#the funny thing is that my ‘cartoon character outfit’ is usually something along the lines of a black t shirt and green pants

[ukulelekatie]

I’m usually not one to worry about repeating outfits because that’s what washing machines are for but lately I’ve been seeing different combinations of the same friend group fairly often and it’s getting really hard to not keep showing up to all these events looking like a cartoon character who only has one signature outfit

[shirophantomvox]

Analyzing Killua Zoldyck's Character

Illumi Analysis| Hisoka Analysis| Chrollo Anaysis|

What’s up y’all?! I’ve had at least 2 cups of coffee this morning and I am ready to write my butt off! This post will be about Killua Zoldyck, my second favorite character and you will know why by the end. If you’d like me to write about your favorite character, Be sure to send me a message and I will get on it ASAP.

Here we go!

I saw Killua for the first time on Tumblr. Someone created various icons for several anime characters and edited them. They were all aesthetically pleasing but for some reason, his picture stood out. Now that I look harder, it is because he was holding a Pepsi can instead of the off-brand one they drew for him in the cartoon. I noticed everyone on TikTok and Twitter had the very same icon as their profile picture (usually those that like to troll and say racist things to others). Once I started watching Hunter x Hunter, I realized the character immediately. Thank you for your edits!

Killua Zoldyck is the youngest child in the family and is the only child that developed a mind for his own.

Instead of taking the pleasure of killing, he runs/avoids and achieves this by becoming friends with Gon. It’s interesting to think that no one in the Zoldyck family wants to kill for fun except for Illumi.

I remember Zeno telling Chrollo: “Do you think I enjoy killing?”.

This makes me think that the family’s job is to destroy enemies that are a threat to society. Are the Zoldyck’s taking on the role of cops or an extension of such? If that statement is true why does Illumi take pleasure in abusing his power when his own grandfather only does it when criminals are involved? Granted, Silva and Zeno’s reasoning for brutally fighting criminals isn’t legal, and (to me) are considered to be vigilantes, at least they don’t go around doing the horrible things like how Illumi and Hisoka do.

This very reason why Killua ran away from home. He decided to rebel against his mother and implied: “Fuck you. I’m going to do what I want.” Killua and his siblings are victims of child abuse and show that they deal with that abuse in different ways. Killua masks his abilities in public and tries to keep them under control, Kalluto seems to be very quiet and obedient, Milluki is just as abusive as Illumi, and we already know about Illumi. Milluki is physically abusive; this can be seen when he is whipping Killua for running away and threatens to destroy Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio while Illumi plays mind games on Killua and uses his Nen to do the trick.

Killua’s character is very special and in a way takes the lead as the main character instead of Gon. I don’t know if that was intentional or not. Killua is a 12-year-old boy who leaves home to escape his abusive home and see the world for his own. During phase 1 of Hunter’s Exam, he instantly clicks with Gon; probably because he’s the only 12-year-old there. They constantly challenge each other to see who will win and who will buy dinner or some other reward. Because of his abusive home, Killua often masks his feelings. This is noticeable every time Gon talks about him being his best friend and he always reacts as if he’s embarrassed by it.

Gon is his shield from going bat-shit crazy like his family. They both have faced opponents (like Hisoka and others) where Killua could have unleashed his assassin abilities but didn’t. Yes, some of the opponents are stronger than him, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Killua is the best friend Gon could ever have. Since he knows about aura and any supernatural abilities, this is why he stops Gon and even insults him for pushing himself too far. Killua stopped Gon from using too much aura in the past especially once Kite’s arm was cut off by Pitou. Because Killua wasn’t there to stop him when fighting Pitou, this resulted in Gon’s downfall. Did Killua believe it was his fault that Gon almost died? He isn’t responsible for Gon’s actions but he focused so much on running away from his “demons” and masking his temper by maintaining his friendship that he wasn’t paying attention to Gon’s noticeable and developing temper.

Killua Zoldyck is a child that suffered from abuse and to escape that reality, he runs away, takes Hunter’s Exam only to match with his brother, chooses defeat, and then kills an opponent, not of his own free will.

But wait, there’s more.

After being rescued from his prison of a home, he goes to Heaven’s Arena, met Zushi and his teacher, develop Nen, follows the Phantom Troupe around and somehow managed to survive that, meet Bisky, join a game to get closer to Ging, witnesses Gon disappearing, trying to form a relationship with Alluka, and then tries to heal Gon with a quickness.

Whew, chile!

At the beginning of the show, it appeared as if Killua was taking on too much and only did so to keep his mind off what he escaped from.

One thing to point out is Killua’s motivation to heal Gon no matter what. It is implied that he doesn’t care what will happen to him or anyone else as long as Gon can live again.

Wait.

Isn’t that along the lines of what Gon said about getting revenge for Kite? He didn’t care about what happened to him? Hmmmm. I guess they’re very similar after all!

Killua and Gon are BFFs and will do anything for each other. Friendships in real life should be this way; let’s follow his fictional example.

Face

Killua’s face is the typical shape for someone his age. His eyes are wide, as blue as the morning sky, and honestly, I wish he’d smile more. Even though he is 12 years old, he still has a babyface.

Hair

Killua’s hair color is very similar to Princess Allura’s and Lotor’s. According to verywellmind.com, the color white represents innocence and purity. Ironically, Lotor and Killua are the opposite of that while Allura has maintained her innocence. Killua’s unique hair color and hairstyle are amazing! I love how it stays in shape while he is fighting or running.

Clothes

Regarding clothes, he is JUST like his brother. Again, Illumi irks me, but they both have a great taste in fashion. Through the show, Killua changes his clothes more than Gon, which is funny. I guess if Gon changed his clothes too much it would take away from his character. Killua’s default style contains a sleeveless white shirt with a purple one underneath, basketball shorts, and gym shoes. Just look at these outfit changes! This is why Killua is my 2nd favorite character in this show.

Behavior

As stated before, Killua cares more about others. This is ironic because the Zoldyck family only cares about themselves or their family while Killua feels the complete opposite. It’s almost as if he trusts strangers more than his own family. A common phrase: “She/He turned to the streets” that I’ve heard in my hometown can be applied here. Killua probably hates his family and turned to strangers to find love and comfort since they neglected that. He is also the only one that tries to develop a relationship with Alluka. At first, I thought “Wow he’s only developing a relationship with her to heal Gon” but then I realized it was bigger than that. Alluka has been separated from her family because of her dangerous abilities. She will demand something and if that person doesn’t fulfill her demands, they will suffer horribly. Killua learns that Alluka has a healing ability and while Illumi complains that Killua was hiding rules from him, he never took the chance to talk to him about it and continued to threaten Alluka. The family “banished” her to a confined room for who knows how long because, apparently, she had been possessed by a demon from the Dark Continent and they do not know when it happened. Despite knowing that Killua could parish with the rest, he still develops a relationship with her. He is the true example of excepting someone for who they are. As far as I’m concerned, running away was the best decision he made. It saved his life and in return, he’s going to save another. I do find it ironic that something considered to be so dark has the power to bring something back to life when usually it’s something bright like a light...interesting. You all know what I’m saying. Most television shows only portray angles to heal others while demons only seek to destroy. The Zoldyck family is wrong for pushing Alluka away. How could you do that to your own kid? Shit, you should be blaming yourself for not watching her and allowing the demon to posses her.

In conclusion, Killua is my second favorite character. He is bold, loves his friends, and isn’t afraid (anymore) to step up to people he may not win against. His character has blossomed from a young boy afraid to step up to his brother to a boy who isn’t afraid to do so. He has learned about Nen and has gone through many trials and tribulations just to say he is much stronger than before. What characters would you like to hear about next? Send me a DM!

Fin.

[frederator-studios]

Bird Banfe: The Frederator Interview

You might be surprised, talking to people in the animation industry, at how rare it is to encounter a still-kicking passion for cartoons. Bird Banfe is, to borrow Drake’s term, a real one. A recent SCAD Grad with mad Storyboarding skills, a deep investment in Scooby Doo and a penchant for pink, Bird's enthusiasm for her craft emanates from her, an enlightened power not unlike those of the magical girls she grew up idolizing. Hearing Costume Quest’s Production Coordinator speak with conviction, knowledge and love for the shows that shaped her, and those she now helps shape, it’s abundantly clear that her passion is an unstoppable force, and when it comes to Bird’s dreams, my sense is that it’s never been a question of ‘whether’—simply one of ‘when’.

How did you break into the animation industry?

I got the chance to intern at Nickelodeon during my last year at SCAD, on Spongebob. Totally by accident!

Cool! How does one “accidentally” become a Nicktern?

