#bleu makes art

[trick-starr]

🐈☀️Soleil at the Arcade 🎮🕹️ Commission for @espeonkin !

[kogglyuffs]

hi roguefort fans, its me again

[payaso-gomi]

Really scared to color this but i'd say it's working out!

[callingcxrd]

I'M SO LATE IT'S ALMOST NOT EVEN HIS BIRTHDAY ANYMORE HERE BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY EARL GREY COOKIE!!!!!!!!!!!

!! Please don't tag as F/O, thank you !!

[wastedpurity]

Time feels like a vacuum / a waterpark of my childhood / where they say you’re running too fast / you don’t have that pass / while you’re drowning in the pool

[lolottes]

Alternative version under the cut

Version alternatif sous la coupe

[hopefuture]

I need to drink my sorrows after that Arcane finale jesus CHRIST

[innuendostudios]

new video about Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy, and how everyone* keeps getting them wrong! this video is sponsored by Nebula, a place where you can watch the original version of this video before I had to tweak it for YouTube's copyright bots. (by clicking that link, you can get an annual subscription for 40% off.) or you can just back me on Patreon, which is also cool and good.

transcript below the cut.

I adore Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy. I flirted with making a video about it ages ago, had a draft of a script, but ultimately decided it wasn’t about anything except “here’s a thing I like, and here are its (I thought) very obvious themes.” So I shelved it. But, in the years since, I have seen multiple video essayists on this here website claim that these movies are about growing up and taking responsibility. (I say “multiple.” It’s not a lot. But it’s more than one! And that’s enough.)

These people are 100% wrong.

Lemme lay it out: the Cornetto Trilogy is not about growing up. It is not about taking responsibility. It is the exact opposite, and that’s not subtext. It is three movies about stunted manchildren thrust into extraordinary circumstances, and each, in the end, is saved - is redeemed - by abandoning his character arc and failing to grow or change. It is a three-part love letter to immaturity.

And I guess I have to set the record straight.

Sometimes making a video about a thing you love is an act of appreciation. And sometimes it’s out of spite.

The Cornetto Trilogy is three movies: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. All three are written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright; Pegg stars, and Wright directs; all three center on a relationship between Pegg and real-life best friend Nick Frost, which makes each film a reunion of the core team behind Spaced (excepting, but for a small role in Shaun of the Dead, Jessica Hynes). The three films span three genres: zombie apocalypse, buddy cop, alien invasion; each features a Cornetto ice cream cone: strawberry to represent blood, original blue to represent the police, and mint to represent little green men; this is a joking nod to Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Trois Couleur films, Bleu, Blanc, and Rouge, which were based on the colors and themes of the French flag (I don’t care what you say, Emily: #TeamRouge); that nod is funny because Trois Couleur is high-art drama and these are comedies. All three are parodies of, tributes to, and actually surprisingly good executions of their respective genres. And the hook, the gag at the center of all these movies, is that Simon Pegg plays a character wholly unsuited to be starring in this kind of film.

Shaun, the burnout, is the wrong person to survive the zombie apocalypse; by-the-book British bobby Nicholas is the wrong person to lead an American-style bombastic actioner; and alcoholic asshole Gary is the last person to save the world from aliens.

And I think that’s where people get stuck. Because “schlub finds himself protagonist of a genre film” is the elevator pitch for like a dozen Adam Sandler movies. The genre trappings may be as mundane as parenthood or mandated anger management classes, or as high-concept as action movie, whodunnit, or time travel It’s a Wonderful Life if Clarence were Christopher Walken as the angel of death (that… that makes it sound good, it’s not, don’t see Click; leave Frank Capra alone, Adam). But all these movies have the same basic shape: an extraordinary situation forces a guy to confront his shortcomings, which always stem from having never grown up. And you probably haven’t seen all of these movies, but if you’ve seen any, I bet you have assumptions about how the rest end: even though “Adam Sandler acts like a child” is generally the selling point of an Adam Sandler movie, they all end with some lip service toward becoming an adult: hey man, grow up a bit; appreciate your family a little more; square your shoulders; clean your room. This is so standard, it was parodied mercilessly in Funny People.

And this was a formative microgenre for my generation! Whole universe turns itself upside down to teach some shitty dude to, like, do the dishes and pay his wife a compliment now and then - Liar Liar, Bruce and Evan Almighty (all directed by the same guy, by the way). So I don’t blame people of a certain age for seeing the first act of Shaun of the Dead and thinking “I know where this is going.” And when, at the last minute, it swerves and goes someplace else, you could read that as a gag, a final subversion of expectation, still the same basic shape. But no! No! Once is a gag - thrice??? Thrice is a thematic statement!

So lemme make my case. I’ma take you through these movies one by one - we’ll talk about the manchildren and the expectations set by the genre, and then we’ll talk about that last-minute swerve and what it means. And then you’ll tell me I’m right and apologize!

Shaun of the Dead:

Shaun is a man in his twenties. What kind of manchild is he? He’s the slacker.

