#oudf503

  "Adventure Time" is a popular cartoon show that airs on Cartoon network, and is nearing the completion of its fifth season. It chronicles the life of Jake the Magical dog and Finn the last surviving human in an apocalyptic world approximately 1000 years into the future. This land has been renamed the kingdom of 'Oo'.

To my knowledge, the concept is not adapted from any previous stories or publications, created originally by Pendleton ward.

This however doesn't mean that it hasn't demonstrated a large amount of trans media branching during its relatively short existence.

For example, it has a large fan following, which also support the comic books that explain side stories and plot lines that may never be addressed in the main series, but are still considered canon in the extended universe.

These stories include the exploits of characters that may not get enough screen time, clues to future stories, and the origins of the main cast, as well as the cast of the alternate "Gender Bent" universe, helped greatly by one of their team artists, Natasha alegri, who provided the gender swapped designs for the special episodes that sparked the alternate universe.

To add another layer of self awareness to this development, their existence came about when the series' canon villain, the Ice King, decided to write fan fiction about his 'nemesis', who in reality only wants to be Jake and Finn's friend.

This also seems to be the subject of the related video game, which is about the ice king going through Jake and Finn's garbage to make himself a bride.

  As it may or may not be evident at this point, I am a fan of the "Big Four", meaning that I love the films "Tangled" (2010),"Brave" (2012), "How to train your Dragon" (2010), and "Rise of The Guardians" (2012).

Each of these films is an adaptation of either a novel or classic tale:

"Rapunzel" (Brothers Grimm)

"The Bear" (adapted by Andrew Lang)

"How to train your Dragon" (Cressida Cowell)

"The Guardians of Childhood" (William Joyce) ((With Focus on the mythology of Jack Frost))

Each of these characters has been be reimagined in ways that in some cases make them almost unrecognizable in comparison to their original literary counterparts.

  The first example is Rapunzel. She is most of what one can expect from a Disney princess: Has animal friends, can sing like an angel, wears pink and bakes biscuits.  However, what makes her adaptation from the traditional "Damsel" Roll is that she saves her Prince more times than he does her. Partially this is because she has magical hair that can heal people, but mostly its down to the vast amount of creativity in both art and that magical hair she wields, along with a handy skillet.

The violence is not exactly advisable, but this is a positive step towards conveying to girls that they can take a hold of their own affairs without any external cue. Flynn Rider (the 'Prince') may have provided a catalyst for the adventure, but Rapunzel holds him at ransom when he breaks into her house.

This is amazing when she has in fact been stuck in a tower her entire life, but it demonstrates that common sense (a gift not granted to many princesses) is far more valuable in the real world than  a pretty face of the ability to sew.

She demonstrates Adventure, and following your dreams even though you might not have the slightest idea of what awaits you on the path there.

For the sheer fact that Rapunzel is self sufficient, generous, self sacrificing and not out for any other personal motive other than the freedom to live outside, I actually  place her in higher heroic esteem than our next Contender....

(The original story is VASTLY DIFFERENT )

Merida was supposed to be the 'Different' Princess, in much the way Mulan was, and in her own way, Merida did step up to the plate.

The prolific reason that sets her apart from her fluttery counterparts is that she does not have a love interest for the duration of the film, nor does she marry at the end, and in one iconic scene shoots for her own hand in an archery contest.  This is at odds with the original story, where the Prince does win her wilful heart.

However, this incarnation is rebellious to a fault, and inadvertently endangers her entire clan, and nearly dooms her mother to a furry existence. In short, she's selfish and stubborn, but shows resolve in trying to redeem herself and setting things right.

Not only is it not preferable that her mother be put in an initially antagonistic role, Merida does not really have to sacrifice anything at all to accomplish her goals. There is a scare where she might have to marry a prince, but she's let off the hook. Then there is the spell that doesn't seem to break, but it does and everything is hunky dory and she can continue being single and ridding through the glen with the wind in her hair firing arrows into the sunset.

She represents will power and freedom.

  For an adaptation of a recent book, Hiccup Haddock has shown the most dramatic transformation in his transformation, especially in regard to his Dragon, Toothless, who he crippled with a ballista shot.

