#blanc the speech bubble

[raindrop-righteous]

these things !!!

[geekysteven]

[Image description Tweet from rapscallison "[Benoit Blanc voice] and nine to the race of men, who above all else desire—what? powah. precisely. but they were all of them deCEIved. for ANOTHAH ring was made" with a bad photoshop by me of Elrond with Benoit Blanc's face sitting down, with a speech bubble above his head connecting to the tweet.]

[inkfinch]

{ the world’s other greatest detective }

Petition for the next Battinson movie to introduce Robin and inexplicably crossover with the Benoit Blancverse

[ ID: A two panel comic with Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne. Panel one is Dick smiling, in a hoodie with a Robin patch on the sleeve. He is exclaiming “google say you’re the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE!” with stars decorating the speech bubble and the background. Panel 2 is Bruce with bags under his eyes and a bruise on his cheek. He has no mask but still in his batsuit and a striped bathrobe, holding a water bottle that says Holy Semantics, Batman! He looks to the side, saying “Chum, let me make this clear - I am Not Benoit Blanc.” At the corner of the panel is a chibi head of a frowning Dick who says “You’re no fun, B”. End of ID ]

[elkian]

One thing I really, enormously respect about the Knives Out duology is that it knows when to be funny, and when to be sincere. And, at times, when to be both.

The movies are both hugely comedic at times! They’re legitimately hilarious! Tons of silly shit just happens, because life isn’t smooth and easy (and in the case of, say, Elon Musk Miles Bron’s random buddy staying over - it’s a really clever way to humanize the proceedings, to pop the bubble of artificial polish and arrogance and go “oh, yeah, these are human beings”).

Hell, there’s humor threaded through the climaxes! Like Blanc’s bizarre donut speech, or most of the first half of Glass Onion’s climax tbh. These movies aren’t afraid to get silly with it... but they also know when not to be.

Like when Benoit Blanc takes time out of his murder case to drive up to the cold, lonely home of a dead man and comfort the victim’s mother on the sudden loss of her son, treating a character who has been a punchline this whole movie as a human being with her own emotions and rich inner life. Yes, he’s hoping she has information on his case, but it doesn’t feel like he’s only here for that. He is patient with her in her grief and unresponsiveness, empathetic to her pain. There are no jokes in this scene. We fade out without her saying a word.

The same goes for Glass Onion. The balance of serious and silly is so goddamn perfect, it’s unreal. This one feels like it blends the two more often, but it’s still good. (It’s harder to go into specifics without spoiling a whole lot, just go watch Glass Onion please.)

One thing that really annoys me is when a comedy or comedy-heavy show makes you think it’s going to be sincere for a moment, only to fake you out. Neither of the Knives Out films, even at their most ridiculous, make me feel cheated out of emotional sincerity. It’s amazing.

[rolotouto]

Tan Tan Tanuki

The Queen and Knight anthologies are pretty well known among Geass fans, but there’s more comic anthologies that are also “official” (not drawn by the official staff, but which have the Sunrise/Project Geass copyright and were sold in places that don’t sell doujinshi). For the R2 series there’s Comic Anthology Zero, which at least had scans floating around back when the Code Geass livejournal community was a thing, and then also the Noir-Blanc-Rouge-Azure-Irise set of books, whose existence I’ve barely ever seen acknowledged, even among Japanese fans. Nonetheless, these types of not-canon-but-still-officially-approved stories have always been the kind of content that makes me the happiest, so I want to help make them a little bit more well-known! As mentioned, there’s 5 books, with lots of Rolo overall, so it’s hard to choose just one story to translate, but for now I’ve (poorly) scanned one found in Azure:

Rolo: Brother, there’s something I didn’t understand during the lesson we just had. Can you teach me? Notebook title: Mathemathics Lelouch (not seen): What is it? Rolo (not seen): It’s this part here... Lelouch (thinking): Suzaku, I see. (comment outside the text bubble) Here you apply this and... Rolo (comment outside the text bubble): Ah, right. Lelouch: You are a fast learner, Rolo. As expected from my little brother.  Rolo: Brother. Comment about Lelouch’s words: Praises himself while pretending to praise Rolo Lelouch (thinking): How’s that, Suzaku? No matter how you look at it, we’re just normal brothers who get along! 

Lelouch (thinking): There’s nothing to be suspicious of! Lelouch: Oh Suzaku, you were there? What is it? You are just standing around. Suzaku: Eh? Yeah... (next panel, not seen) Could I borrow Rolo for a moment? Lelouch (not seen): Rolo? (next panel) That’s fine, but don’t forget to return him, okay? He’s my precious little brother. (TN: Sand comes out of his mouth, which is based on the expression “so sweet you vomit sand,” originating from “so sweet you vomit sugar.” Meaning he finds his own words too cheesy)  Rolo: Brother. Suzaku: I know. I’ll return him right away. Rolo (formal speech): So. Is there anything you want? Suzaku: ...

Suzaku: No... Well...  (outside text bubble) How should I express it... Um... You look genuinely happy when you are with Lelouch. Are you betraying us or something? Comment pointing at Suzaku: Guy with no skills to elicit information indirectly Rolo/Lelouch (thinking): Completely direct!! Suzaku: Your behavior doesn’t seem like acting, so... Lelouch (thinking): Darn it! To think it’d be suspicious from that angle...! (outside the text bubble) Now that I won him over it backfires on me Rolo (formal speech): And here I was wondering what you were going to say... Him and I are brothers who are close, are we not? So does that not mean that it is only natural for me to be happy around Brother? In order not to trigger his memories coming back, it is better that I act in a way that does not feel strange, is that correct? Suzaku: Ah, yeah, um... Rolo (formal speech): So about my acting skills that are so good they do not even seem like acting, if anything I would think that you should praise them.  Lelouch (thinking): Good one, Rolo!

Rolo: In other words, the more natural it looks, the better I am carrying out the mission. Suzaku: I-I see. Sorry for doubting you. Lelouch (thinking): Good thing the guy's perceptive at the oddest times but slow when it comes to what’s important... Rolo: Speaking of which, I would like to make it look even more like real brothers. What kind of things do brothers usually do? Lelouch (thinking): Hm? Suzaku: Eh? Mm, well... Being together all the time, for example? Rolo: We already do that. Suzaku: Getting help with studies and such? Rolo: I said we already do that. You saw it just a moment ago. (next panel, not seen) Is there nothing else? Suzaku (not seen): Something else, um... Ah! (next panel) For example, wearing matching outfits, taking a bath together, or sleeping together? Rolo (outside text bubble): Oh, so they do that Suzaku (outside text bubble): Sounds like getting along, doesn’t it? Lelouch: Wait a moment! What kind of brothers are those!! (outside text bubble) Like I’d do that! (next panel) I came here worried since you were taking so long to return. Would you not indoctrinate my dear little brother with wrong ideas of what brothers are like? (outside text bubble) What if he now wants to do those things!

Suzaku: Well... then what kind of things do *real brothers* do? Lelouch (thinking): Tch...! How could Suzaku come up with such a good comeback... Even though I have a little sister, I have no idea about little brothers! What’s the natural thing to do? Paper folding...? Two men doing that would be too dull! Reading him a book? ... But it’s not like he’s a child. What do brothers do? Something natural for brothers to do... That’s it! (next panel) Playing catch? Suzaku: Eh. You? Comment in square textbox: Unnaturalness that predates the whole brothers thing Lelouch: I... I can do it too! Something like playing catch! Suzaku: Really...? Comment pointing at Suzaku: Suspicious look in more ways than one Lelouch: Let’s go, Rolo. Rolo: Y... Yeah.

