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punkeropercyjackson · 2 months

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It's finally here!!!

Graphic design is my passion LMFAO but as i said i would do a while back,i've created a masterpost of all the Jason Todd content that's worth your time!This is rather long but he's existed since 1983 so!!

Base edit is my little sister @mayameanderings and tagging @coffeemilkcatz and @nanaonmars since they said yes when i asked if they wanted me to!Let's dive in then!

Batman 408-426,Detective comics 568-582,Superman annual 11,New Teen Titans 18-31,Blue Devil 19,Action comics 556 and 594,Batman Annuals 10-12 and Batman(The cult)for pre-reboot Robin!Jason my beloved

Nightwing Year One 101-106,New Teen Titans 55,Nightwing 10(1997)and Legends of the Dark Knight 100 for Dick and Jason siblinghood,Gotham Knights 34 for the short story of him and Alfred and Detective comics 790 for Bruce telling Cass about him as it takes place on Jason's birthday

Lost Days aka the Red Hood prologue

Under The Red Hood(2010)-The original comic is good in it's own right but the movie is leagues better written(Rare comic book adaption exception lmao)

Robin 177 and 182-183 for tha actual Tim and Jason beef instead of 'replacement' and 'enemy to caretaker' bs

Azreal:Death's Dark Knight 3(Can't give commentary on this one since i don't know Azreal like that,sorry)

Red Hood and The Outlaws(2016).Unlike the Utrh comic vs the Utrh movie,the original Rhato has nothing positive like the reboot

Not TECHNICALLY Jason BUT Duke is his favorite brother and Stephanie's the only Batfam girl he's truly close to so you should also stan them since he'd want you to /lh

Red Hood:Outlaw for the confirmation that Red Hood loves black women from infinity to infinityyyyy(meaning his love interest Dana Harlowe is introduced and featured as an mc in this run)

Urban Legends 1-6 for his return to the Batfam-Messy tbh but i do enjoy parts of it!

Task Force Z for him and Stephanie being a vigilante team and it has a prelude,that being Detective comics 1041-1043

Unkillables and Joker:The Man Who Stopped Laughing for Jayrose goodies and more of the above

Gotham War if you feel like turning off your brain to look at good art and laugh at dogshit writing

Red Hood:The Hill is his current run and when our queen Dana comes home from comics limbo!!!

The following is a misc list that's not required to include in your Jason knowledge but HIGHLY recommended you do just for fun!

Tiny Titans 23,29,33,39,45 and 47,Bombshells 46,60 and 62,Bombshells United 18-24,Lego Batman:Family Matters,A Death In The Family 2020,Batman:The Adventures Continue,Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 5-6,The Doom That Came to Gotham 2023 and The Teen Titans Go episode 'The Best Robin'(Pre-Reboot Robin Jason rights!!!).Also look up 'Nobody cares about Tim Drake' if you don't know what that is,you'll love it

Jason also appears in the Lego DC Super Villains games that i highly recommend as well especially because my girlfriend is a mega fan of it and i don't know much about Lego Batman 3:Beyond Gotham but please avoid the aformentioned original Rhato,Red Hood:Outlaws and the Gotham Knights game as they feature extremely problematic writing not limited to but including racialized misogyny and ableism and do disservice to Jason himself anyway so you wouldn't want to consume them to begin with if you want to like him.I have mixed feelings on the Arkham Knight and Injustice games series' but they are objectively fairly good so i wouldn't say no to giving them a shot to see if you like them

And for the finale we have Wayne Family Adventures-Definitely a good read but to be totally honest it does Duke DIRTY and it sucks so much of DC to have marketed as his series to not only not follow through at all and make it an ensemble cast instead but ALSO deprive him of his actual characterization and story to make him a demure weak black boy stereotype.I won't judge you at all for liking it if you decided to read it or have already but kindly keep this in mind and consider joining me and my mutuals in our rewrite of it to give our Signal of Hope and Chaos the writing he deserves or at least support us through likes and reblogs!Happy Jason readings and have a good day💕

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blogofyolo · 8 months

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LOFAM 5 ACT 2 - COVER ART

recently i had the opportunity to contribute to the new lofam so i thought i'd share the album covers i did here! (with commentary)

starting off with probably my favorite cover art for what might be my favorite song: sburban juxtaposition. the track is so good i basically drew the whole cover while listening to it on loop. coloring the meteors was a lot of fun too. rose's pose is actually inspired by miles' leap of faith from spider-man: into the spiderverse (the spiderverse movies have consumed me ever since i saw atsv in theatres, it can't be helped).

next up we have celestial company. the track is very relaxing, i figured it would make sense to replicate that feeling in the art itself through adding pleasant shades of blue to skaia and john's hood. i also added a yellow spirograph for contrast. i think it worked out pretty well!

sunbumper! a very upbeat and energetic jade track. there's two cool things about this image: one thing is a rather obvious nod to the neverending story, while the other thing is hidden in plain sight. it's a reference to outer wilds, i'll say this much.

caliborn's lament. look. i couldn't not jump at the opportunity to draw art for a song that adapts act 6 act 6 act 4. i just love caliborn, and that's all there really is to say on the matter. his comically sad face is probably the best thing i drew for this project.

karkat loses his mind and learns holy c. i tried a different style for this one, since it's for a song referencing templeos. editing the logos and all was a really funny experience. there's also this Pleasant Hoofbeast Drawing, which i never really got to use:

maybe it'll turn out better this time is a title that immediately reminded me of the retcon. in the cover art, i decided to highlight how the joy of the post retcon timeline almost completely overshadows the suffering of characters that we actually followed for years. idk, replacing these guys with slightly different versions of them always felt weird to me.

aaaaand that's it! hope you guys enjoyed these covers (and the lengthy commentary) just as much as i enjoyed making them :3

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beartitled · 5 months

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Bear i genuinely need to know if you are on 15 coffees. How did you do that so detailed and nice????? How did you nake it so cool???? How do you have the talent and motivation???? How long did you draw to achieve this godly skill???

💕💞❤️💖💕Awwwww thank you 💕❤️💖💕💞❤️

Fun fact I actually don’t drink coffee (😨*shocked audience sounds*😨) or at least drink it very rarely, I dunno it just makes me more sleepy? for some reason? which is hilarious in this context

Hehe man I need to concentrate, but I can’t stop smiling

I’m very happy that people actually liked my picture book, it legit sends me away because it’s a personal project which took a ton of effort

Like fan arts, megadrawings, fan comics those are also mean a lot and made with love, but this project feels like showing a part of your soul

And when you see people actually enjoying it- just- ❤️💕💖💞💕❤️*ecstatic bear noises*💕❤️💖💕💞💕 *happy tiny jumps*💖💕❤️💕💖💞💖

(oki lemme put all my thoughts under read more, bc I didn’t expect to write that much 💥)

Answering the questions

I just love detailed stuff✨ Plus when you work on something for a long time, you can kinda think of something or subconsciously add even more visual details

Motivation comes from just a wish to finish something most of the time

When I work on big projects (that take months for example) I tend to go into 💪grind💪 state, where you just dedicate your entire time to making something

It a very interesting thing, because your life literally becomes this project for a few months, you wake up with a goal and make your day as productive as possible (after I finish something I can have a mini crisis, like wait this thing is over, wait I can do something different.. no I NEED A PURPOSE 💥💥💥 *aggressively starts yet another comic*)

Also I feel like uni played a major role in my productivity rate, bc you can have multiple projects in one semester and plus to that an assignment that just adds on every week

Imagine like inktober, but you decided to take 5 more prompt lists and every drawing you make is criticised by professor (so you need to make edits or redo your entire work)

This type of constant pressure just kinda makes you a different person in a way, at least it was my experience with it

And how much time (hehe don’t make me blush it’s not godly 👉👈), well entire life basically + almost 4 years of uni

Also wanted to say for people who are starting or just feel overwhelmed by other artists skills:

🫵Everyone starts with crappy pony drawings 🫵 (at least I did) (man if I ever find my first drawings I will show them)

The funniest thing is, I started drawing not because I wanted it to be good or to impress people

I just wanted a pony picture 💥 in a funky dress 💥💥 and my mum said “I’m tired of drawing horses for you, go do it yourself” 💥💥💥 and I did 💥‼️💥‼️💥💥

A lot of people chuckled at me bc the drawings were crappy, but I didn’t care 💥📣🗣️I’m the one holding a paper horse in a dress, not you 💥📣🗣️

So like, don’t sweat it, no art is bad – you put effort, you made it, it’s already worth attention and love

The idea of “good” is flawed and very vague anyway

The feeling of doubt is also normal, everyone has it time to time, without it we wouldn’t be able to improve

Just don’t let those thoughts consume you: appreciate your work and yourself 🫵❤️

Anyway thank you for this ask, it’s very sweet of you ❤️

Makes me incredibly happy that someone likes my stuff 🥺❤️💕💖🥺❤️💞

#bear answers #sorry for a whole essay in ask 💥💥#art mentioned brain go caboom 💥🧠#art talk #art thoughts

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astroboots · 9 months

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hi any tips for getting out of a writing funk

Hello lovely!!!!

