#neverending storytellers

[siena-sevenwits]

Please share your bad art, writing, music, and all the rest. Some people are inspired to take up creative hobbies because they saw the great masterpieces or celebrities. But an awful lot more seem to do it because they know someone who isn't perfect at their art, but seems to love it.

I don't think I would have any of my hobbies if someone wasn't brave enough to share their imperfect art. Let your joy call to someone, mistakes and all.

[howifeltabouthim]

Here's the thing about endings . . . Even after you finish a book, things go on happening, no matter whether or not you plan to write them down.

Kelly Link, from The Book of Love

[ekmosley]

“Do you wish… to cross the bridge?” . . . • * • * ✨⭐️💫 . - The Last Stardog

[thesugarhole]

i got a video suggested to me called 'whos funnier family guy or south park' and i meant to screenshot it and say 'trick question: based on the type of humor these two shows go for, the answer to who is funniest is newgrounds flash animators of old'. thankfully, the video never got suggested to me again

[stolligaseptember]

oh fuck. it's dad's birthday soon.

[oftlunarialmoon]

MOVIES ON YOUTUBE

Cats Don't Dance

The Borrowers

Osmosis Jones

Bratz Live Action Movie

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

Ugly Dolls

Old/B Horror Movies (scary warning)

Maya the Bee Movie

Sailor Moon S the Movie

Sailor Moon SuperS the Movie

Alpha & Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom

Anastasia

Snow White

A Stork's Journey

The Ant Bully

Quackerz

Uncle P

I Am T-Rex

The Clique

Hoot

Pixies

Dan Vs. - The Wolf-Man

The Breadwinner

Just My Luck

Penelope

Twilight Zone: The Movie

Daisies (1966) (one of my favourite art films from Czechoslovakia in the pre-soviet era)

Into the Woods (2014)

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Sailor Moon (Original Japanese)

The Carol Burnett Show

Popeye Cartoon

Naruto (English Subtitled) (Subbed)

H2O: Just Add Water

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Hunter x Hunter (Subbed) (Subbed)

Ghostbusters

The Neverending Story

It Takes Two

Peanuts: Race for Your Life Charlie Brown

Thunder And The House Of Magic

Quest for Camelot

Adventures Of Shark Boy And Lava Girl

Arthur's Missing Pal

Ghost Hunters International

The Big Comfy Couch

Me, Eloise!

Kitchen Nightmares

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy

Death Note (Subbed) (Subbed)

Candid Camera

Flash Gordon

Street Fighter - The Animated Series

Hell's Kitchen

Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys

Hello Kitty

The Storyteller

The Weird Al Show

Treehouse Masters

Inuyasha (Subbed) (Subbed)

Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventures

Wow, I Never Knew That!

Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader

Bruno & The Banana Bunch

Care Bears: Welcome to Care-A-Lot

Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction

Patchwork Pals

ALF

Storm Chasers

Little Rascals Shorts

The Lone Ranger

All Dogs Go To Heaven

Baby Einstein Classics

Baby Einstein: The Sandbox

[rigberts]

thinking about how insane the demon slayer art style and character design is. like, the the nose, mouth, and face shapes of everyone in the main cast are virtually identical regardless of gender, and yet every single character has a very distinct personality at first glance. And unlike other popular anime, it isn't their rainbow hair colors or painstakingly customized uniforms that help the audience tell them apart (though I do love their outfits).

It's almost entirely their eyes.

The best example of this is probably shinobu. Her eyes are enormous, round, and purple, things associated with femininity. However, they have no pupil or sclera and have a matte gradient effect. The gradient effect gives an appearance similar to an insect's compound eyes, giving a nod to her abilities and character aesthetic, but more importantly, the lack of reflected light makes her eyes look completely dead. This tells you everything you need to know about shinobu's character. She's beautiful and graceful in her appearance and mannerisms, but she's also lost the most important thing in her life, is capable of great cruelty towards her enemies, takes a sadistic delight in their pain, and her cheerful and benevolent persona is a facade. Basically, by just drawing a couple of carefully shaded circles, the artist lets you know that even if this character acts lively and upbeat, that fact that there is no light behind her eyes shows that it is false.

