#toby cypress

[have-you-read-this-comic]

Propaganda under the cut

[balu8]

Toby Cypress: Little Nemo

[danaclese]

Toby Cypress needs to draw a Hellboy universe thing.

This is horror comic art.

Good horror art.

The poses are uncomfortable.

The characters are ugly. Look at the size of that analog radio tracker, its steampunk. Nobody in this story is having a a good time.

Its doing suspense and drama really well and i suppose the things that make good detective stories and good suspenseful drama are the same ingredients that are used to make horror.

I dont like this for batman art tbh but it fits this particular story well.

I want to see hellboy spinoff comics drawn like this

[cwyreads]

Storytelling is universally human. As scientists study this phenomenon they are coming to the conclusion that this is an evolutionary adaptation that not only aids in but is essential for survival. This is why stories must contain conflict—because it is the conflict that we must resolve in order to survive. The bigger and more insurmountable the conflict, the bigger the lesson gained by the story. Sometimes a particular story is described as a David and Goliath story—a reference to the biblical tale of the boy David slaying the giant Goliath. The truth is all stories worth telling are David and Goliath stories. There is no bigger Goliath than death. To defeat death even for a little while is a great victory. But it is a folly to believe that we will ultimately win. We can never be brave enough, talented enough, beautiful enough, kind enough, or smart enough to defeat death.

— Brian McDonald & Toby Cypress, Land of the Dead: Lessons From the Underworld on Storytelling and Living, 32-33.

[mikeywayarchive]

x

Electric Century: My Chemical Romance's Mikey Way on Blending Music and Comics

The My Chemical Romance bassist reveals the inspiration for his new graphic novel.

BY MIKE AVILA

UPDATED: APR 28, 2021 2:06 PM

POSTED: APR 28, 2021 1:53 PM

Full interview under the cut:

Mikey Way is busier than ever.

Despite having many 2020 plans derailed by the pandemic, the former bassist for My Chemical Romance (and brother of lead singer Gerard Way) revived his musical project, Electric Century, and turned it into a multimedia outlet for his creative energies. The result is EC’s self-titled sophomore album which reunites Way with singer David Debiak, as well as a new companion graphic novel written by Way and Shaun Simon and illustrated by Toby Cypress, and published by Z2 Comics.

In an exclusive interview with IGN, Way opens up about the personal inspirations behind the GN, which tells the tale of a burnt-out former TV star who winds up trapped inside a hypnotic fever dream in mid-'80s Atlantic City. Way describes talked how his childhood in New Jersey and the immense fame he experienced during the My Chem era informed key aspects of the story.

The Origins of Electric Century

EC in many ways has been a lifeline for Way ever since MCR broke up in 2013. Meant to be the outlet for his and Debiak’s love of new wave and Britpop music, the first album came out just as Way checked into rehab in 2014. That scuttled any plans for touring with the album.

Now this one is out, and Way had some big ideas for taking the new record out on the road, in a way that would bridge the worlds of music and comics he’s constantly traveling between. Except, COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill.

“There were cool plans at San Diego Comic Con [in 2020] for this graphic novel,” Way says. “We were going to play at Comic-Con, too, and then, bam! The pandemic happened. This is maybe the second time that happened where we were planning to do an Electric Century show and it didn't happened. So it was like someone was telling me, “Am I not supposed to play a show?”

The writer-musician did like everyone else did; He adjusted to the restrictions of pandemic life. After discussions with Z2 Comics, it was decided to take a more organic and less calendar-timed approach to the release of the Electric Century GN. Available directly through Z2’s website , fans can either order the book separately or as part of a package with the album and other merchandise. It’s also available through other retail outlets.

"But we pivoted and we're going to do other different, cool stuff with it," Way adds. "And the cool thing about this project is there's no timeline. We’re just going to let this organically grow.”

Of course, 2020 was also when Way was supposed to be rejoining his brother Gerard and the rest of My Chemical Romance for the highly anticipated reunion tour. Like nearly all other musical tours, those plans have been put on hold while the world recovers from COVID, so there is no practical update for MCR’s return. Given the nature of such mega-band tours, lots of I’s must be dotted and T’s crossed before things can happen, so Way politely steers clear of tour talk.

With regards to Electric Century, however, he’s an open book. The graphic novel came into play as recording for the album was nearly complete. It was conceived to be a parallel creative journey to the music that exist independently of each other. Way credits some of the inspiration for the dual project to the hitmaking virtual band Gorillaz.

“I have a lot of respect for [Gorillaz co-creator] Damon Albarn, I'm a huge fan of all of his musical projects. He always thinks outside the box, and it was brilliant what he did with Gorillaz, where it was this fictional band and video projections and screens. So basically, my mind just went from there. I started listening to the album over and over and an old idea I had for a story kind of peeked out.”

The seeds for the story that would eventually see print in the graphic novel were planted in 2014, after Way had exited rehab for drug and alcohol abuse. Seeking different types of therapy to help with his recovery, he attempted hypnotherapy, where hypnosis is used to create a state of focused attention during which positive suggestions and guided imagery are used to help people deal with issues. That experience made a lasting impression on him, especially as a potential story.

