Mortimer in 2.21 Sleepover at JP's

Cartoon rec of the week:

Craig of the Creek

I haven't seen enough people talking about the show, so I'm mentioning it here. Absolute 10/10 cartoon. Just three kids, running 'round, making friends, running their own semi-sustainable community in the forest (there are some concerns about how much trash they leave there but ultimately they're better than most adults). Literally such a dream. they encourage each other to be emotionally healthy and they protect each other from "danger". Like they'll help each other achieve their dreams as they come (and new dreams show up pretty often because they're young kids).

And they're so funny! Like genuinely these kids are so earnest and intelligent and incredibly humorous and full of heart! They have full lives and they live them to the fullest out in nature after school, on the weekends, and in the summer. It's one of the best representations of found family I have ever seen in a cartoon, and I absolutely love it.

Also several of the writers behind the show are POC and queer (I think the head writers are all Black but I could be wrong), so you know that it was written well and the representation is awesome like I know that it should absolutely go without saying, but representation is much more than just showing BIPOC people on screen, and in terms of cartoons I haven't seen that many shows understanding that fact except maybe the Proud Family, Fat Albert, and a few others whose names will return to me once I've taken my ADHD meds. But the point is that Craig of the Creek gets it right. Most of the characters throughout the show (from what I've seen) are BIPOC, and you can tell that there are caring nods to BIPOC communities (primarily Black American communities), and more than that, that the writers know what they're talking about and are deeply familiar with and are a part of those communities. Craig, the titular character, is a young Black boy, and his family are middle class and ultimately very successful Black people. Kelsey (one of the main characters) is Jewish and Polish, and written with more complexity than having a one and done Hanukah celebration. The Creek's main business, a trading post, is run by Kit, a young Black girl with a love for economy and business. And many other characters are racial or ethnic minorities as well, and it warms my heart to see these characters done justice time and time again.

There's great subtle queer rep too, and you can tell it wasn't written just for the sake of representation, like it was thought out and intentional, and it worked beautifully. There are queer witches, and there are no labels applied to them, they're just allowed to exist with no explanations, happily in love with one another. There's a non-binary character later in the series (I'm only like 10 episodes in so I haven't met them yet but I've read amazing things about them). Kelsey also apparently identifies as a lesbian later in the series (I say "apparently" because I haven't done much reading so as to avoid spoilers, not because I am discounting her identity). On top of that, JP (one of the main characters) has a sister who is dating another girl.

There's also a significant amount of body positivity in the show, at least far than I've seen elsewhere. Not only do they openly say "all bodies are beautiful" and follow up on that by defending one another, there's also very little need to defend one another, because there's a very unspoken and deep respect in the Creek for things like body type, skin colour, disabilities, and so on. The kids of the creek, and their grown ups, are all different body types, and given their penchant for community and uplifting one another, it's no wonder they all seem confident in their bodies.

Not to mention the disability representation. There is a character later on in the series who is Black and deaf, and he not only speaks in Sign Language, but in Black American Sign Language. In addition, though unconfirmed, many of the kids in the creek embody aspects of various neurotypes. For example, the three main characters, Craig, Kelsey, and JP all come across as neurodivergent, with special interests, neurodivergent ways of thinking, and so on. Some have speculated that JP has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a disability often comorbid with ADHD. Not to mention that all the kids in the creek embody different special interests, most of which would be considered weird or frowned upon in everyday society, but that are given the opportunity to shine and flourish in the Creek's accepting culture.

Take the Horse Girls for example, a small clique of girls who roleplay as horses in a pasture near the Creek, and of course many of their behaviours are played as jokes, but ultimately they are accepted and involved in many adventures because of their unique interests and abilities which are ultimately how they aid the rest of the Creek. Every kid is a useful and accepted part of the Creek, with the exception of the ranger scout kids, who are essentially the same as cops, who are often exploitative, rude, and disruptive to the community as a whole.

Ultimately, the show is one of love, friendship, community, and acknowledging differences as a natural and helpful part of life. On top of that, it's not copaganda! What more could you want?

This is literally so iconic

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Tabbitha & Courtney, The Witches from COTC, drew some headcanon concepts of them thru the years, a rehash of some old Tabby ideas @halfglovepunch & I were playing around w/ years ago when we were like... Hey, could she have multiple outfits? Last pic is the old sketches, and 4th design of Tabby is based off a sketch of Ben's. And of course I had to add my takes on Courtney!

I like to think Tabby leans more goth/industrial and Courtney is more punk, but they listen like to things like Smashing Pumpkins together. Courtney is more laid back but still passionate about music, but she also sings Tabby Beck songs to piss her off.

Fifteen years ago, the tv animation world was changed forever when a little show about a sailor boy with an adventurous spirit premiered on CN. Although it’s run was short, the series led to a renaissance of animated shows, such as Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Regular Show, and more. So thanks, Flapjack, for being the godfather of 2010s animation.

Animated movies have dominated 2023 so far and it looks like that ain't gonna change anytime soon.

Captain's quarters + the cargo hold from Craig Before the Creek! I'm really thankful Cory trusted me with these locations because I just thought they were so cool...

I heard that some people were worried about animated shows with LGBT+ themes being cancelled so i want to remind you all that the Nimona film is coming this summer to Netflix

This film was originally produced by Blue Sky studios and was later pushed back by Disney because of the LGBT+ themes. The production was taken later by other studio unrelated to Disney. The film is an adaptation of the comic "Nimona".

The premise goes like this:

"Nimona, a teenager with the power to shapeshift, is targeted by a knight for assassination. The knight's mission to kill Nimona becomes complicated when he is accused of a crime, and learns that Nimona may be able to exonerate him."

So, if you happen to have Netflix and are interested, please check this movie out. Specially considering how it was treated by Disney.

Source:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimona_(film)

With the end of TOH not only capping off Disney's "loose Trilogy" with Gravity Falls, & Amphibia, it pretty much marks the end of this Golden Age of Original Children's Cartoons with Heavy syndicated storylines that started back with Adventure Time. While I don't discredit show that aren't syndicated stories or even the "brand cartoons" Like Star Wars, Transformers, or TMNT there was something magical about seeing people come up with original tales from stuff they were big fans & grew up on to create a whole era that made it cool for adults to have these theories, Excellent fanart, & to be something more then what we were used to in our youths.

I can only hope I'm wrong & one day we'll see another TOH or Steven Universe or Kipo, or Centaurworld, or Adventure Time, or Regular Show, or etc. But with recent events it leaves me less enthused. But I'll still cherish that the 2010's to the early 2020's was this marvelous & revolutionary age for TV animation.

How Animation Discourse Can Feel At Times: The Complete Collection

Painting by BG Designer Mariel Rodriguez

craig of the creek regressor moodboard! i adore this show and wanted to make a moodboard for it. pls don't steal my moodboard or claim as urs ! dni kink/nsfw.

She is the messenger of true love & happiness!! Hearts filled with love through out the creek, she is Cupid Cadet!! 💌🩰💕💐

Happy Valentines Day!! Here's my Valentines gift for @sunnymarbles 💌💌💌

Cartoon Network Emojis

I never got to see it in person, but the closing of the old CN studios building really saddens me. I just hope that despite all this, Cartoon Network can endure the wacky corporate politics of Warner Bros Discovery, and continue to provide fun and creative animated shows for the foreseeable future.