#aesthetic. ( ࿐ྂ ) a merry life， and a short one.

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[weemsfreak]

Midnight Miracle

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟMerry Christmas/Happy Holidays to those who celebrate! I wish you all a midnight miracle this season :) ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

Jane Murdstone x Named fReader

A short Christmas story with our favorite victorian red flag ~2k words

Warnings: Talk of religion and the Anglican church (not in detail)

Wrapped in your ebony cape, you shielded yourself from the biting winter breeze that sent shivers down your spine. Usually the cold didn't bother you, but the wind was extra frigid tonight.

This Christmas Eve, the gaslit streets were adorned with an extra twinkle, buildings and shops aglow with an abundance of candles and festive decorations.

You weren't avoiding spending Christmas Eve with your family; rather, you sought a way to keep yourself occupied, and organizing your books provided a diversion.

The care of your books in your quaint store was where you spent your days. You assumed no one would venture to your store at this hour, dinner time on Christmas eve, still, you left the door unlocked. Amidst the aromatic embrace of cinnamon and pine, you immersed yourself in the quiet world of rearranging décor and organizing shelves, the dim light casting a serene ambiance.

Yet, your thoughts were consumed by a mysterious presence, a certain someone lingered in your mind despite the attempted distraction.

You couldn't stop yourself from wondering about her, you never could. Does she share your passion for books? Does she delight in the written word, perhaps poetry or prose? If so, what about? Does she spend her time writing like you?

You wondered what she could be occupied with now. You envisioned her partaking in a familial feast, while you longed for her presence, a wishful dream in the quiet corners of your mind. Your heart carried the weight of unspoken admiration for her, alas, you couldn't bring yourself to say a word to her, her cold yet enchanting demeanour both unsettled and exhilarated you.

You knew her through shared pews and hallowed hymns at the church, you observed her movements as she entered, sat, listened, prayed, sang - captivated by her every blink and breath.

She was a dark enchantress, her aesthetic seamlessly entwined with yours. Curiosity stirred as you wondered about the facets of her life that mirrored your own and the untold tales hidden behind her mysterious gaze. Perhaps she liked books, perhaps she lacked a husband, perhaps she preferred the company of women.

But alas, such thoughts remained in the realm of wishful thinking, your desires weaving through the fabric of a Christmas Eve both magical and elusive.

✧✧✧

You recollected the first time you saw her. Freshly settled in Blunderstone, you decided to venture to the Anglican church. Running late, you had no choice but to occupy a seat in the back. You leaned awkwardly to the side, nearly falling into the pews edge in an attempt to see the presider.

To your astonishment, a far superior sight unfolded—a raven-haired woman draped in black.

In the midst of prayer and hymns, you found your gaze drawn to her graceful figure, an enigmatic figure. Her dark curls were nestled beneath an even darker bonnet, adorned with silk ribbon. Instantly enchanting, her alabaster skin and, as you later discovered, azure eyes captivated your being. Despite the allure of her elegant stride and the way the corner of her mouth would occasionally turn up into a small smile, you dared not approach the subject of your admiration.

Yet, you dared to indulge in stolen glances, each soft gaze kindling a warmth within your heart.

Sundays held newfound anticipation for you, a shift from previous motives of seeking solace in the congregation.

However, on a recent Sunday, you were left devoid of joy and motivation when she failed to grace you with her presence.

✧✧✧

The ticking of the clock echoed in the shop, and before you knew it, the hands pointed to nearly 11 pm. A sense of joy and fluttering anticipation filled your stomach as thoughts of the impending midnight mass danced in your mind. The magic of Christmas enveloped the church, casting a spell that you could feel.

Heading to the back of your store, you stole a glance out the window, greeted by a gentle snowfall that blanketed the world.

You began extinguishing the candles one by one when the bell on the door rang, breaking the stillness and signalling an unexpected visitor.

You froze, who could be seeking books at this hour?

Slowly peaking through the shelves, it was far too dark to see. Creeping closer, you heard the soft shuffle of someone exploring the books.

You peered around the shelf and there she stood- the woman of your dreams, adorned in a black talma.

A gasp escaped your lips, prompting a swift retreat to the safety of the opposite shelf.

Memories of a previous encounter flooded your mind. Before one Sunday service began, you had ventured out early to pray. You stopped dead with trembling hands when you caught her kneeling with a grace that matched the intricately stained-glass windows. The flickering candlelight cast shadows on her profile, enhancing the allure that captivated you and lived in your imagination.

As she navigated the shadows of the books, you swooned, waiting with bated breath. Why had she chosen your shop? Shouldn't she be with her family, joining the congregation? Then again, you should have been with your own.

"Hello? Are you open for business?"

Her voice, a demanding melody, reverberated in the void of your shop. Your heartbeat quickened, torn between fleeing and standing your ground. This was your shop; you had to summon your strength.

Carefully, you stepped out from behind the bookshelf and surveyed the dark. When your eyes met hers, the unspoken connection between you became a silent dance, a tapestry woven with stolen glances and the shared sanctity of the church pews. You noticed the lack of warmth in her eyes and the metaphorical wall that she had up changed when she saw you. Your heart swelled with agony of unexpressed emotions and the delicate joy derived from the mere proximity of her ethereal presence. In a way, you mourned the unspoken connection, for there was no other option but to abandon it.

"Hi, I-I am open. How can I assist you?" you squeaked, attempting to mask any uncertainty or fear. The woman looked down at you, tilting her head in surprise.

"Amelia? This is your bookstore?"

You opened your mouth to answer, but your words eluded you. She spoke with less arrogance and gentler than you had known previous, but even more, she knew your name?

Of course, you were well aware of who she was, she and her brother were somewhat known in this town as the Murdstones—or, as some whispered, the Murderstones.

Perhaps she could be cruel, perhaps she was deceiving, yet she exuded a sickly sweetness, a captivating beauty in your eyes.

"Well I, yes I do" you nodded.

Jane stood tall, her eyebrows raising. You watched as a smile stretched across her face, and you couldn't help but think that this was the first time you saw her smile, a real smile; it was glorious.

"I must express my relief. I had no doubt that I would be greeted from behind the literature by a man." Jane released a small huff of laughter, and you suppressed a giggle.

"No, it's solely me" you replied with a smile.

Jane continued her exploration of the works, her long, slender fingers delicately wrapping around the spine of each one, caressing them lightly. You were entranced as she moved, perhaps she was a lover of literature after all.

Suddenly, Jane turned to you, furrowing her brows.

"Why are you open at this late hour?"

It was a valid question, why were you open at this hour? Well, for her, of course. But you pondered the same about her—why was she out so late?

"I sought fresh air after dinner, and I found myself here. I've been here for several hours" you chuckled, shrugging in embarrassment.

Jane smiled once more, averting her gaze and running her hand over the cover of a book.

"I'd love to spend several hours in a bookstore."

Silence enveloped you as she opened the book and flipped through its pages. Caught up in the enchantment of her presence, you failed to notice the book title, as your attention was wholly absorbed by the proximity of her features. She stood closer than ever before, her lips twitching as she silently mouthed the words her azure eyes scanned. The soft glow from the festive decorations cast a warm hue upon her, accentuating the grace of her features.

Jane's gaze shifted from the book to you, pulling you shamefully out of your trance.

"Do you plan to attend midnight mass?"

You nodded your head yes. "And you?"

Jane closed the book, cradling it against her chest.;

"Indeed. May I purchase this work?"

As Jane placed the book on the counter, revealing the cover and title, you paused. Running your hand over the leather, memories flooded back, reminiscent of the first time you read it. Unpopular, not for the story's shortcomings, but for its rather...unique allure—it was your favorite.

"Is this title familiar to you?" you questioned.

Jane shook her head, "I have not perused it, no."

You collected her payment and passed the book to her, long fingers grazing against yours. "Thank you."

You smiled and bowed your head, "Thank you for your purchase."

Jane's teeth shone through her smile, and genuine amusement sparkled in her eyes.

"Would you care to accompany me to the midnight mass?" she unexpectedly proposed, catching you off guard.

You blinked with surprise, was she serious?

Jane heard no reply, but she didn't budge, and you hopefully determined that she was.

✧✧✧

You and Jane embarked on a walk down the snow-covered cobblestone streets. You thought about the birth of Christ, the miracle of the season. You thought about the Anglican church and worship, you thought about Jane.

Your eyes sought out Jane's, the only eyes that captivated you, and you realized how lucky you were, for she was your sole companion in this moment. Her gaze met yours, a subtle recognition sparking between you. Jane fluttered her lashes, holding the book against her body with both hands. As you walked side by side, the snowflakes seemed to dance around you, and you longed to hold her gloved hand in yours.

As the midnight hour approached, the distant sounds of Christmas carols reached your ears. The Anglican church awaited, its doors open to those seeking solace and celebration. Together, you and Jane entered the sacred space, the flickering candlelight casting shadows on the ancient walls.

As you knelt in prayer, Jane's presence beside you added an unexpected grace to the sacred ritual, it embraced you. The air was charged with a sense of belonging, a connection that transcended the unspoken desires of wishful thinking.

✧✧✧

After the mass concluded, the two of you stepped out into the crisp night air, the world adorned in a fresh blanket of snow. Jane's gaze met yours under the glow of the moon, and a shared understanding lingered between you. The magic of Christmas had intricately woven a fabric of connection, and the possibility of your souls uniting felt more real than ever.

"This selection is commendable. It happens to be my favorite," you whispered, the words carrying a warmth that defied the winter chill.

Jane's eyes gleamed with a quiet delight, and a genuine smile played on her lips. The church bells chimed, marking the arrival of Christmas Day.

"Perhaps you'd like to take another stroll?" Jane asked, her voice soft against the stillness of the night.

As you and Jane navigated the mysteries of the night, she took a chance and let go of the book with one hand, carefully reaching out for yours.

In that moment, as the world held its breath in anticipation, you realized that the enchantment of the season had not only brought you a magical Christmas Eve, but also the mysterious beauty of Jane Murdstone. It was a midnight miracle.

[starlostseungmin]

— MIDNIGHT RAIN IN PARIS, HHJ.

pairing: idol!hyunjin x gn!reader

genre: angst with happy ending, fluff & exes to lovers trope

warnings: profanity, mentions of alcohol, kissing and break-ups, lmk if i missed something, not proofread.

word count: 6.4k +

notes: i happen to change the title, i had it fit on taylor swift's midnight rain. lmao, hope you guys love it! please don’t send in requests because i’m not taking any right now and if you wish to see more of this posts please reblog, leave your feedbacks and put tags alright? thank you very much love ♡

Him. 

Certain words could describe what he’s like.

A fresh clean white canvas that was slowly enamored with paint. A combination of red and black, sometimes they’re just two different colors but when they’re mixed, it’s going to be dark red. Can be burgundies, like the color of the wine and that lipstick some people use. An attractive color for a lot. It screams passion and love, just the way how his views reflect on them. 

He can be that one book from the bookstore which belongs to the new arrivals and romance as its genre. His pages are neat as the words used by the author are aesthetically pleasing and good to read. The smell of it is addicting which makes a bookworm satisfied. A scent that could bring joy and temptation to claim it as theirs. 

Maybe that one pair of suits from that one famous shop in Paris that was neatly designed and tailored, exclusively to be used on a special occasion. 

Or that one song you hear from a famous singer that describes how loving him feels like. 

You just look at him that way. A lot of things remind you of him, but he never knew you. He is famous in his career and you were just another writer who wanted to claim their dream to reality. Here you are in Paris, looking for inspiration, and might as well take it as your holiday from work. You know it doesn’t happen every day, but you were hoping to see just a glimpse of him when you knew he’ll be there too.  

Love and a short history would let fate decide what will happen. You rarely believed that luck is on your side, that, it always gives you good things to look forward to when something significant has been painted on your pathway. The things you wanted to happen don’t always happen. Probably had yourself considered as unlucky but things might turn upside down when it comes to certain points in life. 

Definitions, descriptions, comparisons, personifications, metaphors, and similes, a few more figures of speech to make it longer. Or is it just him who can make you write words that are simply out of this world? When in love, probably yes, he is your favorite person after all. 

The city lights illuminated the place as the sounds of people from everywhere bustled around the area. His camera clicks whenever he spots something beautiful in his eyes. It was another merry night in Paris, lots of tourists were hanging out beneath the Eiffel tower at night. Others tend to eat inside the restaurants and the rest just go, enjoying the view while taking pictures. The usual sight with couples everywhere, a marriage proposal perhaps, or just those who came alone, hoping to find their significant other in a such romantic place. But Hyunjin begs to differ. 

His camera falls gently to his stomach with its strap supporting it around his neck. It was getting late and still, there were a lot of people who wanted to stay. Felix left him for baguettes down the street with only his camera and a small bag, hanging on his shoulder. He started to walk away, he thought he had captured enough to fill his new film rolls. The amount of excitement that was painted on his smile is pure, but he is sure something is missing. 

Clicking a button, Hyujin fixated his gaze on the imagines being plastered on the small screen. The scenery, the subtle imagines of the crowd, the tower itself, and the city lights were all beautiful. He tried to take a picture again and had the focus on a certain object when you accidentally walked past by. A beige coat, black trousers, and a white turtleneck are a trend. It’s not hard to recognize you, that sparkle in your eyes and perfectly crafted smile, how could he forget? Hyunjin had to put his camera down again, he wanted to make sure… it is you. There you stood upon noticing and recognizing him, the famous idol you once loved. And the person you broke up with a year ago. 

He was stunned seeing you for the first time after a while. Memories flooding back, the things you did together, the pain and heartbreak, the happiness and joy, they were all worth it when you were still together. Yet, everything doesn’t last forever. There’s nothing in this world that doesn’t have a due date, unless you wanted more, you could always get a new one. But it won’t replace the thing you had for the very first time. 

“Y/n…” He called as his voice sounded like a whisper. 

He caught your attention the moment you saw that familiar camera he always brings. The one he used to take pictures of sceneries and other things he find beautiful. He could have clicked the snap button when he realized you were standing a few meters away, but to his shock, he couldn’t. Hyunjin didn’t know how to act. You didn’t say anything and smiled, it made his heartbeat go at a faster pace. He didn’t know what to do, he could hate Felix for leaving him behind for some freaking baguettes but he is also thankful he won’t be able to ruin a reminiscing moment he is having right now. 

“Yo! They’re having a sale at the bakery!” Felix exclaimed out of nowhere, checking everything he got in his paper bag, not bothering to pay attention to the tension you and Hyunjin have. “I got you baguettes and一oh,” He said, stopping in his tracks. “Hi, Y/n!” 

“Hey,” You smiled timidly. 

“It is unexpected to see you around here! How have you been?” Felix said, eyes full of smile as he came towards you for a hug. 

“I’m doing good,” You chuckled, hugging him back. “How are you guys? I heard you were preparing for a comeback?” 

“Yeah,” Felix grinned, pulling away. “We’re just here for a break and a few activities, Hyunjin loves Paris, you know?” He smirked as you smiled at him. 

“Felix,” Hyunjin called as he remained standing there, Felix had stolen the spotlight but that was his fault for being frozen on his spot. 

“What? Can’t I speak to your ex about you?” But Hyunjin rolled his eyes and walked away. A sigh escaped from your lips when Felix gave you an apologetic smile, bowed a little out of respect, and went to fetch his friend. “Bro, why did you leave? That was your chance to have a closure with Y/n!” 

“Not today,” He shrugged, as he continued to walk. 

You stared at a blank document on your laptop for a few hours now. Hyunjin can’t seem to get out of your head after what happened earlier this evening. It was past midnight, and the view from your window of the city is still beautiful, but some lights were already turned off. You were supposed to stay in Paris for a couple of weeks as per business matters. Being a writer in a famous book publishing company isn’t a joke and you wanted to impress your boss with your writing. Still, Hyunjin has been a distraction. 

