#thought 1: jon reminding tim of danny all the time and tim just being like My Little Brother Now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

iceeckos12 · 3 years

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time travel snippet

little time travel au oneshot. season 5 jon travels back in time to season 1. from the perspectives of tim, martin, and sasha. 3.5k.

i dont think i need to tag anything, but please let me know otherwise.

Tim wakes up that morning, and it’s just like any other day.

Well—no, okay, that’s a bit misleading. Today is his first day working as an archival assistant, so he’s one part nervous, one part that breathless, exhilarated feeling you only get when you’re about to do something unfamiliar that may or may not redefine your life for the foreseeable future. When he says “it’s just like any other day”, he means that he wakes up, and he’s a normal person doing normal people things like eating a healthy breakfast and going to work.

(So, no. In short, he doesn’t realize that today is the day when It happens, that big, life-changing event that you think will Never Happen To You.)

He gets out of bed, stumbles into the bathroom. Washes his face of whatever residue that’d built up during the night, tries to scrape away the evidence of his nightmares, smiles big and bright at the mirror to see how successful his efforts were. He’s betrayed by the traitorous bags beneath his eyes, but that’s okay. Sasha taught him how to wield concealer as a shield whenever his past wore down his armor.

He shoots twin finger guns into his reflection, making soft pew, pew! noises that are almost too-loud in the hush of the bathroom. Then he turns on his heel and walks away, sauntering and humming along with the chorus of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.

He gets to the Institute twenty minutes before he’s supposed to—not because he’s trying to impress his boss or whatever (he and Jon have known each other long enough that there’s no point). It’s just, Jon will probably want to make some sort of game-plan before the actual workday starts.

The poor man had been relieved to an almost comical degree when Tim had said yes, I’ll come with you to the Archives. It’s painfully obvious how out-of-his-depth Jon is with the whole “Head Archivist” thing. Tim’s honestly baffled as to why Elias had singled him out for the position in the first place, considering his lack of qualifications.

But, whatever. It’s fine! Tim and Sasha will be there to help him—although the third assistant is a bit of a problem, considering that they know absolutely nothing about him. There’s no guarantee that this Martin Blackwood won’t report inadequacies or mistakes back to Elias. If that’s the case, Tim and Sasha will have to be Jon’s safety net, which is partially why Tim is hoping to talk to Jon before anyone else gets there.

He also wants to talk to Jon because he just knows the man is probably working himself up over all of this. Maybe reassurances won’t do away with the source of anxiety entirely, but at least it’ll remind Jon that he’s not alone, and that he can count on Tim and Sasha.

As expected, when Tim gets there he can see a sliver of light pouring out from the cracked door of the Head Archivist’s office. He selects a desk and sets his bag on top of it, noting a set of strange gouges in the fake wood with a raised eyebrow, and then an internal shrug. The Institute issued laptop is near the far edge of his desk, and his collection of pictures are strategically placed so that he can see them all clearly.

His eyes linger over the image of him, his mother, and his brother. Their smiles are almost perfect replicas of each other, like someone took a mold of one of their faces and recreated it twice over.

Briefly, he closes his eyes. Then he shakes himself, releases a slow, steadying breath, and goes to check on Jon.

Tim’s not sure what he’s expecting to see when he goes into Jon’s office.

(That’s misleading too, though. He’s not sure if Jon will be visibly calm or upset, if he’ll be on his laptop, if he’ll be picking at the skin around his fingernails, as he so often does when he’s stressed. He is expecting Jon as he is and always has been—a twenty-some year old going on sixty, who wraps his gruff, grumpy demeanor about himself to protect the soft, vulnerable core he likes to pretend doesn’t exist.)

He comes up to the door, and the soft rectangle of light that emanates from beneath the door paints the tips of his shoes gold. “Jon?” he calls softly, rapping his knuckles against the frame. There’s a soft rustling noise—papers maybe? but no audible response, so he shrugs and pushes the door open. “I’m coming in.”

Tim steps inside, a quip instinctively readying itself on his tongue—but then his gaze lands on Jon, and he freezes dead in his tracks.

Even years later, he still vividly, viscerally remembers the moment he saw Danny standing on the stage underneath the Royal Opera House, the way he’d looked...not quite right. The wrongness had been subtle, so much so that it had been unnoticeable upon first glance, upon second glance. The longer Tim had looked though, the more obvious it had become, exposing all the little faults in that almost-perfect recreation of his brother.

Looking at Jon now, it’s the first and only thing he can think of. Because—yes, there’s the long, silver-streaked black hair, there’s the rich brown eyes, there’s the pair of spectacles that make him look far older than he actually is. But that’s where the similarities between the Jon he knows and this Jon end.

Jon’s always been a small man, but his feigned haughtiness makes him seem much bigger than he actually is. Except—except this Jon looks smaller somehow, his shoulders curved protectively inward, like he’s trying to present less of a target. And there’s something about his face, too—his expression is too sharp, too much—

But the worst of it is his eyes. There’s something very wrong with his eyes.

Who the fuck are you, and what have you done with Jon? He doesn’t say it out loud though, just keeps staring at Jon, a heady mix of terror and horror making any sort of reaction impossible.

After a moment Jon’s lips thin, contorted by some distant cousin of displeasure, and he rises to his feet. Tim stumbles instinctively backward, his breath escaping him in a sharp gasp that’s immediately swallowed up by the apathetic stacks of books and papers surrounding them. He’s struck by the fact that if he dies here, it’s unlikely anyone will notice; he’ll become just another set of marks gouged into the desk, willed away with an uneasy shrug.

Jon freezes, lips parting subtly, as though he were about to speak. Tim feels his breath catch in his chest, unable to shake himself out of the clouded stupor his mind has fallen into.

