#the sillies that made me so happy while watching Disney XD

[icebarefoxy]

HAPPY YOKAI WATCH DAY WOOOOOOOOOO

10 YEARS OLD WOO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SERIES THAT CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY LIFE YEAAAH !!!!!

[hiccanna-tidbits]

this is a genuine, curious question! what's appealing 2 u about jackunzel :^] ??

Sure, I can talk about why I ship Jackunzel!!!

@gryffindorkxdraws has some posts about why she likes Jackunzel here, here, and here, so those are a pretty good rundown of reasons to supplement mine. But I’ll make a list of my own!

Why Jackunzel Owns My Entire Soul: An Essay in Disorganized Bullet Points ~I dig the sun/moon symbolism! Like Jack was chosen by the moon and Rapunzel has the powers of the sun. It’s such a nice contrast, and it also lends itself really well to star-crossed lover-type fantasy/fairy tale AUs (which I am ALWAYS a sucker for!) ~From what little we know about Jack’s preference in girls (i.e. the slight crush he seemed to have on Tooth), Rapunzel seems like EXACTLY his type--bubbly, energetic, optimistic girls with a bit of a maternal streak. I think even the RotG director confirmed Punz is the kind of girl Jack would like! ~Jack also absolutely seems like Punzel’s type--if Flynn/Eugene is anything to go by, she’s kind of into sarcastic troublemakers with a hidden soft side XD And she also seems to like guys who are good with kids, if Eugene reading “The Adventures of Flynnigan Rider” to the younger kids at the orphanage is anything to go by! ~They both seem to be naturally pretty social people who suffered a lot from being isolated for a really long time--Jack had it worse, obviously (300 years--OUCH), but it was rough on Punz as well, growing up for 18 years with no one for company but Mother Gothel and Pascal. Jack, spending all that time with no one able to see him and only the guardians (who weren’t even really his friends from much of that time) for company, would understand that pain a lot. I feel like they’d be able to connect on a really deep and intimate level about the pain they felt at being isolated for so long, and this would give them a really strong bond that I can easily see turning into something romantic. ~They’re both just such genuinely lively and fun-loving people, and I can imagine them having a ton of fun together and just genuinely really enjoying spending time together. Like imagine the snowball fights!!! The ice-skating!!! The sledding!!! Chasing each other through the forest!!! Jack grabbing onto Punz and her wrapping her hair around a tree and swinging them around Tarzan-style!!! Like literally the entire scene where Punzel leaves her tower for the first time and is goofing off and doing Silly Shit for like an hour straight??? Like man...if Jack was there, they’d have the TIME OF THEIR LIVES together. Idk I just really love couples who I think would have a lot of fun together, it’s so pure <3 ~They’re both so loving!!! Like Rapunzel goes out of her way to be supportive to an entire tavernful of terrifying “ruffians and thugs” because they have dreams, and she’s so sweet to Flynn/Eugene no matter how many times he snarks at her and tries to alienate her!!! And Jack loves loves LOVES entertaining kids, and it genuinely makes him so happy to give them snow days :3 I just feel like they’d shower each other with love, and it’s honestly no less than they both deserve!!! ~Rapunzel especially is such an affectionate person, and I can see her doing just absolutely everything in her power to make Jack feel as seen and as loved as possible after 300 years of being alone. And god, does he NEED it, too. Like no way is this boy NOT touch-starved, and with some MAJOR self-esteem issues (although he’s good at hiding them). Rapunzel would do absolutely everything in her power to build him up and make him feel wanted and validated--and since it’s in her nature to do so, it would never feel like a burden or an effort for her. And she’d love him so much that hyping him up just comes naturally! She’s just got the kind of nurturing personality that someone as affection-starved as Jack really needs, and I think she could help him feel safe, comfortable, and loved in a way a lot of people couldn’t. ~For all the fun they’d have together, I also feel like Jack needs someone to ground him a bit and provide the Brain Cell to perhaps reign in that Unchecked Chaotic Energy of his sometimes XD Rapunzel certainly has a smart and rational side--I mean, she charted STARS as a teenager!!! She figured out how to get this stranger she captured to take her into the kingdom to see the lanterns!!! Girl can be spontaneous and goofy, sure, but she’s got smarts and kind of a mature streak that I think mesh with Jack really well. He’d never feel like she was a wet blanket stifling his fun, but she’d also have a sense of when to transition away from goofing off and focus on responsibilities (princess and guardian responsibilities in this case, I suppose?) ~On the flipside, I don’t see Rapunzel as being someone annoyed or irritated by Jack’s antics. She might like...gently scold him if he takes a prank too far, but she never finds his shenanigans to be grating and tiresome the way other people might. Rather, I think she’d be endlessly entertained by him. Like in his memory reel when he’s dicking around pretending to be a deer, she’d get a kick out of that! Jack would always be trying to make her laugh and make her smile, and Punz would love that so much about him! ~They’re both searching for a deeper meaning and a deeper sense of purpose in their lives. Rapunzel entertains herself with hobbies, but doesn’t feel like her life has really “begun” and is desperate to find out if her hunch is right and the floating lights really ARE meant for her. Jack has no idea why he was chosen by the moon or what he’s meant to do, and he’s determined to find out so he can finally have a sense of purpose. Rapunzel clearly wants a sense of purpose too, since she wants to do more with her life than pass the time with hobbies. I can definitely see them bonding over this! ~They’re both just so adventurous, and love to explore! Rapunzel is curious, and loves to read and learn, and she wants more than anything else to see the world and all it has to offer. Jack loves adventuring and flying around the globe spreading winter and fun, and he could show Punz everything she ever wanted to see. A perfect match, honestly! ~Aesthetically I LOVE the similarities!!! Like they both like to go barefoot, kinda showing their free-spirited natures. And I love how they’re both naturally brunette, but had their hair turned a different color by magic. It’s a little thing, but I think it’s a really neat parallel and it helps cement me thinking they really ARE perfect for each other in every little way! Haha XD AND they both have small green companions, and as of Ralph Breaks The Internet, they’re hoodie buddies as well!!! Not that surface-level parallels like that are actually that significant BUT I just think they’re neat XD ~While I am fond of Flynnzel/Eugenzel (still my favorite canon Disney couple!), finding out their age gap is around 8 years admittedly made me a bit uncomfy and just pushed me further into loving Jackunzel as an alternative option. I still really love Eugene as a character and adore his and Punzel’s dynamic, but these days I prefer their relationship as more of a big bro/little sis type thing. Jack I think is the best match for Rapunzel romantically, and Eugene I prefer with Elsa--or poooossibly Tooth, Astrid, or Zarina, if I read a fic that sells the pairing well enough! ~On a related note, I was into Jack x Tooth the first time I watched RotG, but after discovering Jackunzel, there was no going back--I was hooked! Rewatching the movie, Tooth strikes me more as a mom figure/”fun aunt” for Jack, and I actually prefer her with Bunnymund (I am WEAK for “the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one” lmao)

Well, I think that just about covers it!!! I’ll add more reasons if I think of them! Thank you for the ask, and I’m always happy to answer more ship asks about CGI crossover pairings :3

Also @ the anon who asked for Jackunzel headcanons--fear not, I shall provide them!!! I just wanna make a complete list and accumulate all the ones from my various fics so it’s gonna take a while XD

[funkymbtifiction]

9-Merging Thank you!

Yay, I’m loving these 9-merging asks and replies (thank you so much for putting so much effort into your answers)!

I’ll add another thing that I imagine annoys other 9s -  “unnecessary conflict” - when characters constantly argue with each other without having a good reason and without moving the story forward. Easily avoidable conflict, especially when it is caused by people refusing/failing to communicate, frustrates me to no end (it’s also lazy writing!).

Mod: Yeah, one of my 9 friends refused to continue watching the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise because in her words, the last movie was “stupid… because the entire plot revolved around Lara Jean’s 9ish refusal to be honest with her boyfriend about not going to college he thought she was going to… so she was lying and avoiding and it was going to be a Stupid Argument that could have been Avoided.” XD

On the opposite side - do you or any other 9s/9-fixed types deal with their tendency to emotional numbness (ugh, hate it) by “emotion chasing” and trying to find scenes/songs/whatever that really hit them? When I find these things I watch/listen many times to try to re-experience the feelings. Sometimes it’s just one tiny part out of a whole. For example, I didn’t really love the new “Emma,” but there’s a very brief scene of some people walking over a bridge while a folk song plays and I stopped the movie and re-watched those few minutes so many times just because the earthiness/cyclical lyrics of the song and the simple village scene felt like a microsphere of daily life, beauty amidst mundanity, etc. I LOVED that, and it made the movie for me (although that might sound a bit silly!).

Mod: That could be? Anyone can reblog / repost this and answer, as 9s. I love intense emotions in movies and things because I so rarely have truly intense feelings all on my own, separate from entertainment or being ‘responsive.’ The most felt emotion I have other than apprehension is anger. :P But over time, re-watching things, sometimes my emotional connection fades and then I am sad, because it will never be as visceral or fresh as the first encounter again.