“I kind of had the idea of writing a story where somebody goes through hypnotherapy but they actually get transported somewhere and they can't get back,” he says.

Who Is Johnny Ashford?

That’s how Johnny Ashford came to be.

Ashford is the alcoholic former sitcom-star who is the main character of EC. He sees a hypnotherapist who transports him to his “happy place,” which turns out to be the Electric Century casino in Atlantic City in the 1980s. The visits to the Boardwalk spark new obsessions and before long he realizes his life depends on figuring out how to escape the Electric Century.

Having grown up in the Garden State and visited Atlantic City often, Electric Century afforded Way the chance spend quality fictional time at a place he visited often as a kid. It also gave him a chance to tap into his familiarity with the pitfalls and pressures of immense fame, having experienced it during MCR’s halcyon days.

“I used some of my personal experience [for the book],” he admits. “But I also had a fascination with eighties child stars since I grew up in that time. You know, back in the eighties, celebrity was different. If you were famous, you were like, legit famous. Everyone knew who you were, but there was intrigue. The only information was what was in magazines or on television. There was no social media, nobody was willingly giving any information about their lives on a daily basis. So these people seemed larger than life.”

For young Mikey Way, the young stars of shows like Diff’rent Strokes and Charles in Charge seemed to be kids you'd hang out with after school. Which is what he did, coming home from school to watch reruns daily.

“And then at some point, as I got older, I saw the sad side of show business and how a lot of [child stars] get discarded. That always made me sad because they were so important to people.”

Nostalgia plays an important role in Electric Century. New Jersey landmarks like Lucy the Elephant, the oldest surviving roadside attraction in America, show up in the book. But the the remembrances are soaked in melancholy.

“I wanted to play upon everyone's natural inclination to be nostalgic about something,” Way says. “That concept fascinates me because I often think if you could walk through a tunnel and be in some other time in your past, would you love it still? Or would your perspective now be, “I'm not into this anymore.” I'm a 40 year old man now; how would I process Atlantic city in 1988? No idea.”

Even though the two Electric Century projects were designed to exist separately, the track “Alive” is a seamless fit to accompany the graphic novel. It’s a song that Way wrote about five years ago – it was originally meant to be on the first Electric Century record – and he considers it one of his best compositions. “It's kind of reminding you to be alive and be in the moment,” Way says of the song. “And I think that's something I'm guilty of not doing, I think everyone in the world is guilty of not doing. I like to think about that when I hear that song to, you know, snap out of it, live in the now and stop worrying about where you've been.”

What's Next After Electric Century?

Way has several comics-related assignments in various stages of development. Up next is a story he’s writing with his big brother Gerard for the graphic novel tribute to the Anthrax album Among The Living, which Z2 is releasing on May 12. He also couldn’t contain his excitement over one project. “I’ve got something that I'm very excited about that I'm working on right now,” he says. “I don't know where it's going to end up. We're talking to some places, but it will be very cool.”

Finding himself at this stage in life where writing comics is such a big part of his life isn’t some fluke. Way doesn’t view comics as just a fun side project to do in-between albums and tours. Like his brother, comics have been a part of his life longer than music.

“I’ve been a fan almost the entirety of my life,” he says. “When I was three, four years old, I was thumbing through comic books at the barber shop, learning how to read from comic books, because I wanted to know what they were saying instead of just asking, “Gerard, what does this say?””

The Way Brothers became hooked on comics with titles like Superman, Spider-Man, Captain America and other superhero series. But for Mikey, G.I. Joe was a major influence. He not only enjoyed the stories but studied the format and how the story unfolded over 22 pages. When it came time to do his first full-length comic, Collapser for DC Comics’ Young Animal imprint, he took the same approach he had when MCR was formed. And he’s continuing to work at the craft.

“I was a super amateur guitar player-turned-bassist for My Chemical Romance and it was something I just had to practice,” Way says. “That's kind of what is going on with me and comic books now. I'm learning from all my peers that are top-tier professionals.”

Some of the comics pros Way reaches out to for advice include DC’s Chief Creative Officer and comics legend Jim Lee.

“Jim was somebody who was very instrumental in my comics career. He'd come to me numerous times and be like, 'When are you going to write a comic?' That's kind of how Collapser came about.”

He admits to being afraid to make that jump into comics, for a number of reasons.

“I was busy a lot and I'm a bad multitasker, so I always just kind of pushed comics to the side,” he says. “I would write stuff out. But when My Chemical Romance broke up, Jim had mentioned to me, 'When are you going to do this?' And then I pitched him something, which turned out to be Collapser.”

As he continues to sharpen his comic book storytelling chops, Mikey Way is also trying his hand at yet another skill: Cooking. Being on lockdown during the pandemic motivated Way to apply his creativity to the kitchen.

“Cooking is a new thing for me. For the whole duration of My Chemical Romance, I think I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at a restaurant. Even when I was home, I would just eat out, or I would order takeout.”

“It’s definitely fun, but it's difficult. It's very, it's very difficult,” he continues. “There's a learning curve, but my family is very encouraging to me in my endeavors. But yeah, I'm a novice. A true novice.”

Electric Century is available in bookstores now.