What is his problem? He needs to sort his life out. Shaun doesn’t know how to take action. He hasn’t advanced since college - he’s been working the kind of job a teen takes over the summer for like a decade, lives with the same best friend, has the same petty fights with his stepdad, goes to the same pub every week with the same group of people. He can’t make a reservation, he can’t manage a calendar, he’s a washup. This makes his girlfriend, Liz, feel stifled, trapped; he is a weight around her ankle, taking her on the same date week after week, keeping her from living her own dreams, having her own adventures. She gives him one last chance to prove he can sort his life out, and he blows it, and she dumps him.

And then: a zombie movie happens.

The genre forces him to confront his shortcomings: to survive, and save his loved ones, he’ll have to take action, make plans, be decisive. This is a common fantasy: when you feel ground down by the mundanity of life, you might imagine, oh, if only a crisis would happen, like a zombie virus outbreak, where my normal-life problems like “am I gonna make rent,” “is my girl gonna take me back,” “is my roommate gonna kick out my stoner buddy who’s crashing on the couch” become meaningless, and it’s immediately clear what’s really important, what matters. Then I’d know exactly what to do. It’s why disaster movies work as escapism: a necromantic plague - or at least the fantasy of one - is sometime preferable to normal life.

Hot Fuzz:

Nicholas is a man in his thirties. What kind of manchild is he? He’s the hall monitor.

What is his problem? He can’t switch off. He is a hypercompetant police officer with a rulebook where his brain should be. He’s so good at being a cop that he’s spotting and unraveling crimes even on his day off. He can’t maintain a relationship, has no friends, all his coworkers hate him because he keeps finishing their work for them, and his stats show up the rest of the force so badly that they scuttle him out to the country.

Now you might be thinking, “Mmm. A fastidious police officer who can’t have fun? How is that a manchild? Sounds pretty grown-up to me. You’re reaching, bud.” Ohhhh ho ho, smartass, do you remember this scene? [bar scene] Yeah! Nicholas Angel has a five-year-old’s notion of law and order. He’s still playing cops and robbers.

And that’s a problem, because then: an action movie happens.

It doesn’t happen all at once: he goes out to the country and finds they do things a bit differently there. They are (ostensibly) less concerned with rules than what than the rules are for: if the purpose of drinking laws is to keep the streets safe and orderly, and letting some people off with a warning or allowing kids drink so long as they do it inside achieves that end, the rule can be bent. That’s a judgment grown-ups can make; I mean, they’re the ones who wrote the rules in the first place. So be lenient with shoplifters, don’t hassle people for speeding; this isn’t the Big City, you can use your better judgment. But Nicholas never got past doing whatever Mom & Dad said; obedience, and trusting whoever’s up the chain, is his entire moral framework. He can’t accept that bending the law could be more righteous than following it.

But also maybe there’s a criminal conspiracy murdering people and writing it off as accidents and the police chief might be in on it. Or maybe Nicholas is so desperate for a big case with no moral ambiguity that he’s seeing things where they aren’t. 

The genre forces him to confront his shortcomings: either there’s nothing going on and he needs to chill out about procedure, or the department is corrupt and he’ll have to go rogue like it’s Point Break - and this is how he experiences Point Break. [“paperwork”]

No matter what, he’ll have to bend the rules, which he constitutionally cannot do.

The World’s End:

Gary is a man in his forties. What kind of manchild is he? He’s the delinquent.

What’s his problem? Pfffft. What isn’t his problem? Gary is a manipulative, narcissistic, lying, self-destructive, ignorant, violent, thieving, shit-talking, unapologetic asshole who peaked in high school when being all those things was still kind of badass. The greatest night of his life was the drunken pub crawl after graduation he and his friends didn’t even finish, and he’s been tumbling downhill ever since. He’s spent his life ruining everyone who knows him until there’s no one left to ruin but Gary King. So now it’s time to bully the old gang into going back home with him to relive that night by finishing the pub crawl, because, in his own words, it’s all he’s got. And he and his friends have to confront how home has changed since they left - the bars have gentrified, not everyone recognizes them; the defining, epic deeds of Gary’s youth have been forgotten. You can’t actually go back because that place doesn’t exist anymore.

And then: a sci-fi movie happens.

Turns out the town’s been taken over by aliens, and all the people who couldn’t conform to their new order have been replaced with robots! That’s why no one recognizes them! And that’s why the pubs all look the same: the aliens are homogenizing everything! And it’s clear, if they can’t get Gary and his friends to play ball, they’ll roboticize them as well! The obvious move is to get the hell out of town, but Gary keeps inventing excuses to stay and finish the pub crawl, and they sound pretty sensible because the group’s already five pints in. The genre forces him to confront his shortcomings: sooner or later he’s gonna have to give up on recapturing his youth and do what’s best for him and his friends now, even if it means running back to the city where all his problems live.

