#I MEAN SERIOUSLY THIS ART IS GORGEOUS BRO

[fernsreblogs]

THESE DESIGNS ARE SO CUTE IM SCREAMING AND THROWING UP???????? nothing else to say just omfg op this art is so cute i love your art style so much more sam and jade fanart needs to be real i need more of them

I really like this, it's kinda cute and wholesome :)

[ilyregulus]

double tap – regulus black x reader

all up in your timeline, double tapping, i like, like, hoping that you don't mind, mind, that was 4 weeks old

summary: regulus black and reader have unsaid feelings for each other and regulus decides to make the first move online

warnings: social media au, they all have a good relationship, y/n is portrayed as ariana greenblatt but feel free to imagine anyway you like. also, it's my first time doing it and english is not my first language, hope you guys like it :)

liked by marlsmcknn, prongspotter, rablack and others

yn.yln: night out!

comments:

marlsmcknn: girl give me a chance!!!

↪yn.yln: anytime!

notsirius: is that my jacket?

↪yn.yln: oops 🫣

prongspotter: wait...have you guys see regulus in the likes?

↪bartyjr: my boy is finally making a move

↪itsdorcas: i mean...

↪notsirius: bro, you need to try harder than that

↪yn.yln: 👀

liked by prongspotter, notsirius, rablack and others

yn.yln: not that into quidditch but anything for my friends right?

comments:

moonylupin: i only come for the players...

↪yn.yln: honestly, same!!

↪notsirius: playerS? seriously moony?

rablack: bet i could change your mind

↪rosierevan: omg can't believe you had the balls

↪bartyjr: i'm so proud!!

↪marlsmcknn: i just gasped

↪prongspotter: sirius come see this!!

↪justmary: i wasn't expecting that

liked by bartyjr, rosierevan, yn.yln and others

rablack: victory looks better in green

comments:

lovelypandora: i'm so happy for you reggie!

prongspotter: watch out black, you're playing us next week!

itsdorcas: yesss!!!

bartyjr: slytherin is the best!!!

yn.yln: well, i guess the players are really worth the game 🤭

↪marlsmcknn: the betrayal!!!

↪rablack: told you, love 😉

↪notsirius: i don't think i'm liking this anymore

↪rosrierevan: wow y/n has game!!

↪lilyevans: omg...love???

liked by marlsmcknn, justmary, rablack and others

yn.yln: loving the view

comments:

marlsmcknn: giiirl 👀

notsirius: wait...who took it?

↪yn.yln: not you

↪notsirius: obviously

moonylupin: is she doing what i think she's doing?

↪justmary: definitely

↪prongspotter: and that would be...?

↪lilyevans: oh c'mon james

rosierevan: is she talking about regulus???

rablack: you look gorgeous!

↪bartyjr: tell us, were you her view?

↪rablack: get lost crouch

liked by yn.yln, notsirius, lovelypandora and others

rablack: elle est le plus bel art!

comments:

bartyjr: you know not everyone speaks french right?

↪lovelypandora: he said "she is the most beautiful art!", that's so cute reggie!!

lilyevans: i'm so happyyy

notsirius: my little bro is in love, i'm crying, i feel so old watching him all grown up 😭😭

↪moonylupin: oh the drama...

yn.yln: jet' aime, reg!

↪rablack: je t'aime ma chérie

↪prongspotter: wow guess is really oficial now

↪justmary: guess it always has been

itsdorcas: can't fight with them on the aesthetic

↪marlsmcknn: right? such a poetic soft launch

[e-adlirez]

The art style of Cloud Castle is absolute ass bro why are their eyes so big

Idk man it just looks.... off

I wish they brought back the og art style like Blue Scarab Hunt because that was gorgeous

Well if you’re referring to the book's artstyle as a whole, then calm down buddy the illustrations as a whole are pretty good all things considered (believe me some of the illustrations in the later books are waaaaayyyyy iffier)

But if you are referring to Danilo Barozzi’s illustrations in the book then uhhhhh… yeah I don’t blame you, I didn’t like the big anime irises either, she didn’t cook with this one,,,

The interesting thing is Barozzi also did pieces for Secret of the Snow and those looked fine (she did well enough that I have to squint to determine which ones were done by her). My guess is either she did a lot of the illustrations for the latter half of SotS and we just got used to it, or it’s because the artstyle of special editions 2 and 3 were more… experimental? Books 4 onwards developed a very specific… look for the artstyle that adhered very closely to the main book illustrations of Spanish Dance Mission onwards, thus the illustrators had to follow suit, resulting in whatever looks off to look especially off.

(Even with this set of pictures, I’m only about 70% sure these are Barozzi’s because of how alike yet different the styles are from each other in the book. The first one could be Barozzi’s, but it could also be Giuseppe Facciotto’s, since he also did illustrations for SotS and his stylization means he sometimes puts the eyes really close to each other in a way that’s weird but still makes sense somehow.) On the contrary, books 2 and 3 (and I would probably even include book 1 there) had a more experimental look to the illustrations, which seems to be based more on (and this is just a theory of mine) Giuseppe Facciotto’s iconic work for the covers of Mouseford Academy books 2-12, 14, 15 and 17 in the English books (he did waaayyy more covers for the Italian Mouseford books— he was basically the cover guy for the Mouseford books for a WHILE) as well as the books from Spanish Dance Mission to Lost Letters. If you’re wondering why those covers go as hard as they do, then now you know why.

(These aren’t all of Facciotto’s works for the covers we know in English but you can see that he popped off <3)

But yeah as you can see with special editions 2 and 3, the art direction seems to be heavily inspired by Facciotto’s artstyle.

However, when Barbara Pellizzari’s works became the aesthetic poster child of the books’ brand, that was reflected in the illustrations and how their aesthetic changed, as seen in the main books and how they look currently, special editions 4-9, and the Treasure Seekers trilogy.

This new profile thing of the girls? This was done by Pellizzari (coloring was done by Flavio Ferron), and thus it became the main reference for how the girls look in the book’s illustrations.

And it’s not just in the general direction to the artists for how to draw the Thea Sisters, but also in the direction given to the colorists. Alessandro Muscillo was the colorist for the special edition books since book 1 and the Treasure Seekers trilogy, and you can see that the direction for the style varied through books 1-3, like maybe direction was experimenting with the mood the illustrations were to convey, beginning with the cartoony and bright colors of book 1, easing into the more grounded and layered palettes of books 2 and 3

Then book 4 was when they transitioned to using digital art /j

I jest, but seriously book 4 was the debut of the coloring style we end up keeping for the rest of the special editions and for all of Treasure Seekers, which is very… bright :D

(I would show more picture examples but I manually took pictures of my physical copies for the Cloud Castle and SotS illustrations and gwuh I’m too lazy to grab my entire collection just to take pictures,,)

Bright as in like… the colors are very defined and saturated. I dunno how to describe it, but when you see it, you get what I mean. It’s very bright and pretty and colorful and it stands out. There are still variations that happen on occasion (Star Fairies in particular uses a good dose of airbrush for the lighting and shadow effects, and Crystal Fairies looks like someone had a bit of fun using sparkle brushes), but other than that, it’s very bright. I don’t hate it, but I do acknowledge that yeah, if I was introduced to the series when it had fully transitioned to the new style, I never would’ve gotten into the series in the first place, because the older books had something that didn’t make it feel specifically catered to girls. The colors were bright, but not too bright. Colorful, but unified. They weren’t that complicated, and they didn’t have to be because the colorists (plural, there were at least 3 per book once upon a time) were popping the hell off with the colors they were given. But y’know, the newer books’ consistent style did give me a good spot to practice drawing mouse furries so I’m not complaining too much about the newer style, haha.