It’s interesting that you speculate that animated movies and cartoons might be less emotionally intense. Personally I’ve found some of them (Pixar, I am looking at you) almost unbearably emotional. Sometimes I wonder if it’s actually healthy to expose children to such powerful feelings. I suppose the idea is that they can process them through the story, but I know that there are moments from those movies that I experienced as a child and still haven’t forgotten. Sure, the ending is ultimately happy but the heartbreak happened and can’t be erased. Or maybe I was just too sensitive as a kid? As always, thank you for listening!

Mod: Hah! True! Pixar is full of genius-bastard NF types who always, ALWAYS leave me in tears, sometimes within the first ten minutes – Up, I am looking at you. Also, the end of Woody’s story hit me hard in the stupid feels. As for exposing kids too young to intense emotions, you can thank Walt Disney for that. For a kid as sensitive as me, seeing Dumbo’s mother locked up, Bambi’s mother shot, and the Fox and the Hound turned into enemies, not to mention that god-awful movie Old Yeller, were traumatic. I STILL won’t watch them. :P

[logically-asexual]

okay i'm already procrastinating and i don't plan on sleeping any time soon so here we go.

☆ ✩ my personal ranking for every season 1 Sanders Sides episode. ✩ ☆

i think it's going to be pretty similar to @dukeofonions' but let's see if i find something new to contribute haha. i see you didn't include that one about Patton in the Big Game or whatever, so i'm not including it either xd. also i think i'm going to count Accepting Anxiety as one episode only.

edit: i finished and now i dare you to drink a shot of water every time i say the word spanish or a version of the word comfort and become very well hydrated.

#16 I'm in a Disney Show

(i agree with dukeofonions here) i always forget this episode exists. it was ok in terms of being happy for real life Thomas but as a Sanders Sides episode it didn't do anything. the sides were just giving their opinions but it wasn't very funny or interesting. also i'm bitter because it made me look up the episode he was in and i didn't like it at all. i don't know if i'm too old for those Disney shows now but Thomas was literally the only good part of it, everything else was really dull and boring imo. a waste of time.

however, Logan supporting clickbait is one of the funniest things ever, and i'll never forget it.

#15 Becoming A Cartoon

i didn't hate this episode but it was just .. meh.. you know? several factors contribute to this. one, i couldn't feel much nostalgia for Butch Hartman's shows because i watched them in Spanish, and everything feels really weird when they speak English, i don't like how my old cartoons sound in English. two, it was disappointing to me because we were all desperately waiting for Plot™ and instead they give us this short episode about nothing (oh how the tables have turned now it's the other way around haha). and three, i didn't like the style of the animation :/ their faces and expressions freaked me out, Roman's douchey face still haunts me.

#14 Way Too Adult

here i'm biased because i don't like Patton much, and i didn't back when i watched the series the first time either, so this video was a little disappointingwithout the rest. also it wasn't relatable to me because i am still too young and dependent on my parents haha. but Patton is funny and it's funny to laugh at Thomas' struggling.

#13 The Dark Side of Disney

i've never been a fan of Disney movies. i actually never watched Mulan or the Lion King or Aladdin as a kid, so meh. i liked the ending, though, it was cool to see Virgil have fun and be right for once. it does make me a bit uncomfortable because the way Thomas tries too hard with Virgil's mouth movements and his low voice reminds me of a guy that had made me v uncomfortable not long before watching that video. so an icky feel overall.

#12 A New Year of Lying to Myself

this video was actually kind of fogettable to me. i had a hard time connecting the voices in the song to the characters and idk. i don't love it nor hate it, just .. neutral.

#11 My True Identity

pretty much the same opinion as dukeofonions, again. it's a good introduction and it's good that it was the beginning of it all but on its own it's not very special. i think it's awesome on Thomas to have come up with such a clever idea, like choosing the dad, the teacher and the prince and putting them together and match them with thoughts?? that fit so perfectly?? it really is just very impressive when you think about it, that it was just a random idea he had for a short 5 minute video.

#10 Taking on Anxiety

i liked this video a lot because when i watched it i had recently been a lot on tumblr, and found out through relatable posts that i had anxiety. so watching this video was really fun and it made me happy to feel so seen, specially the intro when Thomas just talks about what it's like to have Anxiety and Virgil is so smug about it.

- ★ -

okay now that those are out of the way things are going to get hard... all the following i love with all my heart so i'm going to rank them based on the smallest things.

#9 Growing Up

once more, Patton isn't my favorite. so that's why i'm putting this here, plus the echo at the end askjhsahg, but i love love this video. i remember we were waiting and oh so ready for the angst of nobody taking Patton seriously. and we received!! i love that though Roman and Logan are antagonists here, they're both so happy about Thomas wanting to have a healthy life. and i just adore the way Logan admits his mistake at the end and asks Patton directly. my heart... also aw.. the nostalgia. i remember none of us knew how to spell Patton's name and were writing it in very funny ways until Thomas and Joan told us lol.

#8 The Mind vs The Heart

when i watched this video the first times i didn't like it much, because i only had eyes for Virgil, but later i came back to it and loved it. so taking that into account i'm putting it here. logicality was the first ship i ever shipped in the show because i saw a gifset on tumblr of Patton screaming "what do you know about love?!" and Logan "apparently more than YOU" and the caption said "MARRIED", and i thought hey yeah... anyway. i love them. they're both my dads since that day.

this video is so so so relatable and i love it. Logan and Patton are so much fun arguing and i love how they compromise at the end and work together. im reconsidering.. i might move it higher? no, fine i'll leave it here.

#7 Making Some Changes

this video was absolutely hilarious. i personally couldn't see it as the Sides still once they were acted by Thomas' friends, i enjoyed it more as that bunch being silly and trying to be the sides but failing in so many ways, while sometimes nailing stuff suddenly. i really don't take this one too seriously as an episode. except Joan!Logan and Valerie!Logan, my beloved... i love how Joan acted as Logan and their voice and that they kept their ace ring on.. there's a reason i had them as my icon for so long. and Valerie looks a bit (a lot) like me with the glasses and dressed in dark colors, plus she spoke Spanish and there's .. no words to describe the joy i felt when seeing/hearing that. wait i'm getting emotional...

#6 My Personality Q&A

when i watched this Virgil was my favorite side and i didn't care much about the rest lol. when i heard his answers i related to him SO much it was scary, and also his voice is so soft and it was all very comforting. it was also when i first starting looking at Logan with more attention, because when he brought up Big Hero 6 and Fall Out Boy and said he didn't sing and would recite it like a poem? it only took a couple seconds but my brain said "me" and never went back.

now this video is a little underwhelming to watch for me, most of the appeal for me was in finding out the answers, and also watching it when we didn't know a lot about the sides. now we know more and want to know more so it's not as fun to me as it was first.

i wish so bad they'd do another one, although i know it would be more difficult with a much bigger audience, i think they can manage and i just need it. the chaos.. the energy.. they all being so savage with each other, learning little random facts about them you didn't expect.. i need it.

- ★ -

oh boy top 5 here we go. the next three are practically a tie. i can't choose.

#5 Alone on Valentines Day

i love Valerie, and the idea of this video was perfect and so perfectly excecuted. every side just giving their crazy opinions on how to woo a random stranger, i laughed SO much. first with Logan speaking simlish out of nowhere? at that point i didn't know practically anything about the sims except that it was some video game and the whiplash of Logan going AYO and the rest killed me. then when Roman whipped out that dialogue in Spanish??? my life was completed. i've never felt more happy than i did in that moment gosh. just the hilarity of Roman's drama, the shock of them speaking Spanish suddenly like that, the absolute JOY of seeing a creator i like speak (may i say) perfect Spanish, the other characters' faces after that.. never been happier.

also the conclusion was so cute. Virgil solving the whole problem without wanting to. i loved it.

#4 Am I Original

i think this video speaks for itself. it was fun to watch them all do the ideas Roman had, plus Logan and Virgil nodding at each other, (i love them so much), plus the angst at the end of Roman's perfectionism, plus Roman's just perfect name. this video has it all.

i think Thomas posted it kind of late at night and i watched it at 7am in the classroom as i waited for my classmates to arrive and the class to start. (i usually was like 40 minutes early to school due to mom’s work). i had to contain my laughter and it wasn’t easy.

#3 Losing My Motivation

i started loving this video after a while, when Logan passed Virgil in the position for my favorite side. but once he did this episode was beautiful. it's so funny and i love Logan and Patton's dynamic so much. and the video also so damn relatable in general. i felt so seen with it because they named all the problems i have when procrastinating, down to Patton's vague explanation of his feelings, it's exactly how i feel every time i want to do stuff. and the plot twist! i can hear the dramatic sound effect and see how they all turn to Logan clearly in my head, and it always makes me smile. plus there's so much Logan angst that can be dug up and overanalized. i love to watch it over and over.

