#I'll start giffing once we do :D

[restinslices]

Lin Kuei Sibling Headcanons

I gotta stop using the same gifs over and over again. Anywho, just random headcanons about them when they were younger. A few of these is what my siblings and I did but listen-. No sad shit this time around, but next time issa wrap no bun (word to CoryXKenshin)

When they were younger Bi-Han realized someone was drinking his shit, so he started spitting in it

He also loudly announces that he did so and that whoever drank his shit was drinking his germs 

Kuai Liang responded by saying “well we both share the same DNA”

Revolting. Yuck. 

Tomas smiles when he's nervous so people always think he's lying. 

“Did you drink my slushy?” “No” “Yes you did. You're smiling” “YOU'RE MAKING ME NERVOUS”

D if you ever see this, I did not drink that fucking slushy years ago and getting mom involved was actually so foul. “Put that on my dead granny”, WHY WOULD I LIE ON GRANDMA? I SHOULD'VE drank it. Should've took a big ass gulp 

Moving on- 

Like I said in my last post, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang have definitely jumped Tomas before 

They call it play fighting, Tomas calls it attempted murder 

Bi-Han is the “come here” brother and Tomas is the “you're gonna hit me” brother 

Bi-Han is also the “you want a cookie?” and Tomas is the “what'd you do to it?”

Speaking of those two, the real reason Bi-Han doesn't like Tomas is because Tomas would stand in his doorway and when Bi-Han would tell him to get out, Tomas would say “I'm not in your room”

Kuai Liang would put his finger close to Bi-Han but say he's not touching him 

That's the real reason he betrayed them. It's true. I asked him. 

Idk which one them does it but one of these mfs puts the cereal box in front of them to ignore the brother they're mad at 

Tomas is “your dad is pissing me off”, Kuai Liang is “lmao what happened?”

Bi-Han’s room is the chill out spot against his will

Kuai Liang has accidentally set someone on fire 100% and they never let him live it down (my siblings did that on purpose but scooting right along) (no one died😃)

Tomas is the victim of white jokes. He'll say smth and here comes Bi-Han “why are you?? speaking?? to me?? as a white person?? go eat salt??”

Kuai Liang is “hey can I have a bite?” and Bi-Han says “sure” then licks all over whatever he has. 

“Tuesday is my day with the TV” “you're adopted. shut up”

Bi-Han has gotten the other two into several fights ‘cause he has a bad temper and his siblings ride for him 

This one time my sister yelled at a teacher for yelling at me and that's Bi-Han. Like yeah, he's not the nicest as an adult but as a kid? The only mf that's allowed to yell at his brothers is HIM. 

They've all gotten whooped because none of them snitch on each other. This is a ride or die brotherhood (for now) (not me tho. My mom got a heavy ass hand. You're on your own)

“Tell your brother to do those damn dishes” “you want me to say it like that? with the curse word?” “go ahead”

Whoever it is goes to their brother and- “dad said get your big nasty ass up and clean those motherfucking dishes before he whoops your skinny long neck ass”

I cannot pinpoint who exactly would do this and risk the whooping so imma just say they've all been guilty

Bi-Han and Kuai Liang are those annoying ass kids asking you to play bloody knuckles. If you don't get the fuck away from me-

Tomas played with Kuai Liang once and quit immediately

Kuai Liang is the “I only had a cup” when the juice is all gone. Yeah, you had a big ass cup you get from Super America. The Minute Maid is gone because of you 

Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, “Say Fuck, I'm not gonna tell dad”. Tomas says “no” and the day he does say it now he's being blackmailed 

Kuai Liang would help Bi-Han look for shit he knows he took. Y'all may think Kuai Liang would never do such a thing. He's so sweet. THAT'S HOW HE GOT AWAY WITH IT!

When they accidentally really hurt the other and hear their parents, they have different reactions. Bi-Han is the “tell them. I don't care. Actually, I'll tell them for you” brother. Kuai Liang is the “wait wait wait, calm down. Stop crying. Look, you can hit me back. You want candy?” brother. Tomas is the “that was actually an accident. My bad” brother. 

Tomas actually learned all that smoke… magic… uhh… shit so he could defend himself cause he was getting ragdolled in that house 

Kuai Liang is actually really nice to Tomas now cause he looks back and thinks “wow, I was kinda an asshole”

For example, Tomas was living his life and here comes these maniacs grabbing him and putting his bare feet in the snow 

Idk, I just really think Tomas was fighting for his life in that house 

It was all in love but now he jumps when they move a little too fast

Tomas tells his brothers he loves them a lot because he wasn't able to tell his birth family before they were killed. He wants them to always know and whenever their time does come, he wants it to be the last thing they hear from him or the last thing he says before he dies. 

Kuai Liang usually says it back or says something else comforting. His way of saying “I love you” can be something as simple as a hand on the shoulder. Sometimes instead of saying “I love you”, he says “I care about you”. Personal preference 

Bi-Han used to say “I love you” back but as time passed, he stopped. He's someone who gets kinda uncomfortable when it comes to vulnerable emotions. His way of saying “I love you” is “are you hurt?”. It's usually only used after a form of combat but combat can make you realize that your life is on a time limit. We saw in game and by intro dialogues that he was hurt by Kuai Liang not sticking by him. The idea that he doesn't care for his family AT ALL I think is false. I think he cares but he cares about his own goals more. 

That's all I got for fluffy shit rn

I’m actually someone who enjoys angst way more than fluff but thinking about them and angst makes my heart fall into my ass … imma write some later tho

[spacelandz]

SO! You've seen these little things I do sometimes and you want to know the process!

It's genuinely super simple, so here goes! Apologies by the way if anything is unclear or glossed over. A lot of this is personal taste and such so I hope this can be a nice boost to create something!

RESOURCES AND THINGS TO KNOW!

To preface this little guide already assumes you have basic knowledge of color distribution, lineless art, or breaking up art into proper layers for later processing! I am also assuming that your art program has access to scatter brushes and tiling textures. Personally I use Clip Studio Paint, but this can work on other apps. Anyways, here are some good sites for this:

EZGIF - Free, easy gif maker for assembling any kind of gif*! It also has stuff like converting those damn WEBP's back into png.

*PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT MAKE GIFS THAT ARE PARTIALLY TRANSPARENT. YOU MUST USE A SOLID COLOR UNDER ANY PART THAT IS OVER BARE CANVAS

Transparent Textures - Free to use source for HQ transparent textures that tile! Amazing for finding a paper texture for these if you commit to the paper doll look. Best results for textures that are in white or black!

So! You have a finished, prepared piece that you want to glitterfy. Well I'm not covering that right now so you can scroll down to That part if you came just for the glitter. This next section is for...

PREPARING THE PAPER DOLL

To start, your piece should already be separated into respective layers in any order you'd like! We're about to use a ton of clipping masks so Make sure you know your program before starting! So, as my example we have my oc Roy, resized to around... 1500x1500 or the nearest equivalent Smaller is better because it brings out the texture! He looks a little ah...Flat, though right now?

I'm using this guy for a couple different reasons! Those being:

Roy has translucent bodyparts! Just so you will know what to do with characters who are translucent! I'll get to this in a moment so sit tight

He has a clear, defined, and distinct palette that is easy to pick a color to slap the glitter on! This is important because I personally find balance to be the most appealing part of the finished art.

He also just has a lot of doohickeys on his design.

This is where you need your transparent texture! You can use any kind of texture and I encourage experimentation and such, but I personally use a simple paper texture. What we are going to do is go through and clip our imported and tiled texture to each applicable layer! (Make sure to just Copy and Paste the layer you do NOT need to repeatedly go through this menu...)

And... When you are done, you should have something like this:

"But why don't I just clip the texture to the entire piece through a folder? Why go through the hassle of clipping to each individual layer?"

Well that's because of the next step, where we will be adding the shadows. If we don't clip each individual layer, your shadows will look like this example on the left which sort of just ruins the 3D effect and kinda just looks icky, as opposed to this, which is nicer and smoother.

Now I'm no lighting wiz! In fact I'm rather mediocre at best but some general tips for adding the shadows:

Try to keep your shadows going all in one direction mostly! It gives the effect of one light source and generally just looks better than if you shaded around ALL edges everywhere.

Try to only shade where there are parts overlapping that need the dimension! Overdoing it can make the piece look odd. It's especially helpful to separate any details like different shades of hair, layers of hair, etc so that you can put as much volume as you want.

Once the shadows are all added in you should have something that looks like this:

Which looks good! Now I'd sometimes stop here if I can't pinpoint how I'd like the glitter to sit or if I think the piece just doesn't need it, but we're moving on to the big important steps!

ADDING GLITTER

This part is entirely up to your taste! But I'll describe how I do my glitter stuff. Firstly I start out by identifying which color I want to pop out. For Roy here I chose the red parts! For your character it may be different. Experimentation is key!

This is also, however where you need that scatter brush I mentioned earlier. Personally I just use the default CSP spray brush, but again go wild!

Make a folder above your piece, set its blending mode to glow dodge (or add, or add glow depending on what options you have), and create three layers inside of this folder. Setting the folder to clip is optional right now but will be needed later.

Then, fill each glitter layer with your choice of particle in whatever color looks good! Yes, you can do gradients and other stuff on the particles too! World's your oyster.

^ Unclipped example of a glitter layer.

Glitter tips for the early 2000's webcore enthusiast:

Use different strokes and patterns for the glitter distribution! This helps it animate better by moving around. For example this time I went diagonally for the first, horizontally for the second, and then in loose circles for the third. Particle density and stuff is also completely up to you.

Use a color that would pop against the intended area! For Roy I used an orange-ish yellow since it compliments both blue and red.

So now we have the layers! This is where clipping is our best friend once again! You're just going to go in and clip the glitter to whatever layers you want it on. Entire folder, not just one of the layers!

Once that's all done, go through and toggle the respective glitter layer for the frame, saving individual copies when done. You should end up with 3 identical images with different glitter distribution.

"BUT WAIT! JONES, THE TRANSLUCENCY!!" I hear you call! Yes, this is where we handle that! If your character is NOT translucent, you can scroll past this section.

Open up your frames all in one canvas, stacked on top of eachother (no jittering or slight displacement! ON TOP of eachother!)

Our layout should look something like this...Note how the translucent parts are rather hard to see, well if you took your frames and put them in EZgif, they'd be gone entirely! That's because you physically cannot have a partially translucent gif due to technology limitations. So an easy little cleanup thing I did was:

1. SELECT THE CANVAS AROUND THE CHARACTER WITH THE MAGIC WAND TOOL. Do not have any expansion settings on or it probably won't look right in the end.

Make sure you do not miss any gaps! I personally missed the gap between the arm, leg, and lanyard and I had to redo this next step...

2. SELECT -> INVERT SELECTION

3. FILL SELECTION WITH THE DESIRED COLOR. IT MUST BE OPAQUE. I personally picked this cloudy gray color.

You can now save individual frames of your character with the fill so that they don't go bald when you move on to the next step! Again, you should have 3 frames.

FINISHING UP

This is nice and easy. Upload your three frames into EZGIF and wait for it to process. It'll look like this if you're in the right place.

Once things have loaded, make sure to change the settings to the following:

FRAME DELAY: 0 (this is how fast the frames move.)

DON'T STACK FRAMES: ENABLED

You can play around with this but I generally leave everything else alone because you don't need it. Just hit the make a gif button and you're all done!

Aaaand that's it! If you've read this far...Firstly thank you for dealing with my rambliness and horrible explanation skills. Secondly, I hope that this can come in handy for anyone interested! Would love to see if anyone puts this to use. n_n

[iicha-0s]

Demon | Jungkook×reader

A/N: hey guys! this one is something that I'd written back in April. I hope you guys enjoy it lmk if you have any suggestions! :D also adding THAT gif cause that jungkook really is a demon. he fr haunts my dreams XD

Tags: !jungkook and reader are a couple, !smut, !unprotected sex (stay safe!), !nicknames, !jungkook is a demon, !reader is a human, !cuddling, !fingering, !dry humping, !handjob (only a little), !nasty making out, !squirting, !cursing, !riding, !multiple orgasms

Rating: explicit/R18

you feel his arm snake around you from behind as he presses a kiss on your neck. the screen flashes with a ugly generic movie demon jumpscare, when you hear Jungkook chuckle behind you.

"is that what you humans think we demons look like?" He says and elbows the pillow on the couch while resting his head on his palm.

"well doesn't a demons true form actually look like that?" You look back at him.

"no we don't."

"how do you know?" You squint your eyes.

"because I've seen one~" He coes.

"can I see too?" You turn around slowly and face him.

"you sure you won't get scared?"

"mhm nope." You say popping the 'p' as he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear and smiles while looking at you smiling at him.

"you really wanna see?" He asks both of you still smiling at eachother.

"will you show him to me?" You wrap your arms around his neck and pulls him a little closer as he presses his lips against yours and wrapping his arms around your waist.

jungkook smiles in the kiss, looking down at you. he reaches for the backs of your thighs, lifting it and puts it over his own. his hands slide into his large shirt you were wearing with only your underwear underneath.

"I'll show you everything you wanna see, butterfly." He whispered as you couldn't hold back a smile as the pit of your stomach fluttered with excitement. you ran one hand through his dark hair before kissing him gently again.

he sat up, pulling you with him and placing you on his lap as his hands gripped at your thighs on both sides of him, leaning forward slightly as he began kissing you roughly. you whimpered feeling him nip at your bottom lip, tugging gently as he teased you. you couldn't help but grind your hips down into his lap, feeling how ready he was for you.

