#AND THE FLOWER MOTIF-- EXTREMELY EXTREMELY TRUE!!!!!!!!

[trans-luis-serra-navarro]

OK GOOOOOOOO READ THIS POST FIRST I WAS TRYING TO REBLOG IT BUT TUMBLR WOULDNY LET ME ADD ANY MORE PHOTOS OR TAG ANYMORE PEOPLE CUZ IM USING THIS POST AS A JUMPING OFF POINT!!!!!!! GO FOLLOW @theprestigegirly AND @cloverisnonexistantbro !!!!!!!!!

I had @void-detective ask me a few days ago if the ornaments on Luis’ jacket had any particular meaning and as with everything I fell down,,,,,, one hell of a rabbit hole HDNWHWNEHDNX

So, first off; I couldn’t find any super definitive answer to what was on his jacket but I have some pretty good theories!!!!!!!

@vespereargentum and their friend on Twitter helped point out to me that the floral designs are really reminiscent of old Spanish Renaissance furniture and like yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean look at it!!!!!!!!

These photos aren’t very good but you get the gist!!!!!!!

Why would Capcom put visual designs from FURNIATURE onto clothing I have no clue, but considering the fact that almost every single detail of Luis’ character down to the damn rings are extremely purposeful I’m sure we could pick up some pieces!!!!!

It also kinda makes sense, like,,, character wise too y’know- Valdelobos was a glorified Catholic cult and obviously they kept a very old-fashioned mindset so visuals-wise it makes sense!!!!!

@ 11cool also pointed out that his jacket has a lot of similar motifs to Matadors and Traje De Luces which they have their own post you can check out if you wanna!!!!!!!! Ofc there brings up the whole issue of y’know, Bad spanish stereotypes and bullfighting etc etc but this whole post is just throwing stuff at the wall in complete honesty!!!!!

And like the og post and @cloverisnonexistantbro said there’s a not for none Chance that the designers were trying to play into abstract windmill motifs would would be super cool!!!!!

@theprestigegirly and @kaychen666 were also kind enough to point out that the flowers on his jacket kinda look like poppies!!!!!!

And I think most people already know that poppies are a pretty common symbol for death (especially after war which I’ll touch on in a second) which. Y’know. Would be just SUCH A FUN AND SILLY DETAIL if true HAHDHENDHSJ

And like the og already has put so eloquently there are just,,,,,, S O many lil design elements of Luis’ that are so perfectly purposeful,,,;,,,… down to the fact that Luis has a gun from WWI (Realistically probably passed down from hsi grandfather, who would have probably had to have lived through Spanish civil wars (yayyyyy we love generational trauma yippeee another thing to add onto Luis amirite /lh)) and down to the fricken rings he wears and what fingers he wears them on!!!!!! (One of the rings for instance is of the Virgin Mary and it’s supposedly said that wearing a ring on the fingers Luis does symbolises leadership and compassion etc etc etc Yknow ring logic HDBEHEBXHX)

So like idk!!!!!!!! If anyone who actually has knowledge of Spanish culture wants to chip in PLEASE PLEASE DO!!!!!!! I’m the whitest Mf on planet earth there’s only so much justice I can give Luis BSNDHENDJSNSJ

Tl;dr: until Capcom or somebody whose more of a professional in this field outright explains what little design details like that mean for certain I’m just throwing stuff at the wall and letting people see it HDHEHEJEID

[sincerelyandyourstruly]

#boyyuri

on xiaoven & yearning

—

so as we all know, "yuri is when there’s themes and motifs and yaoi is when there’s two blokes who do fuck all. if you reblog this you love trans people." (tumblr user dyggot, 2023.); that "yaoi is about entanglement and yuri is about yearning." (tags by tumblr user thyminesquared, 2023, screenshot and archived on this post.)

as should be clear from these definitions, this essay is not going to concern itself with whether a pairing counts as "yaoi" or "yuri" on the sole basis of the genders of the characters involved. although i understand the deeply gendered connotations of both of these terms, to ME, yuri is about the distance between one’s self and others around them (maybe people, maybe dreams and ideals), and the deeply-rooted desires that grow in that gap as a result.

as a post made to tumblr, put in the xiaoven tag, everyone reading this knows the basic lore surrounding their characters and world: that venti is the anemo archon, god of wind and freedom; that xiao is the last yaksha, who wields the power of anemo in battle to protect his homeland of liyue; that Visions are considered to be representations of a person's dearest wish, crystallized into physical form. but let's run over the basics again real fast, just to keep this piece from having external dependencies to understand, yeah?

venti is a wind sprite from mondstadt who ascended to godhood at the end of a rebellion against the at-the-time god of storms keeping his people in a cage made of windstorm thousands of years ago, and he chose his ideal of freedom to honor the bard who led said rebellion and died at the end of the final battle, but whether the nameless bard even got to see the clear skies he fought so hard to live under is currently up to interpretation. either way, venti took on the nameless bard's appearance so that his nation's people would never forget the true hero who won their freedom, but because thousands of years have passed the people have kind of forgotten by now anyway, and venti probably has a lot of identity issues about it!

also he's a bard who plays music in exchange for wine because singing to pass on the memories of heroes past and then drinking to numb the grief of people's forgetting is how he Copes™.

AND ALSO he will occasionally sleep for hundreds of years at a time.

Meanwhile, xiao is an immortal/"illuminated beast" from liyue whose true form is technically that of a bird, but he goes around in the form of a hot emo boy, ostensibly because he needs hands to don his mask, hold his spear, and do his dance to conquer the remnants of evil gods, the act of which literally taints his soul with their sins— his karmic debts.

anyway he was enslaved by an evil god in his youth because said evil god (probably) knew his True Name and because we're going by fairy rules this means he was forced to commit atrocities (namely eating people's dreams) against his will until the god of contracts geo archon zhongli killed his previous master, gave him a new name, and contractually tasked him with the job of subduing the demonic remnants of other defeated gods, which he has since proceeded to unflinchingly, unwaveringly, and unquestioningly obey for the last few thousand years. however, despite his unfathomable obedience and devotion to his duty, his Vision (his life's greatest desire) is that of anemo (of freedom).

also a few hundred years ago when he was about to succumb to the weight of his karmic debts, xiao's life was saved by the sound of someone (venti) playing the flute in the marsh where he'd been working, and so now his dream, the deepest wish he holds closest to his heart, is to someday "wear the mask and dance — not to conquer demons, but to the tune of that flute amid a sea of flowers." (xiao's character card, genshin impact, 2021)

…can you guys believe that the dihua flute moment was like all we xv shippers had to hold onto for like two years?! that, and xiao's extremely yearnful voiceline abt venti that's just like, "venti? is that what he goes by these days? his tunes are… nevermind." but the point of this recap i hope has become clear by this point: that the relationship btwn xiao and venti seen through these few snippets alone is just rife with potent yuri energy.

like, to elaborate on the opening of thie essay, yuri is specifically about the uncross­able distance between two people who are already sitting right next to each other, so close that only a single thread of wind could even hope to weave its way between them— although, as evidenced by the fact that such a thread of wind could weave its way between them, they are still shy of truly touching— and the painful yearnings of being unable to close that gap… even though you both exist so close to one another, so similar in both place and time, you are the only thing stopping yourself from reaching across that seemingly infinite distance.

as a result, i think that unlike yaoi, yuri— thematically speaking— tends to have a greater mutuality to it: whereas i understand being in a yaoi to be more about acting on one's impulses towards one another and passing along cycles of power, i believe that an important aspect of being in a yuri is the constant fear and anxiety of violating an unspoken boundary because you're afraid that you aren't actually on the same page about those.

deep down inside, you know that you're not supposed to want all the things you've built for yourself in all those private daydreams and self-indulgent fantasies you've created about yourself with the other person, because you know you're not supposed to have drawn your boundaries the way you have, such that the other person would be let in on the most intimate parts of your identity (if they were willing to see all that is ugly sleeping under­neath your skin.)

as mentioned in the paragraph summarizing his lore, xiao's youth was marked by the fact that his very autonomy was continuously violated in service of forcing him to violate others' boundaries, crushing their hopes and devouring their very dreams. his deep cultural ties to liyue as the land of contracts means that he carries within him a keen sense of obligation as inseverable as the need to breathe; thus, saddled with guilt and believing himself to be incapable of gentility, he has come to view himself as nothing more than a weapon for others to use.

in signing his contract with the geo archon, xiao went from a situation where his agency was continuously denied and his boundaries intimately violated to one where he relinquished his agency and had his boundaries delineated for him by his new lord.