In the end, Jon says nothing. Just releases a long, slow breath of air and sits back down, pushing his chair close to his desk. The motion looks heavy, tired, as though it takes far more energy than it should.

“You—you should go,” Jon rasps, and there’s something off about his voice too, though Tim can’t put his finger on why. He can’t cobble together enough of a train of thought to make sense of any of this, all he can think of is that clown ripping Danny apart—

He stumbles out of Jon’s office, sits down at his desk. Stares down at the cheap, fake wood, at the gouges that have marred the otherwise pristine surface. Puts his head in his hands, and tries to will his heart to stop pounding in his chest.

-0-

Martin’s heard things about Jonathan Sims.

He’s not usually the type to pay attention or encourage gossip, as the vivid memories of his classmates tittering cruelly whenever he walked by still leaves a sour taste in his mouth.The problem with the Institute is that the employees get bored pretty easily. Though most would consider academic research into the esoteric and the paranormal to be fairly interesting, it’s still academic research. And the subject content can get to be a bit...repetitive. There’s only so many gruesome statements you can read without thinking, oh great, more meat.

So the employees gossip a lot, and while Martin usually tries to keep his head down and avoid it, it’s difficult not to overhear some things. And from what little he’s heard, he’s...a bit concerned. Rude and unsociable has frequently been mentioned, as have arrogant and unnecessarily finicky, and worst of all, a bit of a stuck-up know-it-all.

Normally he tries not to put too much stock in office gossip—he’s well aware that the grapevine tends to exaggerate one’s most undesirable traits—but if any of it is true, then he might just be in trouble. It was hard enough being a library employee when his boss wasn’t even paying attention most of the time. If Jon is as exacting as they say, it might be enough to expose the fact that Martin has no idea what the fuck he’s doing. And if that happens, then he might get fired, and he can’t get fired, he needs this job, he can barely keep up with his mum’s medical bills as it is—

Calm down, Martin tells himself firmly, pressing his hand against his sternum, as though that will be enough to quell the rising panic. It’s only your first day. Maybe he’s nice, and we’ll actually be good friends.

(With his luck? Yeah, right.)

The Institute looms in the distance, growing closer with every terrified, grudging footstep. A shiver runs up his spine at the sight of its imposing presence, a dark, ugly blot of a building against the backdrop of the iron grey clouds.

If there’s one thing he’s good at though, it’s keeping his head down and muddling through until he’s able to figure out what is actually expected of him. He can twist and fold himself into whatever role they need him to fill, as he has done so many times in the past. Not easily perhaps, but he has always managed. The alternative is untenable, after all.

So he takes a deep breath, and shoves his panic down as deep as possible. Lifts his head and forces a smile onto his face, like a good attitude will be enough to protect him from his boss’s wrath.

He could really do with a cup of tea.

Martin trudges down the stairs, giving the blank walls, the old-fashioned carpet, a dubious look as he does. The Archives themselves are as he remembers it—he’s been down here a couple of times when Gertrude made a request for something specific, but—

He pauses when he notices a man sitting at one of the desks, his face buried in his hands. His shoulders aren’t shaking and his breathing is even, so Martin doesn’t think that he’s crying? He’s just….sitting there, his stillness so perfect it’s almost inhuman.

“Hello?” Martin calls softly, cautiously, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet.

The man looks up, revealing a very handsome face and brown eyes so dark they may as well be black. His cheeks are dry but his eyes are bright and a little wild, and his mouth is pressed into a small, tight line. He doesn’t speak, just keeps watching, blinking dazedly in Martin’s direction. Martin gets the feeling that this person isn’t entirely there at the moment, like a house in which every room is lit, but there are no people inside.

He swallows and shifts nervously back and forth, trying to decide whether or not to call for some backup. Eventually he sets his bag on the floor and shuffles a bit closer. “Um—are you—is everything okay?”

The man blinks rapidly, some semblance of awareness creeping back into his gaze. He shakes his head slowly, pushes his short, gelled hair back from his head. His hands are trembling. “I’m...yeah, I’m fine. It’s—everything’s, it’s…”

But then his gaze lands on something over Martin’s shoulder, and all the color drains out of his face, his mouth shutting with a painful sounding click. Martin quickly spins around, searching for whatever could’ve scared him so much—

There’s someone standing in the doorway of Gertrude’s office.

There are so many things that one normally takes in upon first meeting another person: their hair, their skin color, all the little wrinkles and marks that give you the briefest insight into their life. Martin looks at posture first, tends to check if a person is intentionally looming, or if they’re making themself smaller.

But all Martin can see are the eyes.

There’s—two of them he thinks, but two is such an arbitrary number when the thing you’re applying it to doesn’t ascribe to human values (he’s not sure how he knows that—how does he know that—?). That horrible, terrible gaze is an unerring arrow, all-encompassing, all-consuming, piercing the deepest corners of his mind. It hurts in some distant, nebulous way he’s not even sure he comprehends—

Then he blinks, and the sheer terror, that feeling of the horrible, violating exposure of everything that he is, abruptly snuffs out. What’s left is just a person, wispy and small, his slight frame fairly drowning in a chunky, cable-knit jumper. He’s leaning against his doorframe, his eyes—two big brown ones, rich and unfathomably sad and more than that, human—drinking Martin in, his lips parted in a soundless gasp.

“Um—” Martin glances over his shoulder, and almost leaps out of his skin when a land falls heavily on his shoulder. The man who’d been sitting in the chair is standing just behind him, a strained but polite smile on his face.

“Hi Jon,” the man says, an undercurrent of a warning in his voice.