Originally, he was a tiny red haired Viking boy, and Toothless was green, the size of a cat and had no teeth whatsoever. They could converse casually, but only Hiccup could understand anything the dragons said.

In the film adaptation, however, it seemed to transcend the partly childish base, and instead bloomed into a sophisticated story that demonstrated to the viewer a series of life or death dilemmas: the harsh depiction of bullying and dealing with brutish fire breathing creatures (and dragons), the consequences of crippling a creature, of lying to your friends and family...

And the importance of creativity. Hiccup is a nerdy black Smith. In a village that prides muscles, he has to utilise ingenuity over brawn to solve his problems, and in so doing, manages to learn about the creatures that his village had been slaying for 300 years. He manages to save his village from the threat that looms over it but loses his leg in a shocking twist, the same side that he had broken Toothless' tail.

He represents compassion, for the most part, and an aptitude for trying new approaches.

It is certainly a  different emotional hike from the original story, where Hiccup almost gets swallowed by a surprisingly eloquent green death.

As well as this, the 'Dragons' Series has become so popular, that Dreamworks have produced both a live stage show and a television series. This has brought unprecedented success to the Book series itself, and has helped to fund the two sequels, the first of which is out next year.

  And know we reach the baby of the group (figuratively).

In traditional tales, Jack Frost (originally stemming for Norse mythology as "Jokul Frosti") has been depicted as an unkind, craggy, old ice spirit who merely exists to ruin your day by making you slip and skin your knee or freezing windows and rivers.

The version presented to us in this adaptation... Is barely any of those things. He is mischievous, as teenage boys are, but he is far from cruel, and decidedly good looking: For a frame of reference, the tooth Fairy has a crush on him. 

William Joyce masterfully weaved a series of books based on several mythical figures that present alternative depictions to children, and demonstrated that the traditional versions of classic stories did not always have to be the only way you could imagine them. The idea came about when his late daughter asked him in a moment of childish curiosity if the Easter bunny knew Father Christmas. But the film focuses on the 'youngest' spirit to be born to this purpose, even if he does not know why.

Since his emergence from a frozen lake (resurrected by the man in the moon), Jack has travelled the Earth for 300 years, and has no recollection of how he got here or who he was before this time. People cannot see him, and he pulls pranks to try and get attention. This is heart-breaking enough, until the other Guardians of childhood (Santa, Tooth fairy, Sand Man and Easter Bunny) reject him, and the Boogie man tries to coerce him to the dark side.

It almost works, but only because Jack is horribly lonely.

IT turns out that the reason he needs to protect children is because he drowned saving his sister.

He represents fun, and unconditional love... A far cry from the Jokul Frosti of myth.

    The reason why these characters are so influential and actually quite important to audiences around the world, is that they transcend their stories, and show that not only can their appearance and settings be altered, but their values can evolve, and lessons can be taken home without the condescension of necessarily being told a fable. They show that young people can take matters into their own hands, that they have the choice to do the right thing. They may not be losing limbs or drowning in lakes, but sacrifice is certainly an important part of growing up. As is loss, things that younger people may never really experienced in their own lives. But the fact that it's teenagers that are going through these trials, (and not adults ) shows that you don't have to be mature to be brave or tactical when dealing with difficult problems.

In them, you can see a bit of yourself, and you can encourage yourself and others that even though they are fictional, theses characters do in fact have the same flaws and vices as your typical youth and although the adversity they overcome differs to those one might stumble across, they are no less real in how they deal with things with the lemons handed to them by life.

((First: Write a script.))

Opening animatic: 'SIM'.

Scene 1: Punching in

Establishing shot: Sharp, slatted blinds are drawn together, so only the faintest shards of morning’s light slide between them in watery, golden swathes.

Cut to a CU shot: luminous, integrated wall clock that displays the time. A blinking icon makes us aware that the 'Snooze' function has been used twice already: This is the third attempt to rouse the negligent clock owner.

8:59 AM, Fri, 13/09/2030.

A digit flickers and rolls over into a fit of irritating beeping when a new time displays itself.

9:00 AM, Fri, 13/09/2030.