#2 Accepting Anxiety

this video was perfect. everything we wanted. we knew it was coming and it delivered perfectly, better than any fanfic done in the waiting time. the week between the parts was agonizing but in a fun way somehow. i remember precisely when i was watching part 2 in my living room. i screamed. and i cried, a lot. i was feeling terrible at that time in my life and Thomas was such a comforting presence and i can't begin to describe how this episode made me feel.

and later it is always fun to rewatch with all their different reactions to being in Virgil's room, the energy of that was on point. Thomas is such a great actor and the characters where just amazingly performed. plus it gave so much to talk adn think about, the idea of the rooms, lots lots of insight into the characters, foreshadowing, so much. it's just perfect i have nothing else to say.

#1 (for purely emotional reasons, ironically) My Negative Thinking

i think Accepting Anxiety is the best episode of the season objectively but my favorite is My Negative Thinking. because i love Virgil and Logan so much and seeing them argue together was and is great. the comfort.. i can't repeat that word enough throughout this post. it's such a soft video while not being overwhelming with Patton and Roman's outbursts. just quiet (mostly) and clear and with perfectly timed humour.

Logan my beloved.. learning spanish... helping me with my own anxiety.. and their debate was so good. and the fact that they were friends i- i can't. Virgil didn't think Logan liked him and Logan told him explicitly that he did and the casual softness of it i cant even. Logan is happy that he tried.. it's just marvelous. Virgil and Logan as best friends will always be my favorite pair, and their dynamic will always be what i strive for in any relationship i might form, with both sides silently comforting each other within their own limits and realistic perspectives. so nice.

- ★ -

so yeah. that's all. thank you if you read all the way up to here. ♡ ♡ ♡

[takaraphoenix]

04 fandom ask how about a show I haven't heard you talk about in a hot minute. Phineas and Ferb?

I kind of enjoyed you discovering the weird and wonderful cartoon most of the people under 25 grew up with. I think that's a good age range cuz I'm under that and I definitely grew up with it as a good part of my childhood but I'm also still well into cartoons in going in my twenties lol... my birthday was last month and I had quite the number of Elena of avalor presents. You can do that fandom if you want to but not necessary

Well, happy belated birthday first! And then thanks for playing! And also, yeeeah I haven’t been watching Phineas and Ferb in a bit, the 10 minute format asks a lot of concentration of me that I simply don’t have lately so it’s on the backburner. I got the tab open and I definitely wanna finish it because I like the show, but I just don’t have the space for it right now.

Phineas and Ferb:

the character i least understand: Baljeet? I mean, he is... best friends with his bully... that is such a weird dynamic, I genuinely do not understand it at all?

interactions i enjoyed the most: Heinz and Perry, for sure, they’re so weird

the character who scares me the most: Heinz, Phineas and Ferb like those three have the actual capability to destroy the world if they so deem but all three use this power for incredibly specific stupid silly things, like imagine what they could do if they actually tried to be evil? Terrifying

the character who is mostly like me: I really don’t think any of them tbh

hottest looks character: Vanessa probably?

one thing i dislike about my fave character: sometimes, Isabella is very passive-aggressive with Phineas when he once again completely fails at realizing something is/could be romantic, I feel like clearer communication would be the better approach and like that boy needs these things spelled out for him so just spell it out for him

one thing i like about my hated character: I... don’t hate any of the characters? Aside from maybe Heinz’s parents I guess? And like... the thing I like about them is that they... made... Heinz, I guess? xD

a quote or scene that haunts me: The fact that in Isabella’s head, Phineas is a centaur for some reason

a death that left me indifferent: no one has died (yet)

a character i wish died but didn’t: none, nope, this show doesn’t have such characters

my ship that never sailed: I dunno, I do think Vanessa/Candace would be hella cute and a great way to tie the two plots more together also queers in a Disney show that early, could you imagine

Elena of Avalor:

the character i least understand: Naomi when she went “well, your cousin who you love like a brother just betrayed you and is on the run and so are dangerous sorcerers but like I’ll just fuck off to travel the world now because that’s what I need”, like I understand that being a captain is what she always wanted but that timing was incredibly insensitive considering their friendship and her own commitment into being a council member? Like, the open sea doesn’t run away, it would still be there after they caught Esteban, but to leave Elena and Avalor like that, during times where she - as one of only two (2) people in the entire country who actually can read the freaking ancient language - would have been needed? That made no sense for her character

interactions i enjoyed the most: Elena and Naomi, Elena and Isabel

the character who scares me the most: None, I think?

the character who is mostly like me: Maybe Mateo, a little?

hottest looks character: Ash Delgado

one thing i dislike about my fave character: For a princess, Elena is really bad at deligating and like... even into the final season, she proves to be bad at that and at that point, she should have spent years learning to deligate, you can not run around and solve every problem yourself once you’re queen and you do have a big network of people you can trust

one thing i like about my hated character: error, redeeming qualities on Shuriki not found

a quote or scene that haunts me: okay so on a more complex level, the fact that Elena can see and talk to their parents and just didn’t fucking tell Isabel for forever, I get it is only one day a year that she can talk to them, but... she really just... forgot to tell other people that she could see ghosts, more specifically her dead parents, when there is Isabel and their grandparents and they all deserved a chance to talk to them too, even if just indirectly. So, it haunts me that the second Dias de los Muertos episode wasn’t just their family, together, and just... talking

a death that left me indifferent: Did anyone die, aside from the pre-dead parents? I don’t think so

a character i wish died but didn’t: Nope, not really

my ship that never sailed: Elena/Naomi. Y’all can say what you want but if that finale wasn’t queerbaity af, when Elena approached Naomi when she was supposed to pick a partner to dance with, while the boys puffed their chests out hoping they would be chosen and for a split-second even Naomi thought Elena wanted to dance with her? I really thought they pulled a “queer in the last second” there and I think they should. I am already eternally grateful that the show didn’t force the four main characters into two heteronormative couples, but can you imagine the raw power of Elena of Avalor, first queer Disney princess?

Send me a fandom and i’ll tell you

[marunalu]

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1937

Okay, this is one of my first childhood movies I’ve ever watched, so my option may be based more on nostalgia and maybe I’m a little bit biased.

Enjoyment: 

Even after all these years, I really enjoy this movie. The atmosphere and music, the lovely animation and the lovingly designed characters. Everything just fits together. You actually feel like you've landed in the middle of a fairy tale by yourself. There are a few scenes that scared me as a child, such as the transformation of the queen into the old beggar, or the scene as Snow White flees into the woods and sees all the grotesque faces and creatures. These scenes still give me goosebumps. This movie is not particularly action-packed, but it’s not trying to be anyway. It’s more a movie to relax from a stressful day and let yourself be carried away into a fantasy fairytale world. The evil queen's death scene is still one of the most iconic movie villain deaths to this day. Another interesting detail that I found out is, that the two vultures are supposed to be an allusion to Nazi Germany. If you look at the eyes of the vultures, you can see the colors of the German flag black-red-gold and these animals are also a symbol of death and evil.

Animation: 

I just love the animation in this movie. Yes, it's a little bit outdated, but there's so much love and detail behind it. You can really see how much work and time the animators put into it. Great details like the astronomical signs of the zodiacs above the magic mirror, or while Snow White still lives in the castle, it lies in both sunshine and shadow, which is supposed to represent the presence of good and evil living together behind the walls, but as soon as Snow White has left the castle, the next time we see the castle, it’s wrapped in deep darkness, since only the evil queen is still present inside of it. The landscapes look like realistic nature scenerys und honestly, the animals have no fucking buiseness to look so damn cute. I like that the animators gave humans a look with more realistic proportions, while the animals and dwarfs look more cartoonish, cute and funny. That creates a good balance. I also enjoy how the animators try to express feelings und moods with pictures, such as after Snow White was "killed" and the dwarfs and animals mourn over her and it's raining so heavily outside as if the whole world is crying together with them. Scenes that are supposed to be sad are sad. Scenes that are supposed to be scary are scary and scenes that are supposed to reflect hope and happiness do just that. Really, they did a great job!

Music:

Just like with the animation, I can mostly say good things about the music in this movie. Although it’s also somewhat outdated, it fits perfectly in every situation and scene. In creepy moments it’s scary, in carefree moments it’s light and bright and in sad moments it’s sad. Some of the songs are also really good mood-lifters, like "With a Smile and a Song" or "Whistle While you Work." Seriously, if you feel depressed or don't feel like doing chores, just listen to these two optimistic songs, I'm sure you'll feel better afterwards. At Heigh ho I still have to whistle with the melody, I just can't help it and "The Silly Song" and "The Washing Song" are also two very funny and mood-lifting songs.

