Ask da Cast

Your local Japan and Jesus Freak. I reblog a lot of fanart, educational posts and memes. Occasionally I let myself ramble for hours. You will be captive to my whims and hot takes, ye who enter.

[askdacast]

profile page here

sorry for mobile users who couldn’t access it before

reminder again that any post on this blog before 2018 is likely cringe and does not reflect my current opinions or writing progress

believe it or not, I was once a dumb teenager too, but now I’m just dumb

[theoutofworld-blog]

Amazing art pieces of oomf @askdacast ‘s super cool character Alyss Baraen, the witch of roses. Not shown: explosives and firepower, things she’s also a witch of.

Big credit to @lilirulu for her spectacular work on all of these. To anyone who reads this, go throw money at her! She has commissions open until March 8th!

[ak794itomugi]

[sketchyboi25]

I think about this sometimes and it still baffles me.

Like how did we go from some kid’s digimon oc coming to life all the way to fighting unholy eldritch horrors?

[yamayuandadu]

Since you've been so critical on more recent SMT's handling of mythology, what are the interpretations of myth in Touhou you personally disagree with ZUN's use of?

Tbh there actually aren't many I can think of, I think mostly because ZUN is consistent in how he chooses to portray things so there is a degree of internal coherence. The things which stick out to me off the top of my head are: 1. Amatsu-Mikaboshi in that old fairy manga though argument can be made anything pre-MoF can be approached selectively for obvious reasons 2. While I like Kanako and Suwako as characters, I actually strongly dislike ZUN's commentary on Suwa-related material in interviews. He fell hook, liner and sinker for material which is dubious from historical perspective and is just vintage "Kojiki and Shoki are literal historical truth" repackaged, actually would be better off reading wikipedia (I can vouch for the guy who wrote both the jp and en articles about most Suwa-related topics there!) 3. I personally do not like ZUN's approach to buddhism in WaHH. Marveling whether there are Buddhas around doesn't go well with any major japanese school of Buddhism. I think Ashiyama's portrayal of religious life of the village in Human Gensokyo is much more "authentic" so to speak. I personally found the general atmosphere of HG amazing but I also think it's basically its own thing which in some regards is closer to works like Takemitsu Zamurai than to Touhou, tbf. 4. Not a mythical figure but I do not like the choice of Kosuzu's surname. Motoori Norinaga is not a guy I am a fan of to put it lightly. 5. I wish makai was the real deal and not a pc-98 throwback but it's not like much gets done with it so this is 90% a fan idea in the first place.

[pikavani]

I had the absolute honor of creating these special illustrations for Alex Rochon!

For his very own D&D one-shot, I designed every single character from the show — reimagined in fabulous, fantasy-inspired outfits!

Alex gave me wonderful descriptions and references for his vision, and together we brought these chaotic, lovable characters into a whole new world.

The DnD stream was hilarious, heartfelt, and so full of personality — and seeing the cast bring the designs to life was such a surreal moment!

Right after the stream, fans started drawing fanart of my designs!!

I’m honestly so proud and beyond grateful that something I created inspired others to create too.

Thank you again to Alex and the cast for trusting me with this magical project — and to everyone who’s shared love for the designs, you’ve made my artist heart so full 💕

(Also: everyone who draws fanart of my designs is now legally required to tag me in their posts. I don’t make the rules 😌)

The amazing digital circus: Digital Dungeon Danger

[eternal-echoes]

“Here, then, is why Christian hope is steadfast; here is why it does not disappoint. Never does it disappoint. Hope does not disappoint. It is not based on what we can do or be, or even on what we may believe in. The foundation of Christian hope is what we can be most faithful and certain of, that is to say, the love that God himself has for each of us. It is easy to say, "God loves us." We all say it. But think a bit: each one of us is able to ask, "Am I sure that God loves me?" It is not so easy to say it. But it is true. This is a good exercise, to say to oneself, "God loves me." This is the root of our certainty, the root of hope.”

-Pope Francis, On Hope

[ak794itomugi]

[askdacast]

KPop Demon Hunters is a very good movie.

[askdacast]

What do you mean there’s a modern animated film that presents a deeply insightful portrayal of demons and commentary on sin and temptation, on how guilt and shame at our sins actually traps us into believing we are forever condemned and driving us further into lust, and the only way to break out of this cycle is to bring our shame into the light of love and trust in those who have shown us acceptance and community

And it’s from KPop Demon Hunters

[askdacast]

listen, we have the Half-American Rejects in the Life Series now

I'm shocked that nobody yet has done an animatic with them and THE All-American Rejects song

[uncannycookie]

somebody said ed feat. tony-hawk-syndrome and I very much agree

[askdacast]

Three years ago my friend and I were discussing why the whole “eldritch abominations all look at humans like humans look at insects cuz they’re so cruel and unrelenting nyeh” trope was really stupid and after it crossed my mind again I’ve somehow found even MORE reasons to find this trope too simplistic, considering:

People (like me) are irrationally terrified of cockroaches

A lot of designation/fear of certain insects as “pest creatures” (ants) is deliberately drummed up in advertising (so a lot of our aversion to ‘pests’ is as much a socially influenced sentiment as it is our own need to not be inconvenienced)

Beetles are beloved, especially by collectors

So are dragonflies, and other insects I’m probably missing

Bees, one of the most socially advanced insect species out there, are highly valued and protected for obvious reasons, and the bees themselves (farmed anyway) often work symbiotically with human intervention

That mantis sure can do kung fu

You have felt guilty about smashing an ant before. Don’t lie to me, you have at least once in your lifetime.

If we have such varied emotional reactions to insects, from terror to joy and admiration to guilt, I don’t see why a creature larger than the planet or universe should be different. Not everyone feels like stepping on an anthill, Jared.

[nedofrisk]

drawing clouds is soooo relaxing

[askdacast]

My favorite part of watching Hamilton for the first time was it was also a Japanese acquaintance's first watch and every time King George III showed up on screen she kept excitedly whispering "出た出た出た出た," and at the end declared he was her favorite character in the entire show

[praxvidence]

My favorite observation I've made about how certain heroes/hero media is treated

[echogarden1]

take my quiz if you like EthosLab and/or Kakashi

sorry for not crediting the artists, most images are from pintrest and therefore are reuploads