Martin glances between the two, his confusion growing with every passing moment. This is not what he was expecting when he first came into work today, and the uncertainty makes him feel strange and off-kilter.

The person in the door swallows once, twice, then straightens, one hand still gripping the doorframe like it’s the only thing keeping him upright. When he speaks, his voice is soft, tentative, a little ragged around the edges. “Tim. It’s, um...it’s good to see you.”

“Martin Blackwood, was it?” Tim continues, injecting a bit of cheer into his voice. It takes Martin a moment to realize that he’s being addressed, and he shoots Jon—this is Jonathan Sims?—an uncertain look before nodding slowly. “We’re happy to have you on the team.”

“O-Oh?” Martin squeaks, then grits his teeth and bodily forces his voice back into its normal range. “I’m—um, I’m happy to be here?”

“Good,” Tim says through a grin that looks more like a grimace, giving Martin’s shoulder a friendly pat. The look he shoots Jon is a dark, mistrustful thing. The look Jon gives him back is fragile, vulnerable, that winds the tension in Tim’s shoulders so tight it has to be painful.

Jon’s gaze flickers to Martin, just for a second—and then he disappears into his office, leaving the door cracked behind him.

Tim and Martin stand there for a second, staring at the door. Tim’s still tense as a bowstring, and his grip on Martin’s shoulder is almost uncomfortable. The air in the Archives feels stuffy and too warm, and there’s a strange prickling sensation on the back of Martin’s neck, like he’s being subjected to close scrutiny.

Then Tim sighs and lets go of Martin’s shoulder, a little of the tension bleeding out of him, and without it he looks small, deflated. He goes back to his desk and sits down, booting up his laptop without a word of explanation to Martin.

Martin stares at the back of Tim’s head for a moment, a number of questions clamoring around in his brain—what the fuck was that? What’s wrong with Jon? Why are you so obviously suspicious of him?—but the words won’t come. Breaking the silence feels...sacrilegious, somehow. Every breath of air sticks against the back of his throat.

In the end, he doesn’t say anything either, just sits at his desk and takes out his Institute-issued laptop. Stares blankly at the screen as the machine slowly, laboriously, comes to life.

-0-

Sasha’s not entirely sure how to interpret the tense atmosphere that has descended over the Archives.

The first day she’d arrived a couple of minutes before she was supposed to, prepared to follow Jon’s direction and help him adjust as best she could. (Her feelings about Jon’s promotion...didn’t matter. She didn’t like it, but it wasn’t his fault that Elias was an old-fashioned misogynist.)

But when she’d come down the stairs, Tim and the assistant she didn’t know, Martin, had been seated quietly at their desks. They’d both had the same distant, shell-shocked look on their faces, like they’d received some shattering, horrible news. Sasha had sent Tim a confused look, but he either hadn’t noticed it, or hadn’t wanted to explain.

She hadn’t even seen Jon that first day, just received a polite email asking her to start organizing the statements according to the system which he’d devised.

It’s been almost three days, and nothing has changed. Oh sure, they’ve all started organizing the statements as directed. Tim cracks jokes, Martin tiptoes around them and makes copious amounts of tea. That strange tension that makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up, like the world is holding its breath in anticipation, hasn’t faded though. And while she doesn’t know Martin all that well, she knows that something’s still up with Tim. He seems more subdued than usual, keeps sending uncomfortable looks in the direction of Jon’s office—

—which hasn’t been open since that first day. She hasn’t seen Jon at all either, no matter how early she arrives or how late she stays. The only proof she has that he’s still alive is the polite email she periodically receives, detailing some specific task that he wants for them to do.

Even then, his emails are...odd. She’s not sure how she can tell, but they feel...awkward? Stilted? Like he’s only half-aware of what he’s typing, or like he’s only asking them to do things because he feels like he should, not because he has any actual goal in mind.

Normally she’d be frustrated by this, would complain bitterly to Tim about Elias passing over her for someone who obviously doesn’t properly appreciate the position they’ve been given—except that she knows Jon. He’d made a point to explain the situation to her himself, an apologetic twist tucked into the corner of his mouth. More than that, he’d asked her to follow him to the archives, saying that he wanted the two people he trusted most, her and Tim, to come with him.

He respects her too much not to take this job seriously.

The strangeness of the archives is only emphasized by Jon’s complete and utter lack of presence within it, but she doesn’t—she doesn’t buy that. She doesn’t believe that he’d just suddenly decide not to do the job he’d been so anxious to excel at.

More damning than anything is Tim’s complete, utter silence regarding Jon’s strange behavior, but whatever he knows about it, he isn’t saying anything. Martin is willing to talk, but he seems to be as lost as she is.

“I—that first day, Jon…” Martin shrugs, shooting a nervous glance toward the door leading to the archives. He’s been spending a lot of time hovering in the break room making tea, not that she can blame him. “He—I mean obviously I don’t know him very well, but he seemed...upset?”

“Upset,” Sasha repeats dubiously.

Martin lets out an exhausted sigh and turns away, waving a dismissive hand. “Look, I’m not entirely sure how to explain it. He just—okay, so, bear with me for a second, but he reminded me of this guy who used to live in my neighborhood.”

Sasha backs off, folding her arms and leaning against the counter. “Okay?”

“There was this little old couple that used to live in my neighborhood. They were—they were really sweet! The husband used to give candy to us younger kids. But um—sometimes you’d see him sitting in the rocking chair on his porch, and it was like...he wasn’t entirely there? Like, he’d just sit there for hours, rocking and staring at nothing. That’s—that’s what Jon’s expression reminded me of.”