The Dean of our school was PO’d because Nick representatives were visiting campus, but it was finals and nobody knew, so people weren’t showing up. My friend who worked in the animation building called me up and was like, “Hey, there are Nick people here doing general interviews. Come do one!”

So you bailed on whatever you were doing and went?

Yeah! I had like 30 minutes to throw on an outfit, a little makeup. I thought it went awful. Which is how you can expect an interview to go, with no preparation and barely any clue what it’s for. I didn’t hear anything for a couple months, so I figured, eh, good learning experience. Then on the last day of school, I got a call at like 9pm from an unknown number, and didn’t pick up. They left a voicemail - and it was my interviewer! She said she had something to tell me. I was like, “What?! It’s been two months! This could still be a thing?!”

And on the last day of school!

The last day of school - period. I was driving home to New Jersey the next day. No job lined up, flipping out. We got in touch, I waited a bit more, then I got a call from the Spongebob team. From a Skype interview with them, I got the job.

What were your responsibilities on Spongebob?

The same as a PA. Handling files for artists, organizing things, picking up tasks to help the production along. On Spongebob specifically, I did a lot of archiving backgrounds. The show has these beautiful, physical painted backgrounds. Handling those was probably the coolest part of the job. It got really weird sometimes. It’d be like, “Here is the interior of Patrick’s mouth and it’s really gross.” And I’d have to search around to label it, because they go into Patrick’s mouth in like 3 different episodes.

Wow, so you became the in-house expert on Patrick Star mouth shots.

It was a lot of fun! I learned a lot about how animation works. In art school, they don't teach you anything about production. I didn't know what to expect, or really what was expected of me! I'm good at organizing, I know Photoshop, and I work really hard. Those things carried me through the internship.

Backing way up - when did you know you wanted to work in animation?

A lot later than most people would say. I wasn’t drawing on the walls when I was two. I was drawing! But about as much as any kid would. I wanted to be a Veterinarian for most of my life. In sophomore year of high school though, I realized I have a lot of story ideas, and original characters - all the stuff that kids who really like anime would have. And I knew I’d go insane if I didn’t have a creative job. That decided it for me. Not, “I really want to do this!” more, “I can’t imagine a world where I’m satisfied with a different career”.

So as a junior and senior, you geared yourself toward animation?

Yeah - my Uncle was working in visual effects, mainly for superhero movies, so I knew someone ‘who does that’. I knew it was an option, not an intangible dream. I was in art classes throughout high school, because they were fun. But then I started going to an art studio after school to take animation, painting, and life drawing classes - the last of which was a big shock to me.

Oh, wow - you did all the right things!

When you know people who do it, they’ll tell you! “Go take your life drawing classes—there are no other kids in high school drawing naked people, you’ve gotta do it”. I got advice from a lot of people and followed it the best I could. I applied to a bunch of art schools for animation, though none in California. Not even CalArts - wasn’t even a blip on the radar (off my surprise) It was too far for my family! We picked Savannah, and I’m really glad. I had a great time at SCAD.

What did you like best about animation at SCAD?

It was a good fit for my personality. I was very much the go-getter in college - you know, a try-hard. And the school has a ton of great resources if you want to put in the work. SCAD is set up in a way where if you take advantage of everything that’s there, and are willing to work, you'll prosper.

Going into animation, did you have a focus in mind? 

I knew from my animation classes in high school on that I wanted to storyboard. I figured that out quickly, mostly because my teacher steered me toward it. He was like, “You’re good at this. You need to keep doing it.” I was like “Okay, will do.” (laughs) I think every role in animation is interesting, and I’m not too picky. I’m sorta glad somebody made that decision for me!

Are you now looking for avenues into storyboarding from production?

Definitely, but I’ve loved my time in production. I can’t see myself doing it forever, but, remember I said I was a big go-getter in college? I pushed myself really hard. I don’t want to say I burned out, but... I wanted time for myself. To learn how to be an adult, do things like cook for myself. Working in production has given me time to breathe and figure out what I value in the industry. 

For example - I was accustomed to that air of, “Oh, you want to be on a show with clout, a show that people know”. I realized on Spongebob how little that really means. Tell anybody in the industry you’re on Spongebob and they’ll go, “That’s cool” and maybe mention their friend on the show. It wasn’t ‘celebrity status’, you know? Maybe to my Grandma, but not to people here. I’ve come to see it’s much more important to find a team that really works with you, and Costume Quest was that team for me.

Did being part of a great team help you shelve the art anxieties?

Oh yeah. When I first started in production, part of me was like, “You need to get into art, now. You need to be doing this, this, and THIS you should have done yesterday!” Tons of pressure. But on Costume Quest, I realized, “These are really great people. I like being around them, I like coming to work every day. I don't want to leave.” So I decided I'd do everything I could with this show and this team. And that’s been very fulfilling. Not in a way that I expected—but in a way where I’ve learned about what I need in a workplace.

What’s your Big Goal in animation, if you have one now?

I always feel embarrassed saying this, because I'm just starting out. But I have lofty goals of being a Creator. I just want to make something that’s important to young girls growing up. Thinking about the things that were important to me as a little girl, I want to foster that.

What kinds of Things?

Magical girl shows (laughs). Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Cardcaptor Sakura. The very ridiculous, very pink, frilly stories, where the message is usually “Love is the most powerful thing in the universe”. But I think those stories are really important! Empathy is important to teach people, and cartoons do that, today more so than ever. Plus, kindness is actually what kids want: when we tested our show, we got feedback that the kids didn’t like it when our characters were mean. When I was growing up, there weren’t as many US shows that talked about interpersonal dynamics, or hit on the empathy theme: “people are different from you, that’s why they behave differently.” That’s probably why anime was so fundamental to me then. Spongebob wasn’t talking about things that felt important to me at that age, but Naruto was. I’ve always been attracted to stories about people learning what it means to grow up and make the world a better place, and where the characters are fun to watch doing that. Costume Quest definitely is that, to me. I just really like all the characters.

Who are your favorite of the characters? Which ones do you identify with?

I definitely identify with Wren the most—which is not something I should admit to. Very much the stubborn, rough-and-tumble personality. I look at her and go, “Yup, that’s me as a kid.” My favorite character is Rudy, which is really weird. It’s that crazy YouTube-popstar personality - the one associated with “YouTube celebrity” which I just find hilarious. And I love Reynold. I like the dynamic between him and Wren the best.

Do you have a favorite episode of Costume Quest?

My favorites are always the Reynold ones, because they have so much heart. You really feel for the kid. He goes through a lot, and he cares a lot; there’s just no way you can’t. I’ll say “Scout’s Honor”. Of all the episodes we’ve done, that’s probably the one that puts a smile on my face the most. The board artists and writers packed a lot of funny stuff in there, and I love singing along with it.

What have you liked best about working on Costume Quest?

The people, first of all. And it’s just a good show. I live for those moments where I can watch something then go to my friend later and be like, “Remember that part?” and crack up about it. Costume Quest is a lot of that for me.

Anything you’d like future fans of the show to know?

Keep an eye out for a little clown doll. We got a haunted doll last summer, off eBay. His name is Little Richie and he moves around the office. It's so funny. It was actually Julian (interviewed here!) who decided to start hiding him in some of the backgrounds. So he’s now a fun little Easter egg - or a continuity error,  depending on the sense of humor of whoever you ask. It’s been so fun having him crop up all over the office. In the freezer, behind a plant. Suspended from the ceiling.

What are your favorite cartoons?

I love love love loved Scooby Doo as a kid. I still do. I love those ridiculous straight-to-video WWE crossovers. They are my guilty pleasure in every sense of the word. So bonkers. There’s John Cena standing next to Daphne. It's great. I was Scooby for Halloween for 5 years. I was obsessed, but not for any reason that I can parse today as an adult. I think I just like dogs. I really liked Chowder. That show, especially that style, stood out to me when I was deciding to pursue animation. Same with Flapjack, a similar vein of style and humor. And with both, it’s these lead characters who are just sweet kids, nothing but nice. Courage the Cowardly Dog I loved, even though I was the most easily scared kid in the world. You might think, “Oh, Scooby-Doo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, you must like scary things.” Not at all. I was deeply afraid. I just loved dogs that much. PowerPuff Girls was huge for me. These days, I have to keep up with every episode drop of Steven Universe or risk getting it spoiled. Star Versus and OK KO! are great too, and Ducktales I really enjoy putting on.

What are you working on now? Do you feel pretty motivated to go do your personal work after the work-day? 