Suzaku (no text bubble): Yeah. As expected. Lelouch: Haha... I overdid it trying to show off since Suzaku is looking. It’s actually like this. Kanji above the arrow: Short distance Rolo (outside text bubble): Playing catch with Brother... ♥ Suzaku: This is clearly unnatural, right? Lelouch: What are you talking about. We always play catch like this, right Rolo? Rolo: Yeah, Brother Suzaku: That’s what you say, but you actually haven’t played catch before, have you? Do you understand, Lelouch? To play catch... 

Suzaku: Your distance has to be at the very least this much. Comment next to Suzaku: Completely serious  Lelouch: Hey wait, you moving lack of common sense! (TN: I’m not 100% sure if that’s the right translation but it should at least be pretty similar) (next panel) Who plays catch like that? If you are trying to practice throwing a ball to home... Suzaku: Why didn’t you catch it? Lelouch. Lelouch: As if I could!! And don’t come back from such a distance in an instant without even gasping for breath!! Villetta: Which one is more unnatural you ask...?

Villetta: I wouldn’t call any of that “playing catch,” but... Suzaku (outside text bubble): Eh?! Lelouch (outside text bubble): Just realize it already that when it comes to physical strength what’s common sense to you is insane to others Villetta: But in so far as you can at least catch the ball in Lelouch’s version, that one is the least bad, don’t you think? (outside text bubble) Honestly, not that there is much difference between the two Lelouch: Thank you, *teacher*. Villetta: Don’t mention it, instead go fix the mess you created. The three of you. Lelouch: Eh? No, that was Suzaku's- Villetta: It’s collective responsibility, you idiot. Rolo: Brother! I bought matching ones. Will you wear it? Lelouch (outside text bubble): I knew it...  (next panel, outside text bubble): That’s wrong! You’re mistaken, Rolo!! Rolo (outside text bubble) : Brother, you don’t like it? Suzaku (outside text bubble) : You’ll wear it, right, Lelouch? Since you are *brothers* Villetta (thinking): In this battle of foxes trying to outfox each other, the biggest winner is probably Rolo... END

[mawodc]

Lola Blanc - The Magic By Me

Instagram: mawodc

[voatsiperifery]

*finds out about blanc (continuation of doukyuusei)*

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Chapter 3

Happy finals week, ugh. As always, reblogs are appreciated!!

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje

First | Previous | Next

Chapter 3: Well shit Babs, maybe I like ponies

Marinette sat on a rock and paddled her bare feet in the water. It was a beautiful day, the sun was warming the top of her loose, dark hair and the ocean in front of her stretched for miles and miles.

A noise disturbed her peaceful moment. A distant cry, probably a seagull.

She sighed and leaned back on her hands to breathe in the smell of--

Marinette choked. Why was there smoke in the air?

The cries grew louder as she looked back at the water before her. She started when she saw that they came from her friends, who were in the now-tumultuous water, trying to keep themselves afloat. They were only a few yards away, she could make it if she just--

A force around her waist tugged her hard as she leapt to her feet. Her face collided with the concrete beneath her-- the top of a building, she realized. If the water level was up this high, then....

From where she lay, she could see directly down into the water. It was no longer clear, but a deep crimson. There were dozens of figures scattered about, some still struggling and some motionless. She scrambled to get up as her eyes snapped to Alya’s hand disappearing below the waves.

That damn force jerked her to the other side of the building, farther from her friends.

“No!” Marinette cried out desperately. The force released her and she whirled to find her attacker.

A flash of red caught her eye, and--

Oh.

It was Ladybug.

Marinette shook her head, not understanding. If that was Ladybug, then.... No, it couldn’t be Ladybug, because she was Ladybug. She fumbled for her earrings, but felt nothing.

Ladybug stalked deliberately up to Marinette and pushed her to the ground. Marinette landed on her hands and knees, both of which were now shaking.

“Look at them,” it was her own voice that spat so harshly from Ladybug’s lips. “Look at them.” She grabbed Marinette’s hair from behind and forced her head up.

Marinette could now see Adrien, Kagami, Luka, and Chloe in the ocean in front of her. Their lifeless faces floated just below the surface, the bloodied water doing nothing to conceal their frozen expressions of terror.

Marinette sobbed and closed her eyes. Ladybug pulled sharply on her hair again, and looked into Marinette’s eyes.

“Look at them. Don’t you dare take your eyes off the mess you’ve made. You will never be able to save them all,” Ladybug’s eyes, her eyes, blazed with the vehemence of her words. She opened her mouth to speak again, but a loud beeping sound was all that came out.

Marinette gasped and sat up in her bed, the alarm sending her heartbeat into a frenzy. Tikki flew up next to her as she slumped over with a hand over her eyes.

It was just a dream.

Another Kwami must have turned off her alarm because the beeping had stopped, but Marinette could still hear the echoes of her friends’ dying breaths ringing in her ears.

“Marinette... are you okay?” Tikki placed a delicate paw on her chosen’s arm. “We heard you cry out while you were sleeping.”

The girl lifted her head and gave the little god a shaky smile. “It was just a dream.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tikki floated back down to where the other Kwami were piled on the side of the bed with similarly worried expressions on their faces.

Marinette exhaled a bracing sigh. “Okay.... It was Syren. Or-or Chat Blanc, I’m not really sure.” The Kwami exchanged a look at that. This was not the first time she’d had a nightmare about water. “But Ladybug was there, and she was attacking me.”

Tikki looked especially concerned about that new piece of information. She opened her mouth to say something when Marinette’s phone lit up with a call. The ringtone was Alya’s.

Marinette picked up, trying to control the shaking of her hands. “H-hey girl, what’s up?” Her tone was deceptively cheerful.

“Hey Mari! Just checking to see if you’re awake. Nino and I are ready, he even put on the goggles already!” Marinette instantly relaxed as she heard Alya’s excited voice bubbling out.

“Yeah dudette, they feel really weird. But comfy!” Nino must have leaned over to pitch in.

Marinette shook off the last vestiges of the nightmare with a giggle. “Yeah, it’s kind of tricky to get the headset to fit over your glasses, but you’ll get used to it!”

“Well if you’re not ready yet then you’d better hurry up, girl! The game launches in five minutes.”

Marinette scrambled to check the time. “Oh crap! I gotta go, see you guys soon!” She hung up and rushed to untangle herself from her blankets.

“Good thing you set three alarms, huh?” Tikki followed her down from the loft and watched her brush out her hair.

Marinette stuck her tongue out at the god of creation.

* * *

Red Hood stalked into the Batcave, nearly running Oracle over as she wheeled herself up to her station at the Batcomputer.

“Woah Jaybird, don’t let me get in your way there,” Babs glared at his retreating back. “Asshole,” she muttered to herself.

Jason hurled his helmet onto the floor of the bathroom and began shucking off his suit with far more force than necessary. He started a shower and looked over his new wounds in the mirror. He’d been stupid, so damn stupid, on patrol.

“Red Hood, report in,” Batman’s gravelly voice cut through on his comms. “Hood, you are not to engage alone. What is your location?”

