Fenrir

A would-be anthropologist, writer, food historian, and professional glutton hoping to combine fandom with her love of food. Ever wondered what a nug tasted like? Is butterbeer alcoholic? If you've asked such questions and are already drooling at the thought of a big old plate of lembas bread, then you're in the right place

Food for Thought: Fan Art Is Fine

 Commentary  No Responses »
Jun 162013
 

Heya folks and welcome to a bit of a nibble (Or maybe a tapa-sized portion) of some important Food for Thought! While I did not choose to go to art school, I pride myself in kind-of-sort-of being in the know for how to get into art schools. And what’s one of the most common  pieces of information/advice that I hear often? Do not include fan art in your portfolio. And honestly, I agree with that: when trying to apply for an art school make sure you showcase what YOU can do with your own skills, let YOUR own creativity show itself to your portfolio panelists!

Drawing off of the official Gray Warden sketch to the left, I drew the fan art to the right; but is the act of looking at official art as a reference such a bad thing?

Drawing off of the official Gray Warden sketch to the left, I drew the fan art to the right; but is the act of looking at official art as a reference such a bad thing?

However, that does not mean that budding artists should avoid all fanart. While your Miss Norris x Crookshanks ship picture may not be suitable to get into Pratt, by no means should you deprive yourself of fan art and the fun that comes with drawing in homage to all those quirky things that you like. In fact, for all you budding artisites out there listen up: fan art can actually be a helpful tool–when it comes to fleshing out your sense of character design.

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Food for Thought: Attack on Titan Parody

 Anime, Commentary  No Responses »
Jun 082013
 

Hello folks, Fenrir here with an unusual bit of “Food for Thought” on the latest Internet meme! So awhile back Kaushik and Pluffei voiced their impressions of the 2013 spring anime season, and notably mentioned an interesting title: Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan). In the words of Pluffei, it’s an anime that looks “really freaking cool” with bold animation and appealing music. A few months later, and a sudden surge in popularity Pluffei was definitely on mark in her prediction that Shingeki would be a show to watch out for.

Shingeki no Kyojin: The newest trending anime and Internet meme

Shingeki no Kyojin: The newest trending anime and Internet meme

But, what I find that most people didn’t expect, was the surge in parody videos that take its incredibly catchy theme-song–Guren no Yumiya–to new heights of comedy and the obscene, in a very brilliant way. So what is it about this shonen hack-n-slash a bunch of man-eating-giants that appeals to the masses–or at least, inspires parody?

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Food for Thought: The Quest

 Analysis  No Responses »
Jun 012013
 

Hey folks and welcome to another exciting bit of “Food for Thought!” A few weeks ago we attacked a pretty cool point to tack onto your next critical theory essay–the reverse Bildungsroman–and this week we’re going to take a glance at another key staple of literature, movies, comics, and beyond. I’m talking about the quest–a journey towards a specific goal.

This quest can, of course, be riddled with symbolism, strange sort of subliminal messages and other attempts at authorial intent. I mean, let’s think of a pretty classic example, The Quest for the Holy Grail, which isn’t actually about some knights who say “Nee”. Oh no, the actual quest for the Holy Grail is all about saintliness; it’s a journey with a set goal which ultimately encompasses a not-so-subtle moral message that is supposed to inspire its audience to work towards their own “quests” to become better people.

A young hero ready to go on an epic quest -- but is there another message here?

A young hero ready to go on an epic quest — but is there another message here?

And this tradition of making quest stories still carries on today with journeys of dashing young men seeking out an ultimate goal.  What comes to mind are stories such as Hayao Miyazaki’s stunning Princess Mononoke with the young prince in exile, Ashitaka, as he seeks out a way to uplift his curse… I mean, it sounds pretty good, right? You go on this journey and you get a reward of some sort that should, somehow, make you a better person.

But is there, in some way, a problematic message that also is transmitted through the epic quest and the perceived rewards the hero receives at the very end?

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Food for Thought: Steven Universe

 Impressions, Television  2 Responses »
May 252013
 

Hey guys Fenrir here — for those of you Food for Thought regulars we’re changing to an exciting new schedule day: Saturdays! (Yay!) And with Saturday evening comes a rather tasty preview for an all-new series created by Rebecca Sugar, one of the masterminds behind some of Adventure Time’s most beloved episodes. Get ready folks for a rather intriguing take on the coming-of-age story with the all-new series set to air on the Cartoon Network sometime soon mid-2013: Steven Universe.