The Camera retreats into a gradual pull, and the mass beside this annoying device stirs from beneath floral sheets.

…

Pull halt: A mass of black curls emerges, tangled from tossing and turning: their owner bashes at the wall clumsily, and then bumps her head on the ceiling that seems far too low, still addled by sleep and her efforts are punctuated with a fractious groan.

Simone: Stupid... Bloody-

Eventually, a correct button is pressed and the girl flops back on to her front momentarily with relief. The unruly locks have prevented the revelation of her face as of yet.

Simone: ...Mmf.

CU: She finally pulls away this thick curtain to unveil a freckled face. She is average as people go. Not especially breath taking, of average weight and height. Her skin is a bit pale, possibly from not getting enough sun, and her eyes are dark, both in the iris and underneath the bottom lid.

This girl is Simone Sherman.

Sleep deprivation is evident as she yawns in the most unflattering way, and scrubs the back of her head. She is dishevelled, as one would expect, and stretches her arm above her head with a sickening 'pop'.

Her posture releases its tension and drops, narrow shoulders round and her face falls into a slack jawed state reminiscent of a zombie. She is certainly not a morning person.

Simone: *Groans* ...Fuuh. What even is the ti-

MS: Cut to her face. Only then does she turn to the clock. She freezes. A pregnant pause.

Simone: …

She is two hours late. For what exactly, we do not yet know.

Simone: Bollocks!

There is a mad scramble as Simone throws back her blanket. Her pyjamas are pink,with polka dots, and a rabbit motif on her breast pocket. Her bed socks are loudly patterned and mismatched.

It is safe to say that she has no concerns about anyone seeing her in this state each morning.

Cut to the bed's foot: Simone slings herself down the ladder of what seems to be an elevated bed.

Simone: Damn, where the hell did I-?

She hits the carpet: The furniture in general seems very functional, but still a little odd, as if the entire space has been made from torn segments of an 'Ikea' Catalogue. It is a student room, small, boxy, and utterly ordinary for its contemporary time... Apart from the presence of an odd, scarlet accented chair of some sort.

Simone: Ah! There we go.

CU: A pair of glasses are held aloft, although this is a loose interpretation of what exactly they are. They have a top rim, but are otherwise glass, and refract the subdued light.

The camera pans as they slip over her nose... And apparently, that's all it takes to get ready for her work day. Pyjamas and disparate socks are left unchanged. Tangles untended, Simone slings herself into this strange cream and scarlet leather recliner.

CU: Her arm slips through a canister shaped shelf at her right.

Full body shot: She melds against the curve of the chair, and her eyes slide shut behind the visor glasses she now wears.

CU: Her breath is let out, n she seems to succumb to sleep once more, only with her lids fluttering a little, as if in REM. Her mouth is slack.

She utters a single code.

Simone: Log in- “SIM.”

Zoom: Into the eyelashes, until the screen is black. A loading screen fades in, an icon comprised of circles that appear in succession as validation for Log In is under way.

The icon disappears, and we slowly fad into a hazy bokeh.

Wide shot: A tiny figure is dimly silhouetted by these faded lights that shimmer and flicker in and out of existence. We can see it is female, with extremely long hair and a costume that accents the stark shape of her body against the haze.

She falls as if in slow motion, perhaps with the drag that one would experience sinking through water: Safe, controlled, and perhaps a touch ethereal.

CU: A cut to a device that looks like a set of ornate headphones.

Overhead mid shot: of the figure descending to a set of what look to be pillars of light rising from this dark space, limning the figure in a blaze that accents the colour of that improbable ponytail that flickers like a flame behind her.

Wide shot: The pillars rise from the bottom, supported on a glassy platform.

Stairs rise to meet a waiting foot, equally glassy and mildly luminescent, lit from within.

They bob under the weight with a sound akin to the basso amplified pop of a bubble. It reverberates, and the pillars glow in response, coming out of 'sleep' mode.

“Sim” doesn't waste time descenting these stairs conventionally: Gravity is optional here, after all. Instead, the pushes off and skips six or seven at a time.

SIM: Open server selection.