My portfolio. And it’s hard. It’s really hard. It took time, but I’ve come to terms with that. You can’t burn yourself out. You have to put body first and figure out the balance you need in life, in order to be happy. I’m also the type that works a lot better in an office setting. So I’m prone to coming into the office at a weird time, if I actually want to get something done. At home, I never get anything done. Unless it’s Sunday. Sunday is my work day. Saturday’s my sleep day.

Bird is now Production Coordinator on Final Space. Follow her on Twitter. Costume Quest will premiere in 2019 on Amazon Prime Video - keep an eye out!

Thank you for the interview Bird! And for helping make Costume Quest the extraordinary show that it is <3

- Cooper ❀

[fuckress]

I dare you to answer every single question in the "weird asks that say a lot" (tho you can decline the dare, or just answer one you really wanna answer)

me? declining a dare?? HELL NO! So buckle up, this is a long one!

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?–> coffee mugs

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?–> hmmmmm… chocolate bars.

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?–> neither really… there aren’t many stores where I can buy cotton candy just like that. So I guess bubblegum.

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?–> quiet, reserved, smart. I think that’s about it.

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?–> actually cans. But I’ll settle for bottles if I can’t get cans

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?–> hm… a mix between tomboy, sportswear and formal.

7. earbuds or headphones?–> both. earbuds while on my phone and headphones while on my computer.

8. movies or tv shows?–> tv shows. Keeps me occupied for longer and I don’t have to pay attention too much.

9. favorite smell in the summer?–> that fresh breeze when at sea or ocean. Or, the smell before a thunder storm.

10. game you were best at in p.e.?–> dodgeball, along with basketball and volleyball. which doesn’t mean I’m any good at either, those were just the ones I didn’t suck as much lol

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?–> usually, I skip breakfast and have lunch. But if I want something, it’s usually a sandwich with either avocado, fish or something else.

12. name of your favorite playlist?–> uhh.. don’t really have one.

13. lanyard or key ring?–> both ^^ key ring to keep all keys i need together and a lanyard to lock them to my pants or something.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?–> popcorn. I’m not entirely sure tbh, I’m simply eating popcorn now so that’s why it came to my mind lol

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?–> ooh, good question. hm… catcher in the rye is up there… life of pie too… killing mr griffin…. hm. most books from my english classes it seems. the german ones sucked.

16. most comfortable position to sit in?–> sitting on one leg with the other angled. it’s kinda hard to explain, I guess.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?–> gray sneakers

18. ideal weather?–> sunshine, not too warm (maybe around 25°C), with a little breeze.

19. sleeping position?–> any position and every position

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?–> either computer or mobile phone

21. obsession from childhood?–> hm. I guess drawing might be one. Other than that, I don’t think I have an obsession from back then. Maybe anime and cartoons in general, but nothing specific.

22. role model?–> don’t have one

23. strange habits?–> can’t think of anything right now..

24. favorite crystal?–> opal

25. first song you remember hearing?–> I don’t know the song titles of those, sadly. I do remember the ketchup song

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?–> either taking a walk or sleeping in the sunshine. Not really much interested in activities.

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?–> sleeping..

28. five songs to describe you?–> Alone in the room by asking alexandria, haze by tessa violet, choke by i don’t know how but they found me (the vibe of the song, not much of the lyrics), bones by emily finchum, dreamin by the score

29. best way to bond with you?–> oh, there are many ways tbh. either ask me about my obsessions and if they are similar to yours, let’s talk about those for hours. or just show up and talk bullshit, I’m always up for bullshit. or let’s rant about stuff that we both hate. just. yeah. I’m really not that hard to please, if you don’t treat me like shit, we’re good.

30. places that you find sacred?–> nothing comes to mind tbh. that doesn’t mean i don’t think places shouldn’t be treated without respect.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?–> jeans, sneakers, black tanktop and a blazer. or hoodie. things I’d usually wear as well. best to kick ass and take names while wearing what you like most, right?

32. top five favorite vines?–> “two bros, chilling in a hot tub, five feet apart cause they’re not gay.”“Say Colorado!” “I’M A GIRAFFE”“THIS BITCH EMPTY! YEET!”“Shit, duck!” “Oh, cause of the duck is it?” *gets hit by a flying duck*“Cabbage, cabbage, cabbage. LETTUCE, LETTUCE, LETTUCE!”

33. most used phrase in your phone?–> yaaaaaaf, yaaaaaaaas, rip, mood, aaaaaaaaaaargh, wtf, eyyyyyyyyyyyyy, oooh, fuck, ehehehehehehe (usually after a dirty joke), yay~, yehi wasn’t able to just pick one

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?–> none. thank goodness

35. average time you fall asleep?–> maybe.. 30min?

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?–> oooh boy, I don’t remember.

37. suitcase or duffel bag?–> suitcase. They’re easier to handle

38. lemonade or tea?–> tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?–> neither.. I don’t really like cakes or pies

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?–> there was a warning of a school shooting due to some internet posts. Nothing happened at our school, but people were scared. Other than that, constant firealarms due to bullshit reasons like cooking or dust. And being late for school due to flooding and casually walking in to class with zero fucks left to give.

41. last person you texted?–> a friend who sent me a cute pic.

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?–> BOTH AND BIG ENOUGH TO FIT MY PHONE IN PLEASE

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?–> Hoodie and leather jacket.

44. favorite scent for soap?–> something fresh like lemon grass or so. Or some herbs. Nothing too sweet and no nuts

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?–> I like a lot of superhero stuff, but fantasy is up there too.

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?–> I’ll sleep in literally anything, depending on how tired and lazy I am to change.

47. favorite type of cheese?–> none

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?–> a pomegranate i think

49. what saying or quote do you live by?–> none really. More like a motto. Be the best you can be and enjoy yourself as much as possible.

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?–> pfft. tons of things. i can’t possibly pinpoint one

51. current stresses?–> New job starting soon where I’m not really sure how well I’ll be able to handle it, sleep scedule is fucked, being on my own entirely with no friends nearby.. ah well.

52. favorite font?–> don’t have one

53. what is the current state of your hands?–> slight lingering pain, a bit cold, no injuries

54. what did you learn from your first job?–> my first ever job was as a waitress/barkeeper at age 14 or something. What I learned there… some people expect too much of you without helping you. And it’s ok to go away from a bad envirenment. Your own well being is most important.

55. favorite fairy tale?–> It’s either the tale of Icarus or the tale of Kunegunda. Those are actually the first ones I ever heard.

56. favorite tradition?–> hm.. don’t have one

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?–> School, College, emotional breakdowns

58. four talents you’re proud of having?–> drawing, being able to view at problems rationally and finding solutions, reading people I know, my bullshit kind of humor

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?–> Let’s get this fucking party started!

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?–> slice of life. They’re the most wholesome with weird and funny friendship moments

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?–> The risk I took was calculated, but damn, am I bad at math.

62. seven characters you relate to?–> I’m too lazy to think of seven, so have one: Killua from Hunter x Hunter

63. five songs that would play in your club?–> see number 28.

64. favorite website from your childhood?–> YouTube. Well, not really childhood, but early teenage years.

65. any permanent scars?–> I have one on my forhead from an accident when I was a kid. Don’t know if other scars are permanent.

66. favorite flower(s)?–> forget-me-nots

67. good luck charms?–> a d20 dice

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?–> hm… I think I surpressed any bad memory like that. Can’t remember

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?–> brown eyes can be changed permanently blue due to some genes and pigments being linked together

70. left or right handed?–> I’m right handed

71. least favorite pattern?–> anything with huge contrasts and tons of messy lines. hurts my eyes and brain

72. worst subject?–> history. Never was good at remembering dates and years and that shit.

73. favorite weird flavor combo?–> I… don’t have any..

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?–> a 6, usually. Except if i need to do stuff or I’m trying to sleep. then a 4.

75. when did you lose your first tooth?–> I think, around the age of 9..

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?–> chips

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?–> a succulent always grew really well with me. Or cacti.

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?–> Never had coffee at a gas station. I did have sushi from the grocery story, but they were never any good.

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?–> driver’s licence photo

80. earth tones or jewel tones?–> jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?–> wait… wat

82. pc or console?–> PC. Never had a console

83. writing or drawing?–> drawing

84. podcasts or talk radio?–> podcasts

84. barbie or polly pocket?–> I had both growing up. As a kid, barbie. later on, polly pocket.

85. fairy tales or mythology?–> why not both.

86. cookies or cupcakes?–> cookies

87. your greatest fear?–> complete darkness

88. your greatest wish?–> to manage well enough not to have to worry about anything

89. who would you put before everyone else?–> parents i guess

90. luckiest mistake?–> I bet there were so fucking many but I can’t remember right now

91. boxes or bags?–> depends. boxes for organizing stuff at home, bags for shopping and gathering things like bottles or clothes

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?–> lamps and overhead lights

93. nicknames?–> Chan

94. favorite season?–> fall

95. favorite app on your phone?–> telegram, messaging my friends and all

96. desktop background?–> a picture I made a while ago I called galaxy marbles

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?–> around 4 or so

98. favorite historical era?–> don’t have one, the all sucked

there. I did it. holy shit that was a lot.

