Little subtitled art timelapse with Landia & 2 Galbos

Turns out I forgot the flame Galbo whoops

Edit: follow up illustration for all the dragon friends I missed

Dragon Kirby hanging out with his dragon friends! ;D

It’s Kirby!! The wings were weird and jaggy to draw

Also using Glaze 2.0 that has nightshade here – it’s weird how the full illustration is more blurry than the close ups! It certainly looks better now and less goopy thankfully!

I feel like I’ll keep doing dragon fanart next year because I’m also juggling too many things – we’ll see :’D

Leonie rambles about…the Barbie movie (spoilers)

Processing my thoughts on the movie

• what did I watch, there was too many story threads going on and most of them were shallow and the themes are working at odds with each other – I guess that’s why it felt unsatisfying in some ways
• not deep as characters
• was entertained, satire, great comedy – I enjoyed what I watched! Great acting, costumes, visual/production design and a lot of complex themes mashed together on a surface/jokey level
  • it doesn’t tackle serious, deep things and issues seriously and perhaps that was as far as they could take it
  • complexities of gender inequality, feminism, patriarchy, matriarchy, gender hierarchy, etc
  • thought provoking all the same
• corporate feminism…? Mattel is still doing the terrible things they joke about and gloss over
  • I didn’t care for the CEO character and company workers – why are they dragging this joke for this long
  • it’s still a feat that this movie was made!
• the mother character’s speech –
  • witty, goes over motherhood problems – personally can’t relate (not everything is made to relate to just me or you anyway)
  • acknowledging and having awareness – it became preachy and long
  • reverse brainwashing against patriarchy – if only it was that simple in reality
• this movie is about coping with reality?? How humanity is a complex mess, things are unfair, change is slow, people are enough as they are without binary, gendered expectations/discrimination and things may take steps backward too
  • it made me feel more sadness and emptiness
  • it doesn’t want to do anything beyond acknowledging reality and the bad stuff
  • “just deal with it and find yourself on your own” and “be the change”??
  • it feels like it’s not telling me anything new and so I’m just sad and disillusioned instead
• it did feel like something was missing and that Barbie’s adventures from here is huh??
  • What does she do now? Leech off from the family?
  • What pushed her to leave Barbieland and to create something (unspecified)?
  • Because humanity and being all walks of life is beautiful? (the park scene)
  • It felt like it was part of the adventure and not the whole thing, felt something was missing
  • I guess it did left me also lost, existential and afraid
• I probably missed a lot Barbie references
• product placement – the cars too
• the “I’m just Ken” was broken up in the movie so it didn’t stick – I had to watch the Oscars performance to remember it better and the words felt more cohesive in execution and meaningful there; I do love the song!
• I feel like Ken’s character arc had the most love and satisfaction and to the point that he became the focus of the movie…mixed feelings on this when it’s supposed to be a Barbie movie
  • maybe that is the point – the guys take over with the memorable character arc in the end oof :’)
  • noting how Ken struggles to get a real job in the real world
  • falling into toxic masculinity and learning/growing out of it
• I felt sad, conflicted and empty, confused what message to take from it and how reality is bad…
• it feels like the Kens need to learn and grow (but were depicted as not intelligent, as all of Barbieland are all “airheads”?)
  • Kens also need to slowly figure out themselves and work together to get equality in Barbieland? Will this ever happen?
  • but the real life side of things…the fight for equality for all never ends
• Gloria’s husband was just there practicing the language…he felt intentionally underutilised
• sad that Alan wasn’t fleshed out – he just wants to be free
• it is still upholding the status quo of Mattel making lots of money and nothing really changed
  • they’re making a lot of money out of this movie and beauty standards are still there
  • it doesn’t really critique Mattel that far and it doesn’t really resolve things between them and Barbieland
  • it’s expected = Mattel funded this after all

Barbie’s Success and the Mattel Cinematic Universe (Joseph Fisher)