(Her voice is quiet, focussed, but it's as if there are holes in it. Hollow would be an apt synonym, and rattling around inside a tin can as the buffer finally catches up with the rest of the program.)

Mid overhead: All at once, as Sim finally reaches the centre tower, three large windows open up in the midst of countless others that flicker into life.

Switch angle: We are now behind of Sim as she accesses a holographic console with a wave of her hand. The images glow, and depict some one of Simone's digital personas:

A super deformed semi caricature flanks the green tower.

A delicately featured Male elf flanks the purple tower.

A grey, featureless form sits ominously atop the watery yellow tower.

Switch, over head: We return to Sim, visually wedged between two of these towers. She stands before an orange pillar, riddled with light, making her hair blaze around the edges.

SIM:

X: > Users > SISH> Start SIMMY.exe

A wash of green light, and the woman is temporarily lost to cyber space in another of her countless guises.

End scene.

Opening animatic: 'SIM'.

Scene 1: Punching in

Establishing shot: Sharp, slatted blinds are drawn together, so only the faintest shards of morning’s light slide between them in watery, golden swathes.

Cut to a CU shot: luminous, integrated wall clock that displays the time. A blinking icon makes us aware that the 'Snooze' function has been used twice already: This is the third attempt to rouse the negligent clock owner.

8:59 AM, Fri, 13/09/2030.

A digit flickers and rolls over into a fit of irritating beeping when a new time displays itself.

9:00 AM, Fri, 13/09/2030.

The Camera retreats into a gradual pull, and the mass beside this annoying device stirs from beneath floral sheets.

…

Pull halt: A mass of black curls emerges, tangled from tossing and turning: their owner bashes at the wall clumsily, and then bumps her head on the ceiling that seems far too low, still addled by sleep and her efforts are punctuated with a fractious groan.

Simone: Stupid... Bloody-

Eventually, a correct button is pressed and the girl flops back on to her front momentarily with relief. The unruly locks have prevented the revelation of her face as of yet.

Simone: ...Mmf.

CU: She finally pulls away this thick curtain to unveil a freckled face. She is average as people go. Not especially breath taking, of average weight and height. Her skin is a bit pale, possibly from not getting enough sun, and her eyes are dark, both in the iris and underneath the bottom lid.

This girl is Simone Sherman.

Sleep deprivation is evident as she yawns in the most unflattering way, and scrubs the back of her head. She is dishevelled, as one would expect, and stretches her arm above her head with a sickening 'pop'.

Her posture releases its tension and drops, narrow shoulders round and her face falls into a slack jawed state reminiscent of a zombie. She is certainly not a morning person.

Simone: *Groans* ...Fuuh. What even is the ti-

MS: Cut to her face. Only then does she turn to the clock. She freezes. A pregnant pause.

Simone: …

She is two hours late. For what exactly, we do not yet know.

Simone: Bollocks!

There is a mad scramble as Simone throws back her blanket. Her pyjamas are pink,with polka dots, and a rabbit motif on her breast pocket. Her bed socks are loudly patterned and mismatched.

It is safe to say that she has no concerns about anyone seeing her in this state each morning.

Cut to the bed's foot: Simone slings herself down the ladder of what seems to be an elevated bed.

Simone: Damn, where the hell did I-?

She hits the carpet: The furniture in general seems very functional, but still a little odd, as if the entire space has been made from torn segments of an 'Ikea' Catalogue. It is a student room, small, boxy, and utterly ordinary for its contemporary time... Apart from the presence of an odd, scarlet accented chair of some sort.

Simone: Ah! There we go.

CU: A pair of glasses are held aloft, although this is a loose interpretation of what exactly they are. They have a top rim, but are otherwise glass, and refract the subdued light.

The camera pans as they slip over her nose... And apparently, that's all it takes to get ready for her work day. Pyjamas and disparate socks are left unchanged. Tangles untended, Simone slings herself into this strange cream and scarlet leather recliner.

CU: Her arm slips through a canister shaped shelf at her right.

Full body shot: She melds against the curve of the chair, and her eyes slide shut behind the visor glasses she now wears.

