#my enjoyment of cartoons tends to be like

[ghastbutlikegay]

i just realized that since i actually deliberately AVOID cartoon fandoms most of the time, having a cartoon blog on the fandom website probably isnt a good idea

[curiouschaosstarlight]

Honestly, I think the full extent of my existence is inherently baffling and mythical to the "I just think we need to remember that this character is horrible and irredeemable and the worst!!!" and "we just need more villains to BE villains!!!" and "people who 'woobify' villains are stupid shallow idiots!!!" crowd.

Like yeah, sure. I like most of my villains to be tragic and/or sympathetic. I like them to have the capacity to be a wet pathetic baby bean, even if I might have to force them into the role a bit.

But I also like Professor Hojo as-is and he's the ONLY reason I got into FF7, and my favorite character from FF7, and he isn't the only purely evil and terrible villain I adore as a purely evil and terrible villain.

Like.

You can have both, and it's fully possible to like both.

(And that's not getting into how often I see characters who DO have tragic backstories and actual reasons for doing terrible actions, as an explanation not an excuse mind, and then the fandom just rabidly insists that character is pure evil and malicious and can't possibly have any other reason for doing anything beyond sadistic enjoyment...)

[unhetalia]

England headcanons (pt. 1):

Chain-smokes like a motherfucker. Alfred, who doesn't smoke and pretends very hard to think smoking is disgusting, hasn't yet realised where his secret smoking kink comes from.

Currently works for British Intelligence/has infiltrated his own government.

Carries around either a cane or umbrella that hides a sword even though he has never ONCE had to use it. He just feels more comfortable having a sword. (He does also carry around a gun, which, in contrast, has been used often.)

Also carries around his own pen, and absolutely loathes the thought of using someone else's. The pen is a first edition Michel Perchin Serpent in Champagne LE Fountain Pen given to him by Alfred - only ten were ever made and it cost a cool 8k. While Arthur has more valuable things - especially from his time as a pirate and back when he personally knew his royal family - the pen is still one of his most prized possessions.

His favourite tea is actually French Earl Grey - which is Earl Grey with rose petals. Not actually French? But Arthur's still pretty annoyed about it.

As mentioned in a few of my other posts - Arthur is incredibly physical and has kept up with sword fighting and various martial arts over the years, and regularly goes to the gym. He's very disciplined about it.

Tends to eat only for fuel as opposed to enjoyment whenever he's left to his own devices.

If pressed, Arthur will admit his best friend is Francis. Francis would say the same about Arthur.

(Despite their individual body counts, Francis and Arthur have never slept with each other.)

(Arthur doesn't have a lot of friends and has a strained relationship with his siblings, and has always felt that people don't like spending time with him. Even when he was on top of the world, working with his government to become an Empire, he still felt like an underdog.)

On that note, Arthur worked with his government longer than the other Nations, and was a huge part of establishing the British Empire. It made his already fraught relationship with his siblings even worse, and he regrets a lot of it.

Nations get scars very rarely, because very few things have the ability to give them scars - magical weapons is one of those things. Out of all the Nations, England has the most scars.

England is amazing at knitting and crochet, and he gifts Francis crocheted figurines from French cartoons for his birthday every year, which Francis adores. He also knits Canada scarves and gloves and beanies whenever he remembers him.

One of Arthur's most embarrassing memories is getting gonorrhea during his pirate days. He didn't have sex for a month after his healing kicked in - a record back then - and he became a lot more diligent in procuring and using the linen sheaths they used as condoms at the time.

Three of Arthur's back molars are implants made of real gold.

Alfred is the first (and last) person Arthur will say he's ever fallen in love with BUT the closest he's come is with another American - a nurse that took care of him during World War I. She was blonde and blue eyed and once shouted Arthur down when he insisted on continuing to fight even with a bullet lodged in his shoulder. She completely disappeared in April 1917, just before the Americans officially joined the war. He sometimes wonders what happened to her.

[sammyjs-ponies]

Have you heard of the new show Wild Manes? What's your opinion about it?

I have been watching it!

I find it very pleasant and I enjoy it. In fact, the show feels like it would fit perfectly alongside shows from the 2003-2008 era, like Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Horseland, and of course G3 MLP.

And I for one, love that. It's nostalgic even though it's brand new, and I've been wishing so hard to see shows appear that make that happen. It's like that feeling we all wish we could have again of watching our favorite childhood shows for the first time.

I've been sitting with the popcorn watching the mixed reactions from Bronies. The consensus is that G5 is a total flop and we're all craving something better to fill the void. I've seen about 75% of videos hyping it up "Will this be the NEW MLP???" and the rest calling it "Bootleg Ripoff" and at worst just hating on it for all the same reasons they blasted G3.

Wild Manes is a comfort show. Not something action-packed and profound with deep lore like G4 was, and it shouldn't be compared as such. These other shows I mentioned above have an audience of an entirely different set of people that Bronies often refuse to accept exist.

We do also love profound shows like G4, but the kinds of people who exclusively like G4-type shows have a hard time accepting different genres if they're not exactly the same... and tend to shame the people who have different tastes as if everything else is objectively "bad".

Imagine a person who refuses to eat anything but chicken tenders getting on a high horse and insulting a foodie for enjoying more foods than just chicken tenders.

As for my review of the show so far:

They're doing VERY well with storytelling for being limited to a 5-minute runtime, and if they ever get the chance to do more, I think they have great potential to have amazing stories. The "You're probably wondering how we ended up here" gimmick at the beginning of each episode, which is jarring to some people, would be way more enjoyable with a full 20-minute episode. In fact, it's VERY refreshing to see a cartoon doing something different for once.

As I said, I love how the show makes me feel. The art style is great. The background art is great. There's no villains or monsters or world-ending scenarios at stake, which is again, refreshing.

(Another thing Bronies tend to not realize is some people just don't want to watch characters fighting 24-7. High-stakes episodes are enjoyable once in a while, but how can it be special if that's how things just are all the time? I don't know about anyone else, but big battles to save the world are a lot more meaningful to me when we've spent some time living happily in that world to sympathize and understand why it's worth defending.)

And sometimes, I just want to watch cute characters have fun and live life, where the worst of the problems is a minor disagreement with your friend that gets worked out in the end. A world I can wish I lived in.

My only biggest complaint so far is that I wish the hair moved. You'd think with such a focus on hair, they'd have some real physics in the animation.

But again, they're just starting out. Surely things will improve if it takes off.

[koichi-nomura]

You mentioned absolutely adoring "Ask Her A Question" from My Fair Hatey for a lot of reasons. Was that partially exaggeration, or do you actually have an analysis to dish out?

Much love!

Yeah definitely some exaggeration lol and it’s basically just the sound of it, I adore all the songs on there but judging purely by how they sound, (not the narrative purpose) of all of them that one’ my favorite.