The cursor just kept on blinking, waiting for you to write something that should be the start of another chapter of your novel. You were unsure what to write though the storyline has already started. Maybe because of the back pain you’ve been suffering every time you sit for hours, writing romance or it was just Hyunjin who ignored you after a short while of a meeting? The pajamas were comfortable and the headband kept your hair from falling on your face. The anti-radiation glasses help too yet you keep focusing on the random details you have in your hotel room. Not the story. 

“Hyunjin,” You said. “Hwang Hyunjin,” 

A harsh sigh escaped your lips, groaning at the fact you have seen him again a year after your breakup. You wanted to talk to him, really, but how he acted after Felix came hurt you. It felt like you were pierced through the heart and were left without aid. But it was so much more than that when you two broke up. He is an idol, and you were just you, a person who wanted to live their dream like him. You wanted him to be part of your dream. A writer who wanted to be known like him as he was making his name in the industry along with his member. But things grew apart, love became a heartbreak. You were the stars that shine bright in the night and he was the raindrops that caused the cold, soaking the papers wet making the ink smudges on them and words unable to be read. 

You were hurt, but his dream is more important than your relationship. All the good things you wanted for him, happened. You wanted him to be happy and so, you let him go. 

After a year of not seeing him, you thought everything is good, with no feelings or sadness. You might have heard his name on several news and read articles about how famous they are, but you ignored it. Not even expecting him and Hyunjin to be in the same place as you are. Maybe fate did it on purpose. 

Coughing on the thoughts of it, they were followed by hiccups. How dare he showed up and Felix acted as if there was nothing to talk about? 

You shake your head, it doesn’t matter anyway. 

You closed your laptop gently and stared out the window, admiring the view of the city after midnight. No words were being produced by your brain and you have to take a while to process them into paragraphs. And maybe an evening stroll a few hours ago wasn’t enough to take the motivation to write something. But there’s only one messing with your head, Hwang Hyunjin. 

That was the first night. 

The next morning, Hyunjin was busy looking at the photos he captured last night. Felix was busy munching his waffles but still took a few glances at his distracted friend, unable to take a bite of his breakfast. His mouth was full as he watch him with a serious face and brows knitted together. Felix could only sigh and continued to eat but still, Hyunjin didn’t even bother to shift his attention to anything. 

“If you’re not eating, I’ll take your food,” Felix said. 

“I’m not hungry, go ahead,” Hyunjin replied as Felix looked at him in disbelief, taking his plate onto his mat. 

“What’s wrong with you though? Can’t take her out of your mind?” He asked. “You didn’t talk to me ever since we came back to the hotel,” Hyunjin sighed, taking away his gaze from the small screen of his camera. 

“Look, I was too occupied with the pictures I’ve taken,” Hyunjin reasoned. 

“Yeah but it’s not a bad thing to touch your food for a bit and go back to your hobby yeah?” Felix argued. “Don’t tell me you suddenly took a picture of Y/n last night that’s why you’re not paying attention to me,” 

“I didn’t,” Hyunjin said. 

“The truth?” Felix retorted, raising a brow at him. 

“I swear, you were on the way,” Hyunjin replied, rolling his eyes. 

“Gosh, I can’t believe you,” Felix muttered. 

Hyunjin sighed heavily as he watch Felix devour his food. It lead him to order another one and waited. His manager planned to eat breakfast in the restaurant down by the street which was a block away from their hotel. It wasn’t crowded first thing in the morning but the joy he felt was when he could see a few people enjoying their coffee and some were walking their dogs. A lovely morning for him to consume. But it was only him and Felix again. The two has been never separated when they first got into the city and by that, he already has plans to spend a week’s vacation. 

“Don’t forget we’re invited to attend YSL’s event later alright?” Felix said, finishing his meal. 

“Yeah, we’ll get back to the hotel by lunch,” Hyunjin answered. 

“Where are you off to?” 

“Sightseeing I g一” He shrugged and was about to say something in addition to his answer when he saw you walk into the restaurant, going straight to the counter. Felix noticed him frozen onto his seat after wiping his lips and followed his gaze. It was you, alright. 

“Should I call her?” Felix smirked. 

“I’m going to kill you, I swear,” Hyunjin growled and Felix just shakes his head in disbelief. But Hyunjin watched you. 

Beige trousers, a purple crop top, and a white cardigan, you always look good. Never in a day, Hyunjin would say how beautiful you are. Compliments he missed on telling you every day. He admits, he wasn’t the best version of himself when you broke up. There is always the facade he keeps to the public but behind closed doors, he knew he was miserable. It wasn’t easy to get over you, it wasn’t easy to forget, it was the same as how you felt, and nothing was easy during the post-breakup. None of his friends talked to you, even his parents. Nobody reached out, just straight broke up conversations and the rest were already ghosts. 

The lady from the counter handed you a paper bag with your breakfast in it, thanked her, and left, without even checking who was there, sitting on the tables. Felix shakes his head again and Hyunjin licked his lips, sighing in defeat. But that wasn’t Felix’s problem to think about, it was Hyunjin’s anyway. His eyes never left your figure until you disappeared from the block, taking the alley to the left while Felix looks at him, being done and dumbfounded. 

“We’ll have to schedule your arrival at the event first. It will be at exactly 4 pm, so I’ll expect you’ll be done with your hair, make-up, and suits,” Their manager spoke, later that day. Felix was having his hair done in their spacious hotel room as Hyunjin had his gaze down the street while sitting by the window seat, watching the city get soaked in the rain, and hands halted from his half-done sketch of a landscape. “Hyunjin are you even listening?” 

“I was,” Hyunjin sighed in response. “Shall we leave at 4 pm?” He added, standing up from his spot一tossing his sketchbook on his bed. 

“No,” His manager argued making him roll his eyes. 

“Don’t be tough on him, he saw his ex today,” Felix smirked as their manager gasped. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Felix said. “Don’t worry, they never talked,” 

“Ya, Yongbok-ah,” Hyunjin said, feeling like a threat as Felix shrugged, admiring his new hairstyle. 

“Anyway, Y/n’s not important right now, I need you to get ready,” His manager said. Hyunjin sighed in disbelief and went to his stylist. “By the way, Felix will be the first one to leave,” 

“Yeah? Why though, I thought the head organizer wants to see us both?” Felix asked. 

“Hyunjin has another agenda before attending the event, right?” His manager said, looking at Hyunjin. 

“I’m getting flowers,” He bluntly replied. 

“Flowers for what? Are you suddenly seeing someone?” Felix asked, shocked. 

“No, I just don’t want to go early,” Hyunjin said, getting his make-up done. 

“Suit yourself,” His manager said while Felix whined about being unfair. 

Hyunjin didn’t say anything after Felix’s complaints, but he is sure his best buddy was just joking around and letting him do whatever the hell he wants as long as he’ll be mindful of his time. Night fell, and his hands held the steering wheel, glancing at the cars passing by the highway. The lights ran from the average speed to high, some kept it to their speed limit. It was fresh from the afternoon rain, the water puddle by the sidewalk have the reflection of the streetlights being lit up and the people who just happened to walk by. His convertible made its way through the wet bricks, enjoying the mist of the cold evening air. 

A smile formed on his face when he saw the lights illuminating the Eiffel tower一 a part of Paris he always wanted to visit though he already did a few times ever since he became a famous member of his group. It always feels like where he belongs for some reason, the food, the fashion, flowers, and other stuff, everything is aesthetic in his eyes. And most importantly, the art museums and exhibits French and foreign artists execute around the area. There is always a reason to come back. 

The flowers he brought, sat on the passenger’s seat, enjoying the evening air as well as they travel back to the hotel. He fell in love with the bouquet that consists of pink tulips, red roses, and white baby’s breath. The muse of his new painting perhaps? It is calming and beautiful to paint live flowers一one that makes his painting realistic and unique. But it wasn’t for him to keep一maybe it can be someone at the event he is going to or just going to keep it himself and put it on their vase back into their hotel room to paint. 

Flowers are supposed to be given to someone that a person loves, maybe for congratulatory and some other reasons. But mostly because of love, he used to bring you flowers back then. He was so in love, like a puppy that wanted to be with his owner for the rest of its time. Not everyone believes in love, but by the time someone falls into the pits of attachment and intimacy, it can be avoidable and hard to let go. There are different perceptions of it, they’re like genres that a person views and carry feelings about different people. His love is similar, but unfortunately, it ended with you a year ago. 

He walked by the lobby, earning gazes of astonishment and amusement from the people hovering around the area. Slicked back hair with a few strands of side bangs on his forehead, a whole black suit and rings adorning his long fingers, a bouquet in one hand, and his gentle smile, plastered on his face as he smells the flowers he just bought. Walking through the crowds of people doesn’t bother him, not one of them caught his attention. Murmurs and silent voices say he is a handsome young man which makes everyone drawn to him. His tall figure and dashing fashion add up to being one center of attention. 

“There you are,” Felix said, the moment he saw him. “Wow, are these for me?” 

“No,” Hyunjin said as his smile faded and made his friend pout in disbelief.

“Tch,” Felix said, rolling his eyes. 

“Good evening! I’m here to take you to your respective seats, this way please,” The lady attendant said as he and Felix happily obliged. Their manager went to talk to some people around and waited for the instructions for the next set of events. They were given perfume samples to try but Hyunjin got occupied the moment he sat down, hands in his pockets and eyes fixated on the person who just entered the premises. 

It was you again. 

Black dress and heels, styled hair, and light make-up, how could she stand there and look beautiful? He thought, mesmerized again. And why is she here? I thought she was on a vacation. Several thoughts flooded his mind after he saw you. He couldn’t put himself to calm down, why does my heart beat faster than earlier? 

You smiled at someone as they went to have a conversation. The lady from earlier had to cut it off and assist you at the same table where Felix and Hyunjin were. It is a lovely evening after all, and you were thankful that your boss had to drag you with her when she knew you weren’t doing anything for the day. 

“You’re staying here in a couple of weeks, instead of sitting in front of your desk to produce ideas, why not come with me to the event?” She said the moment she arrived at the airport as you welcomed her after knowing you were spending some time in Paris. You couldn’t refuse, you were bored after all and had too much of your writer’s block ever since last night. The first evening you saw Hyunjin, and, this will be the second evening when you realized where the attendant is leading you to. 

“Please enjoy the evening,” The lady said and left. 

“Good evening Y/n!” Felix greeted and Hyunjin remained silent. 

“Good evening Felix, and,” You paused as you looked at him. “Hyunjin.” Felix had to nudge his friend on the side to wake him up to reality instead of staring at you, saying nothing. Hyunjin winced in pain, nudging him back to his arm, Felix chuckled in response but was already glaring at him. You didn’t get a response after that, instead, you just placed your attention on anyone else. 

The host has been taking their time to introduce, and recite the speech and explanations about the event while you take a sip of their prepared wine. The food is a luxury, Hyunjin was paying no attention but you. Felix listened to them and clapped his hands when everyone else did. Don’t mind about the people, just the food. Hyunjin tried to take his small sketchbook out of his pocket when your boss head back to your table and stole you for a conversation. He was about to protest when he was dragged with Felix for the photo opportunity at the event. Had to smell the scents of their perfume, and take pictures with other big names in the industry, Hyunjin had to endure them for a while. Felix didn’t seem to mind, unlike the older one who seems to be distracted all the time. 

He wanted to not let you out of his sight, but the pictures are taking a while, and conversations had to be precise and shared. You were just there, being a chaperone of your boss as she introduced you to some people she knew or tried to give you a date for tonight. You weren’t convinced and tried to decline, as you hated social events like this when you were supposed to be in your hotel room or at a restaurant, enjoying dinner alone. Meanwhile, Hyunjin was already growing impatient with all the interactions he got. Forget about Felix, he wanted to get away for a while. 

Someone was about to approach him but Hyunjin politely excused himself and rushed through the crowd. The people passing by keep on delaying his purpose of direction but it didn’t stop him from getting to you. He wanted closure, he wanted to talk, and forget about the hurtful things he did during your relationship, he just wanted to give himself a chance to be forgiven by you. But you didn’t want that anymore, you knew Hyunjin has been happy even though it wasn’t easy to overcome the heartbreak both of you felt. He reached miles away with his dreams, while you stood there, watching him. I don’t deserve someone as perfect as him anyway, that was what you always think about. But maybe you did deserve him after all. 

“Y/n,” He said as he stood behind you. 

“Hyunjin,” You called, turning around to face him. “Is everything alright?” You asked. 

“Can we talk?” He said. They said to never trust that sentence, but you wanted to risk it. It might help you wake up to the reality you’ve been longing for. 

“Sure, about what?” You asked when he suddenly took your hand. 

“I’ll tell you later, come with me, please?” He said as you took a glance at your boss but she was too occupied to even bother. Felix and his manager were just watching from afar, with nothing to object to. 

“Where are we going?” You asked but he didn’t answer, instead, he just grabbed your hand and went to where he parked his car. 

The outside scenery is still fresh from the afternoon rain, but there were no stars above the dark sky, a sign that it will rain again anytime soon. You sat quietly on the passenger’s seat as Hyunjin jogged around to enter the car, driving away into the night. You remained quiet the whole ride, not bothering to ask any questions, you didn’t even know what to say to him after the whole year. The flowers he bought sat in front of you, good thing he dragged it with himself on the way out. Was it for another person? 

“Those are for you,” He said, taking them into his right hand and handing it to you. It was an impromptu move. Those flowers were supposed to be his muse for his painting when he gets back to the hotel later but he found you instead. 

“Thanks,” You smiled gently, smelling the before placing it on your lap. “Where are we going?” 

“I have nothing in mind actually, but away from the crowd, I just wanted to talk to you, it’s been a year, ever since…” He said, pausing mid-sentence. 

“The break-up?” You asked. 

“Yeah,” He answered, parking in front of the Louvre Pyramid. Hyunjin walked out and jogged around to open the door for you. The flowers lie on your seat as you followed him a few meters away from the car. He looked restless all of a sudden, his composed look disappeared and shifted into something that was bothering him. Hyunjin stood away with his back against you, he was staring at the pyramid, confused and uncomfortable. You tapped his shoulder to see what was going on, and when he turned around, it was the soft Hyunjin you once admired. 

“I don’t know where to start,” He said. “I’m sorry about the breakup, I was a jerk and ghosted you after that,” He added, as he started to have tears visible in his eyes. 

“Hyunjin, no, we’re alright, okay? It’s already behind us, don’t apologize, none of those was your fault. I didn’t blame you for it,” You said, cupping his cheeks to wipe his tears away. He just looked at you, wanting to go on a breakdown, but there you are, in front of him, still sweet as ever. 

“No,” He said pulling away from you. 

“Hyunjin, I just thought it would make things easier for you, I understand how hard it was for you. I didn’t want to be a nuisance in your career, I don’t want to cause trouble,” You sighed. “If breaking up with you was the answer, then I have no choice,” 

“But I didn’t want to!” He said. 

“I didn’t want to either!” You retorted. “I was trouble, I was the problem okay? You said it yourself back then, you don’t want to cause drama and be hunted down by the media that you’re in a relationship! Did you think I wanted this for the both of us? I was hurt when you decided to cut it off, I was hurt when you didn’t even show up the next day, and now we’re here, talking about this bullshit that I thought it’s already done.” 

It made Hyunjin feel bad, as he had always been. 

“Y/n, I don’t care about those anymore,” He said. “I don’t care about the media, I don’t care about the risks anymore. This bullshit you’re talking about is our relationship,” 

“That you broke off,” You said. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” 

“Now that’s bullshit,” You chuckled in response. “Yeah let’s say it was fine because I chose your career to be saved instead of hanging out with me. Let’s just stop this okay? You’re good on your way, I’m already doing good by myself, I don’t need this drama anymore Hyunjin. Do you still want me?” 

