#she looks like someone traced an actual screenshot of the show

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

if they actually do give willow THAT haircut in a timeskip then no they didnt <3 <3 <3 her actual future haircut is the haircut she has in her beta design. or she puts it in one big braid. i will not have my girl get her head vacuum sealed thank you very much the owl house has gone too far with the haircuts that look significantly worse than the original

[roodles03]

Fuck You, *Genderbends your Alastor*

(Screenshot Edits)

First off, DO NOT REPOST ANY OF THESE. I left out my signature and watermark for the sake of the authenticity of the edits. Basically meaning I want them to look as real as possible. However, I will be forced to add these to future edits if people start reposting them, especially without my permission. (The Hellaverse fandoms are very bad with this) Due to previous bad experiences, I deal with reposting (especially on insta) very harshly. Especially if reposted without credit. I am not afraid to file reports and get uncredited reposts taken down. This is your ONLY warning, and the ONLY time I will say this, so please heed it.

However, you CAN use my Genderbent designs in fanart or your own edits. All I request is credit for the design!

Okay, papa Roo is done yapping. ANYWAY-

I have been having so much fun with these and they're actually really good for learning to draw in the HH style!

Btw I've changed her name from Alastrina to Alice since I got a comment suggesting that Alice would be a better name. Despite that comment's phrasing being a bit on the rude side, I do agree that, yeah, Alice is a better name. So I do genuinely appreciate the critique despite the fact it could've been a bit nicer said. Tbh I just looked up "Female version of Alastor," when I made the edit of Alastor's render and Alastrina was what I got.

I also made a slight edit to Alice's design where I gave her lipstick since I noticed in Viv's OG drawing she probably did have lipstick.

How many people am I gonna make gay/bi/pan/omni/hetero/etc panic over these edits. Like despite these being my own edits, I am one of the people gay panicking-

Disclaimer: These are EDITS. NOT REDRAWS. I did not draw these from 100% scratch, because the point of an edit is to EDIT. Obviously it is going to be traced in some areas (mainly the face and the limbs) because that's what editing is.

Side note: Imo, good screenshot editing actually still requires heavy drawing experience to pull off well. Obviously your tracing in some areas but you're still changing some things, (the entire point) and if you don't know how to draw well, or draw in the show style well, the edit will either look fake or just bad. Edits still require good drawing experience to pull off well, just the same as regular drawing. You just have a templete to go off of. It's basically the same situation as art bases. They might be infamous for often being done poorly, but they can be still be used to make incredible art if the artist is experienced. And this is not to dunk on beginner artists, because I support the practice of edits and bases (as long as proper credit is given and its stated that they used a base or it is an edit) because bases and editing can be used as training wheels for beginner artists, or even profressional artists like me who are learning a new style, (which is what I'm doing rn actually) it's just at some point, if you're someone who does want to improve your art rather then just have fun, you gotta take the training wheels at some point.

Anyway, rant over. I just wanted to talk about my silly thoughts on bases and editing.

Og screenshots

[abloobloobloo]

This is actually pissing me off

(EDIT: just fixed a small but pretty critical mistake in the fourth paragraph after the content warning here. The responses I'm looking at here are from person A, not B.)

Content Warning: Abuse (including graphic descriptions of CSA)

Hoo fucking boy.

So I've been following a situation where someone who I'll simply name Person A. This person released a bunch of DMs with someone I'll simply name Person B, stating that they showed B emotionally abusing A.

They did not, in fact, show B emotionally abusing A. What they did show was Person B being extraordinarily understanding and accommodating while A was... not doing that.

And hoo boy, A's responses to people pointing this out were so, SO fucking annoying.

I'll leave the gory details under a read below because there are some brief but GRAPHIC descriptions of abuse given by Person B below. Read at your own risk.

First, there's this laughably disingenuous retort:

Literally where the fuck is B mocking you in this screenshot, A? She is literally just explaining her perspective and understanding that you might have a different one: that's how differences in planning tend to be hashed out??? This makes absolutely no sense as a response.

Even more so... later in these DMs, when they basically just turned into giant essays lobbed at each other, B gave another reason: because giant essays like that were harder for her to parse in text! Like.... come to fuck on!!!

"Cruel and sadistic manner?" Are you fucking joking? Is this for real? Are you reading the same fucking DMs everyone else is reading? Where the fuck can you find a SINGLE trace of cruelty and sadism in B's messages, let alone this excerpt???????

Especially when A's continued retort is, I shit you not, "I'm not uncharitable to people I dislike, I'm uncharitable to everyone!"

Buddy. Buddy. That only further proves B's point.

Especially considering that her point was that you were comparing a situation of abuse to your own experiences of abuse as then saying it wasn't bad because it wasn't as bad as your situation. That is literally arguing from a perspective that lacks objectivity. Also the assertions that she "doesn't know what empathy is nor sympathy quite frankly" are fucking laughable but whatever.

And, well, probably the most galling part:

What sex abuse acts did you mention, you say? Well I'll tell you.

For the final time: MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING FOR GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF CSA. I MEAN IT.

In the DMs in question, image 63 has this passage from A, in which they describes multiple sex abuse acts inflicted upon them:

The detail in this message is objectively, blatantly triggering. There's really no other word. People have given trigger warnings for far less detail than A gives in this message. And for them to pretend they didn't say any of this either (and later straight-up saying they NEVER gave detailed accounts of their ritual abuse, which I'm only letting it slide because it possibly could've been referring to a different situation than the message above) means they somehow don't remember writing this at all (which I suppose is possible; they are a system, after all), or are just blatantly lying. If it's the former, then these later statements strike me as astonishingly negligent and indicative of shocking hubris. If the latter, it's actually fucking disgusting. Get your shit together.

And that's not even getting into the extraordinarily disturbing way A weaponizes accusations of pedophilia against person B for literally no reason, which becomes a hundred times more disturbing when combined with the fact that B is a trans woman, and such spurious accusations are often wielded as transphobic and particularly transmisogynist attacks.

and then the fucking cherry on top of this shit sundae:

calling people "subhuman," eh? Bloody hell.

[tale-of-two-queens]

So....this:

I was talking with my bfff @justmystufff about designing my OC "Sokushi", which led to a conversation about Shuriki's ethnicity (this would make much sense later I promise once I finished Sokushi's final design) and I told him about a headcannon Meiwakunatto and my bestie @aurorasilverthorne had over Shuriki being some sort of Eurasian character, more specifically half Satu (which is the Japan of the series.) This was mostly about her name having Japanese Origins (which fun fact the source are some Japanese texts written in a Chinese form)

So I went: What if the show creator and the people behind the designs gave subtle hints that perhaps she's actually half Japanese instead of giving her a Japanese meaning name as a reference. So I decided to gather some screenshots and look closely at her eyes as I was sure I noticed her eyes were shaped more oval and I was curious if they were similar to the Satu eye shape in the series (as I can't recall if he ever got a female Satu character)

I noticed that Shuriki's makeup actually makes her eyes look bigger than they actually are. I took a reference from King's Toshi's eyes as a guide to what the Satu (or Japanese) eyes would look like in the Show cannon, which is slightly different to Shuriki's eyes as her eyes look more rounded, but I think it does add to the possibility that she could be from a Satu descent or is half Saturian (Not sure how to describe it)/Satu and half European (based on her clothing alone)

I did try to look into more features that give some clues about her actual ethnicity. I am not Asian but Hispanic myself, so I had to read a lot of articles to determine the features and watch videos from Japanese and Korean people talking about their differences. This is just speculation, so don't treat this as an expert opinion, I am open to criticism and I would love to hear from someone who is an expert on this, so feel free to correct or add more

So, Shuriki's mos prominent features are the sharp lines and of her very established cheek bones and her narrowly sharp jaw. So, this is more inclined to a more European or a white descent.

Not to mention her hair is wavy instead of being straight, + her outfit does give the vibes she's from a European country (Most likely the Northern Islands are more European like more than anything)

Yet, she has softer features like the slightly roundness of her face, her eyes having a more oval like shaped but look more exaggerated due to the sketchiness and her makeup looks them look much bigger, give off a sorta Asian like look to her once you break down her face and trace the actual shape of her eyes.

Not to mention Shuriki' eyes have a peculiar way of closing in that has a curve, which is not particularly prominent in other villains like Ash.

The closest I can see might be Paloma Hortensia whose eyes are more shaper and slightly oval but they don't close the same way as Shuriki's eyes does + looking closer at her design, I think her eyes give off more of the elegant Latina woman type as they are more sharpened cat-like that anything.

(I was not expecting this image to look so small-)

So, this is what Shuriki's eyes would normally look relaxed when this lady is not making faces like 80% of the time (It was basically some sort of "Shuriki stop making so many faces challenge: Impossible lol)

Here's a contour of how her eyes look, which is quite unique from Paloma's or Ash's eye shape

Right here she does look a lot Asian, but it's hard to determine with the show itself as she's a character who is very exprexionate, but this is what I mean that her eye-shaped is a lot different, but this is sorta what her normal eyes look without her stretching or widened them.

Am I claiming that Shuriki is canonically a Hāfu?

No. Unless Craig Gerber says she's half Japanese (or Satu), this is just expeculation. Although I think perhaps the show did imply Shuriki might be one (More likely an Eurasian person) or have some sort of Satu descend. Take this with a grain of salt

The fact that she canonically made Esteban visit Satu multiple times. It most likely because she didn't want to make treaties and such, but why going to Satu multiple specifically? Could it be also that strategically she feared that she could lose the throne if she left, but also could imply she particularly wanted the Satu gift's due maybe a heritage she has?

Her Name is of Japanese Origin from some old writings in a Chinese style. I was wondering why would they use a Japanese type of name on her. Most likely to set her off as an interesting name that is memorable and rare, but if there could be a chance that She could be from a Japanese descent.

There could be a change her earrings could be from jade. I am not sure nor I am an expert to tell.

Either way, this is just expeculation and a fun analyzis into seeing how true or far fetched the whole theory of Shuriki being part Satu might be true

[berisims]

2, 12, 35 for Faba AND 22, 55, 56 for Morgyn!

OHOHOH let's get this party started 👀

Reminder that I'm still taking questions from this post so go crazy. I love coming up with headcanons for my little pixels.

Anyways, this is gonna get long (as usual lmao), so all answers are found under the cut:

L. Faba

2. What’s their biggest regret?

Being careless and unprepared during the conflict with the ancients. Although it wasn't entirely her fault, she firmly believes that this is what caused Simeon to impulsively jump to her aid and lose a hand in the process. Had she not been distracted, she would have been able to deflect the attack herself and Simeon would have never had to act as a shield.

This conflict has been briefly mentioned in the Sages' introduction posts here, here and here, but I'll eventually go into more detail as I start posting the story I'm writing (which will hopefully be soon 👁️👄👁️).

12. What’s their ideal vacation like?

Anywhere but the beach. L. does not tan, so overexposure to the sun will basically make her look like a lobster out of the sea. With this in mind, she'd much rather prefer to spend a full two weeks somewhere surrounded by nature (think Henford-on-Bagley), preferably on her own. Though she certainly wouldn't mind to have Morgyn tag along. As much as she enjoys the calm a place like that provides, she also knows she'll quickly get bored of it and the young Sage of Untamed magic is the perfect person to keep things interesting.

35. Do/did they want children?

Heck no. Despite loving to teach, L. literally cannot stand to be around young children. It's not that she doesn't LIKE children, she just has massive mental breakdowns whenever around them.

