I love you albums. I love you songs connected by similar themes. I love you listening to songs in a specific order picked by the artist. I love you reoccurring motifs throughout the same album. I love you album covers. I love you albums with extended editions. I love you songs that reference each other.

I know a lot of artist are speaking up against the AI thing for very valid art theft reasons.

But I think, as a portrait artist, one of the things that makes me sad is how much the portraits are all “idealized”

Which I get, as someone who grew up fat. There is something intoxicating about seeing your “perfect” self.

Except it’s not perfect. It’s generic. It’s some of the basic lines of your face graphed on to something that looks like everyone else. when you put an AI portrait post next to another of someone with similar coloring, they are suddenly much more clearly a fancy copy/paste.

And to me…IDK. What makes you beautiful isn’t how close you can shove your face to the air brushed golden ratio. It’s dimples and freckles and lash lines and scars that cut interesting chunks into eye brows and noses that define faces and eyes that tilt different directions so you always look like you’re a lil michevious and dawn soft violet bags under your eyes.

For me, I guess, art is about seeing who we are as beautiful, not pasting a generic beautiful on to us. And that’s more complicated but also WAY more fulfilling. Art for me is a way to reprogram from the idea that beauty is ONE thing, big shiny bright eyes and eeriely smooth skin and baby soft mouths on adults and nothing that shows a human is a living experince. Because we only THINK that is the only beautiful because we have been told to find it more beautiful then the delicate shimmer of a stretch mark or the luxurious rich folds of smile lines. In reality, it’s all beautiful, and I am sad that this is using art to push us away from that rather then help us see it.

Leaving you with this piece by oil painter Jenny Saville. her beautiful, delicate and messy skin tones always have called to me, the way you can see all the colors of the rainbow even in the whitest skin tones.

This isn’t a post saying to apperciate the ugly in you. This is a post to question if it’s really ugly at all.

The KaBlammiest KaBlam! Retrospective: Season 1 Review (Comission by Cory Bryant)

Assume the crash position, hold on tight, take a breath for a new kind of cartoon show review. It's The KaBlammiest KaBlam! Retrospective. And now to take you inside and turn the pages.. your host jake!

Thanks me. So for those less familiar, KaBlam was a mid 90's nickelodeon variety show. Framed as a cartoon comic book, hosts and 90's kids, the everyman henry and the michevious june, would get up to various shenanigans while introducing various shorts.

The show was unique in that unlike other variety cartoons like Tiny Toons or Animaniacs (both bangers I need to review more of), KaBlam's shorts were all from diffrent creators, pilots that had been shopped to the network and instead of picking them up for a full series, became their own series within this series. There were also various pilots that didn't get a full segment that still aired on the show along with music videos and for this season french experimental shorts. It was something unlike anything else before or since, and it was truly wonderful.

Speaking of wonderful this is also the first review comissioned by someone in my day to day life. One of my best friends since 8th grade, the guy I see most films with and one of the sweetest persons you'll ever meet, Cory Bryant. Cory asked out of the blue if I could review KaBlam, I said

And here we are, with him having already paid in advance for four seasons worth of content. As for why.. he just thought it was neat and would make a good reivew.. and he was right. Like I said, KaBlam really ISN'T like anything else i've covered: it's essentially 6 diffrent shows in one with a few one offs thrown in. So while iv'e done full season reviews before KaBlam! is going to take a diffrent approach, and has been a bit of a challenge. But it's a challenge i'm more than happy to have taken up, so keep your heiner in the recliner as I turn the page and introduce or reintroduce ya'll to one of nick's most creative, intresting and hilarious shows.

The Secret Origin of KaBlam!

KaBlam came about because future Nick President, Herb Scanell, naturally getting tons of cartoon shorts pitched for his cartoon channel, wanted to try live action shorts with a cartoon sensiblity. One of these was Action League NOW!, a short about action figure superheroes getting ran over or crushed a LOT, and it was picked up to be ran on All That!, saturday night live for cool kids. ALN creator Robert Mittenhall wanted to do more with the shorts. Mittenhall had worked at nick for a while now as a story editor for the adventures of Pete and Pete, creator of sitcom Welcome Freshman and Co-Creator of Double Dare, and with the help of Pete and Pete co creators Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, pitched a variety show to Nick: Various animated or semi live action shorts all done by diffrent studios

The only thing left was a wraparound, something to link them together, and with the team not having animation experince, they tapped artist Mark Marek. Marek wa sa long time animation fan, having gone to school for it after being insipired by Peanuts and Johnny Quest as a kid, and having done animation for Cindi Lauper and They Might Be Giants.

So while pitching ideas, he got the call back from Nick and thus KaBlam was fully formed, with Marek creating hosts Henry and June. Marek also kept the show allive by posting it and all in all is pretty damn awesome.

So with our main show in place, I can get to this reviews format: while I COULD go episode by episode and the shorts within, I decided instead to look at each major segment one at a time, as each short is essentially it's own show within KaBlam! with it's own creator/showrunner, art style and what have you, the Henry and June wraparounds included. There will also be an extra segment for one off or less seen segments.

So with that we have our first cartoon

Henry and June our are hosts.. and also our wraparound. For season 1 at least i'ts mostly unconnected nonsense. There's an episode or two with an ovearching plot, but for the most part it's just funny skits between each cartoon following two great characters: straight man henry and mischievous june. The segments as a whole aren't bad, though they do run into a problem: repetttion. There area LOT of skits that are just "June torments henry for little to no reason". A LOT, i'ts something I hope goes down as the series goes on and didn't really remember from both the first time I watched the show as a kid and binge watching a chunk of it with my niece a few years back, so hopefully it goes down. At the very least it looks like the first episode of season 2 directly adresses it, and while that dosen't guarantee the problem's gone it at least shows the creators recognize they might of leand on this joke too much

Otherwise it's just some fun nonsense, gets really weird with it and has a lot of fun with the format: our heroes are ostensibly in a comic book so we get fights over who turns the page, hanging on to panels and in probably my faviorite joke of the season, June deciding that if she never turns the page, the show never ends.. only to find out they just turn the lights out if they go over time. It's a good wraparound and outside of the Henry Torture Porn never really got old, and even some of that's funny it just depends on the bit. It's more ther'es SO DAMN MUCH OF IT. And so you see what I mean as we go thorugh the henry and june segments for the season, i'l lhave a Henry Abuse Count. Also I won't be going into each bit in detail as there are a LOT. I will for the other shows, but there's just so much here and so much of the show to cover as is.

The following are the titles for the episodes themselves.. or at least what fans use, using the slogan on the back of the comic each episode. Honestly I don't mind it as it's better than NO titles, especially on a show this loose and freeform. The titles aren't exactly descriptie, but they at least allow us to tell them apart. It's better than say, adapting an acclaimed manga and not giving us any titles or even a chapter 1. You didsapoitned me pluto.

Your Real Best Friend: Our heroes explain waht kablam is, June lets henry nearly get eaten by a spider, chuckimation is explained.. another day at the office really.

Henry Abuse Count: 1. June leaves Henry to nearly get eaten by a spider.

It's Flavorific: I remembered almost none of these bits. Only june creating a superhero with no weaknesses that beats up henry and June outright beating up henry for tricking her.

Henry Abuse Count: 3

Comics for Tomorrow Today: June wants to be a superheroine, and tries to leverage turning her eyes out and such. Henry gets jealous when she gets more marketable powers and we get a nice bit of her playing up his page turning prowess. Also the count dosen't go up one iota, so that's nice

Not Just For People Anymore: June gets lost trying to interview sniz and fondue, tasers henry for reasons I honestly forgot but it does not suprise me in the slightest, and they have the classic your side my side nonsense. June invites henry to join a party she throws. It's a nice ending

Henry Abuse Count: 4

All Purpose KaBlam!: June invents an automatic page turner that goes bonkers, tries to drop a tank on henry, and tries to cost him a golf game.

Henry Abuse Count: 7

What The Astronauts Drink: A rare one where all the shorts have a theme. SPACCCCEEEEEE. It's a fun one as our heroes get ready to journey into space. We also get June soiling herself because Gross Out

But thankfully only shows up twice this season.

KaBlam Gets Results!: This episode sure did happen. The only memorable part of this one is June pulling down henry's pants revealing he has boxers of richard nixon. She does this for every suprising shorts we're only going to count it once.

Henry Abuse Count: 8

You've Tried the Rest! Now Try the Best: A really fun set of wraparounds: Henry throws June down a volcano to cure her laughter.

June drops stuff on Henry she borrowed and naturally broke, and June ends the episode erasing everything including Henry's head. Huh so that's the secret origin of the headless body of agnew. All in all one of the best of the season

Henry Abuse Count: 10 June Abuse Count: 1

Untitled or Why June Refuses to Turn the Page: Another banger, with the opening and closing bits being the standouts: June hosts diffrent things other than the show she's doing like talk shows or beauty pagents, a beatufiully dumb gag, and then refuses to turn the page and gets blacked out as a result. A straight up classic

Henry Abuse Count: 11. She throws him a side to go ahead with her plan.

A Little Dab Will Do Ya: These bits really hti their stride towards the end, something I didn't realize till I started typing this. This one's also a classic, ending on my second faviorite bit of the season: June rips out a page, makes it into an airplane and we get a ride like the wind refrence deliveried by a Sasquatch. Pure magic.

Henry Abuse Count: 14. June makes henry into abstract art, has mr foot beat him up, and then Mr foot beats him up for accidently unclogging him. Mr Foot is a big foot or sasquatch and he's great.

Built for Speed; Other than a bit about the two's stunt doubles, I honestly forgot this set.

Comics of Champions: Our third of four wraparounds that have an overarching story. Thunder Girl from action league now is vistiing, Henry has a crush on her and June is a dick about it, making him swell up with embarassment.

Henry Abuse Count: 17, as June abuses Henry's blushing to make his head swell three times.

Resistance is Futile: We end the season on a fun award show spoof as they elect the Kablammiest cartoon. It has a lot of great bits including an overwrought music number and the payoff in which the winner, Flesh and Melt Man of Action League Now win a new car.. that as per the series standard, runs them over. An all timer to go out on.

So with that we can move on to something more groovy. Though if you liked the idea of the Kablammy awards stay tuned as i'll be having my own version at the end of the review. For now though...

Sniz and Fondue was created by indie comics creator Mike R. Brandon, who created the comic Puppy Action. A copy got into the hands of at the time Nick Head Linda Smesky who loved it and asked Brandon to make a pilot. The resulting short "Psyched for Snuppa" was well loved, but ultimately lost out to the better toon, Rocko's Modern Life pilot "Sucker for the Suck-0-Matic", creating a weird alternate reality where Rocko never made it to series and might of ended up on KaBlam! instead. Still Sniz and Fondue was super well loved, so it got picked up for KaBlam! instead.

The first season's animation was done at PitchiPoi animatoin.. which brandon hated for often being off model, and they switched companies for season 2. Me I think the animation looks good and if it looks this crisp off model, I can't wait to see how season 2 looks when we get there. Brandon also wanted to voice Fondue and have his best friend voice Snizz, but got vetoed on the latter and on the former at the time creators voicing things in their own tunes which execs were HEAVILY against it saying "you don't want to be that close to your own show"

Somehow they did, and while Brandon has nothing against the voice actors who played Sniz and Fondue, their simply not what he wanted. It's very clear both from a reddit ama I found with brandon (I was so happy to find something besides wikis and hopefully can find more as this goes on. ) It's very clear while he loves the project, kids animation just wasn't for him and despite being offered a full series order, left, with Spongebob Taking the spot he was offered. If I had a Nickle for every time Sniz and Fondue didn't become a recurring series so a key part of cartoons as a whole could, i'd have two nickles. Which isn't a lot but it's WEIRD it happened twice.

Sniz and Fondue follows Sniz, a hyperactive ferret with the accent of a 50's greaser and the impulse control of a hyperactive ferret and his best friend and roommate Fondue a mild tight ass who likes building models and wears a chefs hat because it looks neat. Their voiced by Rick Gomez, aka "endless' mike from Pete and Pete and Oscar Riba. The only two other recurring characters are Snuppa, played by John Andrew Walsh, a videographer and the chill dude in the apartment and the slightly more uptight Bianca, played by Monica Lee Bashforth, who gets annoyed at the two more often but is just as likely to enjoy the chaos.

The show is your pretty standard "Two guys hang out and get into shenanigans' sitcom, one of the first and certainly one of the first in animation, coming off as a 90s era regular show. Snuppa and Bianca show up as needed and from what i've read eventually get phased out as Brandon and crew realized they didn't really need them, though I think their fine.

What helps Sniz and Fondue work is while the two are oppisities to a point, Sniz being hyperactive and fairly stupid and Fondue being calmer and actually thinking things through, the show gets how to make a duo like this work: Fondue isn't immune to hyjinks and in seperate episodes becomes a fashion magnate or gets creepily obessed with the ventrioquist dummy Sniz made for him. There's never any of the real cliche conflcits you'd expect from the two, their just slightly diffrent, have enough intrests to bond them, enough diffrences to bring the laughs, and are on the same page more than not.

Sniz and Fondue is really charming and fun, while also, like most KaBlam! shorts being incredibly weird. It was one of my faviorites and kicks off the show more often than not, getting it started on the right track

Sniz and Fondue Season 1 episodes

A Toxic Tail: The first short and one of the weaker ones. This one is more on the usual end of this sort of squabble: Sniz keeps breaking into Fondue's room to jump on the bed, so Fondue buys a deadly scorpion to keep him out.

Yet while the plot is pretty bog standard there were hints at what i'd later love about these shorts: there's the weird Exotic Pets guy who sells Fondue the murder scorpion and the resolution: once the scorpion is scooped, Fondue decides to simply charge Sniz for jumping on his bed, complete with a velvet rope queue, and Sniz happily accepts. IT's one of the best things about these shorts: most endings are pretty positive and usually the two reconcile by the end, but in a way that's uniquely them.