Voice acting is incredibly important to me, across all my favorite shows that’s the first thing I think about, I’m obsessed with line delivery and with identifying voices (I pride myself in being the best out of my siblings at identifying who’s voice it is first lol), so the main thing for me really is that Wander has my favorite voice in the series, his singing is so nice and it’s interesting how (for this song at least) he doesn’t do it with a lot of volume or anything, it’s relatively calm for him. He’s half-singing half-talking too and his line delivery is amazing. You can hear the giddiness in his voice at some parts, he does it so well lol. And his accent and the inflections he puts on certain words I love it. Namely his “ab-out:”

I can’t explain why I’m so interested in voices (probably just autism again) but along with comedy, art, and animation it’s one of my favorite things.

I’ don’t know a ton about music other than “this sounds good to me, this doesn’t” but I’m still very opinionated on it, my enjoyment of music tends to be more based on unique singing voices and variability in the music. Some cartoons have very lazy, uninteresting soundtracks and Wander is definitely not one of them, even if you’re talking about just the normal soundtracks, not the songs. it’s great how each if the main characters have their own background themes and even some sung theme songs lol. I can’t tell you what I like about specifically the music of “Ask Her a Question” I just know that I really like it.

In a narrative sense it’s obviously fun seeing Wander’s philosophy on romance and watching Hater go along with it lol. For the story overall I think it’s meant to be pretty significant that Hater would be interested in someone else enough to ask about their opinions, we saw how terrible he was on “The Date”.

The animation is visually interesting as usually with a lot of great stretching from Wander.

This is also my favorite kind of musical; “everyone knows they’re signing” instead of “nobody’s actually singing, they’re just conveying the emotions and storytelling through song for the audience’s eyes only.”

Woy in general is just exemplifies all the ways I would love to do things if I could create a cartoon;

The music is spectacular, so is the voice acting, the voice actors can sing instead of needing stand-in singers, the character designs are so recognizable, I love everyone’s names (‘Major Threat’ is such stupid and funny wordplay lol), the characterization is so good and interesting for everyone (infinitely kind characters are my favorite tho) the comedy is great and I like a lot of the gags but what’s especially great is the character-driven comedy; jokes that are funny just because the characters have funny personalities and interactions. The animation is spectacular too, I’m usually not at all a fan of flash animation but they utilize it in such a way that I didn’t used to know it was flash, the squash and stretch they do with the characters is so fun and interesting without looking grotesque or unappealing, they just look silly (there’s so many moments where it’s too fast to really get a grasp on what’s happening and if you look at it frame by frame it’s super impressive).

Sorry for rambling, this is what happens when I get questions and no character limit, much love back!! :]

[marshallpupfan]

Hopefully this isn't too weird or invasive a question, but I'm curious what draws you to Paw Patrol as an older fan, and also what your experience has been like in the fandom and as a collector? (I'm assuming you're an older fan and probably close to my age from the non-Paw Patrol media you share haha).

I am indeed one of its older fans, and I can think up a few reasons that keeps drawing me to it.

One I can say right away is the fact I have a big love for canines, thus I tend to gravitate towards anything with dogs (and wolves, depending on if they're heroes or villains). They make up plenty of my favorites characters, as some of you seen in one of my previous Asks, and I generally tend to enjoy things more when they're involved (a friend recently recommended an older game to me, which I enjoyed all the more because you got to travel around with your trusty dog).

Funnily enough, not too long ago, I took an interest in the Asterix and Obelix franchise because of its dog character, Dogmatix... and I was quite thrilled when I heard he was getting his own spinoff cartoon! Of course, it was only available in French at the time, but much to my luck, the first half of season one got dubbed in English and [officially] posted on Youtube, free to watch! I gave it a go, and I thought it was pretty good! If anyone's curious, click this link to check it out. And yes, this might've been a thinly-veiled attempt to talk about this cartoon somewhere, since there aren't many English-speaking fans. lol

Arquebus/Musketix is the best character.

But yeah, the pups are one of my biggest draws to PAW Patrol, and unlike some fans, I rather like it when other pups get added to the cast. Boomer and Claw both certainly helped renew some of my interest in the franchise, particularly during a time in which I felt things were going downhill. Hey, I just love dogs!

Obviously, Marshall's easily my biggest draw to PAW Patrol. I'll admit, I tend to take a far bigger interest in an episode when he actually gets some good attention... and it's why my interests start to wane when he doesn't. The dude's legit my #1 favorite animated character, so I suppose it's no surprise to hear I often tune in specifically for him. That's not to say I don't get enjoyment from the other pups, but I'm just so crazy about that spotted pup!

Another aspect that draws me to PAW Patrol is just how fun it tends to be (or used to be, but the modern seasons still have their moments). I don't want to go too deep into this because I don't want things to get too serious, but let's just say... life can be quite rough anymore, and it never seems to get much better. I often look for something that can help me escape that for a while, even if it's just for a half hour at a time. I found that PAW Patrol does that for me. It's cute, colorful, fun, doesn't try to be complex, and by the end, everything turns out okay. And if I need cheering up after a bad day, a certainly clumsy, spotted pup often always puts a smile on my face. Some days, I need that.

----

As for my experiences with the fandom, I'd say it's been largely positive. I do tend to meet a lot of friendly people, many of which tend to be supportive and/or cheerful when I need it, and I generally enjoy interacting with most of them right back! I certainly don't regret being a part of it for the last five years or so.

With that said, I've had encounters that certainly weren't pleasant. I think everyone knows about my copycat by this point, so no need to retread that old ground. There's one infamous user out there who just seems to hate everything (unless it involves Everest), and he often turns hostile if you don't agree with his opinions. The same dude even tried arguing and verbally attacking those who work on PAW Patrol... including their families, too! Crazy guy. I've also encountered some fans who seem to make stuff up, believe their headcanon to be fact, and then become angry when people don't agree with them. I once had someone tell me Ryder is "gaslighting" Rubble, and... I don't even want to know what that means or why they believe that.

And in-regards to being a collector, the reception I often encounter has been quite positive, too. Most fans really seem to enjoy seeing my collection, even if it's just out of curiosity to see just how much merchandise they made of one single pup. I still get compliments on it all the time, from both fans and non-fans of Marshall, and I've even seen other folks who just think it's legit cool.

Surprisingly, I've only had one negative encounter so far, and it was, believe it or not, from someone who used to be a fan of PAW Patrol. She became one of those folks who encountered bad users, got tired of them, and then decided every fan must be awful... and of course, she tore into me because I "talk too much" about Marshall and deemed me a "freak" for collecting so much merchandise. Most of what she said was largely laced with swears and insults, and I'm sure she believes she put me in my place or something... though in truth, I was laughing at most of her replies. Why she felt the need to throw such a temper tantrum on me, I'll never know, but she didn't succeed in even the slightest to discourage me or anything. lol

[cookeybg]

Autumn's Loss of Petals - Chapter 2

Title: Autumn's Loss of Petals

Various POVs : Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson

Tags: Angst, Loss of love, amnesia, brotherly love, familial love, will add more if relevant

Obviously, I do not own any of the rights to any of the DC comics, animated cartoons or movies and I am not getting paid to write this. This is purely for my enjoyment :)

Note: I will be experimenting with different POV's for this fic, but they will all be Damian-centric.