"You're so beautiful, baby." He whispered, touching his forehead to yours. you felt as he moved one hand between your legs, slipping your now soaked panties to the side before dipping his finger into your folds.

you let out a short gasp at the feeling. jungkook knew exactly how to touch you and make you feel better than you've ever felt.

the length of his middle finger traced light circle around your clit, sending a wave of chills over your body. he kept his eyes on yours as he picked up his pace and opened his mouth imitating your reactions to him touching you.

he slowly moved his fingers down to your entrance, swiftly pushing his middle and ring finger inside of you as his thumb found your clit once again. you let out a quiet moan at the feeling of being stretched so perfectly.

jungkook pumped his fingers in and out of you, making sure to curve them into your g-spot. he felt as you began to tighten around him.

"You gonna cum for me baby?"

"fuck yes!" you moaned in response, your orgasm building quickly as he fastens his pace a little more.

you felt the coil in your abdomen getting tighter and tighter, your face twisting into various expressions of pleasure. you started moving your hips against his fingers, gripping onto his shoulders to steady yourself. he groaned as he watched you, his cock twitching at the sight of you using him to get yourself off.

he curled his fingers right at your g-spot again as you throw your head back and moan loudly still moving your hips on his fingers. he moves his fingers faster inside you as you pant and moan.

"fffffuck!" you moan as you feel him fasten his pace even more causing you to squirt and your high crash through your body. your grip on jungkook tightened as you kept your head fallen backwards, your body shaking slightly every few seconds. once you had stopped clenching around him, he pulled out of you slowly, his fingers glistening with you.

he licked his fingers as you pant and stare at him while he stares back. once he was done you press your lips against his, reaching for the band of his joggers in the process. you pulled his cock from his pants, stroking his hard length every now and then as you kissed.

the kiss started out slow and sweet, but progressively got needier the more he slipped his tongue into your mouth. you picked up your pace on his cock, using the slick of his precum as lubricant.

"shit, baby." He groaned, bucking his hips into your hand softly.

still situated on his lap, you rose up just barely, shuffling forward enough to hover over his length. you slowly sunk down around him, bringing yourself up and down halfway a few times to tease the both of you.

he held onto your hips and suddenly pulled you down causing you to sink down around him completely. your jaw dropped open, but nothing came out.

"oh fuck." You heard the man beneath you groan.

jungkook tilted his head back, his lips parted as pleasure crossed his face. his Adam's apple moved slightly as his breathing increased.

he raised his head once more to look at you with sinful eyes. he shifted down in his seat a bit, causing a gasp to escape you as he readjusted his hips. you place your hands against his chest and start moving your hips, bring yourself up and down his cock slowly.

you leaned your chest flush against his as he pulls you closer by wrapping one arm around your waist. his lips find their way to your neck as he rocks your hips at a faster pace. he moves his other hand to your thigh and started thrusting upwards into you. you let out a whiny moan, unable to control your moans.

"you feel so fucking good." he growled against your neck and kept thrusting up into you whilst moving your hips against his.

"fuck I'm gonna cum." You panted, still bouncing against him as he fucked into you. you pulled back to look at him, both of you locking eyes.

"let me feel you, baby." Your body went stiff at his comment as your orgasm ripped through you, Jungkook still pounding into you.

he slows down a little to let you ride you high as you grip onto his shoulders panting. he moves his hands and pulls his shirt off of you, laying you down on the couch and hovering over you.

he takes off his shirt and joggers, taking hold of the backs of your thighs spreading your legs with his hand.

he then positions himself to your entrance and pushes himself in not giving you time to adjust and starts thrusting in you. you grip onto his shoulders moaning loudly while he thrusts into you. arching your back you dig your nails in his shoulders and back as he growls in your ear.

he places his hands next to your head increasing his speed. the sounds of skin slapping and your and his moans were filling the living room as your sweaty bodies stick to eahcother with every thrust.

he takes hold of your leg and pulls it up and over his shoulder, the other spread out too, while he continues to thrust harshly into you. your breasts bouncing with his every thrust as well as your whole body.

he stares at you as you open your eyes and look back into his. he smiles at you slyly causing you to break into a smile too as his eyes suddenly change causing his pupils to grow bigger and darker until they're covering his whole eyeballs.

you felt hypnotized and kept staring into them as you feel the muscle flex as he continues thrusting into you. you feel the whole aura around him change as it falls over you, wrapping around you tightly.

you keep staring into his eyes as you see black steam come out of his skin as he felt hotter than normal, under your touch.

"God fuck!" you moan and roll your eyes to the back of your head feeling a completely different and harsh wave of pleasure flood through you.

"the only God here rn is me, sweetheart. I'm your God." He whispers deeply in your ear as it causes your stomach to turn and moan again holding onto him tightly.

"fuck yes!"

"who am I baby?" He whispers.

"my God ugh! You're my God."

"thats it baby. thats right." He coes as you moan loudly throwing your head back as he mimics and opens his mouth over yours, both of your moans and breaths mingling with eachothers.

you moan uncontrollably as he keeps thrusting in you. you scratch his back while he supports himself on top of you with his forearms. you shut your eyes tightly as you were starting to see stars because of your high building up once again.

"I- im gonna- ffuckkk!"

"thats right, baby! cum with me!"

he thrusts harder and harder his thrusts soon start faltering here an there as his high approaches him. continuing to thrust into you mercilessly for a while, you both come at the same time moaning eachothers names. he thrusts a few more times before pulling out letting out a sigh in between his pants and looks down at you, his mess.

your hair messily laying over the pillow as some strands were sticking to your face and neck. you were sweaty every where as your skin shone because of it.

he leans down over you and presses pecks on your swollen lips his hands roaming over your body rubbing softly here and there while mumbling sweet nothings to you.

he places a kiss on your forehead while helping you wear his shirt again as he puts on his boxers and lies down next to you on the couch. the movie playing on the tv long forgotten as you turn to your side and snuggle into him.

you were laying on the inside resting your head on his chest as he had his arm wrapped around you while laying on his back both of you watching the movie. you unknowingly fall asleep in his arms as you shift a little and wrap your arms around his waist snuggling your head in his neck.

he looks down at you to see you falling asleep so he turns the tv off and wraps both of his arms around you falling asleep himself.

[lavendertales]

Hello! May I request a thing where after the 5th episode Joel gives Ellie a hug and meets up with Reader! After? Idk plenty of angst and hurt/comfort for both Ellie and Joel like first maybe Reader sees Ellie and Joel hugging then come back into a safe house. Then Joel starts to open up with Reader. Idk do whatever you think would be lovely thank you ❤️ I love your writing!

God this episode ruined me😭

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED EPISODE 5!!!

We go down together || Joel Miller x gn!reader

summary: after the motel incident, you find that both Ellie and Joel are completely shaken up, so you tell them to take a break.

word count: 1.5k

warnings: angst, mentions/talk of death & loss. fluff sprinkled in there too.

gif: @tomshiddles

It all happened too fast; in the blink of an eye, you watched Joel and Ellie lose two good friends because of a freak accident. A freak show, really. It was no one's fault; but you knew that both would take the blame upon themselves, let guilt swallow them whole.

Even so, you planned to do anything possible to ease their pain and conscience alike.

The three of you left the room Henry and Sam lied dead in, carrying their bodies outside as you began their burial. It was silent; a silence that allowed for dark thought to swarm in and take you by storm. You didn't fight it though. You figured a moment or two of silence is more than welcome in this situation.

Ellie walked towards where Sam had been buried and placed his writing pad atop of it, with the words I'M SORRY written over it. You held your breath, resisting the urge to cry. You knew she took his death harder, having grown closer to him and treated him like a little brother.

She walked away, leaving you and Joel in complete silence to gaze at the graves. Joel remained his usual stoic self, though you could see on his face that he was pretty shaken up by the event, too. Both Henry and Sam's demise was tragic, but the speed with which it all happened and the deep love than ran between the two brothers who could not live without the other was beyond touching; hence why it made everything seem so much more shocking and painful.

"Which way is west?"

Ellie was asking Joel. You watched them closely, and when Joel pointed to his left, Ellie started walking in that direction, never once looking back. You timidly gazed over at Joel, and when your eyes met, you saw sadness in them. He may have been hardened by the harsh reality, but Joel still had care and love left in his heart. He was simply reluctant to show it.

"Go," you muttered to him. "Go after her."

He stared at you, as if not understanding what you were telling him. You placed your hand on his arm, gently, and Joel drew in a sharp breath to steady himself.

"I'll finish here," you told him.

He nodded, handing you the shovel and following Ellie. He may not have been good with words, but currently there was a kid around him that was in tremendous pain, and Joel surely knew how to handle that. It may have been a long time, but his parenting instincts were still buried within him.

You placed some stones around the graves to mark them, then carved an H and an S out of the soil. The more you stared at the I'M SORRY pad, the more you crumbled yourself. Henry and Sam were going to go to Wyoming with the three of you. They were free of Kathleen's revenge hunt. They could've started a whole new life there.

Now it was all gone.

You peeped in the distance and saw Ellie nodding, then, a few seconds later, headed into Joel's arms. And Joel actually hugged her: it was a genuine, real hug. Arms around her, head resting on hers and everything. You thought how long had it been since he last hugged someone. Was it his daughter, as she died in his arms and he clung onto her lifeless body?

The thought sent shivers down your spine. You didn't know that much about Joel or his past, but he did manage to tell you about his daughter one late night. Your heart broke for him, thinking how awful these last two decades must've been for him.

But now, with Ellie... you saw the way he looked after her. You saw a little spark in his eyes whenever she told bad jokes to make him laugh. You didn't ask him much of anything, to be honest. You chose to respect his privacy. After all, it's not like you were a couple or anything. You were just... there. A traveling companion, nothing more.

But you did care for him. And for Ellie. And that could get you in trouble eventually.

You heard Ellie's wail, and came to realize she was crying in Joel's arms. Unable to take it, you walked towards them and gently put your your hand over Joel's, which was cradling her head at his chest.

"How about we stay here for another day?" you proposed.

Ellie looked up, her eyes and cheeks reddened by the tears she let out. You looked mostly at her.

"Don't think that's a good idea," Joel said cautiously.

Then you looked at him. "We pick a different room, opposite of... that one. We're not in a rush, right? There's no one here. I think we can afford one day of mourning and just... being present. Hm? What do you think?"

Joel had to admit, it was a bit hard to snap out of this one. Normally he'd walk right away from a distressing death, but Henry's and Sam's was downright traumatizing, especially to Ellie. Maybe spending today in each other's company was just what you all needed.

"Would that be okay, Ellie?" you asked her.

Sniffling, Ellie nodded in agreement, breaking free from Joel's touch. He quickly clenched his fingers, flexing them as if trying to get rid of something, but you didn't mention that.

Maybe this was the first time he hugged someone in a very long time.

"How about you go pick a room and we'll be right there?" you asked Ellie again.

She started walking towards the motel, leaving you and Joel behind to gaze at her. She was a special kid, that much you could both agree upon. Only when you heard Joel's exhale did you turn to him, noticing the hardened and pained expression residing on his face.

"Thank you," he told you.

"For what?"

"For... bein' here. Means a lot. And... for taking care of Ellie. She could probably use someone more experienced to take care of her."

You made a funny face at him, like you couldn't believe what he just said.

"You remember what Henry told you, back in the tunnel?" you said. "'You may not be her father, but you were someone's'? You got all the right instincts and skills to do this, Joel."

He shook his head, deep in thought. "She's not my kid. And I sure as hell ain't her dad."

"I know. But sometimes caring for someone and protecting them runs deeper than blood."

Joel looked at you, analyzing your face as if he was about to say something else. He didn't; he merely looked at you, his face softening in the slightest.

"I see the way you look at her," you told him. "And I know you said she's just cargo—"

"She ain't so bad. Weird, but... not so bad."

You smiled faintly, and even Joel seemed to chuckle at his own words.

"The bad jokes remind me of Sarah," he said out of the blue.

You held still, almost holding your breath as well. It was rare to see Joel Miller talking openly about himself, if ever, so you didn't want to startle him in any way.

"She told bad jokes too?" you asked.

Joel chuckled, a more hearty sound this time. "Sometimes. Most of the time she was just sassy. And hella feisty. Like a forty year old in a kid's body."

You chuckled too, momentarily forgetting the troublesome morning you've had so far.

"They would've gotten along, I think," he continued mindlessly, staring off into the distance. "They would've been good friends."

There was nothing you could add to that. All you did was listen to him and breathe into the air, trying to calm your heart and your mind alike.

"We should go," you said after a little while.

Joel swung Henry's backpack around his shoulder when he noticed you standing still in spite of your words.

"Joel?"

He looked at you, waiting for a follow-up. He didn't expect to see you inch closer and wrap your arms around him, thus pulling him in for a hug. It was the second time that day that he felt another human's embrace after what felt like an eternity, and it was... good. It was warm. You were warm.

He found himself reciprocating, wrapping his own arms around your torso to keep you close. Neither of you was sure how long you stayed like that, but it was long enough to have Ellie peek from the motel room and see you two embracing in the field. She was going to rush you, ask you what was taking so long, but instead, she remained quiet and stared at you and Joel finally pulling away from each other and sharing an unsuspecting glance at the other.

Well. Unsuspecting for you two, blind fools. But even in the midst of all the pain and sorrow, Ellie saw. She knew. She could only hope that after today, maybe soon, you and Joel will start seeing it, too.

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Monday Lovely fandom. Not a ton in these episodes for them. Gonna combine these two. Thank you for idea D ❤️ These are my least fav of the season. Not gonna lie whenever I reach the Simone eps in a rewatch I skip around her stuff LOL Never resonated with me. So it’s funny the first ep is called Simone and I won’t really be covering her much at all. Probably be a shorter one with some crumbs. Let’s get going though shall we?