Stuntbike Sniz: the short that sold me on these. Sniz buys a motorcycle and Fondue is against it as he dosen't want his best friend to get messed up. The short is mostly sniz doing hilaroiusly half assed ramp stunts that aren't much of a challenge but still result in him getting mildly injured, and Fondue shaking his head at it. Fondue would be grating.. if he wasn't trying to keep his best friend from horribly mangling himsef. That and even getting mangled, Sniz is happy with the attention. Also this has Sniz wax lyrical, saying the lyrics to "Your the inspiration".. and turns out this , to my delight wasn't a one off thing. This is still my faviorite of them but we get a LOT of random little musical refrence moments I love.

Mod Stylin: This one works for me in part because it's surprisingly down to earth: Sniz needs a LOT of hair gel to keep his mohawk up, so Snupa, to save money, buys him the cheap stuff instead. Problem is overdoing it makes his hair fall out. We also get a lot of fun stuff as Fondue tries to restore Sniz' hair, which itself is fun as it's the first time Fondue really gets to do weird shit and i'm here for it. My favorite hair restoration attempt is Fondue planting a flower on sniz's head and the seasons passing as we wait for it to grow. I love long time skip gags, so it's a personal thing. The ending, which has Fondue have his head sympathy shaved, is just adorable.

Fashionably Fondue: I love this one simply for taking a very common plot and making it feel unique. In this one Fondue decides to become a fashion mogul because most jeans can't fit sniz's tiny butt and stature, promising to make jeans that actually fit for him if he gets famous. Your probably expecting as I did that the episode would either have Fondue get self absorbed, go back on the promise but then fufill it in the end or fufilling it would end his career.

While it does go with option B, how it does it is neat. As is how Fondue becomes a fashion mogul in the first place as he throws one of his drawings in frustration, and it ping pongs hilariously via slapstick and bee gee's refrences till a fashion person gets it. Not only that but Fondue.. just does what he promised immeditely and rather than get laughed at or something for it, he fails.. but only because Sniz is GENUINELY the only customer.. and rather than be too bummed Fondue is happy Sniz has jeans that make his butt look good. You know, I try not to ship EVERYTHING that comes across my brain but the more I write on this series the more awesomely homoerotic it comes out, and i'm just fine with that.

Second Hand Sniz: This one honestly feels like a regular show script that got lost in time and wound up in 1996, toned down a bit as I could see this exact scenario happening with rigby. Sniz refuses to learn how to tell time, and so his roomates, fed up with his crap and him relying on them for the time (This was BEFORE everyone had 80 devices in their house that have a clock as a bonus feature, so you kinda had to back then). Does it make no sense they have no digital clocks in the mid 90's?

Even with a bunch of 20 somethings not having a lot of money they could still get one cheap.. or would just to shut Sniz up. But the antics that ensue from them writing "do not tell me the time" on his head, to Sniz deciding rather than learn to tell time to JUMP to the hot air balloon their in, ending up on a giant clock and learning the skill through trauma.. it's great. One of the best of season 1

Mr. Sniz's Wild Ride: Some aliens decide to take Sniz in as their mascot, and after some deliberation he accepts.. then regrets it when their annoyed they got exactly the hyperactive ferret they asked for. This one is okay but I do love the resolution that the aliens just shoot them out of the ship, as well as Fondue sneaking aboard to help Sniz. One of the weakest eps of season 1, but it's not TERRIBLE. It's just beige. Very beige.

Sneaky Clean: This is one of those episodes about GERMS kids shows did... and I GENUINELY had to check and make sure it wasn't just Hey Arnold that did this as that's the only one that came to mind, but it is a thing.

This one has a neat take as while it has the standard setup of "Character finds out germs are everywhere and takes it about as well as I took the cancelation of Close Enough", which is to say

Here Fondue just straight up builds a plastic germ free biosphere to live in. And spends it in his underwear because why not at this point. I haven't brought it up but under the characters skirts is tighty whiteys we see frequently because they did the research and kids think underwear is funny. Eventually Fondue realizes he's missing stuff, it's a heartwarming mostly naked ending.

The Borrowers: This one is okay but I do like the setup: Fondue borrows a quarter from what turns out to be a loan shark and our heroes try to escape the guy then try paying it off. I love how the loan sharks compound intrest is 300% a minute and how what sets off the plot, a call in radio contest, ends up solving it. I also like a bit abotu Fondue getting annoyed Sniz is stealing hotel towels. All in all it sure was average.

Dark Vator: At the Captain Sharpiro, the boys faviorite sci fi show, convention Sniz and Fondue get stuck in an elevator due to Sniz's hubris and Sniz of course thinks the best person to bring for help is the actor who plays captain sharpiro. You've seen this plot too. While Sniz and Fondue is fun, I didn't realize till reading it out how some plots are just.. things you've seen before. And would see again on Hey Arnold and done better because Hey Arnold is the best. Really gotta cover that show sometime. But i've still got a lot of kablam to cover so...

You Dummy: This one is just wholesome, then weird, then wholesome again: Fondue does some action figure theater for the roomies, and admits he wants to be a vintrioquist but dosen't have the bones for a puppet. Sniz makes him one in his unseen till now and possibly again workshop.

Then .. Fondue becomes obsessed with his puppet, despite being VERY bad at actually being a ventriloquist, Sniz feels bad and helps, and this causes fondue to spiral and Sniz to get jealous and nearly take a saw to the puppet. I do like how the climax is he just.. chips it slightly. And this still somehow makes it unusable. Once again I think of a show who did a similar plot slightly better, but for once i'ts not hey arnold but king of the hill. Granted in that one's case it both tapped into the hank bobby relationship well and had Dale Gribble obessed with murdering a dummy and put said dummy into a wood chipper while blindfolding it and mixing it in with two chairs and a tabogan before clorforming himself, so it's hard to compete. Still a great episode.

Making of a Supermodel: Okay THIS one is the weakest of season 1. It's the old "character wants to open toy, other character wants it mint in box, character opens thing anyway" thing. You've seen it before, they don't really do anything new or intresting with it here, and while Hey Arnold didn't do it better this time, Hey Arnold had higher standards than to do it at all.

Rage Against the Vending Machine: This one has a bit of a story. So for a good chunk of season 1, I used youtube since about a third of the season is missing from Parmount+ due to rights issues. I'll explain why later. So the thumbnail for this episode of KaBLam.. was what LOOKED like a naked Bianaca wearing a crown. So I was distracted not by the possibly naked woman, as while I am into many things the characters of this show aren't one of them, but more.. what the fuck was this episode about.

Turns out that wasn't bianca but a tiny naked man who makes novelties the guys go to complain to after not getting a plastic spider from one of those cool capsule things. Turns out, unsuprisingly, the very naked man is scamming people by not putting the spiders in and our heroes have to stop him from melting them all. THey also get bribed with their own vending machines full of nothing but spiders. Hopefullyt hey both took the bribe AND hauled his ass before the ftc. This one is fun though both for it's relatablity of wanting just ONE thing from one of those capusle machines and not getting it and the weird naked man. They just never adress that he's both tiny and naked and it makes it funny as a result.

War of the Super Geeks: Our finale and a really fun one. Sniz and Fondue fight over a prize inside a cereal box. Snuppa decides to turn this to his advantage by making them do a gauntlet that's doing chorse for him and bianca, making them brownies then doing their laundry, followed by a fight for their sick amusment. I not only like Snuppa turning this very stupid argument to his advantage, but also the fun of them: we have Fondue sabotaging snizz who has to scramble to buy store bought, Snizz and Fondue both giggling over Bianca's undies like the 12 year olds they are and the two deciding to share the toy and turn the whole mock trial thing Snuppa did to start this mess on the couple for their bs. A fun episode to close out a pretty solid season.

Action League Now! is probably the most famous of the KaBlam! shorts: It started on all that before here, got a burger king kids meal toy before eventually being repacakaged as it's own show after KaBlam! ended. If your not thinking of Henry and June when KaBlam! comes to mind, it's likely these guys. It's clear while Nick was Meh on KaBLam! after a while and kinda just.. gave up on it after the first season despite giving it three more, they LOVED Action League Now!

Action League Now! has a great setup: the characters are all action figures, whose world is integrated into ours: their soccer/football stadium is a game of fooseball, the couch is a canyon, and cars frequently run over our heroes as one of the most literal running gags i've ever seen. Action League Now! has a lot of clever world building and set design, using every part of the house and every household object possible to create it's world.. and mutilate it's characters.

Yeah Action League's other big hook is taking the hammer to it's main character.. and ceiling fan, rotating fan, waffle iron, lots of dropped objects, the same car over and over, and whatever else they can think up. How funny it is varies: when the show is being creative and using everything they can to attack our heroes, it's hilarious, comedy gold and great slapstick. But the show doe sfall back on "dropping things on them" or "running the characters over" at times , the same way. It just dosen't have the thrill of say, having Stinky Diver get eaten by a dog or melt man melted into a waffle. It's when the show puts some elbow grease into the slapstick and the world it's built that it's at it's best.

As for the in universe premise the setup is simple: The Action League are superheroes made up of random generic toys that a kid might have: The Flesh, a super strong, super naked and super dumb guy whose basically a stripped he man figure, Stinky Diver, an obnoxious asshole , diving expert and gi joe. Thunder Girl, she flies like thunder and is clearly a repurposed barbie style doll, and Meltman , a melted gi joe whose obnoxious as he is useless, and as a result gets most of the slapstick, which fills my heart with such joy. Suffer, suffer tiny melted man.

Helping them are the Chief, their boss and Bill, their lab guy. Well the Chief really just tells them to do stuff and berates them for being a cavelcade of Fuckups but someone has to.

The action leagues days are mostly spent opposing their arch enemy, the mayor, who has a unique weird raspy voice, kinda halfway to nixon, and is a delight as he comes up with various plans to kill our heroes and somehow hasn't been indicted.

Action League Now is not half bad. The animation style is unique, the cast, all from the radio show WDVE in Pittsburg is really dang good, my only real complaint is character wise the characters are mostly one gimmick. Stinky is an asshole who smells like one, The Flesh is stupid, Thunder Girl is constantly and rightfully shooting down melt man, and Melt Man sucks suprising no one. The show's creativity helps it along though ,as while most of the plots are stock, the sheer novelty keeps the show a humming and hopefully as we go we can see it evolve and really play with the brilliant setup it has here.

Road to Ruin: The Mayor drives around like an asshole and litters, fufilling his campaign promises but putting the world in jeapordy I guess Our heroes have to stop him and get hit by , run over by and generally futzed with by a car a lot. It was okay.

No Fly Zone: The Mayor squirts white Goo on thunder girl

This robs her of her powers just as the Mayor kidnaps some children to a bird house. This one was a lot of fun, from Thunder Girl trying to use ballons with Stinky naturally ruining it by harpooning her ballons, and the kids the mayor kidnaps because he has a quota of being an asshole to fufill by friday or his ass is on the line end up turning the tables.

The Wrath of Spotzilla: A two part adventure, and apparently the only two part short in Kablam! history. Granted every Action League Now! short is presented in two parts, but it's in the same episode. This is two diffrent shorts. Anyways an ancient moster, aka a cute doggo, is unleahsed and our heroes fail as usual. NOrmally if something has a dog in it it's automatically better and while Spotzilla dosen't hurt the episode they really dont 'do anything new in the "household animal is a threat to smaller creatures" concept. Or disaster movie parody. You wasted a dog Action League Now! Foreshame! Foreshame! Fore...

Nightmare on Memory Lane: This is a fun one: Meltman gets amnesia after he falls out a window, and needing a formula he stole from the mayor, the Action League tries to jog his memory.. by dropping things on top of him repeatedly while he reacts more bored than anything. IN other words this segment is pure comedy gold. Maybe it's the same reaction, maybe it's the carnage, maybe it's that I love to see meltman suffer.... we'll never know.

....

All of those things, it's all of those things.

Dog Day Afterschool: the mayor tries to shoot the Chiefs dog up into space.

So our heroes have to rescue him. As usual they fail kinda hard but he lands in the mayor's kitty pool hot tub so it's all good.. excep tfor the two women who were with him. I'm pretty sure they died as we never see them after the crash. People the Action League Have Murdered Somehow Count: 2

RoboFlesh: This is one of my faviorites of season 1, tied with one we'll get to soon. The Mayor decides to pull the old "evil clone" scheme, locking the flesh in a lunchbox with a deviled egg lure and debuting RoboFlesh... just as naked but with more bolts sticking out of his body, so .. sexier. And really RoboFlesh's deisgn is a major part of why I love this episode: jamming a bunch of screws into an action figure to make him an evil robot seems like something a kid would do, and as an added bonus NO ONE CAN TELL THEM APART. It's a classic evil twin joke sure, one is obvious.. but by making it THIS obvious, as well as having Robo Flesh have a robotic tin to his voice and you know, throw a cinderblock at the action league, it just ratchets it up. How they solve the dillema is also great.

Stinky Diver: I got this one. Hey stupid! The Flesh: Yes? Stinky Diver: That's him alright (Harpoons RoboFlesh into a blender)

IN the Belly of The Beast: The Mayor uses a vacum. This one dosen't suck, but it just may blow... it's average is what i'm saying. Good setup it just really doesn't use. It's also meltman centric. Though the rest of the team does mock him for trying ot be interim leader, so it at least has that.

Where Pidgeons Dare: My faviorite of the season, the premise is simple: the league has to guard the heirs to the queen of pidgeons. Instead of the mayor though the threat is our heroes are morons and the eggs keep getting destroyed. Also two kids steal one to throw it on the sidewalk while meltman tries to perform cpr. This one just has a LOT of good black comedy, and the ending twist, that they were somehow at the wrong nest, is great. As is meltman getting eaten by a snake.

Stink or Swim: Stinky has ptsd after his brother apparently drowned in a toilet. Everyone is a dick about him having ptsd. He manages to save everyone in the end. This one is alright.