Martin gets more animated the more he talks, Sasha notes; his hands move in broad, sweeping gestures, his expression twisting into an expression of extreme concentration. The moment he finishes he deflates again, tucking his hands into his armpits self-consciously, a hedgehog curling protectively in on itself.

“So, yeah,” he finishes eloquently.

“Huh,” Sasha says thoughtfully.

She gets back to her desk. Looks over at Tim, who’s studiously working through a box of statements, his mouth set in a neutral, concentrated frown. Takes a deep breath, letting the taste of dust and old papers sit heavy on her tongue.

Then she opens her laptop and starts looking through the catalog of cursed items that are currently being held in Artifact Storage.

(She doesn’t think that she’ll find anything, but—but just in case.)

-0-

They all get the call the next Monday morning: Elias Bouchard was found dead in his office.

#tma #iceeckos12 writes #my writing #just a little time travel au #probably wont continue this but i thought it was kinda fun

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polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup · 3 years

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Hello! Nhthcth brainworms have slowly started taking over my mind ever since I read it and I’d like to inform you that your brain is huge and sexy. With that established, I’d love to hear your opinions and thoughts on tma canon!! Favourite episode, character hcs, what entity you’re most aligned with, most terrifying entity, etc.

Hi!

God, I love all of TMA so much. My favorite episode is definitely MAG 165: Revolutions. I’ve listened to it probably ten times by now. The Jane Prentiss statement is a close second. They both just really lean into some really evocative, poetic language and I go feral for it every time.

Okay, so like, the thing is. I know what entity I would be most aligned with. And I’ve always hated it but it’s super true. I would absolutely be Corruption-aligned. I have like, the exact opposite of trypophobia. I love all of those like, weird niche medical gross out videos on Youtube. I would stumble on some Corruption stronghold and I would just stare in mindless fascination and my soul would be yoinked by the evil germ god. Like I’m deeply aware of the dumb way my soul would get Snatched.

Absolutely the Web for the most terrifying entity. They’re just so insidious and nigh-impossible to beat, and the thought of losing control like that? Terrifying. They also have the physical threat component down of like, being a giant spider who will consume you. They exist in this weird intersection of mental and physical horror and it’s a terrifying time.

Character head canons:

1) My personal headcanon about Season 2 Jon is that his paranoia was both a product and a cause of his own Becoming. I have no idea how much of this is canon? Because I think that the only thing that was explicitly stated as the cause of his paranoia was Not!Sasha, but also it’s been a hot minute since I listened to Season 2/3. I know Jon explicitly states that the paranoia was because of Not!Sasha in the Guest for Mr. Spider Statement, but I can’t remember at all if it was commented on further.

The thing is, the explicit fear of being watched/paranoia generally is the Eye, not the Stranger. A good deal of it would come from Jon’s spooky spider senses constantly tingling as something not being right (that being the Not!Them), but it would be the Eye itself Feeding on that Fear. And the thing is, Jon’s choice in response to that is to obsessively watch those around him and inspire paranoia in them, Feeding the Eye even further. So I personally think that stalking the rest of the Archives and actually Feeding the Eye in that way did more to make him Become than reading the Statements did.

The other big thing for me is just that the process of Becoming has always seemed so painful to me, specifically in a manner that Feeds the Entity trying to claim them. Oliver spent the beginning of his visions trying to make sense of them and even prevent them, in the case of his father and the statement giver who saw the Grifter’s Bone concert and even Gertrude, and then he just... stops. He settles into the visions and his role with the End with a sort of inevitability that’s just very End. How afraid was he, when he started to figure out that there was nothing he could do to change what was happening? How much did the fear of being unable to change the future--for others and for himself--Feed the End with his own Fear? And then his Becoming really happens when he chooses to lean into the future, and personally bring all of the boat to their ends. We see that with most of the Avatars--Jane had an entire statement about Corruption infesting her and how afraid it made her, Jude had that whole burnout empty-life thing going before she leaned into it, Annabelle feared the Web her whole life before Becoming. Becoming seems to Feed on the soon-to-be-avatar first and really happens when they lean into it and inspire the fear in other people, and so for me, I always thought that the paranoia was specifically because of the Eye feeding on him, exacerbated by Not!Sasha, and that choosing to stalk the rest was what pushed him over the edge into properly Becoming.

2) I know the like, fandom consensus was that Jon and Georgie had a really long and involved relationship that ended poorly, but I like to think that their relationship was really short-lived. They went on like, maybe three dates, emphasis on maybe. One of them was just when they ran into each other at a Tesco Express, felt weird shopping separately now that they knew the other was here, awkwardly gathered their things together and called it a date. Georgie said “I think we should stop dating” and Jon said “yeah that’s fair” and then they just hung out as friends afterwards and got really close that way. Relationship ended because they just sort of ended up in different jobs and both got busy and then like, once a certain amount of time passed, it just became weird to ring up the other when you’ve been ignoring them for like, eight months. They always call each other their ex though because they’re both assholes who think it’s funny to bring their blind date home and be like “this is my ex, we’re flatmates.”

3) I am a “The Mechs Were Jon’s University Band” Truther

4) I like to think that Tim and Jon became friends in Research because Jon had poor people skills and a bad attitude, and Tim was riding off losing Danny and didn’t want to be near people, and someone told Tim on his first day that if he wanted a good conversationalist for a desk partner, he should avoid the empty one by Jonathan Sims like it was covered in thorns and dipped in shit. He plopped his stuff down not five minutes later, and the rest was history. Jon was safe, at first, because he was so seemingly different from Danny that Tim felt more comfortable leaning into a friendship. He was funny in an asshole sort of way, and dressed like a librarian, and was a total workaholic, and it was safe to find comfort in Jon because Jon never reminded him of Danny. But then he figured out Jon’s reckless streak, and his total disregard for the law, and his weird skill at B&E, and he realized Jon would have gotten along with Danny like a house on fire. Jon sort of became a pseudo little brother for him after that, and one of the reasons why Jon’s betrayal hurt so much was because Tim had lost one brother already and would have let Prentiss kill him to protect his second, and Jon still stalked him.