So there we have it: the characters cross the threshold into an unfamiliar world where an external conflict cannot be addressed without resolving the tension within. The slacker will have to get his shit sorted, the hall monitor will have to break the rules, and the delinquent will have to do what’s good for him. And, to an extent, all three know this! The movies Wright and Pegg pay homage to exist in these stories - Shaun knows what a zombie is, Danny keeps Nicholas up watching Point Break and Bad Boys II, and Gary and friends know bodysnatcher movies so well they have philosophical debates with the robots about whether “robot” is the PC term.

So, yeah, if you turned the movies off there, I could forgive you for thinking that’s where they’re headed. But you goofballs watched them to the end and then made content about them, what is wrong with you???

What actually happens in the second halves of these movies?

Shaun twigs that he’s in a zombie movie and, at first, tries to play the part - his survival plans are miniature hero’s journeys with him as protagonist, wherein he’ll save the day by neatly confronting all his flaws. He’ll resolve parental conflict by saving his mom from his zombified stepdad, resolve romantic conflict by showing his girl he can come through when it counts, and resolve internal conflict by being a man who saves the day. And all his plans suck! It’s just the same plan he always comes up with! Dragging around the same useless liability of a bestie, collecting the same group of people, and holing up in the same pub! He doesn’t save his mom: his stepdad apologizes, resolving their conflict for him, and then survives in zombie form but Shaun’s mom gets killed; most of the friend group gets killed because the crisis does not actually suspend but in fact amplifies their personal grievances; and he doesn’t save the day, just manages not to die long enough for the military to show up.

But… well, Liz wanted adventure and now she’s had enough for a lifetime, so… she’s down to just be boring with him for a while - sit on the couch, watch TV, hit the pub. Beats running for your life. Tensions with the roommate are gone cuz roommate died, but rent is covered cuz Liz moved in. Zombies don’t get eradicated, just folded into normal life, so Shaun can mindlessly play video games with his bestie forever, and it’s not a problem that bestie doesn’t have an income cuz he doesn’t need food or shelter.

The zombie apocalypse doesn’t make Shaun sort his life out, it changes the world til he doesn’t have to.

When Nicholas discovers that, yes, there is definitely a murderous criminal conspiracy inside the police department, he recognizes the only way to bring about justice is to become what Danny has always wanted and go Dirty Harry on the town. It’s either that or just swallow the crimes. But he does neither. He and Danny go on an epic shooting spree, recreating famous movie scenes, taking out the entire criminal organization against all odds, and spouting badass one-liners… but everyone who helps them is a cop, they don’t actually kill anyone, all perps are formally arrested, and they fill out all the paperwork. I think he even properly signs out the weapons. He never switches off, never breaks a rule, does absolutely everything by the book, only… louder. And this violent showdown saves him from the chill town with lax rules he thought he’d moved to. Now he, with his five-year-old notion of right and wrong, is in charge of the police department.

The buddy cop actioner doesn’t make Nicholas bend the rules, it changes the world til he doesn’t have to.

Gary knows exactly how a movie of this sort is supposed to go and spends the whole movie running from it. Friends and secondary characters keep sharing these poignant moments with him, because they know this story, too: yeah, he’s gonna reject help at first, but sooner or later he’ll hit rock bottom and then someone will get through to him. And, as the night goes on, and the characters get drunker and drunker, and Gary passes up more and more opportunities to abandon the pub crawl and go home, these moments take a tone of desperation. They start to sound more like interventions; like, Gary, we all know you’re going to come to your senses but could you hurry up with it??? How many of your friends need to literally die for you to shape up? Are you gonna get them all killed?

And the answer is: Gary will never shape up! To Gary the Human Dril Tweet, his friends trying to save him, psychiatrists trying to treat him, and aliens trying to assimilate him are all the same thing. He doggedly makes it to the end of the pub crawl and confronts the alien overlord who tells him all the technological advancements of the past few decades - all the efficiency and homogenization that’ve changed the face of his home town - are their doing. The Information Age is an intervention on behalf of Earth, a pan-galactic effort to save humanity from itself. And the reason they’ve been replacing people with robots is some people are too fucked up to go along with it.

And here’s Gary, King of the Fuckups, brashly declaring that fucking up is what makes us human. There is no freedom without the freedom to ruin your life. We are endowed by our creator with the right to be drunken, ornery pieces of shit.

He tells the aliens to piss off and he’s so fucking annoying that they do, and they take the Information Age with them.

Now… I know… ugh… I know a lot of people love this movie, say it’s the best of the three. Some friends who’ve struggled with mental health or just being an adult under late capitalism really identify with Gary, and the valorization of being a mess. I see you, you’re not wrong, I get it, I really do. But can we just… not “but” but “also” can we… can we also admit that this ending is… this is Space Brexit.

Like, literally it’s an alien invasion but symbolically this is Gary rejecting the adult world of rules and authority and doing what’s best for the community and that’s how Brexiters view the EU. And people keep telling him “Gary, this is in your best interest” and Gary says, I don’t want my best interest! I am registered in the anti-Gary’s Face Party and I will cast my vote by cutting my nose! I choose to do what’s bad for me.

