I know it really isn't something to just add another journal entry about but I sort of figured out a way for anyone to join my new club: just note me asking to join and I'll send out an invitation. I was originally thinking if people want to join they probably would just fave it but unfortunately clubs don't work that way: they have more administrative authority...and strangely enough being that I'm not that authoritative, I really was going to end up having a small club due to not knowing how to allow people to join. So if you have an interest in these weird girls, then come along!

Hey there, everyone. This is for all of you who are fans of sexy but weird girls...or just sexy girls...and if you're a Sailor Moon fan, you'll like this too!

With the new group system set-up on DA, I've decided to get a new group up and running in honor of the Monsters of the Day of Sailor Moon! It's called "SM-MOTD-Luv" (and here's a button: ) and it's for the collection and appreciation of probably one of the most misunderstood and interesting characters (and designs) of anime! Sort of hope some of you decide to join along...and I sort of hope I don't screw it up or get some guidance as I need it from y'all!

Yet again I've probably had quite a few things I probably could have talked about on here, but laziness or doubt has prevented me from doing so. But when a good movie (and I mean a real good movie) comes along that I have to talk about...well, I just have to get it out there.

As many of you have probably heard, Disney has decided, after several years of avoiding it and having middling results in the 3-D realm (the only one of which I've admitted to seeing was "Meet the Robinsons", only it was on cable and it sort of was a movie with potential that sort of failed to live up to it though with some imaginative moments), to return to making a 2-D animated movie like the good old days. Of course, considering that Disney was sort of not really getting the results it wanted leading to the abandoning of 2-D (the last one I admit to have seen in the theaters was "Tarzan", though I loved "The Emperor's New Groove" and liked "Lilo and Stitch"), it seemed like a risky venture. They have to ease their way back in order to get something that will be satisfying both creatively as well as at least attempt to win hearts and minds in a box-office flooded with all sorts of films for the younger set and the young at heart. (including some that just really shouldn't be out there but are obsessed by them) They did so in two ways that sort of are a balance of either safe or risky dependent on whom you ask. The first was to make it a musical directed by the duo who had huge success both critically and commercially with "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin" (as well as "The Great Mouse Detective" and "Hercules", which were great too) Secondly...they decided to make it a "princess" movie. Normally that wouldn't be a bad idea considering how many great movies are tied to fairy tales...but their last movies was before the "Princess" line Disney came up with that is all the rage of young girls that seems to place them in a different light from how many of us (particularly notable artists on DA) see these female Disney characters. So to have a movie specifically with "PRINCESS" emphasized in it seemed to be a tad foreboding with it's emphasis...in particular as well with an attempt to diversify as well by making her an African-American heroine. (which actually was a great idea but it seemed more like "we want black girls too" when originally proposed than how great it did turn out...but I'll get there) Of course there were all sorts of other factors to put into play, from potentially being lost on people hyping up "New Moon" or "Avatar" to the fact that Pixar head John Lassetter gave his blessing to bring 2-D back for this movie, but this movie could have either turned out to be an ultimate blessing...or a disaster waiting to happen.

So with a movie that had a ton of dread and a ton of potential at the same exact time, it was hard to imagine how it would turn out. So let me be one to personally to say...it was a success...oh boy was it a brilliant success! This movie is exactly what Disney (note how I say "Disney", not "Pixar" considering it's doing it's own thing brilliantly) needed to sort of reawaken it's long-dormant imagination and potential that it seemed to have lost or squandered somewhere from the end of the "renaissance" era (the period people talk about that went from "The Little Mermaid" to...oh, I say either "Tarzan", "Emperor's New Groove" or "Lilo and Stitch") to the point it finally got Lassetter to head them. This film is sort of a combination of several factors that lead to it's artistic success, from "back to basics" in storytelling to telling a classic tale with a few new twists...to even winking and nodding to it's past and many of Disney's many great animated films of the past. I'll be going over each one and try to mention a few things...but try to prevent from spoiling too much so that those who haven't gotten it in their countries can experience this wonder for themselves:

-The "back to basics" aspect of this film is essentially telling a story that has been done many times before but with storytelling so well done that you really don't mind or care that it is. The two main characters are Tianna, who...well is supposed to be the "princess" in the title but...it's sort of hard to explain without spoiling it. Tianna is from a long line of independent Disney heroines, mostly tied to someone like Ariel or Jasmine but with a smidgen of Cinderella in her too. She's no-nonsense and a true go-getter, but to the point that what she wants isn't really what most heroines desire: she has a vision of running her own restaurant and nothing, whether it be working multiple jobs or getting tied up with a "prince-turned-amphibian" whom she gets stuck with. Said "prince" is Naveen, who isn't quite your typical prince: sure he is royalty but cut off from the family fortune and sort of hoping he can woo a rich heiress so he can go off and do what he wants without worrying about duty or doing things for himself. Compared to a lot of the princes in Disney (well...born into princehood, not like, say, Aladdin who marries into it), he's really a bit of a goofball, somewhat a bit of a fusion of Pepe Le Pew and Kuzko from "The Emperor's New Groove". The main reason he's turned into a frog is by way of a charismatic witch doctor (who reminds me a bit of Baron Samedi from "Live and Let Die" for some reason) who decides to use him (and a bit of black magic) to take the local family fortune from one of the major plantation owners...well, his daughter. (but we'll get to her in a bit) Due to the curse (and a weird matter which makes matters worse), Tianna and Naveen are ultimately stuck together and are forced to find a way to cure the froggy affliction, along the way allying with talking animals akin to some of Disney's best. One, a trumpet-playing gator named Louie, wants to become human so he can play in a local jazz band. The other, a hick Creole firefly named Ray, helps them out due to the romantisicm sort of tied to his own beloved. Throw in a great helping of N'awlins cooking (both food and cookin' music), a 197-year old blind swamp witch, the crazy heiress daughter, nefarious shadow creatures and a climax that occurs during Mardi Gras and you've got yourself a great combination for a fun time...and as I said, while it does feel familiar, it's so well done and amazing that you sort of just let it flow instead of using that against it!