Thunder and Lightning: The mayor dresses up as a new superheroine, lightning lady and upstages thunder girl. This one's okay, I do like how lightning lady uses various barbque related things to take out the boys, and how she smacks thunder girl with shrimp, but I have almost nothing else to say about this one. YOu've seen this plot before. Teen Titans did it better a decade later. Next.

Sinkhole of Doom; One of ALN's many pilots, Thundergirl has to rescue the mayor's hot son from a garbage disposal. Stinky Diver is a jealous douche. Thundergirl naturally chooses the mayor's son as unlike Meltman, his face is mangled but he still has a personality. And you know isn't meltman. A lot of great gags in this one, with both the use of the garbage disposal and most of our heroes getting caught on a ceiling fan.

Testimony of Terror: Another banger of a season finale, an obnoxious kid who was witness to the Mayor's crimes needs to be protected. Which crimes we don't know. Unfortunatley for our heroes the kid's abit of a monster and does creatively fucked up things from them, from putting stinky in a vcr which puts Stinky in the tv because science, to thunder girl getting bodied by a rotating fan, and of course my faviorite, meltman getting turned into a waffle. Naturally the kid also easily takes care of the mayor.. and then drops more shit on our heroes. Sounds like someone could easily win the recall election , eh kid. I mean it's clear the people of action league town lean right. Sociopathy is big in the party right now. not sure about 1993 but I like his chances. I don't really have a segue so...

Life With Loopy comes to us from Stephen Holman. Holman is an intensely weird and deeply fascinating man. Seriously I don't know what I was expecting on his KaBlam! wiki entry (Which by the by has been an invulable resource), but I wasn't expecting a performing artist who made short films, added live theater to them, and performed in venus across new york.

This does explain life with Loopy's unique style and blend of whatever styles holman could thrown in: Life with Loopy uses top motion puppets, but with flat magnetic heads to make expressions easier ot swap out. There's also live action charaters, hand puppets, and a general loose yet intreicatley built style I love about these shorts. They clearly took a lot of effort and Holman has my utter respect.

Life with Loopy came about because Holman pitched a diffrent short, meet the shrimpkins, to play between shows and during commericals, ala the adventures of pete and pete and ironically how Life with Loopy would be used later on Nicktoons. Nick wanted an animated segment with it and while Meet the Shrimpkins didn't go forward they loved said segment so much, Life with Loopy was added to KaBlam! and the rest is history.

Life With Loopy has a great setup: Larry, an 11 year old down to earth boy, relates the various misadventures of his sister Loopy, an energetic 7 year old. Each episode takes a problem a kid would have like not wanting to take a bath, loosing a goldfish or trying to get something from under the couch cushions and esclates it in glorious fashion: Loopy dosen't bathe for so long she grows a forest on her and becomes a national park, hearing the toilet leads to goldfish heaven leads to loopy traveling there, and the couch cushions lead to an underground world where various junk is smelted to power the earth's core. It's all insane, it's all insanely creative, and it's all wonderful. I dickered on if this was my faviorite or not.. but yeah, Life with Loopy is easily my favorite of the recurring segments, though Snizz and Fondue and the Off Beats both come close. But you just can't match this one for i'ts creatvitiy, unqiue style and heart. Loopy is endearing and relatable all at once and you can't help but root for her in whatever she's gotten into.

Hi-Fi Frankenstein: Larry is busy with a punk phase, calling people goobers while singing Beef Steak, great band name and as a nice touch the poster for Beefsteak is in the background of larry's room for the rest of the shorts, so Loopy does what any kid would do: she builds a robot out of an old stero. Robo-Larry is fine at first, but turns out to have gone all Ultron on the poor girl and wants to conquer the world for appliances. It's a great start for these shorts (not THE start but we'll get to that), a fun premise, and a sweet ending with Larry realizing how lonely his sister was and assuring her she's got him.

Trouble with Inflation: This one has another relatable premise: Loopy and Larry's easing going dad only gets mad at one thing. BILLS. BILLS BILLS BILLS. So Loopy wants to stop the mailman from delivering them. She tries being nice to the guy to stop delivering bills, then decides to just turn the house into a balloon. And in her defense while most mail carriers are just people trying to do thier job, this guy is a stone faced dick who just HAS to announce Loopy's dad got bills and creates a fucking sky bicycle.. which while impressive is still a dick move just to deliver a man bills.

The resolution is deeply sweet though: Loopy can't stop the bills, a fairly mature resolution.. so she just sends her dad a letter encouraging him and telling her she loves him instead.

Egghead: This one I remembered simply for it's unique puppet: Loopy is told, jokingly, that if she eats too many eggs, she'll become one. And sure enough this actually comes true and Larry, left babysitting loopy, has to keep a giant chicken from trying to hatch her. This one would be great enough for the egg puppet and utterly weird, even for this show, premise, but we also have a delightfully off exteriminator guy who can't help because there's a man sized giant mantis in his office he has to deal with.

Back To Nature: This one seemed pretty inocious for this show: Loopy refuses to bathe because "i'll just get dirty again" and in a rarity for this show her parents DO still try to get her to shower. Normally they just roll with whatever she's doing this week, which is adorable. They don't care if they end up in the sky, their daughter means well dang it. Her dad telling her she has to bathe as long as she's under his roof lead sto her camping outside and being declared a national park, easily my faviorite joke of this season of shorts. I had to pause for a moment because it's just.. so dang weird. And the fact THAT'S what gets her to bathe as the idea of tourists around her terrifies her? *chef's kiss*

Lunar Loopy: Another favorite of mine. Loopy wants to meet the man in the moon. We also get the first hint Larry has a scientific bent as he feels one isn't there due to science. Naturally he dosen't realize what show he's on and Loopy lassos luna to earth to prove her point. WE also get an utterly adorable moon dance party with the two. We also do have a man in the moon making shadowpuppets, a very weird man played byu the guy from the egghead short, now as an astronaut who got left behind by nasa and is greatful he can get off the moon, which loopy thankfully puts back before the earth is destroyed. A charming, wonderfully mellow short.

Goop on the Loose: Larry tries to figure out just the right goop for his hair while a can of mystery goop in the cabin turns into a gremlin. Loopy tries hunting it.. onlyf or the thing to abscond with her dad's wart. Also we get way too many shots of that wart. I do like the reveal the gremlin is made of wart remover.. and they got married in vegas. Good for them.

Goldfish Heaven: This one is the series actual pilot, with a slightly rougher style but I saw this one a lot as kid and love it dearly. So Loopy's goldfish dies and is flushe down the toilet. Being told this is goldfish heaven, she decides to travel there for closure, building an adorable goldfish suit. While a goldfish friend of her goldfish is a prick about it, her goldfish is fine with giving her closure and it's all very sweet. Also the design of goldfish heaven, essentially a giant fish tank is amazing as are the goldfish puppets. Great stuff.

Mother-Nature Bowl Off: Loopy's mom makes the mistake of telling her summer rain is just mother nature bowling, so Loopy goes ten rounds with her. I like the resolution: We know from the wraparound i'ts still raining so we assume Loopy looses.. but no she dosen't. Mother nature is just a sore looser. She's also kinda obnoxious making this my least favorite short of this batch, but it's still charming as usual. A meh life with loopy short is STILL a life with loopy short.

Mom's Mystery Casserole: Another faviorite of mine. Mom makes a weird cassarole every friday and after refusing to tell her kids what's in it, which I'm certain is against the Geneva Convention but whateves, Loopy sneaks into her moms cabinet and finds out it's fish sauce.. complete with a neat looking fish king inside. How she wins is also fun as the cans try to can her, only for Loopy to point out the fish sauce is terrible, the cans realize they have a bad rep and silence him

Revolutions Loopy Has Caused Count: 1

20,000 Leagues Under the Sofa: Larry looses his baseball in the cushions, and it turns out weird, cool looking molemen are smelting various things to power the earth's core. I just.. love the concept here.. as well as Loopy understandably shoving the ball in his face after he complains it's singed given she BARELY got it out from an incenerator. A solid end to a magical season

Promethus and Bob comes to us from Cote Zellers, who has a background in commericals, which tracks given P and B's short run times and simple premise: an alien came to earth in caveman times to teach a caveman how to do things from our modern society and presumibly his advaned one. He usually fails, often thanks to an asshole bastard butt monkey that's around. This is apparently his job.

Zellers pitched the idea to nick, though the original pitch was apparently much darker and involved Bob killing and eating promethus...

Yeah I didn't want to know that either but we're both stuck with that knoweldge. Nick liked the basic concept but asked him to tone it down.

Animation wise P and B is gorgeous, having beautiful claymation models with the two leads having just the best designs, Promethus having an emaciated, skinny look that feels utterly ailen while bob is more chonky and relatable. Like me. Monkey.. is a monkey.

P and B was amixed bag for me as the early shorts got pretty repettitive with only wheel standing out. However as I wrote this I found the later shorts.. are really damn funny. I enjoyed them at the time and it's clear Zellers realized they were getting sdamey and thus starts finding creative new ways to do the joke, with the presentation matching. This short went from a part of the episode I dreaded to a fun addition as anything else, and I look forward to seeing what these two doofuses have next.

Bowling: Okay admitely while i'm lukewarm on these shorts... even i'm not so stonehearted as to not love an alien teaching a caveman bowling. I'm not made of stone. I don't really remember this one but it gets a pass on the concept.

Wheel: This is a fun one as Prometheus instructs bob on the wheel and he naturally goofs on it. Clothes: Bob wears a vest.... it looks good on him and it's fun to see bob in a vest. That's all I got.

Music: Prometheus tries to teach Bob Music. This sure did happen.

Fishing: Prometheus teaches bob to fish. He eats for zero days.

Bridge: this is a fun one as it's less about "oh stupid caveman can't do people things", and more Prometheus simply mangles the lesson. He tries to teach Bob how to cross a bridge.. but uses a log, which isn't ideal for it and is less convent than bob just jumping to the other side. We also get a really fun bit of the two rolling on the long. Good stuff and what the series can be at it's best.

Shelter: This is another fun one as Promethus tries to teach bob to use a tent, wtih Bob trying to use shelter. Maybe I like these more than I thought. I love how both end up blowing away. The show really seems to work better when it's more character based, which yes both of them are silent but the puppets convey such energy and character.

Cooking: My second faviorite, Promethus tries to teach bob to cook.. and eventually gives up and just goofs around till his superior shows up and is an asshole about it. It's nice to both see WHY Prometheus is so uptight, he has to do this for work, and see him just.. have fun with bob instead of trying to force feed a lesson he's clearly not getting.

Kite: They fly a kite. That's about it.

Say it with me now They nervous, they nebbish, they small, and the Populars don't like 'em at all. But that's ok, life is sweet. They cool. They the Off-Beats...

The Off-Beats comes from Mo Willems who , out of the creators of these shorts is easily the most prollefic. He always loved animation, having drawn a cartoon a day while traveling the world, and making a successful name for himself on Seasame Street before making the Off-Beats for Nickelodeons. Starting out as "the Misfits" before the name was changed for legal reason, the Off-beats was originally a between commericals segment , something I remember as a kid, before becoming part of Ka-Blam!. Willems would go on to Cartoon Network making the short lived Sheep in the Big city, which I barely remember but do remember liking as a kid, and , to my shock, being the showrunner for Kids Next door's first four seasons. So yeah Mo was responsible for making one of my faviorite shows what it was, and then went on to do childrens books because he's a neat dude.

The Off Beats is essentially the early charlie brown specials mixed with some psychedelic minimalist backgrounds and some hope. It's not to say Peanuts lacks hope. As a huge fan of it, there's plenty of nice moments of kindness, camaraderie and snoopy's awkward teenage nephew

But the 60's era stuff Off-beats takes from had a nice heaping helping of

Charles Schultz did not pull punches at how cruel life, and especially kids would be: Charlie Brown rarely won, Linus was mocked for believing in the great pumpkin and patting birds on the head, Lucy once threw linus out for a period in the 70s, Peppermint Patty is deeply insecure. Even into the 90's there's a whole arc about Marcy's parents overly pressuring her. These kids went through it.

WIth the Off Beats while their still bullied by the populars, they have each other and have less brutal honesty with one another than the peanuts gang. Their just four pretty wholesome kids who happen to be kinda weird. WE have Betty Anne Bongo, a beatnik born thirty years too late (Played by Mischa Barton of all people), Tommy, a pretty mellow charlie brown looking kid who will snap at you at the drop of a hat. And he has a pretty sweet hat. Repunzil who has long hair, and the duo of August and September. August is a nerdy inventor kid who makes wacky inventions, and September is his dog, who replaces snoopy's whimsy and lack of awarness for anything going on with a dry wit and a desire to be left the hell alone, but a willigness to help in a pinch.

The Off Beats is a lot of fun. Granted as a peanuts fan, this is like catnip to me as it's a well done pastiche that gets what Schultz was going for but still makes it it's own, so i'm biased, but it's a well animated, charming mellow little piece unlike everything else. While the rest of the KaBlam! shorts are good, all of them have that manic 90's energy to them in some level. The Off-Beats is very much it's own weird thing and I wish it'd gotten it's own series, it's that good. it did get a valentine's special to add to my jumbly collection of KaBlam odds and ends I need to look at at some point after this retrosepctive, so that's nice.

The Robodog: September takes a day off so August decides to make hi m jealous with a robot dog that plays 4 ever. You can see where this is going

Okay not THAT far, but the dog does want to play and play an dplay, with August learning his lesson and September making the robot a ro-boy to play with. A charming if bizzare choice of start as it dosen't really.. introduce any other cast members of feature them.

Too Much Attention for September: This is a wholesome, fun little short. September just ants to take off a nap and blows off August to hang out in his flying machine. This ends up going badly as every other off beat gets getting in his face in teh way a kid would: betty anne wants him to "take it", Repunzil won't stop petting him and Tommy yells at him for not going bow wow. Thankfully his owner has a flying machine so we get a nice ending of September and August taking off into the sky.

