on it than that.

Last thing I googled: "morels" because I was discussing mushrooms with my friend and those are some cool lookin' guys! Shaggy ink caps too!

Current Obsession: …….One Piece 😅 I was a big fan as a teen but only got as far as the Skypiea arc before I fell off reading/watching it. The hype over the new live action version reminded me the series existed, so I’ve been not so slowly making my way through again, picking up where I left off. I love how absolutely bonkers, there-are-no-rules, anime-ass-anime it is, but also how genuine and heartfelt it can be. I also enjoy how character-driven so much of the plot is which works because of how interesting the characters are (Chopper, Robin, and Franky are my favs). I just got to the timeskip, so I’m maybe…halfway through? between this and BG3, RIP my free time lol

Last Book: I've been reading through Seiji Yoshida's "Houses with a Story" (slowly, because I want to really take it in and savor it) and it's been a delight. Very relaxing and inspiring :> (up next, I finally got copies of the Locked Tomb series, so soon I will be enjoying The Space Lesbians)

Looking forward to: Being able to organize and enjoy my "new" office space after some hectic days! My partner and I realized we barely spend any time in our bedroom except for sleeping, so we swapped my office into the bigger room in our apartment! There were some complications with getting the internet working on my PC, but we finally got it all smoothed out. Now I finally have all my books and sewing/crafting/creative stuff in one place without it feeling cramped or hiding things away in storage :>

Thank you again for the tag! I'm tagging @justagoos, @icicleteeth, @lunarliart, @saltsparkle, @fael-draws, @juliedillon, @ninamodaffari, @crabdominalpain, and the final slot for anyone else who wants to join in - but please don't feel obligated, this is just for fun! :>

#thanks again for the tag Saren :D #it was fun to read yours and I'm excited to read some for the people I tagged!#drew says words #personal.txt #tag game #long post

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felassan · 2 years

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BioWare Blog post: BioWare Developer Story – Pride Edition

Welcome to a very special entry in our Developer Story series! While previous editions have featured a single subject, in the wake of Pride Month in June, we invited some of our LGBTQIA+ colleagues to talk about what the studio and its games mean to them as queer folks. So please allow us to introduce you to Technical Product manager Lina Anderson, Technical Animator Samantha Wald, Programmer Rachel Hammond, and Cinematic Designer Mikayla Stock, who were all kind enough to share their personal histories with us.

How did you end up at BioWare?

RACHEL: Game development was something I’ve wanted to do my entire life, from when I first played with our family’s Atari and NES and on through all my childhood. By the time I got to college, I’d fallen in love with programming as well, so I joined my campus’ Game Developer Association, where I made friends and contacts who helped me land my first job in the industry a bit over 15 years ago. I worked with a few smaller companies before getting my job with BioWare 11 years ago, and I’ve been here ever since.

SAMANTHA: My path into the industry was a lot less direct! I studied broadcasting in college to get into video editing, but I eventually started rendering graphics in 3D. I was instantly hooked, and I started doing rigging for animated shows and films. But I had always been a huge gamer, and about three years ago, I realized my skills would transfer perfectly to technical animation. BioWare has always been one of my favorite studios, and I was so excited when I got the offer to come work here six months ago!

MIKAYLA: I’m relatively new to the games industry, too; I got my start working on 2D educational kids’ games after graduating with a degree in animation. I‘ve been with BioWare for a little over a year now, working on Star Wars™: The Old Republic.

LINA: BioWare is actually my first experience in the games industry, but I’ve been here for over five and a half years. I had dreamed about working in games since I was a kid and was really surprised to get in on my first attempt!

How have BioWare games impacted you as a queer person?

SAMANTHA: As a trans woman, I spent a large majority of my life being uncomfortable with who I am and how I’m perceived by society. Before I transitioned, games were always an outlet for me to feel comfortable and explore my identity; BioWare games in particular gave me that in a completely supportive, non-judgmental space, and I really don’t think I’d be where I am today without them.

LINA: Agreed. Both Mass Effect and Dragon Age were instrumental in helping me rediscover myself. I’d repressed so much over the years, and building characters that reflected aspects of me that I’d been hiding allowed me to safely explore these thoughts and feelings. I found I was able to talk about things I’d previously kept bottled up, using my characters and companions as proxies—something that I wasn’t yet comfortable enough to do on my own. Nobody batted an eye when I talked about Lady Shepard having a fling with Garrus!