And, like a true Brexiter, he chooses for everybody.

Now tell me that’s a movie about growing up. Gary collapses human civilization in its entirety rather than change, and in the world that follows, he thrives… by being an immature, irresponsible bag of garbage.

To Wright and Pegg, growing up is death, and these are movies about being alive. These characters don’t cross the threshold back into the ordinary world with the ultimate boon of character growth; all three stay in the extraordinary world. The zombies remain, the robots remain, Nicholas is offered his London job back and chooses to stay in the country. These are stories about normal life spontaneously turning into a genre film, and they are made with deep love for those genres; why would they end with leaving those genres behind? Because it’s what Adam Sandler would do?

So there you have it. I rest my case.

“Okay Ian. Why does this matter?”

…what was that?

“You’ve made your point: these movies aren’t about growing up or taking responsibility. So what?”

Uhhhh.

“Bring it home for us.”

…

“Why do you care so much?

[breath]

I wrote the first draft of this script when I was around Shaun and Nicholas’ age, and “so what?” is why I shelved it. Now I’m Gary’s age, this video’s been in the back of my brain the whole time, but I got this far and “so what” is where I got stuck, again. This is why the CO-VIDs came out quicker, cuz I let myself end with “so that’s interesting!” and got on with my life. But there’s clearly something sticky here, more than “someone is wrong on the internet.” (Also, to the YouTubers I’m vaguebooking, who said these were movies about growing up - I’m way more annoyed at the folks I’ve argued with on Twitter about this, you just made a better rhetorical device; you do not owe me an apology!) (Also, to the commentariat: I am not extrapolating this from like two data points, this is chronic and recurring and has been bothering me for years.)

There are a few directions I could take this to give it some “cultural weight.” I could put on my social justice hat and talk about how the “crisis of adulthood” doesn’t play as broad comedy unless you look like Adam Sandler or Simon Pegg, or put on my class analysis hat and talk about how signifiers of adulthood are, traditionally, ways of spending and accruing capital which are, today, often inaccessible to people under 40.

And that’s all legit, but here’s the real deal: I’m just mad at Gary. The world changed around Shaun such that he could stay a child. And Nicholas ended up somewhere he could stay a child. If you missed that, you’re wrong, but whatever. But to say that Gary grew up grinds me, because Gary chose this. The whole movie is people telling him to grow up, and he says no! He says it out loud! He says it to the literal end of the world. To walk out of the theater and say “that’s a movie about growing up” is more than a mistake, it’s a refusal. It’s trying to “fix” the movie by fitting it into a more familiar shape, so it doesn’t say what it says, so Gary isn’t who he is, who he chooses to be.

I’m being cheeky when I say this because he’s a fictional character, but saying Gary grew up is enabling.

Gary says there’s no freedom without the freedom to ruin your life, which is the problem with alcoholics and libertarians: it’s not just your life, Gary! You live in a community, a culture, and an ecosystem! Your actions - everybody’s actions - impact other people! That’s just the way the world is! You can’t shit yourself at the bar without other people having to smell it. We’re all fuckin’ connected, man! You don’t want anyone’s will imposed on you; you spend the whole movie imposing your will on everyone else! You say humans don’t wanna be told what to do, and then you decide humanity’s future by yourself with no input or consent from anyone!

People point to Gary ordering water in the last scene instead of beer as evidence that he got sober, like that’s proof that he did grow up in the end, which are you fucking joking??? Getting sober is a shorthand for maturity the way buying a house is, it doesn’t signify anything in and of itself! Gary drank to escape the adult world of rules and responsibilities! So, yeah, under normal circumstances getting sober would mean he’s made peace with that world and is ready to integrate. But that’s not what happened! The thing he was escaping doesn’t exist anymore! He literally destroyed it!! People died! Probably millions! Now he lives a happy life LARPing as Omega Doom - no I don’t expect you to catch that reference! He doesn’t need to drink! He is literally reliving the best day of his life forever. And even if it did mean personal growth, the idea that a person could make what would be, unequivocally, the most selfish decision in human history, and then spend his life celebrating the outcome, oh but if he overcame a personal demon in the process then on balance that’s maturity? That is lightspeed solipsism! Who are you if you think that way? Are you all Adam Sandler???

And none of that makes this a bad ending, or Gary a bad character. I mean, he is the reason The World’s End is my least favorite, and I don’t like the ending, but I don’t think it’s bad that I don’t like the ending. Rather than watch another addict pull his life together or destroy himself, we watch a downward spiral with so much gravity the whole world self-destructs alongside him. And that’s why The World’s End is the most interesting of the three: it is a bold choice, and I think we are free to feel however we want about the conclusion Gary engineered for himself. I don’t think it’s valid to pretend it didn’t happen.