• hearing how Mattel wants to do 14 movies for all their toys…noooo too much
• some seem plausible but it depends on how things actually turn out

Barbie is Asexual (and why that matters) (talitheintrovert)

• yeah it’s nice when it’s a movie without the male gaze!!
• barbie is for young girls and indeed sells the fantasy of aspirational jobs etc
• I do enjoy the idea of romantic attraction (which isn’t substantial, is fragile and fleeting on its own in reality) plus affectionate, sensory and emotional connection
  • so I guess I value platonic relationships much much more?
• sometimes I do get lazy and just dress in baggy things and then I don’t worry about being judged/sexualised as much outside
  • other times I don’t care and I do want to put more effort in and wear what I want
  • I am not dressing for the sexual male gaze anyway
  • I just dress what I want and feel comfortable in
  • doing what I can with what clothes I have
  • and/or how I want to present/look; I’m not conventionally slim and pretty anyhow
  • indeed it’s just an aesthetic
• video talks about sexiness/sexuality as a political bargaining chip, self esteem with body image and the ego/hurt with not feeling desired/sexualised/valued

Feeling Cynical About Barbie (Broey Deschanel)

• the story does feel like a fun adventure but it doesn’t go deeper than calling out reality
• story did feel lacking and it is nevertheless a toy ad as a full length movie
• I agree with a lot of the points brought up and it felt flat when they tackled too many plot threads, was tropey and it felt like a lot of monologues
• indeed visually it was super fun
• the musical parts felt too broken up with the pacing at times
• how/why Barbie turn into a real human?? It felt underdeveloped indeed
• what is the theme/message??
• saying life sucks – then you’re unbrainwashed?? Huh?

this barbie is a bad feminist 💖👠🌴 (barbie movie review by ModernGurlz) – much more cynical

• yeah why would Barbie go back to being a human if all she experienced was mostly negative things???
  • I do agree she should be spending more time in the real world with the mother and daughter to go through a better character arc and more human experiences
  • we’re just told about it
  • flesh out motherhood issues too
    • also Barbie and her creator/Ruth parallels
  • people also pointed out the park bench crying scene when she talks to the old lady and looks at people around her with various emotions – was the moment she experiences empathy and being human
• I do agree it’s hard to sympathise with Gloria/the mother character as well as we don’t see any of the day to day struggle nor a character arc either – we’re just told about it and shown bits of her daughter distancing herself and that’s it
• the daughter changing her tune really fast was also not earned
• people pointed out the cellulite thing is more the fact that the skin is not smooth, perfect and plastic/photoshopped like a doll and magazine covers would be
• too many themes, surface level tackling of issues, a lot of focus on Ken’s arc while the mother and daughter story is underdeveloped
• hypocritical film – expected because it’s by Mattel

The Plastic Feminism of Barbie (verilybitchie)

• wow I didn’t know about the different body type dolls…and it feels limiting
• as a kid I only had 3 dolls, one of them was mermaid Barbie
  • it was limited because can’t afford much
  • you have to be not poor if you want to actually change clothes!!
  • another was a cheaper doll and the last one was Princess Jasmine I think?
  • reminding me how expensive lego sets were/are too…
• yeah that’s why I felt kind of empty watching afterwards – it lacked substance and felt unsatisfying too
  • the park scene did stick with me and Ken’s arc
• Mattel does the very bad things they call out and how they exploit workers and not really have women’s rights for them
• yeah I still didn’t feel like I fit beauty standards as the movie still showcased and kept the status quo
  • stereotypical Barbie is still kind of up in the hierarchy over other Barbies within Mattel
  • youth, beauty, CEO still on top in the real world for the movie and in reality
  • girl boss Barbieland is mostly the same, slow to change and still gender binary, etc

Barbie: Feminism and Contradiction (Kay and Skittles)