(Tiny baby E’s (it’s literally from 2020 what’re you on about mate) her first mouse Violet drawing using Barbara Pellizzari’s artstyle in Treasure Seekers 1 as an anatomy guide!!)

With that said tho, yeah I miss the old books -m- dunno if it’d fit the aesthetic of the special editions but m a n we could’ve had it and it probably would’ve looked cool

Also the illustrations go way harder in the older books, like Prince's Emerald? I've talked about Prince's Emerald and how it goes hard before, and I still stand by it and say that it does in fact still go hard

Maybe it won't fit the uh splash of color they gave the hardcovers, but imagine they grabbed Giulia Basile's coloring work for the graphic novels and used that as sort've a basis for the coloring style of the hardcovers. Not exactly the same-- would probably still add a touch of whimsical watercolor and/or paint to the very cel-shaded style, but we could've had something pretty dope -m-

Anyway that's my ramble simultaneously defending the hardcovers' artstyle and reminiscing on what could've been haha

[koraesrambles]

Thoughts on the conclusion of Gotham War

Alright, so I've made it absolutely no secret that I've been enjoying the crap out of Gotham War. Is it structurally sound with good pacing and clear stakes? HELL no. It's not an air tight story, there are so many holes in all of the characters logic, but it is also an extremely good time.

I don't mind loose storylines in comics like this. Mostly because the premise "full grown man dresses up as a bat and cannot stop himself from mass adopting every orphan that looks like him" is already so ridiculous that anything they posit as a solution in their "war on crime" I think, "Yeah, I can see that." None of the rules of this world make sense.

But I don't really read most things for their air tight plot. Slight detour (There's a point, I swear!), but some perfect examples of this are Puss in Boots and the Last Wish and The Super Mario Bro movie. The last wish is PHENOMENAL. A literal work of art. I've seen it so many times and just basked in it's beauty. Love everything about it, absolutely stellar. But do you know what movie made me look up fan content, read fics, and forced me to buy the digital copy of the movie before the DVD came out? Yep. Mario Bros.

Why? Because I like stories about brothers who love each other and the mario movie gave me exactly that. It's not an air tight, phenomonal story with gorgeous real world applications, but it gave me a fun time where two characters worried about each other incessantly and honestly? that is what I'm here for.

So back to Gotham War. If I'm not actually looking for a ground breaking story (which honestly, I know those happen in these big super hero comic books but I feel like they're usually the *exception* rather than the rule) and just want good character interactions, then Gotham War delivered phenomenally. Especially since my favorite character was the one constantly being wrung through the wringer.

It was a great time. I enjoyed reading it, the art is better than anything I could ever produce even when the characters made weird faces. It was great. But did they stick the ending?

Eh, endings are hard. I would love to see more consequences for Bruce. Him just going off at the end and getting away with the horrible things he did to Jason is annoying. I almost wanted Jason to actually die at the end there, just so that Bruce would feel stupid and sad. If Bruce never acknowledges what he did to Jason (which . . . he probably won't, given the track record) then I'll be pretty disappointed. That's some juicy angst right there that should absolutely be addressed.

And I appreciated that literally every character that interacted with Bruce that knew about what he'd done yelled at him for it. Even Dick's seeming about-face at the end with "I'm sure you had your reasons" came after two weeks of getting used to the idea AND him trying to actually get Bruce to make good choices for once. I mean, Bruce doesn't, but A for effort, Dick. Thanks for punching him in the face last time, that was cathartic.

I surprisingly really like the fact that it wasn't Zur who did this to Jason. It was Bruce. Horrible, wacked-out, messed up Bruce Wayne who is so desperate to control everything around him and so terrified of losing the people he loves that he constantly overrides them like they're his freaking pets. Bruce is in a BAD place, and I sure hope that there will be tons of fics exploring that even if canon never acknowledges it.

But that's how I deal with comic universes like this. Everyone jokes that "Canon? what canon!" and we all laugh but honestly . . .yeah. Like, seriously. Canon is whatever works for the writer's plot in the moment. They make stuff up and contradict themselves all the time. They're constantly retconning stuff. It doesn't take away from any of the stories I like, I can still read them. And at this point, legitimately, I approach every single comic I come up on as though it's an AU. There is no canon timeline for me, because it's too messy. DC is literally just an AO3 platform that's allowed to make money.

Because the people who originally created these characters are long gone. These guys (gender neutral) writing and drawing the comics now are just fans like we all are. It's all fake. None of it is real. So let's all just have a good time.

I was talking to some friends about this and they pointed out, "It's difficult because people feel like when they're constantly screwing around with things like that why should they even care about the characters?" And they were absolutely right, that's extremely frustrating to deal with. I put a lot of emotional investment into characters, but every writer is going to approach the characters differently and with a universe like DC has, you just have to roll with it. There are no stakes. We all complain about it, but nothing is done to change it because we love these characters and we'll keep coming back for more, and so they keep having to make more content and that means messing with stuff they already have. It's a never ending cycle. These are living legends, mythology that's being written out in real time. Nothing about them are ever going to be cohesive.

Wow this is getting long, sorry about that. Things I loved about the Gotham War conclusion: Jason almost sacrificing himself and being a hero even though he was terrified. A+ content. Gorgeous, you go my boy! Tim telling everyone how to beat up all the rouges (Good job sweetheart, way to be a morally ambiguous little shit like you always are). Even if he claimed to be the second best robin at the end, those are fighting words my man. I also liked Jason's "Go 'save' another one of your sons." jab. That was great. I liked that everyone told Bruce he was wrong, even if it could have been stronger. The rest of the issue was plot stuff that I didn't really care too much about. I really like Bat/Cat, so I didn't mind those scenes too much even though Bruce is still the worst (affectionate AND derogatory).

I didn't really expect anything spectacular from the conclusion, and it really did end kind of like what I expected (nothing's changed except now Jason gets to deal with the Joker when he's sick with Super Anxiety -- which I actually am really excited for). But it wasn't as much fun as some of the previous issues.

That said, I would not mind owning an omnibus of all the gotham war issues, if just to re-read all of my favorite scenes. There were some truly unhinged crap in there, and that's just my cup of tea.