Funny:

There were actually some funny moments in the movie that made me giggle or chuckle. The funniest scene in my opinion was probably when the dwarves were forced to wash themself and panicked. Dopey and Grumpy are definitely the funniest of the dwarfs, although Grumpy clearly doesn't intend to. Among the animals, it is probably the turtle. The poor guy is always the last to arrive, after all the action is already over and is always the one to whom something stupid happens, be it falling down the stairs or being overrun by the other animals. Interestingly, none of the funny or silly moments come from human characters, only ever from the dwarfs or the animals. Fun fact: there was a kind of competition among the artists that was even fueled by Walt Disney himself. It was kind of a contest among the artists who created the funniest scene involving the dwarfs and which Walt Disney would like the most in the end. The winner received a special bonus from him.

Characters:

This movie is full of lovingly designed characters, whether Snow white, the dwarfs, the animals, the hunter, or the evil queen. However, it must be mentioned that none of the characters has a really complex personality. Snow White is just a pure-hearted angel, the evil queen is just an evil bitch (and I love her for that), the personalitys of the dwarfs correspond to their names and the prince was completely wasted material. I think the hunter and Grumpy have the most complex personalitys of all. The hunter shows loyalty to the queen, but does not follow her blindly and lets Snow White flee instead of killing her, knowing that the queen's mind is evil and twisted. At the beginning of the story, Grumpy has a misogynistic attitude, although unfortunately it’s not discussed in more detail why. I think it would be interesting to find out. The movie only mentions that he thinks all women are evil and try to wrap men around their little fingers. He is always portrayed as grumpy (heh) and in a bad mood, but deep down he cares for the other dwarfs and later Snow White too. He is also the bravest of them and has leadership potential. He reminds me a little of my late grandfather, maybe thats the reason why he is my favorite character in the movie XD

Inequality & diversity:

Fortunately, as far as I could tell, there were no racist hints and moments in this movie. Grumpy's misogynistic behavior at the beginning may a bit annoying and as already mentioned, I think it's a shame that it was not dealt with in more detail. Maybe he was in love with a woman once and she broke his heart? Fortunately, however, he takes this behavior off after a while and shows that he actually cares for Snow White and wants to protect her like the other dwarfs. There are people who think that Snow White is degraded as a useless little housewife, because she does the dwarfs’ housework and that's sexist in their eyes. Although I can understand where this kind of thinking comes from, I disagree. Snow White clearly shows dozens of times during the movie that she greatly enjoys doing housework, cooking and baking, unlike Cinderella. It’s even more important to mention, that Snow White doesn’t consider it obvious to be allowed to live with the dwarfs, even though she is a princess and could simply order it. No, instead it’s important to her, that she has to work to be allowed to stay. The dwarfs give her a place to stay and protect her, so she helps them with the housework and cooks for them. And the most important thing is that she likes to do it. Another point is that Snow White is definitely portraied as the boss in the house. She makes it clear to the dwarfs that they should adhere to certain rules of decency and can also be quite strict with them, almost like a mother. The dwarfs listen to her (albeit reluctantly when it comes to washing) and are grateful for her help. I personally don't see anything sexist about it. It would be different if the dwarfs forced Snow White to cook for them and doing all the housework stuff.

My conclusion:

Watch it! This is not an action-packed movie, but more suitable for relaxing and freeing yourself from stress. This movie is full of positive messages as always trying to stay optimistic, even if you are going through dark times (always remember that Snow White had to leave the only home she knew, was demoted to a kitchen maid by her stepmother and who also wants to see her dead, just because she is more beautiful then her and still Snow White manages to look positive into the future). It also contains an important message to children: don't just welcome every stranger into your house and above all, don't eat (and drink) everything that a stranger offers you! I give this movie 7 out of 10 stars!

[billiejean485]

Karmiro Kiss

https://www.deviantart.com/billiejean485/art/Karmiro-Kiss-800793669

(Text from DA:)

First of all, I'd like to state something: I don't usually upload art such as this often or at all, and I rarely even show it to anyone. Reason? Been bullied a hell of a lot for it in younger years, so I learned to keep things like these to myself. However, I am pretty sure the Karmiro fans would appreciate it, and I am having a really hard time finding artwork devoted to this ship myself (kudos to Iamaddictedtocoffee and KenKic4Ever - you guys are IMO the best I could find), and I honestly wanted to contribute.

Second thing I wanted to mention is that - although the show itself made me a huge Karmiro fan, this particular piece/sketch came as an inspiration from reading Arctimon's fics. My God - for the past 6 years I've been having a really hard time finding quality fanfics (I got older, and my standards became very high), and their in particular are among those rare that make me cling to it like an idiot, rereading it until I know it by heart (still in the process of achieving that btw XD). I haven't left a review yet, but, I can say here that that level of quality English, original ideas and great imagination is not something that you just stumble upon in the fan fiction world easily. I'm blown away. Still am. Still haven't read everything, so I won't drop that mentioned review yet. But, Arctimon, if you're reading this - you have my huge support, and I'm a really big fan.

Now on to the rant on the art aspect of this sketch.

I don't have much experience in drawing a kiss, and still learning to do that. What killed me even more here is just the position (that I probably didn't even figure out well) of the two - if you have that steamy kiss where both sides try to pull each other into it, and a couple with height differences between a girl and a boy such as Hiro and Karmi, everything gets complicated. The arm position is probably off (because yours truly was lazy enough not to reference anything). I hope at least I got their faces right - I haven't drawn either of the two enough for practice. Oh, and Karmi's hair was ridiculously difficult for me; it should be simple, but nope.

Ah, yes, and the Baymax sketch in the bg - the body probably should have been a bit bigger, but 'anatomy' wise I think it's okay. I just placed him in the wrong spot. And I have a feeling that it made perspective make no sense (he's speechless, btw XD).

Okay, and two last things.

I love the fact that Hiro is the shorter one in this relationship and is probably standing on his toes somewhat here, while Karmi has to bend down and/or pull him up. It's so relatable and heart-warming. :D I remember how all that went in those years of life (14~16). Wish we'll manage to see him grow, but who knows. Also, depends what Disney plans for the sequel of the movie, if they're even planning it (it got them an Oscar, so chances are high).

But one thing that saddens me in that is that - for most characters that appear in TV shows that are based on the movie there is like a rule that they don't appear in the movie's sequel. Which brings me to the second thing.

Even though I ship them with all my heart, I see little possibilities for these two to become something more than friends (there is more chance for that happening with Hiro and Megan, although the whole Karmutie stuff has led us on to believe otherwise up until she showed up). It seems as though Hiro and Karmi's relationship was made only to reach some "good friends" climax and that that's the whole point of it. Even Karmi's crush on hero-Hiro looks more like something that came as a product of her loneliness rather than actual need for a romantic interest in her life (I think she'd be a lot more invested in her relationship with 'Captain Cutie' if this wasn't the case). And when you take into account that this is a show aimed at kids... it all makes sense. Kids don't like romantic stuff, nor do they need it. But what do they need? Learning more about friendship, especially with that girl or boy they tend to fight a lot and don't get along well. It's a perfect reason to make you think that that there will never be anything more in this relationship. But it gets on our older fans' nerves because - naturally, the characters are not kids, they're teens. Things function differently here. I mean, okay - Karmi and Hiro may not be each other's type (debatable) in the end, but you can't tell me they don't care for each other at it's base, and that they will learn to get their rivalry out of the way to make a clear path for that. And when that happens, everything's possible.

But coming back to the first thing I brought up - the characters from the TV show rarely, if ever, make it to the sequel of the movie. Which means, whatever happens with these two, they will probably split up. It's saddening, and I wish things would change there. Hey, seeing Karmi in the sequel would make who knows how many of us happy. And not just her - bunch of other characters too. Or at least give them an honorable mention.

It's because TV shows get made for kids that nothing from it gets transferred to the sequel of the movie, which gets made for audiences of all ages. If there's something I wish would change, it's that - having TV shows dumbed down for kids. And with that I mean - seeing characters a lot older act like they're children. What the heck is that teaching the little kids? That reality will never be like they saw it on TV?

Kudos, and a really big KUDOS to the shows that are tackling this particular thing. It's good and it's healthy. If you wanna make something for kids, make it really appropriate for kids. Don't tug on the nerves of us older people, because - whatever the world says, there will always be those older ones that watch cartoons, ages ranging from older teens to who knows how old. We don't like watching those dumbed down things, no matter how profitable it is for you, content-makers, to target it only for kids, who will get you the most money. Yeah, it's harder to make such stuff, we know, but it's not impossible. At least show a little effort.

But, concerning that, I can't complain on BH6's TV show anymore. The second season was fantastic so far, and those 'dumbed-down' elements were reduced to the bare minimum. I just hope it stays that way.

... Well, this was a whole lot that came out of me just because of posting one silly fangirl drawing. XD Hope some of you actually managed to read this.... Too bad all of this is going to get dumped in the Scraps' section (please make a Sketch section, DA!), like most of my uploads do.

I live and breathe sketches. lol

Oh well - thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. XD I'm really done this time.