he has no desires of his own; immortals aren't so worldly. (if that were true, he wouldn't have a Vision.) he is not an active subject in his own life; anything he does is the effect of someone else's will. (if that were true, he would have stopped protecting liyue the moment that he learned his lord abdicated his rule.) he does not let anyone near him; it is inevitable that his karmic debts will force his hand against them. (if that were true, he wouldn't have been saved by the sound of venti's flute playing nearby.)

don't you see? he places himself in a subservient role to everyone around him, rigidly obeys every ritual of propriety, because he is afraid that by asserting agency over a situation, he will end up violating other people's boundaries again. except that this time, the responsibility for doing so would fall squarely on his own shoulders.

during the main quest arc for liyue, zhongli literally fakes his own death as an archon so that he can finally retire and be free from his own contractual obligation to the nation. this gives us reason to believe that xiao's contract with the geo archon has thus been rendered void, meaning he no longer has any obligation to continue his endless suffering for the sake of liyue— yet he does so anyway.

i think a lot of fans tend to view this as xiao needlessly chaining himself down to his duty, something that's often framed in fanworks as something rather tragic in venti's eyes. however, as the god of freedom, venti feels very strongly about giving other the freedom to make their own decisions, even if he himself may disagree with them or wish they had chosen differently. others' autonomy is deeply important to venti, perhaps even so far as to call it sacred: to order anything from anyone would be a violation for the boundaries venti has set for himself as an archon.

and because we're all familiar with genshin impact lore, what i have to say next should go without saying, we are all so familiar with it: the element of a person's Vision will be directly related to the kind of ideal they strive to meet and uphold, and as such, can generally tell you a lot about a person's desires.

xiao wields an anemo Vision— the only known anemo wielder in liyue until the arrival of xianyun, presumably because that is how deeply ingrained the binding sense of obligation is in its culture— and wears it visibly on his person at all times. it would be ridiculous not to believe that venti knows, and intimately so, just how xiao desires.

and i think that a lot of fans can fail to consider the idea that to xiao, his duty of protection is a choice he made of his own volition when he was first set free, and is, in all likelihood, one he continues to make in canon. yes, this choice comes with a great many obligations restraining him in various ways— but do our choices truly mean anything if they are not bound by obligation? this is something venti would obviously understand and respect as lines drawn in the sand by xiao himself, and he would never dare even suggest they be crossed.

it's clear from the various scraps of in-game lore that xiao craves proximity to and knowledge about his savior in the marsh. yet, he refuses to go out of his way to attain these things and will even deny ownership of these desires altogether because in a sense, they are blasphemy: venti, although not his archon, is still a god.

might seeking venti out over zhongli not be considered a sign of detracting, or perhaps even failing faith in the unwavering sureity of the geo archon? or even if it turns out that's not so— who is xiao to ask anything of venti? the god of freedom must surely be a flighty little thing, following his every capricious whim. to ask him to stay would be akin to tying him down, no?

clearly, there is no need for xiao to call out for him. if venti wants to be with him, he will simply be there.

(and if he doesn't, then he won't.)

((after all, it is the duty of the servant to wait on the master's call.))

it's easy to imagine that these two immortals might end up in a sort of song and dance of propriety for a while, that at fight might be genuine, but eventually just becomes habit and custom. they both want, in some way, for xiao to lay down his duty, to be free of the strict hierarchy of master & servant or god & disciple. but for venti to say it so plainly would feel like he's trying to convert xiao to his ideals— a discomfort that would more than likely only be compounded by how seriously xiao takes the word of god(s), and how expressly venti hates being treated like anything but an equal— and so he would hesitate on his feelings; whereas for xiao to speak of his desires so plainly, it would feel like a betrayal of his duty— that which he chose to shoulder as his first act of free will.

you see it, right? the gap between these two characters, whose lives will otherwise touch and cross over and over through their long, immortal lives, and the mutual desires they can both plainly and painfully read in one another, yet never individually act upon due to their already-established senses of propriety, tradition, and boundaries?

these are the basic yuriisms of xiaoven genshinimpact.

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

@hoooble I'm happy to help! i didnt actually draw with too much significance in mind, i was mostly practicing, but connections can be made anywhere

These are calla lilies, theyre an extremely popular and straightforward flower-- they really do represent love and matrimony and purity (look up X Flower Meaning on the internet and a bunch of contentscraping sites will give you virtually identical pages that say every flower means love and kindness. which duh, any flower given to another in an act of love means love.) The fun thing about calla lilies though is that they are associated with the greek goddess Hera.

These are lobelia! As a more obscure and less classical flower, my time scouring the internet found not much help. from aforementioned content scraping websites. I'm afraid i have to turn.... to physical media.

>humblebrag.jpeg

The first two books proved fruitless. Lobelia are clearly not a priority motif in western art. Shame! Kate Greenaway pulls through tho, and lists Lobelia to mean "malevolence". Sounds about right! Her book was originally published in 1846, right around the time of the floriography craze really kicked off, so i'll take her word for it.

A fairly reputable looking site on Hanakotoba, Japanese floriography, has a page about Lobelia.

It says that they represent humility. It also says its japanese name is 瑠��姫, rurihime, which means if i am correct, lapis lazuli princess. which is so fucking true. lobelia is so princess.

[alastgoodnight]

Pick 5 Tropes!

True Blue Femininity

"Blue is a surprisingly common color to represent femininity. Thus a girl or woman wearing blue is a sign that she is fair and gentle. ...Blue has other meanings, such as sadness and loneliness. These can overlap with this trope (as in representing both femininity and sadness). Or that she is gentle (with blue representing peace and serenity)."

Cope by Creating

"When a character uses art (such as painting, dancing, singing, crafting trinkets, etc.) as a coping mechanism to deal with extreme stress, such as trauma, loss, or isolation. ...The inverse of this is Too Upset to Create, which can cause things like Writer's Block when a character's emotions leave them unable to create."

Moving Beyond Bereavement

"Loss is a difficult thing to deal with, regardless of whether it's already happened or still in progress. Faced with the death of friends, family, significant others, etc., it's not unknown for some characters to struggle with accepting the inevitable. ...In fiction, this can form a character arc in which an individual afflicted by this crippling sense of loss gradually manages to let go of those they have lost and move on with their lives."

Cute Bookworm

"A cute and brainy bibliophile, this trope embodies the cute, shy, and vulnerable archetype as applied to a nerdy girl. She wanders around with her head in a book and is ready to spout out facts at the drop of a hat. There's a tendency for her to be shy, young, quiet, and socially awkward."

Flower Motifs (Hydrangeas)

"Flowers are one of the most popular motifs in literature, film and television alike. Whether given as a gift or mentioned as a character's favorite plant, they're probably worth taking note of; they may well be saying something about the story's theme or someone's personality. ...The system of hanakotoba is the Japanese system of flower symbolism... shoujo manga and anime (and related genres) will have the background break out in unexplained flowers to emphasize a character's beauty, goodness, or emotional state."

Tagged by: @moonrevolutions

Tagging: You!

[neotriobrainrot-reborn]

Sup. I looked back at my other post about a Mushroom Girl moveset, and I wasn't too satisfied. It didn't feel too creatively fulfilling to just go the fungus/Mushroom route to fit her alias, and I found it kind of boring. Because of this, I decided to redo her character moveset with a different epithet that still has a plant-like motif. I also thought about team attacks of this move-set with other characters (or more like just Molly and Gio for now)

Also, quick note: I changed what I'm calling Mushroom Girl from "Rosary" to "Mosary" since the latter feels a bit more natural

Mosary Amaniphall (V2)

EPITHET: EFFLORESCENCE

Allows the user to create and grow flowers with various effects, including amplifying her and other’s capabilities.

Summon — Flower Mimic:

Mosary quickly grows a flower like summon with a brown stim, blue petals, scattered dark blue pokedots all over the petals, and a dark red bud. This appearance is merely a disguise, for it's true form is similar, except with one key difference: it has a large eye to replace the bud.

It’s key ability is that it can perfectly replicate any sound it’s heard before. From the sound and intensity of school bells to even people, as long as it’s audible, it can replicate the sound.

Mosary is able to have “Flower Mimic” copy a specific thing’s noise/sound so long as she specifies what she wants them to copy. If it’s a person, she needs to specify a name. She also has the choice to amplify the volume of any noise, including making already loud sounds ear piercingly loud. Though this takes more stamina, and she isn’t immune to the noise, so she would have to grow the summon near someone’s ear to use it without harming herself

If anything grabs or touches Flower Mimic, it will immediately disappear in a puff of pollen. This is poisonous to people, but only causes poison-ivy-like bumps to form wherever the pollen hit. This only acts as a getaway for the summon to de-summon itself instead of someone destroying it.