Hyunjin didn’t say anything for a few seconds, there was dead air, but his eyes were into yours while you wait for his answer. 

“I do,” He said. “I always have and will always do,” 

“You don’t know what you’re doing, are you? Can’t you hear yourself?” You asked which made him take his steps forward. 

“I do, just please,” He said, as he held your cheeks. “Let’s start over,” Closing your eyes, you felt the warmth of his hands on your bare cheeks, one of his touches that you missed the most. “We were young, and I was too quick to jump into the pit, not thinking thoroughly about it. Please give me another chance, I won’t mess it up again,” 

You pulled him into a hug, Hyunjin was caught off guard at first but he gave in immediately and melted inside your arms. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, hugging you tighter. The scent of your perfume is still the same, the one the kept on missing for the whole year, he always seeks it but the scent would never be the same if someone else wears it. He came to think how miserable he was when you were gone. 

It was those nights when he sits down and think about the things he should’ve done instead of risking your relationship over his career or maybe those days when he would just space out during a group meeting or the lives he did with his group. He keeps on staring at his phone waiting for your texts or browse on his photos trying to find your couple's pictures and reminisce. It was also how he kept the things you gave him during your anniversary and his birthdays. But during the past year, it feels empty, and he had to fake everything until it was convincing. 

His fans don’t know how he feels, they just assume them. They didn’t know how hurt he was, and they will never know everything about him. Even the boys who are living with him, he probably is showy sometimes but it’s hard to share something so deep. Just like how it went on your side. For them, it wasn’t a big deal, but to you, it was. You treasure Hyunjin so much that it pierced your heart that he had to break up with you. The things you did for each other just disappeared in one night. And had to wait a year to fix it. 

You don’t know exactly. Now that Hyunjin has gotten the fame, the overwhelming fame, you don’t want to risk it again. 

“Please,” He said. 

“I’m sorry Hyunjin,” You smiled, pulling away from the hug. “It won’t be worth it,” 

“What?” He asked, shocked, as his vision started to blur. 

“I don’t think this will work anymore,” You sniffed, wiping your tears. “You will forget me, eventually,” 

“What? No!” He protested. “Let’s make it work this time, please?” He begged. “Don’t think that our relationship was up for nothing, I loved you. I still love you!” 

“And I love you too! I did love you, but with all those things happening around you and me, there’s already a barrier, Hyunjin. I don’t want you to get hurt just because you are pursuing me. I don’t want you to convert your attention to me when you have something big ahead of you. I’m not worth it anymore,” You said, tears falling down your cheeks. Hyunjin stood there, looking at you in disbelief, the words struck him like lightning. It was so painful to hear it from you. 

“Are you afraid to try again?” He asked, voice shaking in the middle of his sentence. 

“I’m just scared that we will have to be separated again, I don’t want to try again and end up being away from you. For one year, I tried not to care about your bullshit for being famous, you’ve been happy, you always get what you want, you don’t need—” 

“It was so hard for me to get over you Y/n! It was so hard to be inside my room, getting all exhausted from work with no one around to hug me and give me a shoulder to cry on. I’m sick of it, I got used to you being around me whenever I needed you or not, I was alone. No one to hug, no one to kiss, no one to laugh with, no one to cuddle with. You don’t understand!” He argued. 

“You just want me because you need me right?” You cried. 

 “No,” Hyunjin sighed harshly. “I want you because I love you! But you know what, forget about it, I’m sorry I just dragged you out here. Let me get you back to your hotel,” 

“Hyunjin, I—” You halted when he shake his head, running his fingers through his hair. 

“No, please, forget about it, I won’t beg, I understand,” He smiled despite being hurt. “Let’s go,” 

Hyunjin opened the door of the car for you but you hesitated to step in. Disappointment and sorrow are still painted on his face. The pain and the ruined confidence drove him to be this way. He admit he was at fault, being a famous idol wasn’t easy for him to reach and you didn’t want to be a nuisance to someone as big as him. 

The ride from the Lourve Pyramid to your designated hotel fell into complete silence. No one dared to talk, except when he asked for the location and set it up on his GPS and you fell into your deep train of thoughts. A quick reminiscing about how the break up went; It was one of those nights where Hyunjin would get home late, exhausted from practice but he never fails to show you how happy he is the moment you welcome him home. It always gives him the excitement and blood rush, the comfort of home and love. But that night was twisted, he wanted to break up, he said his name is on the line, and he didn’t want distractions. Though it has already been said a million times, you just couldn’t let go of it. 

To be honest, you still love him, it never faded. You didn’t understand why it has to be you out of all to be put at risk, maybe the company forced him to or it was just him who thought about cutting things off. He is hopelessly romantic, you knew that and so you were. 

“Why don’t you come in for a minute?” You asked as you stood by the porch. 

“I’m in a hurry, it’s almost midnight,” He smiled quietly. 

“It looks like it’s going to rain,” You said, looking up to the sky. “Here,” You added, handing him a folded umbrella you used to carry around. 

“Should you keep it?” He smiled, taking the tiny thing off your hand. 

“It might rain,” You insisted. 

“Isn’t it funny if I’m driving a convertible with an umbrella?” He chuckled. “No, I’ll take it, good night Y/n—oh shit, there’s the rain alright.” He said, looking at the street. “My car!” 

It was funny indeed, his panicked face had drawn a picture that was sincere—ignoring the pain and all. Midnights should be a change of day, but it is still connected to what happened earlier this evening. You watched him run towards his car across the street. There were no people around, just the two of you and the rain which is pouring heavily at first fall. He was in the rush, pushing a button to have the roof back but was too slow that his frustrated face made it funnier. You weren’t supposed to laugh but that one Hyunjin you knew. 

Taking your steps forward, you didn’t bother about the rain anymore as the umbrella was ignored as well. One reason you fell in love with him was because of what you were seeing now, it may be different from the first time when you saw him fall onto his face in front of you during high school, the boy who apologized consistently while blushing out of embarrassment. Sounds weird but falling in love with weird is not weird. You knew you shouldn’t be getting back with him, the words you’ve said to him and everything, but the feelings never lie. You do love him, and you couldn’t understand why you are walking towards a panicking Hyunjin, calling his name, and when he converted his attention to you, your lips suddenly meet. 

Hyunjin then again, was caught off guard, it was a gentle kiss but he pulled you by the waist to be closer to him. Clothes were getting soaked from the midnight rain, and his hair was damped causing a few drops of water tracing down on your cheeks. It tasted like wine, and that chocolate fondue Hyunjin, the intoxicating smell of his perfume that made your knees weak, and the cinematic moment of you being shared in the empty streets of Paris at midnight, sharing a kiss. His hand lays on your cheek while the other one remained on your waist as your arms were wrapped around his neck. The usual scene you see in romantic movies. People would say it’s overrated, but who cares anyway, it’s Hyunjin. The Hwang Hyunjin. 

“I’m sorry,” You said whispering to him, after drifting away, but he never let you go and kissed your forehead. “I don’t want to feel the same pain when we broke up, trust me it wasn’t good,” You added, burying your face into his chest.  

“I know, baby, I know,” He said, hugging you tightly as he rubs your shoulder with his thumb. “I’m sorry I hurt you,” 

“It wasn’t your fault,” You smiled, shaking your head. 

“Still, I lost you,” He responded, taking your cheeks in his palms, and looking directly into your eyes. “Fuck the fame, Y/n, you know how much I love you. And I always will,” 

“I know, Hyunjin,” You said, still not taking that smile being painted on your face. Hyunjin painted a smile on his face as well as he caressed your bare skin, leaning down again for a kiss. Your eyes started to close down一the heat that was felt at each other’s lips caused the warmth that could endure from the cold weather. His lips molded with yours perfectly, and the intimacy remained the same, even if it took a whole year to have it again. You were definitely his sunshine, one that will take away the darkness of the sky and the clouds to open up. He was like midnight who changed and evolved, but never his feelings. 

“Does this mean you’re taking me back?” He asked, pulling away as he kissed the tip of your nose. 

“Yeah, but let’s keep it lowkey this time,” You smiled as he chuckled in response, kissing you again but swiftly before taking you into another hug. 

taglist :  @wolfchanchan @inseonqt @soobin-chois @1-800-lixie @luvhyun3 @hanjiesgf @lix-ables @zoe8stay @gwynsapphire @cherryhanji @hwangsify @lixesque @seungly @sleepyleeji @comet-falls @kim-seung-mo @ppiri-bahng @myjisung @snow-pegasus @milkybonya @l3visbby @wilczachannn @asters-abditory @tangylemonade @hwan-g @awkwardnesshabitat @chrispychans @therealhyunjingf @jeonginwrld @starseungs

[edwinspaynes]

Hi! How do you think the TLH characters/couples spend the Christmas holidays? Especially in the future when they have families

Oh this is so cute! I've honestly always thought that the group would all go to the Institute Christmas Party together on Christmas Eve. But then they would spend time with their significant others (and the children they had together when appilcable) on Christmas Day.

So, we'll go with Christmas Day!

James and Cordelia spend the entire evening reading Dickens's Christmas stories together. They take turns reading and do all the voices, and when their three children arrive into the world, they do it with them, too. I also think they exchange romantic gifts with each other and decorate the house for the holidays, have a Christmas tree with their kids (Two girls and one, the youngest, a boy). They make ornaments together and put them onto their tree.

Thomas and Alastair will probably go off on a holiday somewhere. No kids. I think that later in their life they enjoy Portaling to NYC and ice skating together in the Rockefeller Center (they're glamoured, no lines.) But the Rockefeller Center didn't exist until they were in their late 40s, so until then? I think they do lots of fun things. I think they have a gingerbread house and Thomas dabs icing on Alastair's nose so he gets all grumpy about it. I also think they get a tree and Thomas's half always looks so lopsided and Alastair's is so aesthetically pleasing.

Matthew spends the holidays with his partner, probably Sylvain, in a way that is authentic to them as a couple. Imo, no kids. I will get back to you in the fall if you remind me, after A Sea Change!

Ari and Anna go to little Christmas festivals with their 2 daughters. I think that Anna still enjoys groups of people, and this is an exciting way to make merry. I think that Matthew and probably-Sylvain like to join in, but they do not do so every year.

In a nice little AU where Kit lived, Grace and Christopher enjoy baking Christmas goods and giving them to their loved ones. Baking is chemistry, after all, and they want to spread happiness! They also just like to snuggle up and drink cocoa.

BTW. Shameless self-promo, but if you want to know what I think Christmas parties amongst themselves might look like, you can read this (primarily Thomastair, but also featuring Matthew, Herondaisy, Grace, and Arianna):

And its spicy Thomastair carriage-fuck spinoff (NSFW):

Here's an unrelated-to-the-above collection of flash fiction oneshots about various TSC ships and friendships:

And an unrelated Herondaisy-shopping-for-gifts oneshot:

AND another short Thomastair drabble of them skating at the Rockefeller Center as middle aged men:

[nbhdsc4ss]

Tagged by... @flamingplay in: listing 9 albums of 2023! Hey, thanks, pal and merry Christmas ;) <3.

1-. Náufrago by Siddhartha: it's such a fucking cool album, very personal imo. I've fell in love with him recently and it's one of his bets albums.

2-. Únicos by Siddhartha: yeah, I just got obssesed. And I love this album because matchs perfectly with my feelings for my boyfriend (hehe, lysm Luka <33).

3-. Moctezuma by Porter: OMJ, this is a fucking master piece, like, it's about my country, it has indigenous musical influence (yes!!) and talks about a historical topic such as the Spanish Conquest. And with its ending, always so nostalgic, it reminds me of my history classes when I was a child.

4-. Cosmophonic by Robersonic: okay. This dude is underrated. This album doesn't have a single phrase in any of its songs and yet it shines on its own.

5-. Everyday Life by Coldplay: such. a. perfect. album.

6-. X & Y by Coldplay: yeah, more Coldplay. I think it is one of the band's best albums that they themselves hate it so much ;(.

7-. Viva la Vida or Death and All of His Friends by Coldplay: I must say that I'm Mexican and this album is fucking inspired in British history from the 1700s-1800s, and I understand it perfectly because, in my childhood, I watched a (British) program called Horrible Histories and... I've always been a fan of history, so I loved that detail in the album and in the entire atmosphere/aesthetics of the era!

8-. Lover by Taylor Swift: I'm not a fan of Taylor or I particularly enjoy hers music. But a friend of mine (and my boyfriend!) recommended (forced) me to listen to this album, and I quite enjoyed it.

9-. Lámina Once by El Cuarteto de Nos: it's a short but really fantastic album, with a mix of genres and styles that has always marked the Cuarteto.

Tag: ꒰⁠ @bucklandlover @betweendevilanddeepbluesea @konigbf @coleyblue ꒱

[xtrablak674]

Finding Your Tribe

Initially I had come across the image during my morning Tumblr'ing, and as I was wont to do I was doing a reverse image search to find a higher quality version of the image. I mean if I am going to download smut, better have a good-looking version of said smut. During my search I had come across the young man's Twitter account and prayed to my goddess that I wouldn't have to scroll long to get to the image I was looking for.

The thing about scrolling through someone's social media is you get a sense of the person, even if it's a highly curated and polished version. Its the version that they would like the world to see. One thing that became immediately apparent to me is that this curly-haired light-eyed sort of middling looking young man had found his tribe.

His "friends", because I am not sure what the kids are calling them these days, especially when the lines between plutonic and sexual were so clearly blurred, were clearly of the same tribe. Young people and others who had similar sexual interest and also loved documenting their merry-making in photographs, gifs and videos. Celebrating their lust and loves in a very public fashion. It had me very curious what these misfits did for work, because clearly they didn't care that their faces with dick in mouth were on very open display for all to see.

I could map the similar aesthetic between them, artsy but alternative, definitely not the main-stream gays that colour places like Chelsea but the on-the-edge queers who would exist in places like Bushwick barely boarding on being hipsters but divergent enough to be their own sub-genre of gay. Whereas a Manhattan gay may brag about wearing Prada and Louis Vuitton these ones would thrive in a new piece thrifted at L Train Vintage, never caring for those luxury brands but finding solace in their grandfather's old boots or jacket, paired with their grandma's pearls.

After watching the twelfth episode of Tracker last night where Colter finally met up with his wayward and possibly murderous older brother Russell, this made me think of the last time I had a tribe to speak of. And it would be back when my mom was still alive and I lived with my two younger siblings. It was the only time in my life I had a true connection to someone else around me, and albeit after her passing and our separation I would never truly find anything remotely the same.

In college I had a "crew" of sort largely based around the terraces where I lived my freshman year at this private college in upstate New York. They were gay, like I was at the time, some were lower-class like I thought I was, and would only later find out I was actually middle-class. None were of color, which then made me a novelty of sorts. I recall quite often being quizzed about how to use the language these upper-class queers had just learned from Jennie Livingston's infamous documentary Paris is Burning.

Ms. Trevor how do I say FIERCE? And what exactly is shade? Girl, teach me how to vogue! I mean I did my best to hobble together bits an pieces from my short-lived foray in the queer culture of New York City, which I had only really begin to explore the peaks of in my last two years in high school right in the middle of Manhattan. But this didn't feel exactly like my tribe, I seemed to be torn between allegiance to the HEOP Black kids on campus and the LGBT queer kids, not totally fitting in with either because of either class, orientation, how I preformed gender or how I performed race.

Post-college I continued the activism I had started moving into HIV/AIDS education through GMHC. Joining their youth program which was made up of primarily of other post-college kids but unlike upstate was more diverse having more woman, Black and people of color in its ranks. I can say I felt a connection to these young people as we tried our best to educate others our age and younger about how to navigate the complexities of trying to stay safe while being a young queer.