This is thrown into even greater contrast when a flashback is shown of kanae, shinobus late sister, who we know that shinobu seeks to imitate with her faux cheerfulness. Though their faces are identical, their eyes couldn't be more different. Where shinobus eyes are matte and reflect no light, kanaes are glossy and have three enormous highlights in each eye, making her look literally starry eyed, and that's reflected in her personality. Kanae is shown to kind, overly idealistic, and optimistic to the point of being airheaded: the exact opposite of shinobu, who is bitter, cunning, and capable of great cruelty.

Anyway demon slayer really makes the most of visual storytelling in even its smaller details.

Some other highlights in character design:

rengoku's constantly wide eyes with their rings of contrasting color that almost resemble an optical illusion perfectly convey everything about his most important character trait, his unrelenting intensity. Additionally, depending on context, his wide-eyed appearance can either be played for laughs or deeply unnerving, depending on whether his neverending enthusiasm is being directed towards complimenting tasty food or carving up his enemies with a smile.

Obanai has heterochromia identical to that of a cat, and let's be real, his personality is pretty cat-like. He's proud, disdainful, and judgemental of others, but he is also full of unconditional love for Mitsuri, even if he usually only shows it by quietly enjoying her company. Plus, it's also revealed that the reason obanai fell in love with mitsuri is because she is a genuine person who doesn't push his boundaries, giving him someone he can truly be comfortable around. Anyone who's interacted with a cranky stray cat before can tell you how familiar that sounds.

Nezuko has three separate sets of eyes throughout the series. As a human, her pupils are pink with complicated black shading and with a white highlight, once again hinting at her innocence. As a demon she usually has pink eyes with a circular highlight, but all the shading and therefore all the "depth" is gone. Since she doesn't remember that her family was killed and has somewhat regressed to a childlike state, nezuko still has her innocence (as shown by the highlight) but has lost her complexity that made her fully human. When she becomes enraged, her pupils become dark and slitted and her irises lose their reflective sheen, showing that not only is she monstrous, she has temporarily regained the capacity for anger and other dark emotions, and lost the ignorance/innocence that keeps her monstrous instincts at bay.

Muichiro has no memory of anything but the last three months of his life, and likewise, his eyes are foggy and dull

In the case of aoi, the square, blocky shape of her pupil implies a lot about her character: the fact that she's somewhat ordinary and a reliable, steady ally, even if she can be a little stiff.

I'm fairly certain that tanjirous red eyes were supposed to have narrative importance and signal that he is a descendant of yoriichi until it was decided at some point that yoriichi had no children and tanjirou was a descendant of a friend of yoriichi instead (either that or the reveal was planned from the beginning and the eye color was a red herring), but that's beside the point. Tanjirous eyes are red with dark shading, and do not have a highlight, though they do have a white pupil. This combination represents tanjirous emotional maturity, the combination of negativity and positivity. Unlike shinobu, who has no light in her eyes and is controlled by her resentment, and kanae, who has nothing but light in her eyes and was idealistic to the point of foolishness, tanjirou has both. Yes, he has suffered, he lost almost his entire family, even after he dedicated his entire self to caring for them after his father's death. However, tanjirou is still a fundamentally compassionate and hopeful person. No, Tanjirou is far from the first shonen protagonist who is kind and a genuinely good person (Luffy, Naruto, and Goku come to mind), he is one of the more emotionally intelligent ones. Tanjirou empathizes with the demons and recognizes the suffering that made them into monsters, but at the end of the day, he still kills them. There is no talk no jutsu, there is no transformation of enemies into allies, and there is no sparing of enemies out of respect for their fighting prowess. Though Tanjirou recognizes that demons are tragic and pitiful, he also knows that they are creatures that survive only on the slaughter of innocents. This isn't to say that stories about redemption or forgiveness or once-feared villains turning into the protagonists wacky neighbor are inherently bad, far from it. But for the story that demon slayer is, tanjirou is the perfect fit. And you can tell, just by looking in his eyes.