Writing funks can be such a pain, because I've been there, wanting to write because i'm stressed from work and the only thing that brings me peace is to write and yet for some reason the words isn't coming out, they're stuck at the bottom of a ketchup bottle like the last dreg no matter how hard I tap it over the plate.

When that happens to me I usually do a combination of things to unjam it (everyone is different so please don't be discouraged if these don't work for you, but hopefully if nothing else they are a fun way for you to pass time).

Often when I'm in a funk/the dreaded writer's block, it's because I have an idea that it needs to be good. But here's the thing, it doesn't need to be. Certainly the first draft doesn't. And once you have something on paper, even if it's crap, it'll be easier to work/edit and improve that than starting from a blank paper. So try to write the worst possible draft version of the scene that you are thinking of, it doesn't have to have any lead in, you don't have to have context. That piece of dialogue or image you have that you want to put on paper? Just put that down. Don't worry about the words sounding terrible just get it out there. Don't edit, just keep going. What you'll find a lot of times is that the first 10-20 sentences may be awful but once you get pass that point, you'll get into the flow of it and it unclogs.

Building on the above, I found (really oddly) that using either ugly fonts (and we're talking hideous, like comic sans) tends to reinforce this is so ugly, it's not serious and doesn't need to be perfect, let's just write mindset. Similarly I found that writing stories straight into the tumblr editor does the same to my brain (because my brain goes: we are living dangerous territory, tumblr may crash at any minute, none of this is permanent) and that let's me write without expectation or pressure.

Consume media. A lot of people say read. and absolutely reading inspires me so much. Sometimes I found though that what I need is to read something different to get something unlocked. When I wrote my very first fic: it was inspired by gone girl (and I never used to read thriller/crime books before then). So venture outside of genres you usually read because that might unlock something. I love reading foreign literature for this reason, because different country's literature has such unique style that is distinct and gets you in a different mindset. Also consuming different types of media can really help. I read a lot of comics and manga, and I am also a huge cinephile. Sometimes your brain needs to recharge its batteries and constantly writing/creating can actually tire it out and it needs to fill up its creative reference tank.

And Whoa! this got a lot longer than I thought! but i hope it helps, anyone else have any tips feel free to add/reblog mwah!

#💌 ask

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fandomsoda · 1 year

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Intro/pinned post!!!

last updated: 4/30/24

Ok Welp I’m finally making one of these-

Most basic info about me can be found in my blog’s about (names, identity, pronouns, DNI), but here’s where I’m putting all the other stuff! First of all, here’s my pronouns page for those who want to know more about my exact pronouns/word boundaries!

Here’s my sona, Soda!

Their full ref can be found here

Art usage rights: My art is fine to be reposted, but strictly with credit. Want to use it as an icon? Make it an edit or add something small for pfp purposes? You’re welcome to, but with permission, credit, clarification that you edited it, and as long as you’re not in my dni/use it for such purposes. Derogatory edits of my work are not permitted so don’t go marking everything up. Do not feed my artwork into ai software. Also do not directly feed my writing or own general text into an ai.

Requests?: Requests for art are a complicated thing and are simply a matter of what I do and do not want to do. Feel free to ask, but just know I may decline! This goes for moodboards and stimboards as well, but I’m much more likely to accept a mood/stimboard rather than art request!

AU/personal projects!: I have a handful of personal AU’s and projects and OC’s I’d like for people to check out and look at. (Also please please please ask about my characters and ask them stuff I wanna answer!) You are welcome to make fanart for any of them but I request that you stay on-model unless you are simplifying the design or the point of the piece is to reimagine the design/put the character into a new outfit. I don’t want to be overbearing but my designs mean a lot to me so I’d like them to stay how they are. People in my dni are not permitted to depict my characters in any way, shape, or form. Don’t touch my babies. Also- No, you may not use my characters in tournaments or polls. Those give me heavy anxiety and rsd to the point of literal nausea. Please keep your vile, Spartan popularity games away from my babies.

Personal projects masterpost

Additionally:

Please @ me in fan/inspired content! I want to see it!

I also know that I can often come off as aggressive and do stupid shit or say stupid shit. I have a lot of growing to do and I make a ton of mistakes. Please be patient and if you desire to call me out on by bullshit (which you absolutely should do) please be constructive and respectful. I struggle a lot with tone and accidentally upset people often. If I upset you, PLEASE let me know. I have no way of realizing if you don’t, please do not lie to me, tell me what’s wrong I promise I care and will try not to take it personally. =m=

Important note: While I may make suggestive jokes from time to time or touch vaguely on mature topics/talk about more mature media, this blog does not welcome nsfw blogs. Any and all interaction with me or my art that is nsfw in nature (inappropriate DM’s, comments, and reblogs) will be instantly blocked. We can joke, we can have fun, but I do not want any concerning behavior towards others or towards myself/my art on this blog. I know that many people who follow/are friends with me are minors and thus I will ensure that this space is not dangerous for them.

I also consume my media critically, even as a Homestuck enjoyer, I do not support Andrew Hussie and recognize the comic’s flaws, but I also love Homestuck for what it is at its core and how it changed my life. I also assume most people consume media critically and thus do not have any fandoms in my dni, but do know there are a good handful of them that I’m apprehensive about, but won’t block on sight.

On the topic of media consumption, I also like a lot of ships that others don’t, and will not tolerate hate. Crossmare has been my comfort pairing since long before Underverse season 2 was even out, and I am not ok with people who think it’s “inherently abusive”. As long as a pairing is not child x adult or family x family, I don’t believe it can be inherently abusive. As long as someone’s specific depiction of the ship isn’t abusive, they shouldn’t get flack for it. However, if you ARE someone who romanticizes abusive versions of these ships, please get out.

Also note that due to my nebularomanticism (arospec umbrella), I do not know what the fuck romantic love is supposed to feel like or look like, the lines between strong platonic bonds and romance are so blurry they barely exist for me, and such- all of my ships are queerplatonic in some way. I have never seen any ship as solely romantic and I don’t think I’m capable of that. But I also do not limit the types of intimacy I depict these characters having. If you’re not ok with queerplatonic kissing or holding hands or other forms of “romantic gestures” or if you think they can’t exist, get out.

Keep in mind that while my art and personal works ARE here, this blog IS a personal blog. I DO vent on here and often talk about personal topics. Be aware. And just because I share an opinion of mine doesn’t mean that I think it’s super important or right, it’s just how I feel. Just saying this because if you follow me you should be prepared to deal with what I post, and if you don’t like me that’s ok just leave.

Current blog status (important): tired and just. Trying right now, bare with me.

Below are my many userboxes (and blinkies, so flashing gif warning be cautious) that represent me! Check em out for more info!

^ this user box specifically was made by @/ghostfish-stims!

^ More info on that here

^ this blinkie is made by @/pictionary!

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infriga · 8 months

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I watched the live action One Piece because of you and your excitement over it and I really loved it, so thank you! Wondering if you have suggestions of where to go next? Read the manga or watch the anime? It honestly seems a bit overwhelming, so not sure where to start.