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nat-20s · 4 years

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((#the magnus archives#i think a lot about early tim and martin having a fun sibling dynamic and i cry what of it)) oh please, now i want more hcs/thoughts on this

OKAY OKAY OKAY

so this might just be bc ive been bining king falls am so im like SIBLING DYNAMICS and also me being OBESSED with what ive seen from the live show and also this is rapidly coming just all of the archival assistance squad BUT pre series time:

-Tim saw this 20 year old in a graphic tshirt and hoodie tied around his waist lying through his teeth about being 26 and was like “i am ABSOLUTELY going to adopt him”

-Sasha was like ur 24 tim he’s older than you and he very conspiratorily whispers back is he? Because EVERYTHING about him screams college freshman

-Tim strolls up to him, wraps an arm around his shoulder, and is like “Martin, babe, I am TAKING you under my wing” and Martin without blinking is like “tim im older than you so?”

-”Sure you are martin”

-It becomes a running joke between them

-Tim is the first person Martin comes out to in the institute, because Tim is Very Openly Bi and Martin does it kind of? by accident? by making a Joke and Tim is like ???!!! are u??? and Martin is like yes??? and tim is like !!!!!!!

-Tim and Sasha take Martin to his first pride and they all probably cry a lil

-Martin does Something that reminds Tim of Danny and Tim is like “haha fuck”

-Martin does end up trailing after Tim a lot because he falsely thinks Tim is a Real Adult and also it’s nice??? to have someone looking out for him???

-Martin is like I MUST infodump about SOMETHING time to go find Tim or Sasha

-Sasha is the one Martin goes to for life advice, Tim is the one he goes to went he needs to Rant, they both go to him for reassurances and The Worlds Best Hugs

-When the three of them have drinks together and it gets to late they always crash at Tim’s apartment bc his is the nicest and a;lso has the most comfortable couches

- Tim has gone with Martin to visit his mother exactly once and was like hmm. I hate her.

-Martin during season 1 in particular will go up to Tim and be like “I need you to yell at Jon” and Tim is like “Absolutely! What am I yelling at him for and why can’t you do it?” and Martin just replies, “Because Jon doesn’t hate and desperately want to fire you and because he’s being an idiot that needs to be yelled at”

#martin blackwood #tim stoker #sasha james #replies #myanchorandyourcompass #tma #im sad

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scrawnydutchman · 7 years

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4 Female Animators You Should Check Out.

Happy Women’s HIstory Month everyone! It’s a time to celebrate the members of the finer sex whom we don’t celebrate often enough. There are so many influential women in every field who do what they can to propel our society forward in the sciences, in the trades and, of course, in the arts. Being such an occasion, I thought it would be fun to bring attention to some of my favorite woman animators from online! I love the work of these women for their slickness, amazing color, satisfying movement and overall just good vibes coming from their animation. I’ll of course leave links to their social media and websites for every entry so you can go out and find them and give them the love they deserve, as well as links to my favorite work of theirs respectively. Without further ado, here are my 4 favorite woman animators from online!

1. Joanna Davidovich

youtube

Joanna’s animation style is oozing with charm. Bouncy, curvy, colorful, beautiful in it’s simplicity with great color and design choices, it always puts me in a good mood to watch her stuff. I’ve watched her above video, “Monkey Rag” at least 50 times at this point. It compliments the song it accompanies perfectly and gives off an uplifting Betty Boop kind of vibe. It’s adorable and sweet and is one of the most frequently played things I put on to get in the mood to animate. Her animation livestreams are pretty entertaining too IMO. It’s always interesting for me to see an animators work flow and to see what makes them tick. Joanna has a very curvy linework sort of art style that rarely has any sharp edges and it creates a great inviting effect. Plus her backgrounds are great too, they sort of remind me of a happier Samurai Jack. Other notable works of hers include, but certainly not limited to: Ads for Adventure Time,Ads for Looney Tunes, Creation Museum, pencil animation for Trix and Coco Puffs cereal commercials.

Here are her social media links: go subscribe and follow her!

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMEixvInUOkzc_5c55sD4Jg

Twitter: @jothezette

Tumblr: http://jothezette.tumblr.com/

Website :http://www.cupojo.net/

2. Vivienne “Vivsiepop” Medrano

youtube

So if you’re any fan of online animation, chances are you’re already well aware of Vivsiepop, as you very much should be. Her most popular video is her fan made music video of Ke$ha’s “Die Young”, and while I 100% agree that video is SPECTACULAR and a GREAT example of Vivienne’s talent, I’m personally more keen on her SVA thesis film “Timber”. It’s a bit simpler then the previously mentioned music video in it’s movement and character design but is still a great demonstration of Vivienne’s profound knack for color choice and WONDERFUL character design with dynamic and wildly expressive characters that sort of make me think of a mixture of Tim Burton, Dr. Seuss and Steven Universe all at once (anyone else see it? No? Just me? Okay.). Not to mention this short is also a great demonstration of Vivienne’s skill at visual storytelling with nice contrasting colors between protagonists and antagonists and a great gag I won’t give away. Other great works of hers include: Her fan made music video for Owl City’s “Silhouette”, The short “The Son of 666″, and her music video of “Most Wonderful Time (Of The Year)” in case you’re in a christmasy mood. Plus she has TONS of speed draw videos you can watch on her youtube channel and an online webcomic series called “Zoophobia” (Not to be confused with Zootopia)

Here are links to her stuff! Go Subscribe and Follow her!