Story telling quality? eh, 6/10

enjoyment had? 9/10

[petorahs]

☀️ its fascinating that you say P3 has shaped your worldview because... Well not to trauma dump here but back then when I discovered the game (it was back then when p4 was already out) i was... In a REALLY bad place and wondering about unaliving myself. I wont go into much detail but kids are trash man and teens are even worse. and then this game came around. With an aesthetic I really liked. i am not a native english speaker so it was hard for me at first but somehow this game just... /spoke to me/. A game about life and death and what it means to be alive and what it means to have a REASON to live, somehow... Convinced me to go a bit longer. I mean it when I say this: Persona 3 saved my life. And no other game can ever come close to such an experience. (Even tho from a quality standpoint P5 certainly is up there)

oh dude that is so valid thank you for sharing this. seriously though, im happy that youre here! and im sure many others are too! the ☀️ brightening lives and all that :]

yea i can see why p3 just clicked with so many people since it first came out. i was always curious on why it's so beloved by fans, when p5 and even p4 are literally right there with their overall better gameplay experiences. p5 literally got the franchise mainstream to insane heights lol. im... so glad i got into persona the way i did. of course, everyone's experiences w these games are different and special to them in their own way.

i got into persona 3 as an adult and as a result the lens in which i viewed the story's themes were heightened, in a way. as a teen i just know i would have reacted more volatilely i struggle to think about it LOL but both experiences would still be pretty intense. it's just that, as an adult there's more room to digest it when im not troubled by algebra hw. i was just more equipped for it (also i played omori two summers ago LMAOO). ofc i only turned 20 a few weeks ago LOL but i get why p3 means so much to people.

because it's like... 2000s nostalgia coupled with a game that figuratively holds your hand through the uncertainty of death yknow? p3 is a friend, basically. its entire thesis is based upon companionship (exactly what i highlight in an analysis i have drafted somewhere but HHH i dont want this to get too long lmao)

in the shaping my worldviews thing... its really more like it cemented my 'philosophies' :] like i said, equipped with the stuff i learned before, p3 having the message that it did just... hit super close to home! like yeah! that's what i've been saying dude!! kindness really is enough!!

"You don't have to save the world to find meaning in life... Sometimes all you need is something simple, like someone to take care of."

LIKE YEA GIRL THATS EXACTLY IT!! its so cool! i actually admire people who grew up with p3 because man if i heard this line ages ago... well, again, idk if i would be able to grasp it fully at the time... but still! this is so good, poetry in motion. and like u said its aesthetics are gorgeous and aim to capture the essence of its themes - and it did.

im a p5 baby like bro i love p5. soft spot for it. thats the closest persona game i "grew up" with and it came at such an opportune time for me, being a teen stuck between a rock and a hard place. typical. and p5 validated my teenage angst bs so much. its so refreshing to see a game's theme being rebellion. that was me i thought. those characters are going through something that similarly happened to me. teenage rebellion is such a fun thing to explore!

so p5 validated my struggles while p3 did something deeper than that, somehow. i think it just made me .. stronger? like it made me move on from struggles. "by remembering death you learn how to live" so... i guess p3 taught me how to live as crazy as that sounds. but you get me

persona 5 overall is great -- everyone agrees, like its objectively just a better game. but persona 3 ends up more beloved because of its subjective value as a piece of art. there's a lot of heart and soul to put into it.

it's more simple when compared to p5 at first glance, but simple doesn't mean less. which is why more people experiencing it will be nice to see

[mjtheartist04]

hello there my dear bisexual bro fellow, I've come here to say that you are looking veeerrrrry beautiful today. your lovely eyes, gorgeous smile and awesome talent of drawing attractive people such as yourself. i swear it makes my day whenever i see your art, its so pretty, magnifico, chef's kiss! not only do you look beautiful but your insides are beautiful too. not your guts and blood insides, but your personality, its so sweet and so kind, its even better than your drawing skills, and that is already very pleasing to look at

honestly this was so cringe to write please appreciate what i have suffered through

EVELYN!???😭

HUH??? ARE YOU TRYNA RIZZ ME UP??? CUZ ITS WORKING

NO BUT SERIOUSLY THANK YOU!!!

this made my day so much better! It’s like you knew I was feeling insecure😭 thank you thank you thank you🙏 your kind beautiful encouraging words make me feel so special. today was a rough day so this means a lot to me and I appreciate it with my whole heart🥹💖

You Evelyn have such a kind beautiful soul🫶

I LOVE YOU EVVEEEEE😭🩵

[smokeybrandreviews]

Cheated

I was so excited when one of my favorite manga, Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru ~Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta~, got an anime adaption. I haven’t done a spotlight on this one just yet, mostly because i waited too long and didn’t want to seem like someone jumping on a bandwagon when the show dropped, but i am very glad that i waited because the anime adaption is bad. I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too is one of the laziest anime adaptions of a rather ambitious manga, I've ever seen in my goddamn life and i hate it so much. Seriously, i love this story a great deal and, while the narrative changes aren’t too egregious, the rest of the production kind of s. Actually, i can’t even say that because this thing i animated beautifully, most of the time, but nothing f*cking happens. Like, we are, what? Nine? Ten episodes in and nothing is happening. Not a goddamn thing.

Listen, o the top, the manga adaption of this light novel is exceptional. I can’t even front n that. The art is exception and the overall character designs come across as inspired. Minatogawa Kazuomi’s art reminds me a lot of Oh! Great but with a much more subtle use of movement and perspective. his book is f*cking gorgeous, man, and i look forward to every update i get. That said, it’s not like the plot is trash, either. Listen, this is an Isekai power fantasy. If you're a  fan of anime or manga, then you know all the hallmarks by now: Overpowered protagonist, multiple heroines, spirited away into a brand new world where our mild mannered, yet, socially righteous lead character finally get recognized for the hero they always have been. By this point, it’s borderline cliche. However, the devil is in the details. It’s how you execute that Isekai formula and i think Miku does an excellent job of doing just that. Cheat Sill isn’t doing anything new with the genre but it does deliver a solid narrative with realized world and strong characters. SO why does the show suck so f*cking bad?

Anime adaptions are always hit or miss but, lately it’s been all hit. My Dress Up Darling, Overlord, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Murder Mittens (Reincarnated as a Sword for those of you who don’t follow me and wouldn’t understand that reference), Spy x Family, Uncle From Another World, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War; All released last year, all straight up bangers in their own right. The future looks amazing, too. The previews for Sentai Daishikkaku and Mato Seihei no Slave look fantastic. Slave is actually on the same list as Cheat Skill and i actually did give it a spotlight. Long story short, sh*t real good. Feels very Nineties with the action and fan service. Looking crazy forward to how that one is received in this day and age, but i digress. How is it all of these other adaptions turned out so fantastic and the one i was looking forward to the most, is ass? Like, it’s not CG Berserk ass but, i mean, sometimes it is. Like, the scenes where you’d think the animation can really flex, I'm talking fantastic fantasy battle sequences or a straight up fist-to-fist scrap, the production values drop off a cliff!