[tumblunni]

MORE UPDATES ON THINGS WHAT HAPPEN

The half week milestone of the hospital house thingie time! I think the term they use for it is "a residential stay"? Cos like its not a hospital its a shared housing block thats just full of doctors. I get to sleep in a real bed and there's a nice community room and board game nights and stuff. But its still really scary how intense the supervision can be! Like they have a window to look into your room once per hour every hour constantly. And they have to go through your undies and catalog them as part of the possessions check. I was not warned about that and it was mega embarassing trying to explain a binder to a bunch of old lady doctors! Oh and i had yo do a urine test today which was possibly the most fuckin embarassing thing in the actual universe. And you're not even allowed to take your own pills! They keep them locked in a big ominous wall of lockers and you have to come into the office and swallow the pill while theyre watching. I guess maybe because some people might be faking their illness and selling their pills on the black market or whatever? But that literally doesnt happen with antidepressants, they have no 'high' or even any effect at all on non-sick people. So it just makes no sense to me and its real embarassing cos like i said i suck at taking pills with plain water and without a straw. The ones i take are real damn chunky things the size of my thumbnail! I think i'l get better at not (literally) choking under pressure over time, tho. Hopefully.

Anyway that's all the bad out of the way! Now the good and the neutral and the just miscellaneous!

Its still nervewracking having to shower in a shared house but they have a cool walk-in shower and ive never tried one of those so it was vaguely interesting. And im allowed to take my showers early at 6am to minimize the chance of anyone else trying to use the door, lol. My biggest fear is having some staff member walk in on me when im naked like back in that homeless hostel. Oh or that time in the homeless hostel where the teenage boys filled the entire bathroom with inflated condoms wall to wall. Like wow so much damn effort to prank the stupid nervous bunni who probably would have been embarassed by literally anything else. Man this place is bringing so many memories of that homeless hostel but at least this time its a place specifically for sick people and they know i'm anxious doing shared cooking and board games and whatever so they dont make fun of me for it. But in a lot of ways that hostel had more freedoms too.. *shrug*

Anyway! A good! I get to have cooking lesson!! I know literally nothing about cooking and now i get to know several thing!! This nice doctor called Josie taught me how to make an omelette and i tasted ham for the first time! That is just how limited my life experiences are, lol. Oh and they want me to say that she's a 'mental health worker' not a doctor, but its all real confusing?? Like they have the staff that look after you and then the only ones we're supposed to call doctors are the ones who actually have the authority to prescribe pills and diagnosies. But like if youre in a hospital you'd call them all doctors, not just the actual surgeon? Or i guess theyre kinda like nursing home staff?? But they cant be support workers cos support workers are specific government assigned inspector type guys like Richard who only meet with you once a week.and i have to remember to not call him a social worker either cos social workers only work with family and custody related stuff. I dunno?? Basically the medical industry has a lot of names that dont really describe what the actual thing is, lol. Anyway the ham omelette was great and now im gonna try and remember so i can try and make it myself next time! HAM ACCOMPLISHED

Also i played bingo with a few other patients and it was fun but funny that i lost 6 times in a row when there were only 3 of us. I got a consolation prize of a pack of neon highlighter pens so hell yeah!!

I'm getting booked in to try some additional classes starting next week on monday and tuesday morning. The computer programming one was sadly unavailable, but i managed tp snag a place in "confidence building group therapy" and "basic how to use power tools". I wasnt really all that interested in that one but i thought it would be a useful skill even if its less fun. And maybe you get to actyally make something to take home at the end? A lil shelf to help organize this awkward lil room better, maybe?

And an unexpected bonus of being semi-hospitalized is that i get a free bus pass! And cos im here cos of my social anxiety theyre gonna help me get outside more and actually use this thing to the fullest! The first thing we did was the trip to actually get the bus pass itself. It was like "bus, take my money to take me to the place where i can never give you money again!" XD Ive been really stupidly nervous about going on tne bus in my old neighbourhood cos MAN it was really isolated there and everything just amplified my mental illness. An almost two hour bus ride to get to ANY SHOPS AT ALL, with only one bus for the whole town so it was always crowded and full of screaming kids and gossipy everyones. Social anxiety: maximum level proud mode!

So yeah i feel BIG ACCONPLISHED! I was able to take this bus for the first time with a doctor coming with me. Power Grandpa The Strong. His actual name is Paul and he has awesome sleeve tattoos of like anchors and dragons and sports teams and stuff! And he likes thrift stores and wearing silly hats too! Its like he's powerful enough to wrestle away everyone's anxieties! I was able to be a bit reckless too and i went out wearing my fave shirt thats like trans pride coloured plaid. A POWERFUL SHIRT IS REQUIRED FOR THIS QUEST! so we went to the office to register this bus pass and i panicked a bit cos apparantky we brought the wrong form and i wrote my name in the wrong box and then my passport photo looked terrible and aaa! But it all worked out and i was kinda freaking out for nothing. And he took me for a lil tour of the place and showed me this cool shop that does spray paint tye dye t shirts with spiderman on them?? Why does this incredibly specific shop exist and how have i never heard of it before?? There was also a new harry potter shop next to the disney shop, and the old used book store i used to visit as a kid was still there, complete with rickety spiral staircase and ominous basement trap door. I'm still not brave enough to go down there, but apparantly its just the history books section so meh. Then we actually went to a fancy coffee shop and i had this brain freeze mango ice frappucchino thing! Im trying all the new foods!!

And i was TOO HIGH ON DECADENCE and made a RECKLESS CHOICE! i blame power gramp's amazing tattoos, they were totally whispering to me that i shoukd screw the rules and ride off into the sunset on a metaphorical harley davidsen of mental health

So i was like Hey Paul I Am Totally Fine Getting Home On My Own, and it was like i was floating off in the distance somewhere begging my body to not speaketh these words. But it ended up working out okay! The excitement of it all and the sense of accomplishmebt from getting there all okay allowed me to mostly not freak out as i spent the day in town and looked at some shops and stuff. Basic Living Skills: Completed! I chilled out in the library (tho i dont have a card yet, alas!) and visited like five comic and anime stores, and got lost but found a Pizza Hut and that was SO NOSTALGIC FOR MY CHILDHOOD and it didnt taste quite as good as i remembered but the waiter guy was super nice and had a similar shirt and it was All Good! Oh and i gave all my money to a homeless person and that's why i'm broke now. And i bought a plastic slug! I just saw it from across the room and was like OH NO I AM BEING MAGNETISED TOWARDS IT OH NO IT HAS ALREADY BEEN BOUGHT. I need to think of a name for this new friend!!

So yeh i got home okay and i felt really acconplished and that was the furthest trip away that i've taken in ages! Man my mental illness makes me feel pathetic, but it also brings ridiculously big joys from the smallest of silly acconplishys!

Oh and thank you so much to the people who sent me emails! It really helped so much to keep me from giving up during the first few days before i made a bit of progress and felt like i could really do this, yknow? Especially big thanks tp the friend who sent me that mysterious super happy song that they found on a mystery disc in a german market?? Im still not sure whether its in greek or hasidic jewish but it sounds AMAZING and i hope someday i can figure out the band so i can hear their other singles!

Ok this is bunni out! BIG HUGS FOR THE EVERYONE AAAA

[mythicamagic]

Hi there ! Just wanted to ask question 1 and 10 about one of your fanfiction 😉 i didn't read them yet but I'm pretty curious about it (promise I will 😘)! Also just a cute message to tell you how much I love your incorrect quote ♥️ thank you for sharing all of these !

Thank you for the ask!

1. Of the fics you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

None of ya’ll will probably know this one, but my favourite is actually ‘The Otome Game’ which is an Inuyasha Sesskag fanfic. It’s a fanfiction that is very close to my heart despite how cliched it is, because while just being very enjoyable for me to write - I got to tap into my love of dating sims and blend it with Inuyasha.

I wrote it during the time something awful happened to me irl. I remember feeling so lost and damaged by that event, that this fanfic was the only thing not hurt by what had happened. It was separate, and it was mine. It was a slice of something harmless, with characters I adored, and I had people who wanted to read it, to see where it would go. So despite my grief, I kept writing, and the sesskag community (both on Dokuga and fanfiction.net) was so supportive and loving I honestly don’t think I could have repaired myself enough to function normally as quickly as I did without them. So yeah, a silly fanfiction about Kagome getting sucked into a dating sim is my favourite ^^ You can read it - here, or on fanfiction.net if you’re curious ^^

10. What are some facts readers may not know about [title]?

I’m not sure which one you want me to talk about XD But I’ll talk about the Diabolik Fairy tales. 

Yuma’s chapter was heavily inspired by the film - The Company of Wolves. It’s a very…odd film, but I got a lot of inspiration from it.                  