[archiveofillustration]

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Dracula, and Engine Assassin by Toby Cypress

[komicart]

[cheesecakewitch]

IT'S FORGOTTEN'S ANNIVERSARY! 🐈🌃

 6 years is such a long time! i really can't believe it. thank you to everyone who's supported me over the years, i don't know how to express my gratitude!

[randomrichards]

2025 ACADEMY AWARDS: BEST ANIMATED SHORT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT:

BEAUTIFUL MEN

In 2021, brother Steven (Tom Diwispelaere) Koen (Peter De Graef) and Bart (Peter Van den Begin) travel to Istanbul to get hair transplants. Unfortunately, a mishap results in only one appointment being booked. Now the neurotic Steven, nerdy Koen and distant Bart have confront their issues with each other as they choose which one will take the appointment.

Kaufman-esque is the perfect word to describe Beautiful Men. The stop motion animation bears resemblance to Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa both style and tone. This short film also shares Kaufman’s trademark melancholy humour and exploration of human psychology. In this case, writer/director Nicolas Keppens explores male insecurity.

To be honest, the short doesn’t say much about the subject. Bart is the only one who gets a clear arc. He spends most of the short trying to call his wife Lindsay (Laure Van Medegael). His issues come to a head when he overhears Steven say what he really thinks of him. It doesn’t help that the short ends with a deux ex machina that solves their problems.

There are some very funny scenes in this short. One sees Steven checking Bart’s balls for a lump in a public restroom. Another sees Bart accidentally going through an emergency exit naked. As with Kaufman, the humour of this short is an acquired taste.

Beautiful Men is the weakest of the animated shorts. While it does deliver some laughs and has great stop motion animation, the story needed to be reworked to establish arcs for the other brothers.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS

From Iran comes In the Shadow of the Cypress, a devastating tale of a troubled father, his daughter and a beached whale.

A shipwreck leaves a father and daughter stranded on a beach, forced to take shelter in an abandoned house. The Father’s PTSD causes him to have violent outbursts, which terrifies the daughter. When the daughter finds a beached whale, the father is forced to confront the traumatic moment that damaged him as they try to save the whale.

Of all the animated shorts nominated this year, In the Shadow of the Cypress was the hardest to watch. Writers/directors Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani make it very challenging to empathize with the father as we witness his violent outbursts. The film begins with him smashing his own head into a mirror. You can’t help but side with the daughter when she packs her bags. His inability to get the whale back in the ocean only aggravates his symptoms further, leading to an unsettling scene where his attempt to hammer a nail becomes more violent. It’s very uncomfortable.

In between these outbursts shows the guilt-ridden man paralyzed by his trauma. Being stranded on an island leaves him with no means of coping with his trauma in a healthy manner, creating a Jekyll/Hyde situation. Molayemi and Sohani gives the audience visual clues across the short before revealing the traumatic event through devastating flashbacks and flashes resembling woodcut drawings.

The short is hard to watch but it’s also the most beautifully animated among the short films. Molayemi and Sohani presents a simple animation style that makes an eye catching sun lit beach side. They also visual symbols for emotional moods. The father’s skin turns blue when his PTSD takes over. When his daughter leaves, the father turns into petals that hugs daughter. His daughter melts like ice cream when she gives her father the cold shoulder. It works thanks to the short’s simple animation style and the directors intricate visual storytelling.

Molayemi and Sohani holds nothing back in their portrayal of PTSD and its effects on loved ones.

MAGIC CANDIES

Toei Animation, the studio behind One Piece, Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball adapts stories by Heena Baek to create a coming of age story about boy who gains the ability to hear new voices thanks to a bag of colourful candies.

Dong-Dong (Haruto Shima) doesn’t have an easy life. None of the boys play with him. His dog Gusuri doesn’t want to walk with him. His Father (Ikkei Watanabe) is very critical and demanding. The only joy in his life is his solo games of marbles.  When he heads to the store to buy new marbles, he instead buys a bag of colourful marble-shaped candies. He tries the plaid-coloured candy, and suddenly the couch starts talking. It turns out the candies give him the ability to hear voices from whatever shares the candy’s colour. The result is 20 unforgettable minutes of side splitting and emotional shenanigans.

Screenwriter Ichiro Takano makes the most of the 6 candies provided, each one with their own creative abilities. It leads to some funny moments including one where the couch (Hiroshi Iwasaki) asking Dong-Dong to tell his father to stop farting on him. For the most part, these candies result in heartfelt moments that teach Dong-Dong a lesson in perspective and communication. The most powerful is when Dong-Dong tires one that lets him hear his emotionally distant father say I Love You. You may cry watching Dong-Dong hug his father.[1]

Toei Animation have long proved exceptional at bringing a manga’s animation style to life for decades. Director Daisuke Nishio himself has been directing since the original Dragon Ball, .But Baek’s carving models that make up her illustrations forces them to go a different direction than their usual hand drawn animation. Nishio brings Baek’s style to life using a CGI animation style designed to look like stop motion animation. They create many beautiful background, especially a park in autumn when Dong-Dong watches the leaves fall. They also get some cartoony images like having Dong-Dong shoot steam out his ears and nose when he tries the first candy. There are also moments when Dong Dong sees letters fly in the sky. It’s especially moving when Dong Dong see the words “I love you” float from the father’s back while he’s doing dishes.