In the context of the trilogy, we see that Shaun’s immaturity is mostly a problem for Shaun: he would be, at worst, a footnote in the lives of the people who love him; “yeah, I liked Shaun a lot, but I couldn’t carry him through life anymore.” Nicholas is the kind of overachiever that is useful if pointed in the right direction; juvenile code of ethics aside, he is, empirically, helping the community (within the entirely fictional framework where that’s a thing police do). If the world hadn’t changed to turn their flaws into strengths, they would still be relatively harmless. Gary is what happens when immaturity isn’t harmless, and shows us how a world built by that immaturity would look.

There is an appeal to Gary King, a wish fulfillment. Letting your id fully off the leash because you no longer care what anybody thinks - it’s why some people drink, and it’s why some people would like to drink with Gary. But if that’s not just your Friday night, not just your twenties, but that’s your life? There is a destination at the end of that road, and it’s Gary doing something truly ugly. And we see that ugly thing the way Gary sees it: as awesome. But then you see the reality: the Monday morning after the Friday night. We went out with Gary and he did something terrible.

And I’m not telling you to hate Gary for it; I’m not saying Gary can’t be forgiven. In fact, seeing it for what it is is the only way Gary could be forgiven, because, if he “grew up and took responsibility,” there’s nothing to forgive.

I think this is the only way the trilogy could have ended. I mean, you make stories about boys who get older and older and don’t grow up, it eventually becomes a problem. There’s only two ways to resolve it: you either end with a guy actually sorting his shit out, or you go for broke and show what happens if he doesn’t. And I think some of us boys saw that and said, “no, noooo, they did grow up! all three of them!” rather than say, “haha! hahaaa! ……………shit.”

[nerdnonymous00]

🛑🚨‼️ATTENTION PLEASE, JUST A QUICK READ‼️🚨🛑

hi im angie (she/they)! im a lesbian from the philippines. i’ve been a part of so many fandoms but im usually a silent like-r, reblogger, and supporter. i also make art at my sideblog, @angiedoesthingss. but now, im truly desperate and is currently asking for your help.

yesterday, after years of abuse from our narcissistic, homophobic grandma, i finally fought back and did my best to protect my mother and sister. it was a disaster and my grandma threatened us to leave her house (long story short, we live under her roof). i’ve always planned to move, but now, i need to bring my family to safety as soon as possible too.

we need to move for our safety and happiness by the first quarter of 2025. we’re planning to move back to our childhood home that we’ve currently put up for rent (the current renter is leaving soon - no worries). im planning to bring along my mom, my sister, our two cats and dog with me.

the thing is, im worried we wont be able to move because our funds have been so low. recently, i lost my main job because my boss was a creep. i only have a part time job now that only pays me $170 a month which is barely enough for me, much less my family. my sister just graduated college so she doesn’t have a job yet and my mom can’t get a job because it stresses and tires her out (she also deals with mental health problems - a result of this unstable environment).

my goal is to at least reach $500 to ensure that we’ll have enough money for the move and to sustain us for the next couple of months while we adjust to this new environment and heal. i would be so grateful and would appreciate any amount you can give for me and my family. 

it’s truly crazy how things can just change from one day to the next. a day before that altercation, i was cooking cordon bleu with my girlfriend at their house, watching arcane s2 act 1 - literally in lesbian bliss. and now im on a mission to save me and my family, to give all of us the freedom and life we deserve.

thank you for reading so far! and thank you so much for donating! im thankful too for any likes or reblogs you can give me to spread my little post. im hoping it will reach so many of you. i really hope we get to accomplish this goal.

i’ll be sure to keep updating this post as we reach certain milestones, maybe even reblogging with pictures of our pets! if youre from the philippines as well and would like to help, you can pm me and i’ll send you my GCASH information! again, thank you so much, i cant thank you, reader, enough!

(please click the photo for the link 🥹 if that doesnt work click here! thank you so much)

[trick-starr]

Commission for @lucheek with her and @xenogears 's sonas 🐱🐱

[my-deer-friend]

Tagged by @permanenthistorydamage (my sister in many things).

rules: post 4 pieces of art you like and make a poll so that people can vote for their favourite, then tag 4 friends to do the same

Tagging @enlitment @echo-bleu @clove-pinks @fleur-de-paris

[bleu-seas]

“IGNITED FIRE”

★ Sypnosis  - Y/n S/n, an Architecture student and Bada Lee, a Performing Arts student shares an apartment at their university. They are doing great until Bada started bringing different girls at night forbidding Y/n to focus on her studies. Things went south when Bada stated her adoration towards Y/n. It all went downhill when one night ruined Y/n’s heart.

★ Warnings - suggestive??? bada making y/n a mess aaah

★ Bleu’s Note - waaaah i don't know what I'm doing here.. leave your thoughts below pleaseee. is this too short for a chapter or is it okay?

Read more. <3

Y/n started her day with productivity. She got up before the sun rises, fixed her personal bag and prepared an outfit so that she can finally start moving boxes to her shared apartment at her uni.