"Why are you crying? Oh god please stop crying. No, that's spider venom, you cannot drink that. Get your hands off my hair. Why are they sticky? WHY ARE YOU SWIMMING IN MY CAULDRON, WHO BIRTHED YOU, SIMEON HELP-"

ᎷᎧᏒᎶᎩᏁ ᏋᎷᏰᏋᏒ

22. Are they a dog person or a cat person — or something else?

Morgyn is 100% a dog person and absolutely adores bigger breeds. They actually have a dog of their own, named Asmodeus. He's a Dobermann who looks a fair bit intimidating but is nothing more than a silly goofball that accidentally breaks way too many things around the house.

Behold, the beast himself and a casual Morgyn after a hard day's work. Not my best screenshot, but I really wanted to share this cute moment <3

55. Who do they look up to most?

Tess Dyer, the previous Sage of Untamed Magic. Or at least they used to, before she disappeared without a trace. She was practically family, given that she'd taken Morgyn under her wing when they first showed up at the Magic Realm as a teenager, with the aspiring dream of becoming a spellcaster. Not only was she an incredibly gentle soul towards Morgyn, she was also the most powerful spellcaster at the time. Highly respected and incredibly patient, but undeniably strict all the same. At this point it's safe to say that Morgyn has followed in her steps and the spellcaster community regards them in a similar manner today.

56. What do they smell like?

When they're not swimming in some expensive designer fragrance? Something close to cinammon and burning firewood. It's an incredibly comforting scent that a certain someone enjoys a little bit too much eheh I wanna start posting screenshots of the two of them so bad but I need to write it down first so it makes sense, hELP

[annislittleshopofhorrors]

That shower video “someone” made has bothered me for months. I’m sure no one wants to rethink on this but I have some thoughts about the whole thing that may or may not be delusional. But really with everything that’s happened, is anything too far fetched ? Lol

So when you post a story to IG, I think it allows like an under 60 sec uploading time. Within that time frame, I think you can still delete the post without it being fully uploaded and seen by your followers (someone correct me if I’m wrong).

What if - “someone” made her shower show and then preemptively uploaded it to her IG story but as it was still uploading, SS and deleted it (again, I do not know how and if this is actually possible to do before the story completely uploads) and then deactivated.

After the deactivation, she knew ppl would be checking for her as they have for months. As ppl are wondering what happened to her, suddenly some dummy account on twitter (or was it tumblr? Or IG) asks if anyone else saw her post that story…and then the SS of the story are leaked. Idk if there was ever an actual video that made it around (I HOPE NOT) or if it was always screenshots only.

The source of the SS conveniently disappears or is never really traced? but the work is done. The pics are spread and there’s hope that ppl will feel sorry for her or that she’ll go viral and make the news (she doesn’t lol).

Her trolling friends are mysteriously silent and never address the situation. Her fans seem determined to ignore it completely and instead focus on her deactivating bc she was being bullied. (Which she was, TBF, but if she willingly posted a story like that on Beyoncé’s internet unprovoked I have to wonder about her priorities). Nobody around her orbit wants to address the situation but she then pops up on twitter two days later (that timing…so convenient).

Now I can’t prove any of this happened the way I described, but I have an even stronger inkling the truth may not be too far, bc of the most recent sister IG story.

Again - a mysterious SS appears out of thin air looking oddly like it might have been tampered with. Where did that second X on the top left hand corner come from? That’s not in regular IG stories or even screenshots of IG stories. Did her sister REALLY post a story tagging Cap A? Why would she have done that if not to make it so obvious where she was? And how did a private account IG story suddenly make its way through cyberspace when nothing from her sisters account has ever leaked to blogs b4? Surely if ppl had been checking for her before, there would have been other stories she posted - esp when they were together in Paris or elsewhere.

This SS has a backyard backdrop that would not mean anything to anyone unless it’s eagle eyed stalker fans who can recognize the man’s backyard (IDEK wanna go there). Then add that location tag…obvious trolling bc if it were just the background without the tag, I’d give her the benefit of the doubt. Assuming that the sister’s following would not see that post and know she was in his backyard. She adds the cap moniker tag and now the hint is clear as day. Then the SS gets sent to multiple tumblr blogs that are CE/fans. Get ppl talking, angry, riled up. Then “someone” follows a person who has a connection to her famous bf. It all unravels from there.

Now..why do all this? Why would you go thru all this trouble to troll? She could simply post a pic from his backyard herself. She could have posted a pic or video from inside his house in his bathroom showering if she really wanted. If she’s his SO, she’s allowed to do some of that within reason. IMO, she very much wants to keep up appearances that she’s super private and respectful of his privacy and she doesn’t troll. She’s above that and not like all of those other clout chasing women. However - by physically posing for that awful video, she literally proved she was proactive in creating that content. It’s not like it was a candid where she was doing something and was unaware she was being filmed. She posed willingly - that video was going to someone or somewhere intentionally. Her sister allegedly posting from his backyard and tagging that also means she wanted ppl to connect the dots.

Maybe all this is delusional overthinking on my part. There’s no way I can prove any of this is true. But I just don’t trust this chick. Can’t explain it.

Sweetheart, I hope you didn't wrote this long essay right after you woke up. 😅

[fawnpawn]

(Not actually end of chapter) graphics for my fic Mimicry of a neuron chapter 13

I didn't want to learn coding and skins so I cheated. There's 18 total and are less stand alone images so I'm not trying to display them artistically in this post. Get album cropped idiot (unless you're on my blog then apparently it doesn't do that-)

Does it make sense for twice to be using iphones? Not at all (that shit would be so easy to trace-) but all of my other ideas looked weird so imessage style it is.

note on the profile pictures: I don't really consider those my art. The Izuku is mine but the hand+action figure comes from a canon screenshot. Same with the side profile of twice, and the rest of the pose and the van is just fully traced off a stock image and an actual photo.

Also I'm new to ID-ing so if the formatting is trash, tell me.

1st Image ID: A recreation of an imessage conversation between clones of Jin from MHA. Usernames are Buba (Taxi duty), Buba (Lazy ass), Buba (Baby duty), Buba (Clinic duty1), Buba (Clinic duty2), and this chapter’s Jin who has no shown username and a blue text bubble.

Taxi duty’s profile picture is a white van with "free candy" painted in red to look like blood. Lazy ass’s profile picture is of a cropped picture of Jin pointing a middle finger to the camera. Baby duty’s profile picture is of a young Izuku holding an action figure of All Might up to the camera and smiling. Clinic duty 1 and 2’s profile picture is blank, showing their username initials "BC".

1st image Taxi duty: [Baby update @ Baby duty.] Lazy ass: [Baby update @ Baby duty.] Baby duty: [STop fyckn spammn me asshols.] Clinic duty2: [Baby update @ Baby duty. Not sorry.] Baby duty: [Its going better, but he still doesnt wanna leave the house.]

2nd image Jin: [Fuck it. I’m getting icecream for the lil guy] Lazy ass: [Your paying for it.] Lazy ass: [Your paying for it.] Taxi duty: [We all pay for it dumbass.] Baby duty: [Better not be texting and driving.] Taxi duty: [Fuck off. I’m waiting for food.]

3rd image Jin: [Does anyone know a gal with piercings who knows us and the kid? Brown mullet, no vis morphs.] Baby duty: [Oh she might be the chick that stepped in last month at the park. Atorura? Atomi??]

4th image Lazy ass: [Shit I think shes waved at me before. Maybe.] Clinic duty2: [Please tell us you waved back.] Clinic duty1: [@ Clinic duty2 dude get off your phone. It aint lunch yet.] Lazy ass: [oooo u slacking?.] Clinic duty2: [Stfu.] /End 1st ID

2nd Image ID: A recreation of an .exe prompt window titled "Interface Prompt". Text is light grey on a black background with some text coloured red. The rest of the images in this post are of this style.

5th image "<Initialising… Identified Connective Tissue. Identified Muscle Tissue. Identified Blood vessels. Identified Bone.

Starting Exploratory Search… Detecting DOC system. Bone Structures: Phalanges[R], Metacarpals[R], Carpels[R], Ulna[R], Radius[R]…

[Leave]

Exploratory Search cancelled. Starting Disconnect Sequence… Disconnection successful.>" "[Leave]" is in red.

6th image "<Initialising… Identified Blood vessels. Identified White Matter. Identified Grey Matter.

Starting Exploratory Search… Detecting DOC system. Brain Structures: Frontal lobe, Parietal lobe, Limbic lobe, Occipital lobe…

[How hard is it to breed rats.] [Could I hire someone to do it.] [That's definitely more expensive.]>"

7th image "<[There they are.]>"

8th image "<Monitory Search Initiated… Start Blood Test…

[What if they got out.] [Don’t want to risk infesting my properties with rats.] [Won’t ask Jin to do it.] [We can afford to keep buying them.]

Identified Quirk Factor. Starting Exploratory Search… ... ... Exploratory Search unsuccessful.>"

9th image "<[I feel like a futakuchi-onna.]

[Pause]

Starting Pausing sequence… Pausing sequence successful.

Waiting…>" "[Pause]" is in red.

10th image "<Initialising… Identified Connective Tissue. Identified Muscle Tissue. Identified Blood vessels. Identified Bone. Identified White Matter. Identified Grey Matter.>"

11th image "<Starting Exploratory Search… Closest known system : Rat system.

Identified Glutamate Identified Serotonin Identified Epinephrine Identified Dopamine …>"

12th image "<Heart rate : 80 Blood pressure : 0.3 mmHg Heart rate falling. Blood pressure falling.>"

13th image "<[The possibilities…]>"

14th image "<Exploratory Search unsuccessful.> <Exploratory Search unsuccessful.> <Exploratory Search unsuccessful.>"

15th image "<[He would have been so excited if he knew this was what Izuku’s quirk is.] [I wish he was here to see it.]>"

16th image "<[He’d have loved that term]>"

17th image "<[I can practically feel their confusion.] [I wonder if they’ll figure it out.>"

18th image "<Heart rate : 0 Blood pressure : 0 No neurological activity.

[Leave]

Monitory Search cancelled. Starting Disconnect Sequence… Disconnection successful.>" "[Leave]" is in red. /End 2nd ID

[sepublic]

Season 2 Teaser for The Owl House?

           So for those of you who haven’t caught up; A few days ago, Dana released an exclusive photo of herself on Instagram, with a cryptically-blurred reflection in her window that was all too conveniently-placed;

           Now, this COULD just be some game she’s playing, but like; Reverse-image searches have yielded nothing, and it hurts no one to speculate! Thanks to @50shades-of-blue, who had the common sense to remember to flip the reflection, we have something more akin to THIS;

           This image bears a decent resemblance to a sequence from the show’s intro, in terms of structuring; We have characters divided and separated by golden bars. This points to Dana’s image being a shot from a new intro for Season 2, either one for an entire season, or a single episode. I say this, because looking at the subject matter… On the very left, we see something vaguely blue, and similar in resemblance to a bile sac;

           This could actually be the Titan’s heart, image below for reference;

           Not only that, but as Blue’s helpful tracing points out, the other two figures in the ‘slots’ bear a resemblance to Owl Mask and Kikimora, the latter having the fingers of her hand-hair splayed out, and the former appearing to take off their mask.

           What little we see of Owl Mask bears a decent-enough resemblance to the Season 2 character that Dana teased, further cementing a connection between the two. Not only that, but we get a glimpse of five (possibly six) colorful symbols above the three character slots, each likely pertaining to the Coven Heads, as shown by Blue’s earlier tracing.