That's awesome! I love inspiring people to try One Piece, it's a really fun ride! It's always great seeing new fans coming in to enjoy the series! 🤗

I wanted to be as informative and thorough as I could for anyone wondering about this, so this might be long, but I'll provide a summarized version to start then include the long version under a readmore if you want more info in order to decide. Sorry if it gets a bit rambling lol.

So the answer to the "anime or manga" question is not necessarily complicated, but it is a little more nuanced than some fans will lead you to believe (a lot of manga-only elitists have a hate boner for the anime to a degree that imo isn't warranted) . There are a few major factors.

Summarized version:

1) this one's obvious, but bears saying; if you prefer manga, go with the manga, if you prefer anime, go with the anime. If you like both, go with both, unless you only want to consume one. Some people tend to gravitate towards one over another, and that's fine.

2) if you're interested in consuming both, I recommend starting with the anime, then going to the manga after, to avoid tainting your experience with the anime by comparing it to the manga all the time. If you only want to consume one, stick to the manga, because it is the better version. If you're on the fence or haven't decided yet, start with the manga then decide if you want to also try the anime later.

3) if you want to consume the anime, then determine how much of the original experience you want to be retained. There's not many filler episodes, but they do exist, and there are watch lists that explain which episodes to skip if you don't want to watch them. Otherwise obviously the manga is the true original and is the best version of the story. The anime isn't terrible, I still enjoy it, but it does have its flaws compared to the manga. That said, it does also have some benefits you can't get from the manga such as the top notch voice acting (at least in Japanese) and incredible soundtrack. Also the animation in Wano has been sending One Piece fans to the emergency room with priapism lately so do with that what you will.

4) determine how much time you're willing to invest. The manga is going to be the fastest way to consume the series, but there is a fan edited version of the anime that speeds up the pacing to match the manga, and thus takes a lot less time to catch up on. You can also read the manga then look up your favourite scenes in the anime as a supplement without investing into watching the whole anime, either shorter or longer version. The only thing to keep in mind is don't ever skip any canon arcs, you WILL regret it later. Oda never forgets.

Where to watch/read:

If you want help finding a good place to read or watch the series, for free or otherwise, let me know and I can provide some links! I can also provide recommendations for which movies to watch and when if anyone is interested in those, or even just OP fanfic recs if there's a market for that lol.

Now, for:

The long version (oh god I'm so sorry this got so long I am incapable of talking about this topic succinctly):

1) what type of media do you prefer and have an easier time consuming? Comic or animation?

I have an anime only friend who struggles with reading comics for some reason (he can read books just fine, but he struggles with comics and he doesn't know why), but he loves the anime, and is even currently rewatching it so we can catch up on watching Wano together since that arc is ending soon and we like to wait and binge entire arcs instead of watching weekly. If you prefer one over another, then whichever that is, is fine fine to go with. If you don't have a preference, then your next factor is:

2) do you want to only consume one, or are you open to consuming both?

I read the manga and watch the anime. I get a slightly different experience from both, I prefer the art and pacing of the manga, but I love the voice acting and music of the anime, and some moments just hit harder for me in the anime. I haven't cried very often reading the manga, but I have cried quite a bit more watching the anime when seeing the same scenes, like full on sobbing at some points ngl. It's not that I think the moments are done better in the anime or that they're not just as sad, but I have an easier time crying when seeing something in motion with sound for some reason. I rarely ever cry when reading books or comics. It happens, but not as easily or as often. Also while the animation throughout most of the series is middling (not bad but not amazing) for most of the series, aside from major fights, the most recent arcs have seen a huge upgrade in regards to the animation, WCI to some extent but especially Wano. The animators have just been going HAM on the animation during Wano. Like, it's all but impossible to find good examples without spoilers because of just, how many spoilers there are at that point in the story, but I'll at least show Luffy being pretty lol:

That said, the anime isn't without its flaws, but I'll get to that in a bit.

If you do want to consume both, then personally I recommend watching the anime first. I find people who read the manga first are more prone to comparing everything in the anime to the manga and wanting things to fit 1:1, which I think puts the anime at a disadvantage and makes people a bit more hypercritical of it. But ultimately this is up to you. Maybe you don't know yet if you'll try both, in which case the manga is probably better because it's the version that, by its nature, is the best version, and will give you the original experience, and you can decide later whether you want to supplement that with the anime as well.

If you only want to consume 1, at least mainly, then the next factor is:

3) How much of the original experience do you want to stick to?

The One Piece anime doesn't have nearly as many filler arcs/episodes as other long running shounens have had in the past, and past Enies Lobby there's almost no filler arcs whatsoever, aside from the rare 2-5 episode arcs, usually ones that advertise the movies that came out not long after they aired. But there are some full filler arcs earlier in the anime, and the general consensus is that most are pretty meh. Not horrid, but nothing special, and many of them ended up accidentally contradicting canon when new information about the world or certain in-world systems came out later. There are watch guides for skipping these widely available, and most OP fans do recommend watching the G8 filler arc because it's viewed as the only one that is on par with, or at least close to, canon content. I enjoy it myself as well personally.

That said, one of my biggest gripes about the anime, especially after sabaody up until Wano, is how it takes Odas more mild level of sexualization in comparison and dials it up to 1000. At its worst it has taken scenes where a female character is introduced with a full body shot and a name/title card in the manga, and turned it into a scene where the camera zooms in on her boobs, thighs, waist, butt, and then slowly pans up her body starting from the feet, including boi-oing noises or weird many sound effects with each zoom in shot. It also increased the boobs sizes and decreased the waist sizes constantly, put a lot more effort and attention into boobs jiggles than was necessary, and at least one point they even blatantly zoomed in on Nami's boobs bouncing isolated on the screen while she was running for absolutely NO reason. Oda doesn't do this in the manga. He doesn't introduce women in bits and pieces focusing on their body parts in an oggling manner, he doesn't put their boobs front and centre unless it's maybe by accident because of necessary framing. Even when he has sexy shots of women, they're usually full body shots that also even manage to serve as establishing shots most of the time. I also often get the feeling that a lot of it is also him being aware of his target audience in Japan, which is teenage boys. You can see a lot of how his approach adjusted when he has a different audience in mind in the Live action, not only regarding stuff like diversity (which WAS present in the original, their real life equivalent ethnicities have been said to be diverse for a long time, but Oda himself, as much as I love him, only has one skin tone marker in his whole house apparently and he uses it for every single character in colourspreads and covers, including the characters that are supposed to be black, and the anime isn't much better on that front, so it's nice to really see the proof of the diversity visually in the live action in a way that doesn't come across as clearly in the anime or manga), but also in regards to adjusting shounen tropes to better fit a live action setting. You can see in a lot of his SBS answers that he takes his target audience and what he wanted to see as a young boy into account a lot even if he might otherwise explore different tropes or depictions or structures in a different medium or genre.

BUT the anime does have its flaws. I won't pretend that Oda doesn't draw his female characters sexier as the series goes on, and while he also does with the men (Zoro canonically has the biggest bust size on the crew according to Oda lmao) it's not to the same degree as the women. This is especially concentrated around Nami, possibly because Oda's wife is a Nami cosplayer and iirc he met her while she was cosplaying Nami. It's the most overt in certain later arcs, but not too present in earlier arcs up to, say, Sabaody. But, while he does draw the women sexier, he's not... Idk the right terminology to use but he doesn't employ an oggling pov towards the women very often. Not never, but compared to the manga you relatively rarely get much particular purposeful focus on body parts like boobs or ass, there's also never any panty shots (seriously, not a single one in the entire series). That's not so say that the series is always perfect in this sense, but rather that's to compare it to the anime. And while there are some things One Piece doesn't do perfectly sometimes, there are also a lot of things it definitely gets right about how the women are written as complex multifaceted people with conflicts and motivations just as deep and diverse and complicated as the men. They mostly just look extra seggsy sometimes, at least the main ones do. And YMMV, but personally I'm okay with some sexiness, so long as it doesn't compromise the characters story and personality and doesn't go overboard to the point of being softcore porn, which Oda doesn't do in the manga. And I also don't like how often criticism of sexiness turns into shaming any clothing that shows more skin. There's a difference between disliking fanservice and going full conservative prude.