Betty Anne's Glasses: The first one actually involving the populars. They cameo in Robodog but dont' really do anything there. Here their leader steals Betty Anne's glasses so we get hyjinks as they half assedly hide them. August also makes a device to find them but as it points out, is too chicken to actually confront the populars. Thankfully they all dress up like the president, easily my faviorite bit of the short as all September (making up the head) has to do is say he's from washington for them to buy it. The best of the best.

Surprising Shorts is any non main segment on KaBlam for season 1. I don't know if this holds for season 2 onward, but i'll likely be keeping the suprising shorts titlecard. These are the odds and ends, mostly pilots for shows. It's also one of the main reasons KaBlam is in copyright hell: see at least two shorts got picked up, one set, lava, was only leased out temproarily, and in general if an episode is missing from Paramount+ , it's usually due to one of these. Why they can't just edit the episode to remove the coming up things featuring them, I don't know.

Lava: A series of abstract shorts from french animator Fredrico Vitali. I.. don't have much to say about these. Their well animated but their also only 30 seconds and while this review has proven I love weird shit.. this is a bit much even for me with one short having a cat fly through space and then into the unvierse inside a dog's anus

Not bad, just not for me

Anemia and Iodine: My faviorite of these, it's a pilot for a story about two best friends: The chalky faced cat anemia and her.. whatever she is best friend iodine who along with Anemia's brother Dropsy go to an old house to find a cat ghost. Ther'es a really nice adam's family style quality with Anemia I love. The short oozes spooky charm, is fun and the twist ending of the cat they find being the ghost is all kinds of neat. The only thing I really don't like is Dropsy, who gets VERY grating despite the shorts runtime. Why Nick didn't pick this up, I really don't know.

Angela Anaconda: yes THAT angela anconda. This series getting picked up by Fox Kids is one of the main reasons you don't see it here. For those less familiar, Angela Anaconda is a slice of life sitcom using yearbook photos and clipart to tell the tales of her, angela and not nanette nanoir, Angela's smug arch enemy. I thought the series was fine as a kid, but these shorts ar ekinda rough> The art style isn't quite polished yet so it just looks offputting and it's mostly just Angela's habit of elaborate revnege fantasies on her enemies, from murdering nanette for getting her barred from the class picnic to fore marrying nanette to johnny abotti after Johnny picks nanette over her and gives her the valentine Angela made and okay maybe that last one's justifable homicide. Bobs Burgers would do this exact same plot better, but it's still not a bad pilot and gets the series across. Glad this one go tpicked up, not so glad nick apparently REALLY can't learn how to just edit these shorts out the way they did lava.

The Louie and Louie Show: This one has great leads, a chameleon named Louie (played by Jim Belushi) and Louie the hamster played by Billy West, who was nick's best boy at the time. It's a aweird duo but it works. the problem is the short.. just dosen't really work for me as the whole premise is the two want to be loved. That's it. The dog gets love but the family present just seems to neglect them and gets mad when , shockity shock, two neglected pets escape because they want attention. It's just way too mean spirited for me. Creator Gary Baseman WOULD go on to make Teachers Pet at least.. and also has a whole abstract art career so there's that.

So with that we've finally worked through the mountain of shorts for this season. But rather than leave it there i've decided in the spirit of the season finale for this season that for each of these reviews i'm proud to present

The Kablammy Awards

For these I'm picking the best short from each recurrnig series, the best of the various startling shorts, and the best short overall from the winners. It's just me.. which already makes it more reliable than the oscars. let's begin

Best Sniz and Fondue Short: Stuntbike Sniz. Second Hand Sniz was close, but this one just has so much goofy charm to it and that your the inspiration gag is an all timer.

Best Action League Now! Short: Testiomony of Terror just inches out Where Pidgeons dare. While I like WPD a lot.. Testimony of Terror just has so much clever carnage, a neat premise and a fun ending.

Best Life with Loopy Short: This was a hard one, with the Front Runners being Lunar Loopy, Mom's Mystery Cassarole and 20,000 Leagues under the sofa. But in the end I have to give it to Lunar Loopy for it's fun take on the " man in the moon, gorgeous visuals and wonderful little dance scene.

Prometheus and Bob: It's log , it's log it's big it's heavy it's wood. It's Log, it's Log it's better than bad it's good.

The Off-Beats: Betty-Ann's Glasses. All hail presdient September

Startling Shorts: Anemia and Iodine. It's not even close. None of the other shorts are horrible but none have this one's unique art style or charm.

Kablamiest Overall Short: It was down to Anemia and Iodine, Lunar Loopy and Betty Anne's glasses for this one but the winner issssss

Betty Anne's Glasses! Congrats. The president bit, as wellas how obviously bad the Populars are at hiding said glasses, wins this one the prize. Congrats off beats.

For now it's time to sign off kablmoids. There will be a look at season 2 next month, same kablam time, same kablam blog. Until next time, thanks for reading.

TW: Long post, many caps, mentions of threats of violence and suicide.

As a sort of a "part 2" to my last post, I just wanted to get this out there... but I dont think that this is going to do much...

But it's worth a shot :(

The Vivziepop and her "favorites" at Spindlehorse have now verbally harassed people, spread bad faith to make people who critique a literal cartoon look bad. -and, as ive just noticed: have even threatened violence. I dont care what people throw at me for saying this-

VIVIENNE MEDRANO AND HER HEAD STAFF NEED TO STOP BULLYING THEIR OWN FANDOM! IT'S GETTING OUT OF HAND AND IS ACTUALLY HURTING PEOPLE!!!! THEY LITERALLY THREATENED TO HIT PEOPLE FOR SAYING THAT WHAT VIVIENNE IS DOING IS WRONG, SPREAD SLANDER ABOUT WHAT "*IS*" WORKER MISTREATMENT TO DENY WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND ARE ACTUALLY HARASSING PEOPLE! I DONT CARE ABOUT HOW "CUTE!" THEY TRIED TO MAKE THEIR THREATS TOWARDS THE EX SPINDLE ARTISTS LOOK TO GET PASSED TWITTER'S GUIDELINES- NONE OF THIS IS OK! BULLYING IS NEVER OK!

PEOPLE CRITIQUEING A CARTOON AREN'T THE PROBLEM- PEOPLE WHO HARASS OTHERS OVER IT ARE! THESE LITERAL CARTOON CHARACTERS ARE NOT FUCKING REAL! LET US HAVE OUR SAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!

STOP LETTING THIS SHIT HAPPEN! There is no "good type" of harassment and telling people that "its ok to harass someone just because you find them to be bad faith." is never ok! Telling someone that "you're not a writer if you dont like me!" or "you're a glass jawed mother fucker!" or "im going to get in an actual fist fight with you!" isnt just disagreeing- this is BULLYING! Krystal, the one who called the mistreatment and people "NEVER!" sleeping until late in the morning as a "humble" experince just because she worships Vivienne and even threatened to also hurt people!

I dont give a shit about what's "normal in the industry!" OVERWORKING PEOPLE INTO SLEEP DEPRAVATION AND CONSTANT STRESS IS NEVER OK AND NEITHER IS THREATENING TO HIT SOMEONE FOR SPEAKING OUT!

There is also someone followed by the creator of Lackadaisy, a creator who also follows Vivienne Medrano. -and im not sure if Tracy knows about how Vivienne is treating people, but good lord would it be horrific is she already did. I fucking hate how corperate the indie animation community is becoming. INDUSTRY "STANDARDS!" are literal mistreatment, people have been fighting those "standards" for years such as with #NewDeal4Animation and to say that a worker being treated like trash is "ok" just because you also working in the field also somehow means that your word is always "true" then you're are sick in the head and have no actual heart for the literal torture animators have even died from within the industry. -and then again with the "they're just angry which makes them a bad person!" bullshit, toxic positivity exists, there is such a thing as being "too positive" about something. Erin might have gotten some leeaway for HAVING A MENTAL DISORDER! -but that doesnt make all the mistreatment from all the rushed projects go away! It's a indie studio, that clearly isnt Disney level, doing 5+ episodes in a year- how the fuck is this even "normal!" for industry standards even if you talk about what Vivziepop actually did with Helluva Boss?! -and the way this person suggested that Erin was basically "lazy" for asking for more time since they were being rushed isn't just a horrible way to treat artists, but in full context, is ableist as all hell!

-and even then: With full context- What about the other artists working at Spindlehorse?! What about how they were treated?!

Hell, Erin didn't even get leeaway from their day to night job that they had to work under, meanwhile, Vivienne is able to afford to live in LA, vacations and all, while having her workers be overworked to give both her and her projects more money. Honestly- has the indie art community lost their fucking minds?! What the fuck happened to NOT being capitalistic about animation?! Why are we now encouraging this just because we're the "big dogs" now? "IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY FREIND'S BEHAVIOR- IM GONNA BEAT YOU! IM GOING TO PULL YOU INTO THE STREET AND BEAT YOU FOR WHAT YOU SAID!" NIGGA WHAT THE FUCK?! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND SAYS THIS?! -and who in their right mind, says that people are "slandering" or spreading "unbridled emotion" WHILE THREATENING TO TO FIGHT SOMEONE IN THE STREET!? 99% of it wasn't even a joke besides that one gif, Monica specifically said "LETS GET INTO AN ACTUAL FIST FIGHT!" on a serious post, who in their right mind talks like this in public?!

Monica and Krystal threatened TO HURT SOMEONE while "unbridled emotion! >:(" to Vicko is just "This person is bad."

Wow... I dont even know to how to describe how nonsensical this level of bootlicking this is.

At this point, Vick's is just eating the whole damn shoe!

Hell- Erin was mistreated so horribly, even with the slight leeaway, that they lost the will to create for an entire year due to mass burn out from mistreatment- and this is how you treat them?! Especially in an industry, where animators are now dying because of these so called "industry standards" taking over animation causing them to be worked into literal exasusation similar to what Krystal had described with how Spindlehorse "does not sleep"?! You actually think that this is all a "good thing!" for indie animation to become?! Does someone have to actually end up dying from how much they "don't sleep" and how many episodes they have to rush out to meet all your selfish demands while working day and night, in a constant state of stress, for you to realize how fucking bad this is?!

Because doing this shit has been known to KILL PEOPLE!

Rushing projects to the pont of making your artists overwork themselves into constant sleep depravation and stress can literally kill someone! -and if people dont stop encouraging this kind of karoshi-level work "ethics" in even the indie animation industry- the chances of someone actually dying if Spindlehorse's work patterns continue to spread towards other studios is much higher than you think! Overworking to the point of sleep depravation is something that has been known to actually kill people in the animation industry! So what Vicko is describing as "normal" has a high chance of actually causing someone to end up dying of mass stress and sleep depravation! If Vivienne doesn't stop doing this, there is a high chance that if this gets any worse that someone will end up actually dying in her studio. We are getting not just 4+ episodes in only two seasons, but most likely even more, while Spindlehorse is still being overworked to the bone so they can come out this fast. It's gotten that bad. Animation isn't easy, and by fact, overworking people to this extent has a high chance of killing them due to high amounts of stress and constantly being sleep deprived.

THIS BEHAVIOR COULD END UP ACTUALLY KILLING SOMEONE IF PEOPLE DONT STOP SUPPORTING OVERWORKING AND SLEEP DEPRAVATION IN THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY!

By stating this, Vick is implying that it's "normal" for people to be bullied, to be encouraged to mock other people's work in a bad faith way, to have an all nighter at Star Bucks despite literally working in a show that makes millions a month, that doing multiple episodes a year on a non-Disney team, and that being exploited for your work is "normal" for the industry. Because if you're one of the fans who actually GAVE A SHIT and read Erin Frost, Cas, and Squidder's whole receipts- that's exactly what they said what was happening! Bullying, mocking other projects (wow Viv... very not hypocritical of you to actually bully other projects but hate criticism...), and overall bad faith behavior that these people refused to acknowledge, let alone quote anything from thier posts since if they did, these people would have realized that they were spreading misinformation in a heartbeat!

So it wasn't even just "Vivziepop is a awful person" it was IN DEPTH descriptions, and later on, was visual evidence, screenshots, that they were bullied into sending for bait, and then bullied FOR sending by using the NDAS to get them "cancelled". -and even at the time, they had actual descriptions, and these people just slandered them and made claims about what "is and isnt mistreatment" without mentioning anything that actually happened from within the studio, so all of these "innocent till proven guilty unless you like Vivziepop" bullshit didn't even make sense back then either!

"Normal for industry standards!" ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!

Being overworked and sleep deprived, possibly to near death to the point of not having the ability to draw anymore, and to be bullied in your own studio is "normal" work conditions to you Vick?

WHAT THE FUCK?!

If this is the "grand future of indie animation" then im sorry but with all of this capitalistic, mistreating, "monopolize, capitalize" bullshit I think it's safe to say that the indie animation industry is doomed to become like corperations and is therefore- fucked!

It's so fucking disgusting how these people claim that the ex workers were just "mad for being fired!" (slander) and that they had "no" proof despite what they were saying being actual descriptions of what happened while their statements were just "You're lying Viv is innocent!" and "I WILL FIGHT YOU!" but when proof was provided, they let their fandom bully them into locking their twitters as a way to silence them, went on to lie about everything being "under control and improving" but then announcing that 5+ episodes were being made this year- again! Further taking advantage of their workers by sucking every bit of creativity out of them as they can, and people saying nothing about it just because they want clout off of Viv and to bootlick her as much as humanly possible to do so.

They left someone unpaid for AN ENTIRE YEAR after telling them to do an art commision for an audition that they promised to pay them for. So if you still think that this is "normal industry standards!" after all this you are OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND! You're out of your fucking mind- for even thinking for a second that an artist should go without pay for their work. Artists deserve pay, all of them!