I have always had very mixed feelings about work relationships and albeit there are some people I met at my first advertising agency job that I would connect with an be friends with years after I left that company. I am not sure any of those relationship had a tribal feel to them.

My next significant connections would be to small or micro-business owners I had associated with through a non-profit that was out to help us with micro-loans. I was never really interested in the loans having long had an aversion to debt, but I did like the fellowship with the mostly Black business owners and using my own brand design business to help these folks out, at least with the visual aspects of their own brands.

But like all things that passed too.

The last fifteen years I have been a loner, most of my friendships drifting a part for one reason or another. I even stopped dating and then sexual relations too. It is a popular platitude to say to young people that you will find your tribe, I just haven't found that to be true. It has felt like all throughout my life I have had to partition pieces of myself to be accepted in certain areas. Even my fifteen year stay on Flickr seemed to be primarily based on folks sexual desires towards me, not really seeing me as a whole but just parts of a whole.

At this point I have let it all go, and find solace and comfort in my own company or in having parasocial relationships with the characters in my comics, books or television shows. If a tribe is a thing, its a thing that has always eluded me, maybe my not being able to compromise my values to 'group think' and allow folks to make me feel less than I am has not allowed me to assimilate into a group dynamic. Maybe my strong sense of self and moral aptitude and not ever being one to succumb to peer pressure or other ill-conceived notions has left me adrift. I am not sure I will ever understand how to be a part of a group.

My nephew was talking to me last week about this group chat, and I thought I have never been in anyone group anything. Even my attempts to start them have failed, like the group I created on Facebook for my fellow grand jury members. I thought we had an amazing eighteen month together, but I think afterwards we became the strangers that we were before. This has been the rhythm of my life since my mom died and I truly don't think it will ever change, and curiously I am okay with that.

Albeit our society loves to preach about how important relationships with others are I have found I think the most important relationship you can have is one with yourself, one unbound by pretense, pretensions and falsehoods. One unencumbered by expectations, animosity and aggression. One that lies in seeing who you are and appreciating all aspect of whom that person is and what they bring to the table never asking them to select which pieces are the most suitable for acceptance. But embracing, loving and encouraging them to come as they are and be welcomed.

[Photo by Brown Estate]

[dyglc]

Ridiculously Chic Maria Go 'Round! A Swinging Sixties Shift Dress Design

Hi, this is Deya!

A first year student of RepubLikha from Bachelor of Design of Miriam College. Glad to see you here again for my second design!

The second requirement in Design History (AAV-104) class under Mr. Rino Datuin is to choose an era and type of fashion design and create our own.

We, the RepubLikha, chose the Swinging Sixties and I went for the casual wear design.

Explore the Chic but Ridiculous Fashion of the Swinging Sixties and how my design came to life!

Swinging Sixties, Oh How it Came to Be

The swinging culture was like an explosion of all the repressed feelings that English society had been keeping down, and London was its epicenter. Of all the channels they can use, fashion was their pick to reflect and correlate the social movements that happened during the time.

Liberated fashion started to grow during the Swinging Sixties especially on women to show the women empowerment movement. Conservative fashion slowly transitioned to mini skirts and dresses where they gained more control on what they want to wear.

All About Mini Skirts & Ridiculously Fun Fashion

There are a lot of designers during the fashion revolution in the 1960s and Mary Foale and Sally Tuffin are one of them. They are known for their lively, graphic and very wearable clothes for women. They created a range of informal dresses, skirts and tops, which they sold through department stores and their own shop just off London’s Carnaby Street. They would go on to design the first trouser suits that embraced the female form in the mid-sixties.

Another designer was Mary Quant, she pioneered modern fast fashion by offering short runs of cheap, trendy clothing designed with a younger target market in mind. Her most successful designs were her mini skirts and shift dresses, which almost always featured bright colors or graphic prints inspired by 60s pop art.

One of her notable pieces is the pink A-line dress from 1966 which Twiggy wore as you can see on our moodboard.

Ms. Twiggy and Her Fashion

One of the notable fashion icons from the era was Dame Lesley Lawson, most commonly known as Twiggy because of her twig-like frame.

Twiggy was a supermodel and she was one of the many who joined a movement that celebrated a more liberated fashion sense. She showcased the “mod aesthetic”, androgynous hair and bold make up.

The Design & The Process

The first image that you can see is the initial design I presented in class together with my team. It is a Cozy Cardigan Set which was inspired by the Cozy 60s Fashion. The idea behind this is how anyone can wear a cardigan, so I thought of making a casual wear which everyone can wear. The sleeveless top idea was made because of how liberated fashion is starting during the era. It’s a mix of being conservative and being open in different ways using fashion.

After the presentation and consultation with Mr. Rino Datuin, our professor, my design went to a cozy cardigan set to a fun shift dress!

The transition from a cardigan set to a shift dress was made with the help of the suggestion of our professor on how instead of recreating certain pieces, why not follow Foale and Tuffin's words of making a ridiculous and fun fashion pieces and putting our own personality on our designs.

That is how the Maria Go 'Round Shift Dress came to be. The name of the design was from the Merry-Go-Round amusement ride name and how it goes round every time. With this shift dress, it has circle elements and how a dress in general makes you want to go around and twirl out of fun.

It is paired with a gogo boots as it was a notable piece during 1969. The design on it is a sampaguita, a Philippine nation flower, to add a Filipino element on the shift dress design.

If you think that is it for my design process, you're wrong~ You are in for a long ride but I hope you will still stay with me!

Another consultation and presentation was made and after 2 more revisions, I present to you the final design of the Maria Go 'Round Shift Dress!

The final take on this casual wear was changed with a more bright and crazy twist on the dress. It is for anyone who wants to explore ridiculously fun fashion that also showcase the beauty of what Philippines has to offer.

Every detail on the dress is my take on the ridiculously fun fashion. It is simple but witty in a way. With this piece, I came to realize that the Swinging Sixties was a youth movement. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution.

The use of bright colors and more liberated fashion was a way for the youth to show that it is a new chapter and fresh start not just for fashion but also an era for the new and modern.

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Check out my teammates’ designs through their blogs for more inspiration!

Bea's | Claire's | Ann's | Zeanne's

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References

Vintage Dancer. (2021, January 11). 1960s Colors and Fabrics – Women’s Fashion. https://vintagedancer.com/1960s/1960s-colors-and-fabrics-womens-fashion

Click Americana. (2021, October 21). Cozy 60s fashion: 100 swoon-worthy vintage sweaters you could still wear today. https://clickamericana.com/topics/beauty-fashion/vintage-clothing/60s-fashion

Vintage Dancer. (2014, May 5). 1960s Fashion: What Did Women Wear? https://vintagedancer.com/1960s/1960s-fashion-womens

Working Frocks. (2020, March 20). A brief history of the shift dress. https://workingfrocks.com/a-brief-history-of-the-shift-dress

Vintage Dancer. (2021, January 11). 1960s Colors and Fabrics – Women’s Fashion. https://vintagedancer.com/1960s/1960s-colors-and-fabrics-womens-fashion

Vintage Dancer. (2014, May 5). 1960s Fashion: What Did Women Wear? https://vintagedancer.com/1960s/1960s-fashion-womens

Reddy, K. (2020, August 18). 1960-1969. Fashion History Timeline. https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1960-1969

The Roaring Twenties and the Swinging Sixties. (2021). The Museum at FIT. https://exhibitions.fitnyc.edu/roaring-20s-and-swinging-60s/exhibition

V&A. (n.d.). Foale and Tuffin Talk Fashion. https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/foale-and-tuffin-talk-fashion

Fashion Tours London. (n.d.). Foale & Tuffin. https://fashiontourslondon.co.uk/foale-tuffin

Rabon, J. (2019, August 28). A Brief Guide to Swinging London – What was it? Londontopia. https://londontopia.net/history/a-brief-guide-to-swinging-london-what-was-it

Ramzi, L. (2014, August 1). Back to the Future With '60s Space-Age Chic. Vogue. https://www.vogue.com/article/60s-space-age-fashion

Hendrickson, M. (2016, July 15). Retro Fashion: Origins of the Peter Pan Collar. Cats Like Us. https://catslikeus.com/blogs/blog/retro-fashion-origins-of-the-peter-pan-collar

[brucenorris007]

WHOO! Okay, Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate; Happy Holidays and Winter Solstice to the rest. I’m exhausted, halfway delirious, and I need to stay awake long enough to help preserve the magic for my 2 year old nephew, so let’s talk about why THIS:

Remains one of the most iconic moments, and perhaps the most iconic transformation, in anime.

First, we need to properly appreciate and immerse ourselves in the context. The year is 1991, CRTs are the primary means for broadcasting any entertainment medium into people’s living rooms around the world, anime is still a relatively niche interest in much of the west, and in Japan, Dragon Ball reigns as the undisputed King of the Shonen genre.

Point is, Goku’s among the most recognizable characters by children and teenagers alike. A kind, oft-goofy yet clever nature boy who, in a twist, was revealed to be not of this world, but nonetheless stands firm as our world’s strongest champion and protector, despite his alien origins. 

He’s lovable and loving, a boy-turned-man who loves fighting so much he would, provided the stakes are low, almost prefer to lose, because that means he has another summit to aim for, another challenge to overcome. Slow to anger, averse to cruelty, equipped with a breadth of heart that allows him to accept former enemies as friends and allies.

On June 12, 1991, the last three minutes of Dragon Ball Z’s 95th episode began the climax of Goku’s life story and universally gave chills to everyone who grew up with the boy called Son Goku. The transformation that had been built up as the ultimate mythical power in the universe, the closest thing the terrifying tyrant Freeza ever had to a horror story: A Super Saiyan. 

Let me be clear: this moment, in it’s original intention, wasn’t cool, wasn’t fun or a gag or anything that could be called natural progression like subsequent transformations in the series. THIS was the score played in the backdrop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeFoasNr3d4

It’s unsettling, eerie, scary even, the change that came over such a beloved character as Goku. As the following episodes would reveal, his transformation wasn’t simply aesthetic, but he also revealed a side of himself that had never been seen before in seven years on the page and five years on the screen. 

For the first time ever, Goku was out on a mission to hurt.

People had seen him hunt before, even kill, but after watching his best friend Kuririn perish at Freeza’s hand, Goku’s only end goal was to inflict the worst pain he could unto the demon who took his brother from him.

He got mean.

Goku could have ended Freeza’s life whenever he wanted; the way their battle concluded and the way Goku manhandled the tyrant in those first few exchanges after his transformation confirms that. 

But that wasn’t enough. Not for Freeza. Not for Kuririn, who as far as Goku knows, is gone, only to be seen again when his own life expires. 

No, Goku attacked Freeza where he was most vulnerable, the point that he knew would bring the monster the worst pain he could cause.

His ego.

Goku takes everything he can from Freeza by choosing to fight the latter at the height of his power instead of simply killing him outright.

He unequivocally robs Freeza’s title of strongest in the universe.

He steals any restful nights the despot might conceivably have ever again, having become his one true nightmare.

“I quit.”

He even takes away The ruler of the galaxy’s agency.

He makes clear that, short of stripping away his ego and shattering it to pieces, Freeza means nothing to him. Think about that for a second; this is a man who’s loved fighting for as long as anyone has known him, and yet he makes the incredibly powerful statement–to one who had been the universe’s strongest just minutes earlier–that he’s satisfied, done, going home.

He’s effectively telling Freeza: “You don’t decide when this fight ends.”

This is a Goku more ferocious and more informed by his Saiyan roots than any that anyone had seen until that summer of 1991, and arguably even since then. 

Freeza had stood at the top of whole fucking universe for decades as its ruler.

Yet Goku decided that day that he didn’t get to make any rules anymore.

This.

This is why Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation remains the most iconic in the series and among the most iconic in all of anime.

That’s all from me: Merry Christmas Eve, Tumblr. 

And to all a good night!

[jadelotusflower]

“That’s the thing about stories isn’t it? They never really end”

Having watched The Matrix Resurrections a few times now I’m ready to post my thoughts and interpretation/analysis of things. Like all Matrix films, it rewards rewatching and I love it a bit more each time I see it.

Resurrections isn’t as much a sequel as a reflection on the original trilogy - the reflective imagery is there from the very first frame - the code falling and then going back up, the swat team entering the Heart ‘O the City hotel but filmed through a puddle on the floor. We see modal!Trinity but the frame is flipped.

The Original was Wonderland; this is Looking Glass.

But as seen above it’s not an exact mirror, more a thematic one - we’re seeing the same story, but from a different perspective. Through the Looking Glass, and what Alice Found There is absurdist just like it’s predecessor, but Looking Glass Land is based on a chess board, which aligns with the additional layer of control the Analyst wields over this Matrix, it’s all one big game of chess to him:

The most curious part of the thing was, that the trees and other things round them never changed their places at all: however fast they went, they never seemed to pass anything.

...

“Now here you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

This is spoken by the Red Queen to Alice, and we know RedQueen is the alias Trinity uses in the Animatrix - but here I think she’s Alice. After all, her goal in Looking Glass is to get to the Eighth Square so she can become a queen, which Trinity figuratively achieves by the end of the film. The Red Queen also tells Alice to “remember who you are.” The above passage also seems to apply to the Analyst’s “bullet time” power - where Neo is running as fast as he can, but is hardly moving at all.

Of course mirrors were always the aesthetic theme of the franchise (seriously, a drinking game where you took a sip at every reflective surface in the first film would end rather messily), but it’s amped up here: the freed humans enter and exit the Matrix (and move within it) through mirrors, and several characters are introduced or seen through reflective surfaces.

In the Animatrix noir short “Detective Story” private investigator Ash is hunting down Trinity and they communicate in Looking Glass references - at one point Ash realises her coded message: “Alice crosses the first of six brooks...and then she boards a train.” And of course in Resurrections Neo also boards a train directly after choosing to follow Bugs and find out the truth. The brooks (another reflective surface/body of water) separate the squares in Looking Glass Land and represent each step of Alice’s journey.

Literary references aside, this  clearly a very personal film for Lana Wachowski, and how aggressive the meta is, well, that’s open to interpretation I suppose (some seem to be taking it way too personally, like this film killed their kitten or something). This line from Smith does seem rather pointed: “You can see why our beloved parent company, Warner Brothers, has decided to make a sequel to the trilogy. They informed me they’re going to do it with or without us.”

But this does not mean, imo, that the whole thing is purely ironic - how can it be, given the way Lana has spoken about the film? For example:

It was immediately comforting to have [Neo and Trinity] alive again, and it’s super simple. You can look at it and say: ‘Okay, these two people die and okay, bring these two people back to life and oh, doesn’t that feel good?’ Yeah it did! It’s simple, and this is what art does and that’s what stories do, they comfort us.

I can’t tell you what it means for me to hear a creator say this after years of the grimdark happiness-is-for-losers mentality pervading modern franchises, particularly those on the sequel/reboot/reimagining merry go round. Lana really went and wrote a fix-it HEA to her own damn movies and I respect the hell out of that. To strip away the green filter and stylised action and bullet time, back to the core of Neo and Trinity - as the dedication in the credits reads: “For Mom and Dad. Love is the genesis of everything”.

This is Lana reclaiming her narrative; this is a love story, first and foremost.

Neo and Trinity

I’ve always been a Neo/Trinity fan, and when I first saw Revolutions was devastated by their deaths, so honestly any sequel that brought them back to life was going to be satisfying for me. But this film really feels like validation for me as a teen imprinting on these characters when many other fans dismissed the love story (shoutout to the old message boards/archive The Hardline/Construct where fans who felt like me hung out and wrote great fic).

The Matrix has always at its core been about Neo and Trinity; they have always been two halves that made up the prophesy, and could not have survived without each other. This has always been reflected right down to their body language and costuming, mirrored from the lobby assault in the first film right through Reloaded and Revolutions, and finally again at end of Resurrections. In the Matrix, they always walked and reacted in tandem, they save each other, they complement each other.