4x19 Simone/4x20 Enervo

We start off with an actual bang. John and Lucy respond to a suspicious activity call. It's near a power station in Griffith Park. They find a bomb and get out just in time but not before they’re thrown to the ground by the blast. They get thrown pretty damn far and are fairly banged up. It's insane how much damage they took even clearing the building.

Tim shows up to the scene and does a worried husband look I love. Checking in on her by doing a once over once he makes it to them. Does a silent check in as he reports it’ll take 12 hours to fix the damaged power station. The silent check in is everything. Once again it’s the little things I cherish especially in low content episodes. It's subtle but noticeable once you know it's there. Trying to contain his concern with her all banged up. It’s ok love your wifey is fine hehe

I love these two shots for quite a few reasons. One you know I love the tall/smol shots. I wish I could put into words why I love it so very much. It’s just aesthetically pleasing is one of the reasons I suppose. All I know is I’m a sucker for it. Second how in-sync they are in their movements and how they mirror one another in the second one.

Third the lack of personal space. Especially in that first gif. Theme of this season I adore so much. Always that gravitational pull of theirs. Lastly look at them. They’re gorgeous just standing next to one another. Also it is unfair Lucy is covered in dirt and soot and looks amazing still. Not fair haha

Oh right there’s a SL too LOL Not me just gawking at them haha The feds show up because this is a terrorist attack. They ask Nolan and Lucy about what they remember about the bomb. Nolan of course is no help. Smh Lucy is able to describe little better for them. FBI says they’re taking over from here. Grey fights it since John and Lucy were almost killed discovering the bomb. Garza concedes and they’re able to work together on this one.

We rejoin our ship headed towards National Guard Armory. They’ve deduced this guys real target was this. Reason he shut down the power was to gain access inside there. They’re en-route to catch him. They find out he’s already on the move and they’ve gotta catch him. Which leads us to this car chase. First off let’s note Lucy getting to drive in this intense moment. It is more common these days for them. I just love seeing Tim trust her so implicitly nowadays. That this is new normal for them. *heart clutch*

Control freak in him has eased up quite a bit with her at least. Maybe not with anyone else LOL Once again it's the little things to love. The spurts of growth. They make me happy. Anyways dude stole a friggin Humvee so taking him down will not be easy. Nolan says they need to stop this guy. No shit John...What do you think the purpose of this chase is? To have fun at a high speeds in a shop for kicks?

Sometimes the words out of his mouth floor me..and not in a good way. Tim is using his military experience in this moment. (Yum) Explains why that’s not going to be easy. He’s basically encased himself in a mini tank. Their usual pit maneuver isn’t going to work on this guy. Nolan offering up another solution. I adore the silent communication and the look. That automatic instinct to check in with each other. I'll never be over it. I love watching them in the field so very much. Just a well oiled machine. Tim is considering Nolan’s suggestion then checking in with wifey before executing it. Love it.

Tim explains their plan to Nolan while Lucy listens in. Tim advices they both hit the doors. Tells them it has to be at the same time though. To avoid the wheels at all costs. Lucy needing to know the why of course. Asks why they can’t hit the tires? Tim explains they’ll die and be a cautionary tale for future rookies LOL Gotta love Lucy questioning why they can't in the middle of a high speed chase. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that to be his answer ha.

Her comment about her mom cracks me up. Anything to prove to her mother she’s wrong and she is right about being a cop. Her first thought not being she’ll die. No it’ll be about her mother being right about her career choice. Lmao Oh Lucy Chen I love you. Also I relate to this train of thought all too well sadly. I do love her saying they’ll be disgraced together. Be more married please.

Tim doesn’t even fight her on this thought. Lucy basically saying if I’m going down you’re coming with. Tim isn’t fighting her at all. His silence is saying lead the way. They’re in this together and I love that so very much. Being a literal ride or die right now in this moment.

I love me some crumbs in a low content ep. Also only they could banter during a high pressure situation and still get the job done. I love them so much. They are successful but find out the driver isn’t their guy but a decoy. Wah Wah.

They regroup at the station after their chase. Nolan asking Lucy if she got any sleep? She then calls out Tim for getting some. Not only does she call him out but nicknames him 'Sleeping beauty.' Looking directly at him the entire time. Making sure he know she is talking about him and only him. All aboard the flirt train Nolan is an unwilling participant in the matter haha

Such blatant flirty flirts. Tim fires back a sassy reply to her jab. Just openly flirting and doing heart eyes out in the open. Ain’t no thang this season lol Shoots back not to be jealous he was allowed to sleep and she hasn’t. Lucy’s reaction is the best. That fond exasperation they’ve had all season long. So used to her husband antics at this point but has to let him know she’s annoyed at him. Damnit I love them sfm.

They end up finding his base of operations. Lucy of course breaking the case. Cause she’s brilliant finds a word he’s written down by doing an etching off a wall he used. ‘Enervo’ Garza telling them it means 'To deprive of power.' John asks Tim what the military’s first target is? I love watching Tim flex his military background again. It’s sexy af. Seriously gets me hot and bothered *fans self* Tim and Lucy cracking this case right open. You’re welcome everyone haha That’s it for this one. Low content one since it was meant to launch rookie feds. Next one has even less so this is why we’re combining them.

~~~

Side notes-Non Chenford

I do love when Nyla and Angela work together. Two bad ass woman just doing their jobs like confident BAMFS.

4x20 Enervo.

We find out he’s rented U-Haul’s and it’s going to take out the biggest roads with them. Crippling the city and killing thousands. They can't get a warrant right away to track them so everyone is in on the hunt. As always I love watching them in action in the field. That second gif their cop eyes have been activated. You can see them combing the street together. They’re so in-sync as they search the streets for one of the five U-Haul’s. I could go on and on about how much I love their work dynamic I really could. But I'll stop there ha

The trucks are divided up into states. Cause well that’s U-haul haha if you’ve ever driven one you’d know. Always got graphics or other states on them. One has already exploded unfortunately so they're down to 4 trucks that need to be found. Lucy and Tim spot ‘Florida’ and are in pursuit of it. I love how calm they look. They’re chasing down a bomb and look determined af. Like I said before well oiled machine. The gifs above represent that. They are poetry in motion in the field. What made 5x22 battle scene so epic. Was that on steroids ha

That’s kinda it for them in this one. I can add this last lovely gif of them in the field. Seeing how they move in motion together. It is impressive to see how in-sync they always are. Shared brain thing I love so much. I’m sorry there isn’t more. I mean it’s not my fault but I’m still sorry LOL

We shouldn’t hit this again. Even the light one in S5 is really good and would fill a review well so this will be the last scant ep for them. Probably won’t combine them again ha

~~~

Side notes-non chenford

Smitty reporting in he got ‘Utah’ Grey being ecstatic and saying he took back every negative thing ever said about him. Poor Smitty is all sad ‘You’ve said negative things about me?’ LMAO

Thank you as always for those who like, comment and reblog these reviews. You’re all amazing and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Shall see you all in 4x21 :)

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 77: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Welcome back, once again, for my (endless) analysis post about the most recent chapter of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card! This month we're here a tiny bit earlier due to Nakayoshi coming out on September 1st instead of the 3rd like every month, thus bringing forward the release of the chapter on Comic Days and CLAMP's Youtube channel of a couple of days! And boooooy, did I cry with this chapter! I think it's no surprise for anyone, right? 😂 after all, my preferences are very transparent and finally CLAMP-sensei gave me a crumble (more like an entire piece) of happiness in this chapter (immediately flooded with a surge of frustration, hahaha! When I say that they have fun torturing us, Kaito/Akiho fans....) Another puzzle piece in the enigma of Sakura's foretelling dreams also went to its right place, and we got more references of events and feelings that were expressed many, many chapters ago.

Let's not waste time and see what wrecked me this month and, most importantly, if we had any translation mistakes! (Spoilers, there are! Do you think we'd be safe from them, when there's a huge Kaito/Akiho scene?) But, wait, hold on! We're missing my usual silly "gif of the month" corner!! 😂

(don't be fooled by the appearances, this is Kaito 😂)

Aaaaand we proceed under the cut with the analysis of the color page and further!

The Color Page

Hahahahah, my god, sensei really is messing with my sanity starting from the color page, here... I've been asking forever for a Kaito/Akiho color page where they could finally be featured together and have all the attention on them, but no! They decided to troll me even further by featuring Akiho in chapter 76 and Kaito in chapter 77! 😂 YES, back-to-back, but STILL separated! 😂😂😂 I guess I'll have to live with this torture till the end.... Aaaaah, and what a color page we have for Kaito, here.... First of all, I have to say I'm mesmerized by the beautiful blue color spanning from the starry night sky to the clear waters below. Huge crystals are surrounding the main scene, emerging from the waters, but the real protagonists of this color page are undoubtedly two: the giant silver Moon on the background, and.....him, our great absentee for 7 chapters now - Yuna D. Kaito. Whoever knows me can well imagine what effect this color page had on me, especially after I had enough time to pause and consider his portrayal here, especially in relation to the content of the chapter. First of all, the JP text over it is the infamous threat the Association made to him and the words Sakura has been partially hearing in her dreams since long time ago: "If the Seal of D activates, you won't be able to come back". Standing outside the water, we see him dressed in his Association robes, giving his back to us. But reflected in the water, we can see him wearing his typical butler outfit, the one he always wore ever since he arrived in Japan with Akiho. And here, he's fully facing us. If I can dare giving an interpretation of this portrayal of Kaito (which is clearly meant to be interpreted figuratively, since the reflection doesn't correspond not only for the outfit, but also for the mismatch between back/front of Kaito), I'd daresay this is a clear representation of the duality living inside of Kaito right now, and the endless contrast originating from it. Inside Kaito there are two parts of him, constantly in conflict, and this conflict is mainly the reason why we got to this point in the story. Kaito really does have a hard time letting go of the past in the Association, which for better or for worse shaped him and gave him all the hidden traumas that contributed to his distorted, immature view of certain life matters. And he's got a hard time not because he enjoyed being one of them, not at all. We could see it clearly, he never enjoyed being a part of the Association, let alone felt like he belonged to it. But it's all he's ever known from a very young age till he decided to save Akiho, and the way he grew up in that den of criminals influenced him, making him feel like he really is a delinquent like the rest of them, undeserving of love and compassion. I can think immediately of one comment he made in chapter 67, that reveals clearly this mindset: in Clockland, when Momo told him "it's useless, even if you disguise yourself as the next head of the Li clan, it (your true nature) shows anyway" his sarcastic reply was "what, my wickedness?". Now that we know that he never really intended to cause intentionally any harm to anyone with his plan, but actually took care in ensuring that everyone would be safe, happy and minimally inconvenienced, his comment shows even more in what a distorted way he sees himself. This is the part of him that still thinks he's better off alone, undeserving of the bond with Akiho, especially for what he inadvertedly caused to her. Now that I think about it, those crystals emerging from the water really do remind me of the crystals storing the memories of the "characters" in Clockland, again from chapter 67.

But, inside Kaito there's also the "new him" (or should we say the real him?), how he changed after making that fateful decision, after interacting with Akiho and creating a bond with her along the years (even if he tried to fight it and ignore it, uselessly, for so long). It's the part of him that learned what's good in interacting with others, and what it means to have someone you love dearly and would do anything for. That part of him is represented here by the reflection in the water. And it's really no surprise that the two parts of him are facing opposite directions, a very nice representation of how they're in contrast with eachother, pulling him in different "directions". I take the "butler" part of Kaito facing us as a symbol of that being the part of himself he really wants to be, the true self, but is currently submerged under the traumas and skewed convictions about himself that his past self (represented by the Kaito in the Association robe) experienced. If Kaito wants to take another chance at life, a happy, worth living one, he needs to let go of the past and help the part of him that's underwater emerging and claiming it fully. That's what Momo has been praying he would realize all along. That he would notice, and accept, the part of him that learned what love means through his bond with Akiho. Of course, this color page affected me emotionally in a strong way, and I also missed seeing Kaito's face, so I really really love it.

The Aura of a Gentle Moon

Soooo, we left our kids in a pretty problematic situation last time, right? An attack, in the guise of a shower of arrows, was coming down on them, and the chapter starts exactly with something I imagined could've happened: the connection with the group waiting at Yukito's home is re-established, and they see the attack in live streaming! 😱

Sakura uses swiftly her Shield Card, and oh-la-la, what do we have here? A new design??? Must be because she used it with the Dream wand! 😀.....wait, then should we assume that maybe even the "wrong" design of the Sword Card was....intentional?? 😮

...Unfortunately for Sakura, the incoming attack effortlessly bypasses Shield, aiming at them once again! ...Thank god the group at Yukito's home is watching, since this allows Touya to....stop time!! Yesssss, it seems Kaito's re-writing of their reality didn't remove Touya's new ability, which shows it's truly innate in him! Touya's magic is effective in stopping the incoming attack, and exactly as it happened when the Squids+Association tried to attack Kaito back in chapter 33, we have someone who takes the chance of the stopped time to destroy the "arrows": Eriol, working remotely from the comfort of his home in England! Kero and Suppy are hilariously shocked, and Touya affirms he "just started being able to (stop time) all of the sudden" (JP), this pushes Nakuru to frantically ask Eriol if he knew (he says he had no idea) and then to Yukito (and he says "Yes! He told me it's just for a short while, though" and not "for a minute" like the ENG translation said, why do they have to make stuff up all the time????). Touya explains that it's just for 2 seconds, and he uses a word (体感で, taikan de) that expresses a feeling on the body: he's basically saying that what the human perceives of his time-freezing powers corresponds to 2 seconds. This is basically the same power he developed anew at the beginning of the Clear Card Arc, therefore I'm inclined to believe that this ability never left him, even with the re-writing of their world: as the general idea that I always had (judging by the words the character used), Momo's forbidden magic only changes the memories and some limited physical elements (the so-called "discrepancies"), but doesn't remove things that are rooted in people, like magic and, you guessed it, feelings. Now this leaves me wondering what happened to Yukito's pact with the Tsukimine Shrine, and his acquired Moon powers: judging from what we see afterwards, he doesn't seem to have them anymore, probably because that isn't an innate characteristic, but was something acquired with a contract.