But Jason couldn’t hear him. The only thing he could hear was blood rushing in his ears, but it wasn’t his blood. No, it was the blood of every monstrous, corrupt asshole in this city. And he wanted it to run on the streets.

The Joker had sent thugs out to a meet-up. Well, Red Hood could send them back in a casket. He crouched beside a gargoyle and watched for the arrival of the van he’d tailed. There were only two men. They left the vehicle and waited outside, lighting cigarettes. Too easy.

Red Hood swept down the building, guns never leaving their holsters. He wanted this to hurt. Them or him, he wasn’t sure. But he got his wish as he beat the two men to a pulp. He wasn’t sure how far he’d have gone if not for the arrival of the gang the Joker’s men were supposed to meet with.

They slashed his back with knives. Shallow wounds, easy to manage. By the time Red Hood turned to face them, the others had arrived-- Batman, Nightwing, Robin. And boy were they pissed.

Jason winced as the hot water hit the cuts on his back. He rolled his shoulders and just let the steam ground him. He didn’t kill again, even if every time that green-haired bastard got involved, he went off the rails.

He would get to choose his own path, not the one Bruce wanted for him, but damn well not the one Thalia wanted for him either. This story was his, he reminded himself while gingerly toweling off. Even if he couldn’t look his own reflection in the eye.

He gripped the countertop, staring down as he let his hair drip into the sink. No, he wasn’t feeling desperate enough to see if his eyes were green again.

Damnit, he had to apologize to Babs. He felt calmer now, but he’d been a real dick when he came in. Jason dressed quickly in sweatpants and an old shirt, then padded quietly back to where he knew his sister would be at the computers.

“Hey,” he said, knocking softly when he entered to announce his presence. Barbara didn’t respond for a moment. She was leaning forward in her chair, typing something into one monitor while listening to police chatter, then nodded to herself and sat back.

“Hey.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Robin told me what happened on patrol.”

Jason scowled. “That little tattletale.”

Barbara offered him a reassuring smile. “That little tattletale is the only reason I didn’t hack into your bank account and order a damn pony.”

“Well shit Babs, maybe I like ponies,” Jason snarked back, but his heart wasn’t into it. “Listen... I’m sorry about earlier. If replacement talked to you already, you know what kind of mood I was in, but that’s no excuse.”

Babs turned her chair to face him and held out her hand. He stepped forward and took it, and she said, “We know you’re trying, Jay. Stuff like this? This is who you are. A year ago, you wouldn’t have been caught dead apologizing to me!” She cringed. “Ah, no offense.”

He chuckled. “None taken, it’s about time you started getting in on the undead jokes.” He patted her hand before walking away back to the main space of the cave. “But thank you, it means a lot.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth!” She raised her voice and turned back to face the computer.

Dick and Tim were already waiting in the cave. Tim was fiddling with some beds and what looked like opaque ski goggles. He always fidgeted when he was nervous.

“Hey replacement,” Jason shouted across the room. He noticed Dick bristle, but cut him off before he could get the patented older brother speech. “How much time ‘til the launch?”

Tim’s eyes lit up, and damn him for caring, but Jason just didn’t want them to be afraid of him.

* * *

Connor and Zatanna were washing dishes in the Cave’s kitchen after dinner. Connor heard the distant sound of someone arriving via zeta tube. He let Zatanna know as they finished drying their plates, then followed her to go greet their visitors.

Wally and Artemis staggered into the room, both weighed down by overflowing boxes of equipment.

“Oh thank god, please help me!” Artemis said, spotting Connor. He obliged and easily took the heavy box from her. She rubbed her arms and smiled gratefully as he held it aloft in one hand.

“It must be so handy having him around,” she sighed to Zatanna.

The magician giggled. “It certainly has its perks, but....” She lifted her hands and said clearly, “Flesruoy egnarra.” The contents of the boxes, some assorted cots, VR headsets, and computers, floated up and placed themselves into a neat formation. “A girl can get by by herself.” She gave Artemis a fistbump.

The zeta tube activated and they all looked up to watch it. The AI announced Wondergirl, and Cassie Sandsmark walked out. She looked up from her phone and waved. “Oh hey guys, whatcha doing?”

Wally zoomed around the set-up Zatanna had created. “We’re just setting up to play this new virtual reality game that’s coming out at midnight! What about you?”

“Oh, what a coincidence, I was just--”

Cassie was cut off by the zeta tube activating again. This time it was Bart, carrying Jaime bridal style, and running at full speed. He skidded to a halt, put a very ill-looking Jaime down, and ran a hand through his windswept hair.

“So totally crash! What’s poppin’?” He made finger guns at Connor, Zatanna, and Artemis.

Zatanna started explaining, “Well, like were just telling Cassie, there’s this new video game coming out at midnight and we--”

She was interrupted by the screech of a green pterodactyl swooping in from the zeta tube. It circled once around the high ceilings of the hollowed-out mountain, then landed and shrank into Beast Boy.

“Just a heads up, Arsenal’s right behind me and he’s a little angry-- oh what are you guys doing?”

Connor was getting frustrated now. “We’re trying to get set up for this new video game that’s launching in five minutes, so if you guys wouldn’t mind--”

A small explosion sounded from the door to the exterior of the island. Roy burst in amidst a cloud of dust.

“Hope I’m not late, I lost my phone.” He sounded like he was in a bad mood.

Bart whispered to Connor, “He means he destroyed his phone.”

Roy dusted off his pants, then looked to Wally and Artemis and asked, “The hell are you doing here?”

“AUGH,” Artemis had had enough. “We’re here to play the video game coming out at midnight! If you want to join us, fine, but if you don’t then get out.” She pointed to the zeta tubes.

Garfield tried to placate her. “Sheesh, it’s just a game! No need to get so worked up.”

Jaime gave him an incredulous look. “Weren’t you just throwing a tantrum yesterday about Bart kicking your ass halfway to Bialya in Smash?”

“...Noted.” Garfield answered.

“Well, looks like we’ve got plenty of hands to help get everyone set up. Let’s get to it!” Cassie expertly maneuvered the two teams away from setting off their more explosive members. They distributed headsets and assigned reclining positions without further delay.

* * *

Marinette put the headset on and laid down on her bed.

“Ready to go back?” Tikki asked her.

She gave the little god a grin. “Definitely.”

In the distance, the bells in Notre Dame chimed six times, but Marinette couldn’t hear them. Her mind had gone somewhere far, far away. Somewhere new.

[ask-the-charming-siblings]

A tinkerer and a watchmaker

[Image ID: A traditional pen sketch of Dexter Charming and Bunny Blanc from Ever After High, from the waste up. Dexter is looking towards Bunny with a beer raised in one hand, from his head there is a speech bubble saying "Well... There is this one girl..." He is wearing a black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Bunny is next to him with one hand on her lap and the other around her own bottle of beer, she's wearing a black skirt, a white blouse with short puffy sleeves and a white bandana in her hair, resembling bunny ears. There's a speech bubble from her mouth saying "Oh do tell?"]

Two dorks sitting on the roof because they're pining.