Neo wouldn’t be the One without Trinity, he’d be dead. She was always integral and important and it was always the two of them together - Trinity getting a power-up makes absolute sense and is a natural evolution of their bond in the trilogy.

It’s also important to remember that this is not the 6th Version of the Matrix (as identified by the Architect in Reloaded, and not counting the Paradise Matrix and Hell Matrix that failed), where Neo is the Anomaly merely as the “remainder of an equation” giving him the ability to see and manipulate code. It is the Analyst’s Matrix, specifically designed to be powered by Neo and Trinity via the Anomaleum, and therefore why wouldn’t they both be able to gain access to God Mode?

There is that moment on the rooftop when Trinity looks at the rising sun - Trinity, the only human in hundreds of years who has seen the real sky - that’s when I think she locks into her power, and gets to a place Neo isn’t (yet), able to see the code behind this Matrix. It’s identifying what’s real and what is a simulacrum, seeing the beauty of the sky presented to her and yet knowing it cannot compare to the real thing she’s seen with her real eyes - that’s the moment she is able to fly.

Here’s what I inferred from the Analyst’s speech and what we learn about what happened after Neo made his deal with the machines in return for defeating Smith: that those who wanted out of the Matrix would be freed.

The machines keep to this deal, leading to free rein by the humans to identify those who subconsciously reject the system and free them without interference - whether this is just the 1% identified by the Architect as those who subconsciously reject the system, or whether the humans were also able to start freeing those of the 99% who may reject the system if given the conscious choice is unclear.

In any event, this leads to power shortages and the machines turning on each other, and as a result a faction of the machines wanted to find a loophole in the deal, and the solution was proposed and implemented by the Analyst.

A new Matrix, purging both the Architect and the Oracle and the old system of the random Anomaly, replacing the unbalanced equation with the Anomaleum powered by Neo and Trinity, but keeping them apart so they are always longing for each other and replicating that code throughout the system. So there is still a choice, that necessary component to allow people to accept or reject the program, but manipulating them so they don’t want to leave, because like Neo and Trin there is something tethering them to the system - they can’t leave each other, even if they don’t consciously know the other is there.

So they live unfulfilling lives (there’s also a reference to humans on programmed loops - Westworld covered similar ground) - because they don’t believe there’s anything better. The world is no longer the green-tinted, soulless Megacity, but one with natural light and colour and texture, but no connection. They - and we - are constantly just missing each other, just looking away as the other walks past. A world seeded with bots, unable to sift through to know what is real and what is noise.

But that’s not to say I don’t have complaints. The whole film hinges on Trinity, and she gets her due at the end, but it’s also strangely…lacking Trinity as a real presence? It’s very much Neo’s personal emotional journey, and unfortunately Trinity gets left by the wayside. The third act was crying out for a glimpse into the life the Analyst trapped her in as a companion to Neo’s we see at the beginning.

We get glimpses of her dissatisfaction - her husband Chad (played by Chad Stahelski, aka Keanu’s original stunt double, a nice in-joke) takes her pastry and dismisses her, but it would have been nice to see her struggle, see her bond with her “kids” contrasted to flashes of her memory coming back, to give real weight to her decision rather than an about face. She opens her eyes in the pod when Neo is freed - what does she see in the Matrix in that moment? She has dreams of the future but can’t see past the choice she doesn’t understand (a nice parallel to Neo in Reloaded) - but for all that Sati says the choice is Trinity’s, it doesn’t have the resonance it could when we don’t feel it along with her like we do Neo. The White Rabbit montage was such a great piece of storytelling - it feels like Trinity earned something on that level.

After the bike shop but before Simulatte we could at least have had a scene between the Analyst and Trinity, where he tries to convince her that Neo is unstable, that he is projecting his delusion on her and she needs to reject him for his own good, which would also have made the final scene with her beating the Analyst down even more satisfying.

In short: we needed more Trinity!

Bugs

I Iove her! The breakout role Jessica Henwick deserves.

She’s the catalyst for the whole damn thing - Neo subconsciously wanting to be free but unable to do it himself, creates a Modal in the original Matrix code and puts the pieces there for someone to find. That happens to be Bugs, a True Believer, who was woken up by seeing Neo in his true form and subsequently freed by Niobe, but frustrated with the latter’s acceptance of the status quo.

She also delivers a line with seems loaded with authorial intent: “They took your story - something that meant so much to people like me - and made it trivial.”

Because that also seems to be the key to the Analyst’s Matrix - hiding the truth in plain sight, repackaging Neo’s story into pure entertainment. It’s telling that in the earlier roundtable scenes, the focus is on special effects, “revolutionising gaming...AGAIN”, and allegorical analysis, and not a word is said about the actual characters. But in the real world, that’s what matters to the crew of the Mnemosyne (the Greek goddess of memory and mother of the muses) - Neo and Trinity’s stories, and the power they had for the next generations - Bugs of course, Lexy with Trinity as her role model (also Bugs x Lexy absolutely canon right?), Berg the “Neo-ologist”, Roland’s granddaughter Ellster, Seq the operator, and Hanno the pilot. Then there’s the “sythients” Cybebe, Octacles, and Lumin8, which makes nine crew for nine muses.

Now what I’m still unsure about is how much of Neo’s life in the Matrix is on a loop, but we get context clues from Bugs. Jessica Henwick is 30 years old, so let’s assume the character is around the same age. She says her awakening was “a long time ago” - she was a window washer (another nod/reflection of the original) so let’s say it was at most 10-12 years before the events of the film. At that time, Neo had a different DSI to the one we see in the mirror, and that’s also when he made his “suicide attempt” by stepping off the roof.

Bugs doesn’t say what happened - only that he “didn’t fall”. Did he fly? Did Deja Vu kick in to remake events? But it does seem clear that this was Neo making a genuine effort to free himself, and required the re-setting of his DSI and perhaps of the loop entirely. So I wonder - was repeating jargon of the roundtable simply the same ideas being brought up over successive days, or was it (as I interpret it) Neo’s memories of the previous loop where the exact same thing had happened? Maybe this Matrix’s cycles are repeating themselves more frequently than the Architect’s - maybe Neo and Trinity get too close, this triggers Neo’s attempt to break free, and the whole things starts again.

The difference this time was Bugs - it took her curiosity (also note the opening dialogue that the entrance to the Modal was through a skylight) and her belief to help Neo the rest of the way.

When the trailer first came out I speculated, based on Bug’s adoption of the colour blue, that there would be some meta commentary about the red/blue pill imagery being hijacked, and the colours representing the binary choice of freed mind/coppertop would be turned on its head. That didn’t really happen, but I do think Bug’s choice of hair colour does allude to that idea (Morpheus also wears a blue suit in the Construct).

Bugs says of the pills: “The choice is an illusion - you already know what you have to do”. I take this to mean that the colours don’t matter, the choice isn’t made in that moment, reflecting the Oracle’s words in Reloaded: “You didn’t come here to make the choice, you’ve already made it. You’re here to understand why you made it.”

Many of the setpieces are also a mix of red and blue (and often, a touch of yellow) - the Analyst’s Office, the seats on the train to Tokyo -  even Deja Vu the cat has a red bowl and blue bowl. Both are always present, because the choice is always present.

My other question - why is Bug’s mind the closest match to Trinity’s?

Morpheus

I’ll be honest, I did miss Laurence Fishburne - he was such a cornerstone of the first trilogy, grounding it with such presence and gravitas. But I can see why this version of Morpheus needed to be played by a different actor, being a construct of Neo’s rather than a true recreation, evolving beyond a mere programming clone. I can also see why Morpheus would not work being the one alive in IO - his belief in Neo would be too strong, there wouldn’t be the conflict that we see with Niobe.

This is a Morpheus that started his life as Agent Smith, running his own loop in the Modal Neo built. It’s also interesting to note that Morpheus’ memories of these loops mirror the loop we see Thomas on later - on the treadmill, getting coffee, and an aspect of Neo’s past - the mirror turning to liquid. There’s a bit of himself in the program, as well.

But as we see later, this Morpheus becomes his own character to achieve total sentience. There’s still reflections of the OG, but slightly altered, his wardrobe evokes the original’s style but goes further, he needles Neo in the dojo and pushes to the physical limit, he echoes but eschews grand speeches.

It feels like there were a lot of ideas thrown around in this film with not a lot of answers - and that’s okay, there doesn’t need to be! But Morpheus does kind of disappear as a character in the latter half of the film - it is so stuffed that he becomes just one of the crew when it feels like there should be more there. Morpheus was such an important part of Neo’s (and Trinity’s) life, a father figure, a mentor. We get a glimpse of this in IO when Neo sees Morpheus’ memorial, but not much in the actual relationship with Morpheus 2.0.

But Yahya Abdul-Mateen is great in the role, able to mimic Fishburne’s cadence and yet not make it a copy, but embody this new version of Morpheus.

Smith

While I also miss Hugo Weaving, I really enjoyed Groff’s take much more than I was expecting to - the first time we see him is through a mirror, again a reflection of the original, signalling that this a Smith who is just a little bit different, affected by his end in Revolutions and living years brainwashed by the Analyst as a reskinned tech bro - perhaps even from absorbing the Oracle’s code (he smokes, the only significant character other than the Oracle shown to do so). 

No longer hellbent of destruction, this Smith is Chaotic Neutral than anything else, not wanting to take over the Matrix, but to live freely inside anyone he chooses. After he is awakened in the Deus Machina office siege his first instinct is to kill Neo, but Deja Vu swoops in - later Smith’s ire is directed towards the Analyst, alternating between wanting to kill Neo to stop him from being willingly plugged back and as a consequence reset himself, and saving Neo when it looks like the Analyst is going to succeed. This Smith has evolved, more human than ever, but always serving his own purpose.

I have to say, I always thought Weaving played it as Smith a little bit in love with Neo (at the very least obsessed), and Groff certainly brings that energy and amps it up. But he plays it more endearing, even affectionate, calling him Tom rather than Mr Anderson - they are best frenemies.

The implication is that if this Matrix was rebuilt by reactivating Neo’s code which had a) melded with Trinity’s by resurrecting her in Reloaded, b) touched the Source, and c) been absorbed by Smith - then Neo couldn’t be brought back without Smith coming along too. Smith was always Neo’s dark mirror, but the Analyst chose to keep Smith in Thomas Anderson’s orbit seemingly to torture him (“he turned our bond into a chain”), positioning him as business partner/boss, a constant source of antagonism and anxiety.

This becomes more pointed once Smith wakes up, taunting Neo about Trinity, although even that has progressed - in Revolutions it was “only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love” - he was powerful yet unevolved, he had consumed everything and yet understood nothing. In Resurrections he understands Neo so much better, anticipates that he will chose to go back to the Matrix to save Trinity’s life and therefore needs to stop him. His barb is therefore so much more pointed - “Now you’ll never see her again.”

But later in Simulatte he swoops in to save the day, knowing that if the Analyst kills Trinity the Matrix will reset and he’ll be purged, so better the devil you know.

Overall I really like this version of Smith, probably always going to hang around like a bad smell, never sure if he’s going to help or hinder.

The Analyst

Neil Patrick Harris made quite an effective villain, going from calm but manipulative therapist to cold mocking prison warden (although the latter occasionally swayed a little into Barney Stinson territory). After the first trailer, I speculated that the machines learned from Neo’s choice in Reloaded and would use it against him - that he would have to choose to stay between remaining in the Matrix in Trinity or living outside without her.

While I wasn’t quite correct, I was on the right track - the Analyst is a step up from the Architect, who had disdain for humanity but didn’t really understand them, and required the Oracle’s input to create the first workable Matrix on the basis of the Anomaly. The Analyst also disdains humanity, but had far more understanding of human nature, which is why he is able to so expertly manipulate them. He also exerts far more direct control, needing to keep Neo in line and thoroughly gaslighting him.

I really loved the Analyst’s speech explaining the foundation of his Matrix: “hope and despair are almost identical in code” and “do you ever wonder why you have nightmares? Why your brain tortures you? It’s actually us, maximizing your output” - as someone who has anxiety dreams, the latter really resonated with me.

In many ways the Analyst’s Matrix is so much more insidious than the previous versions - deliberately manipulating human minds, putting stress on them to increase energy output, distracting even those minds likely to reject the programming with the temptation of something better. As the Analyst says: “quietly yearning for what you don’t have, while dreading losing what you do” - if that doesn’t just sum up modern life?

What’s striking on rewatch is just how effective the Analyst’s torture of Neo is to keep him “close but not too close” to Trinity. One handler program - Jude - introduces Thomas to Tiffany, but then when they both share a moment, another handler program - Chad - swoops in to take her away.

But there’s ultimately a hubris to the Analyst that is his downfall - he tells Neo they started their sessions after he tried to jump off a building (the aforementioned awakening of Bugs), and yet also says that Neo assimilated aspects of his life including the Analyst’s cat Deja Vu into his game, which was clearly made before the roof-jumping attempt. That disconnect seems to be what prompts Neo to attempt “I fly or a fall”.

He’s hyperfocused on Neo, acknowledging Trinity’s importance as part of his system but utterly dismissing her value. Even his pitch for Neo to return is based on his feelings for her (“She’s the only home you have. Come home, Thomas”) rather than acknowledging that Trinity could have agency in all this, how she might feel being trapped in the endless cycle of tragic longing.

His torture of Trinity is also different - saddling her with a name that doesn’t suit her, a jerk husband, and annoying kids (at least the two boys, we never see the third child, Callie), too busy to question her reality but nonetheless expressing a deep dissatisfaction to Thomas. Yet she also has her bikes, a remnant of the real Trinity that perhaps keeps her more placated than Neo, who as Thomas has wealth and influence but overwhelming loneliness, and plenty of time to feel it.

But while he knows Neo through and through, he underestimates Trinity, and in one final gleeful attempt at torturing them, allows a meeting. It’s immensely satisfying to see him getting his throat torn out at the end.

Niobe and IO

This is quite a different Niobe we see from the end of Revolutions (“I do believe in him”) and sending Neo a thank you into the ether - a bit of revisionist history on her part no doubt due to the struggles of the past 60 years.

I do appreciate her as the de facto leader of IO, as well as her relationship with Bugs (“you are the one captain I am ordering to go” and Sati (“my friends let me make my own choices.”)

It’s implied but not outright stated that Zion was destroyed somehow - that it grew too militant, unwilling to accept that man and machine could live together, and so many fled to found IO. I assume that those remaining in Zion, committed to the idea that the Matrix must be destroyed, breached the peace deal in some way and so it was wiped out in retaliation.

However in IO, accepting the peace means they have turned away from freeing minds as a priority, fearing a repeat of Zion. So when the machines changed the game and found their loophole, they face the problem of a populace who doesn’t want to be free. Niobe remembers the terrible war and so accepts the staus quo - Bugs is defiant that they should keep fighting to show people the truth.

Of course there’s no time for a bunch of exposition about what happened in the past 60 years, this is a two and a half hour movie, and while I would have liked to know more, I can see why we didn’t get into the weeds about it.

We do see a brief flashback of Niobe during the machine civil war, and damn would I like to see a series about that! It would be a great way to bring Laurence Fishburne back as well.

The Merovingian and the Exiles

Lambert Wilson was clearly having a ball with this, although it really amounts to no more than a cameo.

But there’s no place for the Merovingian in the Analyst’s Matrix, subverting himself in Reloaded where he says “those with power and those without” - except he’s now on the other side of things. We don’t know what happened to Persephone - presumably she was purged and wasn’t able to escape like the other Exiles, or perhaps she didn’t want to. I would have liked to see this explored more, but again, it’s a two and a half hour movie and they can’t fit everything in.  