In fact, since Touya's time-freezing powers last too short to be able to do anything concretely, Kaho steps in with a beautiful new Moon Bell!!! She explains that her Moon magic gets stronger when the moon is out, so she's going to support Touya's time-freezing magic, but she warns everyone that it's not going to last long. I really appreciated that CLAMP gave a more active role to Kaho, since she's been pretty much in a passive-listening role for the whole manga, so this is really nice to see! Especially cause sensei gave her a new, shiny Moon Bell! ✨ Talking to my friends, we also mentioned that it's nice to see this collaboration "between ex-partners", without any jealousy, any cold shoulder, it's really in tune with the rest of the story!

But it's time to go back to explanations, because Eriol continues saying that the volley that was fired at Sakura and Syaoran was designed to hit automatically the one who would've broken the spell that was hidden behind the fake moon: as I expected (and hoped), this is not a direct attack from the Squids+Association at Sakura, but something that was left in place before, and activated automatically. I still don't think a direct confrontation would be fitting for the thematics of this story, especially now that they made clear that Sakura's power is not enough to beat them (Shield couldn't fend off the attack). Tomoyo correctly guesses that once the time starts moving again, the attacks will resume. Nakuru just says "well, you can just break them with a bit of effort like you did just now, right?" but Eriol warns her that things aren't as easy as they seem: of course that's his intention, but those arrows don't have any will of their own, because they were designed to keep incessantly attacking the person who broke the spell inside the fake moon (not general "invaders" like the ENG translation said). Basically this jutsu is already out of the original casters' (plural, Eriol knows they're many) will. The plushie guardians reflect on the fact that if they don't do anything about the source of this spell while time is still frozen, the arrows will keep attacking the kids out there. Akiho's anxiety, hearing that, understandably increases, but I can also see a desire to intervene in some way, from her.

In front of the fake moon, Syaoran and Sakura recognize Eriol's magic circle and understand that he came to their rescue, and seeing how everything is frozen in time around them, Syaoran wonders if Sakura did this. Of course she answers she didn't, but that's when she surprises us saying that she can feel her brother's "vibe" in there, so she believes this is all his doing. You can really see how Sakura's abilities keep growing and get refined more and more, since now she's also capable of recognizing Touya's magic (something she didn't seem to be feeling, before). And that's not all, she's able to feel Kaho's aura too, defining it a "gentle moon presence" (Kaho's powers have been defined "gentle moon powers" by Momo, before). Syaoran (or Sakura, here it's really hard to understand who talked) says that some other spell might activate soon, so they need to take the dragon out while they can (how rude, ENG translation!! "That thing"??? These kids aren't crude like you guys).

Sakura dispels the Shield Card and turns to talk to the dragon again, for this task that will reveal to be harder than she thought. Sakura's やっぱり gets translated in ENG as "Of course", but that's not what it means: she's saying that just as she thought, she's sure she knows him.

This panel kinda made me smile because, while I was talking to a friend last night, we joked about Sakura putting Kaito to trial 😂 She looks very serious here, and let me tell you, the vibe she gives off in this entire scene makes me think she starts to be a bit annoyed with him too 😂

And then, sensei decided to give a good squeeze to my heart, featuring some memories of Akiho back in chapter 49 😭that chapter is one of my favorite ones because it featured a rare Kaito, smiling genuinely and happily. What we saw back then, while Akiho was telling Sakura of her walk in the garden with Kaito, were panels with the flashbacks of that walk, while here we can see how Akiho looked like while she was recounting those events to her friend (understandably, since this is something the Record Card recorded, while what we saw back then was the memories in Akiho's heart). Akiho looks really really in love, in these panels.

Unfortunately, this beautiful moment is stained by an imprecise and incomplete translation in English, which of course irritated me greatly because damn, you can really see how, as soon as things turn about Akiho and Kaito, the quality of the translation suddenly drops, almost as if there were a bias. This is so unfair. Particularly because this scene had already been translated, and paradoxically it sounded better how they did it in chapter 49. Why changing it, why not using those same words? Anyway, I'm going to put both versions here so you can see the difference.

ENG: "We went for a walk last night. Out in the garden. Although I'm afraid I did most of the talking. Still...ever since our travels brought us to Japan...he's remembered everything. I treasure every moment I've spent with -san. I only hope he feels the same about the time he's spent with me."

JP: "We had a walk in the garden of our house. I did most of the talking, but... -san remembered it all. About the many countries we visited together, and our days here in Japan too. I treasure every single moment I've spent with -san, none excluded, so I hope it's the same for him. It doesn't need to be every moment, as long as he holds one dear"

Can you see how many concepts are missing from the ENG translation, how much has been skipped and summarized? The absurd thing is that a lot of what I've put in the JP paragraph comes from the original translation in ENG they did for chapter 49. Miraculously, they had done a very good job with that scene. So why? Why changing it now when she's saying exactly the same words, in this flashback (minus Kaito's name, of course)? It's completely missing the dualism between Akiho's "I cherish every single moment with him" (that 一つ残らず, "not even one left out", left a big impression on me ever since ch. 49) and "it's not necessary he treasures every single moment with me, even just one is fine" which had moved me so much back in ch. 49 because it revealed how Akiho is not loving Kaito out of an egoistic and greedy love, exactly like all the other characters in CCS. She doesn't demand to be reciprocated. She's content with knowing that she's got a tiny place in his heart. You might argue "why are you so hung up on this, especially since it's a repetition of an old scene", but here I tell you, the fans' memory is short and if we don't focus on the representation of the feelings of the characters in a shoujo manga, then what are we supposed to do? And those feelings should be portrayed and represented at best by the translations too.

The Hikikomori Dragon

Anyway. Moving on. Sakura affirms that despite his name and appearance had been erased from the records of the Record Card, the fact that Akiho had a very important person to her wasn't erased. While she passionately affirms so, we can see more flashbacks of Akiho (like the night-time talk she had with Kaito in chapter 61, and the double date).

Well, I tried to move on, but the fact is that once again I have to facepalm at the ENG translation, because apparently they really don't want to let Sakura say that Kaito looked at Akiho with lots of care and affectionate feelings. Yeah, remember the missed とても大切に that I complained about in last chapter? Sakura said it again, but they were capable of messing it up even this time.

ENG: "She was so happy when she spoke of you...and you took such good care of her. You are the one thing Akiho-chan never wanted to lose"

JP: "Akiho-chan was so happy when she spoke of you. And you, who looked at her with such care/affection, are the one she didn't want to lose."

I get quite peeved at how they managed again to not let Sakura say clearly that she could read in Kaito's affectionate stare towards Akiho how much she was important to him (I won't repeat the explanation of what 大切に means, please check the post of chapter 76). They steered it towards "you took good care of her" but this is not what Sakura was talking about. His job as her butler, or the fact that he took care of her isn't absolutely the topic, here. This is about how your feelings towards someone shine through your eyes. And it's a very important part because what Sakura is trying to tell Kaito here is "Even if you tried to erase it all, the fact that you were important for Akiho stayed, and I know you also considered her important by the way you looked at her and the impression it left on me. So get your sh*t together" What Sakura said here was so straightforward and powerful that I can't help but feel she backed Kaito into a corner (and I have to admit, I also thought "Stop right there Sakura, you're talking too much, these are things that Akiho is supposed to say to Kaito, not you"). However, I don't really like how the phrasing of the ENG translation reeks of "let's steer this towards the parental role he had towards her" because omg this is really not it. Kaito was never a parental figure for Akiho, let alone her legal guardian (what happened in chapter 40 should have cleared that enough already). And even if they were referring to his job as a butler, again, this is really not what Sakura is talking about, here. Aside from the fact that she shouldn't even remember about how he took care of her (she doesn't remember anything about him, only what she recovered from Record and those are still fragmented memories). I'm afraid they're digging their own grave, if they insist in going in this direction and sabotaging their lines in this way. Aside from the fact that it looks more and more deliberate.

But let's move on because the most emotional moment is yet to come. Sakura then asks the fatidic question (JP because I don't like how they phrased it in ENG): JP: "The reason why you won't move even though I have dispelled the magic that kept you trapped....is because you don't want to come out?"

The dragon closes his eyes and slightly bends his head forward, as if nodding. How wonderful, Mokona-sensei, and her ability to make a dragon that can't talk, got limited movement and almost no expression look so expressive. And this is not even the peak of his expressivity. Sakura understands his "reply", but while holding the precious pocket watch, she answers that she made a promise to Akiho, which is to try to bring him back. So she knows what she needs to do. There's only one person who can turn things around.

Sakura, through her earcuff, calls Kero and Yue and asks them to come at the "moon", bringing Akiho along with them. I really loved how self-confident Sakura looks here, how she's got the situation under control. The guardians change into their full forms at once and Nakuru eagerly asks Eriol what she and Suppy should do in the meantime. He tells them to protect Touya, the "performer of the time magic". I loved how every single person of Sakura's entourage is involved in this, by now. Everyone wants to do their part, out of their own will. I think it's simply beautiful. They do it because they support Sakura, but also because they sincerely want to help Akiho, who's currently the one who's got the world crumbling under her feet the most, out of this situation. You don't need to be tightly involved with someone to want to help them. And so Kero tells Akiho to go, and she's absolutely not scared or unsure, but actually is oozing determination from every pore.

Back at the fake moon, the kids start realizing the environment around them is getting unstable: Syaoran explains that this is because magicians who are capable of manipulating time magic are just a handful to begin with, and then it's also necessary a huge amount of power to make it work. Touya and Kaho are doing their best, but the spell is already starting to crack. In this tense situation where there's need for time magic, Syaoran apologizes to Sakura because he isn't capable of using time magic yet. I've seen this specific line creating surprise and confusion in lots of the fans I've seen on my TL on Twitter, but things make sense: Syaoran using time magic is a thing of the anime only, as he only ever used the Time Clow Card (and Sakura Card, in ep. 14 of the Clear Card anime), while this card doesn't exist in the manga. We'll see how this line will be treated in the anime adaptation, especially considering the presence of the Time Card. Sakura, always being the loving girlfriend she is, reassures him that the mere fact he's there with her allows her to do her very best in this situation (there, they managed to sneak in a SyaoSaku moment too!). This is something she said in the old arcs too, especially at the end of the battle with Eriol, how the mere presence of Syaoran reassures her and gives her courage....it's so lovely to see it reiterated here!

And now my readers we enter the "core" of this chapter, the one that really wrecked me over (both in a happy and sad way), with the arrival of Akiho flying on Kero's back!! How cute!! This is one of those depictions you thought you'd never see, and yet!! Akiho immediately asks the two friends if they're hurt anywhere, but Sakura reassures her and thanks her for coming here (her good manners and kindness make me smile everytime...they're doing all of this for Akiho, and yet, she thanks her for coming, because she feels involved in this almost as much as her!) With the help of the Mirror Sakura Card, Sakura makes a third copy of Flight, and gives it to Akiho.

You're My Most Important Person

And here, the pages of the chapter leave to Mokona-sensei's skills the task to tell us, wordlessly, about the first reunion in forever in several months between Kaito and Akiho.

Sakura gently leads Akiho at the entrance of the fake moon, and the girl makes eye-contact with him. The dragon. The one we know actually being Kaito.

The dragon looks at her almost longingly, and the expected tears in Akiho's eyes pour out copiously, like a river in flood. The emotions are too powerful to be able to contain them. Especially because, when Sakura checks on her to make sure she's ok (seeing her crying like that all of the sudden alarmed her), Akiho answers that she doesn't even know why the tears are flowing from her eyes like that. This is all instinctive and on impulse, those tears come from something that's deep, deep inside. The mind doesn't remember, but the heart (and body) does. This concept that we've come to know especially in works like Tsubasa, and that became so iconic for CLAMP, is reiterated even in this arc of Cardcaptor Sakura.

Akiho might not remember anything, she might not know why those tears keep coming out, and yet....

JP, lit.: "This pain is telling me that...my most important person is right in front of me"

She knows. She recognized him by the pain that's crushing her heart. An insufferable pain she's been feeling all along, ever since he activated that damn forbidden magic and gave her that perfect, lovely life. A pain left by his absence, which only gets amplified now that he's in front of her. And what to say about the words she chose? As if her heart started leading her on its own, and couldn't wait any longer. We all know this is the CCS code for "The person I love the most is right in front of me". And, contrarily to the ENG translation that kept on the "safe side" translating it literally (couldn't have expected any different), the Spanish translation made her say almost precisely "the person I love the most". Basically, we could say Akiho confessed her feelings there and then, without filters, earnestly. So typical of her.