Summon — Venus

Venus is one of Mosary’s largest summons, being around 6ft large. When summoned, it lays on her hair as a flower without a stem. The summon has the appearance of a flower with green petals and stem, and a pink bud. The flower’s head is larger than Mosary’s head and typically appears to just be a harmless giant flower, because it is!

To people!

Its prey are summons. It emits a light telekinetic energy to any summon in the area, subconsciously drawing any summon towards the creature like a worm on a hook line. If the summon gets within 10ft of Mosary, Venus will quickly sprout vines to extend itself towards the target and close its petal like jaws closing on a fish, swallowing the summon whole. After a minute or two, Venus will spit out a stronger form of the original summon that will be under Mosary’s command.

Despite her summon’s deceptive size, it can actually eat summons somewhat larger than it. Though it does have limits. While it could devour stuff like Sylvie’s sheep easily, she would have a better chance of winning the lottery than trying to do the same to a summon like Graham at her current level. It also cannot eat more than one thing at a time. (Ex: if it ate Sylvie’s sheep, it wouldn’t be able to eat anything else until the transformation process finished)

Weirdly, it’s her friendliest summon and typically gets along with most people, provided they don’t attack Mosary.

Summon — Sunflower

Upon use, a small sunflower sprouts on top of Mosary’s head. When tapped, it’ll glow with a golden light and provide energy that amplifies all five of Mosary’s senses to a superhuman degree. Maintaining this effect takes an extremely small amount of stamina, but it’s constant. She can keep this active for about 5 minutes before needing to turn it off. Luckily, she can switch it on and off, signified by whether it’s glowing or not, so she can use it in short bursts.

She can use this to amplify someone else’s senses, and it’ll use that person’s stamina as a source of energy instead of her own. Regardless of who she uses it on, the summon being destroyed still does damage to her.

This is her most rude summon, but not to her at the very least.

Summon — Queen’s Blade

Mosary’s most offensively capable summon. A closed purple rose grows on Mosary’s head that upon opening, releases several thick vines with thorns as sharp as obsidian. She can telekinetically control the vines and use them to rip anything to shreds. These thorns are retractable, allowing her to use them for utility purposes as well.

Team attacks

Sound bomb ( +Molly): Molly creates a mute bubble while Mosary summons Flower Mimic on her hand. After that, Mosary specifies “Flower Mimic” to use an ear piercing sound before bringing her hand out of the bubble. This causes the opponent to be hit with a deafeningly loud sound while Mosary and Molly remain safe inside the bubble without the former having to get in up close to plant it

Palatable: ( +Molly): Molly uses hushabye, but doesn’t completely get rid of the summon. She only dumbs it down enough for Venus to eat it

Jester Privilege (+Giovanni): Mosary use’s queen’s blade to ensnare an opponent, leaving them open for Giovanni to land a critical hit

Silent Execution (+ Molly & Giovanni) Giovanni uses the fog of lost souls to block their vision, and Mosary uses sunflower to enhance her senses to tell where everyone and allows Molly to mute her and her summon before going ham with “Queen’s Blade”. Due to the fog, her being nimble on her feet, her being muted, and the sheer size and amount of vines coming at the targets, it’s extremely difficult for her targets to find where she is while dealing with the onslaught of vine attacks.

This is all I got for now, but I’ll probably think of more team attacks

Weaknesses

All of her summons have significantly more sentience than the average summon, comparable to that of a pet, albeit noticeably smarter. Because of this, unlike other epithet users with summons who can just manifest it, Mosary cannot do the same. Instead, she must send a mental request to manifest the summon, and the summon has the choice to accept or refuse her demands.

Due to her strange connection with her summons, if they take damage and get hurt, so does she. Her summons are significantly more resistant to being desummoned than normal due to them existing both physically and magically, but it will hurt her for a fourth of her health, and make that summon inaccessible for 24 hours if destroyed by someone other than her or the summon itself

Mosary (and her summons) are vulnerable to cold temperatures. If it’s too cold, her epithet will be weakened, and her threshold for potential ailments from the cold is at significantly higher temperatures than the average person (this doesn’t hold well for her since she lives in Taiga country)

To summon anything, she needs to touch the target (can be herself) and mentally summon a specific creature. If her hands are compromised, she cannot summon anything.

Fun Facts

No matter how large Venus grows as Mosary gains proficiency, its mass doesn’t grow proportionately and remains light, giving them a rather low density.

If not checked on, she will spend an entire day staring at a tree just because she saw a lot of animals there

Once Every week, she’ll be late for school and her classmates started making bets on how absurd her story was that made her late (she doesn’t know)

[doblehkiin]

❗❗❗Long ask jumpscare warning ❗❗❗

idk if you still want asks but I thought I would talk about my 14-year-old self's extremely self-indulgent edgelord. He's changed a lot but I still adore him.

His name is Wencen Loresaris, he's my Snow Elf rogue. I've probably talked about him before, but I wanted to talk about his gimmick.

Lore's character gimmick is that he's several cryptids in the various regions of Skyrim, later being both Listener and Guildmaster. No one knows that these entities are one person.

Some behavioral context; Lore is always on the move, and kills people who look at him for too long. The more they see, the more they can describe, and then they can notice patterns. Patterns lead to conclusions, and conclusions will lead to his own death. Kids are the only exception. Everyone else has to die. Also, Lore operates at night. In the day, he rests in caves, sometimes sharing the space with an animal. He also uses nature magic that is unfamiliar to

Secrecy + old, forgotten nature magic he uses to get by + being centuries old himself = folklore.

In Hjaalmarch, he's considered a good omen and protector. He guides lost children home by taking the illusory form of a wolf and sheparding them back to Morthal. This led to him being called Fenrisulfr, which means 'Swamp wolf'. As thanks, locals started leaving offerings in a ruin up north. After that, the next harvests were especially bountiful. Due to his protection of children and the wolf motifs, he's seen as an aspect or spirit of Mara. It's custom for newly-weds to make a pilgrimage to Fenrisulfr's ruins and leave some of the wedding dowry.

Falkreath considers him a specter of Sithis that takes souls into the void. The Brotherhood operating in the area enforces the idea. Rather than being a reaper, he's the Seedsman, as flowers sprout in graveyards when he's in the area. They're used to death imagery, but the shadow in the cemetery is seen as someone being taken from you a second time, and the flowers are from the person's true and final passing-on. As such, they feel bitterness towards the Seedsman, even if they honor that its his duty. The flowers left are thought to indicate what kind of person the deceased was in life. Black dahlias always grow from the graves of Companions. Falkreath seeks their mercenary work elsewhere, in recent centuries.

He is most feared in the Rift. Remember that bit about Lore being nocturnal, couch-surfing with animals in the day, and killing people if they make too much contact?

The Rift is popular hunting ground. Hunters tend to track their prey—which is typically nocturnal and asleep in the day—back to their caves.

Getting netted, shot, or dogs sicced on you by a pack of hunters—while you're sleeping—is considered too much contact for Lore.

The impact was the lack of witnesses or survivors. The only evidence of something killing hunters, was the hunters' journals. Sometimes one or two get away, and write about the Thing they disturbed. It's only a matter of time before the Thing catches up to them. Search parties only find a shakily-written tale of an odd, not-of-this-world Thing. This creature was called the Something. Veteran Rift hunters know to go for their prey in the open, rather than by surprise in its sleep.

When told these legends, Lore is known to laugh, cough politely, and remember he has an errand.

edgelords are the best kind of oc's imo i don't care if that's controversial we all need a good edgelord. we also just need more falmer oc's. I love every single falmer oc I come across.

I love that you incorporated like, rituals with him being a cryptid cause he could just be like, a normal cryptid that people just whisper about but firstly nords love them some rituals and practices so that makes sense, but also it adds so much depth to his role as a cryptid.

i wish i was a cryptid in real life, he really is living my dream life i'm so jealous

[bixels]

These were my first drafts of the three from months ago. I ended up really hating how they all looked and needed a fresh start (I was also burning out at this point), so I took a break and asked Tulli to help with Cadance and Chrysalis. Tulli took Cadance in a drastically different direction, which was a lifesaver. I was originally too hung up on trying to preserve her original design's sharp snout and enormous eyes, but Tulli moved Cadance away from the cartoony for something more realistic and historical.

You can read about Tulli's process in designing Cadance here under their incredible illustration of her here.

