Mel's Inktober 24 - Playful Pups

Nothing fancy about this one. Just a nice, simple, feel-good moment of two adorable dogs having some autumn fun together.

Mel's Inktober 17 - Cute Black Cats

Wanted something a bit happier and a lot simpler this time. I've always been a pretty big cat person; I'd have dogs and cats if I could.

And I like the smell of pumpkin, though I never acquired a taste for it. It tastes okay but it's one of those foods I won't eat if I don't have to.

2023 Inktober 25 - Lion vs Unicorn

For whatever reason, the Lion and the Unicorn are sworn enemies, so that's today's self-imposed prompt.

Terence doesn't mind any kind of animal that lets him be. He's not too terribly friendly with werewolves, but given that a certain pack of werewolves spend a good portion of the story absolutely hell-bent on killing him, can you blame him? This makes his relationship with Beowulf that much more ironic, and Beowulf is the first to admit it.

So, why does Beowulf side with Terence? How does Terence save Beowulf from becoming a complete villain?

Well, Terence goes through a fair bit of hell himself. He gets knocked down plenty of times, but always finds some way to get back up, even if he needs a helping hand. He even shows compassion to Scorpio, notwithstanding he has every reason in the world to hate Scorpio and he'd be totally justified in killing him himself. Beowulf sees a lot of his old self in Terence and is reminded anew of the good things in the world.

The big difference between Beowulf and Scorpio is that Beowulf has known love, whereas Scorpio only ever knew hate and only relied on hate to survive. Scorpio would do absolutely anything to preserve himself, even though he hardly has anything to live for; he's as good as an empty shell. It knocks him for quite a loop when Terence dares to show him compassion, of all things, and he resents how Terence refrains from delivering the killing blow.

Basically, when Beowulf takes a good look at Terence, he sees love all over again, and his belief in it is kindled anew.

Therefore, after Scorpio, Moloth, and the rest are gone and Beowulf is his own master again, he decides to follow Terence and give the side of goodness another try.

Granted, it's far from an overnight process. Terence certainly hasn't forgotten his history with Beowulf, and Beowulf still makes plenty of death threats to Terence's face even if he never follows through with any of them. Then the opportunity comes when each saves the other's life at great personal risk, and then it all snowballs from there.

By the end of Terence's life, the wall between him and Beowulf had been reduced to permanent rubble. Beowulf loves Terence enough to genuinely mourn him when he finally passes away, and he makes himself Daire's special bodyguard from that point on. Of course, he comes and goes on a whim, but he never strays too far, and the day finally comes when he decides once and for all that Daire is his true home.

That's one of the reasons why Beowulf gets along with Reid so well. Reid is practically Terence all over again, albeit with wonderful characteristics all his own, and both he and Terence hold a special place in Beowulf's heart. Once again, Beowulf sees love, hope, and strength incarnate, and most importantly, Reid knows perfectly well what Beowulf is and yet it's not enough to drive him away. He's definitely scared of Beowulf, but he won't run from him. Beowulf wants to be loved but he doesn't want to be taken for granted, so Reid fulfills both requirements nicely.

You could say Beowulf develops a hard shell that both Terence and Reid crack, almost by pure accident, and yet it's the good kind of crack.

Disney Musical May 21 - Bare Necessities

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That bring the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander
Wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder
Of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me

When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a paw-paw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Well, next time, beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw

But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big paw-paw
Have I given you a clue?
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Oh, man, this is really livin'
So, just try and relax
Yeah, cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something, little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh-uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it,
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
(Yeah, man!)
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Yeah, with just the bare necessities of life
(Yeah, man!) 

Since yesterday's picture was a bit of a downer, I decided to do something much more lighthearted today.

 

I was a pretty big fan of The Jungle Book in my early youth. We watched it more times than I could count, at any rate. Baloo was always my favorite character and this was always my most favorite song. Today, I maintain this is the best song (by far the most memorable) and Baloo easily provides half the entertainment by himself.

 

 

On the whole, I feel about the same way about this movie as I feel about Peter Pan: not exactly a die-hard fan anymore, but I still like it enough to watch it and listen to the soundtrack every so often.

 

Speaking of soundtracks, while I'm not usually fond of remixes, I think the Bowling For Soup remix of this song is pretty cool. I also enjoy Smash Mouth's version of "I Wanna Be Like You."

 

 

(All images property of their respective owners.)

Disney Musical May 20 - Baby Mine

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine 

Little one, when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine

If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you

From your head down to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine

All of those people who scold you
What they'd give just for the right to hold you

From your head down to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Sweet as can be, baby of mine
Baby of mine 

One of Disney's sweetest songs and saddest moments. I especially love the version sung by Alison Krauss. 

(All images property of their respective owners.)

Just about everything about poor little Dumbo is authentically depressing. If only being able to touch his mother through their long trunks doesn't put a serious lump in your throat, seeing all the other circus baby animals cuddling with their mothers surely will.