[dcarevu]

Christmas With The Joker

“It’s not relentlessly cheerful, is it?”

So, only one episode in, and they do a Christmas special. One episode into this series that they wanted to be dark, serious, and adult…and they do a Christmas special. A Batman. Christmas. Special. Huh. Well, it is becoming that time of year. So let’s sleigh right into: Christmas With The Joker

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

Villain: The Joker Robin: Yes Writer: Eddie Gorodetsky Director: Kent Butterworth Animator: Akom Airdate: November 13, 1992 Episode Grade: B  This episode holds the distinction of being the very first episode of Batman The Animated Series I ever saw. I had seen Mask Of The Phantasm prior (which was a glorious place to start), and eventually Warner Brothers started releasing these Batman TAS VHS tapes each featuring a particular villain. My mom bought me one featuring the Joker, which included this episode, along with The Laughing Fish. I picked it out specifically because of the screenshot of the Joker wrapped up in his straightjacket shown on the back, and I assumed this was from his origin episode. I didn’t get an origin episode, but I did get a Christmas special that I now watch every single year. I absolutely love it. 

 I’ve always been someone that enjoys the darker side of Christmas. Carol Of the Bells. A Christmas Carol. That one Twilight Zone episode featuring a drunk Santa Claus that ends up making Christmas magical for everyone. It’s funny, because despite this, I very much enjoy the more innocent side of Halloween (think of cute Beistle die cuts or Scooby Doo). This episode fits right into this archetype, and maybe that is why I love it so much. Of course, this isn’t the only reason. We also get the first appearance of the Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill (yes, that Mark Hamill), and overall a very entertaining episode, Christmas concept aside.

So it’s Christmas Eve, and Dick Grayson (Robin) is home for the holidays. All he wants to do is spend the night relaxing to Christmas dinner and It’s a Wonderful Life, but Bruce isn’t about to let up his night watch just because of the following day. He just knows that something will happen, and right as he finally gives in to Robin’s movie request, we see that the Joker has somehow interrupted pretty much every channel broadcast, and is airing a Christmas special all his own. Featuring a kidnapped Commissioner Gordon, Detective Bullock, and Summer Gleeson, a news reporter (I had no idea it was her before reading it on the DCAU wiki. Kinda cool that it’s not simply some unnamed character!). Batman, aware of the Joker’s love of destructive games sets out with Robin to find his broadcast, and put an end to the Christmas Eve havoc. Throughout the episode he gets sidetracked by an exploding train track (done by the Joker of course), a barrage of cannonballs being fired straight into the city (done by, again, the Joker), and a barrage of Christmas-themed dangers at an abandoned toy factory. At the end of the episode, with the Joker found, and the kidnapped three dangling above a vat of acid, the Joker has Batman open up a special present addressed specifically for him (complete with bat wrapping paper). “Don’t do it, Batman!” shouts Robin, but Batman knows that it’s the only way to save the three and Gotham City as a whole. What’s inside? A pie in the face, what else? Immediately afterward, although Joker tries to run, he slips on a roller skate and nearly falls into the acid himself…but is caught by Batman on the way down. Everyone is saved, and the two heroes even get to finally watch their Christmas special in peace.

Let’s talk about the two big things with this episode: Robin and the Joker. The idea of using an older Robin was obviously a way to bring some realism to the character, and to not ruin the tone that they were going for. Robin is historically kind of a goofy character, and was meant to be a role model for the kiddies. Wanting to avoid specifically kid elements in their show, they used a college-aged Robin. I think it works sometimes, and not so much at other times. It is a little weird seeing such an old character wearing the Robin outfit, but they also made an effort to tone down the silliness of it a little bit. Thank god we didn’t get those little elf shoes and those freshly-waxed legs. While Robin’s usefulness varies throughout the show, I think in this episode they work pretty well together, and for an episode like this, it gives Batman someone to talk to, and introduces some comic relief. Hearing Batman referred to as a Scrooge and seeing him bag on Robin’s choice of movies is pretty funny, and I feel like these two have similar exchanges about Christmas as a lot of us do in real life. The action scenes with Robin were also pretty good, and I never really felt like either of them had nothing to do/were a damsel in distress. That’s the one thing about Robin that bugs me sometimes, and it wasn’t until much later when they got consistently good at having more than one superhero on screen at once, balancing everything out. I will admit, some of it did get a little too corny for my liking…particularly the way Batman would bark things like, “Easy, Robin!” But it also reminded me a little bit of the Adam West show in a charming way that I accept much more with a Christmas episode. So take these comments how you take them. 

 And the Joker? Fantastic debut. He’s funny. He’s menacing. He’s batshit insane. He’s charismatic. He’s everything a classic, definitive Joker should be. I love Heath as much as anyone else, but being a great Joker vs being a definitive Joker are two different things. I wouldn’t get rid of either of them, and I think they both perfectly represent the type of character they are meant to be. I think the Joker changed a lot throughout this show. He giggles unlike later in the series here, and he’s clearly mentally unstable in a different, albeit very fun way. But then there are moments like where he laughs in someone’s face because he knows that her mother is on a train that is headed straight for a blown up bridge. He’s that character that you love to hate, and as much as you want Batman to sock each and every one of those yellow teeth out of his mouth, you also can’t help but root for him to keep getting away just so that you get more of him. It is kinda weird for me picturing this episode’s version of the Joker with Harley, and Harley Quinn may be the main reason why the Joker’s personality changed a little bit and got a hair more serious. In this episode he’s like, well, a cartoon character. More than usual. He has a stylized personality as much as he has a stylized look.

When I mentioned earlier that this episode fits alongside a lot of the darker aspects of Christmas, to clarify a little bit more, it’s not just because you have a psychotic killing clown and a scary guy dressed as a bat. It also has the vintage aspect to it. You have the “dark deco” 30′s aesthetic already in place. Then you add the vintage-looking wintery landscape...the Nutcracker music...and even the dark, snowy city that almost makes me think of Victorian England. I think all of this creates the old-timey Christmas feel without shoving religious morals, or Santa Claus, or greedy marketing down our throats. It succeeds in being a Christmas special almost exclusively through vibes, and mention of it being the holiday. Okay, and Robin’s green and red pajamas are pretty festive as well. The DCAU would do a couple more Christmas episodes later, another one of them being Batman, and while this one is also great, it communicates Christmas in a vastly different way than this one, a way which is much more modern. Both can be great, but this is the Batman Christmas special I will come back to year after year.

 As far as my girlfriend Char’s impressions, she really liked this episode too. As someone who has never seen a single episode of the DCAU before this blog, she said that she expected and was hoping for Harley Quinn, but wasn’t necessarily disappointed that she didn’t show up. Picturing a world of Batman TAS before Harley’s existence is something that I feel like we all sorta gloss over since it’s almost like she’s always existed. And while the show got better with her first appearance, I’m glad that they could do a solid Joker beforehand. Char loved the Joker’s representation, and was surprisingly very much in line with what she expected from the character. She said that he was very creepy, but in a very entertaining way. She also noted his design, particularly his color pallet (wait till she sees TNBA). Some more comments about Harley Quinn were made, and she’s scared for Harley after seeing what a maniac the Joker is. She ships Harley and Poison Ivy, something that I see a lot. I don’t necessarily disagree 100%, but, well, we’ll save a lot of that conversation for later. 

 An older Robin was something that Char was really into, and I got the impression that she never really cared for the super young Robin, as, well, yeah, it is kinda strange. Back when the character was introduced, maybe not so much, nut nowadays? Yeah. What the hell, Batman. Also, Loren Lester provides a voice that she always sorta pictures with the character, and again, she noted how definitive everything seemed. 