I sh*t you not, when the protagonist travels to the fantasy world and dons his undeniably dope armor, his character model switches to CG and the quality of everything immediately drops. There is no dynamism in the way those models move so trying to actually animate them in a frantic, chaotic, bloody, clash with, say, an ogre, just doesn’t f*cking work. That sh*t should be the stuff you actually hand animate or, at the very least, render your obviously cost-cutting models better. People give UFOtable sh*t about their use of computers but i defy you to give me a better example, in modern anime, on how to blend that CG sh*t with proper animation and produce a product as clean as Demon Slayer or any of the Fate adaptions they’ve made. Bro, i know Heaven’s Fell is a film series but those production values were goddamn brilliant. That’s the type of sh*t i want out of my CG animation, not these overly stiff, action robbing, computer models every studio looking to save a penny or two, seems to default on. It’s so frustrating to seem especially coming from a studio like TMS Entertainment. They’ve been around since the goddamn Forties! You’d think they’d have enough experience in the industry not to release such frustratingly mid content! Seriously, if you’re interested, at all, in I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too, read the manga. The anime does not do these characters, that narrative, or he entire world any justice.

[trobedisontime]

can't send this from my art account (artbyelix) because it's a sideblog but bro every time you reblog my art and tag it with "my favorite fanarts :D" it makes my day fr like what do you MEAN!! I went to ur blog. The other stuff in this tag is SO GORGEOUS. The hell. MY silly little portraits?? Thank you????

Dude ofc!! Seriously your portraits are so nice. I’m so excited to see what you make in the future!!

[smokeybrand]

Cheated

I was so excited when one of my favorite manga, Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru ~Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta~, got an anime adaption. I haven’t done a spotlight on this one just yet, mostly because i waited too long and didn’t want to seem like someone jumping on a bandwagon when the show dropped, but i am very glad that i waited because the anime adaption is bad. I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too is one of the laziest anime adaptions of a rather ambitious manga, I've ever seen in my goddamn life and i hate it so much. Seriously, i love this story a great deal and, while the narrative changes aren’t too egregious, the rest of the production kind of s. Actually, i can’t even say that because this thing i animated beautifully, most of the time, but nothing f*cking happens. Like, we are, what? Nine? Ten episodes in and nothing is happening. Not a goddamn thing.

Listen, o the top, the manga adaption of this light novel is exceptional. I can’t even front n that. The art is exception and the overall character designs come across as inspired. Minatogawa Kazuomi’s art reminds me a lot of Oh! Great but with a much more subtle use of movement and perspective. his book is f*cking gorgeous, man, and i look forward to every update i get. That said, it’s not like the plot is trash, either. Listen, this is an Isekai power fantasy. If you're a  fan of anime or manga, then you know all the hallmarks by now: Overpowered protagonist, multiple heroines, spirited away into a brand new world where our mild mannered, yet, socially righteous lead character finally get recognized for the hero they always have been. By this point, it’s borderline cliche. However, the devil is in the details. It’s how you execute that Isekai formula and i think Miku does an excellent job of doing just that. Cheat Sill isn’t doing anything new with the genre but it does deliver a solid narrative with realized world and strong characters. SO why does the show suck so f*cking bad?

Anime adaptions are always hit or miss but, lately it’s been all hit. My Dress Up Darling, Overlord, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Murder Mittens (Reincarnated as a Sword for those of you who don’t follow me and wouldn’t understand that reference), Spy x Family, Uncle From Another World, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War; All released last year, all straight up bangers in their own right. The future looks amazing, too. The previews for Sentai Daishikkaku and Mato Seihei no Slave look fantastic. Slave is actually on the same list as Cheat Skill and i actually did give it a spotlight. Long story short, sh*t real good. Feels very Nineties with the action and fan service. Looking crazy forward to how that one is received in this day and age, but i digress. How is it all of these other adaptions turned out so fantastic and the one i was looking forward to the most, is ass? Like, it’s not CG Berserk ass but, i mean, sometimes it is. Like, the scenes where you’d think the animation can really flex, I'm talking fantastic fantasy battle sequences or a straight up fist-to-fist scrap, the production values drop off a cliff!

I sh*t you not, when the protagonist travels to the fantasy world and dons his undeniably dope armor, his character model switches to CG and the quality of everything immediately drops. There is no dynamism in the way those models move so trying to actually animate them in a frantic, chaotic, bloody, clash with, say, an ogre, just doesn’t f*cking work. That sh*t should be the stuff you actually hand animate or, at the very least, render your obviously cost-cutting models better. People give UFOtable sh*t about their use of computers but i defy you to give me a better example, in modern anime, on how to blend that CG sh*t with proper animation and produce a product as clean as Demon Slayer or any of the Fate adaptions they’ve made. Bro, i know Heaven’s Fell is a film series but those production values were goddamn brilliant. That’s the type of sh*t i want out of my CG animation, not these overly stiff, action robbing, computer models every studio looking to save a penny or two, seems to default on. It’s so frustrating to seem especially coming from a studio like TMS Entertainment. They’ve been around since the goddamn Forties! You’d think they’d have enough experience in the industry not to release such frustratingly mid content! Seriously, if you’re interested, at all, in I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too, read the manga. The anime does not do these characters, that narrative, or he entire world any justice.

[novelmonger]

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future - My favorite Layton game! Also the only one that made me cry, because that ending, man ;A; I loved the plot centering around possible time travel - intriguing! - and how they actually had Layton and Luke talk about their feelings and friendship (not enough, of course, but I wrote a fic to fix that XD).

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Probably my second-favorite SSB game. The original will always be the best in my mind, but this one is also solid. It doesn't have anywhere near the number of characters that Ultimate does, which means there are fewer characters who are "basically like X with different hair" or something. I'm also still very proud of the one custom stage that I made, which is literally just a single platform four tiles long, so everybody's falling off all the time XD

To the Moon - I'm so glad to see this beautiful game get some recognition! Set in the future where technology has been developed to enter someone's mind, see their memories, and alter them, this game follows two technicians who do that with a man on his deathbed. You watch his whole life unfold, and parse out why his memories seem a little unusual. It's a game so full of beautiful pixel art and gorgeous music.

Life Is Strange 2 - Wow, it won by quite a margin! I have such mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand, it's exactly my kind of story - two brothers who are TCKs, have to rely on each other to survive, and the older one tells a story about them as wolves?! It's like it was custom-made for me! But, just like the first game, there was a lot of content that really dragged it down for me. Too much sexual content, too much language, and I really didn't like that there was one whole chapter about an illegal marijuana farm and another whole chapter about a religious cult :/ Just felt like there weren't enough voices coming from the other direction, and it made everything feel a little...unbelievable? Which is probably a weird thing to say about a story where a boy discovers he has superpowers, but still ^^' Despite my misgivings, though, I still really enjoyed this game. I got so invested in the brothers, I sobbed my heart out multiple times, and I love the art style and the music. I just really wish Life Is Strange games could be a bit cleaner, because I love the way they tell stories.

Myst II: Riven - My favorite of the Myst games! I've never really been able to articulate why, but out of all the wondrous places you get to travel to in these games, Riven is the Age I would want to live in. There's something about it that inexplicably feels like home to me. Maybe it's just that I spent so long clicking all over the islands as I tried to solve the puzzles, lol. But I still think it's just beautiful, and despite the usual Myst frustrations, I just really love this game.