Word Count: 1,031

Table of Contents

Chapter 2 - Tim

It had been a couple of days since Damian's surgery and the boys watched their youngest brother aimlessly walking through the gardens of the villa. The doctor had recommended that he should stay far from any place where there could be possible memories of the one who had been the cause of the Hanahaki disease. Bruce decided to buy a private villa in California. He hoped that the warm sun and beach side view would invigorate him while the sound of crashing waves would relax him. Damian touched the roses as he walked by, eventually sitting on a stone bench that overlooked the ocean. The blue sky meeting the water was broken by white clouds, small sail boats and seagulls. They had bought Damian new art supplies, afraid of any drawings he might have in his old sketchbook. Tim had been the one to suggest it, having a suspicion as to who was the cause of his predicament. The pair watched as their brother just sat there without lifting his pencil, without opening the pad. "It's really weird seeing him like this." Jason muttered. "Yeah." Tim said "Is it normal for him to look …so lost?" Jason waved his hand in the air. Tim didn't answer. They both stood in the opening of the large glass doors. The villa was relatively small with only four bedrooms and a one story floor plan, it was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The front of the house was private with large hedges blocking outside eyes, while the back had floor to ceiling windows two of which could be opened fully to let the outside and inside become one. Comfortable outdoor furniture littered the deck, complete with a bar, a fire pit, and an automatic shade which was currently tucked away under the roof. A few steps down and the deck was met with lush green grass, big enough to play catch, or in their case to be able to train, and the edges had various flowers neatly growing. "Well, I'm going to make lunch." Jason walked towards the kitchen. The open floor plan let Tim watch both his brothers. Dick and Bruce had left to go back to Gotham since they had many responsibilities to take care of. Dick had promised to return with his wife and kid once Damian was a bit more settled. Tim was honestly surprised that Jason had stayed as long as he had, he had expected him to leave the moment that he found out Damian was okay, he had lingered with a dark disposition. Tim could relate, it was hard when the enemy wasn't something you could punch and then put away. Their youngest brother was dealing with something much more complicated, something that only a small percentage ever dealt with. When he had found out that he had contracted that disease…well he honestly couldn't believe it, this was Damian, their little demon, it had taken a lot of family work to even have him admit that he had siblings and all of a sudden he had a debilitating, pure love, that couldn't come into fruition. Instead of it being like most crushes and heartbreaks where a person can move on, look back at it with sad fondness, his had tried killing him. On second thought maybe it was on brand, the kid tended to be all or nothing.

Tim rubbed the bridge of his nose, a habit picked up from Bruce. He sighed to himself and looked at the young man who was looking up at the blue sky, the breeze fluttering his hair. He pictured a younger version curled up, sketching and glaring at him whenever he walked into the room, his acerbic attitude never fully leaving him as he grew, just softened a bit. He was not a child anymore, he was a young man of 23, he couldn't help but see the child he had arrived as. He couldn't imagine the pain he must have gone through, the disease must have been hurting for years, far longer than it should, for it to get to the point it had. It upset him that no one had noticed, that he, one of the best detectives hadn't noticed, the brat had hid it well. The memory of that day found it's way to the forefront of his thoughts. Damian had been choking, doubled over on the bed, his face turning purple with the effort it took to extricate the blockage. The doctor had pressed the emergency button almost immediately and the nurses had shoved them to one corner of the room. Tim had not been able to peel his eyes away, he doubted any of the others could either, they watched as their youngest had successfully hacked up the thing, his face turning paler by the second, blood spilling from his mouth. He had looked so small, so pale and he had smiled at the bloody thing, it fell to the ground in the hallway when he had fallen back on the mattress, the doctor giving instructions to the staff, his urgency growing. Tim had picked it up, its white waxy petals perfectly formed, it's overwhelming sweet scent mixing with the horror that had just occurred, red droplets decorating it like jewels. Pure love, a held secret, cherished; Tim had looked up the significance of a white gardenia and he could only think of one person Damian could possibly feel that towards. The bastard had arrived, in a rush, to the hospital, panicked from Damian's weak heartbeat. It had taken everything in him not to punch the jerk, to hate him, but there was no point, it was, technically, not his fault. He glanced at Jason, the smell from the kitchen stirring up the hunger he hadn't known he felt, if he had told anyone else they might not have been as logical. Maybe he could do something small, like have his messages blocked from all his contacts for a while or sign him up for a subscription of random magazines. No, Damian wouldn't appreciate that. Either way he would think of something, if only to alleviate his guilt, this feeling of helplessness.

[mdhwrites]

I still like TOH, but your comments have made me notice something about reviews praising it: namely, a lot of the elements praised are specifically described- Belos’s character, Luz’s depression, the dark themes, the serialization, etc- as being amazing for a kid’s show, and I think that’s a factor in why critical reviews tend to match fandom opinion. Namely, kid shows having understandable limitations leads to attempt at darker themes/big stories being praised as standouts as long as the execution is competent enough to not be noticeable. So while some people do acknowledge TOH’s flaws, they point out it’s still admirable the show made the attempts it did, especially with Disney’s public stance on what it pushes for in its cartoons.

So... I want to be kind first before I somewhat lose it because I am so SO TIRED of it being stated that TOH is different from other kid's shows. The Owl House is perfectly competent and entertaining in just its base elements. The animation is good, the voice acting is amazing, the feeling of teenagers is well captured, it's a lot of fun when it's interested in being fun and S1 has a lot of great ideas that earn a lot of good will with an audience and the plot line with Eda in S1 is genuinely amazing. After all, usually you don't have a character who is actively dying.

A theme they never actually address in detail. Eda doesn't feel like she's being held back by the curse very often and there's even one episode where it's used to re-enact a family guy episode of King trying to murder a toddler who won't let him be ruler of the playground. That... Isn't serious. In anyway. It's only serious when it's first revealed and the big sacrifice moment. After S1, it's barely a thing outside of Keeping Affearances.

This is the fundamental problem with The Owl House... And why it's so easy to praise. Yesterday I talked about how it screams its themes at the top of its lungs. How it is very blunt about how it wants to be perceived. Whether this is perception is earned or not is secondary to what it can easily state.

Which makes making an online article about how it's so different from other kid's shows, how it's the kid's show for those who don't like kid's shows, very easy. If you don't actually know much about kid's shows and how shit like Static Shock way back when was already addressing racism, having serialized content, etc. like that.

I mean, if we look at recent kid's cartoons, we have Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future. Gravity Falls. Amphibia does a lot of the same themes as TOH, with honestly about as much meaningful serialization, but also while being good, consistent and enjoyable. It earns its themes... But you have to dig for them.

So why have to scrape the barrel when the soapbox preacher is right there? This is part of the character arc problem too. Do you know how EXHAUSTING posts about "Look where they were and are now" by the end of S2? Where Amity would be a distinct, interesting, unique character in S1 but all they care about is that now she SMILES!

If you don't actually have to talk about the substance of her arc, if the show actually tackled any of its potential, complications, etc like that, it looks impressive. Then you talk to them about Winging it Like Witches or Understanding Willow, both frankly very much so kid's show episodes that something like Danny Phantom, My Little Pony, or Kim Possible would have and could have done, and suddenly it sounds less impressive, doesn't it? Not when you're describing episodes where Amity's past doesn't match her introduction at all and are obviously wiping away what makes a character arc interesting for "SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN GOOD! It's not her fault."