These people claim that cancel culture is "wrong" and that they dislike slander, but then will pull shit like "YOU'RE A GLASS JAWED MOTHER FUCKER!" to slander anyone who said that what Viv did was wrong, Vivienne slandering these people by saying that we're "NOT A WRITER!" for critiqueing her show in particular, and "I WILL FIGHT YOU IN THE STREET!" for saying that Vivienne needs to get her act together. This isnt mentally sound behavior, this shit has gone too far and the fact that someone could end up dying because of Vivenne's strive for "perfection" is genuinely terrifying!

WAKE UP!!!!

gonna say sth v stupid cause it looks like most of my friends on here aren't paying attention so i dont need to worry about the cringe. but. one reason i love sami zayn and kevin owens and have literally ruined my past 2 months over discovering them is because it genuinely feels like falling in love with john and paul all over again, but this time no one died and they found their way back to each other.

like, even leaving aside sami being a big old beatles fan and actually calling them the lennon/mccartney of wrestling (!!!) i just keep seeing resonances.... sami as paul and kevin as john obviously.... the way even when they were in break-up mode their lives kept crashing into one another, the possessive 'only I get to make your life a misery!' thing. the slightly lopsided way kevin is obsessed with sami and a complete dick to him possibly because of this. like, if sami was arrested and put in prison in japan while still feuding with kevin, kevin would 100% have done the same tsundere shit as john seesawing between annoyance at his stupidity, anger on his behalf and pure worry for his well-being. and then there's the way sami feeds on the energy of a loving audience and how much musicality and dance feeds into his presence. the way he sits back and smiles silently while kevin rips into someone they both despise, cause he has to be the 'nice' one (thinking about that anecdote about the beatles meeting the turtles here). the way a perfect wrestling match is comparable to singing in perfect harmony. the way they both think the other one is the greatest artist of all time second only to themselves, the way sami always wanted kevin's respect and kevin always wanted sami's love. the way love for each other, competitiveness, jealousy, and passion for the craft are all intermingled.

but maybe more than any of that, it's the way this is a semi-ficticious relationship that has the same timespan and rhythms as a real one, and the fact that john and paul's relationship was itself so documented, so mythic that it's almost like a grand fictional narrative itself. you end up with all these motifs and parallels and fateful moments that seem storybook, with all the rich detail and messiness and confusion of two real human beings who knew each other most of their lives. and here two best friends have turned their own bond into a story of similarly epic stature, one i can never experince in its entirety simply for having not been there to watch 90% of it. the biggest difference is that john has been gone a long time, but kevin and sami have continued their story to the present day, and both their real and kayfabe selves are happy and together. they're soulmates man. Okay im done

Fourth blog

Spent the day revisiting To pimp a butterfly by kendrick Lamar today. To be honest it still holds up well almost 9 years later. The instrumentation as well as the weaving of religious and historical allegories is something very few artist can do let alone do it perfectly. To make such a in depth and personal album at such a young age and then seeing the video footage of the legendary prince performing one of the guitar sections live just makes the experince of the album that much better.

Jessica Minh Anh at Mandarin Oriental Ritz

Supermodel and catwalk producer Jessica Minh Anh's latest vacation took her to the luxurious embrace of the Mandarin Oriental Ritz in the heart of Madrid. This Belle Époque palace, nestled in the famed Golden Triangle of Art, has been a regal haven for over a century.

Mandarin Oriental Ritz is famously known for their personalized touches when it comes to welcoming VIP guests. Jessica's suite included bottles with Jessica's media coverage, a photo frame with her beautiful picture in Sicily, a pillowcase with her initial, and a customized letter from the top management of Mandarin Oriental Ritz besides wine, fruits, and fresh flowers.

The Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid, is a living symbol of grandeur and history. This lavish palace has welcomed dignitaries and illustrious guests for over 110 years. Restored to its former glory, it pays homage to the legacy of César Ritz. With its central location, exceptional dining curated by a celebrated Spanish chef, and top-notch wellness facilities, the Mandarin Oriental Ritz promises the ultimate luxury experience in Madrid.

In her Royal Suite, there was a living room with a dining area and pantry, while the master bedroom in the turret provides a serene escape, with a spa-like bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. A private study, guest powder room, and extra bedroom complete the experience. It also had a sky-painted ceiling in the living room and bedroom, while offering stunning inner courtyard views.

With five dazzling dining options, Jessica's taste buds were treated to a feast at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz. The Palm Court, a refined space under a crystal canopy, served up delectable meals and afternoon tea. Designed by Quique Dacosta, the menu transformed classic Ritz dishes into contemporary delights.

The Ritz Garden, open year-round weather permitting, provided an al fresco oasis. With signature amuse-bouche tapas and an array of creative cocktails and mocktails, this vibrant spot encouraged guests to enjoy Madrid's pleasant weather.

The hotel's Pictura Bar, an elegant and lively setting, became Jessica's go-to for vibrant evenings. The bar's artistic backdrop featured a mural of Spanish artisans, creating a captivating atmosphere. Cocktails and conversations flowed effortlessly in this chic space.

The Mandarin Oriental Ritz is definitely one of the best experince Jessica's ever had in the capital of Spain. Jessica highly recommends you to come here and enjoy the legendary service and pure luxurious this place offers.

Pages Of Us by Dern Ang katahimikan mo ang dahilan ng ingay sa dibdib ko, at kalakip ng mga nangungusap mong mata ang pag sibol ng damdamin ko. Hindi ko mawari kung kailan o paano pero kahit saan ako tumingin sa'yo parin ito patungo. Rememeber when I told you I struggle to write tales that hits the spot? the spot of me falling inlove with literature once again, totoo parin 'yon, but I don't know why. When it comes to you every word that drips off my pen is the fruit of all the emotions that lingers within my soul. Maybe because every words and sentences that I could easily patch up onto a literary art ends up talking about the word love, in the sense of the four letter word having it's new meaning that pinpoints you, your whole being, and us. I oath and stand still staring at you from a far words lingering even on the days that it gets heavy ; running free, turning me upside down to let the words I aspire for you to hear, flow. A factual truth that I would never run out of words to describe how your eyes that carries the beauty of life matches the burning sensation of love against mine as you give me an undying list of reasons not to. I've written a lot of proses and odes of love, but this? this is a love that lives in reality of you being the puzzle piece that completes the whole picture. Pulling out the type of emotions that I never thought I get to experince, intense, warm, and content to the extent that I’d choose every reality where it is possible to be with you.

My beloved, you are the only one that matters to me. Tipong parang ngayon lang ako nag mahal na masasabi kong "walang katumbas, hihigit at papantay sa kung anong meron tayo." and then even before I realized it you've already marked your territory, you dug up a place in my heart. A big space that craves and cries for your finger tips to meet mine, no matter how painful and rough the road can be, but to be honest, loving you will always be the easiest thing I did kasi sa totoo lang hindi ka mahirap mahalin. If there is another lifetime ahead of what we have right know? I wish I am loving you right for every rising of the moon or sinking of the sun. Cheers to another month where we get to unfold another page of our story. I may not be able to decipher the next chapters but you and I have the words we share already engraved within the walls of our book that we can tell. It’s a good day to say that I love you. Like, I do, everyday. I love you and my love for you runs deep through my veins, that even my soul that is tangled to yours declaim the poem of longing. I, Arra, will be forever devoted to you, my muse. Twenty two months down and it went by like nothing but a very rare picturesque that will last a lifetime, and, here I am offering you paragraphs soaked in the depths of figurative speech with the intent of telling you how much I am willing to do anything for you. For you, I would give you the seeds of growth and flowery words. Bury them within me, for you are what every artists dream to achieve, a masterpiece. Bukas ang mapa ng puso kong walang ibang sinisigaw kundi ang pangalan mo, dahil walang nag bago ikaw at ikaw parin ang uuwian ko.

I was and still am lucky enough that you choose me, and blessed to have the chance to come back to you despite the days where I merely feel the sense of my body standing above the soil. I love you, I always will. You will forever be the better half of me.

Catering Providers

When a person has labored onerous all his or her life and is ready to retire, many households and corporations like to recognize that individual’s lifetime achievements. Part of what makes these celebrations nice are the stories that are collected and the visual recollections that are put collectively in the form of a slide present or image board. Make the event much more memorable by including full-service catering. Staying a green catering company is considered one of our top priorities. Catering By The Family has the experience to cater any event, from an in-home non-public dinner to a full-service catered affair. With more than four a long time of service to the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas, we have the expertise to deal with any event and the power to tailor our providers to meet your distinctive wants. Let Zafferano Catering make your company event a unprecedented success! 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A table filled with recent flavourful components enable guests to create their own appetizer to their tastes. Fun and delicious, they're excellent for midnight meals. These little rolls shall be a delightful addition to your celebration menu. You just heat all the ingredients together in a pot and boom, you’re done. These half-moon snacks are chock full of taste and can impress your celebration friends for positive. Whet your guests’ appetites with mouthwatering scorching appetizers and hors d’oeuvres by Deborah Miller Catering & Events. Special occasion appetizer catering could be provided before a big meal, or, a whole catered meal can be created using just appetizers. Add some celebration trays like fruit, fruit and cheese trays, vegetable trays, or some dips and chips, and you’ll have an exquisite party menu. Meals Packaging, Meals Service Containers & Dinnerware Fine Dining Deliver elevated experiences and exceptional service with a seamless POS platform. Family Style Turn extra tables and delight guests with a POS built for household style eating places. •PP containers should be reused 3–208 times to have lower impacts than EPS. Aluminum has sharp edges when compared to the other takeout container options and will doubtlessly hurt users. Paperboard products usually for a most 60-minute time restraint at which they can be exposed to 400 levels Fahrenheit. By stocking up on food service take-out containers, you presumably can simply pack up food and drinks to go. Some single-use meals packaging is recyclable but food contamination of merchandise is often an issue for recyclers. Molded pulp merchandise are created from recycled newsprint and are fashioned beneath warmth and strain into plates, bowls, trays and cup carriers. Turn your restaurant take-out into an opulent, gourmet eating experince. Our luxury restaurant packaging solutions take your food presentation to new heights, evolving your merchandise' sophistication and value. If you’re stumped on tips on how to market your restaurant, takeout packaging is among the finest places to begin out. A number of sizes are available in different materials similar to aluminum, styrofoam, plastic, eco-friendly biodegradable and paper. Selecting which containers to make use of says a lot about your meals service enterprise and might make a big distinction in how your restaurant is perceived. We're a one cease store for wholesale to-go meals containers, customized printed restaurant supplies, coffee shop provide, take-out boxes, frozen yogurt provides, and bubble tea provides. Eco-friendly and compostable, our take out supplies are elegant, sturdy, and manufactured from high quality supplies. Eco-friendly, durable, handy and dependable, make sure your guests have every thing they need as they transport your eats and treats with our disposable take out packing containers and paper take out boxes. In the summer of 2021, Pace Academy started updating the school’s foodservice program an... Keep prepackaged sandwiches, fruits, and snacks safe in your convenience store, deli, or grocery store with tamper evident containers. Paper soup bowls are the perfect method to bundle soups and different hot side dishes at your deli, market, or salad bar. Catering Menus Lump crab meat sautéed with unique herbs, tomatoes, onions, and scallions, stuffed right into a China crab shell, topped with buttery breadcrumbs and baked till golden. Phở is Vietnamese beef or chicken soup with scallions, welsh onion, charred ginger, wild coriander , basil, cinnamon, star anise, clove and black cardamom. Kyselo is a standard Bohemian (Krkonoše region) bitter soup produced from sourdough, mushrooms, cumin, potatoes and scrambled eggs. Cullen skink, additionally from Scotland, is a fish soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, onions and cream. Made this several instances, have at all times wished an excellent cream of mushroom soup. I assume 5 cups of mushrooms is tough to comply with, just use one package. Chose to make use of milk for the sake of time and effort dwelling abroad makes numerous components more difficult to seek out, corresponding to half and half. A welcome addition to my scalloped potatoes and creamy rooster pasta. This soup will be on my ‘MAKE OFTEN' list any longer. This mushroom soup recipe worked up shortly, and tasted nice. Just manufactured from bowl of this soup, super simple and really cheesy! Great recipe and meals images may I add. This is by far the most effective potato soup I have ever eaten. The only factor I added was some Frank’s Hot Sauce – not sufficient to be spicy however simply to provide it a little kick. I also doubled the recipe and used half portabello mushrooms. It's nice left over and it also makes a fantastic green bean casserole. 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I like to do seasonal shows and we will do something that appears superb but has a decrease meals price, like sushi. For many couples, style is, after all, the most very important factor in signing up for a caterer. After all, you likely won’t be stoked to serve food you can’t stomach yourself. In the same way you may research something before purchasing it, Wigfield suggests checking out Google, Facebook, and Yelp pages for any caterer you’re considering. As a outcome, we provide a personalized service to add selection to your particular events. We might help you intend your particular event in a classy and organized manner. To get an thought about what your guests wish to eat, ship choices in your wedding ceremony invites and provides your caterer an accurate rely. Buffets And Plated Meals When we’ve needed each other most, we’ve had to maintain our distance to protect ourselves and our neighbors. 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What works for one group may not work with one other and be one of the best match on your event. The consideration ought to at all times be on the precise needs and preferences of your friends and the nature of your occasion. That's why we've labored diligently and intentionally to have the power to offer an unbelievable delicacies to meet all budgets. From "Plated 外燴 to Nacho bars we're constructive that we can create something that your going to like and that your friends will keep in mind. Uniquely Yours Catering brings our expertise to your house, office, or event area, supplying you with the freedom to take pleasure in top-quality meals, hors d'oeuvres, and desserts without effort. Our Drop-Off companies includes arrange and tear down choices as properly as service ware choices. Uniquely Yours Catering offers elegant catering on your event or special day. We are pleased that can help you plan your catered event whether or not it is an intimate meal for 20 or a sit-down dinner for 600. Station-style receptions enable friends to customize their meal, so they can construct it to their dietary needs and taste preferences. Cocktail Style Reception - Save yourself the expense and hassle of making ready a sit-down dinner with a cocktail type reception. Set up an hors d’oeuvres desk on your guests to graze on in between dancing the night time away! A sumptuous charcuterie board requires little prep work, and there are numerous premade appetizers you should buy in bulk, making hors d’oeuvres receptions a superb selection for self-catered weddings. It combats plenty of issues that couples sometimes face while planning their marriage ceremony, like the place to sit a bunch of people that don’t appear to fit at any one desk. A cocktail-style reception means no seating charts, no tablescape fuss…none of that. 33 Distinctive Catering Concepts To Attempt At Your Next Occasion Make this delicious teriyaki pulled rooster forward of time in the sluggish cooker for a delicious meal your visitors will rave about. Then, simply place on buns and top with crushed pineapple, pink onion, and lettuce leaves the day of your shower. Made with Greek yogurt instead of mayo, these hen salad sliders serve up a more healthy version of your favourite chicken salad. Plus, they’re so scrumptious, your guests won’t even discover. These tasty bites are inspired by the basic French sandwich made with ham and cheese and topped with a tacky béchamel sauce. Or make cheese sticks at house utilizing store-bought cheese strings. With just 5 elements you could make this recipe for simple chicken sous-chef recipe. Chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, an egg and bread crumbs are all you need. It’s served over rice…and there is naan for scooping too. This herb and butter roasted beef tenderloin so simple and flavorful and tender. People can spin the desk, grab what they want, and it doesn't take up much area. It appears neater and helps individuals get what they need with out reaching over all of the food. Potluck – The most inexpensive party idea is a potluck, but it does require a bit more planning. You can ask for specific dishes – primary, side, or dessert. Bacon and ranch dressing make everything higher.