I did enjoy the mirror of the Chateau fight (my favourite fight from Reloaded) becoming a warehouse fight - after the reboot of the Hell Matrix, the Merovingian and his storybook monsters found a way to thrive in the Architect’s Matrix through six cycles, and yet could not in the Analyst’s Matrix. The Merovingian as a trader of information is now obsolete when everyone has the world at their fingertips, so they are forced to slum it at the lower levels where the Merovingian can only give a futile rant about the good old days.

I had the subtitles turned on the second time I watched, so was able to get a better idea of what he was yelling over the brawl:

“You ruined every silky suck-my-ass thing! We had style. We had grace. We had conversation! Not this beep-beep-beep-beep. Art. Films. Books, were all better! Originality mattered. You gave us Face-Zucker-Suck and Cock-me-climatey Wiki-piss-and-shit!”

I don’t really care for this speech at all? It’s a meta bridge to far for me to actually reference Zuckerberg, and the point of the rant isn’t well rendered.

And then of course, his parting words: “This isn’t over yet! Our sequel franchise spinoff!”

Sati

I was so happy they brought Sati back! A character that was always a bit of a mystery in Revolutions, other than a bridge for Neo to the machine world.

We don’t know what happened to the 7th version of the Architect/Oracle’s Matrix, in which Sati wielded considerable power - her sunrise at the end of Revolutions is the first time we see colour without the green tint, and the Analyst’s disdain of “paint the sky with rainbows” seems pointed in more ways than one.

Sati is now an Exile, seemingly interacting with the Matrix without the Analyst’s knowledge, harboured by the beautiful sythient Kujaku. But she’s mostly there to provide exposition and beautiful as her construct forest is (complete with water well that seems to be her mirror/portal), it falls a bit flat as there’s no time to breathe with the character or truly payoff her dynamic with Neo from Revolutions (her rainbow sky was, after all, for him).

There’s also a dissonance between Sati’s presence in her construct (a very flat affect!) and the glimpse we get of her in the Matrix, where she works in the noodle shop Neo frequents, giving him finger guns and reading Looking Glass (open to the passage I quoted above). I wonder if there was more to Matrix-Sati that ended up on the cutting room floor, and I wish we’d seen more of this.

“Another chance”

I think one of the main failings of reviving old franchises is that the pattern seems to be to revert to the status quo of the original, rather than progress the story in a meaningful way and set up a new conflict.

Resurrections threatens to lean into this by reflecting the original in a meta way, and ultimately it does end at a similar point to the first film, this time with Trinity in the mix. However I think it does thread the needle, firstly by not killing Neo/Trinity off or destroying their characters, but also by reframing the Matrix and the struggle against it to reflect contemporary issues about isolation, distraction, longing, true connection..

At one point Neo remarks that he’s back where he started, but is assured by Bugs that his and Trinity’s sacrifice was not in vain - in Revolutions the war ended, Resurrections is the conflict of the peace. It’s not a war against the Analyst per se - it’s about reawakening ourselves.

Technology can be a tool of connection and alienation both - in the Animatrix short “Kid’s Story” a computer is the connection between the Matrix and the real world - on it, Neo tells Kid “You are not alone”. But in the Analyst’s Matrix, that connection has been all but severed, those that are plugged in are distracted by devices preventing human contact (we see Neo doomscrolling in his apartment, he is looking at his phone in the noddle shop and doesn’t see Trinity walk past him).

This is a film about connection, about the strength of stories - what we hold onto, but also what we move beyond.

[crystal-moon-101]

Charmcaster and Mike!💚

I present to you the chaotic magical duo! They were pretty fun to draw with their colours and different body shapes, and these two I've been really wanting to talk about since I've made a lot of rewrite changes for them. Before I get into that, I recommend you read my Dagon Arc Rewrite, to get a better idea of where I've taken these characters, as I involved them quite a bit in that story line. Albedo will be the next redesign eventually, and I'm glad people are liking what I'm doing with these characters so far.

-Mike Morningstar-

Soooo, Mike. He's always been an interesting concept to me, because there are two ways you could make his character go. One way is to just go full out with the creep and power hungry factor, making him a villain through and through, which can provide a very eerie character, which is the route canon mostly too. The other way, which I've taken, is you could make him a very complicated character, tragic even, with the idea of "If someone was born with dark magic, how would the world treat them", and since canon (Both the original series and reboot timeline) as taken the more evil villain approached, I'm taking a much different approach because I think his story can add a lot of interesting dynamics. In terms of his design, I went for the "rich winter" outfit aesthetic, since this lad does know his fashion and tastes.

Mike is an Apotrodite from his mother's side, the dark magic equivalent of Anodites. This means Mike primarily uses dark magic, but unlike other people, his Apotrodite sides means he is in full control of himself, and can't be tainted by dark magic. But that doesn't mean everything goes well...

His parents are Lilith Morningstar and Samael Morningstar, both Plumbers who work in the magical department of things, and since Lilith can use dark magic without it corrupting her, the two get a hefty amount of money working in a field only they can really handle. So they're a very rich family, owning two mansions on earth, and some holiday homes.

Mike was an...accident, not something planned, but his parents wanted to see what it was like, not realizing how raising a child takes a lot of work, especially one that was born half Apotrodite. You see, since Mike was only half, his dark magic didn't come naturally to him for a while, needing to adjust and train himself. There were worries Mike would end up hurting someone, which both Lilith and Samael were nervous about, since Apotrodites didn't have a good reputation anywhere for their use of dark magic. They feared that if Lilith or Mike made a mistake, they'll both be shipped back to their homeworld, which none of them wanted...

Sadly, a mistake did happen one day. Mike didn't mean too, it just happened suddenly, but he ended up hurting two other kids in Plumber Kindergarden, giving one magical burns, and nearly draining the life out of another. He felt horrible over what happened, and couldn't stop sobbing for the rest of the day as everyone debated what to do, and had a long discussion with Mike's parents. Lilith and Samael ended up pulling Mike out from school to homeschool him from now on...and didn't trust Mike to leave the house on his own ever, the fears getting the better of them. So...you could say Mike's childhood was rather lonely and depressing. Eventually as he grew older, he got into lots of arguments with his parents, until finally snapping and running away sometime after his encounter with Ben and his friends. If everyone was going to treat him like a monster, then he might as well be what they say he was and do it being free...

Mike does have an Apotrodite form, much like how Gwen has an Anodite form, but he hardly ever turns into it, even if it would save him energy and make his human form 'rot' less. He doesn't like being reminded of what he is, the reason behind all his problems...

He loves cats, and has always wanted one since he learnt about them.

Mike did end up helping Charmcaster when she was losing herself in omniverse, during the final fight with her. He was one of the few who managed to snap her out of her insanity, and later when she was recovering, she tracked him down with the help of Ben, and managed to convince him to come to Ledgerdomain with her, wanting to repay him for his help. Along with knowing that Mike was really just lonely and tired with the world...something she could relate too...

His hasn't been in contact with his parents since running away from home, and they haven't made an effort to reach out to him, not sure how to approach their son after what he became...

Mike and Hex have a very...awkward dynamic, since neither know how to talk to the other, especially regarding Charmcaster.

Loves scarfs, he just likes the way they look and feel.

-Hope Charmcaster-

Miss Charmcaster, a character who keeps spinning on that plot merry go round. She was defiantly someone who went insane due to how often the writing changed her up, which is a shame since she is a very interesting character, so that's what I'm here for. For her redesign, I've always loved the idea of her being short, plump and very curvy, and entirely confident with her body and looks. She knows she's hot, and owns it. I kept her outfit similar to her original and omniverse style, but played around with the look of it.

Her mother died at childbirth, so her father had to raise her own his own, with the help of Uncle Hex from time to time. Eventually after what happened in Ledgerdomain with Addwaitya, Hex has been looking after her since she was 8, but it wasn't easy, especially when he started tapping into dark magic to find ways to fight Addwaitya, and eventually going power hungry. Charmcaster knows Hex was trying his best, but there are things she can't forgive him for, even if they're getting better during her recovery.

She has black markings on her hands due to her use of the Alpha Rune and dark magic. The Alpha Rune also left a mark on her chest right above her heart. She is subconscious about these things, and tends to hide them from everyone and herself.

Ben 100% had a crush on her as a kid, and she knows it.

Charmcaster has a sweet tooth, and loves desserts. Her favorite is cake, strawberry cake to be precise.

She's still trying to be the Queen of Ledgerdomain, which isn't easy with what's left of it, but she's slowly getting them and creating a new age for the Kingdom, having opened it out to any magic user in the galaxy that needs a place to go.

Gwen and Charmcaster have been building up a nice friendship finally now that Charmcaster is getting help. It's been sweet, with Gwen doing normal teen and girl stuff that Charmcaster hasn't been able to do in years. The little things always remind her that she is human after all.

She is still on the hunt for Addwaitya with the help of Gwen, Hex, Mike and the Plumbers, after the turtle managed to run away during the fight against her.

Later on Mike and Charmcaster do meet other Apotrodites, and visit their homeworld, and does feel bad for their situation. They pair end up letting a good chunk of them move to Ledgerdomain, where it will be safe for them from the outside galaxy, and their contribution of dark magic knowledge really helps Ledgerdomain in the long run.

[celestialblushxoxo]

Merry Christmas

I would like to participate in your future spouse vol 1

Initials sd (female/straight)

Thanks:)

Hey love, Happy New Year, hope you have a beautiful year ahead💗✨

Ok so your fs has a lotta Fire energy in them, very forward and fierce. Ambitious and cut throat. They won't take no bs and very honest. They are energetic and kinda impatient as well. May have a temper like may get irritated if things don't go their way but would never harm you ever. They consider you as their world honestly. Maybe kinda possessive but very protective when it comes to you. Very passionate lover and a real leader. Very goal oriented and loves to travel. Quick and fast moving energy. Would approach you first. Total extrovert. Very determined. Analytical and rational but when provoked think with their heart. Needs to trust their Intuition more, they do feel a lot though but think that showing emotions is like showing weakness. You will change that thought. Very brave. May get bored easily with things, need to do something or the other to keep themselves engaged. Fidgety? More like a smart worker than hardworker. Come from a good, prominent family. May be prominent in their location or in their community. Family business. They may have had addiction to something or may have started drinking etc from an early age. But they are better now it's just that peer pressure you know, now they are grown. They are youthful and life of the party honestly. Very funny as well. Love music and DJing as well. Maybe good at making remixes and stuff. Arcades. Gaming. Very passionate in other senses as well(please ignore if you are a minor). May love good and luxurious things. Interior designing? Look wise may have sharp eyes, jawline, tan to dark skin. Dark hair. Short hair. Love branded designer things. Sneakers. Watches. Perfumes. They are like rich rich lol. May love scarfs or bandanas or caps. Sports as well. Jerseys. Medium height. Gold. Financially, sis your life is gonna change like you won't know what hit you, they are super rich lmao. Gurl all I see is $$ lmao. They're family is very sophisticated as well. Others/their close ones see them as rich, energetic, spoilt at times, but sweet, protective, rational, party lover, knows how to have a good time, charmer, really handsome, socialising, extrovert,magnetic, joyful, a fresh and expensive aura lmao. Right now he is too young to be lookin after their business or something or maybe his parents think he isn't mature enough to be in a position of authority hence they are working on their behaviour and immaturity and they are gearing up to prove themselves. Badboy with good heart energy lol. Omg STYLE by Taylor Swift could describe yall. They would spoil you with do many gifts, randomly smacking you when they pass by, whispering sweet words, singing songs for you, taking you for dates and travelling, going shopping together. Really sweet person tho.

Possible placements: MAJOR FIRE and AIR, Sun or Mercury Dom

Possible fashion aesthetic:

Hope you enjoyed your reading and moodboard love, do let me know if you liked it or not, it helps me improvise! Thanks for being patient and hope you have a beautiful day ahead💗✨

[kittehkwrites]

Yahya and you decide to have your wedding in New Orleans and you go there to have a long weekend away and look for wedding venues

Weekend getaway and venue hunting

warnings: fluff, mentions of alcohol and smoking. this is a short one🥴 

Your fiancé, Yahya, and yourself had decided to get married in New Orleans for an abundance of reasons.

1. His family

2. The food

3. The weather

There were other reasons but those were just to name a few.

Your fiance would be showing you around the place like you hadn’t been before (well you hadn’t taken a proper tour the last time as you guys drove through the city to go to his family home for the holidays, so he was within reason but you were just caught off by all the scents, people and various food if you were being honest.)

You were glad that you had taken the time off for a long weekend as you realised you fiance was not only going to be taking you around for venue hunting, but also because he was taking you around to places you hadn’t been and knew it would take more than just two days to cover, especially since it was a busy time in NOLA.

You looked at many venues during the private tour your future husband had taken you on and you were not going to lie and say you didn’t find it cute when he got excited at looking at the space for the reception to be held. (You both decided on where to have the ceremony from a while back.)

As the day went on, you found the perfect venue for the occasion; Champions square / club xliv 

The event planner that had come out showed you some pictures of the venue at night and some picture from past receptions and the bridal and groom pictures that they had in their portfolio.

Yahya knew this was gonna be the place you would pick because it was a place he also thought could accomodate everyone properly and safely but also for the aesthetic display from the superdome and he knew that would be something you would fall in love with.

he could see the wheels turning in your head and as you walked around a bit more, he talked to the planner to discuss the next slots to book for the personal event. 

He was happy to hear that some last minute cancellations had happened and there would be a free night, the same night as your wedding date and took it as a sign to put down the deposit.

As you got your fill of the venue, you made your way back to your future husband and heard the planner and him talking about calling later on to discuss the attendence list and catering packages in depth, even though they discussed some of the bigger packages which was also a contributor to you liking this as a venue.

“Like it?” came his velvety voice and you could only smile bigger at the love of your life looking at you as if you were so precious and he’d do anything to keep you happy. 

You’d nod your head and turn to the event planner and tell them you’d get in contact with them within the week to discuss the specifics later and they would send you both on your way with bright smiles and positive energy.

----

For the rest of your stay, your husband and you would switch between walking and driving to different places in the city and eating all the traditional foods you would have otherwise had to wait until the holidays to have (and that was if his family was coming to your shared living space or if you guys would be driving down to the family home during the seasonal celebrations.)

One day out of your stay, some of his relatives came and spent the day with you both, taking on the tourist act also and made the time off enjoyable.

The younger family members would try and drag you away to the sweeter food stands or try and get you to buy them little things here and there.

The older members would talk about the history or festivals that would normally take place and the significance of it in the development of certain buildings.

They’d even tell jokes and recount memories from Yahya’s childhood and how he would act at festivals throughout his life. One of your favourite stories was the one of him crying cause he couldn’t go to mardi gras but he couldn’t even form full sentences, he just knew that the beads were pretty and he wanted some.

He’d try and get them to stop but eventually he stopped fighting and just entertained the kids and you couldn’t help but smile at the sweet side he’d display with them.

Watching him with the younger kids in his family and the younger ones on your side of the family, had you thinking of your future and how he’d be a great father to your little ones.

---

Later on in the day, you both would spend time with some of his cousins around his age and just be merry.

There were a couple of blunts in rotation and you would take a couple puffs before passing until you decided to stick to the bourbon and liquor.

You’d watch your future husband handle both and it would do something to you when you saw him so relaxed and carefree.

The way his accent would come out and have you swooning at the deep and gruffness to his voice

The way he would laugh and continue to swap embarrassing stories with his relatives was always something you thought was so attractive about him.

He’d want you on him or near him at all times, basically.

If you weren't in his lap, his hand would be somewhere on your body and drawing soothing patterns into your skin and you’d get goosebumps to which he took as you being cold and would give you his jacket since the weather dropped unexpectedly.

He would place a peck on your lips and give you- what you could only describe as- the look of love and adoration you saw when he proposed and when he told you he loved for the first time.