Sure. That's why she was willing to kill someone who didn't even lower her grade but instead just got someone else to be praised. And that's still S1.

Luz's depression is similar. You can have her make big statements that sound like they may imply she wants to die but they're still not willing to use the actual terms. Have Luz only suffer the absolutely loudest but worst stereotypes of depressed people like being constantly suicidal, pushing others away and not caring about them. 'But it's depressi-" No. As someone literally crippled by it, I don't want it being used as the excuse for literally the worst thing Luz does in the whole series, which is to just abandon an entire world to whatever fate she claims to believe she inflicted on it. I myself and a lot of other depressed people will tell you that it is FAR easier to help others, especially if you've hurt them, than any sort for yourself. But Luz's depression is used as an excuse for her to claim to keep caring about others when she is actually only serving herself and lying constantly to everyone around her while doing it. If that's great, depression representation, something most kids are still going to miss what it is, then fuck that noise.

But depression is a big topic right now so going "DISNEY'S FIRST MAIN CHARACTER WITH DEPRESSION!" sure is a headline, isn't it?

And let's quickly talk about the fact that TOH is very morally weird. It's not willing to do many big lesson episodes, hence why Episode 2 stands out so much to me, and a lot of its main cast has dubious morality. And... Then it doesn't really touch on morality either. It has no interest in it, even to the point of bad actions maybe getting a line or two said about them but then moving on.

As an example: Amity just wants to invade Luz's privacy. Period. She has Luz's phone and wants to be given an excuse to look into it. Talking to Willow, they could have a very real, very human conversation about how Amity's parents have taught her that such measures are okay because trust doesn't matter as much as control and how that's not okay. It could be a genuinely very adult moment for the series and maybe even have Willow talk about how Luz finding out so much about her past during Understanding Willow makes her uncomfortable sometimes because even if nothing bad surfaces, that was information given. By making all that a real conversation, which yes would have taken more time but let's face it, TOH honestly doesn't spend enough time setting its characters morals and letting them have conversations where there's real conflict between the two. And none of this is explicit or so dark or so boring that there's no reason a kid's show couldn't have it.

And do you want to know what you gain by making it a conversation like that? A real lesson to kids. A lesson that will prepare them for not only their own loves but for just how to handle others in general. TOH is still a kid's show after all. It should in theory be considering its audience and while not talking down to them, remembering they do need to still bring them into the conversation.

OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE WILLOW SHRUG AT THE QUESTION! And I could do a full breakdown as to why that's a real, human reaction to that question, even for someone like Willow. But I have to bring the real world, my life experiences, my sister's life experiences (and she's 30 while I'm almost 27) in order to explain why Willow is not blatantly being a TERRIBLE person by not calling Amity out.

And yes, that's when TOH is at its worst. It commonly just brushes off immoral behavior that isn't the end point of the plot as just a thing happening, like how Edric and Emira don't actually suffer consequences for their plan against their sister or how Luz is made to feel bad for stealing Amity's wand but then isn't attacked by Amity but put into a protective circle by her. A time out, sure, but one that leads to the ice glyph and her getting to save everyone.

A kid can learn the wrong lessons by the lack of consequences in the show and they're not going to learn a lot of good lessons from what is there. There's a reason why kid's shows are blunter than other media and they have morals. They're remembering that, especially in our modern age where one income households just DON'T EXIST that they have to pick up the slack and modern cartoons are doing that better than old 90s cartoons.

But do you know how much TOH reminds me of older cartoons like the 80s or 90s? With their villains who are evil for the sake of evil? With characters that can change on a dime, or the blatantly comic relief ones who don't have much character outside of that? The plotlines that are more about spectacle or statement which led to all those terrible PSA cartoon moments? Or hell, with how Amity ended up: The character who is blatantly only there to be the pretty girl that gets with the main character?

That's the thing: You want to say TOH is better than Teen Titans Go? Fine. That is obviously true. Who actually cares about and is praising Teen Titans Go though? When you compare it to the shows that people do praise, like Amphibia, Gravity Falls, etc., shows that not only teach and make kids better but also tell an engaging, full story with real themes, characters, developments, etc... What does TOH actually have? How much more serialized is TOH than say, the first season of My Little Pony? There were two episodes of build up for the Grand Galloping Gala before the finale and in TOH S1, you technically only need to see The Intruder and Covention, besides the pilot obviously, before you will understand almost everything going on in Young Blood, Old Souls and Agony of a Witch. There's more in S2 but most people agree that it's done competently at best, which is why people keep screaming about the shortening and I made an entire blog pointing out that S2 is bad because... The show is bad about serialization effectively.

And as a final note: I lived with a Star Wars and Star Trek fan for two years at the peak of Discovery being out and as wind up for Rise of Skywalker was going on. I lived on their couch and when they put on an almost 24/7 reel of 'reviewers' for these franchises, I heard a LOT of shit takes. A lot of the same shit being repeated with no real thought behind it, it being what was popular said (which goes into what makes people popular online versus being a mouthpiece for the popular opinion) and showing no thought or care about the actual system of production for things or the people behind it. A lot of people just blaming issues on one creator, or praising a single creator for all the good in something without talking about why they were attributing the problem to them. And yes, I know how hypocritical all of this is coming from some white dude on the internet no degrees, experience, etc like that. I just hope that my blogs show a little bit more real thought to storytelling to make it not as bad.

So a show where the popular, fandom consensus is that it's amazing, it states its themes making 'deeper' analysis easier and is very loud about its statements like they're original is going to be very popular to this type of review. Does this mean it's all disingenuous? Of course not. I started this blog by saying a lot of the reasons why the show is easy to like. Does it mean it has none of the depth people give it? No because a show trying this hard is going to manage successes sometimes though a lot of the times it then shoots those successes because it doesn't realize it's doing them.

But this statement that it is somehow better than things that have come before, is somehow truly groundbreaking while shows clearly paved the way for it so that it's just at the front of a wave it didn't have to make, and ignoring its flaws for all of these reasons, especially with "It's special because it's on Disney" or "It's only bad because of the shortening" is... REALLY tiring. To put it mildly.

A thing should be good because it's good. Not because it says it is or because you have to put modifiers on it to make it special. Shrek was groundbreaking not because it was made by someone other than Disney. It was groundbreaking because it genuinely looked at how it could parody the landscape around itself while making a genuinely good adventure and love story. Did it help that the creators wanted to give a middle finger to Disney? Maybe but I don't have to bring that up with what makes Shrek amazing. I can just say it's very good. In or out of its time.

The Owl House will only become increasingly less special and interesting as time moves forward and its big statements have to be yelled louder and louder to be properly heard. =======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[torra-and-the-toons]

Welcome to my Cartoon Blog!

Torra | she/her | 1992 | Autistic | Fan Artist & Author 

Hello! If you’re reading this it means you’ve found my blog! Just a few things before we get started that you should know about me and what I do here. 

I post about whatever cartoon is tickling my brain at the moment, and I flit between hyperfixations like I’m playing duck-duck-goose. Ed Edd n Eddy is the only fandom I have major projects in, but I partake in a lot of other fandoms too. So just know, if you follow me for one fandom, it’s bound to change.