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SpindleHorse

Twitter: @VivsiePop

Zoophobia webcomic: http://zoophobiacomic.com/

3. Imogen Scoppie, a.k.a “Iscoppie”

youtube

Anybody who’s a regular follower of the activities of Game Grumps will likely recognize this animator instantly. Known for her MANY phenomenal Game Grumps Animateds both in the Jon era AND Danny era, Iscoppie has delighted her viewers time and time again with her slick movement, bright and happy colors, lovely pastel-like textures and color blended linework. You’ll never see a black outlined character in her work, which really makes the contrast all the more distinct. My personal favorite work of hers is the Alien parody you see above, creating a hilarious contrast between the dark intimidating tone of the franchise and Iscoppie’s carefree atmosphere in her repertoire. Not to mention the cutaways and line delivery in this short is awesome. Her other notable works include: UNDERTALE ANNIVERSARY, Game Grumps Animated: Appropriate Story, and Game Grumps Animated: TOKE-Mon. Side note: she also has incredibly charming cooking vlogs and whatnot on her youtube channel.

Check out her stuff!:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/awesomedinosaur

Twitter: @iscoppie

4. Sandra D. Rivas

vimeo

We wrap up our list with an animator you may have seen the works of ALL over the internet. She’s known for her work on many of the Starbomb music videos like The Hero of Rhyme and The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid, on which she worked with the rest of Studio Yotta, And she also worked on other widely popular internet series like Eddsworld and the pilot for the series Obitruary. I love Sandra’s style for it’s simple yet defined expression, easy to remember character design, and once again use of color (have I said that enough times yet?). You can definitely see her influence all across the board.

Check her stuff out, yo!

Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/sandradrivas

Twitter: @SandraDrivas

Tumblr: @sandrarivasart

Newgrounds: http://sandradrivas.newgrounds.com/

So that concludes my 4 favorite female animators from the web! They all have phenomenal work that always deserves more attention, and on a month in which we celebrate the feats and accomplishments of women what better time then now? Please subscribe to these ladies, follow them and give them some love! Consider donating to their Patreons as well!

#animation #woman #womenhistorymonth #Cartoons #iscoppie #vivsiepop #joanna davidovich #sandradrivas #2d animation #film

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madpicks · 7 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/mlb/ranking-15-opening-day-matchups-around-baseball/

Ranking the 15 Opening Day matchups around baseball

Opening Day is when the aces come out from their ace caves. Which starting-pitcher matchup is the best?

The mythos of the Opening Day starter appeals to me. Oh, how it appeals to me. It’s everything there is to love about baseball: Arbitrary designations, arguments about those designations, talented baseball men, that Opening Day smell, and a chance to laugh at the less fortunate teams around baseball. When teams announce their Opening Day starters, I am so in.

With that in mind, it’s time to rank all of these Opening Day matchups. While baseball doesn’t have a true, pure opening day anymore, with some teams cordoned off for a special Sunday schedule, we still get 15 of these hand-picked duels, with every team in baseball saying, “This is the best we have, unless we’re dealing with injuries. Or maybe a general organizational malaise that will spread across generations.”

These are the 15 Opening Day starting-pitcher matchups, ranked:

15. Ricky Nolasco vs. Kendall Graveman (Angels at A’s)

This will mark Nolasco’s 28th year in Major League Baseball, yet this is his first Opening Day start. And, no, I’m not looking that up. Feels true, though.

Nolasco was excellent for the Angels for 11 starts after they acquired him, though his overall season was kind of a drag (4.42 ERA, 93 ERA+). He has the third-highest ERA of any starter with 50 starts or more since 2014, and the two pitchers with worse ERAs are a non-roster invitee (Kyle Kendrick) and someone who’s out of baseball (Tim Lincecum).

Graveman is a perfectly competent starter who’s in this spot because of injury (Sonny Gray) and because the A’s understandably don’t want to shove a second-year player like Sean Manaea in the Opening Day slot.

14. Jeremy Hellickson vs. Scott Feldman (Phillies at Reds)

I used to play baseball with a guy who played with a guy who became the Opening Day starter for the Reds. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to update my Twitter bio, because that sounds really important.

This isn’t No. 15 because Hellickson was kinda sorta okay last year — roughly what Nolasco did with the Angels, but more consistently spread out over the entire year. This still doesn’t have an Opening Day feel to it. And if this matchup happened on May 28, you know there would still be about 12 or 13 more interesting matchups.

13. Jon Gray vs. Junior Guerra (Rockies at Brewers)

Junior Guerra is one of baseball’s best stories. Dude pitched in Spain. Spain. Like, not even Italy or in a honkbal league. SPAIN.

Guerra made a name in Europe during the 2010 season, when he dominated the Spanish Division de Honor, pitching for CBS Sant Boi. He had an 11-1 record with an ERA of 0.89 in 17 games. He struck out 122 in 91 innings, while allowing just 47 hits.

Here come Sant Boi. This is a very good baseball story. That doesn’t mean I want to watch him pitch more than Stephen Strasburg, but don’t make fun.

Jon Gray is a big, strong, pitchery pitcher. That’s a compliment. He got his hair at the Noah Syndergaard Outlet Store, and he’s a solid breakout pick for 2017. This is a better matchup than you think.

12. Edinson Volquez vs. Stephen Strasburg (Marlins at Nationals)

Strasburg isn’t just fun to watch: He’s fun to speculate about and read too much into when he struggles. There might not be an ace-type in baseball that’s better for concern-trolling, which means you’re guaranteed a good time out, regardless of what he does. Also, he’s excellent at pitching and stuff, which counts for a lot. Even though this should be Max Scherzer’s spot, it’s not like we’re suffering too much, here.