[raindrop-righteous]

*slams desk*

give oc headcanons, any will do :] /pos

🥺 man tysm for this, cus rambling about them means a lot

Aida

surname would be Medhart

she/her, lesbian

runs a liminal space hospital (the show teachers are there somewhere shhh)

google said italian british accents dont exist :[ , but thats how she’d sound 

secretly collects organs 

Can organize crime but not any bitches 

lowkey highkey a capitalist 

Blanc

Surname would be Chattabble

they/them

leads a group of punctuation marks (who belong to @/justherefor000)

speaks in idioms

eyes can turn into punctuation marks or symbols

epitome of the pronoun song

Maddox

surname would be Magni

they/he and likes men

had some old lore with the key but 

knows a lot of answers but not the mysteries they solve

other teachers probably find them annoying :(

face is very fragile, so no loud noises

has a special interest in bugs :]

[ducktracy]

182. little red walking hood (1937)

release date: november 6th, 1937

series: merrie melodies

director: tex avery

starring: elvia allman (little red walking hood, granny), tedd pierce (wolf), mel blanc (elmer)

buckle up! this is a “lengthy prologue” piece!

perhaps one of tex avery’s most formative cartoons in his career. little red walking hood serves as the first fairy tale spoof of his, a genre that would pop up time and time again in his warner bros. cartoons and even over at MGM (perhaps most famously the red hot riding hood series). not only that, but it’s the first cartoon to debut a purely comic villain—villains in previous pictures had comedic touches, of course, but the wolf (voiced by story man tedd pierce, whose vocals are quite underrated—you may recognize him as tom dover from the dover boys at pimento university) is purely made out to be a rather pathetic, unscrupulous adversary from the very beginning.

even more interesting is that the bulk of the cartoon’s backgrounds are done entirely in colored pencils, by avery background artist johnny johnson, who moved with him to MGM when tex left WB in 1941. the handling on the backgrounds are nothing short of stellar! they truly accentuate the “fairy tale” look and feel of the piece.

maybe the most notable, however, is the debut of tex’s third character of 1937: elmer fudd. i covered this in my review of egghead rides again, and you can read more into the differences between egghead (another 1937 avery character) and elmer here, but the bulbous nosed, derby hat donning little man traipsing around with his guitar case is our favorite befuddled hunter. many have labeled this guy as egghead, and understandably so—they’re eerily similar in more ways than one, and “prototype elmer fudd” is much more monotonous than “egghead”, but this is indeed our favorite little hunter! humble beginnings for sure.

the film burlesques the age-old story of little red riding hood, complete with katherine hepburn little red riding hoods, gin guzzling grannies, nonthreatening wolves, fourth wall breaks, and mysterious whistling men.

already, the cartoon marks an intriguing open, with the title card playing into the action itself: the title card serves as the title of a book, opening to divulge the fractured fairy-tale before us. a cliche, sure, and it was one even by 1937, but with tex avery at the helm, audiences can be reassured that it’s all tongue in cheek. “the mean old wolf was lurking in a nearby pool hall” asserts as such.

indeed, the mean old wolf was lurking in a nearby pool hall--or, rather, cheating. he pulls the lever of a pinball machine, lifting up the machine and tilting it so as to guide the ball in the right hole. the animation of the wolf is spaced and timed nicely, with just enough urgency to convey his commitment to cheating. sticking his tongue out in concentration is a nice plus as well. the drawings themselves aren’t the most pleasing, consisting primarily of mathematically proportioned circles and spheres, but such is life. 

close up on the pinball itself circling around the jackpot hole, teetering away to the “OUT” hole at the last second. a minute in, and we already see that this villain is far removed from the mustache twirling, cape-hugging villains that dominated earlier cartoons. instead, we know that this wolf is a loser. carl stalling’s constipated rendition of “old king cole” adds a nice level of sardonic commentary to the wolf’s authority (or lack thereof).

little red riding hood strolling outside the pool hall easily distracts the wolf from his oncoming tantrum. like red hot riding hood 6 years later, the wolf here is instantly charmed, catcalling and preparing to pounce. off-putting as this may seem at first glance, considering little red riding hood is, well, a child, the kicker is that here, she serves as an imitation of katherine hepburn, in both mannerisms and dialect. so, rather than dealing with a naive, innocent girl on her way to grandma’s house, we’ve instead got a hollywood star with her nose in the air, haughtily avoiding the wolf’s advances. (of course, catcalling grown women isn’t any better, but just as a note to dispel any confusion.)

the wolf drives alongside snooty little red in his pompous jaundice-stricken limo, his advances getting nowhere. time to pull out the big guns:

his license plate, reading 0-7734, flips upside down to spell “hello”, with the taillight opening and closing to simulate a wink. clever indeed! it’s some interesting food for thought to imagine how much more exaggerated in speed and tone this gag would have been had this cartoon been made at mgm, though  i suppose red hot riding hood answers that question.

ignored once more, the wolf opts to halt the car and hassle red himself. “hello, pretty girl! going my way, babe?”

irv spence’s animation is the most appealing all throughout the picture, and his scenes of red here are no exception. the underrated elvia allman provides red’s katherine hepburn impression--tex LOVED his hepburn impressions, and they would bubble up in his cartoons time and time again. the gag itself would have been much more riotous 83 years ago than it is now, but even then, the idea of little red riding hood speaking with such a sophisticated and haughty tone is enough to be funny. 

the contrast between the wolf’s sneering vocals and red’s lengthy speech couldn’t be better. red instantly puts the wolf in his place: “rea-lly, in this modern age of flaming youth, the girl has to put up with such embarrassing situations. rea-lly, we do, don’t we, girls? two thirds of you girls out there have gone through just what i’m going through now. you know how it is, don’t you, girls?” amen to that, sister! (bob clampett would play off of this in his swan song, the big snooze, as an elmer fudd in drag asks the girls in the audience how they deal with such harassment.) spence’s animation is visually appealing in design and also just plain funny.

despite red’s blatant dismissal of his advances, the wolf continues to persue her, tipping his hat as he approaches a stoplight. the stoplight opts to give him a good dose of karma as the light turns from green to red, the “STOP” flag popping out and giving the wolf a nice whack in the face.

however, the wolf has more important matters than glaring at a pesky stoplight—offscreen whistling catches his ears.

irv spence animates the stupendous, colossal, magnificent debut of elmer fudd as he struts across the street, blatantly interrupting the flow of the picture. his slow, carefree movements, the wolf’s visual contempt, and the exclusion of background music altogether accentuate elmer’s interruption. purposeful innocuousness and tastefully so!

back to the wolf at the stoplight, the “GO” sign providing one more whack in the face for good measure. wolf speeds off to hassle his victim even more.

as we’ve seen before, the song portion of merrie melodies has largely been dropped around this time, with little blurbs of songs serving as loose substitutes. here, said substitute is “gee, but you’re swell,” sung in a talk-songy drawl by tedd pierce as he relentlessly struggles to charm red. pierce’s vocals are hilarious, especially contrasted with the closeup of red blatantly ignoring his egotistical remarks. she gives him the cold shoulder, icicles logically forming to accentuate the metaphor. a standard gag, but it juxtaposes so well against the wolf’s inane dribble in the background that it’s hard to roll your eyes too strongly at it.

so caught up in inflating his own ego, the wolf fails to notice the approaching mailbox on the sidewalk, which delivers a hearty reality check as he konks his head against it. red urges him to leave her alone, bidding him goodbye with a haughty “scram, romeo, scram!”