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Food for Thought: Student Animation Season 2013

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May 202013
 

animationsplashimage

Hey guys Fenrir here with a rather quick bite of some Food for Thought! School winding down for many of us over here in the states — it could be graduation for those of us who are part of the class of 2013, and more generally the start of a much-deserved summer after a whole year of blood, sweat, and toil. And, for those of us in the know, the end of the Spring semester also means the premiere of several student animations – and if you’re really looking to procrastinate that final take-home final, then get ready to spend some quality time with some of the best up-and-coming animated works to grace your Internet browser!

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Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

 Movies, Review  2 Responses »
May 152013
 

Great-Gatsby

Last week the box office partied like it was 1925 with the release of the Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated adaptation of that high-school English class classic: The Great Gatsby. The masses flocked to the cinema to get a glimpse of America’s favorite novel about the American dream—hint, it’s actually not about the American dream—remastered with hip song mash-ups, glittering CG backdrops, and perhaps one of the best performances by Leonardo DiCaprio as the charismatic, Jay Gatsby.

Unfortunately the critics seem to be snubbing the film, and with a dismal score of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film stands in some sort of limbo: it seems you either hate it and think it’s a travesty to the memory of F. Scott, or you don’t and seek to defend it till the bitter-end. So what does this English major think of the film? Well – I can only say this much: You really can’t relive the past, and if you’re going to walk into this film, you got to let go of your expectations of the novel in order to give Luhrmann’s vision a chance.

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Food for Thought: The Transformation of Mothers

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May 122013
 

Howdy ya’ll, and welcome to another exciting edition of Food for Thought! Fenrir here, and after celebrating a satisfactory Mother’s Day Brunch I cannot help but wonder… we have a very interesting idea of motherhood in popular media, don’t we? Mothers come in all shapes and sizes, they can be nurturing, or pure evil, they can sacrifice themselves as a plot-device and never come back ever again, or they can be selfish and cruel. We’ve got birth mothers, adopted mothers, evil step-mothers, god-mothers — like I said, literally all kinds of mums that play important roles in the lives of a protagonist.

Cause you know, we need to change bodies instead of talk to each other

Cause you know, we need to change bodies instead of talk to each other

But there’s just one type of motherhood trope that I just can’t help but ponder on — and it’s the transformation of mothers, and the idea that motherhood is actually an incomprehensible thing that can only be mediated when an adult woman’s body is transformed into something else. I mean really, what’s up with that?

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Give it a Shot! — The Gatsby Themed Edition

 Flash Games, Food, Video Games  No Responses »
May 052013
 

Hello, Old Sport, and welcome to another exciting edition of “Give it a Shot”! This is Fenrir here, your resident English major here, and between you and me I’m both kind of stoked and kind of dreading this Friday’s release of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrman and starring Leonardo DiCaprio along with Spider-Man. I mean, Tobey Maguire.

g_gatsby-manual-2

High school English classes will never be the same again…

I’m pretty sure you’ve got some friends who are so terribly excited for what looks to be an artsy romp through the glitz and glamor of our romanticized vision of Fitzgerald’s 1920s — and I totally understand if you’re not up there with the Gatsby hype. As much as I love Gatsby myself, I know I can’t force everyone to enjoy it (*Cough* Silverwolf *Cough, cough*).

But if anything, we can enjoy some of the great video game spin-offs and cocktails that celebrate Gatsby and the Roaring 20s at its finest!

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Fantastic Feasts and Where to Find Them: Action Burger

 Food  No Responses »
Apr 282013
 

Hey all! And welcome to a rather quick bite of Fantastic Feasts and Where to Find Them! Tonight we’re going to take a look at a place where–give or take a few weeks ago–the MoarPowah staff writers hung out and noshed on some good food! And, in keeping up with our “theme” (So to speak) we decided to refuel for more power at a place known as Action Burger.

actionburger1

And it was totally awesome.

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Food for Thought: A First Look at How to Train Your Dragon 2

 Movies, Preview  No Responses »
Apr 212013
 

Hi guys! Fenrir here with a quick bite of some food for thought! It’s been a bit of time since I’ve talked about some speculations, especially about an animated film! Dreamworks has had a few cult-favorites as of late, with films including Rise of the Guardians, Kung-Fu Panda, Shrek (And all its permutations), along with a rather big fan-favorite: How to Train Your Dragon. HTTYD has had consistent praise for its remarkable art and story, and is definitely one of those films that hit you right in the warm and fuzzies.

So with such a successful franchise that includes the movie, animated shorts, holiday shorts, and a television spin-off series — what’s next for the HTTYD line?

A sequel movie, of course!

EDIT: …. Annnnd with all the sequel hype there was bound to be some folks on the Internet who committed the social faux-paux of stealing! More after the cut

Nope, Toothless isn't particularly happy about this round of art theft

Nope, Toothless isn’t particularly happy about this round of art theft

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