For me, the moment that almost does me in is the mother kangaroo using herself as a rocking chair. The yawning tiger cubs come in at a close second.

You'll need a big, warm hug yourself after this.

Disney Musical May 2 - Circle of Life

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhm ingonyama
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Ingonyama
Siyo Nqoba
Ingonyama
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
(repeat)

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (se-to-kwa!)
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (asana)
(repeat) 

From the day we arrive on the planet
And, blinking, step into the sun,
There's more to see
Than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small
On the endless round

It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
'Til we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life

Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (se-to-kwa!)
(repeat)

It's the circle of life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
'Til we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the circle
The circle of life 

May not be my favorite movie, but I do like this song. The whole story opens with a pretty big bang, I'll grant it that.

And Rafiki is one of the few characters I thoroughly enjoy. I deem him superior to Timon and Pumbaa because I believe in comic relief and story substance. Rafiki both makes us laugh and enriches the story, whereas Timon and Pumbaa are just there to keep the kids happy. Yeah, they prove themselves useful here and there, but I doubt we'd really miss them if they were cut out of the story altogether.

One of the reasons I hate The Lion King 1½ is they just had to show how Timon and Pumbaa were involved in this and the "humor" really cheapens the epic experience. Seriously, Disney, you gotta be kidding me.

At least Simba's Pride also has a decent opening number. The whole thing could have been a lot better than it was if they gave it more time, money, and guts.

And overall, the 1994 cartoon was done way, way better than the 2019 recycle. If I wanted realistic animals, I'd have watched a documentary. What works in a cartoon sometimes just doesn't cut the mustard in live action.

Besides, from what I hear, there was nowhere near half as much heart and soul, that the actors were a lot more monotonous. You can just tell they were doing this to get paid and nothing else.

What rankles me the most is how many pegs Mufasa's death gets knocked down. In the 1994 version, even now, you have a faint hope that he'll get out of there alive, and the aftermath hits you like a punch in the stomach. In the 2019 remake, you know for a fact he won't make it, so the whole scene becomes predictable and boring, and that's not good. Not good at all.

Okay, getting off my soapbox and moving on now.

My Inktober 2022 - 8 - Halloween Owl

Again, aiming for something simple that consumes less time, so I decided to aim for an owl today. Not one of my best works, but I've done worse. 

 

And just like that, we're already one week and a day into this month and this challenge.

 

My Inktober 2022 - 7 - Cute Cats

I wanted something with a little less detail today, and for this kind of month, what better choice than a cute black cat? And why settle for just one?  

I owned a cute black cat once upon a time, and the cat I own now is the biggest cutie I can call my own yet. 

My Inktober 2022 - 6 - Pink Elephants

 

Look out! Look out! 

Pink elephants on parade!
Here they come!
Hippity-hoppity!
They're here and there!
Pink elephants everywhere! 

 

Look out! Look out!
They're walking around the bed!
On their head! 

Clippity-cloppity!
Arrayed in braid!
Pink elephants on parade! 

 

What'll I do?
What'll I do?
What an unusual view! 

 

I can stand the sight of worms
And look at microscopic germs
But technicolor pachyderms
Is really too much for me! 

 

I am not the type to faint
When things are odd or things are quaint
But seeing things you know that ain't
Can certainly give you an awful fright!
What a sight! 

 

Chase 'em away!
Chase 'em away!
I'm afraid!
Need your aid!
Pink elephants on parade!
Pink elephants!
Pink elephants!
Pink elephants!

 

My Inktober 2022 - 1 - Bunch of Bats

Yes, I'm still drawing, but I'm easing my way back into it, with something a lot smaller and simpler.

Still feeling the sting of defeat. I know you win some and lose some, and it was only my first shot and it only lasted three days and people only had so much spending money. I call FanX "a wallet eater" because it will eat your wallet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Even so, it's a pretty big downer, especially in my case. At the very least, people liked my style, so I guess that's one step in the right direction. Anyone who buys your stuff has to like you first and foremost.

Anyway, as I said, I'm easing my way back into art, with not as much need for detail or "prettiness." I must say, Sharpie art provides a wonderful change of scenery.

Chris and Mike's Eagle Award Ceremony

Tonight was the night my two brothers got their Eagle Awards in the Boy Scouts program, so here are the pictures I took with my handy-dandy Smartphone! I may not be that much of a photographer but I can snap a nice shot here and there.

Uncle Jeff was nice enough to come and fill in for Dad. And they brought in a real, live bald eagle named Liberty, which was a real awesome experience! Learned a few nifty facts about bald eagles, and it was funny to learn that the turkey almost became our national symbol. According to the guide, it was Benjamin Franklin's idea, but somehow a turkey just doesn't quite hold a candle to an eagle as far as power, majesty, and sheer beauty are concerned.

Then we headed down to Chick-fil-A for a little celebratory dinner, and now here I am, adding the pictures to my blog so they can be viewed on a larger scale with slightly better quality.

So, congratulations, Chris and Mike! This is most definitely something to be proud of.