Magic Candies is a delightful fantasy that delivers eye catching animation and a valuable lesson for children and adults.

WANDER TO WONDER

Those who love pitch black British comedy will get a real kick out of Wander to Wonder.

the titular 80s British children’s show centred on the kind-hearted Uncle Gilly (Neil Savage) and 3 miniature Wookie like creatures[2] named Mary (Amanda Lawrence), Fumbleton (Toby Jones) and Billybud (Terence Dunn). Cut to the present day where Uncle Gilly’s corpse lies in a decaying studio. It turns out the creatures are actually tiny people wearing costumes, and they are have been stranded in the studio for a while. As they struggle to survive, each cope in their own way. The pompous Shakespearean Fumbleton deludes himself into playing a warrior. Manchild Billybud practices juggling anything he can get his hands on. Mary tries to maintain the illusion of a domestic life while rewatching taped episodes of the show.

Wander to Wonder bears some resemblance to Raymond Brigg’s anti-war black comedy When the Wind Blows. Both have droll British comedy stemming from the main characters trying to maintain a routine life in the face of catastrophe. Mary in particular tries her best to maintain the façade of a normal life by having the three of them eat at the dinner table (even if their meals are either pickles or dead flies). Both present unflinching portrayals of decay. The trio are surrounded by rusted equipment, a dead body and flies galore. At one point, they have to break a glass of pickles to get anything to eat.

There are differences between them, Wander To Wonder uses stop motion animation style in contrast to When the Wind Blows combines live action and hand drawn animation. The former’s animation style is a blend of the Road and the Borrowers. The animators find creative ways for the trio to use regular objects, including stacking video tapes so they can look through the door window. In contrast the unapologetically bleak When the Wind Blows, Wander to Wonder ends on a hopeful note. An ambiguous note but one that offers hope for the trio

 Director Nina Gantz offers a few hilarious moments. Fumbleton appears on a recording with no pants, letting out his little shortcomings. The trio records an episode warning kids not to eat flies after they tried them for dinner. Billybud’s attempts to juggle matches results in the set being lit.

Wander for Wonder is an acquired taste for those who love dark British humour and are willing to sit through bleak moments of decay.

YUCK!

Writer/director Loic Espuche takes us back to a time in childhood when we were grossed out by kisses in the nostalgia comedy Yuck!

Espuche takes us into a world where people’s lips glow pink and glittery when they fall for someone. Such a sight grosses out the little kids at a campground. It doesn’t stop them from eavesdropping on couples kissing. Among them is Leo (Noe Chabbat) who is vacationing with his family. Suddenly his own lips start glowing, especially at sight of little red haired girl Lucie (Katel Varat).

Leo delivers an accurate depiction of a child experiencing infatuation for the first time. He finds romance gross because that’s what the other kids think. So, when his lips starts glowing, he is confused by his emotions. Like most kids, he neither recognizes nor understands his emotions. In fear of being picked on by the other kids, he tries to hide the glow from them. It leads to him lashing out in private by kicking flowers. Then one night, he comes to understand that these feelings are normal when he sees the tents glow pink.

Yuck! Is the most adorable of the animated shorts nominated this year. It’s amusing to see kids being grossed out by the sight of kissing, saying it should be a crime for old people to be kissing. It works thanks to the performances of the child actors who make their characters feel like real children. The simple animation style adds to the adorability with a simple style.

Espuche draws from common childhood memories of summer vacations. Some moviegoers may recognize eavesdropping on adults, racing to the water slide and driving your parents crazy by teasing your siblings instead of sleeping. Composer Alienor Doublet add to the nostalgia with a synthetic score that feels like a trip down memory lane.

Yuck! Is a lighthearted nostalgia trip centred on discovering affection for the first time.

Who Will Win?

The clear winner is Magic Candies.

With no Disney/Pixar short nominated, the winner is often adaptations of children’s books. Examples include The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Hair Love and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Magic Candies also has the advantage made by a well established studio like Toei Animation. This studio has been making anime movies and shows since the 50s and it has made some of the iconic franchises in Japanese entertainment.

There’s also the added challenge of Toei Animation stepping outside of its comfort zone, which they pull off beautifully. Toei Animation proved themselves just as effective with CGI as they are with hand drawn animation.

Like the best children stories, Magic Candies delivers an entertaining story that balances creative ideas, with memorable characters and valuable life lessons.

[1] It would have been great if his father learned not to be so demanding of his son and open up more.

[2] Those costumes look so creepy with their styles.

[thefluffyrailway-official]

Hi! What are Toby's siblings' names? Or are they just random NPCs like Toby's sibling 1, Toby's sibling 2 , Toby's sibling 3...

Welp this is kinda funny. Bc i decided to name most of them after trees bc their last name is Woods just like Toby hehehe (I eat clowns for breakfast ig-)

For exemple, the ones who appear in the fic "Aiden's Dream" (Which explains Thomas' backstory and a little of Toby's too) are this (FANDOM PAGE MODE!):

-Ram (The oldest and most important of all due to him being Aiden's dad's past engine. Ram is known to be pretty kind and patient. He's able to calm things between Toby and Rowan.)