Laito’s chapter was heavily inspired by the Little Mermaid, not the book or the Disney version, no, the brutal 1975 animated version that made me cry because of some stupid dolphin at the end.                                                  

When trying to pick which fairy-tale I wanted to do for Kou, I jumped back and forth between The Happy Prince (because there’s a chibi of him as the character) or doing the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, because of Kou’s two personas. I settled on Dorian Grey because I loved the movie (Ben Barnes *le sigh*) before reading the book and realising how much the movie crapped all over the source material.                                                   

During the writing for each chapter I did at least some research on the source material for each fairy tale, sometimes reading the originals or watching short films. The Reiji chapter was more so inspired by the very short but impressive Cinderella (Aschenputtel) film, by Lotte Reiniger (1922) which had silhouettes of the characters moving frame by frame. I wrote an entire essay for college about this ONLY because of my research for this fan-fiction, which I find quite funny.                                        

I definitely feel like playing ‘Rose of Winter’ on steam inspired me to write the heroine for Shuu’s chapter, which is why she was a knight.                        

The scene where the heroine from Ruki’s chapter pulls back the red curtain to find a bizarre and shady sex display club was inspired by the film Eyes Wide Shut (even though I didn’t like it)                                           

Some people interpret Yuma’s chapter to mean that Yuma was in fact a wolf shape-shifter the entire time, when actually my intention was to show that no, he was just a cannibal.  (But I don’t mind people’s interpretations, it’s why I left some of the endings slightly ambiguous)                                                                           

Likewise with Kanato’s character, some people thought the heroine had just become immobile at the end of the chapter when in actuality, she’d died and Kanato was parading her corpse around everywhere as if she were Teddy because he’d lost his mind.                                                        

My favourite of the chapter’s written is Shuu’s one.

[vivalatoons]

My Talk: Wander Over Yonder

If you’re ever need some help, look for an orange, furry person and his best friend who’s a Zbornak. I’m talking about the great cartoon, Wander Over Yonder. We celebrate the show’s 4 year anniversary with a reflection of Wander Yonder Over. Doodley doot da doot doot, whoo!

Originally, this was supposed to be posted on June 27th on the one year anniversary of “The End of the Galaxy”. Something happened, and it didn’t post. I was upset, because it was lost forever. Thanks to @peepsqueak she has My Talk from her email. She noticed me about it, and I thank her a lot for saving me from doing this all over again. That’s the story. Again thank you to @peepsqueak, and let’s get into this reflection.

It was 2013 when I saw a commercial of this orange person wanting to give this skeleton a sandwich. The skeleton man was getting furious at him. A new show titled, “Wander Over Yonder” was coming to Disney Channel.

August 16, 2013 The Picnic premiere. The episode starts with Lord Hater and Emperor Awesome battling to get a wish from a visiting celestial being during the aligning of the planets that happens once every millennium. Wander is also there to watch the aligning of the planets, which makes Hater angry. Hater can’t achieve his goal on getting his wish, when Wander offers him a sandwich and taking photos. Hater realized that the planets are almost aligning, and rushes to ask the visiting celestial being a wish. Before he says what he wanted, Wander comes over to take more photos. Angry at Wander, he wished Wander would leave him alone for 5 seconds. The celestial being granted that wish, and everyone isn’t happy. The being leaves, and Wander continues to take more photos of Lord Hater and Commander Peepers. They would fall down, Sylvia would leave the restroom and asked Wander what she’d miss, Wander has photos he took that shows what has happened, ending the episode. I really liked what I saw in this show. I laughed, the characters were great, and the story was simple but fun to watch. From there, I decided to watch more of Wander Over Yonder. It’s worth knowing that Wander Over Yonder would broadcast to Disney XD starting with episode 15.

Plot. The plot is simple to follow. Wander, who’s an optimistic being, and his Zbornak steed, Sylvia travel the galaxy to help anyone in need. While they help others or having fun, they always followed by Lord Hater, Commander Peepers, and his army of Watchdogs. They would help bring an egg back to its nest, delivering a box, bring a baby back to their parents, return a sock, give everyone a gift, and do more good deeds in the galaxy.

Characters. Wander and Sylvia are the good guys who help those in need. Lord Hater wants to be the greatest villain in the galaxy, but gets distracted from chasing Wander. Commander Peepers is Hater’s right hand man eyeball in command. These four are the main characters of this show. There’s a lot of recurring characters, like the Watchdogs, Emperor Awesome, and other villains and creatures that need help.

Season 2. This season would shift from silly to a bit serious. Season 2 would introduce a new villain to the show, Lord Dominator. Dominator is more of a villain than Hater is. Dominator likes to destroy planets than conquer them. Under all that armor, Dominator is an alien woman who likes to bully everyone in the galaxy. Wander and Sylvia still continue to help people, but have to deal with Lord Hater and Lord Dominator along the way. This season shows how Wander and Hater make breakfast, Sylvia collecting all of Wander’s personalities, an epic battle with the villains, Hater having a rock and roll concert, an cartoon in a cartoon, a musical special, Wander and Sylvia traveling in the past and future, and more stuff like that. Just as I was excited about how this season was amazing, I saw something I never wanted to see.

March 5, 2016. Craig McCracken announced that Wander Over Yonder isn’t coming back for a 3rd season. The reason Disney didn’t give the show a 3rd season was because they felt that 80 episodes of Wander Over Yonder were enough. I doubt this claim, because I think Disney cancelled it because of ratings. Craig also stated it wasn’t ratings. Then, I was lost. Why would Disney XD cancel a show with such upbeat tone and puts a smile on your face? This news did drop hard on me. Knowing the show was over made me mad and I would say “I hate this network, they made the biggest mistake of their life.” My anger wasn’t going to do anything. I got over it slowly, but I still continue to watch the new episodes. As I was smiling and laughing at what I saw, deep down I knew the end was coming.

The final episode. I was in Ohio, visiting family over the summer. I was in my grandparents’ home. It was a typical day until it was time. I went to the TV room, turn on the TV, and loudly sing the theme song. As the episode was playing, I was screaming, fangirling, laughing, crying, and cheering. I was feeling a lot of emotions. I absolutely love the finale. The finale was outstanding and had a perfect sendoff also the ending animatic had a twist, and I’m not talking about it because I’ll get mad.

Animation. If there’s one word to describe the animation, it’s bright. I truly admire the animation style. Everything from background, characters, ships, etc has such a nice palette of colors. It grabs my eyeballs, and I can’t stop looking at the screen. The animators in this show has such great talent.

Voice acting. Another great group of talent in the show. Jack McBrayer voiced Wander, April Winchell voiced Sylvia, Keith Ferguson voiced Lord Hater, and Tom Kenny voiced Commander Peepers. Lord Dominator was voiced by Noël Wells and Fred Tatasciore when Dominator is in armor. Wander Over Yonder had some great guest stars on their show. They include Aziz Ansari, James Marsden, Edie McClurg, G Hannelius, Will Arnett, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jon Hamm, Eddie Deezen, Alex Hirsch, Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, and more. Every character in Wander Over Yonder has amazing person voicing them.

#SaveWOY. This started as a petition from Change, created by Gemma Cummins. She runs @peepsqueak and continues to help get Wander Over Yonder a 3rd season. The petition was to encourage Disney to make Wander Over Yonder season 3 happen. People would sign up for it, and the campaign got stronger. Now, every 27th of the month we post things to make Wander Over Yonder trend. There’s also Operation F.O.R.C.E, where fans around the world help Lord Hater conquer the Earth by taking photos of places with the Hater flag. Fans still want a 3rd season, they’re not going to stop until Wander gets the ending they deserve. Link is here to sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/walt-disney-encourage-disney-to-make-wander-over-yonder-season-3

Craig McCracken. A man who deserves a lot of praise for being in the animation world. Craig has created The Powerpuff Girls (1996), Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, and Wander Over Yonder. I love how he tells stories, his animation style, and the message he put in his shows. @crackmccraigen is such a treasure in the animation world. I love him and he’s the one of the greatest cartoonist in history.

Wander Over Yonder as a way to think positive. It’s no shock that Wander is full of optimism. This show is full of that. No matter what happens, Wander always look on the bright sides of a problem. I mention this, because we need Wander Over Yonder in the world. As current news can be depressing and horrible, we need A LOT of positive thinking and optimism in our lives. What I love about the show is that fans say the show helped them in their lives. No doubt it has made a life a bit easier. I would have depressing periods where I kinda feel numb. I would turn on Wander Over Yonder, and it makes me feel a little happier. It does help me pull me out of those dark times. This part of Wander Over Yonder has a great impact of fans and people. For a cartoon to help people with their lives, that is incredible.

Wander Over Yonder is one of the greatest things that Craig McCracken has created. It has clever humor, creative storytelling, and amazing animation to look at. I highly recommend this show for anyone who wants some positivity in their life. It’s so interesting how Craig created Wander and he represents optimism, happiness, and just a bouncing ball of joy. I do hope Wander does get a season 3. I continue to spread the word about this show. I think if anyone needs to smile or be cheer up, Wander is the key. This show is an underrated gem that everyone needs in their lives. Everything about this show has a huge smile on my face. At the end of the day, I always live by WWWD. What would Wander do? This orange, furry spoon would do anything to help anyone in need, cheer someone up, or play his banjo.