our beloved hero, the whistling, intrusive elmer fudd conveniently pops out of the mailbox, toting a sign pointing directly to grandma’s house. the malice from before at fudd’s presence is gone, replaced by gratitude from the wolf. he peels off down the alley, his limo snaking around every curve. both this and the random appearance of elmer are precursors to tex avery staple gags, especially his time at MGM. amazing how formative a single cartoon can be!

at the beginning, i said that “the bulk of” the cartoon’s backgrounds are done in colored pencil. the pan of backgrounds while the wolf is driving to grandma’s house, whizzing past a hitchhiker elmer in the process, are done in paint. the backgrounds are still just as gorgeous! yet the change does serve as a little food for thought.

like always in a tex avery cartoon, his comedic timing is succint: wolf finally pulls up to grandma’s house, elmer nonchalantly chilling on the back tire--despite the wolf’s purposeful disregard for him on the street, making a point to gun the car past him. the matter of factness of the gag is solid. the cartoon’s main priority is breaking the fourth wall rather than telling a story, yet in this case, that’s a good thing. it’s done well and with awareness.

mr. wolf approaches the doorstep of grandma’s abode, knocking on the door many more times than necessary with a hilariously inflated level of sophistication. he breaks his smooth, cool façade to guffaw a radio catchphrase (this time from the al pearce show): “i hope ol’ grandma’s home, i hope, i hope, i hope, i hope, i hope...” this catchphrase would be found in more short than one, bubbling up in a number of bob clampett porky cartoons as well.

an elderly “who’s there?” answers the wolf’s knocks from behind the door. the wolf puts on his best falsetto, cooing “it’s me! little red riding habit!”

we get a glimpse of granny from behind the door, who opens the little door window to see her guest. realizing that she’s met face to face with the wolf, who jabs his mug through the window, granny is quick to slam the door shut, bursting out into an impromptu rendition of “river, stay ‘way from the door” (sung as “wolf, stay ‘way from my door”.) the random song intervention clues us in that granny is in on the fourth wall-breaking as well--the delivery of the gag is quite similar to the mama parrot from i wanna be a sailor bursting into a rendition of “old black joe”.

irv spence takes over as the wolf struggles to pry the door open. suddenly, he freezes in his tracks at the sound of the telltale, offscreen whistling--elmer has arrived. the befuddled stare from the wolf as he watches elmer nonchalantly strut into granny’s house, opening the door without any hint of struggle, is priceless, as is his face-gripping agony. irv spence is tex’s best animator for a reason!

as a last resort, the wolf body slams himself into the door. little red riding hood has now turned into a tale of the three little pigs. he overestimates his own strength, and ends up darting inside, yet he stumbles backwards from the impact and trips backwards throughout the entire layout of the house. the gag is reminiscent of a similar gag from i only have eyes for you, an early 1937 avery entry--another elvia allman voiced elderly woman chases a hapless victim through the house, both of them gliding along a vertical pan set up exactly like this one. this is funny already here, but imagine the speed and lengths this gag would have been inflated to had tex completed this cartoon at MGM! 

granny is on the offense. the wolf barrels through the kitchen, where she’s standing on guard with the kitchen door. she opens the door, allows the wolf to barrel on out, and locks it shut. granny: 1, wolf: 0. 

cue a tired gag that’s been around since the bosko days (and beyond): wolf rams into a tree, shrinking up into his bowler hat. bowler hat runs around aimlessly with big ol’ shoes sticking out until he finally manages to free himself. the animation of the wolf being freed from the bowler hat IS rather nice--the accordion style wrinkles and folds serve as a precursor to some wild animation later on. it reminds me particularly of rod scribner’s animation in bob clampett’s cartoons.  

on the topic of gags old and new, the wolf engages in a gag that would be reused in a number of cartoons, including avery’s thugs with dirty mugs just two years later. the wolf grabs the doorknob, physically pulling it back and letting it shoot up against the door. the window panes thusly light up in a flurry of changing, rapid light squares: four yellow diagonal squares align, and the wolf is granted entrance into the house, triumphant fanfare and all. seems the wolf doesn’t need to cheat to win at pinball (doorknob-ball?) after all! if you look closely, you’ll see that the double exposures still linger as the wolf darts past the door and into the house.

cue the great fight: wolf v. granny. wolf aimlessly chases granny through the kitchen, both of them climbing on the furniture, granny whooping and hollering all the way. the phone rings, delaying their chase--granny hops on the chair to answer the phone, taunting the wolf: “ah-ah,” she chides, displaying her crossed fingers of immunity, “king’s x!” the deliberate time-out and show-stopping is great. this cartoon is filled to the brim with interruptions and halts, yet they don’t at all feel overused or banal. tex was a master of his craft.

granny takes the call while the wolf glowers on impatiently. more fourth-wall breaking as granny begs the audience for forgiveness: “will you people pardon me just a minute? let me see now, one dozen eggs... it’s the grocer, folks...” elvia allman’s vocals are excellent, conveying that comedic awkwardness with a great balance of authenticity and cheekiness. the head tilt indicating the phone as she talks to the audience is another plus.

tedd pierce’s vocals aren’t to be overlooked, either. his “AW, C’MON, GRANDMA!!!” is the perfect topper as granny rambles on the phone. she ends her call by sneering “and a case of gin!” to the grocer before hanging up and telling the audience the chase is back on (”heeeere we go again!”)

granny seeks refuge in the closet, the wolf greeted by elmer again as he opens the door. instead of fighting it, the wolf just heaves a dubious shrug towards the audience. irv spence animation once again--he draws the wolf’s eyes in a comparatively distinct manner. the irises are much smaller than the work of the other animators.

the wolf darts inside the closet, where he finds a conveniently placed nightgown hanging near the door. he looks under the skirt, prompting a disembodied hand to smack him in the face for such uncouth behavior. now confused, the wolf opts to peer into one of the sleeves, where granny’s hand pops out to squeeze and honk his nose daffy duck style.

their game of cat and mouse (or is it wolf and granny?) is interrupted by knocking on the front door, and the telltale, floaty voice of “it is i, red riding hood, grandmother!”

cue panic mode. the wolf hurriedly asks granny to give him “the stuff”, and she offers her bonnet, glasses, and shawl with a sense of camaraderie. this is entirely a performance, not a retelling of a story. these characters are hyper-aware actors who are not what they portray. 

tex’s speed, from the wolf finding granny to her offering her clothes to him diving in granny’s bed, flows incredibly well. everything happens all at once! there’s hardly any time to breathe. the urgency of the situation is very much alive and real, but also playfully so. the whole cartoon feels like a game of hide and seek in a way.

thus, we’re treated to the old routine that everyone knows, with red inquiring about the wolf’s “large optics” and “large schnozzola”. even she understands the overplayed nature of her performance, halting midsentence to quip at the audience “rather childish and a bit silly, don’t you think?” while the scene does drag, it’s purposeful and successful at doing so. there’s a noticeable contrast between the pacing of this scene and the scenes prior.

yet, in no-time, we’re back to the adrenaline rush, with the wolf lunging out of the bed and chasing a shrieking red. tedd pierce’s vocal talents are not to go undermined--he’s genuinely fun to listen to. interestingly, he didn’t write this cartoon--cal howard did. who, i may add, dabbled in a little bit of voice acting himself, voicing gabby goat in get rich quick porky!