           In particular, you can tell the blue symbol has the same distinctive, U-shaped horns of the Healing Head; And the green symbol bears enough resemblance to the Plant Head, with their dark-green bangs covering most of their lighter-green face. Combined with symbols that seem similar to the Construction, Beastkeeping, and Oracle Heads, the exact layout we’ve seen so far coincidentally seems to match the banner layout seen in The First Day;

           You have from left to right; The Construction, Plant, Beastkeeping, Bard, and Healing Heads! Now, if you look to the very right of the image, there also seems to be a sixth symbol, a bit lower than the others, with what appears to be a purple coloration; This is likely the Oracle Head, especially since it matches with the aforementioned placement of the banners. Now, exact positioning beside, we also know that there are three more symbols obscured, the ones for the Abominations, Potions, and Illusion Heads. If we go by the pattern established by the rest of the image, with the Heads at either end of the display being placed lower than the rest, and the rest being shown in an up-down pattern… Then it seems we more or less have the vast majority of this mysterious screenshot, with some of it blacked out!

           As others such as @preciseprose​ have suggested, there’s a good chance that this is a screen transition, hence why only a specific corner and portion is obscured; Because if this shot parallels the one seen in the Season 1 intro with Willow, Gus, and Amity, which burns away in the middle to reveal King… Then it makes sense that a similar transition would happen with this show, perhaps obscuring from the outside-in this time as a contrast.

           Now, what’s interesting is that this style of shot, once reserved for protagonists and friends/peers of Luz, is now being designated towards lesser-known antagonists associated with the Emperor’s Coven. While this could just be how the Season 2 intro works, with Gus, Willow, and Amity appearing later or earlier, likely closer to Luz; It does make me and others wonder if we’ll get a dedicated intro to the Emperor’s Coven with Belos, front-and-center! I’ve talked at enormous length in the past of Luz and Belos being parallels… And it’d match other Disney TVA shows, such as Gravity Falls, Ducktales, or Amphibia, who had villainous takeovers for their shows’ intros as well!

           This could of course allude to an episode with a heavy focus on the members of the Coven System, specifically Belos and his aides Owl Mask and Kikimora, as well as the Head witches of the Covens he appointed and presumably trusts. This is of course all fascinating and has me even MORE intrigued, but also; The placement of the Titan’s heart alongside Owl Mask and Kikimora suggests its treatment as its own character as well… Which, if it’s a giant heart, it presumably represents and operates as a stand-in for the Titan, perhaps the conduit with which Belos even speaks to it (and vice-versa?) through! AKA the Heart represents the Titan, it IS the Titan, which then suggests that this Emperor’s Coven triumvirate consists of the Titan, Owl Mask, and Kikimora…

           But that’s not the only consideration! I’ve talked before about character parallels in this show… We have Luz and Amity, Eda and Lilith, Owlbert and Lilith’s palisman. I’ve speculated on King and Kikimora being parallels, and even Hooty and Belos… But that always made me wonder; What about Willow and Gus? Do THEY have parallels, associated with the Coven System and its Emperor? And for a while I entertained Warden Wrath and Owl Mask, but lo and behold; I may be right, at least about one of those two, and also in general about parallels! Because if we compare the placements… We have the Titan and Willow, Owl Mask and Gus, and Amity and Kikimora!

           Owl Mask being a parallel to Gus is interesting, because they’re operating as a spy for Belos; And presumably, Illusionists would be great at stealth. I wouldn’t be surprised if Owl Mask used Illusions, albeit to disguise and mask their own presence; A parallel and contrast to Gus, who uses Illusions to create and draw attention and spectacle! Not only that, but it makes me wonder if Owl Mask is also a child prodigy like Gus, if they have issues with being overlooked, and as a contrast to Gus, they’ve embraced this instead of fighting against it…? And Owl Mask is sent to spy on Luz the human, perhaps a parallel to Gus’ own fascination with humans…?

           Then we’ve got Willow and the Titan’s heart. Now, this one interests me… And it makes me think about how Willow is presented with a raw, innate strength, and an uncanny ability to cast magic without summoning a circle nor glyph. I’ve talked before about Willow and Belos having parallels, as they both have distinct shots with their eyes glow green; Could this parallel stem more from a connection to the Titan, than anything else? Then as @aguigenae suggested, instead of Luz (or JUST Luz) being able to speak to the Titan… What if it was Willow? It’d re-contextualize her ability to draw onto raw, magical potential through pure emotions… And similarly, a lot of her spells draw power from the Isles itself in the form of plants, and we know the Isles as synonymous with the Titan!

           With how Belos seems to draw power and spells from the Isles, albeit with fleshy and stone formations… Perhaps Willow serves as a parallel and foil, creating constructs from the Isles as well, but in the form of plantlife! Her being able to speak to plants might provide a medium to contact the Isles they’re rooted in… And as I said before, Willow has shown an unusual ability with magic not unlike how Belos can cast magic, but through his unique form of spheres and orbs. If Willow is associated with the Titan’s heart, perhaps she could speak to it in a way that Belos can’t- Perhaps they BOTH can speak, and this will lead to a conflict with Belos, who seeks to preserve this ‘privilege’? Keep in mind that it’s Willow who openly defies Belos the most by rallying an entire crowd against him- If she’s the face of the revolution, her being able to speak to the Titan could create further parallels and odds between the two!

           Not only that, but… Talking again of Willow and the Titan’s Heart, if the two are parallels; What does this say about the Titan itself? Perhaps like Willow, it’s a being with raw magical power, easily terrifying, and with a connection to nature (as it IS nature in its case). If these characters are dark parallels, then what if the Titan was like Inner Willow, wrathful and fully exploring its dangerous power, having felt harmed and hurt, twisted…

           But what if it was also a Willow who never learned to stand up for herself? A powerful, dangerous witch… But with no true self-esteem, no believe in themselves? What if the Titan was like a Dark Willow, and this self-doubt was what allowed Belos to manipulate it? I’ve speculated before that perhaps Belos has managed to sway and influence the Titan into seeing his way as the right way to handle magic… If it was a dark parallel to Willow, perhaps the Titan is hopeless, thinking there’s nothing it can do to oppose Belos, feeling like it’s smarter than him, as a toxic friend with control; Think Anne and Sasha from Amphibia!

           We might even get a scene paralleling Willow and Amity’s first appearance, with how Amity condescendingly mocks Willow, albeit with potential, if misguided, good intentions. Perhaps Belos is like this- He’s cruel and manipulative of the Titan, but he also genuinely believes in what he’s doing, that this IS the best for the Isles, and that this is how the Titan should have its magic be utilized and taught. But, in absence of Amity, we see Willow’s true feelings of resentment and anger that have bottled up… So what if the Titan was like that with Belos, except dialed up? What if the Titan hates Belos or wants to see him defeated, but isn’t entirely sure if he’s wrong, either…

           So to get into blind speculation, what if- What if the Titan has tried to create a new champion? By going behind Belos’ back and communicating with a new, younger witch, perhaps one that reminds it of Belos before he turned corrupt… What if the Titan is contacting Luz and/or Willow? Hoping to find someone else who will actually speak for them, not just talk over as Belos possibly is doing? Maybe the Titan is trying to foster a new witch, an alternative champion to depose Belos or take over; Or have Belos and Luz/Willow compete, to prove to the Titan who has the best philosophy to magic through their own respective victories?

           And if Belos were to find out… Well, I imagine he might do something drastic to the Titan. He has control and access to its heart- Could he torture it in retaliation, perhaps causing quakes across the Isles that echo the Titan’s throes of agony? Would Belos do something drastic to prevent the Titan from helping Luz/Willow, adversely affecting the Boiling Isles in the process? Similarly, if Belos is a toxic friend to the Titan, perhaps there’s symbolism to his castle built around the Titan’s heart… Kudos to @fermented-writers-block​ for some of these ideas;

          Perhaps it could be interpreted as Belos having an iron grip over its heart, or the Titan building up walls around its heart –thanks to Belos’ encouragement- and letting in only Belos…? Alas, Belos is the one who convinces the Titan to hide itself away and let only him in, because only HE cares, only he knows best… And yet, he’s the one who helped build those walls that the Titan hides within. Ultimately, his castle MUST fall- Especially if it’s being used to exploit and manipulate the Titan’s heart in other, literal ways as well…

          Finally, let’s talk Amity and Kikimora sharing placements. There is of course the obvious implication of romantic feelings, but also… What if, instead, there was this idea of Belos being like Luz to Amity, for Kiki? For Amity, Luz was an outsider who came out of nowhere and changed her life for the better, helped her stand up for herself- What if Belos was that to Kikimora? What if he was an outsider, a human even (before he changed and decayed) that changed Kikimora’s life forever after he appeared from nowhere… The two starting to a prickly start, before truly caring for each other? As Belos encouraged Kikimora to stand up for herself, eventually culminating in her own life improving(?) as Kiki is now second only to him, the Emperor of the Boiling Isles! It might explain why he seems to trust her so much- The two genuinely care for each other and Kikimora feels like she owes everything to him…

           And, to incorporate my own analysis/speculation of Amity; Perhaps Kikimora has placed all of her sense of self-worth into Belos, about how she can help him, because only HE ever made her feel like something! What if as a toxic parallel to Luz and Amity, Kikimora has lowkey become dependent upon Belos- Who, while kind to Kikimora… Kiki still has placed all of her self-esteem not in herself, but in Belos’ approval of her. And while Belos DOES approve and provide support, it’s still dangerously dependent and shows that Kikimora can’t really stand for herself, that she needs someone else as a litmus test to judge her worth as a person.

          Finally, we know Amity is the least talented compared to Willow and Gus; Given how we have the literal Titan and Owl Mask, compared to Kikimora, who caves into Luz’s threats… It’s possible Kikimora is the least powerful amongst the Titan and Owl Mask, but has made up for it with raw determination and skill? After all, she presumably cast the magical cage that all of Luz’s efforts wouldn’t have been able to defeat. Perhaps like Amity, Kikimora had to work hard to prove herself, to earn respect; And like Amity in Episode 3, Kikimora feels a desperate need to hold onto that sense of accomplishment and superiority, and can and WILL retaliate viciously when it’s threatened. To Kikimora, she’s dedicated everything into making up for her own shortcomings, just like Amity- So she despises cheaters, or at least people who undermine that work.

           (I know what some may be thinking- Isn’t Kikimora a King parallel? Well, these parallels work in multiple ways… Amity parallels Luz, but then so too does Belos, presumably. I wouldn’t be surprised if Amity was both a parallel to Luz AND Kikimora, then.)

           And, that’s my general thoughts, analysis, and speculation, all based from this reflection we’ve seen! It’s possible Dana is trolling us, by accident or otherwise, with a videogame screenshot… But hey- It doesn’t hurt anyone if we’re wrong, I say! It’s all in good fun… Besides, if it WAS a teaser from Season 2, and we didn’t give our shot, then we’d all feel like idiots! We may as well take our chance and analyze, because- Just in case…!

[indig0g0]

ART THEFT ALERT - ASK-THE-SHARPS

Okay so... normally I don’t like. DO callouts, but someone came to me about this, because he wasn’t sure what to do and if he would even be taken seriously if he DID say anything, so I’m organizing this FOR him. Please bear with me, this is going to be very long.

So, I’d been notified that ask-the-sharps has been engaging in like. Actual art theft? Like outright tracing other’s art and also wholesale “i am passing this entire artwork of someone else off as my own” art theft.

But also seeing as Altar is SELLING commissions, it should probably be noted that… He’s tracing? Thats important. Even one of the drawings in his commission sheet is traced. 

And he’s not even stealing from small name artists either, he’s been tracing artwork of artists like princecanary and thewickwheat and reiki-kun (on devART)

Now i would like to not that wickwheat DOES allow referencing of her art as long as it’s used only privately (a link to her TOS/FAQ) (princecanary and reiki-kun do not) but she REQUIRES CREDIT for the referencing, EVEN IN PRIVATE, which Altar did NOT do And of course, I would never make such claims without proof so here we go! I am going to link all images separately at the end in a drive if you would like to see them more fully.