[ellipsiseffervescent]

Saltburn is literally one of the most thoughtful movies produced this decade and I'm getting suggested videos that call it fast food. I'm going to blow a gasket, here are some points based off the dumbass comments on that video:

1. Just because the movie isn't depicting the wealthy as cartoonishly evil does not mean it is condoning the wealthy. Stop complaining that this isn't the class war movie you wanted, it's never been about that.

2. Oliver's desire for Felix drives the movie and saying that this movie is about 'friendship' is homophobic so if you think this stop talking

3. Media literacy is dead. If the main character isn't a hero y'all think you're supposed to side w the people he's 'against'. Your neverending need to only consume Morally Good Media with Morally Good Messages has destroyed your ability to interact with media that does not feature a little cinnamon roll as the protagonist

4. That movie is jam packed full of storytelling cinematography and subtle dialogue and I suspect that people who see this movie as 'fast food' cannot pick up on it. Some of y'all really need to be spoon fed a movie's plots and morals in order to respect it and saltburn is too smart for that.

[groenendaelfic]

Young Royals Fic Recs

so I've spent forever moaning about not having enough time to both read and write Young Royals fic, until I in my neverending genius realized that there's a simple solution for that, and so here are some gems I've been enjoying recently while out on runs.

I’m not in Love, it’s Just a Thing We Make by @unfortunate17 (5k, post s1)

Simon transfers to Marieberg after Christmas and Wilhelm's coping mechanisms couldn't be any worse. @unfortunate17 has a wonderfully captivating voice and is a great storyteller. This fic is sad and angsty and heartbreaking with a guarantee to make you feel all the feels, but the ending is hopeful and I had the best time reading it.

Misery Loves Company by FranFrantastic (23k, wip, ger, post s1)

a Madison & Vincent & Walter fic beautifully told and with great characterization. I love the character backstories, the thought and attention to detail, the friendships, how everyone's personalities are developed and really everything. Go read it now if you understand even the tiniest lick of German!

We're not who we used to be by @iwouldnevergetintofanfic (14k, wip, AU)

Simon and Prince Wilhelm meet as kids in school and become fast friends, but grow apart as they grow older, only to meet again at university in their early twenties. I got very emotional reading this because @iwouldnevergetintofanfic is insanely talented at subtly and not so subtly showing how completely different Simon's and Wilhelm's worlds are and how poor young Simon has to deal with racism and classism and discrimination constantly, always drawing the short straw while Wilhelm, despite all the challenges, gets to stay sheltered and naive. Oh also all the pining, jealousy and feelings which never went away.

[the-book-raven]

Growing up in the 1980s, I was captivated by the fantastical world of "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende. It was a time when imagination ran wild, and stories like this transported us to realms beyond our wildest dreams. As a 50-year-old who was born in the 70s, revisiting this classic feels like stepping back into a cherished childhood memory.

The nostalgia is undeniable. The book's pages are filled with a sense of wonder and adventure that resonates deeply with those who grew up in that era. From the fantastical land of Fantasia to the endearing characters like Atreyu and Bastian, every element of the story feels familiar and comforting.

However, beneath the surface of this magical tale lies a profound exploration of trauma and the lasting impact of war. Bastian parallels the childhood of the author Michael Ende, who was a lonely and troubled child grappling with the legacy of his father's imprisonment and death in World War II. Bastian's journey through Fantasia mirrors his internal struggles, as he confronts his fears and learns to overcome adversity.

The book delves into themes of loss, isolation, and the power of imagination to heal. Fantasia serves as a metaphor for Bastian's psyche, and the challenges he faces in the story reflect his own personal battles. Through his adventures, Bastian learns the importance of empathy, courage, and the enduring power of hope.