It was a new journey for her. She has never been away from her family for 22 years. She had to move to an apartment inside her uni because her father was moved to another state and changing uni would be more hassle.

She arrived at the apartment. It was humongous for a uni apartment. She wondered how much did her parents paid for her to have an apartment like this. She knocked at the door, expecting her roommate. However, she's not expecting to see a HOT roommate.. well..

She took a deep breath before stepping outside of their previous home. She's been here for all her life and now that she has to live alone, and do everything alone, she's scared. She didn't know what to do. All she can do is wish for her roommate to help her adjust in a life where she's all alone, without her parents.

The door swung open, revealing a tall woman in her sports bra and sweatpants. You looked at her, mouth wide open as you stood there, wonderstrucked.

“A-are you Bada? My r-roommate?” Why did i stutter, stupid Y/n! She then started getting conscious, she looked down at her feet.

“I am. You must be Y/n? You're prettier in person.” She muttered the last few words under her breath. “What?” Y/n wondered. Did she said something or am i just tripping?

Bada shook her head, and offered her hand out for a handshake. “I am Bada Lee, your apartment buddy.” Y/n was having second thoughts about bringing her hand out to shake Bada’s but at the end, for formality’s sake, she did shook the other girl’s hand. “M-my name is Y/n Choi. It's n-nice to meet you . . ” Why do i keep stuttering for heaven's sake. Y/n mentally cursed herself.

“You’re probably tired, let's go inside?” Bada offered. Y/n only nodded, not wanting to make another embarrassing scene infront of Bada. “Yes, of course but can you let go of my hand now . . ?” She looked down at their hands, and back to Bada’s face. The other girl chuckled as she released Y/n’s hand. “Sorry, your hand felt too comfortable to let go of.” Bada smiled at the girl before turning around to walk away, leaving Y/n startled.

What did she just say? Y/n thought, still can't believe what she heard. This girl is a flirtatious one. I can't believe she's hitting on me the first time we met. She continued to wonder and talk to herself not until it was snapped when Bada said something.

“Earth to Y/n.” She clapped her hands a few time to call the girl's attention. When Y/n finally came back to reality, she was met with a Bada leaning in the kitchen post, with her arms cross in all her glory for Y/n’s eyes to see. “Come here, Y/n. You should know a few things in our kitchen.”

She's 10x more hotter now. What the hell is happening to me? Y/n cried to herself, but walking slowly towards Bada. She knows how big of a failure she is in the kitchen given that the only thing she can cook are eggs.

“This is our fridge. It is spacious and has a partition in the middle. The left side is yours. You can store anything you want. You buy your own groceries and you clean your own mess.” She said, eyes fixed on Y/n leaving her once again, unable to speak.

Y/n only nodded, letting Bada know that she understands. “Use that mouth of yours. Use it for better purposes.” She deadpanned. “I u-understand Bada.” Y/n closed her eyes. Heavenly Father, I am not your strongest soldier. Y/n took a deep breath.

Bada replied with words that made Y/n’s breath hitched. “Good girl.” Bada smirks at Y/n’s reaction, loving every action and response Y/n delivers. The other girl however, has been so drained with Bada’s unrestrained flirting. “C-can i know where my room is? I-i wanted to rest already . .” She looked down, waiting for Bada to respond.

She felt the taller girl's presence before her and she closed her eyes, hoping Bada wouldn't notice the way her hands and lips are trembling. “Walk past the living room and you'll see a hallway.” Bada said. Y/n sighed in relief, only to be interrupted when Bada grabbed her chin, raising her head. “Don't be shy around me, Y/n. We're only on day one.” She smiles before patting Celene’s head and walking towards the living room where she flopped herself on the couch.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? Y/n didn't waste a second to run to her room and shut if close afterwards. It hasn't been an hour and she's already exhausted.

How am i going to face Bada everyday for the whole year??? Y/n let herself fall to bed the bed. Sighing and thinking if her choice of renting inside her uni is even a good idea.

[personnage-neutre]

Free to Borrow Books about Tintin and Hergé

The only requirement is to make an Internet Archive account. (If you already have an account, check if it was compromised in the recent hack and change your password.) Note that this is in no way a comprehensive list of works or an ideal Tintinology primer, just the books that have been made available on the archive, which also means that it contains everything from picture books to highly academic texts. However, I've marked with a * the books I think are best to start with.

Includes works in both English and French (plus a few in Spanish). Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions!