So it’s worth noting, most of the discord screenshots are not mine, they were given to me by a friend to use for this post, because he’s not comfortable making the post himself at this time, but will not be censored because he’s okay with it being public.

Now these things aren’t in order except in order that they were brought to my attention The first thing I was told about was Altar tracing and passing off as his own, an auction design that Reiki-Kun made and sold on patreon

It’s worth noting, this trace over is done in Altar’s “style” of coloring. This could not have been made by someone else. My friend is a patreon of Reiki, and was suspicious! And he was right! This was a design he saw posted by Reiki!

(Original adopt listing) When confronted about it, Altar played it off as “someone sold me this?”

My friend was still suspicious but he was willing to let it go, but he brought it to another friend, who brough it to me and another friend and we were able to find the character’s toyhou.se.

the character’s toyhouse // this is a link to the ownership log

This character has never been sold to anyone BUT the person who bought it.In fact, the designer has a masterlist of designs they’ve sold FOR this reason! masterlist link // Reiki’s TOS

MORE UNDER CUT! WAY MORE. SO MUCH MORE.

My friend has since reached out to the artist to notify them of the theft

which is why I’m including this first and foremost. (the link is the masterlink link above!) So this was already very suspect! But believe it or not! It gets worse!

Altar has been sharing “art” of his characters which is clearly and notably traced

Original tweet link

Original post Please note that the name is edited out of the original sheet presumably to keep people from looking her up, but he… keeps the name anyway?

Original post This one was someone else’s COMMISSION done by the original artist! The signature is removed!

Original post! Another commission! With the signature EDITED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AGAIN!!!!!!! Implying that Altar MADE THIS.

Theres genuinely so many of these stolen that I cant show their originals so I’m just linking those I could find. )i could not find the first couple but here’s the rest in order. (Headlock) (shoulder pads) (bloody sketch) (could not find this one) (Crossed arms) (punch)

These don’t belong to wickwheat, but a friend of wickwheat’s who did not have a tracing/referencing TOS that i could find, except that they should ASK to use their art, presumably with credit (which was not given)

Orignal post This one he traced from the smaller reference, if we were wondering, of Jane’s oc. And in these screenshots claimed as his own art.

The original post, please note it IS at the bottom. There were several others I was shown that were clearly traced or otherwise stolen but I couldn’t source the artist and therefore couldn’t prove it.

However, during my digging I WAS able to find more instances of tracing.

One instance of which is from two of my friends, Apollo and Wren, who are still IN the fantroll community, which he uses IN his COMMISSION EXAMPLES. This is a collaborative base that they made together.

Altar’s commission post

First set Second Set Third Set Fourth Set

Original

I contacted one of them as the other was asleep, and asked if either of them had ever released the base and lo. Neither of them had.

So as Wren (abyssalsphynx) so eloquently put… not only is he stealing from big name artists he’s… profiting off the traced work of other fantrollers? I also found more instances of him tracing from princecanary WHICH HE HAS POSTED TO HIS BLOG AND TOYHOU.SE AS MAIN REFERENCES

I took screenshots of everything just in case he deletes or makes things otherwise inaccessible

This one I was only able to find a pinterest shot because Princecanary has deleted so much/hidden it because of…. Theft. Funny right? But it’s clearly princecanary’s art, and princecanary’s comic (Gentleman Town) characters.

The character’s toyhouse

Character’s toyhou.se Princecanary’s original tweet

This one literally took me two minutes to find, I was FLOORED. I’m almost positive there’s more instances of art theft, I just. Literally only have so much brain power to go digging, because he’s obviously shameless enough to steal from so many artists, I can only imagine there’s more that I couldn’t identify.

In conclusion I’m just… Why would you? Do all of this? Except laziness? Your own art, or at least what we used to SEE of it wasn’t like bad???? So why profit off of someone else’s art work?

And buyer beware because like. this is fucked up.

Anyway here’s all the screenshots and such.

[puthyflapps]

Thot about Anya making one of those cheesy promposal signs for Raven. Her plan was to have the sign read, “prom with you would be out of this world” and there would be images of all things space covering the poster board –planets, stars, the whole nine yards. But she wasn’t exactly good at this artistic stuff. Her block letters were sitting rather crooked on the paper and the picture she’d drawn of the moon looked more like a chocolate chip cookie and the rocket ship...well, I shouldn’t say. All in all, it was a real eye sore.

She’d spent way too many hours working on this stupid thing and it was too late to make an emergency trip to the store for more poster board. So, Anya decides the best course of action at the moment is to just flip the board over and start fresh. Now, with a new, blank canvas she gets smart and enlists the last-minute help of her resources. God bless her sister for dating an artist, right?

With Clarke’s help, this thing actually looks presentable and Anya isn't entirely embarrassed to be seen standing outside of their school with it as she waits for her girlfriend to get out of her last class of the day. Anya and Raven were never ones for cliche high school rituals but this was their last prom together so she wanted to make it special. If that means Anya has to stand awkwardly in front of everyone with a giant, dorky sign then she would because Raven deserved to feel special.

The bell rings signifying the end of class and it makes Anya’s heart thump with a dizzying kind of excitement. She keeps her dark brown eyes trained on the doors of the school, searching for her girlfriend’s form. She notices a few familiar faces staring at her in a mix of shock and confusion. If this were any other day she would’ve sent a sharp scowl back their way as a reminder to fuck off but right now, she is too preoccupied with finding her girl. Another minute or so passes when the blonde finally catches a glimpse of a bright red jacket and she knows immediately, that’s her.

Her sweaty hands tighten their grip on the paper as she waits for the girl to get a little closer before hoisting it up in front of her chest for all to see. A few beats pass and Raven still hasn’t quite noticed yet. It leaves Anya momentarily second guessing herself. Maybe this was a dumb idea. What if Raven didn’t want some grandiose gesture for something as simple as a high school dance?However, before Anya’s thoughts can further spiral, she hears the warm voice of the girl she’s been waiting on call out.

“Oh my god!”

Raven’s bright smile is blindingly beautiful and the happy giggles that overflow from her lips are all the confirmation Anya needs to know she did the right thing. She visibly relaxes and it finally feels like she can finally breathe again but there’s still somewhat of an underlying nervousness clawing at her because Raven hasn’t said yes yet.

The brunette takes her time approaching her girlfriend; making sure to take a mental screenshot of this moment so she can tuck it away safely in her mind and revisit it for years to come. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much and although it doesn’t seem remotely possible, her smile seems to only grow wider the longer she stares at her adorable girlfriend. Anya doesn’t like to be the center of attention. She’s always been the back-of-the-class, silent observer type. So, to say this was a surprise would be an understatement because this display was certainly an attention grabber.

“Baby,” Raven says as all her words seem to fail her in that moment.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go to prom with me.”

“Yes, of course,” she answers as her hands gently take hold of the sign so she can take an even closer look.

Honey brown orbs meticulously inspect every detail from the nerdy pun to the cute doodles strewn about the board.

“I can’t believe you did all this,” she declares and pauses briefly to rise on her tiptoes and place a sweet kiss on Anya’s thin lips before continuing.

“Did you get Clarke to help you?”

Raven asks sweetly as she notices the familiar art style. Personally, she thinks it’s rather cute that her girlfriend reached out to her best friend for help. The idea of the two working together is a little funny considering the two don’t have much in common besides their love for Raven.

“Yeah, blondie’s a little better at this art thing than I am. She drives a hard bargain though. I owe her like a week's worth of Starbucks for doing this,” Anya mutters in faux frustration.

“Aww, well hopefully it was worth it.”

“It definitely was.”

The two stare lovingly at one another for a moment; just basking in each other’s presence and the feeling of contentment.

“Can I keep it?”

Raven asks, her eyes darting down to the paper and back up to her girlfriend.

“It’s all yours. I just wouldn’t look at the back of it if I were you,” Anya replies as the tips of her ears tinge pink.

The brunette’s brows crease and her head tilts in confusion, prompting the blonde to explain.

“I tried to do it by myself at first but it didn’t turn out the way I hoped it would.”

Curiosity gets the best of the girl and she can’t stop herself from turning the poster over to see what has her girlfriend so flustered. On the back are colorful block letters of varying sizes that to someone else’s eye might be unsightly but, to Raven, are nothing shy of gorgeous. Perhaps her favorite part is the random sprinkling of stars throughout the page. They had been erased and redrawn several times if the faint smudges from what was most likely not the best eraser are anything to go on.

“I wish you would’ve used this side,” the shorter of the two says quietly causing the other girl to vehemently shake her head in opposition.

“It wasn’t good enough. I wanted it to be perfect for you.”

“It is perfect,” Raven argues as her eyes trace over all of the girl’s haphazard pencil marks.

Anya presses a chaste kiss to the other girl’s head and chuckles softly, “You don’t have to say that to make me feel better.”

“I’m not,” Raven replies earnestly and honestly, “I love it.”

And really, she wasn’t lying. There was not so much as the faintest falsehood coating her words that day. That poster remained taped to her bedroom wall for the rest of the school year. Unsavory lettering and poorly drawn doodles on full display for all to see. Raven even brought it with her when the pair moved into their freshman dorm room despite some hesitance from Anya. When the couple moved into their first home together, she made Anya store it safely away in their attic so that one day, when it was time for their children to enjoy a prom of their own, Raven could proudly show them a little piece of their parents past.

[chaos-writing]

Writeblr Red Flags

The posts coming out about VioletVineyard really shows how quickly a good thing can turn sour. I joined it in January of this year because of all the good things I heard about it. It was suppose to be a small community that made it easier to give and receive feedback. Unfortunately, the behavior coming from Mina and many of her mods/friends quickly made it a toxic environment that people were too afraid to talk about and/or leave.

While there’s nothing that can be done about how VV was dealt with, I want to list some red flags that were noticed.  If another server begins to act in a similar manner, especially if you are a minor, please for your safety and health leave.

Focus on Experience

Mina was constantly using her age and position in life to put herself on a pedestal. She is a thirty year-old woman well into her career at an Ivy League school, and she made that clear on countless occasions. She had strict expectations on what people should do, even when those opinions were well outside her actual knowledge.

(I was going to link a post here, but unfortunately they had to delete their account. Apparently Mina and her friends are now going around threatening people, including minors, if they talk about what happened.)

Hero Worship

There was also a tendency to make the group seem more close-knit, in a way that put the members below Mina and the mods. We were the VV family. Mina was the Vodka Aunt. Mods called themselves Auntie [Name] and Mafia Mom (please note this is from memory, and I am not one hundred percent sure I am remembering the last name right). They were supposed to be looked up to, and for a server where the majority of members were minors or young adults, it was very easy for it to seem like Mina could do no wrong.

This attitude, as well as the way she acted, made it very easy for people to start defending her every action. While there are certainly better ways of describing it, there is a reason why people called VV a cult. You were not allowed to disagree with Mina, unless you wanted a dozen people to bombard you. Even when what she was doing was inappropriate.

Them/Us Attitude

This leads to the third flag. There were multiple times when Mina would complain about a person outside VV for what were usually very minor offenses.  I saw her get mad at people for tagging one of her posts the “wrong” way. At times it would even extend into her personal life. She once said that a coworker who had been rude to her had to have her hand amputated. Mina and multiple of the mods claimed it was karma. It was easy for her to encourage others to attack along with her and see nothing wrong with it. It was to the point that there was at least one conversation about why people didn’t like VV that basically concluded with them deciding they were just bad people and that the server was fine.