MIKAYLA: I also found BioWare games—specifically the Dragon Age games, for me—at a time when I was still kind of figuring out who I was. I was fortunate enough to be raised in an open-minded household, but it’s always different being told something’s okay versus seeing it on screen in front of you, presented as being completely normal, you know?

RACHEL: Yes! Watching them start pushing for more inclusion years ago, allowing gay and bi romance options, that was a real help for me at the time. But even outside of my direct personal experience, it was so good to see that inclusion spreading through the industry.

Why do you think BioWare games resonate so well with queer players?

SAMANTHA: BioWare games have always been about playing your character however you want, so I think it’s exceptionally easy for players to insert themselves into the main character. And since queer folks have had so little representation in the past, BioWare games are likely to be the first place a lot of folks are able to see themselves reflected in media.

MIKAYLA: Right, they provide a space for players to explore their identities. There are so many well-rounded characters that it’s hard not to find a couple that resonate with you, and watching the story of a character you deeply connect with play out can be incredibly cathartic. And it’s about not being afraid to tell LGBTQIA+ stories!

RACHEL: Yes—games that try to be more open and attentive towards queer identities definitely help us find ourselves in them. But they help other people see us too; the benefit doesn’t stop simply with our firsthand experience. It also helps normalize queer identities for other players, letting others know we’re real, we’re normal, we’re part of the industry.

LINA: And the thing for me is that the games don’t just have a couple queer characters you can run into, and then you’re off shooting aliens again. These are characters that we grow with through the series, form bonds with, and can choose to be close to.

Do you think BioWare games have made an impact on the way the industry approaches LGBTQIA+ topics?

MIKAYLA: I think any exposure to LGBTQIA+ topics in games is a step towards normalizing them in the industry, and BioWare’s decision not to shy away from telling those stories, but to embrace them, was a welcome breath of fresh air.

SAMANTHA: And I think that’s really led the way in de-stigmatizing queer relationships in games. By being this inclusive in games that are both successful and popular, they made it clear that queer representation is not a detriment, but actually a positive and something a lot of players are hungry for.

LINA: Yeah, I remember seeing the original Mass Effect making waves for having a same-sex romance option. It was absolutely the first major game I was aware of where this was a thing at all, and I think that by showing you could have a gay romance between a human and an alien and not have retailers refuse to stock your games, that may have opened some eyes and made it an easier pitch.

RACHEL: That’s exactly it. The way BioWare handled inclusion rippled through the industry, leading to other studios leaning into that content, which meant that even more games were comfortable with it. It helped move everyone forward.

Do you feel like BioWare sees and supports its queer employees?

SAMANTHA: To me, the biggest thing I see BioWare doing to support queer employees has been to empower them! I have never seen so many queer people in senior leadership positions as I have in my time here.

MIKAYLA: Everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with has been nothing but kind and accepting, and I’ve never felt the need to be anything but myself. That fosters such a great sense of communication and community. I don’t feel like I’m living inside a vacuum while I’m working; the rest of the world still exists and its impact on employees is not taken lightly.

RACHEL: I’ve been with BioWare for more than a decade at this point, and I’ve only seen the support for our LGBTQIA+ staff grow. There have been some missteps along the way, sure, but the most important thing I’ve seen is that people are eager to listen, learn, and do better. I’ve seen a great amount of work put in to ensure that happens in every circumstance. When I started here, I was not out to anyone about being trans. I had transitioned years ago but I was afraid to tell anyone. But in my time here I was given the confidence I needed to come out again, on my terms. So many other workplaces I’ve been at pushed me back into the closet, but BioWare helped me actually feel free to express my whole self.

LINA: Oh, absolutely. If I wasn’t in a place like BioWare, I probably still wouldn’t be out. Coming out as trans was terrifying in general, but knowing my manager and leadership were there for me as I announced who I really was made all the difference.

Thanks to Mikayla, Rachel, Samantha, and Lina for sharing their stories. At BioWare, we’re dedicated to a diverse, inclusive culture, and try to show that through our people and our games. Of course, we know there will always be more to learn in order to best support our teams. But we look forward to that continued growth—because while it may no longer be Pride Month, BioWare is always proud of all our colleagues.

[source]

#dragon age #bioware #mass effect #mass effect: andromeda #video games #lgbtq #vetra nyx #spikywife #jaal ama darav #long post #longpost #sw:tor #garrus vakarian #best boy

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