-Thara (The only sister and Toby's twin sister. Her name was always covered by ambiental sounds like other engines' whistles until Toby tells Flora about her and how she reminds him of her a lot. We can suppose Thara was so similar to Flora both in appareance and personality.)

-Rowan (Toby's older brother, Ram's twin and the one who scolds Tobes after getting stuck under a tree. He's known between his other siblings for being grumpy and don't liking Toby's enthusiasm and little antics a lot. He's usually the main victim too. He also likes to annoy Toby calling him by his full name "Tobias")

-Birch (Made with Birch wood unlike the others. His real name is unknown. He appears along Rowan and Ram when Toby gets stuck under a tree while he derailed. Only to be shouted by Rowan everytime he says he shouldn't be so hard on "his little brother" as he calls him.)

-Aspen, Alder, Cypress, Cedar, Bruce, Cullen and Elm. (Mentioned by the stationmaster when he says the names of almost all of Toby's siblings when Aiden asks him about Ram as "The tram that works here".)

So yep! Tobes has a lot of WOODEN siblings HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA (pls kill me that joke was painfully bad-)

[xoxotrailerparkprincess]

🎸⋆⭒˚｡⋆SONGS THAT REMIND ME OF THE PASTAS🎸⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Music i think the pastas listen to or what reminds me of them<3

-`♡´-ENJOY!-`♡´-

╔══════════════════╗

JEFF THE KILLERִ ࣪𖤐◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ `

(I mean i totally head canon him as emo and a metal head so here are some ones that i took from my "For jeff the killer" playlist <3)

.Partners in crime-set it off, ash costello (ARE YOU KIDDING THIS SONG IS SOOOO GOOD AND ITS SO HIM)

.Wolf in sheeps clothing-set it off (DUDE THIS SONG WAS MY FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIMEEE LIKE 2 YEARS AGO...BUT YEAH I TOTTALY SEE HIM SINGING THIS AND HIM JUST LIKING THIS SONNG IN GENERAL)

.Monster-Skillet (THIS IS DEFINETLY ON HIS PLAYLIST, ARGUE WITH THE WALL.)

.I hate everything about you-Three days grace (DUDE WHAT THIS IS SO HIM. IT LITERALLY SCREAMS ANGSTY CHAOTIC JEFF. ALSO THIS SONG IS STILL SUCH A BANGER OML)

.Sarcasm-get scared (IK I HATE ON JEFF FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES BUT IM OBLIGATED TO LOVE HIM IN A SENSE BC HIS MUSIC TASTE IS JUST SOO AAAAAH LIKE WHY DID HE STEAL MY WHOLE PLAYLIST....BUT SO MANY OF "GET SCARED"S SONGS ARE SO HIM"

.Good girls bag guys-falling in reverse (SAME THING WITH FALLING IN REVERSE, SO MANY OF THEIR SONGS JUST SCREAM JEFF, ESSPICALLY THIS ONE LIKE WHAT)

.Sexy drug-falling in reverse (SEE WHAT DID I SAY)

-Criminal-Brittany spears (ITS LITERALLY HIM)

╔══════════════════╗

TICCI TOBY ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

.My axe-ICP (LITERALLY TOBY)

.Saint Brenard-Lincoln (IDK THERES SMTH ABOUT THIS SONG

.Father-The front bottoms (I DEFINETLY SEE THIS IN HIS PLAYLIST)

. Chop suey! -System of a down (HE DEF LISTENS TO THIS RELIGEOUSLY)

.Tears over beers-Modern baseball (I SO SEE HIM BEING MIDWEST EMO)

.Tear you apart- she wants revenge (I ALSO SEE THIS AS A JEFF SONG AS WELL BUT ALSO TOBY)

╔══════════════════╗

NINA THE KILLER⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧

.Pretty little psycho (THIS SONG IS SO HER IDC)

. Pretty scene girl!-Clover! (IK THIS PRETTY SCENE GIRL I WISH YOU COULD HAVE SEEN HER IK SHE GOT SOME PROBLEMS BUT I DONT WANNA LEAVE HER)

.Kiss me again-kets4eki (KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME AGAINNN)

.All i want is you-Rebzyyx (A LOT OF REBZYYX MUSIC JUST SCREAMS NINA)

.Im so crazy for youuu </3-Rebzyyx (UR SO UPSET WITH ME BUT IM SO OBSESSED WITH YOU<3)

.Yandere-Jazmin Bean (YAYAYAYAAAYAY JAZMIN REFERENCE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH)

.Love taste-Moe shop (SHE DEFINETLY LISTENS TO THIS)

.Crazy girls-TOOPOOR (SHES LITERALLY THE DEFINITION OF THE SONG)

.Freak show-punkinlovee (NINA CORE)

╔══════════════════╗

BEN DROWNED ₊ ⊹

.Welcome to the internet-Bo burnham (IDK ITS JUST SO BEN)

.#Brooklynbloodpop!-SyKo

.Spy?-WHOKILLEDXIX (THIS IS DEF THE TYPE OF MUSIC HE LISTENS TO)