 Some other stray observations she made: She agreed with me on some of Batman’s lines being corny, but she also found them a little bit creepy.It was a unique Christmas special. Batman and Robin sorta feel like father and son, but only sorta. This is something the show will get into much more as we go on. She thought the Joker would make a hilarious game show host if he weren’t, well, evil. She noted how shitty the star on the tree at the very beginning was. Apparently Arkham Asylum needs a better interior decorator. And lastly, she loved the ending. As do I. It’s so unsettling, yet so perfect. Better than what I expected when I saw the screenshot on the back of the VHS as a kid. Char’s grade: B

Major Firsts: The Joker, Robin, Summer Gleeson, Arkham Asylum, Xmas episode, we see the Batmobile has a TV, a musical number (The Joker sings) Next time: Nothing To Fear

[unproduciblesmackdown]

there was an ask list but instead of reblogging it im just doing the thing where i answer it all and put it here under a readmore

what mythical creature do you wish actually existed? idk i like griffins but i feel like thats boring b/c they dont like have any Powers...

soundcloud or vinyls? i dont rly use either lol

what book does everyone right now need to read? whatever they want i have no huge recs. i like the ashbury high / brookfield series & thats kinda unknown but thats it

do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets? its not much of a thrill...i guess im neutral but it has to fit me for starters

what was the best thing that happened to you this month? i donno. watched some stuff, had ppl compliment me

what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself? i periodically tell myself to care less about various shit

would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests? i guess the sky....clouds are nice. the ocean is full of heinous shit and the abyss. the forest can be kinda iffy too and also cut down

would you kiss the last person you kissed again? i havent kissed anybody romantically* so its not really an issue for me

do you plan your outfits? rarely

how do you feel right now? eh theres the usual undercurrents of misery and frustration but that’s just bg noise most of the time. im alright i suppose

what’s the last dream you remember having? well i was having trouble driving, which is a frequent dream, because it was a bus, which is an unusual detail. i think we were trying to take a roadtrip to a beach in another country, which is a thing that happens in my dreams lately. but then i suddenly found out i was in a play that was in like rehearsal/performance stages already, which is also common. my role was to act like i was real gay for some other guy character. i was like lol no prob

what are you craving right now? im usually a bit hungry i guess

turn ons/offs? i like people who can go along with a joke i suppose and who seem interested in other people and what they have to say. too many things repel me from other ppl to list

when was the last time you cried? why? i’ll cry super easily if im just imagining some sad concept

did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize? there’s some contenders there smh...but no

do you bite or lick your ice cream? lick....

favorite movie ever? i dont have one

do you like yourself? yeah im alright enough

have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity? not like an a-lister no

how many countries have you visited? just the one ive always been in

have you ever been in a castle? no

what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done? i dont think anything too special. got in front of a car w someone but it was moving slow. proceeded w my stage entrance anyways even when a curtain cue got effed up & led the Improvisation of working around it, but that was dance so nobody had any lines to change

what’s on your mind right now? hoping it tstorms really dramatically later

what’s your zodiac sign? gay

name 5 facts about yourself. my eyes are blue, my pupils dont dilate evenly coz one is a bit less dilatable, im horribly nearsighted, i can cross one eye, i have sort of a unibrow

do you believe in karma? i dont believe in not karma

ever been in love? not romantically*

whom do you admire and why? a lot of activists, im interested in activism and volunteering but have rarely been able to actually be involved in things

what was your favorite bedtime story as a child? man i dont remember having bedtime stories, i dont think i did that much after learning to read myself. i read “pat the bunny” a lot for my little brother, that one was his fave

did you make someone laugh today? i dont think so

do you believe in ghosts? ive always liked hearing about ghost shit, i am not inclined to think that everyone who says theyve had Ghost Encounters is lying, i know ppl personally who have stories who i dont think are lying and it would be presumptuous to say like “well but they probably didnt REALLY x y or z,” and yet still i am always skeptical abt the whole thing. i am agnostic abt everything ever re afterlife stuff, but again—if we’re in a horror movie haunted house situation and shits going down, im going to assume ghosts and everything ive heard about them is true and act accordingly until we’re out of there, Greg The Adamant Disbeliever can have fun dying. and catch me not messing around w ouija boards or any of that shit either...im good.

if you could go back in time which time period would you visit? visit....damn i dunno.

would you want to live forever? why/why not? i mean if other ppl are doing it to then it might be fine. but like me specifically as things are now living forever, im not much interested. someone else can have my immortality

what makes you sad? shit like, life man

was today typical? why/why not? yeah i didnt do anything interesting

who do you trust the most? i dont particularly distrust anyone but i dont really have anything i’d need to trust anyone over

what did you have for breakfast today? i didnt

do you have any regrets looking back in your life? not really

what’s your favorite fictional universe? i dont have one

favorite tv show? i dont have one

share a favorite quote. i have some but i’ll never be able to think of one on the spot

what does your ideal day look like? ahh idk. doing something fun while being around other people

do you have any hobbies? i guess drawing / writing count. theres other things but i dont do them regularly / recently

share a small random book passage that means something to you. dont have one

what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared? theres not really anything like that

do you usually date people your age or older/younger? neither

who means the world to you? why? any cat ive ever met b/c theyre angels

best books you’ve ever read? i guess i can plug the ashbury/brookfield books again

who is your favorite cartoon character? i gotta say lars dont i

coffee or tea? tea

would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved? loved but like by multiple ppl right? gimme that magnitude in Widely rather than Intensely

are you a dog or a cat person? i feel like only dog ppl consider this to be a real Binary

what is your biggest addiction? biting my lip endlessly lol

do you ever think about the galaxy? sure

what’s your favorite color? blue

do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not? nah...my sibs and i are like friendly acquaintances i guess. thatll be an abusive household i guess

are you a morning or a night person? night

have you ever dealt with a mental illness? I Guess

how would your friends describe you? uhhhh people say im funny sometimes

do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert? bit of both

what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do? i dont think i have any secrets there

describe yourself in 3 words. extremes, thoughtful, Gay

best memory as a child? idk i always liked swimming and going to pools / waterparks

what is your eye and hair color? blue / brown, respectively.

do you like crystals? theyre cool

if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? imperialism banned

what’s your hogwarts house? idk slytherin hufflepuff or smthing

biggest pet peeve? theres many..

would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet? well first i need the mythical best friend group but also can we be doing something more fun than a cocktail party

share a secret. I’ve Pooped Outside

would you rather live longer or happier? this might only be a difficult choice if it was live shorter or happier

who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? why? nobody coz idk

do you wear glasses? yes

forest or river? forest

do you like exercise? its alright i dont like just straightup running though

do you like poetry? it depends on who the poet is. cishet white dudes shouldnt be allowed, for starters

any special talent that you have? i’m good at telling if lines are parallel lol

[fly-pow-bye]

Ducktales 2017 - “Daytrip of Doom!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow, Rachel Vine, Matt Youngberg

Written by: Rachel Vine

Storyboards by: Emmy Cicierega, Ben Holm, Jason Reicher

Directed by: Dana Terrace

Imported guitar games!

We start off the cold open of the first regular episode with Scrooge McDuck waking up, not really minding that Huey, Dewie and Louie are playing with foam dart guns. He even helps Dewey out by telling him not to shout when he's aiming at something, possibly training him for future missions. Mrs. Beakley doesn't exactly agree, as she alone has to prevent anything from getting broken.

Eventually, we get to see the far more adventurous and Mabel Pines-like Webby, doing what she does. Webby takes this game far more seriously, using grappling hooks, night-vision goggles, and even sets up a trap for Dewey and Louie to fall into. This contrast between the Webby and the boys sets up the main premise of the A plot.

After Scrooge McDuck finally draws the line at Donald Duck bathing in his washroom, Scrooge McDuck starts a family meeting to lay down two rules. 1. His space is his space, and 2. Refer to Mrs. Beakley for any other rules. While he had some character development with the nephews, he's still just as selfish as ever. He doesn't appear for most of this episode, giving more of the spotlight to the nephews and granddaughter.

This is not to say it's only the nephews and the granddaughter. Mrs. Beakley continues the meeting by flipping the blackboard to reveal a complicated diagram of rules. Much to Donald's chagrin, one of them is that nobody is above them, not even Donald, and he's not very happy about that. They get into a fight, telling the kids to leave. This sets up the B plot of Mrs. Beakley and Donald Duck not really getting along.

After they're forced to leave for what is probably not a kissing session, as they assumed. Webby wants to play more games, but the boys suggest a nap instead. Louie gives a better plan: going to Funso's Funzone! Dewey decides to invite Webby, because she's been sheltered all her life. Webby leaves to get her stuff by climbing up the wall. Whimsy!

Webby brings the usual kids stuff: grapping hooks, night vision goggles, the same kind of things she used in the foam dart scene. She tells herself that she's going to play it cool. She is not going to play it cool. From this scene, one can guess where this is going. She's going to be awkward, she's going to ruin the day somehow, the boys will shun her, and she's probably going to use these items to help the boys defeat whatever evil is going to capture them later in the episode.