For Samuel (Shining Armor), we decided to completely redo his character, as the original was, in all honesty, a bit too dude-bro for our tastes. I knew that I wanted him to be wearing his WW1 captain's uniform. I poured over research and references from real WW1 captains (Aaron R. Fisher, a black WW1 second lieutenant, was chief reference) to uniform charts to wedding photos. It probably still isn't 100% accurate; if you have more knowledge on military uniform history, let me know and I'll be happy to make edits. I pulled his silhouette from Prince Philip of Sleeping Beauty's, giving him a big red cape and making his coat look like a tunic-skirt under the belt. The red cape also references his original red coat uniform in the show (I couldn't make the uniform itself red, as red is associated with the British military). The rose clasp on the cape connects him to Cadance's flower motif. His medals are (in order) the the Croix de Guerre, the Distinguished Service medal, and the WW1 Victory medal. The badge underneath is made up, meant to look like his shield cutie mark with the three medals overhead as its three stars (I had to be subtle with that, as giving him three actual five-point stars would be uniform sacrilege). I toiled on his face a lot because I needed to have a balance of chiseled, handsome, and a bit weathered, yet still young, warm, and dorky (Shining Armor in the show is canonically a D&D fan). I'm pretty happy with what I settled on, especially because you can tell he's Thea's older brother.

(Fun fact: His uniform also intentionally parallels Thea's outfit, with the large coat, belt bound high at the waist, and pockets. I initially wanted to strengthen the parallels by having his pants bunched up over a pair of boots, but we decided it made him look less princely.)

Finally, for Chrysalis, I knew I wanted to combine her original design with Maleficent and a praying mantis (Cuz the females eat the males' heads when they mate. Hah.). This proved to be extremely difficult though, because all three have conflicting design traits. Chrysalis, despite being a villain, has a very cutesy design with the tiny snout and round head and big cat eyes.

Tulli and I worked through multiple iterations and ideas for Chrys. We wanted both a scary bug-monster form and a more sardonic and appealing human form, so we decided to combine the two of them, with the mantis head acting as a headpiece over the human face (this also keeps with the theme of witch deities having multiple faces). When transforming, the mantis head will close and open rapidly (inspired by Koh the Face Stealer from ATLA). Chrys's robes always conceal her body, implied to be that of a praying mantis'. I added a waistband to give her silhouette the segmented look of a mantis's body as well. The robes are pure black to signify her status as a villain of true darkness, a void that drains surrounding colors to hide her real form.

We're having a lot of fun with the wedding arc, so I might post some thumbnails, boards, and comics of scene ideas soon. Thank you!

The Newlyweds (and their Uninvited Guest).

[beardedcreatorcreator]

Use Accessories To Complete Your Costume

Luckily long hair can be styled various ways - from formal to more informal. So when it comes to wedding hairstyles for long hair you will there numerous options. Here are four.

When it will come time to be seen up enterprise ones, and also to devote time that you want don't have looking to the hair bow or clip, it just makes making ready that more and more hectic. We all know how that usually can be. The best solution to solve this problem is operating way of keeping total child's bows and hair accessories organized in a designated space.

A herringbone braid is highly if you've straight unwanted exquisite hair accessories. It adds that little something very different. It will also give your hair a lift and stop it looking flat. Normal works extremely well with wavy hair, but in the case of wavy hair, may be better to a little lift to the top.

Head bands are important if truly your hair to maintain place. Goody has an oversized line of hair musicians. Their StayPut Head Bands maintain your hair from getting in your way. Your French Hair Claw Clips bands are incredibly ferme. Still, if you accidentally get out behind 100 % possible buy a new one for less costly.

This comes in different brands. Depending on the motif for this wedding, your son's bride can uncover the traditional as well as modern dictionaries. For younger brides, a princess tiara can her appear fresher plus more vibrant-looking. However for a more unique and radical style, the asymmetric and retro-designed tiara could be a good selection.

Because planning for a wedding isn't easy, you need to to learn to prioritize. It's true that you angry, you'll scream to cry a lot, but in the end everything will turn out perfectly. If you need to have all the feaures set together you need make a subscriber list. Your dress and pearl bridal jewelry should come at the outset. If you don't have the time to spend time visiting to the mall and buying accessories, you can always invest a a small amount of hours and appearance online. Net is an excellent tool and you'll save up precious hours from the wedding time craziness.

Hair flowers needn't air pressure natural. Each of the ingredients always loved by women, since flowers bring out of the vulnerability too as your feminity effectively. When you put them on your hair, and in colours which match your outfit, you have the appearance of a healthy beauty which usually is totally unsurpassed.

Australia is beset using a number of professionals that bridal hair styles. Coffs Harbour offers its own wealth of globally competitive hair stylist who alter one as exquisite hair accessories well as wishful lady into a princess walking down the aisle with glamor and confidence.

[pastedpast]

I enjoyed reading this essay, 'Fraktur Folk Art (ca. 1750–1820)', by Sasha Archibald from the Public Domain Review (great website). It's a genre of art and era of history I've written about on this blog before (ADD LINK).

The southeastern corner of what is now Pennsylvania was once home to entire towns of religious dissidents. All had been persecuted in Europe, and sought freedom in the colonies. There were clusters of Mennonites, Moravians, Lutherans, and various other German-Protestant sects, some obscure and eccentric. Residents of the Ephrata Cloister, for instance, practiced extreme calorie restriction, sleep deprivation, and celibacy. Another group followed the sixteenth-century teachings of Caspar Schwenckfeld von Ossig, a bearded, deaf ornithologist who split ways with Martin Luther over the meaning of the sacrament. These motley religious communities had significant theological differences, but shared a great deal as well — they were farmers who spoke German, prized religious tolerance, and practiced the same distinctive artform: fraktur.

Fraktur is named after the font — heavy, angular, old-timey — which is usually called “blackletter” in the United States. Fraktur was ubiquitous in eighteenth-century Germany, and it remained so long after other European countries switched to the more readable Roman. (Fraktur is now associated with the Nazis, who used it extensively in propaganda, going so far as to outfit government offices with Fraktur typewriters.) How did the name of a font become the name of an art form? Fraktur art existed at the edges of text, as a decorative accessory of writing. It embellished fraktur script. In Pennsylvania and beyond, baptismal records, land deeds, certificates of accomplishment, bookplates, birth registries, and sometimes valentines were lettered in German-language fraktur, and decorated with the hearts, vines, and tulips that came to be characteristic of fraktur art.

Fraktur has its origins in folk art traditions from Alsace, Switzerland, and the Rhineland, but in America it became more colorful, elaborate, and freehand, and far more apt to dominate the script it sought to embellish. The genre’s golden age was the period between 1790 and 1830 — a time when the American religious context was still strong, but the European influence less stultifying. The forms are highly stylized. Hearts, flowers, angels, and various birds are repeated over and over, to soothing effect. The palette favors bold primary colors, traditionally made of inks concocted from berries, iron oxide, and apple juice. The composition is orderly. The tidy leaves of the tidy vines are perfectly equidistant, and the flowers pared down to floral symbols. The goldfinch that appears in many fraktur images is drawn in such a specific way it’s still known by its German name: distelfink. Symmetry reigns, and when it doesn’t, the composition is otherwise balanced. One of the most common fraktur motifs is the “three-heart design” wherein a large heart is complemented by two smaller hearts on either side of its apex — in fraktur, even the most curvaceous of shapes assumes the rootedness of a square.

Fraktur scholars and aficionados can distinguish Ephrata Cloister fraktur from Schwenkfeld fraktur from Mennonite fraktur. They can also identify the work of certain artists by sight —whether by name, or, for those who left their work unsigned, by epithet: the Nine Hearts artist or the Stoney Creek artist. But to simply appreciate the form, no expertise is necessary. Fraktur is straightforward and earnest. There is no irony and no secret code. Its pleasures are the homey kind. To contemporary eyes, the imagery signals feminine domesticity, but it wasn’t always so. Nearly all fraktur artists were men, and the papers they embellished were civic and religious documents. It is true, however, that fraktur was designed for private, domestic pleasures. It was not an artform of display or exhibition, but of personal devotion. Some of the most beautiful examples of fraktur are bookplates, hidden most of the time.

[onlypaithanisaree]

Different Paithani Saree Styles

One can pick from a variety of paithani saree styles! A saree connoisseur would almost certainly choose the garments that are the most priceless of the bunch. Here, we examine the different ways that this ancient masterpiece—one of the best varieties of silk sarees—has been interpreted.

Saree in Bangdi Mor Paithani

In India, several saree styles are renowned for their nature-inspired themes that are portrayed in printing, embroidery, or other techniques. In keeping with this, these Paithani Saree Types also feature peacock themes while introducing a crucial piece of jewellery, the bangle, also known as the "Bangdi" in Marathi. They combine to create a peacock that is weaved into the design of a bracelet. Jamdani Sarees is typically woven using a mixture of cotton and gold thread

It is true that it is one of the most challenging motifs to weave. This is one of the oldest varieties, with a border made of gold zari tissue and a bangle that features four peacocks. The gold zari tissue pallu features muniya designs as well as vibrant akruti motifs of flowers, peacocks, and mor bangdi.