Volquez is a known quantity, and even though his 2016 was lousy, he’s still probably fine. Good enough, at least, that he won’t drag Strasburg down too much in this ranking.

11. Marco Estrada vs. Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays at Orioles)

Another surprisingly compelling matchup, but mostly for baseball nerds. Gausman didn’t get enough credit for putting up a 3.61 ERA in Camden Yards in a homer-happy season (his 123 ERA+ tells a more complete story), he’s really here because Chris Tillman is out. That’s okay, though. I like watching Gausman just as much.

Estrada has never cracked 200 innings in a season, but he has had the lowest hits-allowed rate in the American League for two straight years. A strong infield defense helps with that, sure, but he’s still a quality pitcher, and he has been for years. Not bad for a guy the Nationals once waived to make room for Tyler Walker.

10. Danny Duffy vs. Ervin Santana (Royals at Twins)

I spent a lot of time making fun of the Ervin Santana signing. He has been a very consistent starter for many years, and I would like to apologize to him, the Twins organization, and my family because he’s kind of good.

Danny Duffy is better, of course, one of last year’s breakout stars. On a watchability scale, he’s in the second tier of baseball’s best, pushing his way into the top tier. Look at this guy:

youtube

9. Jhoulys Chacin vs. Clayton Kershaw (Padres at Dodgers)

Of course, this is the most watchable pitcher in baseball — one of the greatest pure talents in baseball history — so it’s hard to rank him anywhere near the bottom. On the other hand, he’s facing Jhoulys Chacin, who is the reason I had to put (Team at Team) next to all the matchups. That’ll ding them in the ranking.

Chacin was really, really good in both 2011 and 2013, so it’s not quite fair to consider him a random journeyman. On the other hand, he wasn’t very effective with the Angels last year, to the point where the Angels were like, nah, we can do better.

That guy is an Opening Day starter. It takes more than Clayton Danged Kershaw to make up for that.

(Padres win, 8-2.)

8. Masahiro Tanaka vs. Chris Archer (Yankees at Rays, Sunday)

And now we have reached the tipping point, where all of the matchups become Unambiguously Good Pitching Matchups. Archer struggled with the home run ball and almost lost 20 games somehow, but you all know he’s still great.

Tanaka finished seventh in the Cy Young voting, making 31 starts and staying healthy all year. Not bad for a guy who was contemplating Tommy John surgery a couple years ago and had surgery to remove bone spurs before the start of last season.

This is the kind of matchup that could be No. 1 next year. Of course, both of them might be on the Dodgers, but that’s a minor concern.

7. Felix Hernandez vs. Dallas Keuchel (Mariners at Astros)

Cy Young vs. Cy Young. Just, uh, ignore the 2016 season, which wasn’t too hot for either of them.

This is a great matchup, though, because both of their teams are desperately counting on them to be excellent again, so everyone will read way too much into their first outings. It’s almost like a Groundhog Day of first games, where if they see their shadows and pitch seven strong innings, both teams will have five months of summer. If they combine to give up 12 earned runs, the panic will be thick enough to spread on a slice of French bread.

There is nothing better than smooth, creamy panic on a slice of French bread. But these guys are probably going to have strong seasons, so you’ll have to look elsewhere.

6. Gerrit Cole vs. Rick Porcello (Pirates at Red Sox)

My biases come into play here because I automatically thought, “Alright, Gerrit Cole!” That was followed by “Huh. Rick Porcello.” This is because I watch more National League games, I’m sure, but it’s also because I missed the entire Porcello story last year. Dude won the Cy Young. That seems good.

There are instant demerits, though, for being the necessary interleague Opening Day matchup. This is not a classic rivalry. Or a rivalry at all. Also, there are demerits for me wanting to watch Chris Sale instead, which isn’t odd.

Still, Cole vs. Porcello is an excellent, compelling matchup, and it’s the kind that would make you turn on a Pirates/Red Sox game in July. If this is your Opening Day pick, you’ve chosen wisely.

5. Julio Teheran vs. Noah Syndergaard (Braves at Mets)

Syndergaard pitched once vs. the Braves last year. ONCE. Clayton Kershaw made just 21 starts last year, and he still pitched five times against the Giants. So the Braves deserve this. They deserve to see Syndergaard three times in April. Not that I’m bitter.

Teheran is a fine talent, and if you want to move this up the power rankings, go right ahead. This isn’t a seven- or eight-way tie at the top, but that doesn’t mean there are any wrong answers, here.

4. Madison Bumgarner vs. Zack Greinke (Giants at Diamondbacks, Sunday)

Last year, this would have been the best matchup, and it wouldn’t have been close. It was a rough year for Greinke, though, and it didn’t get better this spring:

Greinke’s game-by-game velocity including four appearances in Spring Training this year. Not great. pic.twitter.com/BYb1uWijhG

— Kyle Boddy (@drivelinebases) March 25, 2017

I still believe. But a 33-year-old pitcher with diminished velocity and his worst FIP in a decade is a pitcher that should scare you. This matchup is near the top because of name recognition and star power, but your mileage may vary.

Bumgarner, for his part, had what might have been the only good spring training he’s ever had. This makes me worried that he’ll struggle mightily in April, but that’s because I’m a strange, cynical man. He sure looks ready.

3. Jon Lester vs. Carlos Martinez (Cubs at Cardinals, Sunday)

Carlos Martinez might be the most underrated starter in baseball. His nickname is Tsunami, and he should just go by it at all times, like Rock Raines on the 1989 Topps.