.Discord-The living tombstone (I JUST KNOW HE WOULD BE A LIVING TOMBSTONES FAN)

.Never-Mag.lo

.Sugarcrash!-EllyOtto (IDK WHY I SEE HIM AS AN EDM/HYPERPOP PERSON AS WELL)

.Nowhere to run-Stegosaurus rex

╔══════════════════╗

❣LAUGHING JACK❣

-Rainbows and stuff-ICP (THIS SONG IS UNBELIEVABLY LJ CODED)

-Carousel-Melanie martinez (THIS SONG IS SO SO SO SO LJ)

-Insane in the brain-cypress hill

-HAHA-lil darkie

-Mad hatter-Melanie martinez

-In my room-ICP

-Vending machine of love-The stupendium (I SERIOUSLY DK WHY WHENEVER I LISTEN TO THIS SONG I PICTURE LJ)

-Pink elephants on parade-Disney studio chorus (U BEST BET THIS IS PLAYING AT HIS CARNIVALS

-The masochism tango-Tom lehrer (AAAAH)

-An unhealthy obsession-the blake robinson synthetic orchestra

╔══════════════════╗

EYELESS JACKﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

-The zombie song-Stephanie Mabey (IF I WERE A ZOMBIE ID NEVER EAT YOUR BRAIN </3)

-Saccharine -Jazmin bean (THIS IS SONG IS DEFINETLY EJ WHENEVER HE FALLS IN LOVE)

-Misery meat-Sodikken

-Monster-Lady gaga

-Cannibal-Kesha

-Blow my brains out-Tikkle me

-Animal i have become-Three days grace

-People eater-Sodikken

╔══════════════════╗

JANE THE KILLER 𓆇🕸️𓆸

-Brutus-The buttress(JANE CODED FR)

-Killer queen-Queen

-Bring me to life-Evanescence (SHE KIND OF LOOKS LIKE AMY LEE IN ONE OF HER PHOTOS TOO)

-Living dead girl-Rob zombie

-Shes my collar-Gorillaz, kali uchis

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

[greensparty]

Green's Party's Guide to the 2025 Oscar Nominated Short Films

I am absolutely thrilled to be doing my 8th annual guide to the Oscar Nominated Short Films (read my 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023  and 2024 guides). Anyone who knows me knows I am a longtime champion of the Short Film categories for Animation, Live Action and Documentary at the Academy Awards, mainly because I have made short films and I know how hard it can be to tell a story in a short amount of time.

2025 movie poster

This year’s nominated short films are available from ShortsTV both in theaters and online. I’ve watched all of them and here are my thoughts and predictions:

Best Animated Short Film:

This category is always cool because of the varying styles of animation. Magic Candies (Japan) is about a lonely boy Dong-Dong, who decides to buy a bag of candies instead of marbles and begins seeing some strange things. At times, the animation seemed almost like puppetry or woodmation for this imaginative tale. In the Shadow of the Cypress (Iran) is about a former captain now living in a secluded house with his daughter and suffering from PTSD. It's a silent movie in that there is no dialogue. Yuck! (France) is about kids at a Summer camp who are grossed out by older people kissing, until the main boy wants to give it a try with a girl camper. Wander to Wonder (UK) is about some miniature characters in a 1980s children's TV show, who are left alone in the studio after the show's originator dies. It boasts notable actor Toby Jones as one of the voices. This is very creative animation, but I'm sure animated purists will take issue with some of the live action pieces being combined into the film. In Beautiful Men (Belgium / France / Netherlands) three brothers stay at a hotel in Istanbul for hair transplants. This is the one animated short nominee that could have easily been a raunchy adult dramedy if it was live action, but within animation it was able to encompass more mature themes like older men with insecurities.

Will Win: Wander to Wonder seems to be getting some momentum and it's got some notable cast members. I think the live action element, might dissuade some animators, but it's charming enough to just win!

Should Win: Beautiful Men was the most original and entertaining of this year's animation nominees.

Best Live Action Short Film:

What a category this year! First up is Netflix's Anuja (U.S. in Hindi), which boasts star power in its producer Mindy Kaling. This shows a 9-year-old girl working in a garment factory and she is given an opportunity to go to school and has to make a decision. It had very stylish cinematography and tugged at the heartstrings. The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Croatia) takes place on a train that is suddenly stopped by military forces in an ethnic cleansing operation in 1993. There is an undercurrent of tension and fear throughout, even as we the audience are not seeing the horrors beyond the train, it's felt in a harrowing way. The New Yorker's I'm Not a Robot  (Belgium / Netherlands) begins with a woman at her workplace doing one of those logins to prove you're not a robot. When she has trouble logging in, she takes a survey that assesses she might be a bot and that causes her world to unravel. I liked the idea and the build-up, even if the ending was a letdown. A Lien is about a family dealing with a dangerous immigration process. In less than 15 minutes, this drama packs in more than a lot of features even try for. The Last Ranger (South Africa) is about young Litha, who is introduced to a game reserve by the last remaining ranger, and they are ambushed by poachers as they try to save the rhinos. This film truly makes the argument for seeing the Oscar Nominated Shorts in a movie theater. The scenic locale is breath-taking on a small screen, but probably looked way better on a big screen.