Now from what I've seen this has gotten significantly better in Wano in the anime, probably because Oda himself purposefully played down even his own horniness during Wano because of the focus on traditional Japanese aesthetics and dress. Idk if it will get bad again after Wano, but a lot has changed regarding the way the anime is animated and directed since the last time it was bad, so hopefully not. But this can be a significant barrier to the anime for some people. If that's the case, then I definitely recommend the manga. It's the original, and in comparison it is practically chaste. It's not prevalent throughout the entire anime, it's mostly bad for the stretch from Fishman Island to the end of WCI, which consists of 3 big arcs and 2 smaller in-between arcs, but improves significantly in Wano, and isn't too bad in arcs before Fishman Island. Still more egregious than the manga, but not to the same degree. So it's possible you can tolerate it for that stretch since there are still lots of good moments in the anime in these arcs too. Though I'll note that there's quite a bit of censorship in the anime compared to the manga, Zeff eating his own leg for example, while included in the live action, was not included in the anime. Instead he lost it when it got caught in some ship debris while he was rescuing Sanji from drowning. Stuff like gore and blood are also tones down a lot. The live action honestly isn't any more gory than the manga is, even at the beginning. There's even less blood in the live action, the wound Zoro got from Mihawk was nastayyyy in the manga. Bro nearly got bisected fr.

Though I will say that I think one thing that helps make the more sexualized aspects of the series feel more balanced and a lot less center stage is that Luffy himself, the main character, is completely and totally 1000% gender blind. He's not blind to stuff like masculinity or femininity, but he's blind to whether masculinity or femininity is something that is only applicable to men or women. He likes plenty of manly things, there's a gag about him not wanting frills on his shirt because he doesn't think they're manly and he doesn't like that, but he doesn't think that it makes a man less of a man if he wears a frilly shirt, and he's not opposed to wearing other clothes that might be more feminine coded like his fuckin cute li'l dress thing in Egghead, or the literal dress he wears proudly for all of 3 seconds in Film Gold lmao. There are plenty of men in the series who wear frilly shirts. There are also men who wear makeup, wear pink, crossdress, etc. Luffy could not give less of a shit what men, or women, wear. He does not discriminate between women and men in how he treats them in any way shape or form, his awareness of gender expression is limited entirely in how he personally expresses *his* idea of *his* gender. If a woman pisses him off he'll beat them up just as easily as he will a dude. If a trans man says they identify as a man, he'll refer to them as a man, even if they have a more feminine appearance, and vice versa. He does not blink an eye at non-binary/genderfluid/queer characters, etc. That's one of my favourite things about his character, in part because I'm aroace and identify with him and his gender blindness a lot (among other things, he is an aroace icon for a reason lmao), but also because it's nice to have a 100% gender blind character as the main pov throughout the series.

Then there's the final factor, which is

4) How much time are you willing to spend?

The anime is undoubtedly the longer time investment. Which can be good or bad depending on your view. I know when I caught up sometime after episode 505, I was devastated at not having any more episodes to watch. I started out thinking "this will take me forever and I probably won't finish it", then shifted to "damn those 100 episodes went by fast, but that's okay, I still have 400 episodes left" to "200 episodes already? Well I'm not even halfway yet, that's fine" to "300... Oh God I'm already more than halfway" to "400!? Where are they all going?? Why aren't there more?!?" to "well I HAVE to read the manga now because I can't stand to wait for the episodes to come out weekly" then I banged out the rest of the series in the manga in a few days like I was a drug addict trying to hide my stash from the police by snorting it all at once. So to some, the length can be a blessing rather than a curse lmao. But if you are worried about length, the manga is a lot easier to go through without taking months and months to catch up, unless you take your time reading it. There is a fan edited version of the anime called One Pace, which takes out all the filler and adjusts the pacing to be closer to the manga, which might also be an option if you want to watch the anime but still want a less exhaustive itinerary to watch. They. Might even edit out a bunch of the excess sexual shots and editing in the anime though I haven't watched it myself to determine that. The main issue is that One Pace hasn't completed every single arc, but it is an option for watching the arcs it does have. I know Dressrosa is one of the longest arcs and might benefit from some trimming. I also recommend, if you choose the anime, to watch episodes in batches rather than weekly. While the pacing of the manga is quite a bit faster, so it lends itself to weekly updates better, the anime does suffer from being watched weekly. I've always binged arcs all together and I find that improves the experience a lot.

Aside from that, you can also always just read the manga then only look up and watch particular scenes you wanna see in the anime to get the experience with the voice acting and music and animation, without having to invest as much extra time into it. I may not be a dedicated anime hater, but I do agree that the manga is undoubtedly superior to it as a whole, so while I don't think there's anything wrong with being anime only, if you are open to both, but only want to choose one to consume, it's the manga all the way. You only have to start at chapter 1 and go from there. Or episode 1 for the anime.

I hope this helped, and wasn't too confusing or overwhelming. I know how daunting the series can be to get into so I wanted to try and be comprehensive and objective, and provide some approachable options for people new to the series by explaining some pros and cons of each approach.

#One Piece #Opla #One piece live action #Long post #Reply #Ask #If you want me to write an absolute novel of a post get me talking about One Piece works 100% of the time every time lmao #I haven't proof read this sorry I have enough adhd to write it but too much adhd to review it right now lmao #I'll maybe go over it for mistakes later

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joshualunacreations · 1 year

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U.S. audiences enjoy survival horror stories with Asians in Asia, like Squid Game and Battle Royale. But they don’t want to acknowledge that Asian Americans’ lived reality is a survival horror too.

I have mixed feelings about Squid Game's success. I enjoy the survival horror genre as both a writer and consumer, but seeing how non-Asian U.S. audiences reacted to it in the midst of violent anti-Asian hate crimes left me wondering about the reason for the show's U.S. appeal.

Violence against Asians—particularly when done en masse—is so normalized that I wonder if this type of media provides catharsis to racists. News of hate crimes might briefly force them to feel guilty, but when they see fictional violence against Asians, they can cheer for it. It's as if it evokes the imagery Americans are most familiar with: slaughtering Asians by the dozens or even thousands, a legacy of numerous U.S. wars in Asia. The victims are nameless and unimportant. They're just a statistic, a plot point. One more to add to the body count.

Also, the U.S. loves using Asians in Asia as media replacements for AsAms. It simultaneously reinforces Asians as perpetual foreigners, and prevents giving a microphone to the type of Asian American who would unflinchingly discuss anti-Asian racism and challenge the status quo.

Asian men especially are seen as disposable targets with no humanity and no purpose other than to be mocked and slaughtered on screen. Deadpool, Daredevil, Avengers, Bullet Train, Kill Bill, etc. feature scenes where a protagonist cuts down hordes of Asian men in seconds.

This has real-life consequences. Hate crimes against AAPI men have been purposely belittled, hidden, and ignored—even in media narratives that purport to draw attention to anti-Asian racism. It becomes a feedback loop that double-victimizes AAPI men. (see my data thread)

The hatred of Asian men is so normalized that in AsAm spaces the only acceptable Asian male victim to publicly mention is Vincent Chin, who was murdered 40 years ago. There have been many Vincent Chins since then. But victims get reduced to headlines like "killed over duck sauce.”

Instead, when anti-Asian hate crimes are discussed, it's limited to a narrow range of experience, privileging East Asian women over pretty much all other Asians. This erasure is harmful on many levels and has still not been corrected or even acknowledged. (see my data thread)

I think many AsAms feel like Asian Twitter recently died. But for me, it died several years ago, when Asians with media power decided that all of this harm and imbalance was not only normal, but good. Our community has been broken for a long time. They don't want to fix it.

So does this mean Squid Game, Battle Royale, etc. are bad stories? No. It means we need better real-life conversations and efforts to understand what anti-Asian racism is and how to fix it. Survival horror is a fun thought experiment—until you realize you're living in one.

(Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal. https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304 https://patreon.com/joshualuna https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

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bairdcrevan · 1 year

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Writing Update January 2023

Your prodigal transformers fanfic writer is back at it lol or at least trying to be! I’ve got a lot of plans coming up and I’m using these periodic posts to keep myself accountable and let you know what I’m working on.