CU: Her breath is let out, n she seems to succumb to sleep once more, only with her lids fluttering a little, as if in REM. Her mouth is slack.

She utters a single code.

Simone: Log in- “SIM.”

Zoom: Into the eyelashes, until the screen is black. A loading screen fades in, an icon comprised of circles that appear in succession as validation for Log In is under way.

The icon disappears, and we slowly fad into a hazy bokeh.

Wide shot: A tiny figure is dimly silhouetted by these faded lights that shimmer and flicker in and out of existence. We can see it is female, with extremely long hair and a costume that accents the stark shape of her body against the haze.

She falls as if in slow motion, perhaps with the drag that one would experience sinking through water: Safe, controlled, and perhaps a touch ethereal.

CU: A cut to a device that looks like a set of ornate headphones.

Overhead mid shot: of the figure descending to a set of what look to be pillars of light rising from this dark space, limning the figure in a blaze that accents the colour of that improbable ponytail that flickers like a flame behind her.

Wide shot: The pillars rise from the bottom, supported on a glassy platform.

Stairs rise to meet a waiting foot, equally glassy and mildly luminescent, lit from within.

They bob under the weight with a sound akin to the basso amplified pop of a bubble. It reverberates, and the pillars glow in response, coming out of 'sleep' mode.

“Sim” doesn't waste time descenting these stairs conventionally: Gravity is optional here, after all. Instead, the pushes off and skips six or seven at a time.

SIM: Open server selection.

(Her voice is quiet, focussed, but it's as if there are holes in it. Hollow would be an apt synonym, and rattling around inside a tin can as the buffer finally catches up with the rest of the program.)

Mid overhead: All at once, as Sim finally reaches the centre tower, three large windows open up in the midst of countless others that flicker into life.

Switch angle: We are now behind of Sim as she accesses a holographic console with a wave of her hand. The images glow, and depict some one of Simone's digital personas:

A super deformed semi caricature flanks the green tower.

A delicately featured Male elf flanks the purple tower.

A grey, featureless form sits ominously atop the watery yellow tower.

Switch, over head: We return to Sim, visually wedged between two of these towers. She stands before an orange pillar, riddled with light, making her hair blaze around the edges.

SIM:

X: > Users > SISH> Start SIMMY.exe

A wash of green light, and the woman is temporarily lost to cyber space in another of her countless guises.

End scene.

((Secondly: Thumbnail a story board.))

((The original outfit sketch))

Unlike the other three characters, Shire Monson only has one outfit, But its design came to me at four in the morning. I looked at it when I regained consciousness, it just seemed to work for an effeminate 'Dream mage' in a fictitious JRPG. 

It's colour scheme is fairly soft by the other character's standards, but it works for a gentle spirit like Shire. It is also decidedly more 'feminine' than one might normally pick for a male character, but this is part of Simone's ongoing and obviously secondary revenge against the macho players who dogged out her character the first time around.

SIM is a virtual being, so as such, her clothes are not limited by the laws of physics or society. 

They are, however, reined in my her creator's own sense of style, modesty, and a need to protect her 'IRL' identity. So SIM's ensembles are both a product of the environment she is created for, and a need to draw attention away from her controller.

In a virtual world where everyone can endow their avatars with whatever look they want, walking around with a model that looks like a normal human would only draw attention to the user, so a degree of eccentricity is needed to counteract this. 

In short: In order to blend in, SIM had to look unnatural. 

This process began with the flickering flame of a ponytail she sports. It was followed by the both sporty air that her clothes bear. Simone is not an exercise nut by nature, so applying that quality to SIM's ensemble would deter people away from her true identity. Here, we have a demonstration of SIM's penchant for whittling away strange yet oddly appealing sections of her clothing, namely here around the waist and clavicle. Here arms are also left bare here to showcase the fair amount of muscle she bears. 

The headphones are a permanent fixture around SIM's head as a stylistic choice, but also as a practical one: Other users will assume that she is listening to a playlist and (usually) not talk to her as a result. Following the theme of hide and reveal (on the shoulders, waist, hips and thigh), this is a stealthier ensemble that implements the use of gossamer type material that essentially paints the skin with a veil or colour. Again, not much is on display (even though this outfit is technically the most revealing), but it doesn't need to be, especially not when the outfit is essentially a set of  overalls.