Will Win: Any of these could easily win for different reasons, but A Lien is very of-the-moment with Trump's immigration policy being a hot-button issue.

Should Win: The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent gets a ton of credit for having a lot to say without actually showing the horrors it alludes to it. But I think A Lien is the best of any of this Live Action Shorts batch!

Best Documentary Short Film:

This year's Documentary Short Film nominees cover a lot of varied ground: New York Times' Instruments of a Beating Heart (Japan) is about a first grade class in a Tokyo elementary school that are going to perform "Ode to Joy" for the incoming first students and the subject is a girl who was selected to play the drums in the song. You are rooting for her as she gets so scared and upset during rehearsals, but it shows the power of music, which was a similar theme in last year's winner The Last Repair Shop. The New Yorker's Incident is a reconstruction of a 2018 police shooting in Chicago. It is a unique documentary in that it is made up entirely of actual surveillance and bodycam footage. It is disturbing to watch and there's also long stretches with no sound, forcing the viewer to watch what's happening that much more. MTV Documentary Films' I am Ready, Warden is directed by Smriti Mundhra, who was nominated in this category for 2019's St. Louis Superman (which I praised in my 2020 Shorts Guide). This very intense doc looks at a convicted murderer on death row. Prior to his execution he tries to reach out to his son and the victim's son. It looks at the situation from all sides. Very sobering to say the least. Netflix's The Only Girl in the Orchestra is about double bassist Orin O'Brien, who recently retired from the New York Philharmonic. The doc is directed by her niece Molly and it's a conversational look at Orin's life growing up with Old Hollywood actor parents, her love of music and her career, including re-connecting with former students. The Kennedy / Marshall Company (yes, THE Frank Marshall is a producer of this) present Death by Numbers about Samantha Fuentes, one of the survivors of the Parkland High School shooting. It shows her grappling with feelings of anger and sadness as she prepares to face the shooter in his trial. To say this is powerful would be an understatement. It documents this subject's life, memories and the trial, it used animation, poetry and art to enhance Fuentes' narration / interviews.

Will Win: There is a lot of heavy subjects in this year's category, which is why they might cancel each other out and The Only Girl in the Orchestra, which is more uplifting and celebratory, could steal the thunder.

Should Win: This one is difficult to choose, but I think Death By Numbers was the one that left me the most speechless and went beyond just a documentary short and felt like a moving life experience.

This year’s Oscar Nominated Short Films can be seen online from ShortsTV as well as select movie theaters including programs at Coolidge Corner Theatre and Alamo Drafthouse Boston.

[seekdevotion]

*          𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒     𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃          :          hiiii  :3  spare  mws  please?

haiiiiiiiiii  x3  already spared  twice  in  these  posts  here  and  here  ( feel free to peruse the whole tag, this post included in fact and please mind any repeats 🫶 ) but  worry  not!  i  shall  as  i'd  live  love  laff  to  complete  the  triology  and place cap on mw asks so  here  we  gaur!    —   sasha  lane,  jack  mulhern,  simone  ashley,    ayo  edebiri,  jessica  sula,  kaylee  bryant,  liv  hewson,  courtney  eaton,  ncuti gatwa, cailee  spaeny,  camille  hyde,  jennie  kim,  toby  wallace,  natasha  liu  bordizzo,  inde  navarette,  nicole  wallace,  grace  van  patten,  molly gordon, daniel  ezra,  yara  shahidi,  sophie  thatcher,  jharrel  jerome,  spencer  house,  barbie  ferreira,  tawny  cypress,  sophia  ali,  rain  spencer,  lee  know,  myha'la  herrold,  summer  madison,  maia  mitchell,  kiana  madeira,  haley lu richardson, vanessa  morgan,  fiona  palomo,  mason  gooding,  jordan  alexander,  chay  suede,  lauren  ambrose,  madeleine  madden,  choi  yeonjun, kedar williams-stirling, antonia  gentry,  ciara  bravo,  mark mckenna, sophia wilde, quintessa swindell, charlie  heaton,  brigette  lundy-paine,  natalia dyer, aimee  lou  wood,  emily  rudd, alice  pagani,  odessa young, eduardo  franco,  melanie  lynskey,  victoria moroles, carlacia  grant,  josh o'connor, brianna hildebrand, zoe terakes, samantha  logan,  asa butterfield, lovie simone,  hari nef, hafsanur  sancaktutan,  charithra  chandran,  owen teague, jessica  alexander,  mia  healy,  felix  mallard, sophie  nelisse,  roberta  colindrez,  sofia  boutella,  toby  wallace,  priscilla  quintana,  lorenzo  zurzolo,  nat  &  alex  wolff,  christopher  briney,  kaia  gerber,  nathalie  emmanuel,  odessa  azion,  raymond  ablack,  rebecca  ablack,  aimee  carrero, henry zaga,  erana  james,  jeremy  allen  white,  chante  adams,  park  jihyo,  kelvin  harrison  jr.,  golshifteh  farahani,  raveena  aurora,  alba  baptista,  kathryn  newton,  olivia  scott  welch,  jan  luis  castellanos,  mike  faist,  dacre  montgomery,  halle & chloe bailey, eli  brown,  reina  hardesty,  jonathan  daviss,  lee  felix,  kelly  mccormack,  greta  onieogou,  peter  gadiot,  alisha  boe,  madison  bailey,  kristine  froseth,  michael  evans  behling,  nicole  maines,  kim  dahyun,  son  chaeyong,  lana  condor,  cierra  ramirez,  jacob  anderson,  hwang  hyunjin,  lauren  tsai,  sean  berdy,  kevin  alves,  brittany  o'grady,  taylor  zakhar  perez,  diego  calva,  sarah  pidgeon,  rachel  sennott,  camila  queiroz,  maika  monroe,  keke  palmer,  simone  kessell,  julia  rehwald,  ryan  destiny,  belmont  cameli,  lalisa  manoban,  thomas  doherty &  lili  reinhart  !