"The Neverending Story" is more than just a children's fantasy. It's a moving exploration of the human condition, and its themes of trauma and healing resonate deeply with readers of all ages. While the book's surface-level appeal lies in its magical world and fantastical creatures, its true depth lies in its exploration of the human psyche and the power of storytelling to inspire and transform.

[terephin]

I’m just thinking. Remembering.

It’s fascinating really, that one man could reach so many people through block game.

Technoblade really was special. You can’t say he wasn’t. If you had seen him, through another youtuber or one of his videos, you either hated or loved him. I never saw ambivalence, when it came to him.

He was someone special.

He was storyteller and friend and enemy and inspiration and so much more.

And through him I’m considering the concept of a neverending eulogy. Someone who was so much to so many that year after year after year someone always has something more to say.

Techno comes close to that. At least to me.

I truly believe that his name is one that will endure. Much as Sir Terrys name is remembered and repeated eternal among the literate, the caring, the inspired and the critical.

Techno bore a crown of choice, not granted by succession or people. A thing with meaning boundless or lacking depending on where you ask.

Technoblade fostered an idea, one akin to the heroes of old. His tale is one still being written across our world, a tragedy and comedy and an epic nigh unparalelled.

He was cut short too soon, like so many others.

But he left a legacy beyond what should’ve been his chance. He left hope and kindness and care. And we will always remember that one crucial fact.

For a man dies only when his name is at last forgotten.

Technoblade never dies, for that’s not the fate of legends.

[siena-sevenwits]

I just imagined Robin Hood and his band drawing near the fire and telling stories of King Arthur's court. And then I imagined King Arthur's folk telling tales of the characters that we today call Pwyll and the sons of Don, and the rest. And then I pictured those heroes of old telling their own old, old tales. Legends all the way down. It made me happy to think about.

[howifeltabouthim]

Stories never really ended, they just rolled one into the next. The past was never wholly lost, and the future was never quite found. We wander forever in a pathless forest, dropping with weariness as home draws us back, and the grail draws us on, and we never arrive, and the quest never ends.

Lev Grossman, from The Bright Sword

[izar-tarazed]

Welcome!

What this is: This blog is mostly dedicated to my Elden Ring OC Izar (and well, her companion Ensha – more about them below). There might also be other content (other games, DnD 5e, writing) unless I’ll feel the need to create specific sideblogs for that (unlikely, I lack the energy).

What I do: I’ll mostly share screenshots, headcanons, storytelling, and writing snippets. (Here's my tag list!) While this is not a pure RP blog I very much enjoy RPing, so feel free to shoot me a prompt/starter whenever you like! (For more information regarding RP, flip through the Stargazer's Cookbook over here!)

Who I am: You can call me Zari. I’m over 30, she/her. Not a native English speaker, so bear with me if I say strange things. Expect occasional ramblings about the glory of freelance life, and know that there is never enough coffee.

Izar Tarazed, Tarnished Astrologer

Izar barely remembers anything from the time before her awakening in the Lands Between – just her name and what she knew of the stars. However, the stars above the Lands Between are different, their lore mostly lost to her, so she gathers stories and bits of information wherever she can.

Her most treasured possessions are her telescope and her map-making tools.

Whenever she gets the chance, Izar will sit and work on her celestial maps, preferably beneath the golden light of grace, trying to figure out constellations and their possible meanings. Working on her maps also calms her down and helps her focus.

She’s often more driven by her astrological curiosity than by the ambition to become Elden Lord – she’ll confront Rennala mainly because she wants access to the library of Raya Lucaria, and Radahn because she wishes to set the stars back in motion.

Izar relies mostly on her sorceries – the Comet and Night Comet are her favorites – and only starts improving her skills with melee weapons and a shield when Ensha insists on teaching her.

Personality

Izar is a little geek when it comes to astrology and will talk about it with neverending enthusiasm. At a new place, its (potential) view of the night sky is usually the first thing she’ll check.

She values the friendships and alliances she makes, being protective of those she cares about; that might be both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.