First is EarthSpark SoundStar:

Not Starved but Famished on Ao3 (EarthSpark Soundwave/Starscream)

Wrote this before the second half of Season 1, so I think some things will end up being wrong- but it was fun to write and think about. Soundwave and Starscream have a conversation after not seeing each other for some time.

Coming to you soon is Febuwhump: lol get excited, these babies hurt-

The long awaited next installment of:

Pacifcation Link on Ao3 Starscream/Shockwave and Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp

Chapter 42 is getting uploaded on Friday 1/27, even if it kills me.

Edit: I DID IT: Chapter 42 up and ready for you

It’s been almost written for more than six months, but a combination of health crap related to BITLET made writing awful. I don’t know how I got my big bang fic done, honestly when every square inch of my body was going through intense, incessant itching.

Had a great conversation with some friends about Paci and the direction I was always heading, but they helped me with some specifics that had been bothering me. I’m trying to overwrite chapters so that I can do weekly updates again- and you all deserve the closure. I have these presents I wrapped a while ago in the fic and it’s time to open them.

This fic is going on three years old (holy shit lmfao). Let’s get this baby to the finish line.

Another fic that needs to hit the finish line:

Link to Exchanging Fire on Ao3 Starscream/Skyfire, Starscream/Jetfire, Starscream/Starscream/Skyfire (and other permutations lol)

Target Fic finish date: February 2023

This one is fun because of IDW Shattered Glass’s comics renewing everyone’s love for SG. I’m excited for the final swell here too and we are close to the finale, so we just have to write what I have planned. This is another one approaching 3 years old, omfg.

And I will SERIOUSLY reconsider ever writing a “meet your doppleganger” fanfic when they share the same name again. It has been HARD lol

And the last one that is majorly on the docket:

Link to Queen on the Throne on Ao3 Starscream/Optimus

Target next chapter: February 2023

This one I am excited to write for you because of what happens next- and it is always on my mind. Recent IRL experiences definitely will color some of the next chapters and give you some LOVELY angst you get to consume lol. This one is quickly crawling up through my ranks of top fics- outpacing a lot of what I had already finished. So again, happy to update it and reach the next steps for you, because the reception has been so nice.

I think that’s enough lol and I will likely break ALL of this- but I like setting high goals for myself lol

#fanfic update #my fics #bairdfic #tf fanfic #starscream #skystar #soundstar #starop #shockstar

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scoutsunset · 4 months

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A CHAOTIC ANNOUNCEMENT // WE ARE THE CHAOS THEATER!

GOOD MORNING AND HELLO TO ALL. I write this spiel on behalf of THE CHAOS THEATER. We emerge as a cast of voice actors and actresses banding together to breathe new light to the Scott Pilgrim series of comics. You may not know us, but you definitely will.

youtube

Attached is a reel flaunting the talented cast of The Chaos Theater, and the characters appearing for our dub of Volume 1. It's led by our good friend @subspacestarz and his work is nothing short of impeccable!

Our voice cast, listed in the video description, also have our own respective social media pages so you know where else to support us!

WHAT TO EXPECT

I haven't been more excited to talk about anything, so I'll let you all in some inside goss of our progress. As mentioned before, we are currently working on dubbing Volume 1 -- Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. Everyone's lines are, I assume, about 90% finished. Editing-wise, it's naturally taking us long. Time-consuming and strenuous it is.

To bowl you over as we stagger through editing Volume 1 together, we also plan to dub over scenes from Scott Pilgrim Takes Off! As I type this together, I've already finished dubbing over Matthew Patel's lines in his duel with Scott in episode 1, and so has Roxxie and Louie -- hopefully they don't mind the namedrop... You can probably expect that to be the second or third video to drop on THE CHAOS THEATER's YouTube channel, so you'd better subscribe if you find us cool! We're also on that hellsite, Twitter, in case we need to relay information about our dubs. Follow that too, please!

0H YEAH...

Your boy Scout is in this biz, too. I'm voicing Young Neil, Wallace Wells, Matthew Patel and Julie Powers. Crazy stuff! I'm making my way up in the world. And I'm doing it with the Chaos Theater. (:

SO BASICALLY...

We are THE CHAOS THEATER, and we are in the process of dubbing over Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, along with dubbing over SPTO scenes for fun! Please support us in any way you can. It will mean a lot for us!

Thanks for reading. ,-.-,

#THE CHAOS THEATER #Mint Spiels #Scott Pilgrim #ScoutSunset #Scott Pilgrim Comic #Scott Pilgrim Comics #Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life #Scott Pilgrim Dub #Dub #comic dub #fan dub #fan dubbing #voice acting #voice actor #voice actress #dubbing #Youtube

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poisonheadcrabsalesman · 1 year

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Hi you don't know me, but a mutual friend told me you knew a lot about Halo so I was wondering

Could you explain the plot of Halo to me?

Hi! I'd love to, but I'm not sure of the scope you want, so apologies if this turns into a paper. Halo is like Star Wars, there's a lot of it, it doesn't always have the lore or timelines match up, and many people have many opinions about it.

A few things I think people new to Halo should know are:

1. Master Chief is not a silent protagonist, he talks, mostly in one liners or exposition, but he does talk. He has good body language throughout the games. He's just trying to make it through some really tough days at work, man.

2. Master Chief John 117 is kind. He's not a doom guy rage type fps guy, he's quieter, controlled, helps where he can and regrets when he can't. He also is a confident, cocky daredevil who jumps off ships and fights against impossible odds. He has a personality that's overlooked too much of the time.

Halo is about the Master Chief, a big guy in green power armor with Cortana, an AI lady in his suit. He's been The Guy saving the day for over 30 years since he was like 14 because Humanity has been at war with a group of aliens called the Covenant, and humans have been losing for a long time.

The Covenant are a group of aliens on a religious mission to kill all humans and find artifacts from a long dead alien race called the Forerunners. They're the ones that made the Halos. The Covenant believe that the Halos will help them achieve their Great Journey and kill all unworthy.

The first game starts with Master Chief waking up from being cryogenically frozen as the ship he's on is under attack. He's charged with keeping Cortana safe from falling into enemy hands so the Covenant don't learn about Earth.

So Master Chief and Cortana crash-land on the Halo, link up with other human forces and race against the Covenant to find out Halo's secrets. Both sides know it's a weapon and want to use it against the other, but halfway through the game the bright colors and funny alien fights change to a creepy jungle and underground facility.

Master Chief is trying to stop the captain from doing something he doesn't understand; Cortana sent him running with no explanation. He gets there to find a new enemy. It's fast, it's strong, and it consumes and animates corpses to spread like a virus.

This new enemy is the Flood. It is unstoppable and spreads like wildfire. A single spore can destroy an entire planet. It's like a hivemind mushroom zombie nightmare and Chief and Cortana race to stop it from getting off Halo and stop the Halo from firing because yes everyone was right; Halo is a weapon, but it's there to destroy all life in order to starve the Flood to death.

Chief and Cortana end up going to their crashed ship and overloading the reactor so it and Halo can explode, killing the Flood and stopping everyone from trying to use it. They light the fuse and run to the last ship in the hangar and fly away and that's Halo 1.

I could go on about Halo forever, but it's a fun franchise, the games go on sale often enough if you ever want to try them. The books are easy to find as well as the comics and you can kind of choose a corner you're interested in and deep dive into it.

My friend bellygunnr got a similar ask ages ago but it's still a funny overview

I will also link Halopedia because well maintained wikis are priceless. Also if you have the time, there's this one youtube channel with the most amazingly edited Halo videos that I would suggest if you want to be emotionally run over. Avoid all other Halo youtubers. Watch that guy's Road to Infinite video and be amazed at what Halo could be.