Paithani Saree in Ekdhoti Weave

You would agree that the weaving of this saree is extremely amazing. Weaving the weft just requires one shuttle. The warp yarn's colour is different from the weft yarn's colour. These particular Paithani sarees include a narali border and straightforward butti patterns, such as coins or peas.

Brocade Paithani

One of the richest fabrics is brocade, which is woven and patterned. In contrast to embroidered fabrics, brocade has woven-in patterns. Brocade has been used in many civilizations and has a long history of producing the ideal Banarasi saree look. While brocade was traditionally used for more ornamental purposes, it is now widely used due to millennials and Gen Z's growing awareness and interest in it.

When it comes to brocade Paithani, this gorgeous and showy cloth is used to decorate the saree's border. Higher price points correspond to more detailed work, whereas lower price points are available for less arduous work. Due to the skill and materials employed, the saree is still on the pricey side.

Designers and artisan communities in India frequently use nature as their muse.

Munia Brocade Paithani.

The Munia Brocade Peshwai Paithani uses a similar strategy that is influenced by nature to Bangdi Mor. The Marathi word "Munia" means "parrot," hence this saree has parrot motifs woven into the border and pallu. They are also referred to as "tota-maina" locally and are often leaf green.

Another factor contributing to the pricey nature of this saree is the length of time required to finish intricate designs. One is left dumbfounded at first sight by the elegant and cultural attractiveness of the green accents!

Anyways Paithani is not only limited to Sarees, Ethnic wear is also available like Paithani Kurta dupatta.

Analysing Its Past

The Satvahana Dynasty is where the more than 2000-year-old tradition of weaving several varieties of Paithani sarees originated. They claim that this craft originated in the city of Pratishtan, today known as Paithan. It is located in Marathwada, 50 kilometres from Aurangabad.

Pratishtan was once a hub for the commerce of silk and zari, and it also sent cotton and silk to the Roman Empire. This city is attributed with giving rise to the name Paithani.

The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb supported and fostered the weaving of Paithani in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The "Aurangzebi" designs were created especially for him and are still well-liked today. Even after the Mughals, the Great Madhavrao Peshwe continued the Paithani legacy.

The Peshwas were responsible for instilling in Maharashtrians a sense of pride in Paithani.

As time went on, the Nizam of Hyderabad grew to admire Paithani, and unique designs were created for him. But Paithani suffered a setback with the establishment of the British Raj. Yeola's weavers preserved the craft by creating their own methods. The craftspeople from Paithan eventually moved to Yeola as well. This craft is still current and has been for a number of years thanks to the passion displayed by the weavers. Presently Yeola Paithani purchases silk from Nashik

In the present,  for  Yeola Paithani sarees Yeola is the primary location for  weaving.

[palealpacapatrol]

Jungle Fantasy Is (Still) In Fashion: 3 Must Haves To Wear Now

A must of the last summers, the jungle pattern is nothing more than a print inspired by tropical nature, which features a base of green palm leaves, jungle animals, from tigers to parrots, and which characterizes many clothing items and accessories of the moment. Discover with us the must haves with jungle print to wear now and now!

Jungle fantasy has become one of the protagonists of the summer season in recent years. Colorful and vibrant, it characterizes clothing and accessories for extremely glamorous and refined looks.

Palm leaves are present in almost all the jungle style patterns, large, luxuriant and light and dark green, which alternate between hibiscus flowers but also animals, especially tigers, zebras, parrots and toucans.

Wonderful details that take us to exotic locations, where nature is the only true queen. Do you also want to wear something that makes you feel on the other side of the world? Then don't miss our advice on must-haves with a jungle pattern to wear in this summer 2023.

Dressing up completely in one of the must-have patterns for summer 2023 or adding just a few small but intriguing and whimsical details will always have more or less the same effect.

JUNGLE FANTASY IS A SUMMER MUST

Therefore, if you are thinking of wearing the tropical print, know that you have these two possibilities: total look or accessories.

Let's start our journey to discover the must haves that take us to distant exotic places with tropical accessories, among which we find fisherman's hats.

Jungle bucket hats are perfect for tackling the hot season with an original style and a holiday mood that is out of the ordinary. Just combine it with a ribbed tank top and frayed and frayed denim shorts to best express your light outfit.

To go to the beach, but also to stay at home or wherever you want, there are rubber thong sandals with a jungle print base. In a nutshell, on the base of the foot they have motifs inspired by nature.

And, again, if you want to characterize a basic look, perhaps made up simply of a black or white dress, or a truly essential mood, you can be daring and embellish everything with a jungle stole, like those designed by Levi's and which you can wear together with a denim jacket or dungarees during the fall.

Summer is vacation time and it's beach time. How about we discover some jungle costumes?

There are several brands that have signed a series of models capable of capturing attention, with large green and luxuriant leaves but also flowers and animals.

Among the various proposals we find the whole tropical costumes by Calvin Klein, both classic and cut out.

[zardozi122]

Paithani Sarees - A True Heirloom Treasure

A true heirloom treasure, paithani sarees are purely handwoven with pure silk and silver zari thread (thread made of gold or silver). These sarees are mostly woven in Paithan, Aurangabad and Yeola, Pune.

Paithani sarees are a combination of rich designs closely woven on pure silk cloth. They have a lot of intricate details and ritzy borders.

Colors

Paithani sarees \are a popular option for brides across India. They are considered a treasured possession, especially in Maharashtra.

The saree is known for its unique blend of colors, motifs and designs. It is woven by hand using the tapestry weaving technique.

Some of the most popular shades are kali chandrakala (jet black saree with red border), Raghu (parrot green tone), and Shirodak (pure white).

However, there are also several other colors used in Paithani sarees. These include aboli (peach-pink), firozi (white-red pale green), gujri (black white blend), mirani (black red blend), orphankhi (green-blue blend), motia (peach pink), neeligunji (blue), pasila (red-pink green blend), pophali (yellow), samprus (green-red), vangi (aubegine purple), and uddani (a fainter black).

Fabric

Traditionally woven in silk yarn, paithani sarees have become a must-have for brides and are a staple for festivals and weddings. However, due to lack of awareness among customers and shops, a number of power looms are being used today which can dupe people into purchasing a Paithani that does not match the original product.

Paithani sarees are made from silk and have intricately woven patterns. The weaving process requires a lot of time and effort to make a paithani saree. A saree with 18-inch border and 36-inch padar can take up to a year to complete.

The motifs of a Paithani saree are inspired by the paintings and sculptures found in the rock-cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora. Peacocks, flowers, leaves and geometric patterns are also incorporated in the paithani saree.

Zari

The Paithani saree is one of the most prestigious and iconic sarees of Maharashtra. It was originally woven with the finest silk threads from China and pure zari that was spun locally.

The saree is hand-woven and the entire process from dyeing to weaving takes years of practice and experience. The weavers at OnlyPaithani are the masters of this art with decades of experience in the craft.

They are known for their lustrous weave which reflects the joyful intermingling of hues. The border and pallu of a Paithani saree are usually adorned with traditional motifs like Muniya (parrot), Barwa, Panja, etc.

The Paithani sarees in our collection come in a variety of colors. Popular shades include kali chandrakala (jet black), Raghu (parrot green) and Shirodak (pure white).

Motifs

Paithani sarees are woven with unique motifs. These motifs are woven on the saree using a variety of colours. The colour palette includes shades of red, orange, yellow, green and blue.

The motifs used in these sarees are usually found in the body of the saree as well as on the border and pallu. Some of the motifs that are found in these sarees include peacocks, parrots and lotuses.

Another popular motif in these sarees is the rui phool (jail). This beautiful motif is usually woven on the border of the saree and is made with gold threads of silk.

Other motifs that are common in these sarees are the coins, ear tops and peacocks. These motifs are woven in a variety of colours and are made with the combination of different yarns.

Value

A true masterpiece, a Paithani saree exudes the epitome of opulence. Traditionally handwoven using pure silk threads and silver zari, these are truly a treasure to own in India.

It is an extremely skill-based weave that requires meticulous attention to detail and can take years of time to masterfully prepare. The resultant sarees are adorned with intricate motifs that are deeply rooted in Indian culture and history.

The best way to procure an authentic paithani saree is through a trusted online retailer who has experience dealing with pure silk. Be sure to verify the brand and if possible, ask for a sample before making a purchase.