Guys, I’m Rock now. Thanks for understanding.

If Martinez does that with “Tsunami,” he’s talked about in the same breath as Chris Sale and Corey Kluber, like he should be. As is, it takes some gentle prodding and a reminder that he’s an extraordinary pitcher to justify a ranking like this.

Say, how did he get the nickname, “Tsunami?”

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs on my road to the Big Leagues, but for the sake of this blog let’s just say there was a WAVE of adversity.

I don’t get it.

2. Justin Verlander vs. Jose Quintana (Tigers at White Sox)

Last year’s Cy Young should-be vs. a walking trade rumor. I love this matchup so. The contrast in styles is fun, too, with Verlander the classic, strong right-handed ace, and Quintana the left-handed control monster (though not exactly a soft-tosser). It would be a lot cooler of a matchup if the White Sox were any good, but at least they are when Quintana pitches.

There are fewer than 10 “Of course we’re starting this guy” matchups on this list. This is the most obvious one, really. The cliff after these two is steep, but at least we’ll get the best of the best on Opening Day.

1. Corey Kluber vs. Yu Darvish (Indians at Rangers)

Never forget:

That is still one of the greatest baseball GIFs ever made, and it works so well because Yu Darvish is a wonder. He’s one of the most delightful pitchers to watch, and of course he’s starting Opening Day. He deserves it.

Corey Kluber is made out of gears and sprockets, a steampunk version of a mechanical pitcher, and his silent consistency doesn’t take away from his exhilarating stuff. He just goes out there and pitches better than the other guy.

UNLESS THE OTHER GUY IS YU DARVISH. Maybe. I mean, that’s the point. We’ll see.

Those are the best Opening Day duels, from Nolasco/Graveman to Kluber/Darvish. The most important part is that baseball is back, and we get to watch it. Here, have some Cy Young winners and assorted aces. This’ll help make up for the dumb winter, which is dumb every year.

#MLB

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junker-town · 7 years

Text

Ranking the 15 Opening Day matchups around baseball

Opening Day is when the aces come out from their ace caves. Which starting-pitcher matchup is the best?

These are the 15 Opening Day starting-pitcher matchups, ranked:

15. Ricky Nolasco vs. Kendall Graveman (Angels at A’s)

This will mark Nolasco’s 28th year in Major League Baseball, yet this is his first Opening Day start. And, no, I’m not looking that up. Feels true, though.

14. Jeremy Hellickson vs. Scott Feldman (Phillies at Reds)

13. Jon Gray vs. Junior Guerra (Rockies at Brewers)

Junior Guerra is one of baseball’s best stories. Dude pitched in Spain. Spain. Like, not even Italy or in a honkbal league. SPAIN.

Here come Sant Boi. This is a very good baseball story. That doesn’t mean I want to watch him pitch more than Stephen Strasburg, but don’t make fun.

12. Edinson Volquez vs. Stephen Strasburg (Marlins at Nationals)

Volquez is a known quantity, and even though his 2016 was lousy, he’s still probably fine. Good enough, at least, that he won’t drag Strasburg down too much in this ranking.

11. Marco Estrada vs. Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays at Orioles)

10. Danny Duffy vs. Ervin Santana (Royals at Twins)

Danny Duffy is better, of course, one of last year’s breakout stars. On a watchability scale, he’s in the second tier of baseball’s best, pushing his way into the top tier. Look at this guy:

youtube

9. Jhoulys Chacin vs. Clayton Kershaw (Padres at Dodgers)

That guy is an Opening Day starter. It takes more than Clayton Danged Kershaw to make up for that.

(Padres win, 8-2.)

8. Masahiro Tanaka vs. Chris Archer (Yankees at Rays, Sunday)

This is the kind of matchup that could be No. 1 next year. Of course, both of them might be on the Dodgers, but that’s a minor concern.

7. Felix Hernandez vs. Dallas Keuchel (Mariners at Astros)

Cy Young vs. Cy Young. Just, uh, ignore the 2016 season, which wasn’t too hot for either of them.

There is nothing better than smooth, creamy panic on a slice of French bread. But these guys are probably going to have strong seasons, so you’ll have to look elsewhere.

6. Gerrit Cole vs. Rick Porcello (Pirates at Red Sox)

Still, Cole vs. Porcello is an excellent, compelling matchup, and it’s the kind that would make you turn on a Pirates/Red Sox game in July. If this is your Opening Day pick, you’ve chosen wisely.

5. Julio Teheran vs. Noah Syndergaard (Braves at Mets)

4. Madison Bumgarner vs. Zack Greinke (Giants at Diamondbacks, Sunday)

Last year, this would have been the best matchup, and it wouldn’t have been close. It was a rough year for Greinke, though, and it didn’t get better this spring:

Greinke's game-by-game velocity including four appearances in Spring Training this year. Not great. http://pic.twitter.com/BYb1uWijhG

— Kyle Boddy (@drivelinebases) March 25, 2017

3. Jon Lester vs. Carlos Martinez (Cubs at Cardinals, Sunday)

Carlos Martinez might be the most underrated starter in baseball. His nickname is Tsunami, and he should just go by it at all times, like Rock Raines on the 1989 Topps.

Guys, I’m Rock now. Thanks for understanding.

Say, how did he get the nickname, “Tsunami?”

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs on my road to the Big Leagues, but for the sake of this blog let’s just say there was a WAVE of adversity.

I don’t get it.

2. Justin Verlander vs. Jose Quintana (Tigers at White Sox)

1. Corey Kluber vs. Yu Darvish (Indians at Rangers)

Never forget:

UNLESS THE OTHER GUY IS YU DARVISH. Maybe. I mean, that’s the point. We’ll see.

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