I ramble a lot. I tend to voice my thoughts out loud randomly into the void that is tumblr just because I like to talk to whoever may be listening. If that’s not your thing, you may want to block the #torra rambles tag! Don’t worry, it won’t hurt my feelings. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I want to do my best to make this blog enjoyable for all kinds of people.

My askbox is open, but I no longer take requests or answer head-canon related questions, but I’m happy to say hi. No Anons anymore, sorry.

If you’re just here for my art, I suggest looking for #torrasart. For any art I posted before February of 2024, I used #my art, #my doodles just FYI, but mass post editor was too confusing to change it, so I left it as is.

I try to be generally sfw, but I might still post/reblog suggestive text posts occasionally, tagged #suggestive, so minors beware... 

I don’t want to have to block anybody but I will if I have to... 

Please keep in mind that I have a full-time job that takes up a majority of my time and energy, but in spite of that I’m working as hard as I can to bring these projects to life. I also have pretty bad ADHD, which effects my ability to stay focused, but I’m trying. All I ask is for your patience and understanding. 💖

Ed Edd n Eddy Stuff

At the moment I have a few serious projects that I’m working on: My fan-comic, “In the Ed,” my fanfiction, “In the Sky of a Million Stars” and my most recent venture is just my unnamed Torra AU where I unleash my weird furry self-insert/OC into the cul-de-sac like a lunatic because I can’t make normal human OC’s.

IN THE ED

Horror AU, Supernatural Themes, Trigger Warning for blood and possible gore, Content Warning for language and violence.

"Nobody knew it existed. In fact this was the first time anyone had set eyes upon this hilltop manor for quite some time..." Four years after the events of the Big Picture Show, the Eds and friends find themselves in a brand new, death-defying adventure that's sure to shift the genres.

tags: #in the ed comic, #wip shot, #in the ed refs

This fan-comic is also on Ao3 for slightly easier readability! 

Introduction Page! 

CHAPTER 1: Peach Creek Manor

[1-5] [6-10] [11-15] [16-20] [21-25 (coming soon)]

IN THE SKY OF A MILLION STARS

Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Trigger Warning for Suicide Attempts, Content Warning for language and blood

Eddy has always been a man of many fears, but above all else, his greatest fear has always been the inevitability of growing up. Now, with adulthood staring him in the face, he just can’t take it. Why couldn’t things have stayed the way they were? AU where the BPS never happened, and Eddy struggles with the changes happening around and within him. Loosely based on the song "One More Light," by Linkin Park.

tags: #a million stars fic, #a million stars art

Follow it on Ao3 to get the latest updates!

Torra AU [not official name, and no banner image yet]

Comedy, OC, Content warning for language but overall trigger-safe, I think. Unless you have a fear of tigers

tags: #torra oc, #torra au, #torra and the eds

The Isaac Saga [no banner yet]

Comedy with some hurt/comfort themes. 

A collection of comics and drawings about the cat I made for Double Dee named Isaac. 

tags: #isaac the cat, #small things with great ed

Small Things with Great Ed Part 1

[pages 1-5] [6-10] [11-15]

[spiritsofprogress]

Universal is pretty sweet actually

While I’m usually more of a Disney parks fan I was at Universal for part of my spring break and I’ve realized how harsh I’ve been on these parks and how “a bunch of screens” is really reductive. While they’re not filled with dark rides there’s a lot there to love.

I still have my fair share of criticism like for one thing they have stopped giving paper maps (despite supplying tickets) and force you onto the app if you want to know your way around.

Another being just how little there actually is (if there were more stores and restaurants or shows would’ve loved to know like maybe on a map or something) each park has a few rides making the waits INSANE at times. Then they took out a bunch of classics (Jaws, Twister etc) but then there’s just… no replacement, there’s just space and an empty facade as far as I’m aware. They keep closing and taking away like the Poseidon walkthrough was one of my favorite things and it’s gone for no real good reason as far as I know etc.

Goods-

The theming in the parks is insane and I absolutely adored it. Every inch of both parks is so themed and its own little universe (in a world where Disney is stripping the theming from hotels and ruining sight lines, bare minimum queues etc this was refreshing). Every queue was fantastic and filled with detail, so waiting was a little less horrible with so much to observe.

Streetmosphere! MGM (Hollywood studios) and Disney used to similarly have this and have lightly brought back some characters out and about but not really. Alternatively universal had a BUNCH — a guy at the cab just walking in, blues brothers, all the classic cartoons out to meet and greet etc etc. preformance and walk about interaction was abundant— so adding this to their theming I was absolutely losing my mind.

Like the rides may be so so , all are enjoyable but you know what I mean- but what really hits it out of the park for me is how throughly they’ll tell a story. Starting in the queue and even continuing as you exit with details and employee behavior etc

“All screens” but I’ve noticed even screen heavy rides will tend to have a full set piece or two or it will be a healthy mix of both. Kong for example starts and ends in full sets and with animatronics. (They’ve changed it and it’s better than I remember but still the best queue I’ve ever been in)

Also a huge love for far side lmao. Seen a few in at least two lines.

[yootato]

PLEASE READ

DONT REPOST MY ART! NOR USE IT WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!! pfps are fine with credit!

⚠︎ CW/TW: Occasional gore/blood and horror elements, bugs and arachnids

BEFORE YOU FOLLOW:

᪥ Please don't follow me for a specific series/fandom but for my art itself, as i don't tend to stick to a single thing. ( I have many hyperfixations and switch between them a lot )

᪥ I might post slightly suggestive things but NOT explicit nsfw

᪥ I don't check dms/inbox here often as my main platform is instagram

DNI: If you are any of these please block me ( even if you aren't one but support people who are ) otherwise i'm inclined to block you myself:

Basic dni criteria, Proshippers, Zionists

✿ More about me! ✿

❀ I'm yoot ❀ she/her ❀ middle eastern ❀

❁ Avid cartoon lover and enjoyer of all things silly ❁

𑁍 My socials are just tumblr and instagram 𑁍

✿ Commissions: closed ✿

As for requests i won't guarantee i'll draw all of them. I usually just do the ones i might enjoy the most or are easy, and only if it's media i am into. I am usually busy irl so requests will be done when i'm free and feel like killing some time so don't take it personally when i don't do yours u_u

Enjoy your stay! ✿ ❀ ❁

[kittenshift-17]

Does the fact that live action is being made for ATLA affect you, because of the ongoing war between Zutara and Kataang? Because it irritates me quite a lot 🤣🤣 Btw I am waiting with all my heart for you to do us justice through your writing 🤗🥰

Not really, to be honest. I plan to watch the LA when it's released, though I'm not holding very high hopes after last time. I do also tend to think that a LA was just so unnecessary, you know? Like, why keep meeting with something already so well done as an anime/cartoon? Feels like money grubbing to me...

But the ongoing ship war honestly doesn't bother me beyond finding it rather silly, at this point. I'm firmly in the zutara camp and have reached a point where I just think arguing about the whole thing is wasted energy, you know what I mean?

Like, reading and writing Zutara as a romantic ship sparks joy for me. The idea of Kataang doesn't, but if it sparks joy for others, they can like what they like and be happy doing so too and it's no skin off my nose.