irv spence takes over for the remainder of the cartoon, and his animation is gorgeous all the way. the wolf corners red, who swings haymakers at him, stopping only to gloat towards the audience “silly way to make a living, don’t you think?” such a stark contrast at the drop of a hat! predictable, perhaps, but who can be mad at it? this is a very likable cartoon. while all of the warner bros. directors of this period are quite talented, it most certainly belongs under tex avery’s name--think of how different in demeanor and timing this would be as a frank tashlin cartoon (who DID rival tex in terms of speed), a friz freleng cartoon, and a bob clampett cartoon. with tex, it’s in good hands.

the brawl continues, only to be halted by another interruption. no, it’s not because of offscreen whistling! signaling for red to stop, the wolf casts a steely glower at the figure of two silhouettes moving across the screen, sneering snide remarks--late moviegoers who interrupt the flow of the cartoon. provided my memory serves me correctly, this is the first WB cartoon to integrate rotoscoping. it was a technique invented by max flesicher in 1915, where animators would trace over live action footage, frame by frame.

tex would use this countless times, both at WB and MGM. his efforts pay off even now, watching this on a laptop screen, but just IMAGINE the impact this would have in a packed, dark theater, where even the CARTOON CHARACTERS stop to ridicule the audience! imagine just how revolutionary that was the first time this was showed! what an absolute riot! tex was a genius. the characters truly feel alive and with us. this was a very real problem, too, and a timeless one--someone scooching past you in the all too narrow row, bumping your knees, spilling their popcorn on you in the process... the characters on screen connect with the audience, bonding over a universal occurrence. imagine just how much of an uproar this would cause back then in theaters. genius!

after the wolf is done guilt-tripping his latecomers, the fight continues for a few seconds more, halted once again by the fudd himself, strolling across the screen. finally, the wolf reaches his breaking point: “hey BUD! hey, just a minute, bud! now, who the HECK are you, anyway?”

mr. fudd guffaws his first words in a stereotypical dopey drawl: “who, me?” note how his eyes open for a change! he opens his guitar case, where a mallet is carefully stored inside. not a beat is wasted as he knocks the wolf over the head with the mallet, elmer remarking in his hayseed voice “huh huh huh huh, i’m the HERO in this picture!”

iris out...

or so we think.

what a game changing piece of animation. this isn’t the tex avery cartoon to beat all cartoons by any means, but it packs a lot of weight. it’s extremely formative in tex’s career. numerous gags--such as the rotoscoped silhouettes, the stretching limo hugging the curves on the street, the constant wall-breaking and interruptions--and even story structures (think of all of the countless fairy tale parodies that came after this!) would be used not just by tex, but by his friends and colleagues, whether at WB or elsewhere. 

in the grand scheme of things, the plot is barebones. the wolf goes to grandma’s house. the wolf chases little red riding hood. that’s really all it is. yet it’s the details what give it substance, and the purposeful delivery of such. this isn’t a faithful retelling of a beloved story, that’s out the window. these characters are hyper-aware characters essentially massacring an old fairy tale. yet its the conviction of such that makes it so strong. it’s not really a “haha, look, i broke the fourth wall, i’m instantly funny! show’s over” deal--it’s just riding that momentum and expanding the picture on it. “oh, the story keeps getting interrupted. okay. let’s continue to interrupt it and make the characters increasingly aware of such, with the reasons for interruption growing more and more bizarre.”

while this isn’t nearly as bizarre as tex’s later pieces at MGM, it’s a great start. WB wasn’t completely free of its disney influence. pieces like these further remove the disney influence for sure, but 1937 is still very early on. this is such a game-changer in comparison to previous cartoons. 

tex’s dry-spell is over, and cartoons are on the upswing from here. things are going to get real funny and real loony. i definitely urge you to go watch this cartoon--it’s not the most revolutionary piece of animation on the planet, but it’s a wonderfully funny cartoon that still holds up today, and it serves as an interesting comparison point for future cartoons.

you can go watch it on HBO max, or you can check it out right here! enjoy!

[abybweisse]

hi aby,i enjoy reading your BB theories and about the lords of stars ,do you think the lord polaris(the butler) might related to Brighton hotel(?) where Sebastian and OC will investigate? I personaly think lord vega are twin girls and are well educated children(i dont believe 2 adults would fit in a small bed in vega room),so they might be in the school where snake and finny will investigate?Im sorry for my bad english

My ideas about the lords of the stars being at the different assignment locations really hasn’t changed since the last few posts I’ve made about them.

Here is a recap of my predictions on this:

The manor: I expect Lord Polaris to be stationed at Heathfield Manor, since that’s the place one would most expect to see a “butler”. There’s blood being collected there, and we know Undertaker sent Polaris to obtain “food” for real Ciel. This suggests that Lord Polaris is capable of traveling long distances in very short times, since Yorkshire is the farthest away from Brighton (more on that later).

There are also all those maids... and Jane is potentially a candidate for Lord Polaris (and even “Knife Dude”), since she strikes me as a good parallel to the Angela Blanc side of the Ash Landers/Angela Blanc combo, from s1 of the anime. If Jane is Lord Polaris, or if Lord Polaris is there, then Mey-Rin really might die soon after her flashback ends. Depends largely on the answer she gives to Jane’s offer of employment/switching sides.

The orphanage: This is where Finny and Snake have been sent. From this assignment, I predict we will see flashbacks from Finny and/or Snake. So far, we’ve really only seen snippets of their lives before meeting our earl and Sebastian.

I agree this is where Lord Vega should be, and I agree it’s young twins. I’m not sure whether they are boy and girl or both girls. However, I’m also leaning towards girls, since their speech pattern reminds me, frighteningly, of Bluer’s little twin sisters, who also speak in unison and with bubbly voices. Lord Vega was also sent out to get “food” for real Ciel, so the orphanage might be another blood collection site.

The sanatorium: This is where Bard and Lau have been sent, and I expect to get flashbacks from either or both of them, too. We know very little about them before meeting our earl and Sebastian, too. Bard was found as the last man alive on a battlefield. Lau’s impending arrival to England has been mentioned during Mey-Rin’s current flashback, and it’s a good setup to learning more about him when we get to his assignment. Particularly since the sanatorium supposedly caters to war veterans. I expect Bard and Lau to go in as war vets suffering from PTSD, and that’s a really good lead-in to get their backstories.

Lord Canopus should be there, since that one does have bleeding wounds... according to the bloody bandages in their bedroom at Sphere Music Hall. There’re also rumors about a nurse there with special healing abilities, and I wonder where Blavat is now... and what new scam he might be pulling. Could he go from fortune-teller to miracle-worker? Possibly. If he’s been released from jail, he would likely go back to work but with a new gimmick, even a new persona. This, instead of being a place to collect blood, might be a place to transfuse it... to Lord Canopus, as well as to any more renal failure patients that help provide funding. The vast majority of “Vega” and “Polaris” blood collected probably ends up here, since the renal patients in Bath never received “Sirius” blood. If Lord Canopus is here, too, then “Canopus” blood would also be delivered here.

The resort: Our earl and Sebastian have gone here, and this is where I expect real Ciel/Lord Sirius and Undertaker to be located. If the Viscount of Druitt shows up again, I can see this being where, too, since it’s a lap of luxury where some of the elite have decided to stay... indefinitely. Lord Polaris could show up with “Sirius” blood for real Ciel, as well as with updates on what’s happening at the other three locations. Since I think Lord Polaris isn’t a bizarre doll or a human, I expect Lord Polaris to be the main transporter of blood and relayer of news.