General reference

Tintin and the world of Hergé Benoît Peeters, 1989*

Tintin, Hergé and his creation Harry Thompson, 1991

Tintin: The Complete Companion Michael Farr, 2001*

The Pocket Essential Tintin (1st ed.) / (2nd ed.) Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier, 2002 / 2007

Les mystères du Lotus Bleu Pierre Fresnault-Desruelle, 2006

Captain Haddock Thompson and Thomson Professor Calculus Rastapopoulos (FR) Tchang (FR) Michael Farr, 2007

Figurines Tintin: La Collection Officielle Daniel Couvreur, Frédéric Soumois, & Dominique Maricq, 2012-2015

Hergé Dada magazine, 2016

Catalogues

Hergé, 1922-1932 : les debuts d'un illustrateur ed. Benoît Peeters, 1987

Hergé dessinateur ed. Pierre Sterckx & Benoît Peeters, 1988

The adventures of Tintin at sea Yves Horeau, 2004

Musée Hergé / Tintin : the art of Hergé Michel Daubert, 2013*

L'univers du createur de Tintin Artcurial, 2023

Biography

Hergé : portrait biographique Thierry Smolderen & Pierre Sterckx, 1988

Entretiens avec Hergé / Conversations with Hergé (excerpts) Numa Sadoul, 1989*

Hergé / Hergé: The Man Who Created Tintin (abridged translation) Pierre Assouline, 1996

Les Aventures d'Hergé / The Adventures of Hergé Jean-Luc Fromental, José-Louis Bocquet, & Stanislas, 1999

Hergé, fils de Tintin / Hergé, son of Tintin Benoît Peeters, 2002

The adventures of Hergé, creator of Tintin Michael Farr, 2007

Hergé: lignes de vie Philippe Goddin, 2007

Analysis

Le Monde de Tintin Pol Vandromme, 1959

Tintin chez le psychanalyste Serge Tisseron, 1985

Hergé écrivain Jan Baetens, 1989

L’archipel Tintin A. Algoud, J.-M. Apostolidès, D. Cerbelaud, B. Peeters, P. Sterckx, 2003

Tintin and the secret of literature Tom McCarthy, 2008

Les Secrets d'Hergé dessinateur Bruno Cassiers, 2022

Fiction & Novelizations

Ma vie de chien Ariane Valadié, 1994

Tintin in the new world / Tintin en el nuevo mundo François Tuten, 1996

La vie cachée de Tintin Henri Roanne-Rosenblatt, 2005

Petit dictionnaire énervé de Tintin Albert Algoud, 2010

The Adventures of Tintin: a novel / Les Aventures de Tintin: le roman du film / Las aventuras de Tintín Alex Irvine, 2011

The adventures of Tintin : the chapter book (print disability borrow only) / Les aventures de Tintin: l'album du film Stephanie Peters, 2011

Tintin's daring escape / Les évadés du Karaboudjan / Fuga temeraria Danger at sea / Peligro en el mar The mystery of the missing wallets Kirsten Mayer, 2011

Trivia

Êtes-vous tintinologue? François Hébert, 1983

Tintin and Snowy Big Activity Book Guy Harvey & Simon Beecroft, 2006

[sheepheadfred]

Ectoberhaunt Day 14: Murder Mystery

Summary: Who killed Danny Fenton? Wes is starting his new job on a train and has to check all the passengers to figure out who done it.

Ao3 link

New day, new job.

A thought passes through this young man's head as he manages to board the train 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

Really hope I don't fuck this up.

Grabbing his name tag upon arrival and writing his name, the newly dubbed 'Wes', now officially a recent hire. Wes is nervous however, and wants to do well to impress his boss.

Working the dining car today and nerves are flaring.

C'mon! It's just the dining car!

"Wes, did I just see you hitting yourself?'

He slaps himself to snap out of his first day jitters and someone saw! How embarrassing!

He takes a second to process the person in front of him. An older gentleman in a decorated uniform giving off a kind and easy going smile.

AND IT'S THE CONDUCTOR!!! Nooooooooooo.

"M-Mr. Conductor, sir!" Face beat red from being caught, Wes replied. "How, uh, how are you doing this morning?"

"Ho ho ho, quite alright! Though feeling a bit bittersweet."

"Is everything alright?"

"Alas today is my last day as conductor! I'm retiring after thirty- two wonderful years." A wistful look passes over the older man's face, "Time for me and the 'Mirage Express' to say goodbye to one another."

"Oh! Congratulations on retirement, sir!"

"Thank you, young man! My wife is very excited about it. Shes already got our plane tickets locked." Looking a bit sheepish, the man continues,"Our shower has been on the fritz, so I'm excited to use the hotel's. Fahahaha!" The conductor finishes with a hearty laugh.

Oh, I can see why his wife is so excited then.

The conductor apologizes for taking up Wes' time with his quibbles and hands him the menu he'll need for the dining care. Upon looking it over, he's stunned but feels like he should have seen this coming.

He is very unimpressed.

Menu:

Chili Dog

Instant Ramen

Chicken Cordon Bleu

At Wes' dumbfounded expression, the conductor informed him as such, "Why do you look so nervous...? All we have on the train is a microwave!"

He laughs a big belly laugh and Wes feels like the universe continues to play jokes on him.

Then his new boss, for the time being at least, quizzes him on what's on it. There are only three food items! He still answered him and completed the quiz correctly, but it was frustrating!