While Webby gets super excited, we take a slight detour to the B plot, where Mrs. Beakley confronts Donald over him hooking up too many things and literally just holding a running water hose. There isn't much to say about these scenes. The episode just stops to show Donald Duck failing to get power. I've watched this episode a lot; I don't really remember what was funny about these scenes. For the record, Scrooge is nonexistent in this episode beyond the first scene, though he seems to be on Donald Duck’s side by virtue of not really caring. That's not necessarily a bad thing; he didn't need to be in this episode.

Webby gets to go on a bus for the first time in her life. Huey tries to prepare her, among other things, not to lick anything. Let's see how that works out!

Not well. She couldn't even follow the "no licking anything" rule, though thankfully on a pole. Apparently, she was so annoying, even the boys get thrown out, even though they didn't do anything. They seem fine with it, seemingly giving her quite a few chances. However, they have to walk through a seedy part of the neighborhood to get to their destination. Where people write "flatulence" on the wall, ducks play hopscotch on crime scene chalk outlines...

...and, of course, where three of the Beagle Boys are mugging some poor bird and stealing his truck. If you're familiar with the original show, they certainly have more distinct designs. One of the major differences is that Burger, the fat one that loved to eat in the original cartoon, is now a skinny guy who only speaks in grunts. It looks like they just took his admittedly "not cool nowadays" personality away, but maybe it'll get better in future episodes.

After the commercial break, they're finally at Funso's Funworld, and this episode turns out to be a "kids visit the Chuck E Cheese clone" episode. Each of the nephews seem to have their own way of having fun. By each of them, I mean just Louie and Dewey.

Louie takes her to the Pizza Pier, and he continues to be the sleaziest of the three. He clearly knows everyone in the pier, and is able to talk his way into free tokens and free drinks. Specifically, asking for water cups, and getting fruit punch. Webby is horrified, but Louie asks her to try the same thing.

Of course, her lack of social skills and inability to lie, outright telling the server what she intends to do with the water cup, only ends up getting the manager, who happens to be a pig, to kick both of them out. There is a really good joke that really plays into Webby's new character that is really subtle, but it's mostly just the expected scene otherwise.

Meanwhile, the Beagle Boys are. A man in a Funso costume tells them that no adults can come in unless they're accompanied by a minor. Big Time points backwards, and we see Bouncer in an ill-fitting outfit and holding a lollipop.

Now, how is this any different from those awful drag jokes in certain lesser cartoons? First, it's not a drag joke. The joke isn't just "look at this wacky villain in a costume", they play up now nobody would actually buy this. He actually says that line. An actual joke, if simple.

Speaking of simple jokes. Dewey introduces Webby to Uke or Puke, an obvious Guitar Hero parody. The joke is vomit.

Dewey: Behold! The best game ever created! Japanese import, there’s only one in the U.S., and I have the top ten scores...so I’m pretty much the best in the country.

Oh, so it's a GuitarFreaks parody! Despite never playing a video game before, she easily gets the hang of it. Yeah, that's definitely not accurate to real life, especially with those Japanese rhythm games. In fact, considering arcades nowadays, especially considering Chuck E Cheese, I'm surprised tickets never get involved.

We never get to see if Dewey's high scores get beaten by the utter magic of Webby, because this is all interrupted by Big Time and Bouncer in the Funso costume they stole by force in the previous scene. It ends as soon as it begins, as Webby instinctively hits the person sneaking up on her with the fake ukelele. Unforunately, not only do people see her as beating up Funso, he happens to land in a way that unhooks the game, getting rid of all the high scores.

As said before, they don't really think of a thing she could do to ruin Huey's enjoyment, so he just joins in to show that they aren't really that mad, subverting our expectations. Of course, this doesn't last long, as an acccident involving a deep part of a ball pit and the grappling hook causes Webby to accidently cause a fire. Even the boys get banned from Funso's, even if only one of them actually did anything wrong.

As for that prediction, while the boys never shun her directly, they sure think it loudly. Thankfully, as the manager calls Funso to take them away, it turns out Funso is still the Beagle Boys in disguise. Tying them up with rope, something proven on this very blog to keep superheroes from escaping, Big Shot has them call...

Ma Beagle, their boss. One of the main aspects of Ma Beagle is that Big Shot really wants her to give him praise, but Ma Beagle just isn't having it. He tells Ma Beagle all about his plan to kidnap the McDuck Brats, and have Burger throw a ransom note at Donald Duck, letting the B plot converge into the A plot for the benefit of the episode.

While the Beagle Boys are different from the original, they're still not too bright, as Ma Beagle tells them they just painted a giant target on themselves. Not only could Scrooge McDuck come in and give some a whollop rather than dollars, but possibly Mrs. Beakley as well! They don't get into too much detail, but the fact that the maid has a reputation says a lot about her.

Sure enough, Mrs. Beakley and Donald confront the Beagle Boys, and everyone's preparing for Mrs. Beakley to finally show what she'll do in an adventure situation. Unforunately, we're just going to have to wait.

Instead, it's Donald Duck that takes him down with his trademark outburst. The disappointment is most replaced by knowing how Donald Duck probably took care of things back when he was adventuring with Scrooge and Della. As for the other two, and how the nephews and Webby get out of their situation, I like being more vague when it comes to shows I actually enjoy, so I'll just spoil at least one things: Webby at least knows how to get out of rope, which was made believable by her previous actions.

Needless to say, I was mostly correct about my initial assumption, as Webby learns it's okay to be the odd one even if it caused them to be banned from a place they really loved. They seem to be okay with it, so everything turned out alright.

While this episode does a good job in building up Mrs. Beakley as this amazing person, both in how the Beagle Boys and Ma Beagle talk about her and a little joke in the end, we never actually see her do anything beyond her keeping the house safe from the nephew’s dart gun game in the beginning.

Teasing things that may happen in future episodes is happening a lot with this show, and it will happen in the next episode as well. Clearly, they want to be watching. I want to watch these potential episodes, so...mission accomplished?

How does it stack up?

Obviously, this wasn’t going to be as epic as the special that started this show. There’s still some good jokes, and one of my worries, that Webby would become this invincible can't-do-anything-wrong-unlike-those-icky-boys character in an effort to try to make her not as unmemorable as the original Webby, didn’t entirely come true. On the other hand, while not everything has to be a part of a major plotline, this is a cartoon after all, most of this episode felt like a throwaway.

According to Comcast, this episode was meant to be episode 3. Having seen The Great Dime Chase so I can have some sort of comparison for my ratings, I can probably see why they decided to swap the two. Not that this episode is bad, far from it, but let's just say, the next episode will have more of a bang than this one.

Honestly, this is the most skippable episode I've seen of the show so far, even if it's still entertaining. In the Fly Pow Bye economy, with its show-specific bell curves, Neutral Nephews are worth a little more than a Happy Buttercup.

Next, let's get to the chase!

← Woo-oo! 🦆 The Great Dime Chase! →

[kurtty-drabbles]

Nightcreeper Yandere AU: the start

N/A: Meh, just want to write this instead of watching the game.Is just how I vision those two to meet.

@djinmer4

The New Gotham has a rich history among the US either good or bad is up to debate, but, one thing is for sure the Gotham News is one of most historic buildings that still works, each day, each reporter brings a news to its citizen as a sacred duty.

However, Gotham is deadly and many buildings, despite its importance have been destroyed (by the heroes or villains) so, in order to preserve the Gotham News, J. J. James decided to get an insurance from the best insurance corporation Gotham has, Hartz, and it should be an easy cake, but Gotham is never easy.

"Big open windows? Perfect for villains to enter the building, tsk tsk" A woman with a bright pink(and tight) skirt, a white blouse and a brooch and a big clipboard and a professional face on her smile. Her brown doe eyes are focused on the papers, and her chestnut hair tightly locks on a bun.  

J. J. James with a cigar on his mouth is silent, maybe regretting the decision to call Hartz or maybe regretting his life´s choice. The current chef of Gotham news is along with one of the best reporters, shareholders and one of the big names are in one room seeing a tiny worker of Hartz.

"Look, Miss Pryde" J.J. James tries to explain himself but is ignored altogether.

"Hum, and what you would do if Columbina or Green witch decided to attack the building?" she said writing on the clipboard and the others just gasp loudly, everyone but one reporter.

"Columbina? that pretty thing?" Kurt Ryder asked with his eyes focused on the petite woman at the centre of the room, as a ringleader giving instructions to the others, the woman didn´t bulge or halt her actions.

"Columbina as that dangerous and smart? Yes, of course, but you are right, she is pretty" she said still writing on her paper" A famous reporter as yourself should know about this"

"Duly noted, Miss Pryde" the German accent did little to hide the small giggles coming from his mouth, Vera Sweet who was sitting next to him just rolls her eyes.