This assignment will be saved for last. Here is where our earl and Sebastian will likely learn the fates of the servants and other allies they sent on the other three assignments. If Tanaka isn’t at Phantomhive Manor anymore, then he’s probably here. Here is where we will get more information from Undertaker. Here is where Undertaker might also have to fight Sebastian again... as well as reapers from the organization. Someone will respond to Othello’s dove, you know...? 👀

Thanks for the ask! 🖤

[twstsimping]

I’m finally ready to introduce her properly!!! Meet Jay Blanc, the resident disaster of savanaclaw~!

More info under the cut!

Personal information

Name: Jay Blanc

Gender: female

Age: 15

Birthday: august 27th

Starsign: Virgo

Height: 173cm

Eye colour: brown

Hair colour: ginger

Homeland: undisclosed

Professional information

Dorm: Savanaclaw

School year: 1st

Class: 1A

Occupation: student

Club: gargoyle research club

Best subject: flying

Fun facts

Dominant hand: right

Favourite food: anything sweet

Least favourite food: onions

Dislikes: heights, the dark, insects

Hobby: drawing

Talent: falling asleep standing up

Personality

Jay loud and easily excitable, somewhat like a puppy. She gets along easily with practically everyone due to her friendly, sunshine-y attitude, and is good at being in everyone’s good books. However, she often shifts how she acts with different people so that they’ll like her, so her relationships often lack sincerity, and she struggle to deeply connect with others. Despite this, she’s very genuine in wanting to help everyone, even if she doesn’t know them very well, and it shows in her advice. She’s ready to give her whole heart to anyone who needs it, and is often used a very good shoulder to cry on, who is always genuine when needed, and can give surprisingly good advice. She’s very awkward socially due to a lack of understanding of how other people work, and often trips over her words trying to say the correct thing. She will also say some very strange things when in a social situation she isn’t comfortable with, and can come off as quite strange and eccentric. Even though there’s a lot more to her personality, it isn’t wrong to say that she is quite eccentric, having a strange sense of humour and being very loud. She’s constantly trying to done her personality and excitement, because she is very aware that she can be very annoying. She gets easily over excited and can be very overbearing to people who aren’t used to her. Even with her friends, she still worries that if she lets herself go completely they’ll stop liking her. Her fear of isolation and overall clingy ness causes her to grow attached very quickly. She can be overwhelming for quiet or aloof people due to the amount of love and affection she’s constantly giving to everyone she knows. She gets so easily attached to people that she can even get a bit possessive, not liking it when they spend more time with others than her, or when they ignore her. She doesn’t get angry when this happens, but instead very depresses. She’ll have a complete personality 180 at the smallest thing, going from happy and bubbly to silent and brooding. Because of her sudden mood swings it’s quite hard to predict what she’s gonna do next, and you need to have slight caution over what you say, so as to not hit a nerve. Having grown up as the only neurotypical child in her house, she was given the role as the happy one, and eventually it became the only thing she could use to define herself. Even after she changed a lot and got a lot of self esteem issues, she still continued to be attached to that title, never daring to stop always smiling out of fear that she wouldn’t be wanted or needed if she changed. She suffers from a bad inferiority complex which reveolves around her sister, Annalise Blanc. She’s very attached to Annalise, and will practically never want to leave her side, always calling out to her when they pass by eachother in the hallways and coming to visit her dorm. Despite this, Jay has a lot of pent up resentment towards Annalise, who was always the parents favourite. She doesn’t like her friends being close to Annalise because she’s afraid that they’ll grow to like her more and she’ll be left alone.

Unique magic

Jays unique magic is called ‘Guiding lights’

It’s quite simple and lacks many practical uses. She can create any number of lights and control them as long as they are within her eyesight. However, the further away from her they go, the dimmer they get. They can dispel magical darkness, but apart from that they’re just regular lights. Jay uses it most often at night, when she’s scared of the dark.

Trivia

Jay is a perfectionist, needing to be the best at everything she does. However, she doesn’t put any effort into things she isn’t naturally good at, and so she’s always left disappointed.

Jay learned to sleep standing up when she joined savanaclaw and had to wake up at 6am every morning. She got so tired that she eventually just started sleeping during practice.

Jay is scared of a lot of things, and always has very colourful reactions when she has to face them, especially bugs, in which she will scream and jump into the arms of the nearest person to her.

Despite being very against violence, Jay will often challenge people to fights as a joke. If she didn’t have the protection of some of the scariest people in the school, she’d probably be very hurt by now.

Jay always tries to be a nice person, but when she’s comfortable around someone, her ‘smug bastard’ mode will come out, where she’ll laugh at their misfortune and make fun of them relentlessly. She’ll always stop this if she goes too far however.

Jay only joined the gargoyle research club to hang out with malleus. When she learned how passionate about it he was, she started revising about gargoyles in her fee time.

When Jay first joined the school, she knew practically no Japanese. She signed a contract with Azul to get him to help her learn, and as a result ended up working in the monstro lounge for a couple of months, until she was practically fluent.

Jay is very bad at relaxing, and is almost always thinking of something else she should be doing instead. She often needs another person to help slow down the pace of her life so she doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Jays hobby is drawing, and she’s very passionate about it. Her favourite pastime is listening to some music and just going ham.

When she was younger, Jay had a very bad lisp, and she had to get speech therapy to get it removed. She’s much better at speaking without it now, but fo she gets too exited/nervous and startes talking too fast it’ll come through.

Jay is very attached to all sorts of plushies, and has a mountain of them on her bed. She’s constantly worried that the rest of savanaclaw will find out, she she makes sure that her room is completely secure constantly.

Jay hates savanaclaw. It’s always hot and she thinks the outfit is hideous. She’s always complaining about how she wants to move dorm, but whenever someone brings it up she always comes up with a convenient excuse.

Due to her many fears of the dark and demons etc, Jay will often camp out in Leonas room. He gets a lot less sleep because of her constantly waking him up so they can go check if that was Ruggie or cuthulu coming to claim her soul.

Jay hates physical activity. She’s always been the more artsy type, and she hates the outdoors. However, there’s one thing she loves more than anything else, and that’s money. When her dad started offering her money for physical labour, she suddenly got a lot more athletic.

In the same vane, it’s rumoured that Jay will do anything of you pay her enough. In reality, this is mostly true, unless it involves her hurting someone else.

Jay is very good at flying, even though she is scared of heights. This means that she will zoom up into the sky and then have a panic attack because she’s too high.

Jays on the starting line up for the savanaclaw magishift team, mostly due to her great combo attacks with Ruggie.

[crossxskulled]

[Speech bubble] + rumor has it there's a secret menu at Le Blanc only reserved to those who eat every single dish available on the normal menu.

☠ - “...Huh.” Swiping the fork away from his lips gives him a moment to think. Secret menus, hidden specials, that does happen to be a trend he’s catching the wave on for these shops that happen to accumulate that hidden customer base. Sometimes that in itself can amplify the flavor-- the sole fact it’s threaded into the hidden menu variety.

Does Boss also partake in that angle of business? It’s enough to leave him intrigued!

“Like that way to show you’re a real deal fan of the place, huh? I might have to go and look into that one..”