But if someone didn’t follow her rules, they were attacked. It was either always agree with Mina, or have to deal with the gang. Gingerly and Radley gave some examples of this here. And for anyone hearing about the art tracing/transphobia that occurred recently,  you can go here to see a screenshot of the post. (Unfortunately, this account was also deleted due to threats.)

It isn’t surprising why so many remained silent. There was one incident where I tried to speak out. Mina had a tendency to post longer posts, with a short paragraph at the end saying to like or interact with the post to join the tag list. It was not unusual for people to not see the notice, and then get confused about why they were being tagged. She mocked one such person’s reading comprehension for not understanding. And a few weeks later, she was mad at them again for changing their mind and wanting to be on the list after all. All of this happened without the person knowing they were being attacked on a server they weren’t even a part of.

Within a half hour of saying that wasn’t right, there were at least half a dozen mods pinging me. One just straight out starting swearing at me. I have a severe anxiety disorder so I quickly backed up after that, but was told that I was policing the chat and to message Mina if I wanted to talk more. Another server member noticed, and told me that this type of reaction was common, and that it would be a bad idea to try to continue the conversation. (I doubt that was the first warning she gave either.)

Hiding Information

Even when considering how poorly Mina and her friends would react to people speaking out about their actions, I feel like this is the strongest reason why they were able to pretend for as long as they did. Mina never would have dared to badmouth people on her Tumblr account the way she did in the server.

We were not allowed to screenshot anything, unless we were okay with being banned. The channel where most of these issues came up was regularly deleted, often after something controversial occurred. Anyone who tried to speak up was either pushed down quickly or forced to leave. And if they were no longer in the server, they were regularly belittled. They ridiculed a person named Sophia multiple times, but I still don’t know who she is or what she did.

Despite no longer having a Tumblr presence, they are still trying to threaten people into remaining silent. People shouldn’t have to be afraid of a grown woman threatening them over a post, especially when they are a minor. But if everyone has only a fraction of the information, it is easier for them to control how they are viewed.

[queerchoicesblog]

The Corpse Bride - A Sapphic Rewriting (2/2)

I cannot believe this is the only decent screenshot where both the ladies are present!

Anyway, here is the second and last part of my sapphic rewriting of Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride: it turned out a bit longer than I first thought but I hope you enjoy it!

If you do, please consider reblogging and/or spreading the word: it’s so hard being a writer on tumblr... 🙏

I also remind you the amazing fanart by @may12324​ (here & here) and the AO3 Sapphic Emily/Victoria fanfics.

Tagging @gay-fandom-menace​ for the last update!

________________________

As days passed, Emily went above and beyond to show her spouse the hidden beauty of the Land of the Dead and she eventually succeeded. Victoria looked less frightened of the residents living in the shadows and even accepted to attend the welcome party in her honour, where she apologised to the general for stealing his saber. It was almost as if she...forgot where she was or no longer cared about the oddity of the place, Emily noticed, looking her laughing at one of Bonejangles' mots d'esprit. She also realised that she enjoyed the time spent with her more than she could have foreseen. Victoria was always shy and almost regal in her poise but there were moments when Emily would say something funny and she would laugh, a hearty gracious laughter, covering her mouth with a hand. Or when she sighted contently petting a purring Miles. One day, returning from a walk up the hill, they found the pub deserted and decided to head inside. Emily produced herself in her best bartender impression that made her spouse giggle, and ventured behind the counter to fix herself a drink while her companion took a seat on a stool. "How many days have passed since I came here? It's so hard to have a perception of time down here..."