@Tool is one of them bands that you can’t just listen to one song and call it quits. You have to continue listening because their music takes you through an experience. You have no choice but to absorb into their music 🎵 🎶. ⁣ •⁣ •⁣ •⁣ •⁣ #toolmusic #bands #rock #music #checkitout #artist #spotify #explore #rightnow #instagram #listening #live #people #experince https://www.instagram.com/p/B2crx2TlSqI/?igshid=19w6vgzstvsg1

Ink: Mikey

You're the unlucky one chosen to be Bonten's unoffical tattoo artist. More parts to follow. Characters: Mikey x gn Reader Warnings: None

Your boss was the one who usually dealt with what he liked to call the 'big clients'. It wasn't because he doubted your skill or wanted to hide who these people were, you were a very talented and capable artist who knew the less than savory occupations of the customers, it was just that he knew how difficult some of these people could be and his years of experince meant dealing with them was much easier.

The first time you met a member of the gang you later found out to be known as Bonten, they were indeed booked in to be seen by the boss, however the out of place looking blonde came in on a quiet evening and decided he'd much rather spend the hour with you.

There was nothing sinister about his request, nothing that suggested he chose you for any other reason than 'she seems nice'.

Any objections were short lived when it seemed this man who was only in the diary as 'Sano', could get what he wanted without even raising his voice.

You should have felt intimidated when you took a seat on the black leather couch opposite him, placing a sketchpad and pen on the coffee table seperating you both, but despite knowing he was powerful, something about him was oddly child-like and it was hard to be nervous when faced with that.

"So," you smiled. "What would you like?"

It was rare anything was pre-drawn with these clients. Confidentiality was a big deal and so was hiding any potential association with the world of organised crime. You just hoped it wasn't anything too extreme for the time of day.

'Sano' took a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to you.

You unfolded what turned out to be a convenience store receipt with an questionable amount of pastries on it, however on the back was a rushed, minimalistic pen drawing. It wasn't something you'd usually do but you had to admit it was a nice concept and atleast it would be easy.

"Just this?" You ask.

He nodded.

"Okay, I'll draw it up out the back. Just give me five minutes."

- The room where you tattooed was small and cosy, no windows but bright due to the light overhead, and the walls were scattered with designs you drew and art from some of your friends. Something about it seemed to appeal to your customer who told you to call him Mikey, as he stared at the figure collection by the door whilst you were half way through his tattoo.

"My sister liked that show." He said quietly, pointing to an enthusatic figure with blonde hair and a short green dress.

"Oh really?" You said glancing up. "To be honest I've never actually seen it.. I just thought it looked nice."

He hummed in reply. "She thought she looked a bit like her."

"She must be pretty then."

"She was."

You gathered by his response that his sister probably wasn't around anymore but his statement didn't create an awkward silence, infact you got the feeling that he had enjoyed talking about her. You'd gotten very good at reading people in this job although Mikey was more on the challenging side. He didn't really seem to speak unless spoken to but when you could engage him in conversation he'd participate fully, almost a little like he was desperate for it.

"Where did you get this design from by the way?" You asked, wiping some of the ink off of the back of his neck.

"..someone I knew when I was younger."

"I like it. It suits you."

"What do you mean?"

You stopped the machine for a moment, thinking of the best way to phrase your thoughts. "Well, ignoring the placement, I think it seems like a good representation of you. On the outside it looks quite simple but there's probably a deeper meaning or something more going on beneath the surface.." Mikey liked to think he had crafted a personality that was enough to scare people away, never getting close enough to find out the slightest bit of information about him, but there he was, being easily and perfectly analysed by you. He also liked to think that the reason you were putting him at ease and he found himself engaging and actually enjoying your company was because you genuinely liked him, and not because you were just good at your job.

He certainly (and unexpectedly) liked you.

Either way, the rest of the session went relatively quickly. He enjoyed listening to you talk about your life outside of work and strange tattoo requests you had, and in return you would get vague retellings of simpler times in Toman.

-

"So you're all done." You smiled at Mikey. He had seemed pleased with the tattoo when he finally saw it, not based on his expression which was unchanged from the moment he walked into the shop, but the way he spoke. He sounded a little lighter. "I need to clean up in here but my boss is the one that deals with the money anyway so you can just go back out and speak to him." Mikey hovered by the door, hesistant to leave your company because once he stepped outside the shop he wasn't your customer anymore, he was the head of Bonten.

"Thank you.." He said, two words that you didn't know rarely passed his lips.

"You're welcome, it was fun. It was nice to meet you Mikey!"

He bowed slightly, any earlier confidence in your presence quickly diminishing . "You too.."

-

Sanzu: Car's coming! :)

Mikey rolled his eyes as he put the phone back in his pocket. Despite the time the street was still fairly busy and he didn't really want to be waiting around any longer than necessary. He leant against the side of a cafe whilst he waited for the car in an attempt to avoid getting shoved in the crowds. He was tired. He'd actually found the process of the tattoo somewhat meditative and now it was over the fact he hadn't slept for the past three days was catching up with him. "Hey! Mikey!" He turned round to look down the street, surprised to see you running up to him. "Damn, I'm so unfit." You laughed, bending over slightly and trying to catch your breath. "Are you okay?" He asked, confused by your reapperance.

You nodded, blushing slightly. "Yea uhm.. now I think about it this might actually be a bad idea but uh.. do you want this?" You stood up and held out a small blue bag you'd been carrying.

Mikey hestinantly took the bag from you and opened it, the smiling face of the figure from your shelf staring up at him.

"I'm not particiularly attached to it and I dunno maybe she'll have a better home with you.. I'm sorry if it's inappropriate I didn't really think this through.."

That night Mikey finally slept well, watched over by the photo of Emma next to his bed and the toy he'd told her he was given by a new friend.

- It had been a couple of weeks since you had seen Mikey, the regular flow of customers keeping you too busy to really dwell on previous clients but a large box that had been left on the front desk was sent to make sure you wouldn't be forgetting him.

"What's this?" You called out to your boss as he walked into another room.

"Dunno, delivery driver dropped it off for ya~"

The dark blue box was from what you knew to be a high-end confectionary shop in Ginza, although you'd never been there and certainly hadn't placed any orders. When you opened it up you were greeted by a large assortment of dorayaki and a rather childish drawing of the sender on the message card inside. Sorry for what's to come. - Mikey You were a little confused by the statement and slightly concerned considering the business you guessed he was involved in but half an hour (and three dorayaki) later, the door opened and a tall man with short pink hair walked in and over to you at the counter.

"I believe you're the one I need to speak too, right?" He grinned, holding out a tatty recipt with a simple deisgn you had a strange feeling you would be seeing alot more of. "I'm Ran."

"Don't UnBlack Black"

“Don’t UnBlack Black”

Person behind the Art…

David D. Oquendo has developed a personal constructed script. He calls this writing system, “Metaphrase”. This “Metaphrase” is a series that includes large-scale wall renderings (indoor and outdoor) and mixed media paintings. The artwork explores the artist’s ideas and questions of identity, language, meditation, religion and life.

The genesis of the series is…

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since there are so many creatives out in the army, if y’all have ocs of any kind, which members of BTS would they be. this is kind of self indulgent for me bc i have SO MANY OCS but also i love hearing about people talk so passionately about their ocs its the purest thing ever. Honestly it’s one of my favorite things about life itself. 

disclaimer: assume along with everything else, every members are hard working and precious and wholesome and multitalented so don’t worry if it’s not there bc it applies to each and every member in BTS

Jungkook: shy at first, and before you know it this kid becomes someone else entirely when they feel comfortable with you, and you just see this wall open up and it’s beautiful. but also be prepared for this little shit who may tease and mess with you a lot. they aren’t the most affectionate sometimes and still tend to keep to themselves, but like Yoongi, you can tell what this person’s cues for their love and care are overtime. it makes the really affectionate moments much more appreciated. may or may not be the “baby” of the group, so the other members tend to gravitate to them and take care of them in their own ways. 

Jimin: So So sooooo caring and gentle with people around them. Senstive and attuned to other people and their feelings. They put on a strong face, but can have a lot of thoughts and feelings going on inside, tend to be more senstive than initial impressions may let on. Extremely hardworking and strives to push themselves to be better. Good at adapting to different situations (like this man has SO MUCH DUALITY IT’S NOT FAIR). A good listener to others and often a shoulder to cry on for people and often good at comforting others. Has high expectations on themselves and works themselves to the bone. Can be very scary when angry, possibly due to how rare the sight can be. Very encouraging to their loved ones. 

Taehyung: has a warm and gentle heart about them, likes kids and is very good with them in a paternal sense, has a good taste in style and fashion. Has moments of enjoyable eccentricities. Had to grow up early on in their life, but acts positively despite their hardships. Help break the ice in social situations and help get more introverted people comfortable in the setting. In addition they have a natural flair for communicating and socializing. May seem carefree and spacey, but they just notice all kinds of details others may walk past or brush off. Has a curious nature. Has an optimistic mindset and is in touch with their emotions. 

Namjoon: artistic, creative, and introspective where people are astounded by this facet of someone, and also wondering just how much more silly they can become, duality again. quick to realize where they have room to grow as a person and take steps towards becoming closer to who they want to be. studious and loves learning. because of the position they’re in, this person can also experince a lot of burdens they carry on their shoulders, and while they’re not resenting that it the pressures do add up somtimes you know? possess good leadership and communication skills that only seem to keep improving. 

Hoseok: energetic, easily excited and very expressive, ray of sunshine who may or may not be a good dancer, maybe just a general creative. the one who has a lot of feelings underneath all the positivity they beam out as a person. does wonders in lightening the mood of the room with their prescence. They take care of their loved ones. Is really silly and goofy, and can’t help but make people bend over in pain after making them laugh so hard. Extremely postive, while also having their moments of being serious when the time calls for it. 

Yoongi: quiet and seemingly cold one, who actually has a lot of love to give and a lot to say. may not always know how to express their love and affection towards others, but as you get to know them, you learn their speical cues in saying “i love you.” also very thoughtful and articulate, has a lot of thoughts and opinions on things. Has the kind of mind that impresses the utter hell out of people and makes people wonder what kinds of things this person is capable of, espescially in terms of making stuff, and has a deep connection with music. Has had a lot of life experince and is street smart. Depsite seeming cold, they have their moments where with the right mood and people, they become silly and loud while living their life. 

Seokjin: nurturing eldest who knows how to cook and take care of others, is hot/cute and knows it, tends to be the peacemaker and sometimes puts aside their own feelings for the sake of caring for others, also very humble while having a sense of humor of that suggests otherwise in a fun way (World wide handsome yall), may or may not have a collection of puns and dad jokes on their arsenal (not afraid to laugh by themselves if no one else is), like Hoseok, is also good for lightening the mood  could possibly be a disney princess. Can sometimes use jokes as a response to emotional or tough circumstances to hide their pain. May feel lacking compared to others, but strives to continue despite those feelings and thoughts. 

If there was anything I missed, I’m sorry. But feel free to add it!! This was a lot of fun

gifs belong to respective owners

Reviewcaps: X-Men Evolution: Strategy X

I take my first look at X-Men Evolution the second and less famous, but no less loved, cartoon about everyones faviorite mutant outcasts. In our first episode Scott blows up a gas station, Nightcrawler finds what it feels like to have a home, Toad tries to join the x-men and both of the latter two end up nearly dying because Chuck forgot to teleport proof the one room in the house with deadly lasers. All this and football under the cut. 