Upon meeting someone for the first time, she'll rather be calm and cautious, but much more confident, cheeky and bubbly once she feels comfortable.

The fact that she doesn’t remember who she was before bothers her more than she lets on.

Izar soon realizes that she isn't as ambitious about taking the Elden Throne as she maybe should be. Her true dream is running the Academy of Raya Lucaria and turning it into a welcoming place where knowledge is not hoarded but shared.

When upset, she can be pretty defiant, sarcastic and snappy.

Sir, That’s My Emotional Support Skeleton

Izar spares Ensha’s life when he attacks her at the Roundtable Hold. This leads to them being sent out on a mission together to track down Latenna (which, of course, doesn’t go as planned). While they start out deeply suspicious of each other, teaming up only reluctantly, they eventually come to trust each other and, despite some challenges, become close friends. (I’m not entirely sure what Ensha is, but I’m leaning way more into the headcanons of the somehow animated armor/actual skeleton with some kind of relation to the ancient king mentioned in the description of the Royal Remains set, rather than just being some guy with a skull mask.)

Ensha will often travel with Izar, having her back and finding picturesque dungeon walls to lean against and ponder how on earth this careless astrologer can still be alive. (He's exaggerating, of course. Izar can definitely handle herself ... most of the time.)

Ensha tends to be more wary of others than Izar is. He's extremely perceptive and quite good at reading people (and finding things). He often encourages Izar toput in t he work to improve her skills, and be more disciplined about her goals. However, he's also surprisingly fine with engaging in all kinds of mischievous shenanigans with her.

Since Ensha doesn’t speak, their communication process is a little rocky at first but improves once Izar gets better (and eventually good) at understanding his sign language. From then on, they'll often have some partially silent banter going on, and are able to communicate subtly if the situation calls for it.

Izar is also able to sense Ensha's emotions to a certain extent (more on that headcanon here).

[piro-piroooooo]

how the fuck do I convince my niece and nephew to watch something other than minecraft gameplays and fan animations? Don't get me wrong I have nothing against those or against these kids being minecraft kids. It's just that they don't want to watch anything else ever.

They don't know the difference between a movie or a cartoon episode because the only thing they know is the neverending flow of minecraft videos from the youtube autoplay function. They keep saying Bluey episodes are Bluey movies. I really don't want to say it this way but I'm pretty sure at their age I knew the difference between a tv episode and a movie. They don't know how, like, regular tv works, how tv channels work.

They don't understand the basic storytelling structure of beginning - conflict - solution/end because they keep watching those stupid '1000 zombies against 500 wardens' videos. Because they don't watch cartoons. These kids don't watch cartoons what the fuck.

And I have nothing against them watching minecraft videos from time to time, I'm sure I'd have liked that too at their age. I prefer them being minecraft kids over them playing more violent/gory videogames. It's just that I feel that it's necessary for kids under 10 to watch stories made for them with care and passion. To learn how stories work and their structure so they can appreciate more complex fiction later on.

They agreed to watch Dora the Explorer and I asked them why they thought there were green vertical bars at the sides. They were older episodes in the 1:1 aspect ratio. I wasn't expecting the correct answer but they didn't even try. Just 'i dunno'. ahhg.

[encasedinobsidian]

Thoughts on writing - June 16 

I don’t expect anyone to read this, but I meant for this tumblr to be specifically for my writing after all, so I figure this is the place to put these thoughts, and anyone is welcome to read them if interested. I’m just reflecting on myself as a writer, how I relate to this hobby, and about feeling discouraged/lacking in meaning, and trying to figure out where to go with it when there are no clear paths ahead. 

I feel like I vent to my friends often but never really try to articulate my thoughts the way I do when I actually write, so maybe writing about writing will help me sort it out for myself. 