[courtingstars]

Notes for Storming the Castle, Chapter 4

Hello again, my dear AkaFuri readers! These notes are kind of long since I rambled on and on about Disney movies because I’m me. (And now after this chapter everyone knows why I put Disney movies in the Ao3 tags! //laughs)

So we’ll start with the Disney stuff, then I mention a few things about Akashi’s sexuality in the fic, and then the usual cultural notes. (Plus the real-life inspiration for the last scene!) Also as a reminder, I have a Pinterest board with photos that helped inspire the first half of the story.

(Cut for me being an incurable Disney nerd, plus notes about sexuality, love hotels, Japanese convenience stores, and other things!)

On The Disney Movies

I should probably feel bad about putting so many Disney references in a fic. //laughs (I’ve been Disney obsessed since I was little, and I wish I could pretend I grew out of it, but I really, really didn’t). But it seemed like a fitting way to bring up the lighter side of fairy tales, since that’s a major theme in the story.

It’s also worth mentioning that Disney stuff is a popular obsession in Japan! There’s Tokyo Disneyland, tons of great Disney stores, you get the idea. I’ve also seen a few Japanese dubs of the movies, which are excellent. <3

I didn’t plan to go into so much detail, but I wanted to try to make the movie references as accessible as I could. And if you haven’t seen the films, I do recommend them because I am a sappy dork. I chose them to match the story, and hopefully to create some interesting parallels to both Akashi and Furihata.

So first, The Little Mermaid! Random fact: This was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. (Also one of my first memories! I was three.) The songs are great, and it’s an interesting take on the fairy tale. But mostly I just thought it would be kind of funny that Furihata would like a movie about a redhead who has issues with a super-strict father and a hard time fitting in with normal humans, because of course you would Furi. (I mean Ariel was basically the reason all of us 90’s kids were in love with supernaturally red hair, right...? No? Just me? //shutting up now)

(… I would absolutely read a fic about merman Akashi trying to comb his hair with a fork though, I don’t know how that would even be in character BUT I’D READ IT. XD)

And if you haven’t seen the film before or want a trip down memory lane, here are some YouTube clips of parts I mentioned in the fic! The opening, Fathoms Below, has beautiful atmosphere. Part of Your World is Ariel’s most famous song, and I pretty much ripped off the reprise of the song in Akashi’s dream sequence so let’s all crack up together about that visual, haha. I think Poor Unfortunate Souls is one of the best villain songs ever, and of course Kiss The Girl is famous and adorable (and you can see how it ends if you didn’t already know, or you forgot!).

As for Cinderella, it’s so iconic that I feel like I don’t really have to say much about it... I did briefly mention the scene with Cinderella getting ready in the morning, which is pretty well-known (also I want you all to really imagine Akashi and Furihata watching a movie where the mice all sing in those tiny high voices together), but the main thing I wanted to link is the fairy godmother’s song! It is precious and iconic and absolute NONSENSE and I will now always think of Akashi cracking up when I watch it. //laughs I also quoted the song with Cinderella and her prince, So This Is Love, which has gorgeous scenery.

And last but not least, Beauty and the Beast! For some reason I’ve had in mind for a VERY long time that Akashi only saw this Disney movie when he was a kid. (I wrote a really silly GoM fic about my headcanons for all their favorite Disney movies back in 2015, but never got around to posting it. //laughs). In any case, hopefully I made it obvious enough in the chapter why I think it’s an Akashi sort of story. (Because of course in an AkaFuri fic Akashi’s Disney crush would be a book-loving brunette who’s off in their own little world, right? Pfft.) Also, full warning, this chapter won’t be the last time I include a painfully obvious homage to this movie… I apologize in advance. xD

Anyway, one of my favorite parts is the prologue! That chiming music is so epic, and the art is breathtaking. And of course Belle’s opening song in the village is brilliant. Those two clips show off the scenery well, which ties in closely to why I referenced it in the fic. The song Something There is a great example of the way the romance develops. And I could ramble on and on, but those were the main things I referenced, so that’s probably sufficient. //laughs

… Okay and also can we just agree that all happy-ending kisses should end in a magical firework explosion? Yes? Yes. (I may or may not be planning to write a scene kind of like it for, um, a certain fic that isn’t this one… And now everyone will know my not-so-secret influences. //cough)

And if you happen to be in a Disney mood now, I’ll also link a countdown I found of the top 20 best Disney endings, which includes almost all of my favorite Disney films/some sadly underrated ones! (My personal favorites will always be #13 and #7, but I could not agree more about the top five rankings, because I am a Disney Renaissance kid. <3)

On Akashi’s Sexuality in the Series

I mentioned this a while ago, but now might be a good time to mention it again! In my AkaFuri series, Akashi is on the asexual spectrum, but I haven’t used the specific term for his identity in the fic. Partly because this fic takes place when those terms were even less commonly known (back in 2010, which is only a few years after I first came across AVEN, so the idea would have been even less familiar in Japan), and partly because he hasn’t fully discovered this about himself yet.

One of the reasons I started writing this series was that I wanted to try to capture how it feels when you haven’t completely figured out your sexuality yet. That was pretty normal among my friends and I when we were sixteen, for a lot of different reasons. (Furihata will be having a similar experience in the series too, which I’ll get into later!) Anyway, I’ll be exploring these issues in more detail in the next fic in the series, but since this chapter does mention some of the feelings Akashi has been struggling with, I thought it would be good to clarify.

On College Kids in Japan in Relationships

I had a lot of fun writing the scene where Furihata’s brother sneaks back into the house, and since it loosely references an aspect of modern Japanese culture, I should probably mention that here…

It’s not too uncommon for university students in Japan—and other young people in their twenties—to still live with their families. Which means that for the ones in relationships, it can be hard to find some (ahem) private time, especially since living spaces are often crowded and PDAs are discouraged. So it’s very normal for young people in Japan to go out to places like love hotels with their significant others…

… And that’s basically what I was implying, when it comes to where Furihata’s brother snuck off to. //laughs That’s also the context of Furihata’s mother’s lecture, and I tried to capture some of the Japanese norms about sex there as well. It’s tricky to explain how they differ from Western norms, because they’re not more “conservative” or “liberal” exactly, just different. (And they vary a lot depending on the person and what generation they’re from!)

But basically, to sum up, I was hoping to convey that Furihata’s mother isn’t upset about what Furihata’s brother is doing per se, it’s more that she’s worried about him being responsible and “appropriate” while he’s doing it. My impression is that it’s unusual that a parent would broach the subject like she does--but hopefully it’s clear that this is a part of her character. Similar to how she dealt with events in Chapter Three. (And that’s also why a character like Akashi is very embarrassed to have overheard it, poor kid. xD)

Also! For those of you who are 18+, if you want to learn more about the cultural context of love hotels in Asian countries, and what they’re like (answer: epic) I love this comic that sums it up. (The comic isn’t explicit, BUT it’s hosted on a webcomic site—that I personally love—that features 18+ comics about sex ed and sex toy reviews. So please be aware, the ads and some of the site’s illustrations are explicit! And very inclusive, sex-positive and awesome.)

On Elementary School Uniforms

I also wanted to briefly mention one of the cultural tropes in Furihata’s family photos! Japanese elementary students wear bright yellow hats when they walk to school, as a way to make them more visible to prevent accidents.

On Conbinis

This is basically just a note to say that I love Japanese convenience stores. //laughs They’re everywhere, everyone uses them, and the major chains are extremely competitive. So they’re often open around the clock, their services are amazing, and their food is delicious.

Also, here’s a random fact! Kit Kats are hugely popular in Japan, and they have all kinds of unusual and regional flavors, including green tea and wasabi and sweet potato. (Yes, really.) The trend started because of a pun in Japanese that made them a popular good-luck gift to give to exam students. Now they’re so well loved that they even have fancy chocolatier stores that sell ultra-fancy Kit Kats because… Because Japan, that’s why. XD

(Also when I post this chapter, I’m rewarding myself by ordering some hojicha Kit Kats from Amazon, because roasted tea flavored Kit Kats from Kyoto are you serious of course I want that in my mouth.)

On the Inspiration for the Walk with Furi’s Dad

I also wanted to make sure I mentioned one of my biggest inspirations for this fic! Which is that when my sister studied abroad in Japan, she stayed with an amazing host family near Hiroshima.

I’ll never forget all her stories about what it was like, but my #1 favorite is that she was awake one morning and her host dad invited her to come on a walk with him… At which point he put the family cat in a harness and they went out and walked the cat. (Maybe that’s more common in some countries, but at least in the U.S., I don’t know anyone who walks a cat? XD) She tells the story a million times better than I do, but the gist of it is that they wandered around this ultra-tiny parking lot for a few minutes and he showed her the strawberries in their garden and it was adorable and a little strange and the best thing ever. <3

I didn’t have Furihata’s dad walk a cat in the fic, sadly enough! (I decided it would be kind of distracting… Also, the Furihatas don’t technically have a cat in canon. //laughs) But I did put a cat in at the end. Partly because everything’s a metaphor, the metaphors are out of control, someone save me from myself. But mostly because I wanted to include a nod to my sister’s host dad and his family, and how much they influenced this story, by being so welcoming to her when she was so far from home. <3

[the-cryptographer]

tagged here by @miranova23, who the tag function does not work on. Thank you so much xD

Favorite Movie: ...What is a difficult question, lol.