-While much of this tale is familiar, there are some interesting storylines and aspects brought in that add a few new twists to this classic tale. Probably one of the most interesting ones is Disney actually satirizing...perhaps even "criticizing"...the "Princess" concepts that they themselves have made such a prominent part of their own modern draw to young females! Remember that rich heiress I keep eluding to: well she essentially is the ultimate example of obsessing with the "princess" line a bit too much and in a way that makes her silly but fun (sort of like a lot of "secondary females that never seem to get the same respect as the princesses" who exist in many Disney films). Even at the start of the film when she's just a little girl, she's obsessed in thinking that she will be the girl who will kiss a frog and get married to a handsome prince. (while at the same time Tianna gags at the thought of even kissing frogs) For most of the movie, she appears sort of crucial due to her riches and her otakudom to the prince/princess cult...but sort of learns a little something by the end as well. Another interesting aspect that happens is how we get somewhat of an inference of how history can change things...but without fully explaining it or in a way that makes it overbearing or a history lesson. Though the movie takes place in New Orleans in the Roaring '20s, it has a prologue that occurs in 1912 (well it's supposed to be, they even mention the election of Woodrow Wilson) and makes an inference that while Tianna has one parent like many heroines, the loss of her father was due to events beyond her control...and it is his memory that sort of becomes crucial towards the climax of the movie when...well, that would be spoiling but let's say that villains never stop making deals until the very end.

-While this film is brilliant as a stand-alone feature, much of this film seems to be drawing or influenced by Disney's past 2-D films, reflecting many of it's good times as well as some memorable factors from other periods as well. There are certain films that are obvious in their "tribute" in here that probably can be agreed upon with little trouble, those including "Pinnochio", "Cinderella" and the first three major films of the Disney renaissance: "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin". But if you look a bit closer and deeper, you can probably see subtle hints towards other Disney films as well, from "The Lion King" and "The Emperor's New Groove" to "The Rescuers", "The Jungle Book", "The Sword in the Stone", "The Aristocats", "Robin Hood", "The Great Mouse Detective", "Peter Pan" (well I swear those three are in there) and a major factor in the climax that...well, some would suspect is closer to "Bambi", but I think is more a bit closer to something like "Lady and the Tramp". In some ways, this film sort of reminds me a bit moreso of another Bond film (well I mentioned LALD earlier but another one intentionally): "Goldeneye", a film that sort of acknowledges it's past but does what it wants in its own way making it it's own film...and a damn good one at that!

In conclusion, I have to say that this film is just a major stand-out amidst what is already a great crowded year for animated films, going from the brilliant successes ("Up", "Monsters Vs. Aliens") to the great films I still need to see ("The Fantastic Mr. Fox", "Ponyo") to even films that were unexpected surprises ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs") and those that sort of have lovers and haters ("9") But even so, "The Princess and the Frog" should not be missed if you're a lover of great 2-D and the return of great Disney magic! (heck, I'm already counting down for "The Snow Queen" considering that I've heard that duo is doing it next...but sort of hope for the best with "Rapunzel", which is the next Disney 2-D film coming out)

Sometimes, in a world where people can put on whatever disguise they want to, whether it be in reality or in the virtual world, it becomes hard trying to figure out what is sincere and what is just faking like you care. Sometimes when people just try to think that they're being themselves, you just can't trust it...and other times, when you think someone is fake, they may just be sincere. Let alone with all the cynicism and stupidity of idiots just trying to be funny or act like everything is some joke from a horrible TV show, trying to make out the truth regarding feelings just feels like more torture and turmoil than it really turns out to be.

I guess I'm going through it the hard way...with my sister...again. Sometimes when she seems way too cheerful when I'm just not in the mood for cheer or starts acting too nice, I just don't think it's sincere. She just seems too fake to me, like everything she's been through (particularly when she got her new boyfriend) is just a show to make herself look better to him and his family. I thought I could tell my mom about it considering she was pretty good...but when she blew up to my sister yesterday, she told her...and I had to take the blunt of it tonight. She thinks I hate her...it's not true at all, but when I try to explain it, she just takes it the completely wrong way. Is it wrong that there are some things I don't like about a person though I still care about the person themself?

All that I know is that it's because of this that my mood to write tonight has been shattered. Meh.

Well it's finally happened. After over a week of running around doing things for everyone but myself and finally getting around to doing a script I've been meaning to get to for translation (and maybe a bit of writing), it finally happened: I've gotten sick. I had a horrible headache last night and it still hurts this morning. I'm not coughing or sneezing and I doubt it's swine flu or anything...but somehow it's a bug that somehow had been going around the home and has finally hit me big time. I really wish I had a real stupid excuse for procrastinating, but this time I think my body has finally told me to take it easy (or else). Though knowing me, I'll probably be good to go for work tomorrow, for what probably is one of the weirdest work weeks of the year (two days of work, then off for Veteran's Day, then two more days of work before we get off for a weekend again). I probably will still be chatting but don't expect much from me in some ways or another.

BTW: sort of wondering if I should create new girls, whether anthros or normal human muscle girls just for no reason whatsoever and experiment I guess. I am tempted suddenly to take a commish with a familiar femmuscle artist but for some reason it wants me to do a girl that doesn't even exist yet...maybe I should calm down my impulses...or satisfy them...either way.