Cartoon Country: A Touch of Magix

Back in October, Cartoon Country took us on a guided tour of Superhero City. In that article, we caught a brief glimpse of Magix, you know, that floating magical cloud city thingy which hovered in the sky above Superhero City and was attached to the city by that rainbow doo-dad.

Bifrost

Yeah, that one.

Well today, we’ve been given clearance to take an extensive tour of this unique spot. So strap in, fasten your seat belts, and…

Ever Rainbow

Take it to the Rainbow Bridge!

While the denizens of Superhero City like to refer to Magix as SHC’s “sister city”, resembling a shiny, sparkling pink-and-gold self-contained city housed atop a puffy pinkish cloud which floats some 10,000 feet above Superhero City, attached to the shores and beaches of SHC by the Ever Rainbow, Magix is in fact an outer-dimensional asteroid realm. Magix is also the name of the capital city within this planetoid realm.

faerieland-2

So the capital of the city of Magix is the city of Magix. Confused yet?

As its’ name implies, the asteroid Magix is surrounded by, well, magic. The air around the planetoid reeks of bananas and kumquats (that’s what white magic smells like, BTW; very few people know that). These magical energies are what keep Magix afloat and from falling through the cloud it’s housed upon, magic controls the climate in and around Magix and prevents the city from interfering with or being interfered with by our planet’s ecosystem…

S&G 2

…And magic is what keeps the asteroid’s structures, rivers, trees and inhabitants (hereinafter referred to as Mythicals by scientists with too much free time) from floating off into space. Now, about said inhabitants…

Generally speaking, Magix’s citizenry can be filed into 2 distinct categories (by bureaucrats with too much free time): Mages and Enchanteds.

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Mages, no prizes for guessing, are beings capable of performing magic, sorcery and spell-casting. Mages make up around 70% of Magix’s population, no mystery there, given how the realm is slopping over with mana (or magical energy, as defined by World of Warcraft players with too much free time).

Rapunzel 4

Enchanteds can’t consciously cast spells the way Mages can, but they are no less mystical in their own right. Enchanteds can sense the presence of magic anywhere and possess a strong psychic, almost supernatural connection to nature and animals, as well as innate prodigious expertise in specific fields, skills and talents, which are unique to each Enchanted. You could call the Enchanteds Passive Mages.

Grumpy_Promo

“And janitors wanna be called ‘Resident Stationery Engineers’, but it ain’t gonna happen!”

Common types of Mages include:

Faeries

Fairies, a class of all-female winged hippie hotties…

Pixies

Pixies, basically like Fairies, only smaller, like wallabies to kangaroos…

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Elves, Fairies with no wings and a Y chromosome…

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And Witches, the Gingers to the Fairies’ Mary-Anns.

Winx Fairies

“Though we dress cooler!”

Common Enchanted types include…

Little Tiana and Lottie

Royals, Kings and Queens and Princesses and Princes, basically the blue-bloods. (And that’s not just a figure of speech; if you prick them, you’ll see that their blood is actually blue!)…

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Heroes, or Specialists, who use their great strength, speed, cunning, cool tech and weapons and awesome hair to save the day (Hoo-Rah)…

Heidi's Song 2

Earthers, country dwellers who are full-on into nature, animals, the earth, earth-based activities like farming, baking, caring for animals…and barefootin’ it…

Courtly_Jester_is_here!

Jesters or Clowns, humanoids who live to joke, have fun and make people laugh and smile. (Seriously, chuckles are better than sex to these folks)…

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And Pirates, genuine swashbucklers who can sense treasure from miles away.

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The difference is that their ships fly!

Common animal species you’ll encounter in Magix are magical creatures like Unicorns

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“My real magic power is that I’m DOLLING! (That’s an extreme form darling, BTW.)”

Palace Pets, extremely adorable creatures with the power to calm and delight who live in the gardens, forests and wilds between Magix’s palaces and are often adopted as companions/familiars to the Royals…

palace-pets

“You will succumb to the cuteness. Resistance is futile.”

Dragons

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Enjoy them while they’re in their cute baby stage; they grow to be 50 feet high.

..And Monsters.

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It’s a one-eyed Purple People Eater. Insert your own Sheb Wooley joke here.

Dot

“Obscure joke. Talk to your parents.”