#asks #hi sorry I could write several theses about halo topics #get the master chief collection when it's 5 bucks and have fun #Halo is more fun with friends #it's a very fun place to play in #it can be heartbreaking and goofy and wonderful and stupid #quinziepartyy

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roykiller07 · 2 months

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crappy art dump bc i feel the need 2 establish me and my friendy's ocs on this platform bc im probs gonna end up posting about them a lot and i love them and i will make everybody on earth love them also

open for sillies :3

darleneee!!!!!!! my silly this drawing does not do her justice but she is a 13 yr old lesbian (she/her) and 🔥suthern. she is thr coolest oc i have ever had any part in creating and her lore consumes my mind daily and i am gnawing at the bars of my enclosure containing myself from infodumping abt her and the rest of them all the time until the comic my bestie and me r making w them starts coming out but im posting this oc stuff here on purpose to motivate myself to actually draw it by summer so u guys will not be safe for long. shes a virgo 💖

starria delaunchey my sweetie pie her design has actually developed a lot since this piece she has completely different hair now and all sorts of stuff i mean i dont think she even plays hockey anymore but the essence remains the same 💗she is ALSO a 13 yr old lesbian (she/they) and she and darlene r in a long term loving relationship so get ur starlene fanart started asap pwease and thank yew. if im gonna list the zodiac signs for all of them then starria is an aquarius.....

fun fact she is the oldest oc of all 4 she was the very first to ever be created !!

matty! matisse! mat! he is stars half brother and they are bffs and he is the most peculiar fella on the planet and is lowkey my fav tied w syd but i practically never draw him bc i am like. intimidated and so bad at replicating what we actually want him to look like😞 i have no clue bleh but hes the one with the full torso and hes a sagittarius like meeee!!!!!! hes 13 too and a transmasc aroace with he him pronounce

this is syd my stupid idiot i love her w all my heart.same thing as matty i have barely ever drawn her ever bc im like scared to but shes basically leonardo ninja turtle 2018 if he was mikey batman vs the tmnt edition and also donatello 2023 all at the same time (very normal points of reference yes). his only flaw is hes a libra

he is a 13 year old bigender bisexual (she/he) and also btw every single one of them is autistic because we can

WE ALSO HAVE MIN!!!!!!! shes the best character but i have literally almost never drawn her ever let alone RECENTLY with a REMOTELY up to date design so the only information yall get about her is shes a cancer

the comic is called honeysuckle and/or cheriton creek bc we changed it recently but we still tend to refer to the overall project as honeysuckle so oh well deal w it

BE A FAN NOW (pointing gun)

#art #webcomic #development art #ocs #oc art #lgbtq #autism #my ocs #honeysuckle #cheriton creek #darlene mariano #starria delaunchey #matisse deriviera #sydney renner #min namgung #this is all set in like some garbage (fictional) canadian small town so u know its gonna be great #ask questions abt them some day i beg u

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hanzajesthanza · 2 years

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songs to listen to at the end of the world // a playlist for a strange fellowship of idiots...

In your darkest dreams see to believe Our destiny is time And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!

[the album cover above flashes. see this post for an accessible, non-flashing version of the album art]

to celebrate reaching 500 followers, i wanted to share my hanza fanmix which follows their journey from their ambitious beginnings to their fated end. tracklist and song choice explanations under the cut (long post).

there are 23 songs for the 23 days in september before they became a hanza. (and of course, i included sapkowski's own song pick, dire straits' brothers in arms. because how could i not?)

tracklist: 1. It's The End of The World As We Know It - R.E.M. // 2. Highway to Hell - AC/DC // 3. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel // 4. Out of Touch - Hall & Oates // 5. The Graveyard Near The House - The Airborne Toxic Event // 6. C'mon - Panic! at the Disco and fun. // 7. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits // 8. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel // 9. Rubicon - Journey // 10. Through the Fire and the Flames (Slow) - Melodicka Bros (cover) // 11. Dream On - Aerosmith // 12. This Must Be The Place - The Mysteries of Life (cover) // 13. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies // 14. Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young // 15. Last Party - MIKA // 16. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen // 17. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf // 18. How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty // 19. Through the Fire and the Flames - DragonForce // 20. The Four Horsemen - Metallica // 21. Gallowdance - Lebanon Hanover // 22. Free Bird (Edit) - Lynryd Skynyrd // 23. Battle of Olympus - Syd Matters

as is customary for my fanmixes, i will be explaining my song choices and how they relate to the canon plot below.

1. It's The End of The World As We Know It - R.E.M.

do you like how this song is about the end of the world, and yet it is the first song in the playlist? hmm? i'm clever, aren't i ;)

i chose this song not just for its chorus, "it's the end of the world as we know it, and i feel fine..." but actually because of a youtube skit which uses this song to depict a "2005 action movie"

this skit is peak regis and angoulême friendship tbh, but i have, luckily, assigned the dialogue from this skit to the members of the hanza:

[angoulême] he’s just a kid “can i go now?” “well maybe you shouldn’t have brought napalm to the science fair”

[regis. also milva] and she’s an alien who parasiticaly consumes the bodies of her hosts until they—

[all of them, but espcially geralt] “i didn’t sign up for saving the world!”

[milva. also regis] “i’ll teach you all about MKUltra if you teach me how to… be a— a teenage girl!”

[to the whole hansa, but especially geralt and dandelion] “are you two up to something 🤨”

[regis] “i enjoy eating human food :)”

[cahir] “have you ever read ronald reagan’s biography”

[angoulême, to regis] “wait… you’re an alien?!” (said at a comically late point in the movie when the character in question being an alien is part of the exposition in the first five minutes)

2. Highway to Hell - AC/DC

Goin' down Party time My friends are gonna be there too, yeah I'm on the highway to hell On the highway to hell

the hero's journey in an epic usually involves a descent into hell, the underworld, or some realm of death. i consider geralt's journey with his company to check this box because "hell" in this case is the warzone of the nilfgaardian invasion. to me, it can be seen as a commentary on what the equivalent of "hell" is in real life.

it's a characteristically energetic song, which contrasts with the matter of geralt traversing a warzone to try and rescue ciri, setting off from brokilon with no plan. and of course, "his friends are gonna be there too..."

3. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel

Well I don't know why I came here tonight I've got the feeling that something ain't right

continuing on from how geralt has no plan, only anguish, anxiety, and paranoia of ciri's current location and state...

Clowns to the left of me Jokers to the right Here I am stuck in the middle with you

the company is one made of clowns and jokers, and geralt is "stuck in the middle" of them. as the exchange between geralt and milva concerning cahir goes, "he's a madman..." "he'd suit this company perfectly..."

4. Out of Touch - Hall & Oates

yes, this is an out of touch thursday reference.

You're out of touch I'm out of time (time) But I'm out of my head when you're not around

geralt's lack of plan to save ciri = he's out of touch

ciri having already joined the rats = he's out of time

geralt's insanity regarding ciri = he's out of his head when she's not around

5. The Graveyard Near The House - The Airborne Toxic Event

You asked me if I thought We would ever die So I pictured us like corpses Lying side by side in pieces in some dark and lonely plot under a bough We looked so silly there, all decomposed, half turned to dust in tattered clothes Though we probably look just as silly now

continuing with the theme of the hanza being jokers, clowns, silly... travelling incognito, to avoid arousing suspicion - and laughter.

I can't pretend that I can tell you what is going to happen next or how to be But you have no idea about me Yeah, you have no idea about me Do you?

each member of the company has some backstory yet to be revealed (regis and milva chapter 7 of baptism of fire, angouleme and cahir ch 6 of tower of the swallow)

And it seems a little less profound Like we're all going the same way down Yeah, we're all going the same way down I'm just trying to write it all down

they are indeed fated to die, but it will be recorded in half a century of poetry...

6. C'mon - Panic! at the Disco and fun.

this is a holdover from the percy jackson / heroes of olympus fandom circa 2013... listen, give me a book with a group of lovable misfit friends and i'll be there, i suppose i'm predictable. this is the animatic by viria which has stuck with me all these years (obviously, spoilers for percy jackson / heroes of olympus if you haven't read that book series).

C'mon, c'mon, with everything falling down around me I'd like to believe in all the possibilities

again, the company comes together in the middle of a warzone, they're in the middle of the world falling down around them.