Emily turned, taking a sip of red wine. Victoria looked suddenly lost in her own thoughts. "I don't know, sweetheart...a week maybe? Why?" "Oh nothing" Victoria laughed weakly, shaking her head. "I was just wondering where Victor is now. If he's alright" "Who's Victor? Your brother?" the corpse bride asked, excited at the idea of learning more about her family. "Oh no! He's my fiancé...even if it sounds a bit weird calling him so, after meeting him the other day for the first time. I was looking for him in the woods when I stumbled into you" An unknown feeling spread a sudden cold inside Emily. She didn't know why but she felt suddenly less cheerful after that revelation. She heard herself asking Victoria to tell her more about him and that's how she learnt he was from a fish merchants family, the Van Dort - or the nouveaux riches as the Everglot called them with evident displeasure for their non-aristocratic roots-; his dark eyes and shy manners, his endearing clumsiness. He was also a formidable pianist, she added. "I can play the piano too! What music do you like?" Emily exclaimed, without thinking and taking Victoria's hands in hers. She guided her towards the instrument on the opposite side of the room and they both take a seat on the old dusty bench. Victoria giggled and threw her a curious look. "Something dreamy and nostalgic?" Emily asked, starting to play a solemn tune that caught her spouse's attention. Then, after a while and with a sudden yet gracious key change, she added, flashing a conspiratorial smile. "...or maybe something a bit more lively and cheerful?" When she started singing a popular ballad, Victoria gaped in surprise. Now she truly understood why her undead bride's fame was renewed for miles when she was alive: not only her features still bore traces of a rare beauty that surely won the hearts of hundreds suitors but also she had the voice of an angel. Her fingertips ran over the keyboard with confidence while her voice enchanted her with its supreme harmony. An angel of music, Victoria thought, contemplating her. Out of the blue, just before the grand finale, Emily's skeleton hand parted from the rest of her body and performed a joyous trill on the keyboard before running up Victoria's arm and shoulder. She was used to it going its own way from time to time but it kind of embarrassed her that it happened in front of her spouse. She giggled nervously. "Pardon my enthusiasm" To her great surprise, the Everglot girl wasn't horrified by what happened. She gave the hand an amused look and took her in her own. Then, she turned towards Emily and helped her placing it back at the end of her arm. The bride was about to mutter a thank you when she spoke. "I like your enthusiasm" When Emily met her gaze there was a new shade of red on the girl's cheeks and a bashful smile on her lips. The cold feeling that troubled her immediately vanished, replaced by a warmth that she hadn't felt since joining the Land of the Dead. Maybe in her whole life. Too soon Victoria diverted her dark eyes. "Why don't we play a duet?" Emily suggested. If possible, Miss Everglot blushed even more. "I don't play the piano" "Oh" Emily was genuinely surprised. "I'm sorry, I just thought-" "No, it's fine! It's just..." Victoria took a deep sigh. "Mother says music is improper for a young lady. Too passionate...so she never let me lay a finger on our piano" "Am I being...improper? My most sincere apologies, your ladyship" Victoria turned to see Emily offering a teasing smile. The grim mood caused by the mention of Mother instantly melted away and she found herself laughing. "Oh no, you played splendidly! It was truly lovely, Emily" Victoria said, serious again. "It's just Mother, she...well, I suppose you can say she never approves of anything" Emily nodded understandingly. A shadow crossed her face. "Do you think she would have approved of me? The two girls shared a long grim look, leaving the answer they both knew in their heart lingering in the air, unspoken. "You're lucky you'll never have to meet her" Victoria sighed, losing herself in her own thoughts and memories again. "The day I...found you and disappeared she came finding me before the rehearsals of the wedding. She only wanted to check if my corset was laced properly. And she made fun of my being a little nervous. She told me that it was nonsense because marriage is just a partnership, a little tit-for-tat" After a moment, she continued. "Since I was a child I've dreamt of my wedding day. I always hoped to find someone I was deeply in love with. Someone to spend the rest of my life with. Silly, isn't it?" The smile on her lips was so pained that Emily felt the irresistible urge to place a hand over hers. The sudden gesture surprised Victoria who blinked her bid dark eyes. "I am just the same" the bride whispered, softly. "And I can teach you how to play the piano, if you like? So that we can play duets, what do you say?" Victoria considered for a moment then the doleful look in her eyes left room to a tiny little sparkle and she nodded enthusiastically, like a little girl. Content, Emily scooted closer so that shoulders brushed against each other and gently placed her hands over hers. Now she felt it too, the sparkle that brightened Victoria's face. "Loosen up yours shoulder and press whatever button you like. That's it! Now another, and that black one too...see how they combine together?" The impromptu lesson kept going until someone cleared his throat. Emily turned to see an ancient skeleton standing on the threshold soon followed by Miles. "Elder Gutknecht, what a lovely surprise! And welcome back, Miles: enjoyed your galavanting?" She stood and guided Victoria towards the newcomer. "Dear Elder, have you met my wife?" the bride asked with cheerful pride. "This is Victoria of the Land of the Living. Victoria, this is Elder Gutknecht, the most ancient spirit in our midst and resident Sage: ask him anything, he knows it!" Victoria gave the skeleton a gracious curtsy. "Enchanted, Elder Gutknecht" "Ah, so this is the lucky one, huh, Emily?" the old Sage inquired, jostling a heavy-looking tome in his arms. "Delighted to make your acquaintance Miss-" "Victoria, Victoria Everglot" "Miss Victoria Everglot!" he flashed an unreadable smile before addressing the corpse bride. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you, Emily" "Sure, speak away" "In private, actually...if you don't mind" Emily looked a bit surprised but obliged. She placed one hand on her spouse's shoulder before taking her leave. "Keep familiarising yourself with the instrument, my darling. I'll be back before you know it. And Miles, be a good boy: do not jump on the keyboard!" That being said, after one last quick smile to both, she followed the Elder down in the cellar. She couldn't possibly understand what he wanted to discuss with her but she knew you never question a Sage. So she stood there, patiently waiting for he to talk. When they were alone, she perceived a sense of unease in the air. When he finally resolved himself to speak, Elder Gutknecht's face looked troubled. "I am afraid I am a messenger of grim news, my dear girl" "What grim news? I don't understand, Elder" Emily exclaimed, lost and a little anxious. The old skeleton took a deep sigh and continued. It seemed as if words costed him a great effort. "According to the vows you shared, your union is valid..." he briefly consulted the ancient tome in his hands. "'until death do you apart', isn't it?" "Yes, so what, Elder?" He closed the book and gave her a sad look. "Death has already parted you, dear Emily" It took a moment to the bride to process the meaning of his words: her mind resisted, refused to acknowledge it. She heard the words he said after while her heart ached in her chest: she was dead, Miss Everglot was living. The only way to make this marriage valid was asking Victoria to drink the "Wine of Ages", a poisoned goblet, so that she could join her in death. "No...no...there must be other ways!" Emily exclaimed, begged, walking frantically up and down. When the Elder grimly confirmed that no, sadly there was no other way, she stopped and gave him a long heartbroken look. "I could never ask her that...to give up her life for me. I...would never ask her that" she whispered, her voice cracking. Tears welled her eyes as she felt like she had lost Victoria for good. She turned and gave the Elder her shoulders, covering her face in a desperate attempt to protect her sorrow from his eyes. She had lost her love once again. "I'm sorry, may I interrupt?" She immediately followed the voice: Victoria was standing on the threshold, politely clearing her throat. She threw quick glances at both of them as a gaping Elder gestured to join them. "I'm sorry, I was just passing by and I overheard your conversation..." Emily felt another pang of sadness making her bones ache: what must Victoria think of her now? She must feel so betrayed and outraged... "Victoria, I am so incredibly sorry, please believe me I didn't know anything about this" she said, rushing to her side and placing a trembling hand on her cheek. She felt her knees getting far too weak when the Everglot girl looked at her with her big dark eyes. "But just know that I...I release you from those vows, I would never ask you-" To her surprise, she interrupted her. "I do believe you, Emily" she smiled weakly, taking her skeletal hand into hers. "And I appreciate what you said to the Elder here" The bride gave her a painful smile, caressing her cheek. "It's the least I could do after causing all this trouble, darl-" "But I'll do it" Emily froze. "What?" "I'll do it" Victoria repeated. "I'll drink the Wine of Ages and join you in death. I only have one last favour to ask" Her eyes wandered between the Elder and her spouse. "Can I go back...Upstairs before the wedding and the ritual?" The permission was given and she and Emily went back to the woods where they first met. It wasn't night yet but the moon already shone bright in the sky. Emily was mesmerised: she took a few steps and contemplate the big almost full moon for a while. "I've spent so long in the darkness, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful the moonlight is." she said at last, turning towards Victoria. She outstretched her arms and when the girl took her hands into hers, she guided her into a gracious slow dance around the woods. The Everglot girl had never seen someone dancing like her: it came so easy to her, as if every step, every move, every spin wasn't just sheer perfection but a second skin to her. She laughed softly when the bride ended the dance with a curtesy, rising her hand to her lips. "One day you'll have me to share some of your dancing teaching with me" "Anytime, sweetheart" "I'll go say my goodbyes now if you-" "Mais biensure, go ahead! I will wait for you here, in this gorgeous moonlight" Victoria flashed her a quick smile and was about to take her leave when Emily gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Victoria, just know that if you ever change your mind about the ritual, I...you can always say no, and I will never judge you or...seek vengeance because of that, you understand?" Victoria nodded, her slightly childish way of nodding. "I'll be back before you know it!" And she disappeared into the woods, headed towards the city. Emily's eyes followed her until she lost sight of her and sat on a fallen tree trunk, sighing contently. But there was no quiet time for her: her right eye started itching until it popped out into her lap to reveal...petty Waggot. "I've heard this already!" the creature muttered angrily. "And i know a lie when I hear it!" Emily rolled her left eye and retrieved the other. "Hello to you too, Waggot! I suggest you to calm down and relax: as much as I appreciate your concern, she will be back" "But of course" he signed, sardonic. "Oh hush you! If you have nothing nice to say, keep quiet and let me enjoy the moonlight for once" Waggot certainly knew how to be exasperating and he was certainly wrong, Emily thought. So she waited and waited until the unpleasant feeling of a deja bu started tormenting her from a corner of her mind. What if petty Waggot was right this time? Troubled and with a growing concern gnawing her, she headed towards the edge of the forest, looking for Victoria. She didn't have to search for long but the scene she found made her hide behind a tree. The girl was standing not far away, on the bridge by the river, but...she wasn't alone. She was hugging a boy around her age with dark hair and eyes that Emily immediately recognised as Victor. When the two parted and kept chatting, the bride rested her back against a tree to avoid getting caught. Emily didn't know what to think, what to make of it. The sudden violent pang of jealousy was soon replaced by a sense of emptiness and pain. What a fool she had been to think someone like Victoria could reciprocate her feelings for her...'Little Miss Living' as Waggot called her. How could she compared to Victor who was still breathing and had a beating heart in his chest just like Victoria? If she touched a burning candle, she would feel no pain, just like if you would cut her with a knife. She wouldn't burn nor bleed like them. Yet, even if her heart wasn't pumping blood in her veins, she could distinctly feel it aching and breaking at the sight of that embrace. With an excruciating urge of crying, she took another look from her hiding spot. This time she made out some words of their conversation. "Do you remember everything?" her spouse was saying. "Find Hildegarde, she knows what to do and-" "And meet you at the church, got it" "Excellent! And Victor..." she took his hand into hers. "You have no idea how important this is for me" "But are you sure? I mean, if you-" "I am, Victor. As I've never been before" Then, she looked over her shoulder and spotted Emily in the woods. Emily wanted to hide but the girl smiled and waved at her. To her surprise even the boy did so, looking terrified, his hand shaking. "I must go now but we have a deal, right? See you, Victor!" With one last hug to an astonished Victor, the Everglot girl joined Emily again and wrapped her arm around hers and walked back to the centre of the woods. She couldn't help but notice that the corpse bride was awfully quiet all the way down. The wedding was set for the following night. The announcement spread a contagious wave of excitement among the residents of the Land of the Dead: everyone wanted to contribute to the brides' special day. It had been long since they last attended a joyful event. So Bonejangles, self-elected best man for the ceremony, took the stage to rehearse his speech, the maitre head gave instructions to the imperturbable bartender while tailors ran up and downs the streets offering to fix the brides' dresses and bakers argued over how to bake the most decadent wedding cake. When time came, an overjoyed crowd marched towards the church, Elder Gutknecht walking upfront with the brides in tow. Needless to say, it was enough to make the old arrogant pastor ran away in his nightgown. Once inside, they took their seat, chatting excitedly. Emily threw Victoria a smile and noticed that her spouse looked nervous now, constantly checking over her shoulders. Her hear ached again. Everyone only went quiet when the Elder asked for silence. "Dearly beloved... and departed..." he started, rather proud of his role of officiant when the doors opened again and he rolled his eyes at the late guests. Emily turned, followed by the rest of the crowd, to see a boy and an old lady with tired, glassy eyes standing - and looking around trying and failing to suppress a shudder - at the end of the aisle. The boy was holding a pile of boxes that for a moment hid his face but no mistake: it was Victor. His eyes found the brides and he offered the best smile he could manage in the general surprise. "Sorry for the interruption, we-we are probably a bit late but we...we brought the dress" Emily, who was bracing herself for the last of another betrayal, couldn't believe her hears. She looked back at Victoria lost, confused. The girl only smiled, her jaw finally relaxing. She wasn't nervous because Victor was late to stop the ceremony and 'save her' but because...Victor was late with her dress? "I'm sorry I kept this from you, Emily...I hope you don't mind if I asked Victor and my maid to join us and bring me the wedding dress Ma ordered. They are the closest I have in this world to friends and the dress was already there so I thought..." she blushed imperceptibly, shrugging. "I thought that I'll only marry once, better do it properly, if you don't mind waiting a little longer" "Of course, dear" Emily whispered, touched, taking her hands into hers. As a lively chatting started again, Victoria headed to the adjacent room with the old lady, who pushed Victor out as soon as she grabbed the last box, eliciting a general round of laughter. Emily threw a sympathetic look to Victor, who was adjusting his tie in a desperate attempt to compose himself. He cleared his throat and asked who was the maid of honor. "Best man here, buddy!" Bonejangles waved from the first row. The Van Dort boy smiled quickly at Emily and approached him. He picked a wedding ring out of his pocket and handed it to him. He was about to leave when the skeleton grabbed his arm and pulled him into a half-hug, inviting to assist to the ceremony with all of them. Victoria's friends were their friends too, he said and the crowd murmured in approval. After what seemed like an eternity to Emily's sentimental heart, the doors of the adjacent room opened and the old woman appeared first, headed towards one the bench after an awkward curtsy. Then...she appeared, and it almost seemed to the corpse bride that her heart started beating again. It wasn't possible but the sight in front of her brought her an happiness so vivid she couldn't help but feel...alive again. The dress Mrs Everglot picked was quite simple and a bit old-fashioned, with little to no decors and high collar. It didn't enhance the beauty of her daughter but Emily thought that Victoria's grace needed no enhancement : she was a vision, walking solemnly back to the altar, a shy smile on her lips and a bouquet of violets in her hands. While the ceremony started at last and they began sharing their vows, Emily thought back at all the moments they shared together. The comforting warmth of Victoria's living body against hers when she fell asleep on her shoulders and the dimples on her cheeks when she laughed at a joke. The somber look in her eyes when she told her about her unhappy life with her family and the urgency she felt of holding her in her arms back then. Or their non-duet at the piano, their dance in the moonlight... So when time come and Victoria held and goblet of Wine of Ages and recited "Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine" She stopped her before she could bring the poison to her lips. "No" she cut her short. "But Emily..." Now Victoria was the one lost in the plot. Emily placed the goblet back on the altar and gave her a sad smile filled. "I was a girl like you once. Then life was taken from me. I love you, Victoria, and I will never do the same to you. I will never take your life. We only live once and you...deserve to live yours to the fullest" Out of the blue, the church doors slammed open again and a man the Everglot girl recognised as the mysterious man attending the rehearsals of her wedding as if he owned the whole place walked in. He looked straight at her with a charming yet vaguely menacing grin. He profused himself in a speech about how relieved he was to find her at last, she was sent to look for her by her family, devastated by her sudden disappearance. When he was close enough, he gallantly offered her a hand, asking to follow him. His courtesy didn't last long though: when Victoria, shocked by his complete disregard for the surroundings, refused, he grabbed her arm and made to pull her away. Murmurs raised from the audience and Victor raised to his feet. "Leave me! You have no right to come her and force me to follow you" Victoria protested, dropping her bouquet. "As a matter of fact, I do have, darling" he smirked, an ominous wolfish grin. "I humbly asked for your hand in marriage if I managed to find the lost girl, and guess what Mom and Dad said after that disastrous engagement? So that makes you my fiancée, dear Victoria" My fiancée...my fiancée... The world echoed in Emily's mind until a sudden memory hit her. The foggy night, the oak tree, the menacing gleam of the rapier. "Let her go now, you monster" she shouted, cold fury simmering in her bones. "Mind your business" he hissed back, pulling Victoria's arm again but Emily took hold of his own in a steely grip. "I say let her go now and get out" He met her gaze with his face distorted in anger. He didn't recognise her at first but when he did, his face tensed up in fear and horror as he back-pedalled, setting the Everglot girl free. "It can't be..." "My thoughts precisely...when you left me to die and ran away with my gold" Emily now advanced threateningly in his direction as a loud gasp resound through the curch. Fury and panic ruled his moves as he promptly unsheathed his rapier and thrusted it into the bride's ribcage only to find out that he had no luck this time. An ominous smile crossed her face as she dropped her own bouquet and exclaimed: "General? Your saber" "With great pleasure, Emily" Nobody knew whether the bride was skilled in sword fighting but the duel that followed was not for the faint of heart. Emily's stabs were raw, unrefined but her thirst for vengeance made up for it; also her previous knowledge of Lord Barkis came in handy as he wasn't to be trusted with a sword. He fought as a scoundrel now that he dropped the mask and scoundrels of his sort, with no honour nor empathy, never fight fairly. Panic and turmoil erupted among the guests. Suddenly, Victoria's voice resounded over the clashing of the swords. "Victor, run, go find the guards and expose Lord Barkis! And you, down there lock the doors!" The boy looked confused for a moment but recovered soon and sprinted away into the night while the bartender and another skeleton locked the doors behind him . Lord Barkis didn't even notice him, blocking another hit. "Expose me? And for what, milady?" he laughed, an hideous humourless laughter. "I am inclined to believe the guards will consider the accusations seriously once they find you armed on a crime scene" the Evetglot girl explained, quietly. "What crime scene? I am the one being attacked here!" "Get out, you monster, I said!" Emily roared. Then, a sudden collective gasp from the attending guests, drove the attention back to the other side of the aisle. Even the fighting stopped. Victoria was standing by the altar, steely determination in her gaze and the goblet in her right hand. Her gaze found the corpse bride again and she lifted her left hand. "With this hand, I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never be empty, for" she continued, raising the goblet. "I will be your wine." Emily cried out an impotent "no!" as the girl drowned the poisoned goblet in one huge gulp, wincing afterwards. The corpse bride dropped the saber, and held her dress as she ran as quickly as her feet could take her to the altar. Stubbornly, Victoris grabbed a candle and raise it but her hands started shaking, just like her voice. "With this candle, I will light ...your way...in...darkness." The candlestick fell to the marble ground just as Emily rushed to held her trembling figure and prevent her to fall too. Victoria was awfully pale and abandoned herself into her arms like a dead weight, unable to sustain herself anymore. Her breathing was feeble, a pained whisper when she continued. "With this...ring, I...ask you...to be...mine." Emily desperatly called her name but her eyes lost her usual gleam and the body in her arms became too cold and still for a living. The Wine of Ages truly was deadly. Overwhelmed by the heartbreak, Emily cradled the lifeless body tenderly while tears rimmed her face. Foolish, foolish Victoria. Her despair was met by a respectful silence, to honour her loss. Or so she thought until someone cleared their throat and offered placed a hand over her shoulder. "Emily, I think this is when the officiant says 'You may now kiss the bride'" a familiar voice said. Not just a familiar voice. Her voice. Emily opened her eyes and turned her head. Victoria - or her corpse - was standing at her side, smiling encouragely. Emily stood without hesitation as if drawn to her by an irresistible force. When they faced each other, she reached for her hands. "I thought I lost you" Victoria raised cold fingertips to her cheek. "You never will, my love" When they lips touched, a light so bright emanated from their embracing bodies, swallowing them completely till they disappeared into a shower of butterflies. What follows is matter of legends and stories told by the fireplace. After the wedding, the guards stormed into the now empty church only to find the corpse of Miss Everglot in a wedding dress and Lord Barkis on the verge on insanity. He claimed he was innocent but he sounded rather hysterical. According to the local chronicles, his arrest lead to an investigation that uncovered a series of murders of local wealthy heiresses in the villages he stopped by. Sentenced guilty and not sane in his head, he ended his days in an asylum, without a penny and forgotten by the world. As for the other characters of the story... Apparently, that eventful night the curse of the corpse bride was broken as she found the true love who set her free. Victor Van Dort left the village is search of better fortune as a pianist. The dawn of his departure, a pair of butterflies, a blue and a lilac one, graciously waltzed inside his room, flying around him; he likes to think they were the brides saying adieu and wishing him a bright new life. The woods are now less ominous: kids play by the river again and nobody fears venturing there, even after dark. However, some claims that the forest is still somehow haunted. The baker's son swears that if you go by the oak tree during full moon, you would see two female spirits dancing a waltz in the moonlight. They are not spooky: on the contrary, quite a joy for the eyes. And one of them looks just like Miss Victoria Everglot.