And Kaito's reaction, omg...I have to say that in my shrieking session while I was "reading" (more like trying to make out the pages among the tears), the part that wrecked me the most was seeing his eyes glistening at hearing that he's Akiho's most important person. God. How long he's wished to hear that, with such a powerful reaction? Kaito, the stoic Kaito, the one who always wore a smiling mask, the one who used to stop his hand to prevent any contact, any connection with her, is now on the verge of letting his emotion take a hold of him, moving him to tears. Because the person he's given all of himself for, just said that she loves him. As I also exposed in my analysis of the color page, Kaito thought all this time that he was undeserving of all of this, for many many reasons. Therefore, hearing her baring her heart to him and telling him with clear words what he means to her is something incredibly powerful to him. Remember when Sakura was talking to him before? She almost spilled the entire thing there, saying that "Akiho had someone very important", but he only looked at her, seemingly not having any reaction. It almost seems to me as if he wasn't believing her. Because, as soon as he heard those words from Akiho herself, his reaction was VERY different.

Sakura takes the watch out of her pocket, giving it back to Akiho. She seems to know that this item is extremely important and can give strength to Akiho for her mission. Especially because, as she informs her friend, the dragon doesn't want to come out of there. Akiho takes the pocket watch and clutches it tightly, while resolutely affirming that she's going inside, because there's something she needs to ask him, no matter what. Again, the ENG translation treated this part superficially and left behind that "no matter what" that indicated how hellbent Akiho is on this. And in my opinion it was very important to keep it, not only because it contributes to shake off that "passive" unjustified reputation she's got, but also because only someone assertive like her can hope to turn Kaito around. And, poor Akiho, I can only imagine what my girl wants to ask him. "Why? Why did you do this?" Imagine if she manages to make him that question, later on. He wasn't able to answer when Momo made that question in chapter 51, but now he'll be forced to realize it. But, in my opinion, this isn't the only thing she'll ask. Because yes, seeing all of them joining forces to bring him back is wonderful and all, but all of this got no meaning if Kaito himself doesn't want to come back. And I'm sure he wants to, but he has to realize it, first. And I absolutely cannot envision Akiho imposing on him her desire to have him back. Leaving aside the fact that there are still a couple of problematics to fix (shortened lifespan? Artifact?), the most important thing in this moment is that everyone knows where their heart is and what they want. Because they need to learn to do things correctly. And no one will decide someone else's happiness on their behalf in this manga, ever again.

Alas, as soon as Akiho moves to enter the fake moon, the dragon violently takes off and exits, soaring in the skies of Tomoeda.

(the chapter is special, so forgive me for the use of a second gif 😂) My reaction was way more......violent than the one above when I've seen the last page of this chapter, but one thing is for sure: Kaito/the Dragon literally ran away 😂 I mean, to see a hilarious side to the situation, Sakura and Syaoran have spent god knows how long to try to convince him to get out of there, and Akiho just had to move a step forward to prompt him to get out 😂😂😂😂 I've been saying it forever, the power this girl got over him...! 😂😂😂 Now, I've seen many people trying to give their interpretation of the reason why he had such a reaction, and I've seen many interpreting it as him not wanting for her to get inside such a dangerous place. Well, my interpretation is a bit different, and it's based on 3 aspects. First, Sakura successfully broke the spell inside the fake moon, the cage and clock parts completely disappeared, and the environment inside doesn't seem warped anymore (Sakura and Syaoran found the exit immediately), so I'm inclined to believe there isn't any more danger inside that space. The "jagged" parts we see near the entrance are just because the space surrounding them is becoming unstable, due to the time magic starting to wear off. So I don't see an immediate danger inside the fake moon for Akiho that would prompt Kaito to get out. Second, if it were only to protect her, he would've exited and stopped right outside the fake moon. Alas, we saw very well that he's heading far from them, and doesn't have intention to stop. Or to hear her out. So this leads me to point n. 3..... He's just heard Akiho baring her feelings like that, and he heard her saying she wants to ask him something, no matter what. God, that must've been terrifying for him. Especially cause I expect his guilt increased exponentially, if he's starting to realize that he royally f*cked up, with his activation of the forbidden magic. This is....simply too much for him to bear. Do you have a hard time seeing him like that, so fragile, so emotional? Then I should probably remind you that this is almost a precise re-enactment of the dynamic that occurred in that infamous scene of chapter 52 (the pudding one. Yea. You know, that one.). Akiho opens up, speaks her feelings for him out, he interrupts her and runs away with an excuse. He's just like that. It is very hard for him to deal with feelings. Doesn't he remind you of Syaoran? Get ready, because I feel like we're about to witness a game of tag in the skies of Tomoeda. 😂

Also, I can't forget mentioning an important thing: the circle is closing more and more, cause we finally see happening a scene that Sakura saw in her dreams in chapter 2, the very beginning of this journey! As usual, what we see in the beginning of a CLAMP manga defines its ending (as the end of a CLAMP story is always decided right at the beginning).

That goes without saying, I literally cannot wait for next chapter, especially to see how many seconds Akiho will let pass before bolting after Kaito, helped by Flight (we know that Card can be very very speedy! 😂)

This chapter was a storm of feelings for me, so I'll go resting now and make a list of all the songs I had imagined for this finale, and that indeed turned out to be so fitting! I'll dump them on my twitter account in the next days 😂 Chapter 78 is expected for October 1st on CLAMP's YT channel (CLAMP haven't taken a break ever since chapter 65, they really are holding out till the end).

Well, we've reached the end of this post, so as usual, I await for your comments and asks in my inbox! See you!!

[belgianfry]

FAVE CREATORS ART CHALLENGE: @nataliescatorccio edition

of course i have to mention the queen herself 😌 bebebo your skills are unparalleled and i love that this is giving me a chance to squee at you once more hehe <3

(tho having to choose my faves was SO difficult!!)

so i want to start with a simpler set: this one. this rich red is so damn stunning and i'm always in awe of your coloring skills and how you manage to make colors look the same in every gif!! (as a gifmaker i know that's hard to achieve) this is the same as i told jagoda, you both have such an excellent way of coloring backgrounds and making it so smooth?? you both have achieved the highest level in frame by frame coloring tbh. i bow to you.

and if i could i'd link all your similar sets you've made because they're all gorgeous. and i hate saying they're simple because there's no blending because they're not actually easy to make?? you make them look effortless though. i admire that so much.

obviously gotta mention this set. the way you used the ripped paper effect is genius. to split two gifs into one and use the older/younger versions?? phew. i'm also in love with this pale green coloring. that first gif is my fave of this set, it's so damn good.

this set has some incredible blending!! seamless triple blends??? i'm on the floor. i love what you did with the text as well, so clever. and that beautiful pink omg, it pops! if i had to pick one fave i think i'd say the first one, i just love the composition.

yet another stunning set is this one. i looooove when you use two colors instead of just one because you always pick such good combos. you really have an eye for it (i know i already told you this but i'll repeat it cause IT'S THE TRUTH). the effects are so cool, the one with all the vinyls is so creative. your fontwork is also exquisite, so many different ones but it still all matches together and vibes.

i love me a good timeline gifset and this one is no different. the blending is superb. gorgeous coloring, it's pale yet they're not looking washed out which is always a struggle lol. looooove the fonts. the fact that in the first gif you triple blend on such a small surface? i have no words. why it doesn't have 10k notes i will never understand.

all your posts for rhaenicent week have been incredible i'll be honest but i can't talk about all of them haha. you've been so productive this year! but yeah this set i think might be my fave of this week? the transitions with the little squares is soooo beautiful and clever. i shall definitely steal it for a set in the future 😂 but your coloring omg?? that blue and purple and white. sooooooo pretty!!!

of course i have to mention this set. i have not mentioned your sense of humor yet which is a shame cause i love your funny sets :D i love the little notes you added hehe, roast him! i'm in love with the bigger font, it's stunning. the blending is once more, unbelievably good.

there's another bridgerton set of yours i loooove. the colors just have me on the floor, they're SO gorgeous. the blending is insane, i especially love the first gif. and then all the fonts omg?? you really let yourself go and i could not love it more!!!! never thought this amount of fonts would look good and yet.

next up: this beauty. the amount of details in this is incredible. the layout is so fun and i love the little logos you added for each episode. the rainbow coloring?? gorgeouuuuuus.

i have a soft spot for this set because it's so innovative. where do you keep finding all those ideas for creative sets truly?? i need to pick your brain!!! i particularly love the 2nd & 4th gifs, the b&w and the shapes and the typography make for an unbelievable ensemble. but honestly all the different effects on this set are so good.

then we got this one. again, it feels like you wanted to try out so many effects and transitions and styles. and i feel like anyone else would've tried this it would look bad, but you make it work!!!! that's the bebebo touch. this soft purple is beautiful but i especially love the fonts on this set i think. the 2nd gif is my fave i think, i love the ripped paper effect and the blending.

and lastly, of course i had to talk about this one you made recently. i cannot imagine how much time it took to make. the silhouette broken in parts and every one has another blended gif??? insane. the broken mirror, the broken heart, all of it matches the vibes so perfectly. i haven't watched this show but i can feel the tragedy of it all you know? this green and purple are such a good match. this is definitely my fave piece of yours this years. showcasing your skills beautifully.

this got really long i'm sorry i made you read all this 😂😂 thank you for blessing us with amazing creations year after year. so excited to see what 2025 will bring. where you'll take us next! ily <3

[lutawolf]

Stay By My Side Ep 6 soft D/s elements

This episode, Jiang Chi and Bu Xia hits some bumps. It's classic bumps, but it's unique to them, which is what makes it interesting.

So we start the episode with Bu Xia accusing Jiang Chi of causing their relationship to be misinterpreted. Right off, I heard people checking out with this scene. It didn't make sense to them, but I've been like this. My first kiss was actually a girl, initiated by me, and then I completely flipped my shit on myself. Sometimes there is just a war inside you that you have to fight. For me, it was society and for my daughter it was her own "normy expectations."

Jiang Chi is understandably confused. However, if you pay attention, this is where I really see Dom in him. He isn't in it for just the rewards, he is trying very hard to meet the needs of his skittish sub baby. Now, I will say that the D/s element are very soft, but they are still there. I often hear comments about D/s and age. Lifestyle is different from scene and many cultures, especially Asian, have a natural inclination towards a D/s aspect. I actually explain why this is, but I can't link it because assholes keep reporting my posts. *I can literally hear my daughter going, "Mom, your ADHD is showing, back on topic."* Sorry!

The interview cracked me up. Jiang Chi says yes, and Bu Xia says no. Guess who won? Bu Xia, looks at him but backs down. The way Jiang Chi looks at Bu Xia when he is talking is so cute. At this point, Jiang Chi just thinks that Bu Xia doesn't want everyone to know yet, and he is okay with that. He doesn't let Bu Xia say they aren't dating, but he doesn't confirm that they are either. Compromise.

Notice the clear and precise. "There is no misunderstanding. I meant what I said."

gif credit to ueasking

Bu Xia's dreams are telling him what he wants, but he isn't ready to deal with it yet. Him falling off the side of the bed is my favorite thing because, I think, we've all done it. 🤣🤣🤣

The more I watch, the more I think that Jiang Chi is playing the long game. He is too aware of Bu Xia's confusion and is too understanding of it, and yet at times he reels him in.

Jiang Chi has learned the best way to handle Bu Xia is with the reward system. "Help me with dishes/wait for me, and I'll bring you late night snacks."

Bu Xia is cute, but he clearly isn't ready for self reflection or owning his own responsibility. Notice how everything is all Jiang Chi's fault. Not that I don't do the exact same thing with my husband, but that's besides the point. I'm just stating the facts about Bu Xia. ��

I honestly adore the basket ball team. Their teasing is light-hearted and meant to showcase an acceptance. Because everyone but Bu Xia can see it. He is a coconut.

This next scene is very D/s. The brat talks back to the team captain when told that he has to wash Jiang Chi's stuff. Captain immediately grabs Jiang Chi and puts him in front to handle the brat. Notice the firmness of Jiang Chi when addressing this. He isn't yelling, he isn't even being rude, but rather using a tone and logic to indicate this is a line. Bu Xia didn't even think of doing anything but accepting. And there is a that reward system again. Jiang Chi rubs Bu Xia's head, essentially saying, "Good Boy."

The hilarity of the water bottle scene after basket ball practice. Again, I love the basket ball team. The uniform washing scene that turned into let's see how wet we can get each other was impossibly cute. I don't want to hear the phrase "boys will be boys" unless we are talking about a scene like this. That's the kind of boys will be boys behavior that I can get behind.

The whole next scene is my everything. First, the explanation of the uniforms. Then the kiss. The wash clothe coming down to cover Bu Xia's eyes. The initial gentle kisses from Jiang Chi, to more once Bu Xia shows acceptance. Sighhhhh, it was so cute.

Now we are at the point where Bu Xia has got to be getting whip lash from his own brain. You can see his amusement and happiness at all the pictures "deadlock" (by the way, it took me forever to get the joke behind that. That it's their names. I'm so stupid.) Bu Xia is clearly pleased at Jiang Chi taking a secret picture of him. Then he sees the comments and it flips his switch. Now he is back to questioning himself.

And it's all downhill from there. His basket ball teammates are trying to gently push him in a direction. They push too much, though. Leading to a huge misunderstanding for Jiang Chi. Who in his feels pushed too hard. Causing us to end in angst. We have 10 episodes in total and this was only number 6!

Hope you guys enjoyed this! As always, thank you for taking the time to read. 💜💜💜

[trulybetty]

Sunday Week In Review XIV

How's everyone doing? I skipped out on last week's update since it was a really slow week on all fronts for all the things for me last week. Things picked up a bit this week - but I'll be honest, I'm having a hard time finding my feet around here at the moment and finding a groove to get into.

Not sure if it's that time of year, a bit of a writing lull or what - but I've been a little meh, not in the sad sense - more like I'm a petulant child offered six different things and I turn my nose up at all of them because I don't know what I want lol.