[thetextsystem]

master post of all our blogs. wow. you love it here . hashtag system(im p sure these are the ones that are used/made?? tbh idk) -Vyncent

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@pebblepath wip blog..(Peter, he/him)

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@loverboycupid (Cupid/Wilbur, He/💞/love/she/heart)

@milofish (Milo/Wilbur, he/fin/sea)

@pleaseyourgodandreleasethehounds (Techo/Blade, he/him)

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@clementine-innit (Clementine, she/they/moth)

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@robotdotorg (Nova, any)

@nikkipurin (Nikki, she/her)

our group blogs

@ghostsareinthesewalls (cw for derealization/disassociation and stuff like that.. just a blog about that type of stuff. also being dead yk)

@top-10-in-system-polycules (ran by tom, tub, boo, and cosmo)

@sunshine-littles (ran by all of our syskids/littles.. ofc with observation)

@fnafcorez (all our fnaf fictives run this blog)

@peepedthehorror (our langblr/studyblr blog)

@qsmpslimeriana (main blog)

@texts-jukebox (music/playlists we've had on loop)

@colorcrew-but-everywhere (but everywhere blog...except its color crew)

@waterbottlerequests (request blog)

@doggoshyabouttheirteeth (kin blog)

[rockislandadultreads]

New Title Tuesday: Graphic Novels

Land of the Dead by Brian McDonald 

There is wisdom in the land of the dead, for it is the place that all stories lay to rest. And what is a story, if not a simulation of survival?

Wielding his massive experience from film, tv, comics, and more, Brian McDonald lays out a history of storytelling and shows the reader how the best tales tug at our truest biological the need to survive. Readers will see how different forms of survival―physical, emotional, spiritual―inform the arc of character development in a way that makes them more complex and compelling. And how plot and circumstance must then force your protagonist to meet their worst nightmare. Toby Cypress’s electric art guides the reader through the underworld, visualizing each narrative masterpiece, and bringing the ideas to life.

Whether you’re in film, books, comics, or simply a story enthusiast, this book offers a way to see character development and the crafting of plot through the lens of human questions of morality and mortality.

Critical Role, The Mighty Nein Origins: Nott the Brave by Sam Maggs

When you become that which you fear most, how do you carry on?

Veth Brenatto doesn't have an exciting life, but she likes it that way. Unlike her childhood, it's safe. Predictable. And her husband and son love her almost as fiercely as she loves them. But Veth's cozy existence is turned on its head when she and her family are captured by raiders. In order to save them, Veth will commit an atrocity that will sever her from all that she loves--maybe forever--and lead her to become Nott the Brave of the Mighty Nein.

This is the fifth volume in the “Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins” series. 

Last on His Feet by Adrian Matejka

On the morning of July 4, 1910, thousands of boxing fans stormed a newly built stadium in Reno, Nevada, to witness an epic showdown. Jack Johnson, the world’s first Black heavyweight champion—and most infamous athlete in the world because of his race—was paired against Jim Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion then heralded as the “great white hope.” It was the height of the Jim Crow era, and spectators were eager for Jeffries to restore the racial hierarchy that Johnson had pummeled with his quick fists.

Transporting readers directly into the ring, artist Youssef Daoudi and poet Adrian Matejka intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport—all while facing down a racist justice system. Through a combination of breathtaking illustrations and striking verse, Last on His Feet honors a contentious civil rights figure who has for more than a century been denied his proper due.

Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell

Meet Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an end (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego…Superman! After years of standing idle, the young man from Krypton defies the wishes of his fathers to come out to the world as the first superhero of the Space Age. As each decade passes and each new danger emerges, he wonders if this is the one that will kill him and everyone he loves. Superman realizes that even good intentions are not without their backlash as the world around him transforms into a place as determined to destroy itself as he is to save it. 

Uniting the critically acclaimed writer Mark Russell (One-Star Squadron and The Flintstones) and Eisner-winner Mike Allred (Silver Surfer and Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams) for the first time, this series promises fans an unforgettable journey through U.S. history and culture starring our beloved characters.

This is the first volume in the “Superman: Space Age” series. 

[mikeywayarchive]

@ mikeyway on Twitter:

There is no way understate the impact that music, comics and music have had on every moment of my life. This is a milestone. Thank you @ Z2comics !#electriccentury

[Feb 23, 2021]