[rgbyshipper101]

Animaniacs Reboot episode 1 part 1

Jurassic Lark / Suspended Animation Part 1 / Of Mice and Memes / Suspended Animation Part 2

[Episodes are gonna be split so I can post screenshots. OG = Original (Animaniacs 1993)]

Variable Verse: Have no shamey!

Jurassic Lark

This is basically a recreation of a scene from Jurassic Park (1993) but using a Spielberg caricature and the Warners. A car pulls up with Dr. Ellie Sattler looking at an old Animaniacs animation cell (Wang?). The dinosaurs are the Warners. They are all talking about how they came back and what changed - Spielberg reanimated them. They mention they’re bringing back Pinky and The Brain. It then zooms in on the Water Tower to proceed with the theme song.

There’s not much to say since it’s just a rehash from a movie (story wise). But the fact that they did it was clever. It brings in old viewers, gives it a recognizable reference from that era, and talks about the show. It has a Hulu executive (voiced by Rob Paulson) talking about the show being a cash grab. Which it is. So at least they’re admitting it. Animation is pretty good. The Warners look like themselves in a modern setting with some minor changes such as Yakko’s hair tuft, Wakko’s hair tuft out of his hat instead of under, and fangs. They did a good job with them.

Well, pertaining to OG, it does parody a scene from a movie. So it’s in-character.

Here’s that animation cell. Nice to see OG in the modern world.

There has been negative response to the blatant acknowledgment of “We are gonna make a fortune off this show.” being in bad taste because of what’s happened behind-the-scenes.

Here’s the first instance of sibling “fighting.” So to speak. Or roughhousing. They never did this to each other off-handedly.

Animaniacs 2020 Theme Song

Up to “Pinky and The Brain want to rule the universe,” it’s the same as OG. Except the animation, obviously. The backgrounds are a little different and the animation is a little slower. There’s also no shading in a lot of scenes. That seems to be a problem in a lot of the episodes. Ralph replaces Scratchansniff. Since the cast got scrapped, they had to use new lines. They talk about new staff, “gender-balanced, pronoun neutral, and ethically diverse,” and how they started the meta thread. Then it ends the same way as OG with different visuals.

Honestly, it’s not bad. They admitted they did trace the first half. I like they got all the details right - for example the Warners reaction to being pushed off-screen. Dot’s cuteness gets replaced with wit. I wasn’t originally a fan of the cute trait, but they’re all witty. She needs a better line. I’ve heard some good ones such as fierce and charm. Manipulative sounds interesting. The yak is bigger and Yakko’s martini isn’t there (which I didn’t notice originally but now I’m like “wow, they actually put that? Both Warner bros drink.”). The tune is exactly the same as well. I also like how it contradicts itself in some parts such as “gender balanced” having the boys bringing the balance beam down (Dot’s mad as a result).

I honestly would rather have had them state where the Warners had been this whole time after the Pinky and The Brain line instead. They can showcase the progressiveness in episodes - which they have. But I would like an explanation of their exploits. All we got is that they “ran away.” Brain created cell phones/internet to pass the time. I can see the Warners utilizing it to the extent in which they’ve always done. But we get nothing. They’re not even in the water tower. But I guess that’s where “suspended animation” comes in. Or the fact that they rose from the dead (dead fandom/fan base?). I just like the idea that they were there/aware all along. And still living in the tower.

First look of Ralph along with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot doing to him as they did with Scratchansniff.

Here’s Dot’s change. “Dot has wit.” Usually the wit applies to Yakko. We need a better line.

A picture of the yak. Eating soup this time. Someone analyzed this scene between this and the original and how the OG does a better job showcasing the yak’s annoyance and reaction to Yakko. I have to agree that OG did it better.

Ah, new characters. Scratchy is here along with the new CEO next to him and Ralph next to her. I recognize a few others from episodes.

“Gender-balanced” The contradiction is a nice touch.

Graphic Novel Guy is the guy from the “Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation.” He also does a Comic Book Guy reference. Mr. Lul Head is Mr. Skullhead. Nice to see he’s doing okay.

[thisgirlsays22]

Teen Wolf S1 EP7 Part 2: Justice for Derek

Jackson and Lydia show up SO NOW WE HAVE ALMOST THE WHOLE CREW ASSEMBLED. 

Oh shit, and the Alpha too. I hope Derek shows up to save all their asses soon. I miss his gorgeous face. 

The teen pack try to barricade themselves in a classroom. No one will listen to Stiles as he tries to impart his wisdom on them. He finally gets their attention, and I’m charmed by this ragtag band of attractive, idiotic teens. Especially the scene where Scott and Jackson work together TO PUT PILES OF CHAIRS ON TOP OF THE DESK WHICH WILL SOMEHOW AFFORD THEM MORE PROTECTION? YOU FOOLS, I LOVE YOU. 

Sadly, Scott is shrouded in darkness in that screenshot, but if you squint you can see him on the left. Jackson’s face is priceless. 

Stiles is like guys there are a lot of windows here so your efforts to blockade the door are useless. 

Allison asks for some answers. Stiles reveals that somebody killed the janitor, which raises more questions than it answers. 

FOR NO FUCKING REASON SCOTT STARTS SAYING THAT IT’S DEREK HALE WHO IS TRYING TO ATTACK THEM AND WHO KILLED THE JANITOR??? WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK??? AND THEN HE PINS ALL THE OTHER DEATHS INCLUDING DEREK’S SISTER ON DEREK???? I’m sorry, but even if--no ESPECIALLY if--he thinks Derek is dead right now this is fucked up?? And makes no sense?? This is going to really hurt Derek’s reputation even more. How will this wayward band of teens ever trust him now when Scott is doing him dirty like this? 

Jackson is like YOUR DAD IS THE SHERIFF, STILES, MAYBE CALL HIM???? Lydia calls the cops, but they hang up on her because they were warned there would be prank calls coming from the high school. Um. I don’t think that’s how the police work. Like they get an anon tip that says ‘hey someone is gonna call you that there’s a robbery at burger king, but you should ignore it bc it’s not true’. You wouldn’t just be like ‘oh well if this anon caller says so guess we’ll ignore any calls for help.’ THIS IS SO DUMB IM LAUGHING SO HARD?? 

If they call again...the cops will have the call traced and have Lydia arrested. Allison wisely is like that’s great, definitely call them again so they come here. Stiles says that actually they’ll find out the call is coming from Lydia’s cell...but go to her house first? 

Stiles, just call your father directly? This isn’t actually an issue? 

Anyway, everyone demands answers about Derek that Scott doesn’t have because he’s a fucking liar WHO LIES. Stiles pulls Scott aside and has the audacity to praise him for throwing Derek under the bus?? 

NOT a good day for Sterek, guys. Well, except it helps with the whole enemies to friends to lovers build up that’s so hot, so okay. I just wish this made more sense? Like I know my attention span isn’t the best, but I’ve been pretty good with Teen Wolf, and I just don’t feel like Derek has done enough to warrant this. 

Jackson interrupts Scott and Stiles’s conversation about what the hell the Alpha wants with them and how Scott’s plan to throw Derek under the bus might not have been the best plan if it turns out Derek isn’t dead. He tells Stiles to call his dad directly (Jesus. About time. Jackson, I’m into you right now.) 

Stiles doesn’t want his dad to get hurt, so he refuses to call. This holds up for me since Stiles lost his mom and it makes sense he’d be super protective of his dad. But he caves after punching Jackson, and he gets his dad’s voicemail. 

The Alpha shows up. TIME TO FLEE! Scott asks how many people can fit in Jackson’s car. 

I’m really sad because I wanted the guys to grab Derek and get into Derek’s car and for Derek to wake up like WHY ARE YOU DRIVING MY CAR?? And for Scott and Stiles’s to apologize for besmirching his not-so-good name. 

The teens decide that they need to get to the roof (why the roof?? that seems like a terrible plan?? you will just get cornered worse there??). Scott will go retrieve the key on his own from the janitor’s dead body. 

Lydia notices that they’re in the chemistry room and they need to make a Molotov Cocktail. Lydia, I’m into you right now. 

Everyone on this show clearly agrees with me. 

Allison confronts Scott before he goes to get the key. She tells him he’s been lying all night (ma’am, you are correct. #JusticeForDerek). Jackson smirks to himself. 

90% of this episode is just people wandering around the dark corridors of the school. Scott wanders, armed with the molotov cocktail. I pray for Derek’s arrival. If he’s awake somehow, I bet he heard all the shit they were talking about him with his werehearing. I hope in revenge he spreads malicious rumors about Scott. 

Blood drips onto Scott. He looks up to see the Janitor’s body strung up somehow on the underside of the bleachers in the gym? I’m so confused. It’s all very dark. And how would the Alpha do this? When did he have time? Did he do this in were form or human form? The logistics of this make my head spin. 

Uh oh. Back in the chem class, Lydia exposits that the cocktail won’t ignite if there isn’t sulfuric acid in it. Jackson insists he handed Lydia everything she asked for. Unconvincingly, she says she’s sure he did. 

Scott faces off against the Alpha. The CGI is so delightfully bad. Scott throws the cocktail and nothing happens. The Alpha pounces and HOWLS, causing Jackson’s neck to freak out where he was scratched. It also causes Scott to wolf out. 

Stiles notices that something is on the back of Jackson’s neck. Jackson gets very cagey. 