Also trying to figure out a system for getting through my TBR list, right now it feels like it's out of control and there are only so many I can read in a week. Especially since I want to get through some of my physical TBR pile and dedicate a couple nights a week to offline reading.

Anyway, enough about me seemingly channelling Baby Truly™️ - on with the recap of the last two weeks!

T R U L Y   U P D A T E S . . .

I did a second round of the 'First Sentence' ask game, which I absolutely adore! If you haven't done it before, I very much recommend it! If you do this, tag me so I can come throw a sentence at you!

Round 2

tim x cagney (f!reader)

jack x reader (f!reader)

joel x Charlotte (OFC)

dieter x bryony (OFC)

jack x reader (f!reader)

frankie x clementine (OFC)

W H A T   I   R E A D . . .

Delta Landscaping (Triple Frontier) by @rhoorl Jess' series has me on tenterhooks for every update and then on the edge of my seat waiting for more! This last update we entered the start of Frankie's arch and while it pulls at the heartstrings, I'm so here for it and what's to come next! Also, Benny entering his Rocky era (Jess didn't write this, I've decided it) is something I'm also very much ready for!

Paranoid Hearts (Javi P.) by @goodwithcheese This series. This series is just something else and I finally got my ass into gear to get caught up, and while on the one hand, I'm sorry I started so late on the other hand I enjoyed this smorgasbord of Javi and Tabitha.

he makes life better (Joel) by @wildemaven This is such a warm comforting hug of a fic that just seeps into your bones, that makes your toes curl in softness and you re-read more than once. This is everything fluff should make you feel and I adore each and every last part of this and will be re-reading this.

Headshots (Marcus P.) by @secretelephanttattoo I was not ready for this to end, but El gave our boy Marcus the ending he and his Ella deserved and it was both spicy and sweet. If you've not read this yet, I suggest you do. Also, peep her forthcoming wip... 🔎

Thrash Metal (Dieter) by @morallyinept Jett is back with another delectably mouthwatering smutty one-shot with our favourite deviant Dieter Bravo. This is sinfully indulgent and a must-read and one that lends itself to definitely more than one read.

Six and a half minutes - Frankie's version by @avastrasposts This one calls for a breakout of the Hot Ones gif for sure, because this was the mood the entire time I read this. If anything, Frankie is not one to back down from a challenge...

Medicine (Joel) by @goodwithcheese I was so excited to see Megan had written for Joel that I had to drop everything to read this over my coffee the other morning. I love everything about the dynamic between these two and how Megan illustrates the deep affection they have for one another through their actions as we all know our post-outbreak Miller is not one quick with his words. I hope this isn't the last we see of Joel here!

M E M O R A B L E   P O S T S . . .

Heidi’s amazing mood board inspired by Sequins! 😍 I’m still in absolute awe of it and I love it so much! I think it's going to get a spot on my work desk this week! 💕

These thots had started off as Joel Thots, but have now morphed into Tim Thots and I'm not mad about it... might share a little snippet later 😏

@morallyinept's 'Ode to Writers' this week - I'm going to refrain from getting on my soapbox here (I'd be here all day) - but the table is not finite, it's infinite. If you're not inching your chair down to make room for another chair, or pulling the spare chairs in from the garage, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your relationship with this community.

E N J O Y E D  T H I S  W E E K  . . .

Finally watching ‘Strange Way of Life’ and getting to live message my thots to @rhoorl as I watched - it was a cinematic dissection.

Date night with Mr. Truly - we spent the entire two hours wondering what people do on dates aside from watching their phones and waiting for a call to say your kids are out of control and have taken over Nakatomi Plaza. But needless to say, we had fun, I even ate a meal without someone else's hand in it.

Amazing moots being mooting awesome 🙌 - I'm thankful every day that I get to interact with some wonderful people and have found a lovely corner of this hell site to play in a sandbox with some amazing people 💕

S P E C I A L M E N T I O N . . .

Check out this writing challenge that myself and a group of people that I'm lucky to call moots created that we would love for you to join in on! Everything about it is random and everyone starts with the same parameters and everything else after that is up to you! So excited to see what everyone does with this!

Do I know anything about Javi Pēna? Nope. Am I going to join in? Yes I am! 🙌

See you January 1st to dive into all the fics this challenge I hope produces! 💛

T H I S  W E E K ' S  J A M . . .

Thank you to @gnpwdrnwhiskey for inspiring this week's selection after she pointed out the parallels to Chiffon that I haven't been able to get out of my head since.

Hope everyone has had a great week! Here's to a great week ahead and I hope its a good one full of obnoxious drinks of choice and soft places to land and enjoy.

[fluffalpenguin]

@arcvmonth day 24: the manga

oh man oh MAN it's vj day!!!!!

it's pretty funny how all my gifs are mostly yuri-centered huh

Under the cut:

revisiting my review of the manga from last year

Headcanons and fic/comic ideas

rambling about an old WIP

small playlist! (with write-ups!)

First of all, here's the 3,000 words analysis/blog thing I wrote last year when I first finished it.

One and a half years later, I still largely agree with it! There's some headcanons I wrote in there that I completely forgot about, lol, so I'm glad past me posted it somewhere for current me to relieve it again! (The rants were also kind of funny to re-read too)

***

Next, headcanons!

Lately, I found myself wondering about Yuto and Yuri's outfits; specifically-

...Why are they walking around Maiami with dramatic red/black capes?

After some time in the kitchen, I decided that when Yuya was younger, he was really into good versus evil roles when rehearsing his dueltainment lines. And who else better to serve as his practice opponents than his two brothers who aren't off busy making rounds at the stadium on a D-Wheel?

Tying his own fluffy, white towel around his shoulders, Yuya throws a nearby black blanket to Yuto. The oldest is initially a little embarrassed about the notion, but no one can ever say no to the baby of the Sakaki family, can they? (He'll just have to live the shame down from the twins later on... They barely even respect him as they are right now, anyway) In the middle of the duel, Yuri walks in onto the two of them after having finished his homework (or tweaking his deck). He raises an eyebrow at Yuto's appearance, but gets the gist of the situation when he sees their duel disks activated and Yuya standing on top of the sofa in a similar attire. As Yuto steals Yuya's schtick and becomes a tomato, Yuri pouts about being left out and quickly leaves to hunt for something that will allow him to join the fun. When the duel ends, Yuto passes the baton to Yuri. As he watches the two rattle off silly, goofy lines like, I will destroy the planet, the universe, all the worlds! and, Never! I'll stop you, fiend!, Yuto sighs in relief. At least Yuya now has Yuri to LARP with. Maybe Yugo would volunteer too, once he returned from driving practice and hears about it. Though, he'd likely ask to play the part of the hero himself. Anyway, Yuto's already almost in middle school; he's getting a little too old to play with costumes now. Then afterwards, at dinner, with an angelic smile Yuya says, "Yuuto, can we play like that again sometime? You look so cool with a cape!"

Yuri on the other hand, always had a tendency for the melodramatic, his own personal spin of the theatrics he's seen from his dad! Deep down he really loves playing the villain.

(This was meant to be a short description but I couldn't help putting some fic-like sentences in there tehe also yes that's a reference to the conversation between Yuya and G.O.D./Eve)

***

(warning: angst ahead)

Another headcanon I have that I want to write/draw something for is that in the postcanon where Reiji, Yuya, Isaac and Ren travel through space and time together, Yuya has moments where he falters to his grief.

He's used to his brothers commenting and nagging him on almost anything and everything (A midnight snack? Think about your complexion, Yuya!) and his world is suddenly a lot more quiet. In his hurt, he starts to avoid Ren, not wanting to be reminded of what he's lost (He doesn't feel good about it).

Eventually Reiji intervenes and Yuya opens up a little. He's been unable to properly let himself grief for his brothers. All he wants to say is that he misses them.

But he doesn't feel like he has the right to do so, having being the one to seal their fates by personally destroying the one method of bringing them back to life. He doesn't regret his decision of course, but he's unable to stop himself from feeling this way too.

It has a happy ending; Reiji convinces Yuya to talk to Ren. Yuya shares stories about Yugo at Ren's request, making the both of them laugh. Yuya realises that there are other methods of bringing back people to life, too, even if only momentarily.

But it is enough.

***

Misc hcs:

Yuya's charisma and attitude is a combination of his three brothers fawning over his cuteness from birth and Yuya being so star-struck with Yusho's performances he attempted to replicate the movements ever since he could walk.

Being the oldest, Yuto feels a sense of responsibility for his brothers and pledged to take care of them in place of his always-missing parents. However, he oft times finds himself not having to do much because Yugo and Yuri are so determined to win over Yuya's heart (and be proclaimed 'favourite brother') that they also make sure to set a good example for the youngest when possible. This causes Yuto a little bit of an identity crisis (/j it's just for fun) until he settles into his role as the househusband cook.

"All of us... are connected by... the arc of destiny!"

Reiji and Yuya are supposed to be silhouetted by their fathers, so Yuzu is meant to seem like she's looking at Yuya, but is in fact looking at Yusho. I also think VJ Yuto should be allowed to smile more!

This drawing is meant to be my love letter to the manga as a whole, and ESPECIALLY the last duel between Reiji and Yuya. I talked about it a whole ton in the review linked above already, so go check that out if you haven't!!

I was really happy with the composition when I first made this, especially with Sora/Ren/Isaac Versus the Yus mirroring their duels! (Well, okay, I know Isaac didn't duel Yuto but.... just give this to me)

Anyway I really wanted a fun and positive energy for it! Every month I think about returning to this but I get slightly demotivated when I realise I have *zero* colour references for both Ren and Isaac... Please send in your headcanons...

***

Last but not least, last month I got brain worms for another animatic/hand-drawn MV for Eve's Fight Song! I'll never ever have to time to go back to it, but I wanted to take the chance to talk about other songs that make me ill when I think about them with the manga.

1. Myth & Roid - TRAGEDY:ETERNITY

Don’t give me an eternity Even if that’s all I can believe Press pause on the flow of time In the shadow of the blink of an eye I don’t wanna fall into a sleep ‘Cause now you are my remedy Now knocking on, knocking on, knocking on my brain Even for the temptation of a nightmare Fate demands a costly reparation for its fare

Translated lyrics mostly from lyrical-nonsense, but I made some changes for better rhyming and flow yahoo!! This song is what I imagine the OP would be in my dreams when it received an anime adaptation, I've always dreamed of making my own animatic to it!!

Not just the chorus, but the ENTIRE SONG (pleeeease go take a look at the lyrics) feels like it's made for the manga please please go take a look

2. MYTH & ROID - -to the future days

I cast my wishes to the future days If we can meet on the other side of eternity… I cast my wishes to the future days What should we talk about first? Sadness and even joy will, eventually Will sleep together That's the way life is If such a world could be granted Would nobody feel hurt anymore?

Yeah I like M&R quite a bit, how'd you know

If T:E was the hypothetical OP, this is my pick for the ED theme, like AAAAAAAA for me it encompasses the yu's story so so so so so so so well, though

And:

Both despair and also life come to end eventually Take this future into your hands and let it run its course Spin it ’round…… The hands on the clock spin around Like flowers, petals falling and fluttering Once we blossom, we dissipate in the moment THE BRIDGE THE BRIDGE THE LYRICS ARGHHHHHHHH This is definitely for me, the moment when the three yus start to fade during Yuya's battle with Eve, their last conversation they have with yuya..... *lies onto the ground in a pile of misery*

Rest of the lyrics HERE shoves it into your face

3. MAISONdes - Tokyo Shandy Rendezvous

It's no joke, no it's not! Tokyo Shandy Rendezvous Even when the time comes nothing will come of it Vague truths only become melancholy Come on and snatch me away now, take on me!

This is a fun one, when I watched the PV and in the chorus Lum was spinning I instantly went wow what if that was Phantom.. and then the lyrics bared their claws and sunk them into my brain and hasn't really let go since

Unlike the above two songs, not all of the lyrics are a perfect match, of course, but I adore how in general the whimsical yet lonely nature of the song feels like it fits Phantom so well!

4. Eve - Fight Song

As the night still refuses to end, let’s dream

Last but not least the song I posted the above storyboard for! CSM fans (as well as Eve fans, lol) are probably already familiar with the song, and full lyrics here, though like the song above, only parts of the song (particularly the chorus) really resonated with the vj brainworms in my head lol Even for me, y’know Let’s make a break for the future Towards the verge of death like we pray for A boy that gave his word Today, just like back then As if there’s no more future ahead

Sigh.... Yuto, Yugo, Yuri................ Just let out your voice Let’s take it easy We don’t even know common sense, so we know the world through wise eyes These overflowing feelings, behold Greet me with an applause

I love the first half a lot, I can easily imagine Yuya saying it to the other three... and of course, the latter, from him to the world! (or perhaps even G.O.D...)

As always thanks for reading GOODBYE I GOTTA GO DRAW SOME ARC-V OCS

[harushinkai-daily]

State of the Blog and Plans Going Forward

Hello friends! I wanted to share my plans for this blog now that we've gone through all the episodes and documented more than four years(!!) of good, good Harus.

The bottom line up front: this blog will still be updating, but there is going to be a drop in frequency, and I will take requests via the askbox if there's something you want to see! The rest is under the cut to spare your dash, but read on if you're curious!