"Ignored the kraut, Columbina and the Green Witch is not to joke around, we just hope they never decided to attack us," Vera Sweet told Kitty as a good student answering to her teacher.

"Of course, they wouldn´t attack us...they like when we publish articles about them, so why they would attack us?" Kurt Ryder explained with a smile ignoring Vera Sweet´s antics, still focused on the small(ringleader) woman in front of him.

"Still is good to remember they can kick ass, Mr Ryder, and this will increase in the insurance" she now looks at J.J. James sharply and the man gulps " after all, we do take insurance policy seriously, many people in the past have committed fraud, right Mr James" the woman said cooly and the man gulp once again.

Kurt Ryder´s eyes are completely on her form.

"Very well, but ...is this going to take long?" said nervous and Kitty just smiles.

"I´ll have to make an inspection of the building before to do the budget,"  Kitty explained" by the way, you also need to beware of the Nightcreeper"

Many reactions come from each member in the room.

"He is real?!"

"OH, NO, everyone but him"

"You know the Nightcreeper?" Is Kurt only question to the lady."Beware of the Nightcreeper I like the sound of that" flashing a grin the man would continue to talk but Vera Sweet promptly shut him up as the lady really has no time for such questions.

"Yep, I do know him, saw him in my line of work, funny fellow, that creeper" she jokes then makes a startling sound and moves her attention to Mr James " Oh, he too can destroy that place, the insurance here is not going to be cheap, but is worth to keep such building and its people, of course, save, right, James?" The man didn´t dare to say anything, every time he complains or try to lower the price things ended up badly for him.

"So, it all, for now, folks," Kitty said and leaves the room without any ceremony, the others are discussing the wackos of that city, Kurt Ryder for his part is truly fascinated in today´s events.

Some time went by and Columbina couldn´t hide in her office forever, is always fun walk around and see what this city can throw at her. Tonight is just her, Lorna said she has to finish her report("or else...i´ll lose my job or something like that") the shops on Gotham looks very unprotected.

Her black and white outfits along with the ace symbol of her face still give the impression that she is a character out of Wonderland, one of the cards that follow the queen. The big hammer she carries breaks the illusion in one second.

Especially the jewellery ones, Kitty knows thanks to her line of work, that those are fakes(no one would put real diamonds in a display like that even if Gotham was the safest city ever) but they are very tempting and Kitty wonders, even if for just a moment.

"Ah, Liebling, Stehlen ist falsch," a voice followed by a maniac laughter make itself know and Kitty, with her weapon of choice, is ready to fight.

"Show yourself, stranger...and speak a language I can understand"

"Sorry, I got carry away, "and in a brimstone smoke Nightcreeper is finally in front of the petite woman, Kitty did use her hammer but nothing happened. This only makes him giggles" You´re funny, I like that, but you shouldn´t think of steal, besides, I thought everyone in Hartz received an extremely good salary"

"W-what?"

"You are Kitty Pryde, the famous Columbina, and I´m so glad to finally meet you...in person"

"You are?"

"Ja, I´m...I like people who enjoy Cartoons" Nightcreeper said and Kitty blinks.

"This is so rare, people usually say the opposite, but hey, creepy...you won´t take me to jail"

"Who says I want to arrest you?" now he says a bit more seductive and coming closer to her " I want to know you, Columbina, is a shame we never interacted in the past and I want to change that"

The Gotham´s Newspaper has a real hot topic to talk about, Nightcreeper and Columbina met and painted the city in red, no, literally in red. Last night was the night to reference Alice in Wonderland for those two.

[miggy0913-blog]

When I was a kid - Dragon Ball Z

 I think the first official Anime that I watched was Dragon Ball Z while it was airing on Cartoon Network. I started watching the TV show when I was 6 years old. Back then I used to go to a private school during the afternoons. So every Monday through Friday I would be in school from 12 pm to 7 pm. Now the funny thing about that was because I got home from school so late and I had a bed time of 9 pm I had very little time to do anything after I got home. Normally my nights would consist of getting home, having dinner and getting ready for bed. Homework and school projects were usually done on the weekends or early mornings before I went to school. However, I distinctly remember always staying up a little bit later than usual on Wednesday nights because that's when the next Dragon Ball Z episode usually aired. If by any chance I missed it I had the Thursday morning time of 11 to 11:30 to watch the episode again. I can’t count how many times my mom would get mad at me for staying up later or almost missing the bus because I was trying to sneak in the last little bit of the show before the school bus picked me up. I would sit on my bed with my school uniform on my belly with my arms supporting my head and starring at that tv like a hawk. 

I think one of the greatest appeals for me was all the fighting scenes that the show was made up of. Almost every episode I was expecting a big fight scene between the characters of the anime. I think that was all there was to it, just the crazy fighting between the villains and the good guys. However, the power-ups like the Super Saiyan modes made it much more interesting. It’s funny because now when I watch it because I’ve seen so many different anime shows I don’t get as excited about it anymore. I have to admit their power-ups are historic though. I think every boy that grew up during the time the show was being aired can agree that you didn’t have a full childhood if you didn’t watch Dragon Ball Z’s super Saiyan fights right?. Personally, my two all-time favorite fights have to be Goku Vs Frieza and Gohan Vs Cell. I remember spending days talking about the fights with my friends at school. I also remember right after the Gohan Vs Cell fight was Halloween. I don’t think I’ve invested into a Halloween in my lifetime as much as I did during that one. I begged my mom to make the costume for me because they didn’t have any at the store. She got a bunch of purple sheets and literally made me the same outfit he wore. I gelled up my hair as much as I could to resemble the super Saiyan mode and we were off to the school Halloween costume. I remember getting so many compliments on it that for the next year I decided to go as Goku in super Saiyan Mode. Not to brag or anything but… I pulled it off so well. I think the most remarkable memory i had was getting into an argument with my mom over the tv show. I was sobbing at one point because all of the good characters were getting there butts whipped by the bad androids. I remember yelling something along the lines of “GOKU WHY AREN’T YOU KICKING ASS” when all of the sudden my mom came in a kicked my ass for yelling across the whole house haha. She got me back to reality at that point, but then I started explaining to her that Goku was the only one that could destroy the androids but he was injured so everyone was getting destroyed by the bad guys. It took a while but I started arguing how it wasn’t fare that the androids all of the sudden got stronger and spontaneously attacked everyone. All my mom could say was “grow up dummy… It’s a tv show”. Which just frustrated me even more. Thinking back now, I really did go crazy when I was watching the shows. Sometimes I would start jumping all over my bed over some battle that was happening. I would even have dreams that I was one of the characters turning into super Saiyan mode at school haha.

[tune-collective]

Thundercat's Style Is As Funky and Out There As His Music: Exclusive

Thundercat's Style Is As Funky and Out There As His Music: Exclusive

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  About 30 minutes into his set at Chicago’s Concord Music Hall, Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner drops both hands from the guitar resting on his chest as his keyboardist and drummer, too, take breaks from their early evening concert. He looks up at the adoring audience who sold out the venue on a frigid Saturday night in the windy city and asks, “You guys feeling good?” Screams, cheers, and applause confirm that they are, in fact, quite well. “That’s tight,” he says. The Los Angeles native is a day removed from releasing his thoughtful, star-studded (Pharrell Williams, Kenny Loggins, Kendrick Lamar) third full-length studio set, Drunk. 

Then he locks back into his music—a smooth, velvet-textured amalgam of jazz, soul, Hip-Hop, and funk partnered with lyrical content fit for both talking head social-political programs and inner-city barbershop dialogue. Each song he performs seemingly gets its own 30-second improvisational period before returning back to the realm of familiarity, stirring the crowd into a frenzy. As he’s bathed in green and blue spotlights, Drunk’s “Them Changes” earns the loudest cheers. He also sprinkles bits of Kendrick Lamar’s “Complexion” and “These Walls,” which he assisted in producing for the rapper’s critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly album. 

In purple camouflage sweatpants, a black tee under a red lumberjack shirt, Thundercat, 32, was having a chill day in comparison to some of the louder pieces he’s been photographed wearing in the past. Wolf hats with ponchos. Blazers that recall Michael Jackson’s vintage regal vibes. Outfits so heavily stylized and exaggerated that they’d make sense on the characters of the ‘80s cartoon heroes he named himself after. He’s rocked it all. Prior to this show, the eccentric artist sat down with Billboard backstage to talk about what inspired Drunk, why Lamar’s verse on this album is special and his generally flamboyant style. 

What journey are you taking this listener on with Drunk? 