[godsiero]

i just re-read my own post and i realized that it may seem like i think jeff blim is a shit music writer based on my critiques, but i NEED everybody to know that is not true and i think he is an EXTREMELY talented composer. nerdy prudes must die is my favorite musical now, surpassing sweeney todd, largely (if not completely) because of the music composition. jeff blim will never see this, but if he does: you’re quite the talented gem, sir, and you deserve all of the flowers in the world, and i want to throw my praise at you like it’s a fucking baseball, dude. ps i could do an entire thesis essay on why and how the music and motifs of every hatchetverse show blends together, but i digress. i adore ur genius brain jeff 🥺 GIVE THIS MAN HIS COOL FIVE MIL

hello. i have just finished all of nightmare time. buckle up, i have thoughts and spoilers ahead.

just a general statement before opinions are shared: obviously some situations take place in different timelines (like the ape-man vs time bastard), but what do you think happens in the *same* timelines? obviously forever and always and time bastard are the same timeline, but do you think each episode is a different time line? do you think it depends? as i’m typing this, i think each episode of nightmare time is a different reality, let me know your thoughts!

okay, starting from the very beginning with ape-man:

i thought ape-man was a good intro to what should be expected of nightmare time. i thought the “ape-man” being a set-up between ted and hidges was funny. i loved that lucy ended up actually meeting the real ape-man in the end. i didn’t really care for the ape-man *song*, and after finishing the rest of the episodes, it was a forgettable episode as a whole, but again, great intro to the idea of what nightmare time is.

watcherworld:

i love alice and bill, so i enjoyed this. watching nightmare time *after* nerdy prudes must die helped me be more excited about the introduction of the rest of the lords in black (because i somehow avoided spoilers for THAT long). that father-daughter relationship was so well put together. i love the blinky song, didn’t care for snoozle town (however, it did sound like black friday, the song, which might not have been intentional, but i’m gonna pretend it was to appreciate jeff blim lmao), as i’m typing this i don’t really remember one thousand eyes, so…i guess it wasn’t memorable? overall, i liked the generally positive ending and bill and alice establishing they will change their ways to help their relationship. love love love.

forever & always:

loved this episode. paulkins till i die fr. i was damn near fucking crying during the opening scene, i shit you not. (side note: i have recently developed the biggest soft spot for paulkins after reading the most incredible fan fiction, probably ever, forelsket by gooddaysunshine on ao3, which i qualify as canon now.) the song forever & always is definitely in my top five nightmare time songs, i just love it. i was totally shocked when paul killed the real emma, up until he revealed he was also a clone/not the real paul, so respect ig. top tier nightmare time episode.

time bastard:

the song time bastard is also in my top five nightmare time songs. kim whalen plz sing me to sleep. the song really set my expectations high because of how good forever & always was, but i was really let down. the revelation of tinky wasn’t as direct or nuanced as blinky and i thought the plot was really slow UNTIL the last ten minutes when everything looped (i love a fuckin loop). making ted the homeless man was truly an incredible plot twist, which makes me sad that wasn’t reflected during the rest of the episode. also peanuts is hilarious.

jane’s a car:

i love tim and sue me for being a barneston shipper. did NOT like jane, did NOT like the plot of tom fucking a car, that got a little too unhinged for even me. the song jane’s a car has been stuck in my head since before i even saw the fucking episode, i could not tell you how many times i have just yelled “GOT MY FOOT ON THE GAS” in the middle of conversations. that being said, the rest of the song was forgettable which upset me! i didn’t enjoy this episode, aside from the mention of the black book on the radio and the twist at the end where it’s revealed jane did take over becky.

the witch in the web:

first of fucking all, kendall nicole is a gift to this earth. that child is incredible beyond compare. protect her forever. second of all, i can’t really remember the plot of this episode, but i do know that i liked the story? not enough to remember it though? this is definitely a middle ground episode for me. i didn’t particularly enjoy either song, but i didn’t hate them. i liked the plot of miss holloway taking hannah into the black and white and travelling through time (kinda), and i liked the overall theme of webs to introduce webby.

honey queen:

the song honey queen didn’t do much for me, neither did latte hatte, or nibbly ditty. if this was any other circumstance i would’ve also added queen b to the list, but i saw it in the jangle ball before this and that made me enjoy it, but if i hadn’t seen jangle ball, just know, i would not have liked queen b. that being said, i did like this episode. i am not a linda monroe stan (sorry), but i do think she’s funny. i thought the kids were funny, i wanted to punch zoey in the face, sam gave me the ick, gerald is a fucking freak, i have never wanted to throttle jon matteson until i watched this (i forgot his character’s name), so all in all, none of these characters are likable at all except for river, but that’s the monroe’s for you. the episode was slow, but in the way a slow burn in slow. once again, liked the introduction of nibbly, and i think having the first episode *be* the honey queen festival was super important to the rest of the season because they never shut the fuck up about it after this (this is another reason why i think each episode is it’s own universe but i disgress). if that confused you, i *did* enjoy the episode, but it was another middle-grounder for me.

perky’s buds:

liked that emma got to start her pot farm. overall have nothing of value to say about this one. joey as the bird was really fucking funny. i like jae. love emma forever, that freak. this episode was really slow and not at all in a good way. i did not like the song perky’s buds. just wanted the episode to end. sad face.

abstinence camp:

this is probably my favorite nightmare time story. the song axe-man is definitely number one on my list (we’ll talk more later). the plot of this one was SO good and funny and creepy and everything hatchetfield is about. my main love for this episode stems from the introduction of our three lead nerdy prudes must die characters. i love those three freaks. steph and peter almost getting in the same shower went fuckin crazy and i was kinda glad they got caught lmao. the plot of girl jeri and boy jerry was too fuckin good, and i will say, i was a little confused why the axe-man never showed up to kill them when they were very obviously horny, BUT IT’S ALMOST LIKE THAT WAS THE PLOT HAHAHAHAH. also, love the return of plot and lore about the woods, seriously, needed that. also also, jon matteson and kim whalen should be paired up more because they’re both so fucking funny and have the capability of being charming yet ever so slightly off-putting and i fucking love it. virginity rocks is a fuckin banger (heh), but the real star of the show is axe-man. let me tell you why axe-man is the best nightmare time song: not only does it introduce the axe-man (who we have been seeing and hearing THE ENTIRE SEASON, mind you), but bryce charles is singing?? i literally don’t know what else you need to hear from me?? corey dorris in a flannel will forever change my brain chemistry and they both sound so good together, truly, and corey dorris is a baritone legend (i’m looking at *you*, corey singing the hidden baseline in high school is killing me). “his blade is made of hate” sounds damn near EXACT to “you better hope you’re outta sight” (literal monster). “oh the pain” sounds damn near EXACT to “it ain’t great” (hatchet town). MOTHERFUCKERS. WHEN THE BRIDGE STARTS “these woods belong to him…” THE FUCKING HATCHET TOWN MOTIF IS LITERALLY FUCKING PLAYING LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? also, just the fucking end that proves ur dead?? please. jeff blim. here, have some flowers. i will do anything for you. anyway. great episode. love it. 10/10.

daddy:

i liked that we gave frank some backstory and gave him a little more humanity because i really did not like that motherfucker (heh) in black friday. the plot with sherman was VERY funny and him turning into a child is kinda cute tbh. sheila u bitch, u let barry swift out of there!! i will forever be a man in a hurry fan, even after death 😭. yes take this psycho’s money and make your family’s toy store better and pay your one employee a living wage!! we love to see it. i don’t even remember the song young at heart, so that should tell you enough about how much i didn’t like it lmao. i had been waiting to see those care bears because i fucking knew they were going to be the lords in black plushies after i saw what colors they were. nick lang, you sneaky bastard.

killer track:

finally learned the tea about miss holloway and yes it was worth it. yes, i do realize why everybody loves duke and miss holloway now, hell, i love em now. miss holloway’s plot is crazy and if there’s another nightmare time season i hope she gets another episode, honestly. i like run away with me as a song in general, but for the genre of artist miss holloway is painted to be, the song is lackluster. I DO LIKE IT THOUGH BUT I WAS EXPECTING IT TO BE MORE ROCK AND ROLL. i do realize it is a ballad, but even rock and roll ballads go harder than that did. killer track is a fucking rager???? jeff blim what are you doing writing musical theatre songs???? go write some fucking grunge shit???? killer track goes so fucking hard i really can’t explain it, jesus christ, also the video was sick as shit, do more!! (this really just proves jeff can write anything lmao) i thought the nightmare time remix was really funny and fun and just a good time, no notes, joey slayed the house down boots honey mama.