Shady Part of Me - A puzzle platformer I played just this year. It's a really cool concept, of a girl and her shadow both trying to escape what appears to be a hospital, but becomes clear is a metaphor for her mental state. There was something about this game that drew me to it so strongly I didn't want to do anything but keep playing. Unfortunately, I ran into a glitch that made the game crash right at the end, every time I tried to play the last level :/

The Sims - My childhooooooood! 8D And yes, I'm talking about the original Sims. I've played a little of The Sims 2, but to me a lot of the charm was lost. So much of the fun in this game comes from the almost mechanical ways the characters move, the repeated lines of dialogue, the boxy graphics.... When I say this game is my childhood, I can assure you we played that game to death. We got the strategy guide for it, which I read cover-to-cover. We played it the "right way," where you seriously try to make your Sims happy and successful. We used cheats to get unlimited money and built extravagant palaces. We made death traps with fireplaces and rugs, or swimming pools with a diving board but no ladder, and thus create a haunted house with lots of graves. The possibilities in the base game alone are so varied and interesting, and in the end we had...I think three expansion packs? So many hours of fun ^_^

Stasis - Lol, nobody voted for this one, and I can see why. It's an indie horror game I just played this year, about a man who wakes up from cryostasis on a spaceship that is drifting through space and is slowly being taken over by the results of illegal experimentation going on there. It ended up being more gross than scary to me, and the ending was deeply unsatisfying to me, but it was an interesting enough diversion for a while.

Arbitrarily-Chosen Video Game Tournament, Round 1.26

Welcome to the Arbitrarily-Chosen Video Game Tournament, where we will find out which of the games I've played is the best game of all time!

Why? Don't ask. Just vote and reblog!

[chatonnoir]

How does the French dub differ from how the eng dub tones down the affection between ladynoir?

lol I actually had a few examples of this in my notes already bc I was switching between Eng and French while rewatching the earlier seasons to compare the script

In Stormy Weather/Climatika, after Chat Noir was sent flying and Ladybug helped him up and said “I thought cats always landed on their feet.” (the iconic hand kiss scene):

In English he says "Thanks, Miladybug, but I had it covered." [Kisses her hand]

In French he says "It was on purpose, my Lady, for the pleasure of meeting you again." [Kisses her hand]

Bro the second one is so much cuter like there’s no comparison

(Another minor thing from this ep is when Climatika says there’s going to be an endless Winter, in English Chat Noir says “but I look so good in a swimsuit” while in French he says “but I look super hot in a swimsuit” Lmao the english dub just really likes to censor our boy)

In Dark Cupid/Dislocoeur, when Chat Noir throws the akumatized pin to Ladybug:

In English he says “Happy Valentine’s Day”

In French he says “Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful”

(He actually calls her the term of endearment “ma belle” which literally means “my beautiful.” I know it’s not as common to say “my beautiful” in English so it could also be taken as just “beautiful” or “gorgeous” etc.)

The way he says “Joyeuse Saint-Valentin, ma belle” is literally so much cuter than the English dub version of the line

This isn't necessarily related to flirting/affection, but in Copycat/L'Imposteur, when Chat Noir is leaving the art studio at the very end:

In English he says "Better help the fellow out. His crush just got crushed!" [walks away from Ladybug] "...That makes two of us."

In French it goes "You better help him. You just broke his heart after all!" [Walks away from Ladybug] "...Not just his, by the way."

dude I really couldn't take the English version that seriously but the French version sounded so much sadder & carried more weight

In Puppeteer/La Marionnettiste, after Chat Noir says “Don’t let her turn me in to a puppet!”:

In English he says “You know I like to be in command~”

In French he says “Only your wishes are my commands~″

smh this simp erasure

In Guitar Villain, when Ladybug is riding the dragon:

In English Chat Noir says "Nice job."

In French he says smth that doesn’t translate directly but was basically like "You're awesome..."

The delivery of the French version of the line just has him sounding so much softer & unabashedly in awe of his Lady

In Prime Queen/Audimatrix when Chat Noir says “I know how we can prove our feelings” and tries to go in for the kiss:

In English Ladybug says “Not a chance, kitty.” and when he tries again in the freezer she says “Still not a chance, Cat Noir.”

In French Ladybug says “Now is not the time, my kitty.” and when he tries again in the freezer she says “it’s still not the right time, my kitty.”

Smh why would you even change this?? Like it completely changes the meaning and just feeds in to the false idea that Chat Noir is “pushy”/harassing Ladybug against her wishes when her ACTUAL annoyance with him was that he’d flirt at the “wrong time” i.e. literally in the middle of a battle. Also it’s just soooo much sweeter whenever she calls him “mon Chaton” compared to just “kitty” in English

In Frighteningale/Rossignoble, when they’re speaking in rhymes and Ladybug asks Chat Noir for a “dance”:

In English Chat Noir calls Ladybug “Miladybug”

In French for the same line Chat Noir calls Ladybug “Lady of my heart”

Bro????? “Lady de mon coeur” is so fucking sweet there’s literally no contest here

tl;dr: imo the French dub is more romantic, not bc of the stereotype of the language itself being romantic but because their lines are actually blatantly more affectionate/emotional, imo the French version makes Chat Noir sound more unabashedly affectionate whereas the English dub slightly tries to keep him sounding like a Cool Guy(TM)/tones down their flirting/also generally makes the script a lot more "childish" to really push that whole “this show is for 7 yr olds” vibe (lmao @ "darken their heart" vs "evilize them" and "I free you from evil!" vs. "tIMe tO dE-EviLIzE")

[toastchild]

OK, I'm not sure if I can phrase everything I want to say correctly, but I'll try anyway: YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

Like, really!

Your art is just GORGEOUS, both old and new! And I love love LOVE that you included a bisexual trans male character! (SERIOUSLY, AS A BISEXUAL TRANS GUY MYSELF IT MEANS A LOT TO ME!) I just love Tristan so much, and (what seems to be) his li'l crush on Gabe is just adorable!

Although, to be honest, as much as I love those two (being laid-back and "looking for a dream boy" are two things I can heavily relate to), in terms of personality so far my favorite is perhaps Alizée, and design-wise it would be Noah. Like seriously, when it comes to Noah I can't decide if I just want to look like them or date them??? *fanboy scream* THEY'RE TOO COOL!!! (>////<)

Regardless, I just adore your comic, and everything about it. Everything looks great, everyone is adorable, the diversity is just AWESOME! Bianca and Penny's interactions are just so awkward, funny, cute, and relatable! I just love it! Thank you for bringing a little joy into my life as a non-straight, non-cis person looking for "rainbow" content.

Compliments aside, though, there's something I want to say. I just recently noticed you changed how you identify as, and I have to ask - how did you realize you were aro AND ace? If I remember correctly, you used to identify as aromantic and lesbian (sorry if that's not true, btw). Was it a case of you realizing you only liked girls in the aesthetic sense in spite of being open to intimacy and/or a relationship with them?