• idealism versus materialism, corporate, perfect fantasy and the complexity of reality
• food for thought since it’s so contradictory as it actually addresses a lot of topics but on a surface level
• they could have dwelled on the existential horror of barbieland itself but they probably didn’t want to go deeper and tackle the darker and Mattel topics seriously
• too right, social change doesn’t happen just because you argued well with your dot points…
• I guess it is making the point that changing the ruling class doesn’t solve the underlying problems and gender/societal expectations
• agreed that the crying at the park bench scene was the most quiet, emotional, great part that breaks out of the “Mattel corporate propaganda box”

Barbie isn’t a perfect feminist film, and that’s ok (elle literacy)

• yeah it’s a flawed, entertaining film and that’s expected
• it’s doing its own thing within the limits of its Mattel funding and should be critiqued too
• it’s a movie that explores how messy and complex humanity is – creating your own path and it’s all subjective
• ooh apparently women were testing men on dates to see this movie to check if they’re misogynistic

“Woke Hollywood” and The Limits of Empathy (Tensai Productions)

• lots of food for thought, how white centric and white guilt/critical movies, media, etc are

Personal rambles

I’m still sensitive whyyy – still oof when you post something & someone unsubscribes/unfollows :’)
Humbling & it’s for the best! They don’t want to see my stuff, changed their minds and that’s fair.

Youtube subscribers only matter if you’re trying to get monetised (I’m nowhere close) really…I’m not sure if I’ll ever get there. I don’t like how my brain keeps moving the goalpost to the next subscriber milestone – I wish I could hide it! I should be more focused if people are even seeing, watching and/or reading my stuff instead :<

Thanks supportive, encouraging peeps still along for the journey 😭💖

I post my Kirby stuff and I get unsubscribed haha :’)
I know it comes and goes as I’ve experienced it countless times so I’m just venting & processing the feelings :’)

And now for Threads:

hm once again I don’t know if I should keep posting here 😅

I’m not social (low energy/interest/time) so I understand why I’m posting to a void…so do I even bother crossposting here?

Instagram & twitter are terrible with reach for artists but at least some/a small handful of people engage with it! Meanwhile Threads keep showing me peeps/artists apparently thriving here so it just makes me feel worse & miserable :’)

Whelp taking another indefinite break here – catch you at my blog, discord, youtube and bluesky 💙

Also just not going to bother with Threads for now – again
It’s more for talking to yourself and into the void apparently – but I already do that in my own blog haha

Just venting about social media again…I need to keep away or I’ll keep checking too much!! Ah well I’ll keep doing my best – since these posts I got some super lovely encouragement too. It’s just tough out here for everyone :’)

Anyhoo other things:

• I was not able to do shower mould cleaning with non toxic stuff because my monthly cramps and pains got me unable to do it :’)
  • shall try later in the week and not looking forward to it…
  • cleaning is hard work and I’m doing baby steps as it is haha
• watched Ghost Rider with Nic Cage and that was an entertaining predictable movie!
  • the weird CG and the finger pointing
• got my flu shot and was awkward as I had to hear a personal, private call
• The Bizarre World of Fake Video Games (Super Eyepatch Wolf)
  • video is inspiring (also Louie Zong and other artists)
  • maybe I can try making a fake video game too…
  • it’s essentially making a pitch for a non existent game though…it’s a lot of work :’)
• I am still suffering at week 3 of not having a working fridge because someone was stalling and wasting time!!
  • I can’t keep any food or veggies in the fridge so nutrition and bowels are not so good
  • am not sure about meals each day :'(
  • Just sad, frustrated and struggling not having a fridge for this long and not wanting to get take out too much (it’s expensive!!)
• can’t depend on instagram/threads or twitter (reminding myself)
  • my blog here remains to be my online home
  • artists are paywalling their rambles, have paywall and free newsletters, discords, forums, courses, products, books, etc and one day/when needed I might do something similar as another avenue for survival…
  • I feel guilty for not doing much towards passive income and not being productive sometimes

Juggling lots of things and trying to not spiral and feel anxious about the future continues!!

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