I’m observing and reporting what my experience as a musician has been ’til now. It’s such a weird thing to be a musician nowadays. If you’re not in a rock band, music doesn’t exist for a musician. You’re just a “session” musician. Nobody tells you that. So you wind up figuring it out. Somewhere between those lines, there’s this existence where you end up drinking. That goes for everyone that I’ve worked with. It’s part of the business. It’s something to talk about. It’s me telling a story from that perspective. 

I try not to think too hard about music. I like to see where it goes. I try not to give it a direction. I figure out what it is as it’s forming. I don’t have any goal in mind other than to make the best music I can. I always start with the bass [guitar]. Things get added, but it always starts with the bass. 

“Walk On By” has Hall & Oates nods to it musically. Would you say they’ve influenced you? 

Hall & Oates is everything. Fuck everything else. [Laughs] If it’s not Hall & Oates, it’s nothing. They’re a titan duo of songwriting. Being able to convey ideas through song, I had to learn that from different places. The best thing is knowing that there’s somebody out there who doesn’t know who they are, just so you can be like, “Sit your ass down and let me play you this.”  It’s timeless. They’re a major influence on my songwriting. As a bass player, that’s what comes easy to me—the bass playing. The songwriting, I didn’t fully understand what it meant. 

How’d you get comfortable as a vocalist? You essentially didn’t become an active singer until your late 20s. 

I’m looking at people like Beyonce and Trey Songz and Jamie Foxx—people that sing like they’ve got chicken all in their throat. I didn’t know where I was supposed to make sense. I would feel around it a bit. I would sing on other people’s albums, their backgrounds. And I’d ask, “Was it cool?” By the time we got to [sophomore album] Apocalypse, it was a weird moment for me. I was like, “I have to sing?” I had references and different things that made me feel comfortable, like, “I know I can do it.” But I didn’t know to what extent I could. I had to deal with people laughing at me. I had to deal with my friends telling me, “You can’t sing.” 

Really? 

Of course. I’m not going to name any names, but that was the honest criticism. And I could take it. But it wasn’t going to stop me. There was one time when I was in the studio and I’m recording vocals for Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly track, “These Walls”, and a few of my friends had never seen me sing before. I literally had to kick everyone out of the room, because it was weird. Someone told me I had to put Auto-Tune on my voice and I told them, “I am not that guy.” I had to find my comfort zone. Kendrick was comfortable. I usually just sing at home by myself with my bass. It was a process of having to open up. 

[readmore:7709000]

You have a great working relationship with Kendrick and he’s on “Walk on By.” What’s your favorite part of his verse? 

There’s one line where he says, “Immature and retarded is what you call me.” It was one of the things where when he said that, you felt that you understood the inner-workings of what we feel a lot of the time. You have these internal moments where you’re trying to figure it out. And Kendrick always has those moments in his verses where he’s speaking to a guy like me.

On his Unmastered, Untitled album, there’s a line where he asks, “Why you wanna see a good man with a broken heart?” It hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m thinking, “Yeah, why would that be your goal?” I love his ability to connect with that deeper part through music. And when he laid his verse to “Walk on By,” it immediately became this portrait. I was in shock and awe that he could see it. 

On “The Turn Down,” you sing about how trashed our world has become in different ways. There’s even a Captain Planet line.

That’s really how I feel. “What’s going on? Why can’t we all just see each other?” There’s a lot of amplified bullshit. Infinite, magnified bullshit. And it’s piling up. “Being Black” is always a thing. Even moving the Black thing to the side, two white people can’t even figure this world out. Nobody wants to make sense of the other. Nobody loves each other. Nobody really cares. Is that how this is supposed to happen?

“Show You The Way” features Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. Today, people still can still easily hear Michael’s husky soul voice and know it’s weight. But folks sleep on Kenny’s catalog of classics. Why was it important to have him on it? 

Kenny Loggins pours his heart and soul into the music he makes. He’ll take you with him through everything he’s going through, which is not easy. People don’t survive shit like that. We see it all the time. Like a Janis Joplin. Kenny’s still here. My favorite song of his is “Heart to Heart” [featuring and co-written by Michael McDonald]. You can tell he’s talking to someone. It’s too intimate. He takes you to where he’s at. Along with that, the music and the vocals are just jamming. I learned that from Kenny, along with people like Leon Ware. Good lord. 

Leon died yesterday and I know that he was someone you knew and worked with. Drunk’s “Tokyo” is inspired by you touring with him in Japan, right? 

It’s making me sad just thinking about it. You have these moments where you play in somebody’s band and the person leading is smart enough to show you the bigger picture. Leon Ware took me under his wing, man. He invited me into his life. I was a teenager and he took me to Japan for the first time. It was surreal. It was like playing with Marvin Gaye. I got a chance to see how he created and how his music affected who he made it for. I got a chance to play “I Want You” with Leon. I was 17 and crying on stage.

Up until his death, which is when my album came out, all I could ever talk about was that moment. I can’t even remember what happened yesterday. But I remember every day in Japan with Leon. It was magical. I talked to his son today. I had to tell his family that “I love you guys.” I wish I could have said something to him before he passed. It’s just the way of the world. “Tokyo,” as funny as it seems, was about that experience. It was bigger than life.

To take a turn, your style is super dynamic and out there. Let me show you what comes up when you search Goggle for “Thundercat” images… What would you say about this guy’s style if you weren’t him? 

[Laughs] I would think that he’s just wild as hell. Good god!

  A post shared by @thundercat_music on Dec 30, 2015 at 9:05am PST

  Is there any strategy to you getting dressed for a regular day or for stage? 

A lot of the time I’m in the moment with stuff. Sometimes to a fault. I’ll look at superheroes and comics and stuff and wonder, “why wouldn’t you dress like that if you could?” With fashion, I look at it as a way to express that. I don’t really pull any punches on it; otherwise you get caught up in this nexus of dressing like everyone else. Or finding something that’s a little above the standard. But to dress the way I’m really thinking? I do that. 

What are the cartoons you admire for their quality and style-wise? 

I’ve got some high standards when it comes to cartoons, man. There’s always Fist of the North Star. That’s one of my favorite all time movies. Quiet as it’s kept, that was the inspiration behind To Pimp a Butterfly from my perspective. And [my work on Flying Lotus’] You’re Dead! And [2015 EP] The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. I’ve been watching that since I was a child religiously. I can quote the movie verbatim as it’s happening. It’s that amazing. 

Style-wise, it’s also amazing. I’d watch him and say to myself, “I want to be that guy!” There’s cross-play and character-based dressing up. And there’s a place between higher end fashion and what designers don’t want to admit they pulled inspiration from. You’ll see some shit come out from Gucci and be like, “Man, that’s straight off of Neon Genesis Evangelion.” And I know that. I’m always looking for that connection. I try to find my place in those pieces and try bring that vibe with me onstage. There have been times where I’ll freak my friends out because we’ll go to the store and I’ll go for the weird thing on display and they’ll be like, “You’re not going to do it, are you?” And I’ll be like, “You shouldn’t be here with me.” 

Where do you shop? 

A lot of my stuff is handmade. Or it’ll come from a boutique and be a one of four pieces.

What’s the oddest thing you’ve worn? 

The Native American garb is a very touchy subject and why musicians think they can appropriate culture. So something definitely my Native American headdress. I’m actually part Comanche. That’s in my blood. My family is from Detroit, Michigan and they were there. So just a slight bit off of my generations of Black, there are actually Native Americans. My great grandmother was named Prudence. She had all white hair. I have a picture of her next to her shotgun. Her husband was exiled for murder. He murdered someone because the man raped a woman. He committed an honor killing and was exiled for it. He was a Comanche. That’s why they couldn’t charge him the way they would charge a regular criminal. I never tell people, “I’m part Comanche!” 

  A post shared by @thundercat_music on Dec 30, 2015 at 8:59am PST

  But that would be the most controversial thing I’ve worn; a Native American headdress. Nobody ever tripped off of me wearing the wolf. But the chief headdress, that’s a thing where people go, “Who do you think you are?” And I try to respect that. Cultural appropriation is corny. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery a lot of the time. People forget that even with the dark past things come from, if it translates into good, you’ve got to be happy for that. Sometimes the timing is too soon.

Do you ever wear clothing to speak about the world’s issues—politics or humanity?

Yeah, man! I’m not very political. It’s nice to make a statement with something like a “Not My President” tee or something like that. It’s a way to identify with other people. But I’ve mostly been identifying with the earth through color tones. The things that you see in the world from that point. I look at animals and think, “Wow, that’s not fair! I just have one color and a bunch of moles.” And you see butterflies or cats and you’re like, “What the hell?” I’m identifying with them.  

This article originally appeared on: Billboard

http://tunecollective.com/2017/03/01/thundercats-style-is-as-funky-and-out-there-as-his-music-exclusive/