First of all, I want to assure everyone that this blog is NOT going away. I care about it way too much to just abandon it. That said, I really don't have it in me to keep it updating daily at this point. There are nowhere near enough "new" Harus I could post, and while I suppose I could start the anime over again from the beginning, I want to make this transition on a high note, and there's nothing I could do that would be more satisfying than (somewhat-accidentally-but-then-totally-on-purpose once I saw it was possible) lining up the end of the anime to coincide with Haru's birthday. Plus, I always want this blog to be a labor of love and joy, so I really do need to make this adjustment before it starts feeling like a chore or obligation to update ^^;

So what does that mean? It means there will still be some new posts to this blog, but they're going to become much more sporadic in nature. I haven't exactly figured out what this looks like yet. It might be every week, it might just be when I feel like it. I still have some manga panels to go through and some anime-related "bonus materials." Plus, there are some stats and compilation-based photosets I want to make (and my personal top 10 Harus? You betcha!). Not to mention finishing the poor, neglected blog index, if you've ever looked at this page on desktop!

That actually brings up another one of my goals for this project: archival and general Appmon news/promotion. In terms of archival, I want to export the contents this blog (screenshots and captions) somewhere outside of Tumblr; I'm thinking a Neocities page or something. I also might use this space to reblog whatever Appmon-related news we might get in the future (few and far between, obviously, but it could still happen!). There are also some other Appmon-related projects that are rattling around in my head that I would also like to get out there (character comparison by director and/or Caught-Up Old Man supercut, anyone?). So things might look kind of quiet as I do some work on some backend HTML and other behind-the-scenes stuff, but progress will probably be happening on those fronts, slowly but surely!

All that said, if you really can't get enough Haru, there are several ways you can help to keep this blog going!

Send me a date on the calendar, ANY date, and I'll reply with all of the daily Harus that got posted over the years! The only exception to that rule is July 1, since that day's dedicated to reblogging fanworks :)

Send me ideas for photosets! With 4 years of backlog, I'm sure there are some interesting ones that could be made.

Send requests for gifs! I only did this sporadically during the original run, but if there's something you want to see that I didn't make already, I'll do it.

Let me know what YOUR favorite Haru(s) are. It doesn't have to be all about me! :D

Send me Harus or requests for Harus that I'm missing? This blog has always accepted submissions. But please note I will not post more than individual Appmon manga panels, because Naoki Akamine, the mangaka, has requested that any art they've shared and posted on social media not be reposted. If it's not directly from the anime, I also have a strong preference for original, official images WITH SOURCES, because I've noticed there are a few AI-upscaled versions of things like card art floating around out there. I will always do my best to track down the original image, and will not use images that have been enhanced with AI on this blog. A sure way to tell: any text on the image looks fuzzy (and wrong!)

Last but not least (and I know I say this a lot, but bear with me): thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sticking with this blog, whether you're a longtime follower or a relative newcomer. This whole project started on a whim, as a passion project early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and I could not have guessed that it would have taken me this long to make it through the whole series, one good Haru at a time. I have spent a truly shocking amount of time working on this blog, but an equal amount of love, for one of my absolute favorite Digimon series and gogglehead protagonists.

Love from your HaruShinkai-Daily mod,

@citrus-cactus

[allupinyourminds]

hi jaelyn! would you consider doing a tutorial of how you did the border in this post: /post/724027705058902016/renaissance-1-year-countdown-act-i-track-x-move? It's so cool!

Hi, anon! I've done this border effect for a few of my gifsets, but I'm gonna use the one you mentioned as an example. (Here's the whole set in question.)

Here's what my gif looks like without a border around it just to start.

Now before we do anything, we have to make sure we add a new layer (Layer > New Layer). If you don't do this, what's gonna happen is that you're gonna have the border basically attached to the gif without any way of editing it later (if you decide that you want to edit it later). I'll explain what I mean once we get to that point.

Now, once you have your new layer over the gif you want to edit, we're going to go over here to where the Rectangular Marquee Tool is.

This is going to create the rectangle shape we need. Then you simply align it at the point where you would like to start making your border. For the purpose of this tutorial, I started at the top left and dragged diagonally to the bottom right.

The rectangle shape we just made created a selection. We're gonna right click on it, and these options come up.

We're gonna go ahead and click on Stroke, and then this comes up.

This part, you can pretty much do anything you like with it, depending on what effect you're going for. For the set I made, the majority of it has teal, white, and black (+ the red text in the final gif), but I want the border to show fairly well in contrast to the teal/black. So for color, I choose white (#ffffff). I also put the location at center and the width at 1 px.

Once you click Okay, you're still going to see the selection surrounding the border you just made. So use your keyboard and do CTRL/CMD + D to deselect the border. This is what we have now.

That's pretty much it, if you like your border the way it is. However — and this is something I mentioned when I brought up the new layer thing — if you find yourself wanting to re-edit your border in any way possible, then we can go back and do as we please since that layer is separate from the gif.

Use your keyboard and press Shift + CTRL/CMD + D to reselect the border, and that same selection will come back up. Repeat the right-click and then click on Stroke again. This time, we're gonna change the color to this shade of red (#780000) and keep everything else.

Once you do that, click Okay, and deselect your layer again. This is what we get now.

These same instructions apply if you want to make the border thicker by a couple of pixels, change the location, etc. It's just a matter of playing around with it.

If you have any questions, never hesitate to ask. ❤️

[ezamevolni]

Traces: Magic wedding leaf

aka the perilla leaf fight

I've having too much fun making Traces posts :D There's a dozen drafts lined up now because Jinkook is always on record and there are so many pieces to the same puzzles. I especially love the continuity over days, weeks, months and even years. I still remember last year when I declared wanting to write and analyze Jinkook but it's actually impossible to do so because everything is in their content already. There's not much room left for inferences. Maybe I'll still work on that one post about the history of shipping since these days, it looks like most shippers are at most 2-3 years into the fandom. There are some things you just have to be there realtime to know what it was like :/

Who knew this quarrel could have such a long continuity?

I'm cackling every time I think of Jk's pout during the debate, and even more now that they've shown the Busan concert episode.

But seriously Bighit, we get ok. Stop exposing them.

The videos were released out of order so they've been arranged by sequence of actual filming.

The origin of the discourse:

BTS MBTI Lab (filmed early Mar 2022) starts at 20:54

This debate is so hot in the fandom there shouldn't be a single person left who doesn't know about it. The controversy level is even higher than the [mint choco ice cream] debate.

The question is: are you ok with your partner peeling a perilla leaf for a friend?

The reason why it's a debate is because perilla leaves are notoriously hard to peel apart, very thin and tend to stick together as layers. It could be considered an intimate gesture peeling the leaf for someone.

Jk's stance: absolutely no. What if they end up getting married? Also, no peeling shrimp either.

Jin's stance: married??? There's nothing wrong with helping out a friend. I'll peel shrimp, cut fish if it benefits the mass.

It's also hilarious that Jk had clear distinctions. He stated that scooping noodles or soup is fine. So when Jin indignantly asked, "Why? Why not the perilla leaf?" Jk finally burst out that peeling a perilla leaf can lead to hand holding, then eye contact, then marriage.

Watch the clip for the audio to understand how heated (loud) the argument got. And it's pretty clear Jk and Jin were arguing as two different parties in the same relationship...Jk the one watching and Jin the one peeling for their imaginary friend.

And for people who still believe the members haven't dated since debut or aren't in ongoing relationships, maybe take note of the few who had strong opinions during the debate (esp. the ones who insisted 'they didn't care').

The aftermath:

Festa dinner 2022 (filmed 5.20.22)

Ignore the important message of this festa and just focus on their petty conversation and dinner table manners.

The following gifs are almost the same time stamp, just cropped slightly differently to focus on different players and how they eat king crab.

First up Suga

Next up Jin and Jk

Jin was saying in a light mocking way, "Awoo Jungkook-shi can't even do this." and Jk laughed cutely.

So the MBTI lab video was released a week before this filming, and Jin likely watched it because he brought it up after offering to peel king crab for the members.

Jin: "I think we can just use one set of hands to do the work"

(Nods in agreement.)

BTW I rewatched the first part of the video (armys know why) and saw how these two naturally ate off each other's plates, helped to cut/reach for food etc. For example, Jin nudged JK to get the plate of noodles, were out of frame when picking up the noodles but once done, the noodles were on Jk's plate instead of Jin's and Jin was constantly eating off Jk's plate afterwards. Domestic, cute.

The happy ending:

Busan Expo rehearsal day (10.14.22)

This almost seems like it was shown on purpose. (BH I see you) They didn't have to expose Jinkook like that.

On rehearsal day 2, Jinkook sat down to eat together and Jin picked up a sesame leaf for Jk.

I'm curious who brought over the plate of perilla leaves because that wasn't there when Jin was eating nor when Jk sat down with the two bowls in front of him.

Overall, amicableness and good vibes all around.

Also perilla leaf goes surprisingly well with cream-based pasta. I had a period when I was obsessed with the combo.

The epilogue:

Run BTS Next Top Genius (filmed early Nov 2022)

V and Jk weren't eating the pizza because they were on a diet and to tease V, Jin handed him the pizza crust which he normally doesn't eat.

Then,

Sincerely, thank you Jimin bringing that topic up again.

But notice how Jin and Jk were about to start bickering again because of opposite views, RM, Suga and Jimin stepped in before it could get heated? Subsequently, Jimin remembered the perilla leaf debate from months ago, and blurted out his question.

Look at Jin: eyes down, mouth closed, concentrating on his pickle as if he wasn't at the heart of the debate last season.

This happened after the Busan concert and notice neither of the two protagonists volunteered new information on their truce? Instead of pretending like the topic didn't concern him, Jin could've easily chimed in, "I only peel perilla leaves for Jk now."

Because it's true.

[tealenko]

TV Show Brainrot Tag

Errmm... Get ready for this one XD And thanks again to the lovely @sillyliterature for the tag :D

This is gonna be loooooooong (I may have a problem with TV series upsss~~)

There's no precise order (I love them all)

The Queen's Gambit: My current obsession. Seen it many times. I still giggle whenever Benny opens his mouth. Just finished reading the book a week ago (and tons of fics right after)

An now, presenting my favorite section: I don't actually like that much crime procedural dramas but I'm a sucker for the "my consultant is a _" fill the blank trope.

1: "my consultant is a former con artist that used to fake he was a psychic "

The mentalist: PERFECTION. 10/10. Forever in love with Patrick Jane. Lisbon is a badass. Cho is just amazing. Love every single season and almost every character to death. *chef's kiss*

Gif de simonbakeralbum

2: "my consultant is a fake psychic that's lies to avoid going to jail"

Psych: I'll explain myself with the best dialogue ever in TV history:

Gus: What can you possibly ask to that girl that the police already haven't? //fades to black Shawn, already talking to her : Want to split a pineapple? *while holding a pineapple, of course*

*dies* XDDDDDDDDDDDD

3: "my consultant is THE DEVIL"

Lucifer: Hell to the yeah! This has been an obsession of mine since uni (and still is), but I mean... Tom Ellis, what could go wrong? Of course I'm in love with this shit. It got a bit too angsty at the end for me (but still... it was amazing)

4: "I AM WE ARE THE MF CONSULTANTS"

Sherlock: OOOOMMMFFFGGGGGGGGGG!! BEST SHIT EVER! That's it.

And to close this section:

5: "I'm gonna consult whether you like me or not, plus my partner is... A severed hand?"

I know, it's a stretch, but they're solving crimes too.

Wednesday: Decided to check it out while I was waiting for my train... Ended up watching the entire thing in a day XDDD Can't wait for season 2

All that done XD Here's one you won't know about...

Gran Hotel: OOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY I didn't want to include spanish things into this list, but this one is A MUST!!! sorry #notsorry To sum it up quickly it's a Dowton Abbey + Murder mistery (But in this one *spoiler warning* they do not kill the main guy in a christmas special T-T #yeahimstillmadaboutthat) btw the main ship is AMAAAAAZING (I mean, poor guy falls in love with rich woman never disappoints, am I right?)

MASH: My parents grew up watching this, bought it in DVD, and show it to us when we were kid... I fell in love. I'm still in love. I can quote almost every episode from memory, love all the characters and love how the show started as goofy and funny and grew little by little into cynical and critical. The caracters were flawed, which made them realistic and (considering when this air on TV) way ahead of their time.

Community: There's a before and after after the pool episode in season one. What an amazing show. Love it to death. #andamovie

Romance is a Bonus Book: I've seen a lot of kdramas, this one takes the win. Has everything they never want to give you in TV: main ship is friend from childhood, constant appreciation for books, they do not break up for stupid reasons once they are together, mega happy ending, no one has amnesia, no one gets kidnaped, you actually get to see them as a couple instead of getting together in the last chapter... and I could keep going, but I'll stop here. Well, and the main guy is drop-dead gorgeous (with kinda helps too XDDDDD)

And last, but not least:

Wizards of Waverly Place: This is my childhood... And also my present, let's be honest. Love the show, love Selena Gomez, LOOOOVE her as Alex. Still obsessed to this day, I mean, I rewatched it last month lol.

I should stop here... @sillyliterature see what happens when you ask?? XDDDDD And I could keep going ehehehehe

[faolonfiendrender]

a brief guide to partner dancing aimed at providing useful information for writing and figuring out what they might be dancing, by someone who's done it for years.

(this is by no means comprehensive I can name several partner dances I've never done but I have done a lot of partner dances)

Before we start, I'm mostly going to be assuming the dancer is familiar with the dance.

Before we begin, I am most versed, outside of lindy hop, in international styles which are basically cultural appropriation styles a lot of the time. That is a separate conversation, but, especially for Latin American dances, I know the formalized, made by the British, propagated largely by Mormons and people from ex-soviet Europe versions best. They still are fun dances, but I cannot help you with argentine tango, or Cuban Rumba and Cha-cha, the dance I know that is named samba was not originally danced in Brazil at all. Where I know of it, I'll give that background, but be aware that my knowledge of dances from not europe that aren't swing dances should be considered unreliable at best compared to the original thing, but I'm towards the end of syllabus with the international styles.