[impressivepress]

The Great Dictator

Ironically, one of the most beloved men in history was born within four days of one of the most despised—and that the demon, Adolf Hitler, so strongly resembled the clown, Charles Chaplin.

Some claim that Hitler deliberately chose his mustache toresemble Chaplin’s, who had enjoyed thelove and respect of audiences around theworld. Contemporary journalists and car-toonists delighted in pointing out the simi-larity in appearance between the two men.A song about Hitler, published in Britain in1938, asked the question, “Who is this Man? (Who Looks like Charlie Chaplin).”

How could Chaplin, who had reached theapogee of his popularity and influence,avoid the role that fate seemingly had thrust upon him? In many ways, the creation of “The Great Dictator” (1940) was virtually inevitable. Over a decade after the rest of the film industry had accepted talking pictures, the great-est star of the silent-film era began his first full-dialogue film. His subject was Adolf Hitler and his theme, the dangerous rise of European fascism. Despite death threats once his project was announced, Chaplin forged ahead with his satire. In his 1964 auto-biography, Chaplin admitted, “Had I known the actual horrors of the German concentration camps, I couldnot have made “The Great Dictator;” I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity of the Nazis.

”The Great Dictator is a tale of two worlds: the palace,where dictator Adenoid Hynkel rules, and the ghetto,where a Jewish barber struggles to make a living andsurvive. The comedic device of the film is the resem-blance between the Dictator and the Barber, who islater mistaken for the Dictator. The theme of the sto-ry, at its basic level, is the struggle between goodand evil, reflected in the balance between the twoworlds.

The film begins with this title: “This is a story of a pe-riod between two World Wars—an interim in whichInsanity cut loose, Liberty took a nose dive, andHumanity was kicked around somewhat.” It is fol-lowed by a prologue, set in World War I, in which theJewish Barber fights as a patriotic, although ineffec-tive, Tomanian soldier. This sequence, reminiscentof Chaplin’s World War I comedy “ShoulderArms” (1918), contains elements of nightmarish vio-lence as well as humor, a combination that occursoften in the film. The Barber must fire the enormousBig Bertha gun, is pursued by a defective gun shell,loses a hand grenade in his uniform, accidentallymarches with the enemy, and later finds himself up-side down in an airplane. The prologue reminds theaudience of the malevolence of machines, the horrorof war, and the senselessness of destruction. Withinthis framework, the stories of the Barber and Hynkelin their two moral universes, represented by the good“People of the Ghetto” and the evil “People of thePalace” are regularly intercut. The film concludeswith an epilogue set after the start of the war inEurope, soon to be called World War II. It shows theBarber, mistaken for Hynkel, forced to address amassed rally. The final speech, however, is not givenby the Barber character but by Chaplin himself, whopleads for peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The greatest moment of Chaplin’s satire on Hitlerand the rise of dictators is the scene in which Hynkelperforms a dance with a globe of the world. This sce-ne, which stands with the very best set pieces ofChaplin’s silent films, requires no words to convey itsmessage. Accompanied by the delicate, dreamy prel-ude to Act I of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” (Hitler’s favorite Wagnerian opera), Hynkel performs a graceful, se-ductive ballet with a balloon globe, a wonderful sym-bol of his maniacal dream of possessing the world forhis pleasure. Yet when he believes he has it withinhis grasp, the bubble literally bursts. This is Chaplin’ssymbolic comment on the futility of the dictator’s aspirations and reflects his optimistic belief that dicta-tors will never succeed.

Probably the most famous sequence of “The GreatDictator” is the five-minute speech that concludesthe film. Here Chaplin drops his comic mask andspeaks directly to the world, conveying his view thatpeople must rise up against dictators and unite inpeace. The most enduring aspects of the finalspeech are its aspirational quality and tone and itsunderlying faith in humanity. Chaplin sketches ahopeful future in broad strokes and leaves the imple-mentation of his vision to others, despite the fact that the more unsavory aspects of human nature mayprevent mankind ever reaching his promised utopia.Although some may find Chaplin’s message cliché,and even frustrating, one cannot help but be movedby the prescience of his words and the appeal of hispowerful indictment of all who seek to take powerunto themselves to the detriment of everyone else.The final speech of “The Great Dictator” remains rel-evant and valuable in the twenty-first century andlikely will remain so as long as conflict corrupts hu-man interaction and despots endure.

With the exception of “Gone With the Wind” (1939),no other film of the period was met with such antici-pation as “The Great Dictator.” The contemporarypress was generally favorable toward the film follow-ing the world premiere in New York City at two Broadway theaters—the Capitol Theatre and Astor Theatre—simultaneously on October 15, 1940. Alt-hough Bosley Crowther, film critic for the ”New YorkTimes,” thought the film too long and somewhat rep-etitious, he nevertheless wrote a very strong reviewnoting it to be “…a truly superb accomplishment by atruly great artist—and, from one point of view, per-haps the most significant film ever produced.”

“The Great Dictator” cost $1,403,526 making it oneof Chaplin’s most expensive films. It was an enor-mous gamble, as the film did not have the interna-tional distribution his silent films had enjoyed. Thefilm was banned throughout occupied Europe, inparts of South America, and in the Irish Free State.Nevertheless, “The Great Dictator” becameChaplin’s most profitable film up to that time earning $5 million dollars worldwide in its original release.

Despite being firmly fixed in the time in which it wasmade, “The Great Dictator” continues to have tre-mendous impact and hold on audiences. The filmwas reissued by United Artists in 1958, the year it was first seen in Germany and Italy, and was first shown in Spain in 1976. Critical opinion of the film, particularly of the final speech, has risen greatly inthe estimation of critics, historians, and audiencessince that time. In 1989, the centenary of Chaplin’s birth, “The Great Dictator” opened the Moscow Inter-national Film Festival, the first vintage film so hon-ored. In 2002, “The Great Dictator” was hailed as amasterpiece, closing the Berlin Film Festival only afew hundred yards from where Hitler committed sui-cide in his bunker.

Adolf Hitler was disturbed when he heard Chaplinwas at work on “The Great Dictator,” and there isevidence that Hitler actually saw the film. Accordingto an agent who fled Germany after working in thefilm division of the Nazi Ministry of Culture, Nazi au-thorities procured a print and Hitler screened the filmone evening in solitude. The following evening heagain watched the film all by himself. That is all theagent could tell Chaplin. In relaying the anecdote,Chaplin said, “I’d give anything to know what hethought of it.” Whatever Hitler thought of Chaplin’s“The Great Dictator,” the film survives as cinema’s supreme satire and one of Chaplin’s most importantand enduring works.

~

Essay by Jeffrey Vance, adapted from his book Chaplin:Genius of the Cinema (New York: Harry N. Abrams,2003). Jeffrey Vance is a film historian, archivist, and au-thor of the books Douglas Fairbanks, Chaplin: Genius ofthe Cinema, Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian, and Buster Keaton Remembered (with Eleanor Keaton). He is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities of Charles Chaplin.The views expressed in these essays are those of the author and do notnecessarily represent the views of the Library of Congress.

[yamina20-blog]

Another Chat Blanc line art that I wanted to color in for the wonderful @saijspellhart. Wanted to play with different lighting and I wanted to make him look more evil/sinister this way. I think I pulled it off. The speech bubble was my little touch. This was done in colored pencil, gel pen, ink, and marker.