Sorry for the weird questions by the way, you don't have to answer them if you don't feel like it. I don't mean to be invasive, I'm just genuinely curious about such things, considering I am neither asexual nor aromantic exactly, and I have never felt any true semblance of being a lesbian (since I'm a trans boy who likes more than one gender, I could not feel any connection to the word "lesbian" when I learned about it even though I'm really into ladies).

If it somehow alleviates whatever discomfort I might have brought to you by bringing up a (possibly) unpleasant subject amidst such praise, I'd like for you to know that I have kind of aromantic/asexual -ish values myself. That is, in spite being a huge fan of romance and, er, "bedroom bonding," I think platonic love should always come first, and I always feel aces, aros, demis, and everyone in the ace/aro spectrum deserve better both in real life AND in fiction.

Anyway, I'm glad your art, comics, and characters exist, they're a treat to the eyes and a warm embrace for the soul, especially for LGBT+ people. I hope you continue to bring smiles to peoples' faces by being your lovely self, and I hope you always find people who do the same for you.

You are a rare jewel, and I wish you good luck on your journey as an artist, as a person, and as a human being.

(P.S. I just realized i made this message WAY too long than I had originally planned. I really went overboard with this one. Oh well... *shyly walks away*)

DUDE!!! I can't thank you enough for such an absolute essay I'm seriously so grateful for the time it must have taken to write this!! All your thoughts about my characters make me so so happy aaa I can't believe it <333

You're right, I used to identify as aromantic and lesbian and I still think women are very lovely! You're spot on, I'm definitely more into girls in an aesthetic sense I think they're funky and cool but god I would never want to date anyone.

I actually realized I am definitely asexual recently - basically w/o getting too explicit someone offered me the option to try "it" and it freaked me out so much it kind of set off an "ohhhh okay, I'm definitely not a sexual person" moment. Honestly, I kind of grew up being told I was too young to identify as asexual and to just wait until I'm older, but bro I'm older now and I still feel the same way so 🤠🤸‍♀️ Honestly I think my thoughts are if a label is resounding w you - give it a try, nothing has to be permanent! You're allowed to change your mind, there are no rules.

Anyway!! I just wanted to thank you again for writing to me and making my day, I hope you're absolutely thriving <333333

[whysojiminimnida]

Okay, I haven’t been paying attention to Tae’s music recommendation (they’re usually not my style) but I’ve slowly realized that they (at least the ones I *have* been paying attention to) seem to point to a romantic interest??? I’m 99% I’m making a mountain out of a molehill, but his most recent IG story (You make me want to be a better man) hit me like a bolt of lightning and made me really consider the idea instead of dismissing it outright like I usually do. I mean, obviously it’s completely possible that he’s dated before or is dating now (I would say it would be near impossible that he hasn’t—HE’S GORGEOUS!) but the vibe I got is that he’s possibly ‘soft’ launching or hinting at the idea??? IDK. I feel like such a delulu even talking about this lol, it’s ridiculous. My full clown make up is ON. 🤡

My rational brain is still insisting that he’s just a romantic and this is really just the type of content that he usually would come out with (possibly even more thirst traps if it was a private account lol). The man is all about the ~vibes~ judging from how he indescriminately and unhesitatingly delete stuff off his account lol.

Here's a cute Twitter thread that's worth a look because it has videos of Tae quoting As Good As It Gets in the replies:

Now y'all can call me delulu WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME but I have been out here on record saying that TAEHYUNG IS DATING SOMEONE for a good minute now.

AND to add insult (maybe) to injury (that whole art museum thing) I even said at the time that I felt that Taehyung might be queer, but he is, and I quote "at least most of the time, straight". SO IF YOU'RE GONNA COME AT ME BRO DO IT I SAID WHAT I SAID. In November of last year. Following that I did mention a few times that I kinda thought Taehyung might come out with a girlfriend this year but that it might be problematic if he did:

Soooo, based on my own post history, it's pretty clear I'm on Team Taehyung Has A Person. Girl person or boy person really doesn't matter, and I think I've maybe altered my personal opinion on how het that man can actually even be. But I do think this: SOMEONE NEEDS TO HIDE TAEHYUNG'S DELETE BUTTON. Seriously SEOKJIN HOBI NAMJOON WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE WHEN THIS MAN IS IN HIS FEELINGS BE HELPFUL DAMMIT

[zamoimagines]

Nadja As a Girlfriend (Headcanons)

A/N: here’s my first Nadja thing! if ya’ll want more then please let me know! it’s a little short, but I hope ya like it!

*✧･ﾟokay when Nadja is in love she is OBSESSED

*✧･ﾟ I mean, we saw how she was with Jeff

*✧･ﾟ but you’re definitely different. Jeff was just a guy, a love toy if you will. 

*✧･ﾟ You, on the other hand, are Nadja’s absolute world 

*✧･ﾟ I mean we’re talking love for Lazlo but x100000000000

*✧･ﾟ she just values women a lot more (for obvious reasons)

*✧･ﾟ She has this persona for being the baddest bitch around that will cut you, but you make her go completely soft 

*✧･ﾟ She’d always have you over, it’s like you live there part time

*✧･ﾟ Always takes you to house meetings

*✧･ﾟ Always insists that you sit directly next to her, or on her lap, or she’ll sit on your lap, anything that’s close

*✧･ﾟ She follows you around like a puppy dude it’s the cutest shit 

*✧･ﾟ Lazlo even starts getting jealous and trying to impress her like “My darling! look at the sculpture I’ve made of you!” and makes this big grand thing for her 

*✧･ﾟ in which she replies “yes, yes, that’s nice. Did you see the drawing that Y/N did for me?? Isn’t it just a masterpiece!” and she shows him a stick figure you drew for her 

*✧･ﾟShe loves going on nightly strolls with you and genuinely spending time with you

*✧･ﾟ Loves to play with your hair constantly. She’s always running her fingers through it, or petting your head, or twirling little pieces of it 

*✧･ﾟ Loves inhaling your scent, but not for food, it’s just a genuine romantic thing she likes doing

*✧･ﾟ She even keeps one of your shirts in her coffin so that she can have a little piece of you while she’s sleeping (it helps when she can’t sleep bc she’s missing you too much)

*✧･ﾟ if you ever spend the night and she wakes up to find you asleep, she will most definitely climb into the spare bed with you and cuddle you until you wake up and even hums little tunes for you 

*✧･ﾟ or if she knows you need your sleep, she’ll get three blankets and tuck you in and just like watch you while you’re dreaming bc she wants to make sure you stay safe 

*✧･ﾟ btw she is a huge cuddle fan and is constantly hugging you/touching you in some way

*✧･ﾟ this bitch is always looking for excuses to cuddle you bro

*✧･ﾟ Nadja is definitely a verse, but her favorite is when she can be on top of you and show you all of the love she has for you

*✧･ﾟ this kinky bitch let me tell you

*✧･ﾟ your sex life with her is definitely not boring, i mean this bitch is willing to try ANYTHING

*✧･ﾟ huge fan of giving oral, using different toys, into BDSM, but also can give you cute passionate sex, so much versatility with this woman

*✧･ﾟ any time one of the men of the house insults you or tries to make fun of you, she curses at them and chases them like “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY??? NO, GET BACK HERE SO I CAN RIP YOUR HEAD FROM YOUR NECK!”