Celebrate the night, it's the fall before the climb Shall we sing, shall we sing, 'til the morning? If I fall forward, you fall flat And if the sun should lift me up, would you come back?

they should celebrate, because this is the happy part before they all die (apologies for my brusqueness - it's best to be straightforward). i mean, baptism of fire ch 5 VS lady of the lake ch 9. that's all there is to say about the rise before the fall, the fall before the climb.

7. Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits

the original, the canon, the namesake, the song chosen by sapkowski to preface chrzest ognia. the song is about the futility of war in general, so please apply it to those anti-war themes as well as the shared suffering and penance of the hanza.

Through these fields of destruction Baptisms of fire I've witnessed your suffering As the battle raged higher

And though they did hurt me so bad In the fear and alarm You did not desert me My brothers in arms

the bravery of the company triumphs during the battle of the bridge, refusing to desert milva, refusing to desert one another...

Now the sun's gone to hell The moon's riding high Let me bid you farewell Every man has to die

again, the hanza is destined to die

But it's written in the starlight And every line in your palm We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms

geralt and cahir over the bridge...

8. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

i initially thought about adding this song as a joke (for the battle of the bridge), but i soon realized it fit very well.

When times get rough And friends just can't be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down

the whole premise of the company is that they are strange pieces that never planned to be together - they're not professionals, they're not expert trackers - they're strangers, random people geralt happened across in the middle of a warzone who wanted to help his cause. when he could find no one else to help him, they were there... over troubled waters...

9. Rubicon - Journey

i deliberately searched for a song about crossing the rubicon and was lucky enough to find a journey song (because you know it will be a banger if it's from journey).

a bit of roman history: julius caesar crossed the rubicon river, moving south into italy as a "point of no return" to the imminent civil war which awaited him and his forces in rome (this is where we get the saying, "the die has been cast.")

the narration of tower of the swallow remarks upon the crossing of the jaruga in a similar fashion - it had felt like a significant step in their journey towards the next stage. this river crossing is a point of no return for them.

10. Through the Fire and the Flames (Slow) - Melodicka Bros (cover)

i have included this song twice because it's very emblematic of the hanza. treat the version that shows up later in this playlist as a reprise.

The scattered souls will feel the hell Bodies wasted on the shore

On the blackest plains in Hell's domain We watch them as they go Through the fire and pain and once again we know!

this reminds me of how they journey through the fields and witness masses of refugees fleeing their torched homes with empty eyes...

So now we're flying we're free We're free before the thunderstorm On towards the wilderness Our quest carries on

this is their rise before the fall - they're free before the thunderstorm, continuing their quest, carrying on...

So far away we wait for the day For the lives all so wasted and gone We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

they are far away from their destination right now, but press forth... and in the meantime, they in each other and in the war-torn landscape of fire and flame, find their redemption and lose their "pain of a lifetime"... all of their guilt and trauma washes away momentarily in the campfires and late-night discussions...

11. Dream On - Aerosmith

Yeah, I know nobody knows Where it comes and where it goes I know it's everybody's sin You got to lose to know how to win

again, themes of sin and loss appear - but this is also the introduction of a happier side of the coin... the theme of dreams.

Dream on Dream until your dream come true

12. This Must Be The Place - The Mysteries of Life (cover)

first of all, i have to apologize for using a cover and not using the original talking heads recording. however, this was a purposeful decision, as the song in its original recording is too powerful and too unique, it cannot be associated with the hanza or kept within any kind of fanmix.

Home is where I want to be But I guess I'm already there I come home, she lifted up her wings I guess that this must be the place

they say home is a person, not a place... though having a palace in beauclair doesn't hurt. "she lifted up her wings" could refer to anna henrietta providing them stay... and as fulko artevelde states, “anarietta (…) has a weakness for freaks, lunatics, and oddballs (…) who [she] gladly gives asylum to in her little fairy-tale land.”

I can't tell one from another Did I find you or you find me?

this is a time in their journey where the hanza finally gets some peace and are able to pause and reflect on what they have become, and what their destiny is.

13. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies

The warmth of your love's Like the warmth from the sun And this will be our year Took a long time to come

this is just a generically feel-good song, a bit of triumph as they've made it out of the hellhole that was sodden, brugge, angren, and the north case.

And I won't forget The way you helped me Up when I was down

but they have been united because of their journey, their friendships forged in the fire of war.

14. Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard Life used to be so hard Now everything is easy 'cause of you...

it's a wonderful dream, but is it real?

Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me

aaand a bit of a gerlion bias on my part. i can't help it.

15. Last Party - MIKA

If you could look into the future, would ya? If you could see it, would you even want to? I got a feeling that there's bad news coming But I don't want to find it out

the company can sense their impending deaths...

If it's the end of the world, let's party Like it's the end of the world, let's party And wrap your arms around everybody If we're all gonna die, let's party, let's party, let's party

but their stay in toussaint is their last dream before they awake. their last supper, in a sense... a paradise, a beautiful fantasy...

16. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen

Well now, I'm no hero, that's understood All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now? Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair Well the night's busting open These two lanes will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

mentions of not being meant to be a hero, but travelling onwards anyways, a limited amount of redemption, and the need to leave, to have one chance to "make it real" - leave the dream in toussaint and return to reality, where "heaven's waiting down on the tracks"

17. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf

this is the first song that i imagined a whole hanza animatic to, so essentially every lyric in this song has a specific image associated with it... but to be more generalistic...

But I gotta get out, I gotta break it out now Before the final crack of dawn So we gotta make the most of our one night together When it's over you know we'll both be so alone

Like a bat out of hell, I'll be gone when the morning comes Oh, when the night is over, like a bat out of hell I'll be gone, gone, gone

they MUST leave toussaint, and they must do it NOW - with the urgency they display in chapter 4 of lady of the lake.

I'm gonna hit the highway like a battering ram On a silver black Phantom bike Oh, when the metal is hot and the engine is hungry And we're all about to see the light

they "hit the highway like a battering ram," with this power and urgency - meeting geralt at the gate in one hour - and are "all about to see the light" - meet their destiny...

And I know that I'm damned if I never get out And baby, I'm damned if I do But with every other beat I got left in my heart You know I'd rather be damned with you Well if I gotta be damned, you know I wanna be damned Dancing through the night with you

... and they meet their destiny together. they're all damned either way, but they're damned, together.

18. How Far We've Come - Matchbox Twenty

this is another holdover from the percy jackson / heroes of olympus fandom circa 2013... here is the animatic by viria...

I'm wakin' up at the start of the end of the world But it's feeling just like every other morning before

notice how "the end of the world" lyric and the "the world is ending, but i'm fine" attitude reprises from the first song in the playlist? i intended that :D

But I believe the world is burning to the ground Oh well, I guess we're gonna find out Let's see how far we've come

we just had to mention burning, didn't we...

Well I believe it all is coming to an end Oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend Let's see how far we've come

"pretend" could refer to their stay in toussaint, in the dream-like fantasy they held while living in the palace...

19. Through the Fire and the Flames - DragonForce

enjoy the epic reprise!

On a cold winter morning In the time before the light In flames of death's eternal reign We ride towards the fight

this first stanza IS their ride to stygga - on a cold winter morning, riding towards the fight...

We're banished from a time in a fallen land To a life beyond the stars

this line relates to exiting life and entering the realm of legend as heroes, remembered in story as geralt's company...

In your darkest dreams see to believe Our destiny is time And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!

toussaint was a dream, stygga is about to be a nightmare, where they'll meet their destiny.

see free bird later towards the end of the playlist for associations with the word "free."

Now here we stand with their blood on our hands We fought so hard, now can we understand

one of the lines geralt delivers in the soup scene in ch 5 of baptism of fire is "united by a common goal [ciri], which none of you understand." none of them understood their goal, ciri, when they struck out - but now, at stygga, they understand. with the blood on their hands, they've reached enlightenment.

20. The Four Horsemen - Metallica

By the last breath of the fourth winds blow Better raise your ears The sound of hooves knock at your door Lock up your wife and children now It's time to wield the blade For now you've got some company

i imagine this is what boreas mun and the others near the gate of castle stygga heard when the hanza approached.

The horsemen are drawing nearer On the leather steeds they ride They've come to take your life On through the dead of night With the four horsemen ride Or choose your fate and die

this reminds me of a line from the odyssey from the slaughter of the suitors, it's something like "they had no idea how tightly the net had been cast around them".