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The monsters and some (though not all) of the witches reside in Darkmoon, a creepy dark forest on the outskirts of Magix. It’s always nighttime in Darkmoon, even when it’s bright and sunny everywhere else, perpetually shrouded underneath a sinister looking moon.

Majoras Mask Moon

Yeaah….it’s probably best not to look directly at it.

Not unlike our world, Magix is presently undergoing an era of Political Correctness, due to many of the previously disparate lands and kingdoms having been recently united under the rule of the Candy Kingdom, after their rulers King Kandy and Queen Frostine having won this decade’s Hungry Games.

King_kandy_new

“Don’t give us that look! We didn’t resort to any underhanded chicanery or hostility! We merely suggested that the previously rivaling factions come together under us and enjoy and era of peace, prosperity, love, luck and lollipops!”

Queen Frostine

“It was purely voluntary, but we knew the other kingdoms would come around to our way of thinking. Gosh, who wants to be fed to the silly old Pain Monster??”

To their credit, under the Candy Kingdom’s rule, Magix has become very rich and prosperous.

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The capital city of Magix. Home to Fantasy Land’s 1%.

If you have enough of Magix’s chief monetary unit, the gold coin…

Wario with Gold Coins

“Cha-Ching, bee-yotches!”

…You can go into the shopping center in Magix’s town square and purchase the latest and greatest magic wands.

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They cost a little more, but they’re worth it. Trust me, you don’t want to buy some cheap knockoff from off the streets.

The Merchant

The few Outlanders who get to see Magix from the inside are often surprised to discover how technologically advanced the realm is. Magix has Spell Phones (they’re like cellphones except they run on magic instead of electricity), Spell-o-Vision, computers and flying vehicles such as Wind Riders.

Wind Riders

Grumpy_Promo

“Hey, your realm isn’t suck in medieval times, why do ya think ours is?”

The Candy Rulers have even started a high-profile, exclusive private school within the capital, the Cloud Tower Academy for Magic and Might.

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Within these walls, Magix’s richest and most privileged young fairies, witches, wizards and heroes-to-be learn their respective crafts and get out of their parents’ collective hair for a few hours, fed by the realm’s finest chefs and taught by the greatest sorcerers in all the land.

Shang_tsung_mk2011

“Yeah, it’s me. I teach Advanced Black Magic and Junior Curses here. It’s part of my work-release program and community service. I’m also under house arrest; if I even think of committing an act of treachery, I’ll be instantly teleported to Hell, or worse, the Deep South!”

Now, you may recall during our Superhero City tour, that originally the rulers of Magix didn’t want us poking our noses around their realm. What made them change their minds, you ask? It took some heavy negotiations and a HUGE donation of lollipops.

Lollipops

When we gave the Candy Royal Family an entire room full of lollipops, they turned over like a dog begging for a treat.

Princess Lolly

“What can I say? My parents are suckers for suckers!”

Nerdvana: The World of Dragon Ball

It’s time to geek out over a setting again. Today Nerdvana takes a look at the world of Dragon Ball.

This show rocks your balls!

This show rocks your balls!

Time for the obligatory disclaimer: this isn’t a review. By now there have been literally dozens upon dozens of reviews, commentaries and analyses on the adventures of Son Goku and the gang, which is why I’m not going to bother trying it myself. I’ll be specifically talking about the world that show is set in, not the show itself. Now, on to the fun:

Like most artists/writers, I’m a sucker for fantasy worlds. Some people prefer medieval fantasy, others prefer steampunk, some even fancy dystopia (I personally find dystopian settings to be about as much fun as a route canal, but that’s just me). One of my favorite fantasy settings is what I’ve come to term 30 Minutes into the Future, or the World of Next Tuesday. It’s a contemporary fantasy world setting which resembles our world, but not entirely. The version of Earth envisioned by Akira Toriyama in such works as Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump is a good example of the type of fantasy setting I’d like to make a cartoon about one day. One which resembles contemporary Earth, but tweaked and twisted with some futuristic, mythical and just plain outlandish elements.

Let’s start with the architecture. I love Toriyama’s environments and cityspcapes; the ovoid and spherical buildings and structures, mostly gleaming white.

Totally globular!

Totally globular!

I also like the designs and mythos surrounding its’ inhabitants.

dr slump-1

People…people who like Dragon Balls…are the luckiest people in the world.