*✧･ﾟ clingy af but you don’t mind it bc that shit is ADORABLE

*✧･ﾟ when you have to go to work or you can’t come over or something, she gets depressed and whines about how much she misses you

*✧･ﾟ but it’s cute whenever you show up unexpectedly or in general bc the mood instantly changes 

*✧･ﾟ she runs into your arms and covers you in kisses and hugs

*✧･ﾟ like complete shift from “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel better... I’ll just settle for my husband” to “My darling!!!! You’re here!!!! Lazlo, get off of me, I don’t need you now”

*✧･ﾟ always telling you stories about her village and different adventures she’s been on bc you’re always so genuinely interested in everything she’s ever done

*✧･ﾟ likes to read to you when she has down time 

*✧･ﾟ loves pressing her nose to yours gently

*✧･ﾟ always holding your hand and resting her head on your shoulder this affectionate baby

*✧･ﾟ loves giving you hugs from behind and whispering cute things in your ear 

*✧･ﾟ also loves random makeout sessions and we’re talking anywhere

*✧･ﾟ you figure the guys would be creepy whenever ya’ll kiss, but no they get annoyed and grossed out (specifically Guillermo and Nandor)

*✧･ﾟ“Get a room, that is disgusting to see! We’re in the middle of a house meeting... Fucking guys.” Nandor hates ya’ll

*✧･ﾟ you do any minor thing and Nadja brags about it to everyone like

*✧･ﾟ “Everyone! Look at my darling Y/N, she’s reading a book! Look how smart she is!!!” or “Y/N brushed her teeth again today, she’s amazing!”

*✧･ﾟ Plans adorable dates for the two of you, whether they be at home or out and about 

*✧･ﾟ Out dates usually consist of taking you to a live show since she loves the arts, or simply taking you out to the movies, at some point she hella wants the two of you to take a painting class together or go dancing somewhere 

*✧･ﾟ She even tries to take up cooking so she can feed you herself (though let’s be real she’s an awful cook, it’s the sentiment that counts)

*✧･ﾟ like you come over one night and she’s like “Look my darling! I have made you a roasted chicken!” and it’s literally a whole chicken, feathers and eyeballs still intact, it’s just been burnt to an absolute crisp but her eyes light up when you show your appreciation that it’s too fuckin cute (please don’t eat her cooking I beg of you)

*✧･ﾟ Always showering you with gifts, from little knick knacks like furs of an animal she accidentally killed to big lavish gifts such as ancient jewelry 

*✧･ﾟ constantly getting out older more extravagant dresses to wear so that she can impress you

*✧･ﾟ You get her a phone so she can text you but she’s awful at it, constantly sending you accidental selfies and taking pictures of everything around the house to show you what she’s up to, you also have to teach her not to use all caps with her texts  

*✧･ﾟ if you’re sad or someone upset you, the world better be ready for her wrath because she will destroy anything and anyone that has made her baby cry, let’s get that clear 

*✧･ﾟ seriously someone gave you the wrong sandwich at mcdonalds one night and the next day you saw that the restaurant was completely closed bc apparently someone was very badly injured and there was blood all over the building 

*✧･ﾟ and when you confront her about it all she can say is “well hopefully they’ll get my love the right order next time”

*✧･ﾟ Gets you a gorgeous ring for you to wear as a symbol of your commitment to each other 

*✧･ﾟ She always constantly hints at turning you and really wants to, but she always wants to make sure it’s something you want and hella respects whatever decision you end up making 

*✧･ﾟShe doesn’t care if you’re a human or a vampire, all that matters to her is that she has you and she’s able to show you her unconditional love every day

[softfairies]

Okay I know I rambled about these on Discord but oHMYGOD JADE LOOK AT HOW GORGEOUS THESE ARE!!!

The Corels

Some semi- realistic art of the Coreloius family that I was working on 

I…. have not posted art in a while and since then i’ve been working on drawing  some human faces in artschool so i decided to try them out on my ocs!! 

It was really SO MUCH harder than i thought but I tried my best so I hope everyone likes it!

Seguir leyendo

[vodkassassin]

Hellooooo I heard that you are taking prompts!! May I propose crossdressing SQH? For the sect's mission or sth like that =))) and he pulls a very convincing disguise, with his knowledge as an author. Bonus if he can dance/sing/play instruments cuz I know he has it in him, being an overachiever he is (sorry for the rambling I just. Rly love him)

Don’t apologize! I love SQH too, so feel free to ramble away. My inbox is always open, even if you just want to gush about Shang Qinghua!

—

“Everything is set up correctly?” Yue Qingyuan frets.

And it really is fretting, the way that the man hovers over the group of peak lords that have gathered around the meeting table, almost like a hungry hummingbird scoping out its next meal. The man is normally much more composed than this, a bastion of calm amidst any crisis, and it’s making everyone else high strung as well, now that he’s slipped.

“For the last time, Sect Leader,” Shen Qingqiu grouses tiredly from where he sits, as slouched as he’ll ever get, fan open and so close to his face that it’s pressed against his cheek and causing his words to slur slightly. “We have gone over every possible contingency. Shang-shidi will be as safe as if he is still within our very own sect.”

“Yes, I know,” Yue Qingyuan murmurs, still gazing concernedly down at the multiple shafts of papers that they’ve got spread out across the entirety of the table. There’s a crease in between his brows, and Shen Qingqiu doesn’t really blame the man for being so worried, not really.

It’s a big operation, what they’ve got going on here. Complex, precarious, and it’s so incredibly important that they get every minute detail correct in their handling of the situation, or all of Shang Qinghua’s hard work, years worth of it, will go down the drain faster than someone can snap their fingers.

Despite carrying himself with the calm distance of an immortal master, leader of one of the greatest sects in all of China, Yue Qingyuan is the most ardent Big Brother Type that Shen Yuan has ever met in either of his lives. The man obviously cares about each and every one of his martial siblings, and it’s very apparent in the way that he gets anxious like this whenever one of them is put into a dangerous situation.

Given what the situation entails — and what exactly they’re dealing with here — Shen Qingqiu definitely doesn’t blame him for his hovering.

But, by the heavens, he’s ready to grab him by the shoulders and force him into a chair. He is fully prepared to sit on the man himself just to get Yue Qingyuan to be still for five seconds.

“Shang Qinghua is not new to work like this,” Mu Qingfang says soothingly. His calming demeanor is only broken by the way the doctor reaches out a second later to redundantly adjust the placement of one of the papers that litter the table. A nervous tick. “Out of us all, it’s him who has the highest chance of success. That’s why we chose him.”

“I know,” Yue Qingyuan says again, more firmly this time. He folds his hands behind his back and stands straight, gazing down at the table between them all. “However, given the matter at hand, your shixiong believes it prudent to ensure that every possible avenue of failure be closely examined.”