In General

there is going to be some sort of connection, once people are no longer beginners you can generally feel what your partner is doing through their arms and through body contact, also, people look at their partner relatively little in closed position. Closed position is the classic ballroom frame, it is always one hand on the partners back or shoulder, follows arm above, the other held by your partner, each partner offset about half a body width from to their partners right, so that you each have the others right foot between your feet. For some dances, you make body connection, essentially, you both have your right sides meeting and pressing into eachother, waltz and tango both do this a lot. Generally you don't look directly at each other and instead both look to the side.

Details differ, but most dances I've done have elbows up and in line with shoulder or just in front, leads right hand on follows shoulder blade, follows left hand on leads upper arm just below the deltoid (as in move your hand up until the point of the deltoid is between your thumb and pointer finger). In addition, your ribs and hips face eachother. Often, you have body connection, which has the right side of your torsos touching eachother, but this is less likely with new dancers. The dances listed that do the body connection here are Waltzes, International Tango, Quickstep, and Foxtrot.

below are some examples of closed position in gifs and pictures

a formal closed position in competition

a more informal closed position, the disconnected arm is fine for the follows, but not typical unless doing swishy stuff with a skirt, I'd say not so much inexperienced as not bothering with the prettiest bits of technique. Fine for social dancing, though I'd have my elbow further up and be further into my knees if I were the prince, I can see his arm isn't following his torso correctly, which makes your leads muddled, and he's leaning slightly forward, which is just uncomfortable for both parties.

some other frames are:

Promenade, which is a lot like normal closed position in a V shape, the follows left side is rotated so that it's in contact or close to the lead, and the follows head is to the right, both have their hips pointed diagonally in front of the other. If you've seen cartoon versions of tango, those are an exaggerated promenade position.

shadow position, which has the follow in front and to the right with their arms out, and the leader behind, with their left hand holding the follows right hand (or wrist if both are comfortable with it, don't do this social dancing, it is creepy), left hand on the waist or shoulder. For example:

Cuddle position, which I don't lead or end up in often:

and open position, where you are just holding hands, all connection is through arms, distance depends on your dance, in slow waltz or tango you might be far, in swing dances you don't want to be anywhere near the end of your arm's ability to lengthen.

so now for some more typical dances

Waltzes:

there are two main types of waltzes I've done, slow waltz and viennese waltz. In Viennese, you are constantly turning, well not constantly, but most of the time. It is fairly fast and you are fairly level. It often feels like you are slightly tilting your body as you go through the turns, this is normal. Viennese is a very flat dance, but still fun, there's not much rise and fall, and you turn at the same rate pretty much constantly, and there aren't many steps. If you are new, it can feel daunting because you are essentially flipping every three counts and don't know when to turn small and let your partner go around you and when to turn big and go around your partner, in addition, when turning left you cross your feet at the end of the three counts where you start facing forwards.

Slow waltz is in my opinion the flashier one, it is slower, but you do a lot with the time, from rise and fall, where you are like a gentle wave, cresting on the second count of each three count measure, to really moving through the entire count, you are generally gliding so that your steps are nearing the limit of how far you can step smoothly, pushing off your standing foot to make this work. Beyond the turns, there are frankly to many moves to list, but your most likely fancy moves are going to be natural spin turns, which start like a normal turn to the right, but after the first count of three where you've made just under half a turn, you spin close to an entire turn in the next three steps, double reverses, which also spin you an entire turn in three counts, this time turning left, and various steps that move straight forwards and you do fancy stuff with your frame, often involving moving into or out of promenade. It should also feel a bit flowy once you are good. (final note, once upon a dream is a good slow waltz, for your thematic music purposes)

Swing:

Now there are a bunch of dances loosely categorized as swing, and even more that go with some form of swing music. The original swing dance is called lindy hop, and it's most of what I've been doing the past couple of years, it was invented in harlem in the late 20's in the savoy ballroom and places like it, it got popular in the 30's and 40's, faded, and got a resurgence in the 90's. The other actual swing dances are descended from it.

Besides swing dances, you also see quickstep and foxtrot to swing songs. Foxtrot is generally slower and linear, there are two types but I've only done international(read british) style, american style is the original. The origins are not reliably documented, but we know it was also black dancers who originated foxtrot sometime before 1914, and became popular in the 30's, and originally spread outside its initial community after a premier in 1914. Quickstep is a descendant of foxtrot and charleston that comes from england, it was formalized in 1927.

Now onto more detailed discussion:

Lindy hop is an odd one compared to many ballroom dances, there isn't really any formalized list of steps, though the most common rhythms are a six count one-two three-a-four five-a-six and an eight count one-two three-a-four five-six seven-a-eight. One of the more prominent bits of technique is the pulse where you bounce down into the floor on every count, and each movement is typically two counts. You also tend to bookend steps with a rock-step, where you step back on one foot, and then back forwards on the other. there are also triple steps which go side together side to the beat of one-a-two. It feels a lot looser than waltz and several other dances, and your elbows are always bent, and normally by your hips while the hand you are holding with your partner is near the followers waist height, and this time, your chest is forward, your knees are bent, and your butt is back so that you can effectively bounce and balance

Some named bits that are common are swing outs and lindy circles. These are eight counts in general, essentially in both, the lead is having the follows move towards them before stepping around the follow on 5-6 then separating back out in open position in the case of a swing out or taking the follow with them in closed position in a lindy circle. You can chain these, and it is in fact common to do three swing outs followed by a circle. Beyond that, underarm turns, and other spinny steps are common, and it's not uncommon for a leader to go under their own arm. There are also charleston based steps, which all have kicks, a common configuration is rock-step, kick-step, double-kick-step, this is the charleston basic.

However, all this said, it's anarchy once you're confident. Want to do a charleston basic while in a swing out? Go ahead, just make sure your partner can adjust, want to completely disconnect and trade solo-jazz with your partner for a few measures? Go for it. Music too fast to take three steps in two counts, or you just want to not take three for dramatic effect? Take one step instead, but keep your pulse. You can also dance it to a lot of music, my favorites are Tuxedo Junction and Rattlin' Bones

I'm going to include some Lindy hop videos here because it's worth watching, especially the last one.

And finally a very, very good lindy hop moment in a otherwise terrible movie (2:30 is about where the dancing starts, and it is colorized black and white footage, so colors can be a bit wierd)

Now I know two lindy hop descendants, Jive, and West coast swing.

I say this with all affection, but Jive is basically formalized Lindy hop. It's got a list of steps, it has technique that is more for looks than facilitating dancing. I'd almost call it gentrified Lindy-hop. It's still fun, but it feels more rigid, less improvisational.

West coast swing is a slower dance, aimed more towards the blues side, I'd feel comfortable dancing it to Hit the road jack, Sweet Home Chicago or Think. Compared to lindy hop, west coast swing is much more forwards and backwards, you have a slot on your floor that you dance in, stepping out only to let your partner through. There is a lot of "we're getting close, and now we're pushing away" in the dance. Just like lindy hop it is heavy improvisation, but it tends to be more restrained.

Now onto Foxtrot and quickstep. These are not swing dances but they dance to swing music.

Foxtrot is the most "walking with style" dance I know, especially in the british version, but this carries over to american style. I'm going to describe the british version as I don't really know the american version and my brother who does is currently asleep. Your frame is very waltz like, but it twists smoothly from one side to the other, and you often end a step with your feet outside your partner's feet, so it's like vv^^ as opposed to v^v^. Most of the time, you are taking a slow, two count step followed by two quick one count step. Remember those slows and quicks. There are turns and such, but the emphasis is still on smooth and sly movement.

Quickstep still has the slows and quicks, but it's, well, not bouncy, but almost a run. Like, it feels almost like you are actually flying and mostly not on the ground. In terms of steps, it's like a half-way point between waltz and foxtrot. You probably ain't gonna attempt quickstep if you have no training at all in dance.

Fox trot would go well with The Way You Look Tonight or Mack the Knife, Quickstep does well with It Don't Mean a Thing, Sing Sing Sing, or in a more modern song, Dancing With myself.

quick videos for fox trot and quickstep, note the traffic jams.

Tango:

there are two types I know of, Argentine tango, which I ain't got training in, and International(read british) tango. You probably mostly know of tango to be honest. The position is not that pressed together in either version from what I've seen. International tango, you are not always in promenade, but it is common enough. You do not rise and fall, not even as much as in Viennese waltz, and your steps are basically a sudden strike, followed by gathering your other foot under you, almost like you are stalking something. The music is of course tango music. I personally favor finish tango music, but that's not normal. The entire dance has very sharp movements.

I don't have much helpful to contribute, I mean people dancing tango don't typically hate eachother.

Rumba:

I don't know the original versions, only the International(british) version which bears very, very, very little resemblance to the original. The international version is like, the romantic dance. Like, obviously not inherently romantic, but it is the slow dance with constant hip action, constantly alternating between very slow movements and very fast movements. Almost every measure you have a moment at the end where you are, well not still, but there are no steps, no big important movements.

If you just want a romantic dance, International Rumba is a good one to give characters.

One form of Cuban Rumba is here

And this is International Rumba, a different dance altogether

Paso Doble:

One last one because I'd be loath not to include it despite the fact that I'm terrible at it. It is the Machismo dance. The Lead is supposed to be a matador, the follow is either the bull or the cape. The Stance feels like dr. Eggman's standing posture.

I'm just gonna let you see the video on this one

You don't dance this socially unless you are deeply unwell, choreograph it ahead of time, but it is so fucking pretty when the lead has decided to be a drama queen as the lead in this dance should.

Anyways, this one is off topic because chances are if a character you're writing is doing this, you know about paso doble very well.

(Side note, this is the one dance that at top levels should give points based on costuming. Leads can't keep getting away with a basic-ass black dance shirt zipped down to their abs, yes, it's sexy, but you gotta try harder)

one more show piece

(mildly risque by ballroom showpiece standards)

and a competition where the skill is good, but I find the costuming for the leads a bit lacking

[mortemos]

#𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐒 independent  portrayal  of   𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥   with sporadic activity in PST. established 2017 and written by vera ! minors do not interact. dark topics and ns.fw themes are present. please read my rules before following.

                               𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐒 ✟ 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖 ✟ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒

IMPORTANT. writer is 28 ( she/her/they ). i tend to follow canon depictions of this character, with a sprinkle of my own creativity. for irl faceclaims, i'll be using manips with no direct reference. that being said, i'm very oc and crossover friendly but lean more toward following manga/anime style blogs.

if you're writing an alucard or someone related to dracula, i won't be acknowledging our characters relation/family ties since it's non-canon circumstances - we can work around those factors, it depends on your approach but d can always be a test tube experiment in other cases.

WRITING/DISCORD. i enjoy decorating and formatting my posts, not excessively but there's personality choices in my writing style. there may always be icons used, among other things regardless if you choose differently. i might not be inclined to follow if you use big gifs/pictures.

writing on disco will be iffy for me but if you find discomfort writing certain topics on the dash, let me know and we can exchange handles if we haven't already.

also, i don't write with minor characters, the subject matters are not suitable for children and will make me uncomfortable.

FOLLOWING. i don’t follow everyone, it’s overwhelming. my blog is mutual exclusive and strict on who i allow onto my dashboard due to mental health reasons. PLEASE HARD BLOCK IF YOU AREN'T INTERESTED IN WRITING. ( i promise it's nothing personal, if we don't mesh from your POV, then protect your peace. ) i'll always read your rules before following, and also a second time once we've started interacting. consider this a safe space, i'll never disregard you or your character's boundaries.

if you're a multi, i implore that you lean on your own judgment when deciding on a character to toss my way. i'm not going to ask for someone who is low energy for you to write, this comes from a caring place. i want to write with passionate people.

PHOBIAS/THEMES. i don't have triggers except: transphobia, racism, pedophilia, and hate speech in general isn't okay. otherwise, i'll write any other subject, i'm just desensitized having been roleplaying for 10 years. i'll use the appropriate tags for things, but please understand i'm just a human being with adhd that can barely remember to function properly.

MAINS & EXCLUSIVES. i’m far more compliant with  mains  than exclusives, since i have trust issues and require a lot of feedback if we decide upon the former.  it’s just a serious matter for me and i don't want to humor exclusivity if you're a low activity partner.

SHIPPING. i portray this man as pansexual and panromantic so let’s ship, i love it.  we can plot out the dynamic, figure out what works and how they tick.  i have no shame in wanting to write toxic, platonic, lust driven, enemies, and anything under the sun. i'm here to have an interesting time, nothing offends me and i can't be bothered to act shy. i ship everyone WITHIN THE AGE OF CONSENT. again, keep your children away.

pre-established  won’t be an issue, though i’d prefer an ooc discussion beforehand.  just to get the quirks out of the way since this character is very fickle.

N.SFW THEMES. now on the topic of smut/ns.fw, i know there's a stigma against it but honestly i love a healthy balance in writing it.  i just go with the flow if that's what the situation leads to. ( flirt with him, give sexual tension, be disgusted for all i care ) just keep in mind that i use poetic/soft core writing when it comes to it, i just don't want to be crude and icky with my descriptions. all of which will be under a read more and may be subject to deletion later on ( primary up to you ).

i have unresolved trauma when it comes to female lower anatomy and will not write smut involving it. ( i can talk about nsf/w topics but depicting it is a no go ) this doesn't effect shipping or romance - only sexually explicit content being written between characters. anything leading to it will be explored but gradually fade to black.

CONTENT THEMES. cannib.alism, blood consumption, de.ath, apocalyptic settings, se.xually suggestive situations, deformities and monstrosities !