I never meant for writing to become much of anything at all. I started writing a fanfic, thought it was funny, and my intention was to post it and move on like I always move on from any other hobby, following the same pattern of interest → hyperfixation → creating something → getting bored → discovering something new. I had no experience with writing or fandom, and it was thanks to a tiktok on my FYP that I even discovered Pedro boy fanfic in the first place, though I found it insanely weird at first. My eventual amusement obviously turned into something much more significant, and I’ve found a lot of personal healing through writing, discovered different sides of myself, developed the ability to sustain the attention needed to read a full length book, etc. I guess the difficulty is knowing where to go with it. 

It’s funny - I frequently find myself thinking this sucks, why am I doing this, nothing interesting will come of this, my brain is empty, fuck this, about writing. And I say those things but then I write anyway. I say I’m done with it and thanks for the past 15 months, I’m out, and then a few hours later I’m on my doc coming up with something. I can’t really stop at this point, it’s like my internal monologue got a physical manifestation and now it’s something I just do. At any given time, I can open my docs and add something to some story, regardless of where I am. It’s like a reflex at this point, and I have no control over it. I put my hands on the keyboard and things just come out one way or another. 

I frequently feel like I’ve reached the end of my own ability, though, or the end of what I’m capable of creating. I was never an avid reader, so there’s a foundational understanding of storytelling that I largely feel like I don’t have. I’ve read more in 2024 than I have in my whole life, actually finishing books instead of reading the first quarter over and over, so I essentially feel a bit dumb or lacking in knowledge about what makes a story interesting. I really, truly have no idea what I’m doing, I don’t know any conventions I’m supposed to follow. I pretty much know the concept of “showing not telling” and that’s it. I also know the typical series buildup of the angst peaking, conflict, resolution, which I'm now trying not to do so I don't repeat myself too much across series. I’ve also read a lot of things (both books and fics) that I very much enjoy but that don’t match my inner voice at all really, and ended up feeling less than as a writer because certain styles of writing don’t come naturally to me. Reading American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis was the first time I read something and thought, wow, this actually reads very naturally to me, especially after a year of feeling like my inner voice is wrong or oversimplified or dumbed down. 

And even though we all write for ourselves, we are all affected by our audience. I’ve been sort of brutal in unintentionally cutting down my own audience by moving platforms and no longer writing the things that gained me my following in the first place, and I guess I’ve done it as part of my constant, neverending, extreme need for authenticity of some sort, and a hatred for being boxed in or expected to do things I don’t want to do. Truthfully, I don’t know what my audience wants from me, and even if I knew, I probably wouldn’t be able to cater to it. If I put out a poll and asked what people wanted to see from me, the overwhelming majority would likely say Joel Miller with no real specifics on what type of story they’d want to see, or they’d want my rendition of something they’re already familiar with. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all, I’m very flattered by everyone enjoying my takes on that man, but I guess I’m in this place where I’ve spent so much goddamn time on writing and I need to figure out who I am as a writer completely outside of that. 

One of my writing colleagues said that I’m very mercurial, and I’d never thought much about that word at all despite how well it describes how I’ve been my entire life. I can never seen to make up my mind on things, and I’m frequently changing, removing stuff, my writing style changes as I deepen my understanding of the story, my characters etc, as I take more things into consideration and expand my own view. 

To put it in Patrick Bateman terms: this reflection…. Has meant…. Nothing. And it’s true - there is no real meaning to it, cause it’s me sitting here at 6pm, looking out my window and trying to find meaning and direction in a hobby that is a completely open landscape, and where it seems like publishing is the only real goal one can have. Either that or internet success. I don’t know, I’m not sure where I’m going with any of it and who will want to read it. I guess I have a fear that everyone who has ever followed me only wants me around as yet another source of endless Joel fic and that nobody really has an interest in my writing for what it is, or for the writer I am. I don’t try to be like anyone else - everyone sees things differently, and my fics are just a representation of how all these different scenarios look in my mind. My hope is that the people who enjoy my writing regardless of characters enjoy my writing because they enjoy my POV, or enjoy the attention paid to the things I emphasize. 

Maybe I’ll come up with something more concise next time, but this has been my writing journal entry for now !!