My favourite Disney movies are The Lion King and Up. Disney’s not my favourite animator tho. Cartoon Saloon’s Song of the Sea was amazing... There are probably others but- *shrugs*

When I was little I used to say my favourite movie was White Oleander. But, when I watched it when I was older, and having read the much better novel, I didn’t really care for it anymore. I just watched Precious recently - and that was really good but I’m hesitant to up it too much without having read the novel Push it was based on. La lengua de las mariposas is kind of in the same boat.

Hmm, these are some of my favourites from my lgbt+ cinema phase. Yes, I had an lgbt+ cinema phase.

My Beautiful Laundrette •• Saving Face •• Les Chansons d'amour •• Я люблю тебя •• Pariah

I also really liked The Wedding Banquet, but I watched all of Ang Lee’s early Taiwanese films after that and I prefer Eat Drink Man Woman. Maybe that’s my favourite?

Also Soshite Chichi ni Naru has really stuck with me. I watched The Lunchbox right around the same time and it was really good.

idk, I also like movies full of whimsy and fantasy. Like Pan’s Labyrinth and Něco z Alenky and Человек с кино-аппаратом and The Grand Budapest Hotel. Ah, but- ಠ_ಠ  Those are all kind of bittersweet maybe.

One place that makes me happy:

I love the library downtown. It’s so grand~ I went walking down by the gorges too, when I was on the east coast. That made me very happy.

Last book you read: ??

In response to The Comfortable Wound, this excellent Harry Potter fanfic, I borrowed The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters from the library, but I only got through part of it. It’s just letters though, so it’s not like it feels incomplete to have only read some of them. That must have been a year ago though, judging by my bookmark date.

I also read A Dance with Dragons, the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book. That must have also been a while back...

I sought out a copy of Family Bites by Lisa Williams after reading about it on tvtropes, but it kind of disappointed me. The first Bunnicula book did not disappoint but, lol, it’s a grade school book.

I have The Last Unicorn at my bedside and The Maze Runner audio book in my mp3 player, but I haven’t gotten around to either of them.

Ah, I should read more serious lit and nonfiction, but- *rolls around on the ground* I’ve fallen out of reading regularly so much that I’m trying to ease back into it with cute, silly things.

Here, I’ll share some fanfic recs too. I went back and dug up some old ones to review and the writers !!! actually responded so I feel now I should probably review more of their work that I enjoyed since they’re actually paying attention, *sighs*

Conspicuous Consumption by Ziven. Yuugi/Jounouchi. Super awkward first-time sex. Yuugi is super anxious, Jounouchi is super impatient and trying not to be. There are scene changes because Yuugi refuses to do the deed in Jou’s shithole of an apartment, which he then feels guilty about. You may die from secondhand embarrassment but it’s worth it.

A Straight Look by OxEyed. Otogi/Shizuka, but with Honda love drama. It’s my favourite crushshipping fic but it’s actually pretty unhappy. It’s really keenly aware of the characters’ flaws.

Also The More I Look by some mysterious person. Ryou gen. This is the actual last thing I read. I read it between filling out this meme.

idk, in my refusal to answer with personal stats and details (i can message you the answers privately if you want mira) i’ve pared this meme down to a measly three questions. I cannot in good conscience tag but i will tag @emblematik in bad conscience, at least for the last question. you read books and short stories and fic - name a couple things you’ve read recently~

[zurilux]

I miss my dogs a lot, and I'm sad as shit. The only thing making me not sad right now is probably Jake telling me he's so worried about my health he's gonna make me eat veggies and cut me off from pizza rolls xD I feel awful. Alex's mom bought me this B&B bag that she and I wanted and the fact that she just got it for me is so sweet! But I feel guilty cause she definitely didn't need to do that. And Alex has been trying SO freaking hard to cheer me up today (and all week) but I'm just...sad..mostly it's just sad undertones cause while at the parks I take photos and smile and all that shit, but even my performer friends know I'm not my usual self..and they haven't seen me for 2 years. Idk, this was supposed to be a vacation but maybe I just had too high of hopes or maybe I'm just feeling uber lonely. My friends are great but they also aren't excited about Disney anymore, they go all the time. Or they're hella picky. And we are just go go go go go all day, I don't sleep much and repeat for daaaays. I'm sad. I see all these couples and I see people happy and I see these kids with magic in their eyes and I'm just like...I wanna get back to that... I want my happy thought back...I want her. I want to be wanted. I want to be wanted forever, for once, like what the fuck? I want her to still see forever with me like I do with her.. I feel bad for tell her this year is going to be hell, and maybe even longer. I know she hates herself and I don't want that but I also can't pretend like the last few months have been anything but a hellhole...and I imagine this will continue for a while..I mean, if we get divorced..once that shit hits the fan, it's gonna hurt like a mother fucker. It's going to be hell. I won't be her wife anymore, won't feel like I'll be able to be there to support her, and I feel like I'm the only person that does..which has us in a weird position at the moment. I'm incredibly proud of her and all she's set out to achieve..furthering her career, her experience and hopefully her education. She sets goals and is determined to achieve them and I admire that about her so much. She made a comment about visitation rights with Tink..and she made it seem like that's something I wouldn't do but, guess she really doesn't get it. I would legitimately walk through fire to make her happy. I'd probably cut out my own heart to ensure she's happy, taken care of..I gave up theater to try to gain stability to make her happy, less stressed.. obviously that didn't work.. Sigh, it's a weird situation. She probably shouldn't be leaning on me, I'm still in love with her and she's not in love with me anymore but it seems I'm basically all she's got and I'm going to be there for her no matter what anyone says. She keeps calling me, needing me, then seeing I'm doing something and saying "oh no don't mind me, go back to your friends" with this look on her face that kills me. But she won't really talk to me..she just says she's struggling, wants to coodle etc. I think I've done pretty good at taking emotion out of it with her. Just focusing on her, trying to make her better. She keeps focusing on what she's done and it's awful. It's just gutting her and idk why because she just can't change the past, only the future. She's an incredibly smart girl who really doesn't see her worth. I wish I could change that but, I can't. I just want her to see what I do whoever I see her. I terrified I'm going to see her face to face and I'm just not going to have any filter or walls up so I'll just do whatever pops up...which will probably be about kissing her, and man do I miss kissing her. Idk whats going to happen. I know she wants to talk face to face. That's it and she's concerned about if she kisses someone else but if she does...I can't really be mad...may be my wife legally but she's made it clear she isnt mine. Being married to her right now kinda feels like I've got her locked in a cage that's too small and she's like an angry bear or something, sometimes. Just because she talks like I've taken away her freedom or her dreams..and I don't want to do that. I feel like I've been very supportive of everything she's wanted, except I guess diet..cause I sick at eating healthy..but to her career goals and dreams and her future I've been very supportive. Idk. I was talking to Alex and sometimes I think we just need to back up. Like, she can move into her own place and everything, that's fine, but I just think we can work it out...obviously I'm not her though and maybe she just thinks we can't do it..but I guess I refuse to believe that we are beyond repair but like I said, I'm not in her shoes... I got her souvenirs today..and both Alex and Melissa are surprised I'm getting her things. I had to roll my eyes. This situation isn't where I thought I'd be right now..but she still means a lot to me and imma spoil her while I still can I guess... God, I'm just so fucking sad right now. I'm like crying on this couch and I kind of hate everything. Everyone's like "oh you're having such a good time" and I'm like no...I'm too exhausted, I'm too tired and too tired of needing to be strong. I can't worry anymore people and need to do this fucking fake it till you make it shit till I believe it. I don't really get to be angry, I can't be too sad either, I can't let it interfere with my life. I can't break down. I can't just sleep it off. I can't turn off my phone😩 I hate it. I just want affection. I just want someone to love me, to be proud they have me and to legitimately never let me go, love my quirks and awkward mess, to dance with me, to think I'm cute when I'm drunk, make me feel on top of the world and make me laugh when I'm falling to pieces. I don't need presents, or fancy dinners or shows or whatever. I need attention, I need love and affection. I need hand holding, kisses, tight hugs and silly pictures. I need sexy time and I need to be wanted. Someone willing to also watch my shows and animated movies and be a kid with me for a while...to be my happy thought and to want to come home to me, to sleep next to me, hold me too. To sing in the car with me and plan for the future..to do their best to love me when I'm not perfect. To help me when I'm sick, and love to hear me laugh... I'm just sad..really sad and I want her to fix it. I want to be fixed I guess! :/ heh.