I don't know. I think fandom is supposed to be about finding enjoyment in characters and worlds we aren't ready to leave behind when the Canon content comes to an end. And that seeking out the parts of any fandom that don't personally appeal to me just for the sake of arguing about it with people it does appeal to just eats into the time I could spend enjoying the parts I'm here for, if that makes sense?

I have enough negativity and irl stuff weighing me down that when I step into my hobbies and my comfort fandoms, I only want to immerse myself in the good stuff that makes me smile.

Xx-Kitten

[gravegrime]

WRITEBLR INTRODUCTION

👻 Welcome to the graveyard 👻

Hello!  I’ve never realized that there was a wealth of passionate storytellers sitting right under my nose this entire time.  I kinda figured this community was more for novelists and not… well whatever the hell you’d call me.  Figured I’d outstretch a gnarled hand to see if anyone’s brave enough to take it.

ABOUT MY WRITING

I’m not a huge fan of sticking the things I make into boxes as most of them sit in weird nooks and crannies that make labeling them specific things feel a tad inaccurate.  As a general trend however most of my stories have some flavor of horror influence in them.  Something is never quite right, but to what degree depends on the story.  They’re often set in completely original fantasy settings bearing little resemblance to what we would consider normal.  I have a trend of child or young protagonists (probably the cartoon influence coming in there) figuring out their place in the world or something fundamental about themselves.  Coming of age stories, stuff like that.  Found family is also abound in many shapes and flavors across my many half developed stories.  

My stories are almost exclusively long serialized affairs focusing more on character development than plot intricacy.  I won’t claim them to be simple but the thrust is definitely on character motivations.  I like to write stories about people being people without a looming calamitous threat or great quest they must go on.  There’s something charming about normal people dealing with the cards they’re dealt the best they can.  I definitely have stories about fantastic quests and imposing dangers it’s just a bit of a coin flip which one you’ll be getting with me!

I also have a small list of concepts I make a point of not attempting in any of my writings.  Time travel, prophecies, immortality, and resurrections are all things I avoid for various reasons.  You’ll likely never come across them in any of my stories.  No hate towards any of these concepts, except time travel, they are just some ideas I don’t find any real enjoyment in including in my works.

ABOUT ME

Oh what’s to tell?  Name’s Alex, but if real names wig you out Grave or Grime work just fine.  I’m a twenty eight year old professional animator, but you won’t be hearing much about that here.  I like to keep work and hobbies separate.  Here I’m mostly an artist but I’m going to be trying to branch out to share more about my stories.  Keeping all this nonsense up in my noggin has got to be a bad idea, ya know?

Regardless, despite my focus on art on the social medias my real passion has always been storytelling!  Stories have been my life blood for as long as I can remember. From my mother reading me stories before I went to sleep, to trying to write my own short stories in middle school, to a brief but passionate fling with filmmaking back in highschool.  The latter serves as the base for a lot of my writing practices and techniques to this day!  In truth my switch to comics/animation/arts was primarily a practical choice as I feel those mediums allow me to best express my ideas with the least reliance on other people.

I’m a fan of the weird and strange with an emphasis on the fantastical and horrific.  Cartoons are my bread and butter, they’re something I can talk endless hours about the merits of them as a medium, but there isn’t a medium of storytelling I really shy away from.  I love the craftsmanship behind the construction of stories and characters and am always very eager to go on long conversations about the fundamental structure of storytelling.  Also a big fan of hypotheticals and working out plot/character/world points with anyone willing to put up with me.

MY WIPS

Time for the meat and potatoes, let's get into it!  I have a lot of stories, all receiving a varying level of attention, and because of this I tend to run two or three stories I’m actively working on at this moment.  I’ll be detailing two of three stories that I’m focusing on right now.  The third is a new work that I haven’t unveiled to anyone yet.  I’m giving it time to cook before I show it off, but rest assured it’s shaping up very well!

Grimm Deeds (GD)

A long form story following the adventures of Corny, a young boy with the ability to interact with ghosts, ghouls, and spirits, after being taken under the Grimm Reaper.  Though there seems to be an ulterior motive behind the reaper’s tutelage.  Tons of crazy and macabre escapades await the relatively normal boy as he learns what his abilities truly mean.  

Grimm Deeds is like a love letter to halloween and all things a little bit spooky.  It’s jam packed with magic, monsters, and all those spooky delights I love!  I really think it shines through in its characters though.  Without tooting my own horn too much I think they have a surprising amount of depth given how goofy the whole thing appears on the surface.  It being about the Grimm Reaper and his position in the world it also deals with death as a concept quite a bit.  Something I always have a good deal of fun exploring!

In the Dominion of Hate (DoH)

An animatic style story about the unfortunate misunderstanding that befalls Lilium of Bliss leading to her being cast from her home into the Dominion of Hate.  Wishing to prove her innocence, and encouraged by the abstraction Query, she embarks on an epic quest across the black sea of turmoil to find a way back home!  Primarily a story about self discovery, even if Lilium isn’t fully aware at first, in the Dominion of Hate is a swashbuckling adventure across the strange and surreal sea of turmoil.  Watch a young lady with no conception of the world but a willingness to learn befriend horrific monsters and gods of conception because she’s just so darn charming!

I’m sure people don’t like to play favorites like this but Lilium is actually my favorite character I’ve ever made.  She’s got a very unique but fascinating way of thinking thanks to her equally bizarre upbringing and I can’t wait to share that with you all!

FINAL WORD

I have so many stories that I’ll likely be creating a master list as an intro to them all at some point soon.  If this writeblr intro strikes your fancy please feel free to stick around!  I’m always down to talk shop with anyone and really don’t care how people interact with me!  I’m just kinda here to hang out and have a good time.  We vibin’.

[2n2n]

the Sounds of Nightmares...

Well specifically I'm being baited by the stupid Sounds of Nightmares podcast, despite my own insistence that I don't care about aside material or really consider any new content commissioned by Bandai-Namco, and the scattered independent producers of all the various things under the property, necessarily relevant when analyzing the 2 games helmed by Tarsier Studios ...

Which-- I do stand by that ! Here is... an important... precursor, to talking about it.

I think who produces something is very important. It's not the franchise name which makes something enjoyable to you, it is what voice is creating it. If there were JSHK stories written by someone other than Iro-sensei, or if the property was sold off to another artist & writer, would you still be a fan of JSHK? This is how properties like... Warrior Cats (which is a book packaging deal comprised of at least 7 ghost writers), Star Wars, Marvel, work-- those characters, worlds, are not anybody's baby, but are loose concepts which people are paid to contribute to, to generate money as a franchise. It banks not on artistic integrity, but recognition of the property.

For example, I don't love everything that 'Adventure Time' is, or has become. It has passed through different directors, artists, writers, to the point that the original team who made it what I love, is not a part of something as derived as Distant Lands or Fiona & Cake. I also think somebody could like Fiona & Cake and not like OG Adventure Time. Because these are entirely different creations, with different vibes. I'm sure everybody actually has a relationship like this to SOME franchise! Liking early seasons of AT under Pendleton Ward, doesn't incline me towards liking how Adam Muto directs things, once he takes over. If my favorite board artists gradually leave, and are replaced, then I may not relate to the new voices writing episodes. I may not recognize what I loved in the original thing at all, in these new voices. OR sometimes, I CAN like a new voice... that's the roulette spun when things change hands many times.