“More than we already have?” Ju Qingsong complains. He’s slumped entirely over the table, and has been for the last two hours. “Zhangmen-shixiong, this lord thinks that you’re really being a mother hen, here. Shang-shixiong’s done this sort of thing before. He’ll be fine!”

“It’s Shang-shijie now, Qingsong,” Qi Qingqi slyly announces, pulling the door to the meeting room open with a flourish. “And look, our martial sister! She’s so pretty, isn’t she?”

“I still don’t see why it couldn’t have been you doing this,” Shang Qinghua grouches as he troops into the room behind her. “You’ve done stuff like this before, as much as I have, and you’re actually a girl.”

Shen Qingqiu turns away from the table, a word of good-nature’s ribbing ready at the top of his tongue, but he finds that he can’t deploy it. Not when his bro is standing right there and looking like a real, dainty and dignified young maiden of a noble, xianxia family.

The robes are what’s most shocking, at first, like a full frontal assault to what Shen Qingqiu has become used to in regards to his friend. Shang Qinghua prefers dark blues, indigos, and blacks, all in a durable and solid weave — so, to see him decked out in flowing silks of soft pastels and light trims and embroidery, is certainly a shock to the senses.

His hair is next on the list of differences, usually pinned up entirely in braids and a bun held together with sharp silver needles. Today, half of it falls down his back in a gentle wave, while the top half of it is carefully twisted up into a delicate looking hair ornament that sparkles subtly in the light of the night pearls that decorate the meeting hall’s ceiling.

All of this, paired with the tasteful arrangement of jewelry — earrings that accentuate his jaw in a way that makes it appear a softer line than it actually is, artful golden clasps around the crown of his head, with gemmed beads that hang on carefully positioned wires to frame the fall of his hair and make it look like a tumbling waterfall of golden waters — Shang Qinghua makes for a beautiful young mistress.

“Damn, bro,” he says, unable to stop himself.

Shang Qinghua turns and raises an eyebrow at him, and all Shen Qingqiu finds himself able to do is shoot his friend a thumbs up.

“Damn is right,” Ju Qingsong gives a low whistle, pushing himself up from the table. Both of his eyebrows have risen up to meet his hairline, and a large grin adorns his face. “Shang-shijie! You’re breathtaking! Isn’t she gorgeous, Qingsheng?”

Rong Qingsheng doesn’t answer the man. He’s too busy staring at Shang Qinghua with silent and intense eyes. Knowing what he does of the lord of the agricultural peak, Shen Qingqiu figures he’s busy cataloguing every minute detail of their martial brother’s — er, sister’s — new look.

Honestly, he doesn’t blame him at all. Shang Qinghua makes for a show-stopping beauty.

Seriously, what the hell?

“Didn’t I do such a good job?” Qi Qingqi preens. She reaches over and, with careful fingers, tucks a stray strand of hair behind Shang Qinghua’s ear.

The man ducks his head, slowly in mindfulness of his intricate up-do, but Shen Qingqiu is too busy having heart palpitations to make fun of him for it. From the way that his fellow martial brothers’ eyes have all widened imperceptibly, they’re having similar struggles.

Liu Qingge stands up from the table rather abruptly.

“Qi-shijie needs to go instead,” he demands, a scowl curving his brows downward.

Shang Qinghua lets out an exasperated puff of air and tilts his head back, chin rising up almost stubbornly, and it’s likely because he’s still not used to the added weight of the hair ornaments. What it does, though, is expose the curve of his neck, and Shen Qingqiu turns away from the sight of his bro entirely just to shoot their sect leader a look of trepidation. The man himself seems like his earlier anxieties have doubled.

“That’s what I said earlier!” Shang Qinghua complains, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s pouting, and oh god it makes the picture of him look all the more delicate. Has Airplane even seen himself in a mirror yet?! He needs to stop with the cute actions!

“I said ‘Qi-shimei is actually a girl! Like, we have an actual female peak lord, who doesn’t have to crossdress in order to sneak into the human trafficking ring to find their financial books!’” Shang Qinghua re-enacts, pout becoming even more pronounced. Shen Qingqiu is pretty sure that Liu Qingge’s grip on the table has just cracked the wood. “And you all were like, ‘But Shang Qinghua! You have more undercover experience!’ And I was like, ‘That’s bullshit!’ because you all know that Qi Qingqi’s peak actually specializes in espionage! Like, why is it always me that has to go undercover?! I’m An Ding! I deal with information networks, not field work!”

“Except, you do deal in fieldwork,” Mu Qingfang points out, gently. He sounds like someone has punched him in the gut. “Very often, in fact…. Zhangmen-shixiong, I-I don’t think—”

“That’s because you guys always make me go!” Shang Qinghua interrupts him, clearly needing to complain a bit more. “I mean, there are plenty of times I do it myself, sure, but that’s just because I know the job will be done right that way! But all the other times! Like now! Seriously, you guys, Qi Qingi is right there!”

“And we definitely should have listened to you, you’re right,” Shen Qingqiu says weakly, waving his fam in front of his face in the hopes that it’ll help with the faint flush he can feel assaulting his cheeks.

“It’s too late for second guessing,” Qi Qingqi says flippantly, shaking her loose hair behind her shoulders. “If we change things up now, the entire operation will have to be reworked from the ground up, and that’s just not possible with the time frame we have. If we want to take advantage of the opening we’ve been given to take down this trafficking ring, then we must proceed as planned.”

“I hate that I have to agree with you,” Shang Qinghua grumbles.

He takes a step forward, toward the table, and then stops, staring at his own chair with a complicated expression on his face. After a few moments, he sighs and looks up.

“All these layers are even more complicated than my peak lord formal attire,” he says, forlorn. “I… I have no idea how to sit down in them…. Shijie, help.”

Qi Qingqi cackles, loudly, before going forward and pulling the man’s chair out for him. She waves her hand at the seat and instructs Shang Qinghua on how to adjust his robes as he sits, and then goes on to comment that they will have to practice so that Shang Qinghua will be able to make the motions look flawless and befitting of the young noble lady that he will be impersonating.

None of the other peak lords move. They’re too busy looking anywhere but at the two shijie currently chatting away on the other side of the table. Well, Rong Qingsheng is studying them rather carefully, but that’s a given. Ju Qingsong is watching his friend with an amused (if wistful) expression, himself.

Shen Qingqiu shuts his fan with a flick of his wrist and lays his head down on the table, pillowing his eyes into his crossed forearms.

He supposes that he will have to resign himself to the unfortunate fate of actually worrying about his best friend while the other is gone, for the entirety of the mission. Airplane is just too pretty for his own good! It’s Shen Yuan’s job, as his bro, to be absolutely and wholeheartedly concerned about what might happen to him out there, especially in the situation he will be descending into.

Man, he really relates to Yue Qingyuan, now. Had the sect leader known just how pretty Shang Qinghua would be? Is that why he’d been so visibly apprehensive even from the beginning?

Shen Qingqiu thinks he might need a drink. He glances across the table, at Shui Qingyu, and finds that the brewery peak lord appears to be thinking the same. Their eyes meet, their expressions of dread nearly identical, and they share a nod.

Later tonight, they’re going to get drunk.