Scott goes back to wandering the halls in the dark but this time as a wolf. Or like. Half wolf/half human, unlike the Alpha who is fully wolfed out? Scott thinks of Allison and uses his happy memories of her to un-wolf out. This all feels super time wastey and Derekless for my tastes. 

Cops arrive on the scene! The chem class crew is relieved! 

The cops can’t find the janitor’s body or Derek’s. Scott feels unbelieved. Maybe if you weren’t the teen wolf boy who cried wolf about Derek you would be believed, young man. 

Scott insists that the Alpha left them alive because he...wants him in his pack...and he thinks that first he has to get rid of his old pack...which consists of Allison/Jackson/Lydia/Stiles. Wha? None of this makes any sense. I mean he was already in the Alpha’s clutches...and the Alpha just howled? And none of these people are actually his pack? I mean MAYBE Stiles and Allison (except they’re humans? I don’t understand??) But Jackson would be the first to be like, “I am not in his pack, thank you, bye.” And why is this where Scott’s mind goes? And if that were the case why didn’t the Alpha kill them? Oh apparently it’s because...the Alpha wants Scott to kill them? This is so fucking nonsensical. 

Scott says the worst part is that when the Alpha made him shift he wanted to kill all of them. I mean, now it makes more sense why he jumped to that conclusion, and I feel like he should have led with that. 

WE STILL HAVE NO EYES ON DEREK THIS WHOLE EPISODE. I HAVE BEEN ROBBED. 

But we do find Deaton. He offers Scott a raise for helping him get free? 

Scott chases after Allison, and she gives him the cold shoulder. She can’t trust Scott anymore (???). Scott tries to placate her with an assurance that he will have a new phone tomorrow (lmao). She dumps his ass. That’s karma, Scott. 

[evakuality]

Let’s talk about David - again

This is part something-I’ve-lost-track-of of the posts I make whenever I get a fit of David adoration and decide to talk about his characterisation.  While I’m still not finished my David and Even comparison, and that’s the last time I really discussed him in any great detail, I’m actually really interested in what happens with his characterisation after s3 finishes.  So I’ll come back to that one and look now at what happens after the curtain falls there.

I feel like s3 has been analysed to death, and I will be discussing the end of it when I finish that David and Even thingie, and so I’m not going to go into it in huge detail, but I do want to mention the important ways in which David had developed by the end in order to discuss the rest of this effectively.  By episode 10, David is in a much happier place.  Gone is the closed off, shut down boy we met in episode one.  In his place is someone who can love and be loved publicly and happily (both at the apartment with Matteo and the boys and in the final scenes of the prank), someone who can show his more outgoing side, who enjoys dancing and teasing, who is friendly with pretty much everyone in the group.  He still has his more vulnerable side, when he is alone with Matteo and/or his sister and when things are difficult for him.  We see this in the moment when he’s discussing his future plans with Matteo, when he finds out he has to meet the teacher, when he’s on his way to the teacher etc.  This vulnerability isn’t something he’s lost totally; he’s stopped being quite so closed off when he feels uncomfortable, but it’s still not easy for him. Even with that said, it’s fairly clear that he’s in a much better place by the end of the season.  It’s really lovely to see, actually, what he’s really like when he feels comfortable and at ease in a situation.  

It was hard to find good pictures of it, but he goes from this at the start, wary, still aloof etc:

To this by the end of s3, open, genuinely happy, able to be more himself:

Then of course we have the Abiball episode, when he is again more comfortable and at home with this group of people.  Obviously we see how his dynamic with Matteo has changed.  If we compare this one, where he’s actively deploying a certain tactic to get Matteo to do what he wants, with the teasing from the Sunday of episode 10 we can trace the evolution of the way they are.  By episode 10 they’re in a space where they can laugh and tease and lovingly coerce each other to do things.  In that case, though, David is still mostly directing this stuff at himself; Matteo is the one who is mostly teasing David though it is certainly reciprocal in places (eg ‘not so shitty’).  By the Abiball episode, David has started to realise this is what he can do to motivate Matteo - his look before he says the whole ‘I always wanted to be the older, wiser person in a relationship’ speech is so considering that it’s possible it’s the first time he does it, or at least it’s early days.  There’s a bit of ‘hmmm okay my appeal in a genuine way didn’t work, what else can I do?’  I couldn’t get a good screenshot of it, but it’s this part here as he works to figure out what he can do to make this work:

Then there’s the way he acts when he realises it did have the desired effect: a small smile of satisfaction and then this moment where he schools his face again:

This combined with the way he also takes very good care to balance it with the whole ‘I’m excited about us’ parts as well, show that he’s still developing his comfort levels and figuring out how far he can push Matteo with his teasing/’encouragement’ (the answer is ‘very far’ but I don’t think he knows that yet, which is fine - relationships don’t happen overnight; they take time to figure out).  He’s genuine here, of course, but there are some interesting undertones in terms of how he’s feeling his way through the relationship.  That’s at least in part due to him still processing what has happened; no matter how amazing his relationship and how supportive his new friends, he has still gone through a huge amount in a short time.  

Of course, we then see him in various moments with the others where he is slotted together with them and much more part of the team.  Waiting for their various partners to do the oral exams, getting results etc - he’s part of the group and we can see that he has integrated quite effectively.  Kiki snatches his snacks as if he’s just one of the guys, he’s concerned enough about Jonas and Hanna to be the one to ask how he is etc etc.  They all sit together, he’s centered here, and they’re all mirroring each other (except Kiki but then she has her own extra worries here).  He’s part of this crowd in a very natural way even when Matteo isn’t there.

That plays out even more in the actual dance scenes as he works with Matteo to try to freeze down Stefan who appears to be condescending to Jonas, and so they both step in to try to ‘save’ Jonas from the situation.  Look at this teamwork in support of their friend, where he’s the one who slips in to ‘be there’ for Jonas while Matteo takes on Stefan:

The interesting thing here is that while he has fun and is at ease enough to play and fool around, that he does mostly stick to the people who he is most comfortable with: Matteo, Jonas, Leonie etc.  Most of the content from both the clip and the instagram stuff (from memory - I don’t have time to trawl through it all again and I probably did miss some even at the time because there was a lot) he seems a) to stick with Matteo a lot (understandable; this is after all still a very new relationship and that’s just what people do) and b) with the other people who either have been closer friends for longer and/or the ones who he has more connection to via Matteo.  He makes the rounds of course, as they all do, but there is a core of people who he seems more comfortable with and gravitates to more.  The thing is, while he’s a lot freer and more outgoing now than he has been, he hasn’t lost some of those defensive measures that have been with him for so long.  It’s worth noting that, while we do tend to focus on Matteo’s reaction to being crowned Abiball couple or whatever it is, we don’t tend to watch David's initial reaction:

He can’t believe he’s in that position, presumably because he’s had a lot of experience of being ostracized and treated badly and while he knows it’s not like that here, it’s still a shock to find out he’s genuinely included in this way.  This isn’t something he’s expecting.  Matteo is 100% convinced it’s David's fault for being so cool and amazing that everyone loves him, but it’s fairly obvious that David himself still doesn’t see himself this way.

The really interesting thing about all this is the way David changes after the road trip.  But this has got so long that I’m going to split it and do all the ‘actual’ s4 stuff in another post.  But the thing to remember (again because I’m too lazy to trawl through the whole trip again, this is all from memory), is that he spends weeks on end with his very new boyfriend when they barely had a plan and/or the resources they needed to go on that trip.  That sort of thing is going to either make or break a relationship and in this case it obviously made it; they are so obviously stronger and more resilient together once they get back than they were before they left.  Of course they were already in a very good place, but the thing is that you can’t spend that much time with someone and not speed up any development of the relationship and learn a lot about oneself and one’s own resilience.  So it makes a lot of sense to me that the David we see in s4 is a lot more at ease even than the one we saw in episode 10 and the Abiball episode.  But that’s for the next post to deal with.  

Onwards to it now

[thesoulspulse]

Regarding Valerie Gray (Upgraded Suit) Extra!

Oh man, these are such a small details but I really feel like it supports my earlier theory about how the upgraded battle suit and its powers were most likely influencing Valerie’s emotions without her ever realizing it. Basically I was watching the “Flirting With Disaster” episode again just to look back on her dating experience with Danny for reference in my fanfic “Turning Point” when I noticed a few things I missed last time. And sorry if I already touched on some of these points already, I just want to bring up a few again to help support my theory.

So first of all, when Technus gave Valerie the upgrade, he didn’t fire his ray at the suit, he aimed it at HER directly!

After that, while his power was affecting Valerie parts of that suit were drawn to her like a magnet just like when Technus creates robots and such to use against his enemies.

Either way, I’m sure this new suit is probably fused to her for good somehow (not unlike the ghost half a certain Danny Fenton we know) unless Technus finds some way to remove the “powers” he gave her. I really think that’s why later we see Valerie actually summon the suit and a couple of weapons out of seemingly nowhere unlike before when it formed around her body from the feet, wrists, and out of her backpack. When it was set up like that her dad could take the suit away, but that’s not really the case anymore...

Besides, I’m sure when Vlad designed it for her originally he made sure the suit was only be usable by Valerie in the unlikely event that someone came across it and attempted to steal his technology or trace it back to its source. That’s why I think even before this maybe the suit was genetically locked onto her DNA or something, who knows!

To end things off I want to bring up the major yet small detail I noticed when Valerie was flying back to Earth after Danny blew up the satellite Technus had taken over. For one thing, like I pointed out in my last theory post about how Valerie’s expression after getting the upgraded suit suddenly became much harsher, almost...vindictive.

Now that I’ve shown an example of her expression though its not as intense and when she’s fighting, I want you to take a look at this next screenshot:

See what I mean? As you can see Valerie at one point started to LITERALLY glow red with rage! That’s not normal! But while I still think it was just a mistake on the animators part when sometimes her old battle suit had a ghostly glow and sometimes it didn’t, THIS suit constantly has a normal white glow every time we see it before the show ended and this is the only time we see her with this red aura.

Warning, story spoilers below!

Again I know I’m over analyzing this since its a kids show and we’re not meant to look at things so closely, but its fun because in a fanfiction I can take these facts or details I notice and expand on them or add my own lore/mechanics to them. I’m really looking forward to writing about Valerie re-examining herself and her role as a ghost hunter more closely now that she knows the truth about Vlad Masters and Danny after the events of my last fanfic “Nowhere To Run.”

Besides, even in the original show Valerie really is such an amazing character and her development is really interesting to watch despite how we never got to see how she used her newfound knowledge about Vlad being Plasmius against him. Especially when she was starting to get a little too good at her ghost hunting job. So yeah, that’s about it and if I notice any other small details I missed I’ll be sure to share them so cya next time!

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Story Links:

Nowhere To Run: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12861681/1/Nowhere-To-Run Nowhere To Run (Convalescence ~ Oneshot): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13581224/1/Nowhere-To-Run-Convalescence Turning Point (Nowhere To Run ~ Sequel): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13603725/1/Turning-Point

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Previous Theories and Character Analysis:

Regarding Valerie Gray Part 1: https://thesoulspulse.tumblr.com/post/182793166843/regarding-valerie-gray-part-1

Regarding Valerie Gray Part 2: https://thesoulspulse.tumblr.com/post/184601779523/regarding-valerie-gray-part-2

Regarding Valerie Gray (Alternate Future): https://thesoulspulse.tumblr.com/post/184609973443/regarding-valerie-gray-alternate-future

Regarding Valerie Gray (Upgraded Suit) and Dani Phantom Part 2: https://thesoulspulse.tumblr.com/post/619579596736806912/regarding-valerie-gray-upgraded-suit-and-dani