yellow jacket:

i liked the vibe of the song yellow jacket, very avril lavigne. loved the plot. loved the reprise of lex opening the wiggly box x opening the pokey box. i love the idea that there are multiple kids like hannah in hatchetfield and that would be a GREAT plot to expand upon more, however, i like that hannah and lex got out of there, but i felt so bad for ethan :( i wonder if he had proposed to lex that morning if she had said yes and not left or if she had taken them with him ugh i hate not knowing. my favorite thing about the hatchetfield universe is that they just keep pumping out these stories and plot lines that confirm these things are canon in at least one universe. i love knowing as much as possible and that’s what nightmare time has given me, ily girl. sorry went on a tagent and didn’t finish: didn’t like use it or lose it, i didn’t like next time, but i thought it was sweet 🥺 they’re all such cuties. ALSO!! the general john mcnamara cameo in this episodes them song KILLED ME i SCREAMED!! he’s literally my favorite. if they continue with a season 3 i hope to fucking god they give my man his episode god dammit. bonus, hey melissa: that shit was fucking weird and i hated that paul sided with her in the end that creep. anyway, thank you for coming on this journey with me, i hope you liked my notes, i love a discussion if you would like to comment. <3

[nulltune]

just gonna gently hold her hands bc she’s precious and he thinks she’s as fragile as a petal doomed to fall:’) -from ray ur welcum<3

          A SINGLE WHITE ROSE, blooming in spite of the winter's adversities, ever-stoic. And yet it is a fragile thing —— a fleeting sort of beauty, in arm's reach; but in a way, distant. As slender hands are taken into larger ones (a difference that doesn't go unnoticed, noted silently), her gaze is drawn along with it, though the only reaction from maiden would come from the slight parting of her lips. A glance to Ray, doe eyes widening a fraction; hazel eyes appearing just a bit brighter. When eye contact is made, her gaze would jitter downwards again, to their connected hands.

          It's such a gentle touch... Though a porcelain doll she may resemble, she doesn't see it herself. Hakuno Kishinami thinks of herself much harsher; an empty, empty thing rather than beautiful blooms. Not to be treated gently / kindly / like this. Such things are / such things should be far beyond her reach — and yet here it is right now. And here she is right now, not wanting to pull away.  ❝ ...‎Your hands are very warm. ‎❞  Commented in a soft voice, as if afraid to disrupt this tender moment.

          Then her hands would slowly move— to lace their hands together, in a gesture just as soft.

unprompted,  always accepting!

[audreydoeskaren]

Hello, I sorry for asking so many questions. I have just found your site and really enjoyed all the new information you gave. With your knowledge on qipao, It would be very interesting to hear your review and thoughts on the historical accuracy in costumes in movies like "In the Mood for Love", "Lust Caution", "Flowers of Shanghai", " Raise the Red Lantern".

No need to apologize! I love answering asks and I'm more than happy to review period dramas. The writing got rather long so I’ll review In the Mood for Love and Lust, Caution first, the other two will be in a separate post. Quick disclaimer, I’m not a professional costume designer so everything is my two cents, if you found something you disagree with feel free to comment :))

In the Mood for Love (2000) 花样年华

In the Mood for Love is a 2000 Hong Kong romantic drama film written, produced, and directed by Wong Kar-wai. Its original Chinese title means "Flowery Years". It tells the story of a man (played by Tony Leung) and a woman (Maggie Cheung) whose spouses have an affair together and who slowly develop feelings for each other. (copy and pasted from Wikipedia) It's set in 1962 Hong Kong, so we're looking at 1960s Hong Kong cheongsam for the costumes. This movie is widely considered the pinnacle of 1960s cheongsam costuming and I agree. The costume designer is 张叔平 Zhang Shuping, who in my opinion makes fabulous 20th century costumes but questionable historical ones.

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Maggie Cheung's character in an abstract print, cap sleeved cheongsam.

The 1960s cheongsam had the extreme hourglass, Christian Dior New Look bombshell silhouette. The figure was accentuated by pointy bullet bras and girdles/corsets that cinched the waist. Because of the rigid shapewear, 60s cheongsam commonly had very sharp angles at the torso and wasn't streamlined at all. 60s cheongsam were usually knee length, with slits that went up to the middle of the thighs (could be shorter or longer according to personal preference). They had a high, stiffened collar that tapers dramatically at the front, closing with one or no buttons. They were either sleeveless or cap sleeved. Zippers would be used at the side and snap buttons at the front closures, replacing the fabric pankous that dominated cheongsam prior to the 1950s. 1950s and 60s cheongsam often had no visible buttons. Common fabrics used were printed or embroidered silks (e.g. the stereotypically Chinese looking fabrics with dragon or roundel motifs), cotton, rayon or any other household dress weight fabrics. Common print patterns were abstract, geometric or floral prints. Unlike 1930s and 40s cheongsam, 50s and 60s cheongsam weren’t heavy on trimmings, binding or other raw edge decoration. All of these features are perfectly recreated by Zhang's costuming for Maggie Cheung's character. My only minor qualm is that sometimes the collar looks too big? On old photographs they usually look very fitted to the wearer's neck.

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Sleeveless floral print cheongsam.

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Photograph of 1950s/60s Hong Kong.

Besides the cheongsam itself, the accessories, hair and makeup for Maggie Cheung's character are also on point. The 60s beehive and curled hairstyles, high arched eyebrows and plump lips are present. She wears high stiletto heels true to the period.

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Her hair and makeup is immaculate.

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Stiletto heels. Not sure if you could see them but the seam lines on the stockings are a nice touch.

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These pointy sunglasses are also very accurate.

Overall I’d say that In the Mood for Love has very accurate costumes. As to whether they’re appropriate for the plot, I don’t really know cause I haven’t watched the full movie (I probably should). I like that beside the accuracy, all the cheongsam worn by Maggie Cheung are also very beautiful and well made, making it an aesthetic viewing experience. I’d rate the costuming in this movie 9/10.

Lust, Caution (2007) 色，戒

Lust, Caution is a 2007 erotic espionage period film directed by Ang Lee, based on the 1979 novella by Eileen Chang. The story is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when it was occupied by the Imperial Japanese Army and ruled by the puppet government led by Wang Jingwei. It depicts a group of Chinese university students from The University of Hong Kong who plot to assassinate a high-ranking special agent and recruiter working for the puppet government, by using one of their group, an attractive young woman, to lure him into a honey trap. (copy and pasted from Wikipedia) So for this movie we’re looking at the late 30s and early 40s cheongsam styles. The costume designer here is Lai Pan.

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Protagonist played by Tang Wei in an early 40s cheongsam.

In the late 30s, the cheongsam was still floor length and flowy, but the design has become less extravagant than early 30s styles. In the 40s, the length shortened to knee length. The collar dropped in height and was closed by one or two buttons (pankou in this era). Cheongsam were either short or cap sleeved, and the slits became lower. Unlike cheongsam of the 1950s and 60s portrayed in The World of Suzie Wong and In the Mood for Love, 30s and 40s cheongsam did not use Western tailoring techniques i.e. darts, so they were only loosely form fitting. Common fabrics used were cotton, rayon, silk or polyester. Print patterns were geometric, plaid or floral. Unicolor cheongsam were common too. The front and side closure was still closed by pankou, one or two at the collar, one or two at the placket and many more at the side depending on slit height. Piping was very popular in the late 30s and early 40s as both decoration and practical feature. All trimmings prior to the 1950s, piping included, went around the neck as well and that’s portrayed in this movie. Overall the cheongsam in this movie are pretty good but I found some questionable things with accessories. The plot also spans many years and the costumes represent a lot of character development, so I’ll go through the costumes by chronological order. 

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Collage of scenes from when the protagonist was younger and a student. The blue color is perhaps a reference to Indanthrene fabrics, which were very popular among students and usually came in a shade of dark blue. The low collar, longer sleeves and loose fitting silhouette are all pretty accurate to late 1930s student clothing. Straight hair was acceptable on younger women, commonly in the length portrayed here and with a side part.

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Early 1930s Indanthrene fabric ad. I though Tang’s character looked a lot like the woman in this picture.

Later on as Tang’s character takes on a socialite persona to seduce the guy, she starts wearing more glamorous versions of the late 30s cheongsam. I like that compared to In the Mood for Love where Maggie Cheung just wears a bunch of different cheongsam because she can, the costumes in Lust, Caution serve characterization. At first Tang’s character stuck to the blue color as a remnant of her true personality, and every time she reunites with her fellow resistance people, she also wears simpler, more toned down cheongsam. She also changed to curled hairstyles to look more mature, most of which were accurate for the early 40s. However, the hairstyles in this movie sometimes look a bit disheveled and not perfectly smooth and shiny like you usually see in old Hollywood movies, but that’s just a minor aesthetic issue I guess.