You've been dying since the day you were born You know it's all been planned

the hanza's deaths were planned since their initial appearances, at least there are clues which indicate so.

The quartet of deliverance rides A sinner once a sinner twice No need for confession now 'Cause now you have got the fight of your life

the themes of baptism of fire and tower of the swallow reprise, about guilt, penance, suffering... it's all coming together

i've also compared the hanza at stygga to the four horsemen of the apocalypse in other places, such as that little quiz i made, and here's what i think about them as they enter -

milva like pestilence, like lord apollo coming down from olympus with the arrows rattling in the quiver on his back, shooting down the greek camp in the beginning of the iliad

cahir like war, his nilfgaardian officer's helmet tells it all, if the large sword he was brandishing wasn't enough.

angouleme like famine, as she has starved many times before, and represents the remnants of a landscape destroyed by nilfgard

geralt like death (or time, in this case), his white hair, his finality. and he has the closest relation to ciri, who, after all as we know, is death or was death herself.

i didn't mention regis, because he's not on horseback when they enter the gate at stygga, he's the figure which lets them in. i suppose this gives him antichrist energies, a diagnosis that he'd probably be amused by.

21. Gallowdance - Lebanon Hanover

Dance with me the gallowdance For all the degradation is this land Dance with me the gallowdance As disorientated as you can

originally a song which i categorized for regis, i think the overall message of "dying together" is appropriate for the hanza; however, it does still bare some regis-like features - the genre and atmosphere, "dance" and "disorientated" serve to remind of the drunken state which leads to his death.

22. Free Bird (Edit) - Lynryd Skynyrd

If I leave here tomorrow Would you still remember me For I must be traveling on now 'Cause there's too many places I've got to see But if I stay here with you, girl Things just couldn't be the same

of course this song is a romantic one about the leaving of a lover, but i'm repurposing this song to be about the destined deaths of the hanza: they "must be travelling on now," they must die, if they "stay here" "things just couldn't be the same," if they continue to live, the story will not take place as it is intended to, as was foreshadowed and destined.

'Cause I'm as free as a bird now And this bird you cannot change

birds and death are often associated; at stygga, black rooks crowd the castle walls before the hanza enters the gate and the courtyard. death is "freeing," in many aspects, and these cannot be changed, these are their final ends, their destinies.

23. Battle of Olympus - Syd Matters

Way back in the warmth of '87 '78 We don't fear a black night as we're leaving heaven Close all the windows, put the TV on As the sun goes down

they fear nothing as they leave, they have been living in the "heaven" of toussaint but have left it. i originally misheard this lyric as "leaving heaven" and i'm rolling with that... closing the windows, they're now enveloped in darkness, in eternal sleep, the sun now sets on their journey, their destiny.

I swear I saw a fairy in the back of your garden But it was nothing at all for you to remember

ciri is referred to as a faerie by galahad, geralt and cahir see her in their dreams...

Cannot find the keys of my memory box Tell the time to stop and dry my teardrops Where have you been? I forgot what I've seen, even in my dreams

"dry my teardrops" reminds me of the prophecy regis received from the girl from the refugee camp remarked upon "when at the end (...) the tears dry, then will die the few left who remain." "i've forgot what i've seen, even in my dreams" reminds me of condwiramurs's labor of locating castle stygga as the final battle.

the song is soft, contemplative, and sad... it seems fitting to the tragic end.

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corpupine · 1 year

Text

A Long-Awaited Update

I’ve been putting off writing this update for a while now. Not because I’m suffering or struggling at all—life is actually really good! It’s had some truly awful, crappy stuff mixed in, but for the most part my life is very happy. The reason I’ve been putting this off is that I really don’t know where to start. Most of you will have noticed that I stopped posting updates of NemaTale on here sometime last year. There are a couple of reasons for that that I want to explain, then I want to move on to life updates and what’s coming next for NemaTale.

First: Why did I stop posting on Deviantart?

There’s no special reason or controversy here. I post on three sites: Deviantart, Tumblr, and Tapas. Both Tumblr and Tapas offer a scheduling system so that posts can be queued in advance. I was able to schedule posts on those two sites, but Deviantart doesn’t have that function, so each time there was an update I had to go in and manually enter all the information. As my life got more and more hectic (which will be explained a little bit more in the life updates section), I found that I was forgetting to update on Deviantart. I kept on putting it off, figuring I’d get around to it eventually. But uh, whoops—the end of Chapter 4 has been posted everywhere but on Deviantart! I’ll get those last pages up and running soon, but I wanted to offer some sort of explanation before I did so.

(As a side note: I haven't been keeping up with updating the links between pages on Tumblr, for a similar reason. I'll hopefully get those up and going soon so you guys can read the comic more easily on here.)

Second: What’s going on with Corpupine?

So much, you guys. Soooo much, and most of it is—like I said—truly wonderful. I haven’t been posting updates about my life hardly at all, and I want to maintain privacy, but here’s a few fun things I wanted to tell you about:

-Got a big girl job working for a local publishing company (I’m an editor by day and I love it, but it’s very time and energy consuming)

-Helped my wonderful husband self publish a book (that I edited, naturally)

-Moved to a different city

-Finally, finally finished a draft for a novel I’ve been tinkering with for 9 years

Oh, and also, this:

Yes, in what may be the best (accidentally) kept secret ever, I’m a few months away from giving birth to a baby girl. That has been the main reason for my absence online as my husband and I have been preparing for her arrival. This baby has been very much something we have hoped for, and it took longer than we expected to get this far, so we are very happy. We are over the moon excited, a little freaked out, and ready to snuggle her sooo good.

So with that bombshell dropped, let’s talk a little bit more about the stuff you’re all really here for.

What’s next for NemaTale?

Months before I got pregnant, I had already finished Chapter 5. The script for chapter 6 is about 50% written—the broad strokes are there, I just need to nail down the dialogue. Then I started my big-girl job, and life started to get a little out of control. I was incredibly busy all the time with my job, and helping my husband with his book, and I really wanted to start using any free time just to rest and recuperate. I think that was the best choice for me; too much on my plate would have probably led me to have a nervous breakdown, haha. As it is, I’m doing well emotionally, but . . . I haven’t drawn anything since about June of last year. So we’ve got Chapter 5, totally finished and just waiting to be queued up; chapter 6, partially written; aaaaand then a big black void in front of me. (Why does that word feel so . . . familiar?) That should be scary to me, but it’s not. I’ve accomplished a lot, even if I haven’t progressed on the comic. I’m proud of myself and how far I’ve come. But what does that mean for you guys?

Here's the lowdown: I’m giving birth soon. I’m not going to be able to commit to any sort of comic goals in the near future. I’m not even sure what the future of NemaTale looks like, but I do know this: I still love this story. I don’t want to stop creating it, but now’s not the right time for me to be focusing on that. Sometimes life just gets too full to do everything on the list. I just can’t keep this at the top of my list for now.

Chapter 5 is, as I’ve said, completely ready to go (except for the chapter cover, which I haven’t made yet.) So I’m going to put this choice out to you guys. What do you want? Do you want me to go ahead and post chapter 5 over the next few months and then I’ll just see you all when I see you, somewhere down the line? Or do you want me to wait to post chapter 5 until there is also a chapter 6 officially on the way? That could take many, many months, so be aware of that.

I love the interactions I have with all of you. I’d love to keep having them, even if I won’t be able to post new stuff beyond chapter 5 for a while. But I really am okay doing whatever you guys think is best with regards to posting chapter 5. Just let me know in the comments below.

All right, I think that’s everything. I appreciate your patience with me in all this. In the past year, so much has happened. My husband and I have gone on adventures. I turned twenty-five and I’m finally starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I tragically lost one dear relative and for a while we thought we were going to lose another one—which, miraculously, we haven’t. Spring is here, and there’s a little girl kicking me in the ribs as I write this. Life is good.

#random nematale update #uhhh...surprise?#tbh i'm not sure how people are going to take this #but i just wanted to get an update out there #i'm happy and thriving and well #just...very busy #<3 you all

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