According to the story of Dragon Ball Online, which takes place in their year 1000,  the humans have the longest established culture on Earth, and they’re also the most prolific, having spread to all corners of the world, including the Wastelands. As of Age 1000, the human race has become cross-bred with the Saiyan race, and as such, many believe that the race holds a powerful, hidden potential, due to their part Saiyan blood. This setting has spawned 3 main classifications of humans which I’d also like to adapt in a work:

Martial Artists – Warriors that specialize primarily in martial arts, with limited use of ki.

“Boot to the head!”

Spiritualists – Mystics that specialize in spiritual, ki (or mana)-based techniques.

“Whimmy-wham-wham-whuzzle!”

-I’d prefer to be a Spiritualist over a Martial Artist, since I’ve always been more into Magic than Might.

Really, they’re both good choices. As long as I get to be one of the people who can fly, s’all good.

And finally, Engineers – Mechanics and inventors who build weapons and utilize technology.

“I’m blinding you, with SCIENCE!”

Which brings me to the next thing I love about Toriyama’s Earth: the advanced technology, particularly the innvations provided by the Capsule Corporation.

CAPSULE CORP. Bringing you into the future…this afternoon.

This company is responsible for the capsules which can store anything from a water bottle to a car to a tent to a small house.

In your face, Public Storage!

Plus, you get to live and operate from a giant yellow dome!

Also, I love the Capsule Corp. logo. It’s a typography geek’s dream. Dr. and Mrs. Brief, please adopt me.

Another cool device this world boasts is the freaking hovercar.

It’s a FLYING CAR. Come on.

From the makers of the hoverboard…

It’s 2015. The future is now.

..And the hovercycle.

Perfect for quick trips to the store, jaunts to the beach, cruising ’round the countryside or evading Storm-troopers on the planet Endor.

As previously stated, I really dig the designs and unique quirks of the people in Toriyama’s works.

The punnish names, the quirky clothes…

Body by Nature. Hair by Youthful Rebellion. Outfit by Hot Topic.

…The unusual colored hair…

“No dye job, honey. This is a natural purple.”

..I even like the talking animal people.

I’m aware of what Jason previously covered in Furry Confusion, and I agree with the points made there, but hear me out. On Toriyama’s Earth, 17% of its’ sapient population were talking animal people, because Toriyama just enjoys drawing them, however I’ve always felt that if you anthropomorphize animals too much then there’s no point in making them animals in the first place. That said, I do like the talking animal idea, I’d just execute it a little differently. In my head canon the Toriyama version of Earth is Hidden Kingdom from Hero: 108, only about a century or so in the future. In ancient times, animals and humans belonged to separate tribes which co-existed alongside one another. Humans began evolving and developing things like tools, weapons, vehicles, cities, burger joints and so on, while animals remained “savage” but eventually learned to speak the language of humans. This resulted in a sub-culture of sentient animals who are able to speak directly to humans but are still animals; they talk, occasionally walk upright but don’t wear full compliments of clothing, can’t operate vehicles or hold down jobs, and only the ones which are pets (though they prefer the term “companions”) live in houses and buildings. I’ve always wanted to do a story in which talking animals were a sort-of fun house mirror equivalent to the Mutants in the Marvel universe, and that’s how I’d execute this idea.

“You really have no life, do you?”

While we’re at it, let’s extend this “semi-anthropomorphism” to dinosaurs, since it’s already been established that dinos aren’t extinct in this world…

T-REX ON A SKATEBOARD! T-REX ON A SKATEBOARD!

…And why not extend that to their cousins, the dragons (as in the non-Eternal variety). They’re like dinosaurs but they can breathe fire, fly and other cool stuff.

A Dance with Dragons

BTW, this world follows Littlest Pet Shop logic, so people can have things like dinosaurs, dragons, monkeys, tigers, kangaroos and pastel colored pandas as pets.

Hello, toy sale tie-ins!

But you know who I truly envy in the Dragon Ball world?

This guy!

“HA-HAAA! WHO DA MAN???!?”

Yeah, I know he’s a fraud and basically the joke/comic relief of the franchise, but you’ve gotta hand it to Mr. Satan; the guy’s the king of dumb luck. He managed to become stinking rich and super-famous, even getting an entire city named after him, for doing nothing. Classic case being in the right place at the right time. he is the Martial Arts Champion, so as normal humans go, he is actually pretty formidable, but he’s absolutely nothing compared to Goku and company.

Plus, you’ve gotta admit, that’s a pretty cool cape.