This is the default outfit in game. I shows the trapezius, waist and calves. I think what drew me to decide on this outfit was the use of panelling upon the legs. 

Cosplayers would both love and despair of the leggings, and an iconic outfit is usually sure to spur on a fan base that will take enough interest to actually recreate the costume. The more cosplayers, the more attention a given fandom will receive, and then consequently the more money and/ or support a medium like a video game will acquire. 

The rest of the outfit is fairly simple, and still carries the athletic impression, but with a dash of fantasy in the boots and hair. 

Needless to say that the fact that Sim wears heels does not affect her work, as she isn't hindered by laws of gravity or friction in a virtual setting. But because Simone is a sensible girl, the height on the wedge is modest. 

Also, this is the logo that emblazons each of her outfits, (and Simmy's, for that matter.)

Now that I look at it, the 'CY' agency for internet surveillance resembles the 'female' sign quite a bit, but it still leaves an impression upon the viewer. It's even apt that it looks that way, since it is used to represent four facets of one girl, and draw a visual link between them, whether it is a tattoo upon Simone's /SIM's neck, or a logo for the mascot, Simmy, or even an edited version to troll other players in Simone's online RPG persona, Shire.  

The initial inspiration of the hub came from a logo I created in a whim to add an identity to the project. I am not adept at graphic design, but I felt that this particular image had the correct geometric qualities to be the base of a sci-fi base. 

As can be seen, three separate hubs were made from the coloured circles, each containing a focus point for the available avatars. Letters were  converted to stairs, and the shrinking circles became separate islands that floated in this virtual space.

So this piece of concept art really challenged the lack of skills I've gained in vector art in the last couple of years. In fact, I was woefully inept and had to restart several times  because I was unhappy with the result. However, I came to a result that didn't look too out of perspective. It also didn't matter, because my elevations would provide the accurate measurements, so this piece could actually become a painting that provided lighting and material direction for the prospective builders of this level.

I decided that this place would be made of class, and that each of the coloured towers would be illuminated from within, 'warming up' upon their user's arrival and glowing in reciprocation to her proximity. 

Transparency became my best friend in regards to creating that glassy effect, and a bokeh threads through the background, just to add to the mildly feminine, anime future that this place seemed to stem from. With a simple bloom effect, it would be easy to create this ethereal impression.

The main source is obviously from the Orange tower (which represents SIM, especially with the illusion of a furnace or molten metal.)

Simone lives in student accommodation. By default, these places ted to be not very large, have limited square footage and are unavoidably depressing. The layout it designed to save as many inches as physically possible, which means a bunk bed with a desk slotted beneath. 

This also has the amusing complication when waking up, because the ceiling is just a little too close to the bunk, so if one sits up too quickly, your head collides with a solid surface in the morning. 

That isn't to say that efforts haven't been made to brighten the place up. The space comes complete with a wardrobe, a threadbare carpet, an obligatory chiropractic chair that is inevitably uncomfortable, and Simone's bedspread from home. How the bed is attached to the wall is mildly disconcerting to the sleeper, because it has no extra supports to keep the mysteriously sturdy floating construction up.

((I think the coordinating bad weather really adds a sense of looming depression to this space, and makes the racy leather cyber chair that much more out of place and amusing.))

Needless to say, Simmy is represented by the green circle in the game logo. 

This is Simmy's main 'Work' uniform. It's a simple set of leggings, flat pumps and a jersey top emblazoned with the 'CY' agency logo. This outfit is practical, simple to construct and is childish, but not in a creepy way. 

Because of Simmy's prospective wanderings around children's websites, it would make sense that she partakes in a few of the mini games to blend into the area she's surveying. It also wouldn't be a stretch to say that a 22 year old girl who games online in her spare time might win a few of the bonus rounds from time to time. As a result, Simmy has earned a coveted bonus outfit from the notorious shooting gallery game "Shiver me timbers." 

Of course, it is an awesome pirate. She considered wearing the eye patch, but decided not to because it would mess up her hair.