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A cheongsam look from the movie. The short cap sleeve/borderline sleeveless look, the short collar, piping and simple pankou are all accurate to the period. The print looks legit, the pulled back curled hair is also pretty ok. There seems to be a seam at the shoulder, which shouldn’t be there, but not all 30s and 40s cheongsam followed the historical dressmaking method so it’s fine I guess.

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Early 40s pinup poster showing women in similar cheongsam and hairstyles.

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Scene showing some support characters who also look quite convincingly late 30s/early 40s. I like the variety in hairstyles and the insertion sleeves worn by two of the women. Also poodles hairstyle representation is great.

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Late 30s/early 40s pinup poster.

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40s pinup poster showing poodles hairstyle.

There is one scene toward the end where Tang’s character wears a Western style suit with a jabot scarf, I couldn’t find a good quality photo of it but I love that look and think it’s super fierce.

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She wears something like this but with a different hat.

However, this movie is not without problems. The jackets/coats worn by Tang’s character also don’t have the deciding late 30s/early 40s characteristics, such as a flared hem, fitted waist and wide shoulders. Maybe the outerwear was made based on vintage originals but the final result isn’t quite there, it’s especially unfortunate considering how a lot of passers by in the background have convincing 30s/40s outerwear but the main character doesn’t. 

What I really do not understand is their insistence on bucket hats?? Maybe they were trying to do the 30s tilted derby hat impression but their hats are way too deep with too narrow brims and also don’t have the same structure. It’s also way past the time for cloche hats. Tang’s character is not the only one to wear it, a lot of extras also don bucket hats. I’m like ???? Maybe it was a conscious decision to show that Chinese women didn’t regularly wear hats and only did so in rainy weather, but I mean, when it was raining you would use umbrellas, not bucket hats. In my opinion, there are a lot of other 30s and 40s hat styles that give way better espionage realness than bucket hats could ever dream of. Also, the lack of women’s gloves of any kind in this movie pains my heart. 30s and 40s gloves and hats were very cool so I lament the missed opportunities.

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Scene where Tang’s character is outside. This summarizes most of my qualms with the costuming in this movie. The jacket and hat look too modern. The shoes also look like they don’t have heels that curve inward enough?

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The bucket hat strikes again in this scene...

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1939 coats.

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Hats from 1938. 

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Butterick magazine from 1938. In my headcanon Tang wore hats and gloves like these.

Another minor problem I have is the makeup. Judging by the pointed eyebrows they were probably going for the 40s look more (although in China the plucked eyebrow trend lasted well into the 40s). The lipstick is not overdrawn and just stuck to Tang’s natural lip shape, but it would probably be better if the cupid’s bow area were overdrawn a little toward the outside to make the upper lip more rounded and heart shaped. Tang’s cupid bow is kind of pointed and not exactly true to that era.

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Closeup of Tang’s makeup.

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1940s makeup look.

Overall I’d say that the clothing in this movie is solid, it’s just the accessories that sometimes broke the suspension of disbelief (especially the fucking bucket hats). I’d rate the costuming in this movie a 7/10.

That’s it for this post, I’ll review Flowers of Shanghai and Raise the Red Lantern next time.

[palms-upturned]

this is an anon ask that enables you to talk about Anything regarding flower language in rgu if you want to. seriously i’d love to hear anything you have to say (but you don’t have to obviously)

🥺 THATS V SWEET TY ANON… another anon was actually kind enough to ask abt the same thing a while back so i have a post about the duelists’ rose colors here :’)

this time i’ll talk about a couple of my other favorite examples!! firstly, kanae’s lilies in episode 14, and then the poppies and cacti in episode 35 hehe

kanae’s black rose duelist motif is white easter lilies

lilies, especially white easter lilies, are associated with purity, chastity, and other such ideals that tie into traditional femininity, partly because they’re associated with the virgin mary (particularly madonna lilies), and also because white flowers in general tend to be associated with purity (like utena’s white rose, which symbolizes the purity of her ideals and of her admiration of her prince). in japanese, there’s also a saying, “立てば芍薬、座れば牡丹、歩く姿は百合の花” which im not sure how to properly translate, but it has to do with the way a woman carries herself: like a garden peony when standing, a tree peony when sitting, and like a lily when walking. the part about the lily refers to how lilies sway in the wind, comparing it to a graceful woman. i think they’re also part of a trio of flowers that symbolize the three traits of an ideal woman, but i can’t remember what the third one is, only lilies and roses… but the fact that lilies and roses are grouped together like that in the context of traditional femininity is definitely interesting 👀 long story short, kanae’s lilies are deeply associated with the role that she’s under extreme pressure to perform: the perfect loving wife 😔

on top of that, lilies are the flower of the greek goddess hera… aka zeus’s notoriously unhappy wife 😬 i don’t think much needs to be said about comparing akio to zeus, speaks for itself really… but i find kanae/hera to be a really interesting comparison re: anthy, since hera is sort of known for turning her anger on the women that zeus chases after (sorry classicists/greek mythology buffs if that’s not accurate idk many greek myths that aren’t flower related 😅). kanae has good reason to be suspicious and frightened of her situation, but those suspicions are all turned on anthy: she suspects her father is being poisoned, the culprit must be anthy! she feels that something isn’t quite right with her engagement, it must be because anthy doesn’t like her! and while it IS true that anthy antagonizes kanae on purpose and it IS possible that anthy had a hand in the chairman’s poisoning, it’s also true that akio and kanae’s mother are the ones responsible for the entire plot. anthy is the perfect scapegoat because she and kanae already don’t get along, and so the black rose even compels kanae to revolutionize her situation by killing the rose bride. it’s just very interesting to me how the hera comparison recontextualizes the relationship between kanae and anthy and how it fits into the greater theme of narrative roles that women are cast in to absolve abusive men… and all of that conveyed just with a flower :’)

which brings us to poppies…

akio brings utena to a field of poppies at the start of episode 35. he tells her that poppies bloomed on the grave of lady gubijin (consort yu), and so in hanakotoba they represent… what? akio gets cut off, so we don’t get to hear. what he was likely going to tell her was that lady gubijin was the wife of kouu (xiang yu), both of whom died in the battle of gaixia. the very very short version of this story is that kouu had successfully rescued his wife from the enemy forces that captured her, but they were now surrounded with seemingly no escape. lady gubijin, feeling responsible for their situation, performed a sword dance for her husband which ended in her committing suicide upon his sword so that he would not be distracted by his love for her 😔 akio took utena to see the poppies just to gleefully telegraph his intentions: she and anthy both are meant to fall upon their swords for him.

fun fact, they probably referenced the story of lady gubijin because the very first full length production by the takarazuka revue was the 1951 show “gubijin”! unfortunately i can’t find any in depth summaries of the story, at least not in english, which is a shame, it would have been really interesting to see what all be papas might have taken inspiration from.

the poppy reappears again later in the episode with touga, when a girl approaches him to make a confession

red poppies also have associations with love and success, as well as fun and pleasure, seemingly the perfect flower for touga and his playboy persona. but this confession is coming right at the moment that touga begins to realize akio’s real intentions in grooming touga to be a “playboy,” ultimately the very same intentions that akio has for utena. touga is meant to fall on his sword so that utena can pass by him and go to the castle.

touga says he finds the girl’s earnestness lovely, but he himself accepts her confession in a pretty perfunctory way, only for us to cut to a shot of him carelessly stepping on her love letter. despite being the red rose of the duelists and the “playboy” of ohtori, touga can’t return his admirers’ earnest feelings. the poppy seems to laugh at him just as viciously as akio himself

the purple emperor butterfly that lands on the poppy is interesting, too. it’s the official butterfly of japan iirc, and heavily associated with adolescence and growing up. it also is known for being attracted to the rotten scent of carrion… not a great omen for touga

and then to really rub salt in the wound, we have the cactus scene

akio, surrounded by cacti, continues to gleefully humiliate touga, openly talking about his intentions for utena and how… interesting, for lack of a better word, it would be to see her become champion. “oh, but of course i still hope to see you win,” he adds cruelly. touga doesn’t respond to the jab, looking out the window instead as his one small cactus blooms in his hand

unfortunately… in hanakotoba, cactus flowers represent sexual attraction 😬 which makes this scene pretty painful to watch, but… well, it’s a good illustration of the power imbalance between touga and akio and how gleefully akio is flaunting it in order to humiliate touga. this episode is hard to sit through, but unfortunately all the hanakotoba in it made it one of my favorites to discuss hdgsjdbxcb 💀

well that’s about all ive got for now, ty for giving me the opportunity to ramble anon :’) if anyone ever has a particular flower from the show that they’re curious about, id love to help 👀