I mean, people can like or dislike any Star Wars movie, as a mundane example. There is not 1 voice for all trilogies. Or extended universe novels. Or games. Or cartoons. Or Spinoffs. Famously.

By design, art created this way can't represent a singular vision, goal, or worldview... so as a result, these things tend to be haphazard, sloppy, inconsistent, roguely retconning or redefining aspects of canon as different writers or artists want to remake, reinterpret, or ignore set-ups proposed by others, in favor of their own. You'll have characters... often forgotten, brought back, killed multiple times, imbued with significance as quickly as they are written off. Some writer might introduce a concept which the next installment's writer hates. Individual teams or studios for different disciplines (one may commission a wholly different place to make an app game, a podcast, and a comic), may have hardly any communication with one another, and may only be working off of a loose lore bible or rubric. It depends on... the integrity of the franchise ... but almost by uhm, virtue of being a franchise, I'd say most don't... have.... integrity. Because it's often better to just throw more and more darts at a board and test what your audience likes .... artist integrity doesn't necessarily make something popular or speak to what the audience wants, after all. If anything I'd say being an artist with integrity makes one stubborn and liable to act regardless of what the audience wants ...

SO. all that out of the way....

Where all Little Nightmares bonus material is concerned, I take in each on their own terms, and don't necessarily absorb it all into my 'canon'. I mean, I feel LN2 entirely threw away what VLN did, by locking the 2 games in an enclosed loop.

I can't think "this aside comic EXPLAINS this thing from the games" when the games writers don't often acknowledge or engage with what those teams are doing.

BUT BY ENGAGING WITH THINGS ON THEIR OWN TERMS, I CAN ALSO BE LIKE... UGHH??? urhghgg... any random thing COULD beguile me. I mean, nothing is STOPPING ME from LIKING a new installment of Adventure Time, it's just that I DON'T like them, as fate has it.

I think the Sounds of Nightmares, is ,, HILARIOUSLY badly written, like from a quality or believability of voice standpoint. The dialogue is so cartoonishly bad. Feels a bit like a fanfic written by a 14 year old 😭 unfortunately it do be sounding like the exact kind of dialogue the writer of 1&2 has mocked & talked about swerving to avoid in his own work. Like the lack of subtlety... its so funny when LN1&2 are, entirely composed of subtlety.

but you know what I cannot resist, in my godforsaken bones ................................................... the notion of Mono & Six having been siblings in their previous existence. For The Love of God!!!! THIS AVVY BAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAOURUUGHHH ... Mono as a little brother growing older, struggling with the idea of his big sister abandoning him, refusing to believe she ever would willfully do such a thing... falling down an oubliette of moral decay, torturing children & sending them into oblivion in his desperation to reach her. The concept that he may do all of that only to become trapped in a loop where he both doesn't fully recognize her, or himself, but is also continuously abandoned by her endlessly. But also Did Find Her, Did Reunite, Does Have Her. So maybe the kid torture was the right choice.

I LIKE THE IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But it is mildly frustrating to engage with, because of the lack of... absolutes. I feel like the implications are intentionally opaque yet ubsubtle all at the same time (Six's theme softly plays as Otto shouts at recognition of her yellow raincoat.... he is perfecting tuning the frequencies of the nightmares... he comments on the eyes watching him.... a tan trenchcoat is seen in the seamstress area wherein bodies are made to tether children into this other realm... otto mentions the importance of donning many masks...). There is a plausible deniability to it, and I wholly believe creating Red Herrings tastelessly is expected of the property, given the entire bait-and-switch of VLN is you thinking that girl is Six, But No She's An Unrelated Raincoat Girl (why?) (it helps the franchise recognizability by there always being SOME sort of girl in the iconic raincoat.. how could you sell an app game without that visual cache?)

I think the threat of "is this Six? Wouldn't that be interesting...." is frustratingly imperative to maintain audience attention, while the open possibility of saying "naaah lol nvm" is important to 'save' the lore (particularly if the audience doesn't like or rejects an idea ... you can pretend anything was the intention all along retroactively). This is the madness of franchises... *rubs temples*...

so what do I have to say. I do think the writing is not good, but I think the concept is delicious. I would love for Mono to have created a device to communicate with the Nowhere (and it as a semi-reality semi-dreamspace IS original canon...), and I like that suffering is essential to reaching towards it. I would love the creation of this device to be the inception of the Signal Tower, I would like his only window into this world to be the thing that will entrap him, as if the two cannot exist apart. I would like Six as a long-lost older sister who escaped through her dreams, but perhaps anticipated her brother following behind her.

The vibes of Otto, are great. I love a guy muttering "my beloved..." about his sister, and pathetically whining about how she'd never leave him. I like how much "Sisi" sounds like "sissy". I love how he speaks always in possessives about her "my Sisi" while Noone also fsr validates this by saying "your Sisi". Yeah!!!! I like how absorbed his life is in this, like he's had no pleasures or joys outside of his sister, and is always yearning for her.

I would say it suits Mono's description of being "uncommonly single-minded. When he sets himself to a task, he rarely gives up before it's completed." He's a uniquely determined person, to a fault. The Thin Man erodes many in his terrible city, so corrosive is the humm of his Signal Tower. I would like all of the irradiated child remains found in the Pale City to be children he treated with his machine, who were not only lost to their nightmares, but trapped within the Signal's call.

Imagining Six & Mono's lives before winding up in this nightmare... I haven't had anything in mind; I like to engage in the world as it is now, on its own terms. I would imagine neither remember what existed before this, anyway. Suddenly being proposed "Mono was Six's obsessive little brother" is like being electrocuted. UGUGHHH... YEAH??????? FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if YOU want to, SAY THAT.... !!!! to ME.... ! it's designed specifically to torment ME.... to test my integrity....

It is also kind of HILARIOUS!!!!! Ahhhhh imagine working tirelessly to reunite with your sister, only to have the demons that be give you the ironic fate of being unable to remember or recognize her in such terms, yet there is a draw, a pull, a sense to need to protect & keep her at all costs. And then what ! It would be amazing to fall in love with her, to find her beautiful. It would be amazing to fuck her brains out like that !!

For the mostpart I don't have... interest at all in Noone's, visions or what have you, it feels a little mind-numbingly episodic, but I could probably enjoy plenty of it fully visualized...? I don't really vibe the podcast medium as a tool for storytelling I am afraid; it feels simultaneously less than a book and also less than a visual medium. Not enough immersive prose or opportunity for shifts in perspectives a book could offer, limited duration, a kind of hokey amount of SFX and the need for a contrived framing narrative (which basically demands a lot of unnatural exposition to convey anything), really dampens it for me. I read it all as transcripts because that's a little more tolerable, but that just leaves me wishing it didn't need to be in a scripted format, and was .... a book .