You would have a silly grin on your face and give him an eskimo kiss in your buzzed state.

There would be music and dancing through out the sesh with his cousins and you were happy that you had another day until you guys went back to your shared house so you could enjoy this time together and with his family.

---

The last day of your long weekend, you both stayed in and relaxed after having talked to the event planner and sorting out the venue to the evenings spent with his family.

You both wanted to have a day to yourselves and you couldn’t have been happier waking up next to him another day. 

You’d look between his sleeping features and the engagement ring you’d often forget to take off and thought that this man was the one and you couldn’t wait until it was official.

You’d deeply inhale before cuddling closer to your future husband and thinking about the future with him and maybe some small ones running around.

As your mind wondered, you fell right back into a comfortable position and eventually back to sleep as your fiancé simply pulled you closer and dreamt of your lives together.

Venue hunting wasn’t so bad, you thought as you drifted back into your sleep, encompassed by your love and the warm sheets.

Third post in one day🥴🥴

Hope y’all are liking them and thanks to the anon who sent in this request. 

Remember to like, comment and/or reblog.

Hope you guys are staying safe and I appreciate and love you guys so much.

-K💜 

[hela-avenger]

To the Stars Who Listen- 9a

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 2177

Summary: When Loki desires to never fall in love, he casts a spell to prevent such a thing from happening. Except, well, in the matters of love and magic, you never know the result it may have in the end. Loki x Reader

A/N: Ok so I started to write this and then had to go back to edit it and then I added more and then it was all just angst and it was just getting so long and I couldn’t fix it. ANYWHO, the Halloween special will now be two parts. I’m really hoping it won’t be three but we shall have to wait and see. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Please be safe out there! 

Tags are open! (Send me an ask/message/response.)

TTSWL Masterlist

Loki refrained from groaning as he stepped into the jet that would take them back to the Tower. Sam and Bucky were fighting over the pilot seat while Wanda was chattering loudly about the costume she had managed to find for herself and Vision. Loki catches your eye and he can tell you wish to speak to him. He doesn’t allow you the chance as he storms out of the seating area in preference of the solitude found in the back. 

The quinjet finally sets out of the compound and Loki manages to survive the short ride without being pulled into whatever conversation you wish to have with him. You most likely wanted to know the truth behind what you had revealed previously. An answer he would refuse to give you. 

Loki is almost cornered by you in the arrival at the tower but by sheer luck, you are called away by the AI allowing Loki to peacefully make his way down to his residential floor. The peace he had in mind at the return of his familiar abode is disrupted at the sight of Thor waiting for him there. 

Loki’s annoyance grows at the sight of his brother regaled in his Asgardian armor swinging Mjolnir with ease. 

“Welcome back, brother.” 

Loki just grunts in response as he tries to maneuver around the big oaf. 

“I went ahead and prepared your armor for the party tonight,” Thor continues with a smile. “It should be a merry night full of drinking and dancing. We should thoroughly enjoy it.” 

“I’m not going to that party.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because I refuse to partake in Midgardian celebrations.” 

“I would think you would enjoy this one, Loki. It’s all about mischief and magic.” 

Loki rubs his eyes tiredly. 

“I am quite tired, brother. I am in no mood for festivities.”

“You never are,” Thor states, forcing Loki to stop right outside his bedroom door. “You always hide out here and avoid having any fun. You’ve been here for months, Loki, and you have failed to participate in any way or form to enjoy humanity.”

“I hate this place,” Loki responds. “Why would I try to find some silver lining?” 

“If that is the case then perhaps I should report to father that you have made no progress and have you sent back home.”

That definitely deepens the foul mood Loki was already in.  

“If I go to this party will you refrain from reporting to father?” 

Thor thinks for a few seconds before relenting.

“Yes, I would.” 

“Great, good,” Loki mutters as he slips into the darkness of his room. “I’m not wearing my armor though.” 

“Then what will you wear?” 

Loki doesn’t respond promptly slamming the door closed to Thor’s face. 

The lab was as pristine and proper as the day before you had come in and destroyed it. The wall had been repaired and the equipment that had been easily thrown before was now bolted to the ground. You let out a sigh as you try to forget that dark moment of your life when you had turned against your friends for no reason. 

You still couldn’t remember what happened but it still shook you to the very core. The truth was something everyone valued and yet you had overlooked the darkness it could truly hold. Lying didn’t seem so bad now and you miss having the simple ability. 

Shaking yourself from that thought, you scanned the rest of the room looking for the man of the hour. 

The moment the jet landed at the tower you were promptly told by FRIDAY that Tony requested your presence in the lab. 

You tried to make a quick stop towards the Asgardian floor but the AI had overlooked your floor request in preference of following its creator’s demand. 

The lab remained silent after you came in. FRIDAY had announced your presence but Tony was nowhere to be seen. You felt yourself being watched but could find no one. You were starting to grow paranoid which didn’t help when a loud bang resonated nearby.

Your head snaps towards the source of the crash and you relax when you realize it’s just Dum-E hitting against the nearby desk.

“Oh Dum-E, I thought I was…”

“BOO!” 

You jump at the sudden shout behind you. Out of pure instinct, you throw your hands in front of you causing your gauntlets to shoot out two straight lines of energy. The beams scorch two black spots on the recently repaired wall.

“Well that’s new.” 

You turn around and glare at Tony. 

“What the hell, Tony!” you shout at him. “I could have killed you.” 

Tony chuckles in response and is quick to apologize. 

“Sorry, kid,” he answers. “Didn’t realize you were Iron Man 2.0.” 

You roll your eyes at him and laugh sarcastically at him. 

“Ha, ha, ha, very funny,” you joke. “These things are the only reason I have some semblance of control.” 

“Let me see them.” 

You raise your hands and show him the golden gauntlets. 

“Interesting design,” he mutters as he grabs a hold of them, turning them around back and forth. “I’m assuming the stones are important by their placement. I wonder what they’re made of. Carbon-based, maybe? Rare space jewel? I would have to run some tests…”

“Yeah, not possible,” you comment. “I can’t take these off. Things could go very wrong.” 

Tony scowls as he lets your hands go. 

“Can’t risk it for a few minutes?” Tony asks. “I’m sure I could improve them for a nicer aesthetic and easier mobility.” 

“Tony…”

“Come on,” he nudges. “You don’t see me wearing my blasters because they’re comfortable. It’ll only be a few minutes. Five tops.” 

You hesitate and Tony pesters on.  

“Let me do this for you. It’s the least I can do if you have to wear those atrocities for the rest of your life.” 

You chew on the inside of your cheek before relenting. 

“Just be careful with the stones and be quick, please,” you plead at him. “I don’t wish to have a repeat of my last mishaps.” 

Tony snorts as he helps you slide the gauntlets off your hands. 

“Heard about that,” he snickers. “A little birdie told me and by birdie, I obviously mean Sam.” 

You laugh and shake your head at him watching as he steps towards his desk and pulls out an array of files into the screen. He flips through them quickly before stopping at one. 

Pepper Gift Ideas. 

“Um, Tony?” 

He ignores you as he opens the file up and scatters out the multiple designs he’s sketched out. You’re shocked at the multiple documents in the file but don’t have the chance to inspect them closely as Tony finds the one he was looking for. 

“Here it is,” he states as he picks the design and throws it onto the screen next to his equipment. “What do you think, kid?” 

“Oh, wow,” you whisper as you look at the design on display. “That’s beautiful.” 

“Was tinkering for a while about making Pepper her own jewelry,” Tony responds beside you. “But she never wears what I get her.” 

“I’m sure she would wear this,” you tell him. “Are you sure you want to use this design on me?” 

Tony is quick to nod. 

“You’ve been dealt a shitty hand with this power,” Tony answers honestly. “I just want to make things better for you in any way I can.” 

“Thanks, Tony,” you tell him, heartfelt at his generosity. “Really, thank you.” 

Tony clears his throat from the rising emotion and looks away. He picks up your gauntlet and begins to disassemble them. 

“Now go away,” he mutters. “Let me work in peace.” 

“You told me it would only be five minutes.” 

“Well I lied. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.” 

You roll your eyes at him and Tony simply smirks. 

“I’ll have them done soon, I promise, so why don’t you go ahead and find your partner in crime, Natasha. She’s got your costume in her room.” 

You hesitate but you’ve already done your daily exercises to tire your powers out. Nothing could go wrong. Or at least that’s what you hoped for. 

You wince at the sharp tug of your hair. You glare at Natasha through the mirror but she simply smirks in response. You had no choice when it came to getting ready for this impromptu Halloween party. Natasha dragged you into her room the moment you showed up at her door. 

You didn’t mind her help for the party. In fact, you were glad to have it as the redhead went above and beyond to have everything ready for you. From the costume to the hair and makeup, Natasha had arranged it all. All you had to do was sit there and allow her to make her vision into a reality. 

Though you would use this time to catch up with your close friend, your mind was far away at the moment. 

Ever since your last lesson, Loki had avoided you like the plague. Any attempt of trying to apologize to him was somehow thwarted by Loki himself or some outside force. It didn’t help that Tony’s impromptu invitation and the jet that followed severed any chance of forcing him to see you. 

You felt guilty.

You had crossed a line by revealing something he wasn’t ready to when all he had done was help you. You needed to apologize and you needed to do it soon. 

“Ok, spill it.” 

You look up at Natasha’s pointed stare and sigh. 

“I can’t hide anything, can I?” you mutter tiredly. Nat tugs on your hair again and you hiss at the action. “I’m fine, Nat. Just trying to settle my mind.”

“Of what?” 

You take a deep breath debating whether it was a good idea to tell her of your past week with Loki. 

Nat despised him with every fiber of her being, but you… you didn’t. 

“Loki’s been a great teacher considering I’m a ticking time bomb...”  

“But?” Nat interrupts. 

“But,” you repeat with a huff. “I keep ruining everything with this stupid power.”

“You?” Nat asks, confused. “You ruined everything? Not him?”

“Nat…” 

“I’m sorry,” she sarcastically laughs. “That doesn’t make sense. You’ve done nothing wrong.” 

“You don’t understand,” you sigh. “If you just let me explain…”

“Then explain.” 

You take a deep breath and turn away from the mirror to look at Natasha directly. 

“I have invaded everyone’s privacy. I’ve learned things I have no right knowing and revealed things without permission. You already know how guilty I felt because of it,” you explain. “Yet, Loki wasn’t one of them. He’s immune to my power as I am to his but I recently crossed a line and uncovered something I wasn’t supposed to.”

“What was it?” 

“You know I can’t tell you.” 

 Natasha huffs in response but shrugs her curiosity off. 

“So?” she asks. “What’s wrong then?” 

“I feel really bad about it, Nat, and he’s avoiding me and I just want to apologize to him because I invaded his privacy but he won’t even let me get close to him to do it.”

“He doesn’t need an apology,” Nat scoffs. “He’s a grown man. He can lick up his wounds and move on.” 

You’re starting to regret confiding in her about your situation but Loki has yet to teach you how to evade telling the truth without necessarily resorting to lying.

“I apologized to you and everyone after my first outburst,” you remind her. “You didn’t need me to but I’m sure it helped.”

Natasha lets out a breath but she knew you had a point. 

“Loki doesn’t deserve your kindness.” 

She’s being honest with her opinion but you don’t feel the same way. 

“I think differently,” you answer. “I think it’s been a long time since Loki’s been treated with some kindness.” 

Natasha's eyes narrow down at you. 

“Do you…” she hesitates. “What exactly is your relationship with him?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Are you acquaintances? Friends? Or is it more?” 

You’re surprised at the question. 

“I guess we’re friends?” you answer unsurely. “Mentor and student seems weird so yeah… friends.” 

Natasha seems unconvinced but she doesn’t speak up on it. Instead, she motions you to face forward again so she could finish up with your hair.

“So do you think I’ll have time to slip out to apologize or am I going to have to wait until the party?” 

Nat can’t avoid the snort from escaping her promptly earning her a confused look from you. 

“Loki doesn’t go to the parties,” she tells you. “Not since I could remember.” 

“Then why did he come with us in the jet?” 

“Maybe because he has to monitor you and we have to monitor him?” 

Nat’s right but you can only hope that Loki might prove her wrong. 

“If he’s there… apologize to him,” Nat tells you hoping to ease the scowl that was settling on your face. “Just don’t expect him to forgive you. He’s not apologetic, far less forgiving.”

TTSWL Tag: @catsladen @is-it-madness @manyfandoms-marvel @mejusttryintogetby @illogicalfangirl @ariel-snow-tmnt @islinglivesinshire @musicconversedance @missmadwoman @smaranshakthi @adaydreamingdragon @poetic-fiasco @like-a-wildfire @jasminecalia @ha-tep @charbokbok @setsuna-meiou31 @ms-blvck @country-cowgirl-101 @bepo-is-sorry @hufflautia @waitforthehurricanrose @fictionalhoomanofnowhere @sanniegirl1214 @telenari @anonymouscastiel12 @ddaeing​

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[fictionbyafangirl]

Tundric Heart

//Hi, all! After becoming absolutely *obsessed* with the new Mortal Kombat movie, as well as being a fan since the games began, and being a fan of JoTa since I saw The Raid: Redemption when it first came out and since then, I decided my flagship fic shall involve Bi-Han/Sub-Zero. This takes place prior to the film, having nine tournaments been fought. This is a POV-shifter and involves our favorite chilly boi with an original character. Naturally, I own no rights to the franchised character and only write out of my own fun.  I hope you enjoy!\\

Nothing phased him anymore. Bi-Han had lived many centuries, each reinforcing his growing lack of humanity toward the world, whether it be Earthrealm or Outworld. Due to his “gifts”, Bi-Han had become a favorite champion for Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat tournaments, successful in more than not and ultimately becoming an attack dog at the sorcerer's will. Despite Bi-Han wanting the Lin Keui to be free-agents once again, himself, primarily, he obliged, knowing he owed Shang Tsung his fealty for the many favors he performed for him in the past. The Lin Keui had been an elite group of assassins for those who could afford them. Either born into the organization or kidnapped as a youngling for the cause, its numbers were always plentiful. Bi-Han and his brother, Kuai Liang, had served the clan well, rising through the ranks. Bi-Han, though, had become the face of the group. The fierce fighter had gained notoriety for defeating the one and only Hanzo Hasashi, as well as the Shirai Ryu, a noble competitor clan in their world of crime. Over four hundred years had passed, yet a looming whisper of a threat still hung in the air from the very fatality that put Bi-Han on the map. Ever the paranoid ruler, Tsung tasked Bi-Han with finding the last remaining Hasashi blood heir and executing them. To the cryomancer, there was simply no point in doing so. He had ended the lineage himself many lifetimes ago. The Hasashi family fell to his hand, and he knew it, first-hand. Still, the soul-eater feared the prophecy of the uprising of Earthrealm defenders to thwart the imminent takeover, if the last tournament should be victoriously won by the mortals with an arcana gift. Nine circuits had been finished in the favor of Tsung, only needing two more to claim supremacy over the mortals. Begrudgingly, Bi-Han found himself in his home-realm on a reconnaissance mission to find out if the myth was true. One thing the warrior loathed was to be undermined, especially by Tsung. His employer had a knack for sending in the reinforcements if the smallest of setbacks occurred. Bi-Han was more than confident in his skill and ability to successfully fulfill his duties. To send in those that were inferior to him was simply a slap in the face. Not a day went by that the assassin didn’t think of a world where he no longer served Tsung.