A few days ago I realized something weird: I hadn’t reviewed any superhero cartoons on here. What makes that weird to me, is that I realized when writing this that Superhero cartoons are what MADE me a superhero fan in the first place. I grew up as a little kid watching the spider-man and x-men animated series, and watched most marvel shows that came about as I grew, and became a lifelong fan of Green Lantern and the Flash thanks to Justice League , the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles thanks to the 2003 cartoon (another franchise I absolutley adore I haven’t covered on here for some reason) and the Teen Titans thanks to well.. Teen Titans, not to mention all the great original superhero shows at the time like the legendary Danny Phantom (even if butch heartman can take a short walk into a cave full of bears lately), My Life as a Teenage Robot, El Tigre.. the list of good shit goes on. So being on an X-Men kick again lately, I decided to revisit what turned out to be one of the first of this wave, and a show I’d had the opporoutnity to binge for a while , first on hulu and then on D+, and wanted to revisit to see how it holds up, while, if not as fast as I watch them, reviewing them here to combine my two intrests. And it probably wont’ be the last marvel animated series I binge or cover here, nor the last superhero show I cover so if you have any, Marvel, DC, from other companies or completely original, shoot me an ask or reply to this and i’ll see if I can get to it. For now we’re starting the evolution.  Evolution was the first X-Men cartoon, and somehow one of 5 overall not counting the hulk vs wolverine movie, pryde of the x-men pilot and various crossover apperances in other cartoons, to follow the 90′s one, which as you probably know was a huge hit that defined the x-men for a generation of young fans, was a huge sucess and launched the mostly great sorta shared cartoon universe with classics like Spider-Man the Animated Series (Which not concidentally is what made me a lifelong fan of the webslinger), The Incredible Hulk, and the second season of Iron Man and Fantastic Four.. and yes only the second as the first seasons were both by entirely diffrent creative teams and gave us things like this. 

Yes that is Johnny Storm doing an objetivley terrible hip hop song, no it dind’t cause that building to sink into the earth, and yes it is so bad it’s delcioius. Sadly the rest of hte series is more flat and boring than “bwahahahaha” but my point is made. The point is Evolution had a steep hill to climb, and with the previous cartoon compressing most of the decades long Chris Claremont era and some of what came after into 5 seasons of good if cheesy stuff, the creators clearly, if only because Ic an’t find a making of, decided to go in a diffrent route, making their own unique take on the characters and world of the x-men instead.  For starters rather than being vetrans with years of experince, either from being an x-man or just from general life experince like the comics were since the 70′s aside from the ocasinal exception like Kitty Pryde and Jubilee, they’d be teens, grappling with hormones alongside blue fur, head lasers and not being able to touch anyone. This wasn’t something x-men had shied away from, New Mutants and Generation X existed, but it was the first time in decades the X-Men themselves were kids. Sure Storm and Wolverine weren’t aged down, but there were just as many missions that were just these teenagers hoping to surivive the experince and keep mutants a secret till the world was ready.. and then dealing with the fallout when an unready and hateful world found out anyway. And I honeslty like the direction: The previous series had done the mostly straight adaptation bit, there wasn’t anywhere to go and aging scott and jean back to teens, and having nightcrawler and rouge get to be ones for the first time though, was an intresting idea, as was having Kitty Pryde be a teen alongside them instead of their plucky teenage member  Another intresting direction was, while Xavier’s still existed and was where the cast lived and learned to use their powers, the X-Men also went to regular high school. While it’d take till season 3 for them to actually have to deal with being out mutants in the setting, it was still an intresting tactic: The X-school in the comics, while no less studious is still an isoalted boarding school and when the New Mutants met some friends in town, most had only heard whispers about the old Xavier Mansion and were delighted to visit for a slumber party.. granted this being an x-men schindig our heroes ended up having to deal with an alien who eventually became one of their closest friends that night but still, for the x-men having the robot, or technoorganic in this case, NOT try to murder them on purpose and be a loveable 80′s sidekick instead is an easy night. While i’ts not done perfectly here from what I can remember, the main human characters we see are nightcrawlers love intrest amanda (who is thankfully NOT his adopted sister this time around thank christ), local stock blond football bully and flash thompson impersonator Duncan, and Scott’s nondiscript friend paul, who I can’t think of without thinking two things; one , what do you WANT paul: 

I mean a man so vauge just can’t be trusted. The second is that paul looks a lot like Doug Ramsey and i’m suprised they didn’t just.. make him Doug and have him go through a similar arc from the comics:A crush on kitty and the rest of the team finding out he’s a mutant and eventually bringing him into their world. For those unaware Doug Ramsey is a mutant with the ablility to translate any languge, including computer code from the get go and body laungage when he came back, an easy fix to him being the non-combatant of the group no one thought of, who died tragically in story sacrifcing himself to save his girlfriend’s life and out of story because the artist tricked the writer into killing him off. Thankfully he did come back about two decades later, took a level in badass thanks to a combination of the body language thing above meaning he could anticipate moves and dodge and computers having advanced to the point that part of his powers was now 80 times more useful, and has recently become a key part of the dawn of x relaunch. He’s also a faviorite of mine as you can probably tell and given how much the early 2000′s loved their computers, it’s weird to me they didn’t think of this and it’s even weirder he didn’t show up with the lions share of the other new mutants next season, along with Karma and Warlock which somehow has become a recurring theme thanks to the movie saving them for sequels that ended up not happening because fox stupidly put the movie in Limbo where it remains until maybe next month.  But yeah even if muted a bit the idea of the x-men going to a public school alongside their training is a decent one.. sure a hero going through high school is again a cliche, but it’s a thing the x-men hadn’t done in this way before or sense, and was intresting to see in action. Most high school scnees in x-comics are usually some poor mutant having their powers manifest and either hurting someone by accident, being treated like crap for it by their class or hunted down for accidently hurting someone before the x-men show up to kick their asses and welcome this youngster. Or getting rejected by family and friends then coming to the x-men.. there’s a lot of angst directions to go in. My point is we’d never seen the x-men try to blend in and have a more standard school experince, and combining that with them hiding their powers instead of being out in the open at first made for a unique dynamic for the x-men that makes well tread ground nice nad fresh even 20 years later. 

So that’s our basic setup going in: The X-men wake up, go to school, then save the world or train to save the world while harnesing wonderful and dangerous powers and protecting the helpless agaist less charitable mutants. The basic x-setup with a 2000′s era superhero high school show flavor. Good stuff. But we’ll see what it does with this premise, how good it holds up and what’s still delightfuly cheesy about it as I take a nice look at the first episode Strategy X

We open at night and

Yup Scott and Jean are at the football team where the aforementioned Duncan, guy voted most likely to peak in high school in last year’s yearbook poll, is playing some foot ball and trying to flit with Jean Grey whose the first X-Man we meet and is somehow receptive to this despite his radaiating douche and is lucky this Jean’ , unlike say the time transfered one from the comics who thought the best approach to helping Bobby Drake come out of the closet so he could help his older self do the same and be his best self, was to just blunty say he’s gay and refuse to let him explore thtt for himself or get someone more quliafied to help her. And yes that did indeed happen and yes the original x-men were brought into the present for a while and yes it was weird Moving on. Still i’m pretty sure duncan’s thoughts would read like  “Man she looks good.. I want to bang her so hard she uh.. wakes up sideways.. yeah that’s it. Your a legend duncan, a total legend. “.  As you can probably tell I don’t have fond memories of this character or this sorta but not really love triangle, and question why they couldn’t of just had spyke be the other man in the triangle if they wanted to do this. Granted Spyke himself is kinda annoying, but it still makes more sense to have him fill in for angel or wolverine in a jean-scott love triangle than this walking burnt end. The warren, scott one worked, as much as a 60′s love triangle could because warren was conventionally handsome and had angel wings while scott has to keep glasses on just to not murder anyone he looks at, so there’s a bit of contrast there, while with WOlverine it’s straight laced dependeble scott versus unhinged manly man Logan. You know before recently where they just decided to all bone in a pile and wolverine even goes on vacation with them. And that’s not a joke I made up, that’s actual canon. Both make logical sense while Jean would be intrested in both in the former case, as Scott was still a kind and dependable leader, and tempted in the latter case if never acting on it before recently and with her husband’s full consent and either watching from the closet or taking one up the ass for jean to watch. Duncan in contrast is just wholly unlikeable and it makes me question why use him as the third in this love triangle, ESPECIALLY since the show would later introduce another scott and jean based love triangle with Rogue wanting scott that’s way more intresting, and even people wanting those two to hook up don’t want Jean with Duncan! Instead of creating a vitable alternative to make a later love triangle more intresting or create some shipping wars or anything of value any hint jean may be intrested just wastes screentime and tests my patience and is thankfully breif here.  As for why Jean’s here sh’es taking pictures for the school paper since the Daily Bugle wasn’t intrested in photos that weren’t of spider-man and they already had a teen photographer for that. Porker or something. Anyways this episode ofa low rent friday night lights knockoff is interuptted when one of duncan’s buddies on the team spots local trouble maker and ,judging by context, bully punching bag Todd Tolansky, aka Toad which is a cruel nickname turned slightly lesss cruel code name here, pick pocketing the people in the stands, and sensing a flimsy context to punch a nerd, Duncan goes to tell the coah he’ll be busy for a moment totally not carving someone’s face in again. Coach says as long as he leaves him breathing, and through a straw still counts and since their so far ahead as long as he’s back for the celebratory rampage anything goes.  Also spotting Toad’s stan pines approved sticky fingers is Scott Summers, leader of x-men and all around cool guy. Scott here is a bit more emotive than he was int he comics at a time, a trait he’d have later on in the late 2000′s and even currently and a version I prefer to the “has something shoved so far up his ass you can see it when he opens his mouth” boring straightman of the 90′s cartoon. He’s a bit more impulsive, a bit more emotivie but still a good and well thought out leader and the tactical genius, at least as far as I can remember, that he’s known for being. IT’s a good portayal so far, it reminds me of 2k12 leonardo: he’s still growing into being a leader in some way but clearly has the talent and drive for it and a deep sense of heroism> That deep sense is shown here as Scott leaves to go confront toad.. and then confronts Duncan and buds when he finds them about to squish Toad. Unlike Duncan, whose “heroism” consits of a filmy excuse to beat a third hole into todd’s head, Scott wanted to stop Toad because it’s the right thing to do, and wants to stop Duncan because his actions are just as wrong: Sure Toad is stealing stuff, but it’s clear from the way he and his buddies grin widlly at seieng toad pick pocket that they just want an excuse to pummel the kid and not get in trouble for it. It’s confirmed when Scott makes a resonable offer: Since Toad still has the money and most of the lifted wallets, he can return what he stole, which Toad not wanting to die today agrees to, but Duncan refuses. Scott however gets the three thrown to the ground and while Toad escapes, with the two other idiots in persuit, an enraged duncan attacks. But since Scott Summers, even teen scott summers has batman level judo, it’s an even fight despite Duncan being bigger and more muscular.. until Jean runs in shouts scott no.. despite you know Duncan starting this and Scott merley defending himself, distracts Scott long enough for him to get shoved to the ground.. and loose his googles, sending an optic blast out before he can clamp his eyes shut, knocking duncan over and igniting a nearbye propane tank. Toasty! Also yikes.  Cue the opening theme and credits. While the opening Creidts are very 2000′s, they aren’t half bad but the main draw is the theme song which.. honestly I feel is great and very close to the 90′s x-men theme in quality, only not being AS good because that one’s one of the best theme songs period. but this one’s no slouch as it’s fun, energetic and will get stuck in your head. Good stuff.  After the theme we cut back to the credits where Scott is closing his eyes despeartly holding his powers in. It was a good opening and a great way to show off the premise of the show and just how dangerous mutant powers can be even accidnetally, with this followup showing it’s not inetentional. it was even shown before as while scott’s eyes flash, he notably never uses his powers in the fight and they only came about accidnetally. We also get some JeanScott ship tease as she finds his glasses ,and with Duncan having a concusion and not remembering anything, a bit that hasn’t aged well, things seem well.. except the cop seems to notice something supscious.. before help arrives in a rolls royce. Charles Xavier, voiced by the icomprable David Kaye who I feel is one of the best daviers and does a great job here and quickly makes the guy see nothing supscious, a classic use of his powers and an understdanable one: while yea going into someone’s mind isn’t a great tihng to do.. scott being possibly outed as a mutant this way would only land the poor boy in a jail cell, as it did for Bobby Drake in the comics when his own powers activated and hurt someone. We also meet storm who unlike the others isn’ aged downa nd is one of two senior staffers for the school, a touch I like as she was a great mentor figure to kitty pryde and the comics and the roll suits her, while evolution also tones down the ham 80 degrees so she’s even more like the comics; reserved but utterly confident and badass and a good #2 to xavier. Xavier also likely wiped Duncan’s memory of scott’s power triggering I figure.. I mean he could’ve got concussed but I wouldn’t be suprised if chuck manipualted that too. Jean comforts Duncan for.. again some reason. Like he was just in a fight with her best friend and she’s a telepath.. I get she’s being respectful but time and place. Scott is naturally Jelly, but Toad.. genuinely thanks Scott for the help while Scott brushes it off. It was the right thing to do and Toad is still a creep, but it’s still a nice gesture. Also toad eats a fly to show that yep he too is  a mutant.  Xavier and Storm go to the train station and pick up a mysterious teen clad all in robes. Ohohoo hominus.  Meanwhile somewhere in the westchester area, Wolverine comes in! Snkity sknikty snoik. He’s voiced by, and dresses exactly like, Scott McNeil, a vetran and awesome voice actor who I honestly think does a better job than his prdecessor. Not that 90′s wolverine is bad, it’s just McNeil has more of a range even while keeping the gutteral growl of hte former and can tur it off at times while his previous acto rwas pretty much on snarl mode constantly. He wasn’t bad, all the 90′s voice actors were at 100 most of the time and undersndably given the hamm nature of that cartoon, but its’ still a ncie change of pace and one we’d see again with steve blum in the next cartoon. More on that obviously when i inevitably cover Wolverine and the X-Men He picks up a paper about the explosion, and sensing he must go his people need him, cuts the top off the water he ordered, because you can’t get beer on a childrens cartoon, and thanks the clerk who wonders what the fuck just happened. And it’s a weird ass scene especially because in this series the x-men are trying to keep a lid on mutants and Logan’s just .. causally cutting off a water bottle because fuck it. It fits the character a LITTLE but it’s still just weird and out of place. Speaking of weird and out of place sabertooth is stalking logan on a mountaintop because.. 

Thank you wrestlecrap. He dosen’t show up again and is apparently introduced several episodes from now, and sports a design similar to the 2000 movie which isn’t a terrible look apart from the long lead singer from Creed haircut. The next morning at Xavier’s scott’s annoyed at jean taking her time in the bathroom because “women amirite?”.. yeah... 