My favorite concept it did bring forth, which well-aligned with my own impressions, was that seamstress room. I liked the half-made doll stabbed onto the table, and Noone feeling a connection, as if that was her, and all of these awaiting clothes. I enjoy the idea that one's consciousness is sort of split & hobbled when in-between reality & dream, until a vessel is made on this other side, which 'completes' you at last. I like the mythology of that, of needing a new body... exploring the 'doll' aesthetic we've got here.

I also like.... the notion of time not being linear, the Ferryman simultaneously existing for a lot of children. Since I'm only willing to engage Sisi & Otto as Six & Mono... I would love the notion of timelessness, that despite 'searching' for his sister for years, they might come into existence in this world at just the same time; maybe the Ferryman could have promised Six that her brother will come, & the matter of time is relative here as everything warps. They won't be apart, actually. I am FOND of the idea of Six & Mono's clothes coexisting in a trunk... despite Six having disappeared much 'before' his, in our world. Perhaps her body isn't finished being stitched together until Mono appears. That would be what I would like... </3 Maybe sissy only left because it was promised that you would eventually come.............. only the illusion of abandonment. To motivate you </3 come chase meeeeeee otouto

[rigelmejo]

50% rule - half study, half have fun

I saw this article about the 50% rule linked on a language learning form. It is an article about art: how when you draw, try to draw 50% of the time just for fun. For yourself, for the sake of drawing and getting it to become something you enjoy and that can be imperfect. If you study, like in drawing that would be following lessons or utilizing references and trying to emulate something or practicing techniques, then try to only spend 50% of your time doing those study activities you aim to do "well" and improve with.

The idea of spending 50% just drawing for the fun of it, for the sake of creating something, not caring if it's that nebulous definition of "not good enough," it's really worth doing. For one, it's stress relieving and makes drawing something more enjoyable, and as humans it genuinely makes us feel good to CREATE things just for the sake of expressing ourselves. To get to create things, make whatever we picture and even if it doesn't come out the way we'd hoped at least it exists now? It's a release. It's letting your ideas and things you want, get a chance to really exist, when perfectionism otherwise might mean you avoid ever even trying. At least, to start to exist: because you might always try an idea again later, make it differently next time, make it again in a couple years when you're more capable. But the point is: try making it now too. Whatever you want, try, and enjoy the process.

(And as someone who's been drawing since I could hold drawing utensils as a toddler, to be honest with you a LOT of improvement in drawing skills naturally happen as you attempt to draw things you "can't" draw. Because at first, you can't draw anything. You have to draw a face, imperfectly, to figure out HOW to draw a face a little bit different the next time - and the next time - and the next time - and you start being excited how the outcome is closer to what you imagined each time. I didn't actually "practice" drawing until I was 9 and started looking at cartoons, trying to draw based on how a cartoon looks, and trying to get closer to that. Everything before that was just imagining stuff, trying, and it gradually getting closer to what I imagined. And even after learning how to look at references and try to emulate them, and learning techniques like shading, in the end a lot of drawing improvements still came from me going "I'd like to draw someone dancing/flying/holding someone/from an angle above their head" even though I 'didn't know how to' and had never tried before, so I tried, somewhat successful and somewhat not what I imagined, and then the NEXT time I tried? It got closer to my imagination, and closer, and eventually it was no longer hard to draw someone flying or holding someone. What I'm saying is: creating something just for the sake of it, even if you don't know how to make what you imagine yet, is worth it for many reasons).

The language learning forum linked this article, because the idea was "in language study, at least sometimes, just use the language" whether that's talking to a friend, reading novels, watching shows you like, podcasts, audiobooks, writing a journal and not correcting your errors. Spend at least some time using the language, while giving yourself the space to NOT stress yourself out about mistakes or gaps in understanding. That time can help you get used to using the language, just to use it, and just making a habit of using the language as a normal regular thing you do. I thought that was a great suggestion. Especially because I tend toward perfectionist, so reminders to "give myself space to BE imperfect" is always worth hearing.

The advice can also apply to writing too. (I don't if I've told you all I write, but I could post my writing in-progress rants on here if anyone's into that. Mostly I post the writing-progress-updates on @mejomonster under #mejo writing). Just the idea that: yes, 50% of the time you might be checking your grammar, or reading an author you like and noting their writing style and trying to brainstorm how to do some similar things, writing a story outline, writing a chapter and really draining yourself by second-guessing what style you're doing and what kind of narration you're aiming for and what you want the audience to know and thinking about the process a lot.

But the other 50%, or at least some of the time, try to just... write. Fanfiction of course can be a good outlet for this, because it's not for profit and not as high pressure due to that, and you can just think "well I'm writing for myself, if I want to write something wild and out of character that makes no sense and is unfinished and only 300 words then I can!" Also journals, and giving yourself permission to write poetry or songs that don't think about rules. But also just: you have a ton of stories in your mind, your imagination. It's okay to try and create them, even if you think you don't have the skills yet to make them that nebulous goal of "good enough." You can always try making that story again later, years down the road. But part of the skills of how to make it, you'll get BY trying to make it. And even if you don't ever try to make it again, it will be satisfying in it's own way to be able to say "this only existed inside me, and now here it is in words people can read, that I can reread if I ever forget this story idea I thought was interesting/fun/meaningful/cool/important etc., it exists beyond me now and it was fun just letting myself make it." I didn't know I could EVER write a long story until I wrote a long fanfiction, and then it taught me I could - and what parts I liked and didn't, and what parts of my writing I loved when I just let loose and let words come out like I was in a flow state. I have these scraps right now where I write one story idea I have like it's letters and journal entries, which is not my usual style at all, and it's fun to see what comes out when I try it.

[operaofsocks]

hi i'm tox and i like billdip. (he/him, 28 years old, queer as hell)

i tend to keep most of my fandom bullshittery to my main, @prismatoxic, but billdip is special to me in a way that just made this make sense. plus i have a lot to say about my fic writing for it that seems better kept to a specific audience.

speaking of fics--my magnum opus, so to speak, is Long Road to Hell, a bill redemption chapterfic that i've been working on since 2016. yes i'm still updating it. i promise! it's technically a slow burn, though once the romance actually starts it goes from 0 to 60 very fast. i can also assure you that bill does not turn into an uwu smol bean baby, and in fact i've tried really hard to make him believably start to alter his thoughts and actions while remaining kind of an abrasive bully. dunno if i always succeed, but i am trying.

it also does deal in bits and pieces of bill's backstory, so. come summer 2024 alex hirsch is most likely going to outdate just about everything i've written. maybe i can have the fic finished by then :')

i'm a dead dove enjoyer and dipper being underage or being manipulated by bill isn't something that bothers me (in fact, i welcome both). i also like humanoid bills just as much as his real form; i love seeing the different designs people come up with, and i think they all have merit, so don't come at me with that cringe culture shit. cringe is dead, i killed it myself.

i roleplay billdip from time to time with a heavy preference for playing bill. i'm always down to meet new people to do that with but if you're under 18, no. do not try. i am not interested. i also like talking to gf/billdip fans in general but the same rule applies. no i don't care that gravity falls is a cartoon. i'm not barging into your space by liking it and i'd appreciate you staying the fuck out of mine.

all that said... i also draw sometimes, so you might see some of that as well. my humanoid bill is a tall goblin man and i love him dearly.