The man was ageless as he sat across from a run-down diner, concealed in darkness. Darkness had always been his friend, even in the glory days of the Lin Kuei and the chaos they inflicted on their world. Darkness cloaked him in secrecy. Darkness gave him advantage against his opponents. Darkness felt almost as familiar and second nature to him as the cold. It had been a rainy evening, the spray of dingy gutter water spraying up from beneath the tires of those driving muddled the sidewalk. Bi-Han, looking not a single day older than he had when he terminated Hasashi, watched the neon sign that indicated that the diner was “open” flicker against the night. Dressed in black athletic jogger pants, a black zipped-up windbreaker jacket and a black hat with the bill curved and pulled down low to conceal his other-worldly eyes, the man watched from outside an abandoned building that sat adjacent to the diner. Arguably, the only physical trait that had changed about him was the hue of his eyes, shifting from a deep brown to a starkly bright  blue so pale that it nearly looked like ice had formed in his irises. These were the attributes of a cryomancer, and bastard Edenians, alike. Those of Edenian nature aged much slower than humans, living so long that tens of thousands of years was still considered to be in one’s youth. His hair remained raven in color though his skin did grow more pallid as though encrusted in frost, but not. The cryomancers had been banished from Edenia long before Bi-Han’s birth, but the genes that descended from the gods still carried on through himself and his brother, Kuai. Down the block, a group of young men were approaching the corner door of the diner, rowdy and raucous as they walked before ducking into the establishment. Taped hands rose from Bi-Han’s sides to bring the hood of his skim jacket up and over the top of his head, further obscuring his identity. He waited a few minutes to allow them to settle into their normal places to not rouse suspicion before crossing the slick city street. In all of the years of Bi-Han’s life, he had tuned his tracking abilities to be imperceptible.

His intel told him that a group of men, one that bore the mark of the dragon, frequented the very location nightly, as though a ritual amongst the friends. Bi-Han’s head never lifted as the bell on the handle of the door jingled to alert a new customer, and luckily, neither did theirs. His gaze remained to the lower-half of the room to not allow his face to be seen. The fluorescent lights that lined the ceiling in panels glared harshly in contrast against the natural darkness of the night he had waited in. Slipping into a corner table, the plastic-covered stuffing of the seat gave out a subtle hissed as it depressed beneath his weight. The group of men continued their merry occasion, joking and talking with elevated volume. The more attention they brought to themselves and detracted from himself, the better. It didn't take long for the waitress on shift to approach them, seemingly having a report with them as she used their names, engaging in banter with them as they shamelessly flirted with her. Her kind and clever rebuffs and deflection to their order inquiries showed that this was an occasional thing they did. She clearly wasn’t in the business of seeing any of them casually, yet they pushed the envelope with hope. Their nonchalance toward her left little disgust in Bi-Han’s mouth, but still, he surveyed. The fighter spared a moment to take in the new environment. The faded color scheme and furniture showed that the restaurant had not updated in some time, clearly struggling financially to keep afloat to bother with aesthetics. The tables were uneven as they stood and the seating creaked under pressure. The artwork that laid scarcely among the walls were drab and unappealing. Virtually everything that had been a polished metal before now rusted with weak infrastructure. The location was dying out, most likely kept in business by the nightly patronage of the subjects he followed in. 

Bi-Han focused all of his senses on the men, discreetly, as to not be noticed. He eavesdropped on their conversations, watched as they removed their outer-layers for any sign of the marking. He even committed bits of things they said to memory in the off-chance that it would aid him in his mission. His focus was solely on the group and everything they did. His gaze, though hidden beneath the bill of a hat, was fixated without any breaks, that is, until the image of an apron filled with pens and order tablets slid into his view. Bi-Han held his breath as the tell-tale spiel was about to be given to him. 

“Hi, there! I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. My name’s Jill and I’ll be your waitress on duty tonight. What can I get you?” No matter where you went, every restaurant had the same, generic greeting. 

Holding his breath for a moment to consider his response, Bi-Han decided to play it cool, not wanting to garner any awareness of his existence. The woman was polite enough for him to not care about the disruption. While she had been tending to the object of his assignment he had been able to get a good look over on her. She was attractive with cream-like skin and smoky hazel eyes and hair the color of maple that sat in delicate, loose curls that cascaded down the sides of her face. She dressed semi-comfortably in a baggy button-up flannel shirt that she tucked into the waistband of her tapered jeans that clung to her ankles and simple shoes with her apron and a name badge in place. She kept her makeup natural and modest, which was a pleasant thing to come across with women. With an errant hand, Bi-Han, without tipping his face at all, flipped the menu on the table over to quickly peruse the refreshments section. Quickly, his eyes settled on his selection before speaking it aloud to her, though in a low, hushed tone.

“Green tea. Iced.” His tone was short and cold, as per usual with him, and he offered no opportunity to continue the conversation. He was there for a reason, after all.

With a curt nod, Jill fished a dense book of ordering tickets from her apron and a pen to scribble down the table number and order to keep her tabs in-line. Bi-Han could hear the sound of the ball-point pen against the paper, attuning himself to his surrounding once more.

“Iced green tea, coming right up. What’s uh… a name I can put on this order?” The waitress inquired with an arched brow as her teeth found the corner of her lips, nibbling gently in a nervous gesture. Bi-Han took another moment to contemplate his response. His true, given name was something that was well-known. Instead, he improvised.

“Brian.” He was blunt again, cutting to the chase without any inflection to invite casual conversation.

“Right. Iced green tea for Brian, coming right up.” Jill relayed before bouncing away from the table to fulfill his request. She caught on to his tone quickly and read it loud and clear.

Naturally his order was the first one to be completed. Jill returned with his drink in-hand, along with a wrapped straw and a saucer of potential add-ins for the beverage. Bi-Han offered a small nod to thank her, fixating his senses back on the group of men across the room. Absently, he unwrapped the straw and slipped it within the glass, taking absent sips through it to not reveal his face. The preparation in the States certainly didn’t do the authentic drink justice as it did in his native China, but still he managed to swallow it down as he kept his eyes on them. Although the drink had ice in it, it didn’t suit him. His hand reached around the cylinder, his fingers releasing their icy powers to chill it even further, finally making it satisfactory to his liking. Bi-Han sat with his back pressed against the glass window that separated himself from the outside world. The rain continued to fall, pelting against the window pane. He could just as easily end the waiting and watching. He could turn every plunging bead of water into a lethal bullet to litter all of the men in holes, taking care of every lead. Still, he blended into the foreground, motionless and silent.  He wasn’t sure how long the men would lounge in the diner but he would be observing for as long as they would be. Someone was bound to slip and reveal themselves, reveal their arcana… something. If Bi-Han was anything, he was patient.

[blackbarts]

[dweemeister]

Best Animated Short Film Nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards (2021, listed in order of appearance in the shorts package)

NOTE: For viewers in the United States (continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawai’i) who would like to watch the Oscar-nominated short film packages, click here. For virtual cinemas, you can purchase the packages individually or all three at once. You can find info about reopened theaters that are playing the packages in that link. Because moviegoing carries risks at this time, please remember to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by your local, regional, and national health officials.

Continuing with one of my favorite Oscar-time traditions, here is an omnibus review of this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Animated Short Film. This is an older category than many might believe to be, with some of the first nominees and winner including ‘30s and ‘40s fixtures: Disney’s Silly Symphonies, Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes, MGM’s Tom and Jerry and Happy Harmonies. These days, the category tends to be more democratic (perhaps not so much this year), but certainly more experimental. Here are the nominees, as they appeared in the order of how they appeared in the short film packages released to theaters and virtual cinemas in the United States:

Burrow (2020)

Burrow, directed by Madeline Sharafian (story artist on 2017’s Coco, writer on Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears), is the eighth in Pixar’s SparkShorts series, in which Pixar’s junior animators craft a short film on a limited budget and timeframe. This is the film that played in front of Soul for those lucky enough to view that film theatrically. This dialogue-free, hand-drawn film stars a young rabbit, looking to dig out and furnish her own home – complete with a bathroom-disco (or something like that). Her best-laid plans, however, seem dashed when she keeps digging and running into other animals’ underground abodes in this area. Not that these animals seem to mind the intrusions too much. The rabbit, so anxiety-driven in her eagerness to project a picture of self-assuredness, soon realizes that these nearby animals she fears to have disturbed are all neighbors, a community ready to lend a paw for the newcomer.

Sharafian credits her sense of impostors’ syndrome when first working at Pixar as the film’s primary thematic inspiration. With only a bare number of lines, the rabbit expresses a vast array of emotions, endearing the audience to her self-dramatization and youthful insecurity. Drawn flatly but nevertheless suggesting some depth, the cutaway animation depicting the burrow neighborhood recalls Richard Scarry’s books and other such colorful ensemble illustrations found in children’s picture books. Burrow is a worthy addition to Disney/Pixar’s animated short film legacy, despite the lack of innovation and obvious low-budget appeal (it uses the third movement of Mozart’s Oboe Concerto as its soundtrack), and seems like something that could have been made during the heyday of Silly Symphonies or Warner Bros.’ Merrie Melodies.

My rating: 7/10

Genius Loci (2020, France)

From the Latin term meaning “the spirit of a place”, Adrien Mérigeau’s Genius Loci is the most difficult, abstract film of this year’s slate of nominees. Genius Loci stars a young black woman named Reine (Nadia Moussa), a solitary soul who embarks upon, while walking the streets of Paris at night, an existential revelation. Reine, who is supposed to be babysitting her nephew that evening, decides to have a small adventure instead. She will find this experience and this Parisian neighborhood disorienting and chaotic, in many of the ways that life in a sprawling metropolis can be. The film’s sound mix clangs, whispers, vibrates, and echoes into Reine’s soul, injecting feelings of harmony, but mostly those of displacement. The distant rumbling of traffic is subliminal here, crescendoing and decrescendoing to control the film’s tension. Throughout, Mérigeau provides a fragmented narrative (do not fixate on the plot) and the protagonist’s intangible, occasionally abstruse, narration. Spiritual and existential loss colors Reine’s ambling, as well as a sense of modern France’s racial otherizing that makes the city feel unwelcoming, if not antagonistic.

Mérigeau (background cleanup on 2009’s The Secret of Kells, art director on 2014’s Song of the Sea) collaborated with Belgian comic illustrator Brecht Evens (production designer on the excellent Marona’s Fantastic Tale from 2019) for the film’s dumbfounding backgrounds, as well as storyboarding the changes in aesthetic as Reine continues her journey through Paris. Marona’s influence is felt keenly throughout Genius Loci – from the lack of recognizably human figures among strangers to Reine and the ever-changing color scheme. Unlike Marona, Genius Loci commits to watercolors (or computerized animation meant to resemble watercolor paints) during the film’s entirety. The watercolor animation serves to loosen the character animation and the backgrounds’ definition, and serves as a paragon of expressionist animation. Genius Loci will bewilder audiences, challenging them to understand Reine’s painful attempt to find belonging and solace in a place that disallows such reflection.

My rating: 8.5/10

Opera (2020, South Korea)

Opera, directed by Erick Oh (an animator at Berkeley-based Tonko House, which crafted the 2014 nominee The Dam Keeper), is an independent South Korean/American production that owes more to Sandro Botticelli and Hieronymus Bosch than anything ever seen in animated cinema. This is a cinematic fresco teeming with activity, intended more as interactive art than for a movie theater. The setting is a pyramid filled with souls living, laboring, luxuriating, dying. As the camera pans downward from the godlike or prophet-like figures occupying the top, it later zooms outward, all timed alongside a day-night cycle. Opera’s story is that of human history, distilled in eight minutes of repetitive activity. The design of Oh’s film is as a museum installation – projected on a wall or the ground (the only instance Opera has been screened as such was at the Ars Electronica Animation Festival in Linz, Austria) – that loops continuously, and, if one looks closely enough at the pyramid’s sections, there are loops within the film’s loops. If viewed in a museum, Opera does not pan selectively as it does if projected in a theater or a home media screen.

Pieced together in between Oh’s other film projects over four years and a pandemic, Oh and his animators (some of whom participated voluntarily, without pay) concentrated on different sections of the pyramid at a time, synchronizing the action in a specific section to match the surrounding areas – and, ultimately, the film as a whole. Opera contains intricacies impossible to realize on first, second, third viewings. Even in its limited, virtual cinema form, it engulfs the viewer in its hierarchical animation, the intentionally simplistic character animation serving to universalize the drama of its beings’ existence. It is rapturous art, the sort that defies description, and undoubtedly will echo across Oh’s subsequent films.

My rating: 8.5/10

If Anything Happens I Love You (2020)

For some American viewers, I imagine that this title alone has already spoiled the film’s content even without seeing any footage. A Netflix production directed by Will McCormack (co-writer on 2019’s Toy Story 4) and Michael Govier (bit roles in American television), If Anything Happens I Love You is the only nominee in this category directed by individuals with no background in directing animation. McCormack and Govier met at acting school; acting remains their primary profession. Without dialogue, the film opens with two parents eating dinner at opposite ends of the table. They seem aloof, their minds elsewhere. The background is spare, with only a jumble of pencil sketches making sense of any barriers enclosing them. Flexible, animated silhouettes appear from their bodies – sometimes arguing vigorously with each other, at times shadowing the person and attempting to call their attention. Grief overhangs their household, expressed through a largely monotone palette, minimalistic designs and backgrounds. The background artists exclude any detail unnecessary to the story.

Written and crafted in collaboration with (so as to not spoil the film, I am about to opaquely write about this film’s intentions) a prominent, deep-pocketed political non-profit so as to shear the film of any thematic excess, If Anything Happens I Love You has, unlike its fellow nominees, broad support among certain prominent actors in Hollywood. Laura Dern is the executive producer and various actors – including Chelsea Handler, Rashida Jones, and Lesley Ann Warren, among others – have openly contributed or advocated for this movie. The visualization of the parents’ pain, even without dialogue, brings the viewer into a space unfathomable to most, unbearable for those who know too well. The use of the King Princess song “1950” meshes awkwardly with what is being portrayed on-screen at the time. But the character animation – McCormack and Govier’s experience as actors endows the couple with indelible humanity – and its visual discipline carry the film to its heartbreaking conclusion.

My rating: 8/10

Yes-People (2020, Iceland)

Icelandic film Já-Fólkið (Yes-People) is the epitome of cheap European computer-generated animation. Directed by Gísli Darri Halldórsson (a former Cartoon Network Studios character animator), Yes-People – the Best Icelandic Short winner at the 2020 Reykjavik International Film Festival and the Children’s Choice Award winner at 2020’s Nordisk Panorama – is a largely aimless movie following the zany lives of the people who live in an apartment complex. That is all I have to say about the film’s narrative. The sketches it draws in each character’s life always feel disjointed and disconnected from all the others – save one scene of the elderly couple fornicating loud enough for their downstairs neighbors to hear. Halldórsson describes his film as a mosaic of personalities, but even a mosaic has a thematic consistency that unifies its disparate parts.

The desaturated colors of Yes-People are meant to resemble old photographs. As much as I respect what Halldórsson is aiming for, the results make the film look muddy, half-rendered – like a knockoff Pixar short from the early 1990s. Inspired when Halldórsson described to some of his Irish friends about the different tonal meanings of the word “Já” (“hello” in Icelandic), Yes-People only has one repeated word of dialogue throughout: “Já”. Is this supposed to be funny? Philosophical? I am not sure; and I am not sure the film knows it either. Reading some of Halldórsson’s interviews following his Academy Award nomination, he mentions that the film’s positive response from Iceland and Scandinavia might be culturally specific, as opposed to other parts of the world. As to what those cultural differences might be that prevented me from liking this film, I hardly have a clue.

My rating: 6/10

^ All ratings based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

Three other films played in this package as honorable mentions: Kapaemahu (2020; 7.5/10), The Snail and the Whale (2019; 6.5/10), and To: Gerard (2020; 6.5/10).

From previous years: 85th Academy Awards (2013), 87th (2015), 88th (2016), 89th (2017), 90th (2018), 91st (2019), 92nd (2020).