On that gag. Before the two dart off for school Xavier calls them in to meet the new kid: Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, whose blue and fuzzy as ever, though without the fully yellow eyes he usually sports, though I figure it’s less because they wanted to make him more humanoid, though his Kelso from that 70′s show hair certainly helps with that too, and more because that way his human disguise he’ll get in a bit can just be an easily just recolor and redres his civlilan design. Though why he couldn’t just have the yellow eyes in elf form and give him regular ones in transducer form, epsecially since they had to make a whole new outfit and ears for his non elf form anyway is beyond me, but whatever. At least he’s a full part of the team here and oh so adorkable.  As you can probably wager by the fact there’s only 3 x-men and one asshole here, Evolution takes it’s time introducing everybody, the first few episodes using the debut queue style of storytelling and introducing the main cast about one or two per episode.. which I like a lot as it gives each of the x-men room to breathe and get a proper introduction, while usually doing the same for the latest addition to the brotherhood. IT’s a godo way to ease us into a decently sized main cast and let each get their own origin story of sorts. Good stuff. 

Jean and Scott are shocked by the poor boys three fingers, but Charles helps asuage kurt.. by pointing out scott’s fuckup then berating him. Both don’t come off great: Scot whines about having two cannonballs under his eyes, which while fair is something he knew going into a situation where they might get knocked off and didn’t prepare for, while Charles lambasts him for “not having more control”.. and his tone implies it’s more about his POWERS. If it was about self control fine, that’d be godo character stuff but if it’s of his powers..  Scott didn’t use his powers at all during the breif scuffle and was only let loose by pure shock, and something you easily covered for minus the explosion part. It could just be both having a point but I dunno. But with that Xavier does show kurt that even human passing mutants like Scott have huge struggles and he no longer is alone. Jean is curious what his power is and Kurt demonstrates his teleporting, impressing both and bonding the three a bit. Xavier sends them off to school, and they’ll talk more about kurt tonight.  At school Toad is getting dressed down by principle darkholme, aka mistque whose apparently also his boss.. yes while the founding x-men are two upstanding well trained, if one a bit hot headed youths, Mystque got.. a guy who pick pockets because as we later see the house she got for them looks like the ghosts of the frat who used to live there did a number on the place. Yeah easy to see why your guys later become the comic relief villians Raven. Anyways she plans to have Toad use his newfound leverage with scott to try and sneak in with the x-men before shapeshifting into a knockoff brood to scare him because she’s a dick. Also how the hell would she explain that if someone walked in and DIDN’T comically walk right back out and just explose her posing as a monster for the student body to see. Not a bad show of her powers but a really goofy and nonsenical one. Also yeah unlike the comics raven can change her shape further than just humanoid.

Back at the school Kurt is excited to see his spacious and luxrious room, his parents, whoever they were, having sent him here, and is even more excited when Xavier gives him a gift; an image inducer. This is something that actually comes from the comic: it’s a device disgused as a watch that holographically makes Kurt look like your standard human. Kurt in the comics of course used it to look like errol flynn.  Naturally Chris Claremont eventually realized the implications of a person of a minority who looks diffrent masquerading as someone else to blend in and Kurt later decided to go without it, as he shoudln’t have to hide himself. Evolution does use it better though: For starters when Kurt says he’s finally normal, Ororo assures him he always was, this is just to help a bit and the idea of him needing to blend in makes sense since the x-kids are going to public high school and mutantkind is more hidden to avoid prosecution. It’s sitll a BIT shaky, but it’s at least trying to avoid a lot of the pitfalls of the concept and modernizie it a bit and I can give them credit for that. 

Back at School scott’s preparing to lunch, telling paul to save him a seat. Good old Paul, when Toad comes up to him thanking him again and revealing his own mutant powers and stealing Scott’s glasses because that’s how you charm someone. Toad offers to hang but Scott wisely refuses and moves on though he does use the cafeteria pay phone to call Charles, who already found out about todd via Cerebro and despite Scott’s understandable reservations about letting a literally slimy pick pocket who talks like goddamn j-roc , know what i’m sayin, into the team, Charles in a very charles xavier move says they can’t turn their back on ANY mutant, even the assholes. Now read that in a patrick stewart voice. Your welcome. Scott wonders if he should ask Todd over to play fooseball and ask about joining his teen militia but Chalres said no need, he’ll take care of the audition himself. He then explains Cerebro to a curious kurt, global telepathic mutant tracker basically, and prepares for the audition. 

That night Toad goes to the mansion.. with a costume already. And rather than evaluate all the costumes up front i’m going to do so as they show up in series. As such.. toad’s is REALLY good, a nice armor look with a small part peaking up resembling a collar of some sort , a nice update of his silver age costume’s collar. It really feels frog like and really is neat. Storm, who is watering her garden a detail I like, heads out and rains on his parade. Her costume is fine, a standard storm outfit, nothing really outstanding but still not bad. Storm then sends lighting at him to see what happens when a Toad is struck by lighting.. probably the same as everything else before he runs inside and runs into kurt. 

Kurt then shows up, and while I’d forgottten this, he was already in costume from earlier having gotten his at the same time as the inducer. His costume.. is about the same as the comics except hte gloves and boots are yellow, i’m somehwat eh on it but I get doing so to have him fit with the black and yellow color scheme of most of the other x-men in some way. Though i’d love to see a black and yellow redesign of his classic oufit someday that’d look spiffy. But yeah it’s pretty good and one of the standouts of the evolution costumes. The two trade barbs thanks to toad being kind of a dick about nightcrawler and end up having a petty squabble and tussle for a bit around the mansion. Xavier still considers Toad x-men material while Storm considers not missing with lightning this time. In all seriousnes this is more good character stuff for Charles, as it shows that no matter how troublesome, he’ll welcome any mutant child in with open arms. Though I question why neither questions the fact that a mutant they just met somehow brought his own top of the line uniform, but I chalk it up to that probably not having been written into the episode and either being an error or execs wnating to show off his battle suit to have a proper superhero tussle to close out the episode.  However said tussle, which is really more a hilarious fight between an asshole and a dork, is interupted when Kurt accidnetly ports them into the danger room, an x-men staple.. no really “new mutant accidently enters or finds the danger room” is old hat at this point, most iconically with Kitty in the comics shortly after she joined. 

Naturally not wanting to have to clean up another set of teen corpses, he just got the Vulcan smell out of there, Xavier dispatches Cyclops and Jean to go deal with it.. since Jean dosen’t have a code name here since marvel forgets to try and get her a non phonenix one better than marvel girl and it annoys me. Anyways fashion show time again, and yes i’m aware these aren’t from strategy x, but I didn’t want to just use hte model sheet shots from the wiki so I combed for decent action shots. Scotty’s costume is decent, a bit bulky with the very 90′s shoulder pads and boots, but otherwise looks pretty good, a nice combination of his 90′s uniform and his second x-factor uniform. Even with the bulk it looks really good. On the oppsite end.. we have Jean, who easily has the worst outfit of the main x-men by a mile, with a weird lime green stripe for some reason. Maybe they were going for phonenix colors I dunno, but it just looks half assed in comparison to the rest of the gangs outfit. The gold rings and fingerless gloves are a nice touch, but this one’s still just bland in comparison. Like they couldn’t figure out how to update jeans 90′s outfit so they put her in a jassercise outfit instead. 

Scott and Jean arrive with Jean saving nightcrawler, Kurt asking if sh’es an angel, she asking if he’s a demon and me asking if I can get a trashcan to vomit in. It didn’t work for George Lucas a year before this why did you think it’d work here? Anyways Kurt realizes their not in xavier’s snuff dungeon, as far as he knows and it’s simply a trianing room and tries to disarm it, but it instead nearly blasts toad who nopes outta htere, scott too injured to follow. And while when watching the episode yesterday It hought it was a bit abrubt.. it really fits. Toad is a bit of a coward from memory, bosatful and cocky.. till reality reminds him he’s freaking toad as seen with the bullies earlier and mystique after that. So of course he’d run the minute things looked dicey and it looked like xavier reguarlly put his students through the hunger games to thint he herd. Xavier bemoans that Toad simply isn’t ready.. sure he’s a mutant and xavier likely senses mistque’s involement.. but he genuilly WANTED to help todd and give him a real home and support.. its just Toad/Todd dosen’t WANT it or to put in any real work to be better, and you have to WANT help to get it.  Kurt blames himself and ports out feeling he dosen’t deserve to be there and Scott goes after him while out front Toad runs into a returning Logan, whose ready to add another dead teen to the pile out back when Xavier insists he let him go... he’s not an actual threat, and as we find out later Xavier removed the schools location from his mind and probably gave it to toad in the first place, so while Logan says he’ll be back.. he has no way of coming back and there’s no sense roughing up a teenager, when that’d just draw more attention to them and give Toad an angle to work. That being said Charlie still gladly welcomes Logan back though both smell trouble on the horizon.. and also toad. He tends to leave a scent that one. 

We then get what I feel is the best scene in the episode: Cyclops finds Kurt in the room with the blackbird, which this show remembers is an actual type of plane and that the x-mens is simply a souped up version of , though I can’t tell you what version he’s saying it’s superior to because I don’t know planes THAT well. But Scott comforts Kurt, saying it’s OKAY to fuck up: the entire point of this place is so they can afford to make the mistakes they can’t make out there and learn and grow as people. Everyone screws up, as Scott himself did rushing in without a plan at the start, but the point is you learn from it and do better next time and Kurt decides to stay. Welcome to the X-Men Kurt, hope you surivive the experince. Also Scott decides to show him where they hide the sodas.. which either Chuck is a dick about their pop or that’s code for booze.. or possibly both. I could see Logan really liking root beer alongisde his nightly 6 pack. 

We close out with Mystque berating toad for running the hell away and for you know, getting mindwiped.. the latter is far from his fault, but the first part.. yeah Toad kinda sucks at this and Raven screams for him to get out, with her turning back into her natural form for the first time.. and then being confronted with HER boss with Magneto, from.. somewhere.. he appearas as a spooky projection but I don’t know if he’s using a device to amplfy himself or he just hides in the closet of her office all day for when he needs to consult her on their evil schemes. Probably the latter. Anyways Erik wisely consults her to be a bit easier..while toad is a bit of a dipweasel.. they can’t afford their ranks being thinned.. and really he’s not wrong. The x-men currently have them 6 to 3. Even if he’s the weakest of the three of them, they can’t afford to spare him. He then ominously says htis is only... THE BEGINING.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Strategy X is a decent start for the series but not without it’s problems, with one or two questionsable moments like the whole angel and devil exhcange or the entire “Storm stalks toad as he goes to the mansion” scene as a way of testing him, which makes both her and charles come off bad and makes me wonder how the hell that was an actual test of anything. But it’s held up by good character: While Jeans kind of a bit of wallpaper here, the rest of the x-men and our three villians are all given great character moments that show them off to the audience well and really show the writers get the characters while taking their own spins on the younger ones: Nightcrawler, who could be a bit of a dork in the comics, see here his seduction tequnique. 

I mean damn if that shit isn’t still Sexy but still. They just ramped it up a bit since this version is younger and more naive, while Scott is likewise a bit more rambunctious and likely to question Xavier, while still being a good hearted guy who knows how to lead. It’s good stuff. While the quality isn’t PERFECT, it’s a good start and I look forward to watching more and EVENTUALLY reviewing more on here. If you liked this be sure to let me know and like I said above if there’s any other marvel show or any dc ones you want me to cover, and any specific episodes at that, lemme know. Comics too. And until we meet again, courage.  PS.. what the hell is up with the title of this episode? No really it has nothing to do with anything. Is it Mystuues’ inflitration plan? 

I have experience working with blender because it's all I really needed, and Allegorithmic's Substance suite because I wanted to extend my artistic capacity, but I'm hoping to at some point move on to a more professional toolchain that's a little higher quality than Cycles' raytracer. Would you recommend that I move on to AutoDesk's "Media and Entertainment" collection (3DSMax + Maya + Arnold)? I'm interested in it and curious about its workflow - as well as your experinces with those progtrams?

I wish we lived in a world where Blender received lots of R&D contributions from game/anim studios around the world, elevating it to the status of de-facto industry standard, but we are unfortunately not there yet. Most people out there use Maya.

I am myself in the process of learning Maya (after a decade of 3ds Max), and I’m currently writing many notes along the way, which I will publish over on my more-serious blog, over at @maximelebled

Honestly when i first watched jacksepticeyes play of dbh i really disliked connor at first. Probably cuz he had to follow ordera and idk i just didnt like him. But since i was introduces to Markus first and then found out that carl paints, i LOVED that. Also Markus plays the piano like a pro?? And then he was given permission to paint and i was like WHAT WILL HE MAKE LET ME SEE. i was so interested if a programed android could learn to be creative and as an artist i ate that shit up. As an artist i am accustomed to having free will and to create whatever i want. So i loved Markus first hand. But it took me a while to warm up to Connor i guess cuz he seemed so empty at first but then i saw him slowly break out of it and THAT interested me.

Everyone has always been OH CONNOR. CONNOR MY BOY. And im like oh wow i didnt expect Connor to literally be worshiped. But i was expecting many people sexualizing him or the androids in general cuz yknow robots are hot. But these robots are just people just are made differently. Theres not a major difference. But hey like what you like thats just fine. I personally like Rk900 in some ways and really like how the fandom brought them and Gavin Reed together. I live for side characters. And as a gay man i can indulge in it as a safe space to express myself.

I kind of went off topic. But anyways hey Markus fans, hes very cool amd creative. And i want to see him paint more or create his own music. HE COULD START A BAND?? MUSIC CLASS? Help other androids find creativity. Its just so appealing to see that through the eyes of a being who was built only to serve and have no/fake emotions. And as someone who has depression i have felt empty like i lacked any sort of feelings or motivation to do anything. Its not the same as being a machine but more so as just not being able to live and experince the world and try to find yourself.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.