"Ding ding ding! Glad you read the menu, ok." And laughs yet again.

Well, at least it pleased my boss.

"Now, a little about the vessel. This is a state of the art high speed train with all the latest gadgets. This train can handle anything you throw at it!" The man took a deep, wistful sigh, "We've had a lot of great adventures together, me and this train. It's not easy to leave it."

Can't blame him for being wistful after working here for so long.

"This train is used exclusively for events," he continued,"it's not a passenger train."

Something he was aware of here, finally getting into what he has to do here!

"I remember that from the interview, what's the event for today?"

"A murder mystery party! Nothing better than some thrills to end my tenure as conductor."

A murder mystery sounded quite fun, in Wes' opinion.

"Guests will be funneled here to the dining care, a home base so to speak. I'll be here to help gather tickets, but after that you'll be on your own. So I'll need you to do everything in your power to make sure our paying guests are well taken care of, understood?"

Oh, I cannot lose this job.

"I won't let you down, sir!"

"Very good!" He exclaims, "Now, doors to The Mirage Express are opening, all aboard!"

The train's doors open and the passengers stepped on board.

A wide, eclectic cast of different people showed up. Reactions to the train ranging from fascination to apparently theft!

Man, what a cast of characters I'm stuck with.

"Get a hold of yourself, Wes. You're sweatin' through your uniform."

Fuck! It's that noticable?!

"Hey, pal," Wes nearly jumps out of his skin, "can I get one of those chili dogs?"

How was this guy so quiet?

"Ah, Righty-o friend!" Wes replied in the most customer service smile he could muster to hide how taken off guard he was.

"Well, aren't you friendly." The guy had a smartass smirk and a relaxed demeanor.

Before Wes could reply to that, the birthday girl herself interrupted stating they needed to assign roles before they get food. The now sheepish guy, apparently named Danny, relented and took his seat.

Time to take their tickets and learn their names. Wes has a feeling he's going to be interacting with them quite a bit for this.

The birthday girl, rich enough to afford this whole event, Sam Manson. Apparently a murder mystery party on a train was right up her alley. The conductor gave her a key that unlocks any door on the train as a special treat for being the birthday girl. It's practically a tradition to do so. She will be the journalist reporter and will move about the train.

Techy who looks hungry to take this whole place apart to study the train's insides, Tucker Foley. He and Wes brought the same snack on board. Assigned detective and stationed here in the dining car.

Aforementioned Danny Fenton, who seems to be known for something. The conductor mentioned he helps out a lot of people, but Wes is unsure what work he has done. He has been trying not to think about the Fentons and Phantom. A whole lot of good that did him. Apparently was supposed to bring the cake but looked nervous when it was mentioned. Assigned to be a ship captain in the conductor's car.

A jock who's more brawn than brains, Dash Baxter. The fool misplaced his ticket, at least that's what he claims. Wait, Wes picked up a dropped ticket earlier and assumed it was this guy's. Dash was relieved it was found and that he won't be kicked off. He will be the butcher and found in the library.

An elegant and classy beauty with apparently sticky fingers, Kitty. See flirted with the conductor and almost got away with sneaking 20 bucks from his pocket. Clearly not expecting to be caught. A business tycoon who will be in the casino.

A standoffish girl who has a clear sense of right and wrong, Valerie Gray. Her ticket was crumpled at the bottom of her bag. Seemingly nervous over such an expensive event. Assigned to be the sheriff who will be in the saloon.

A mysterious and demure girl, Dora. She had her ticket out before the conductor could finish asking. Claims to be a princess from another dimension and Wes is not sure he believes her. But she does give off 'royal air' of sorts. 'Princess Dora' says she is here for 'Lady Sam's' birthday and the cake from our dimension. Assigned to be a 'titan of the industry', will also be in the casino.

A sullen boy who looks similar to Danny, Dante Masters. He wanted a gift bag for some reason but when all Wes could offer him was a plastic grocery bag, he was given a cold stare that was icy enough to give him shivers. Then when told about the drinks, he said take just regular coffee beans later! What even? He was given the role of locksmith and stationed in the lounge.

A mischievous one with a grin that spells trouble, Dani Fenton. Someone who will mess with you if she finds it funny. Claims to read minds but is just good at reading people, learned it from an older sister. The poet who will also be found in the library.

One of them will be the 'murder victim' for this event.

The detective and journalist can't be the murderer for this to work.

Everyone else, suspect.

Let the game begin.

[finkadink]

I LOVE PONIESSS !!!!! Had tons of nextgens during my deviant art era so I’m drawing/ redesigning as many as I can

First Sandstone Storm (temporary name?) She/Him Butch who is lead singer and creator of her garage band. Parents are Bulk Biceps and Marble Pie perhaps ?

Second Hocus Pocus, She/Her who was born with a broken horn. She cannot channel her magic due to it being an injury that occurred in the womb, she’s rather pessimistic due to this. Daughter of Starlight Glimmer and Trixie

Last is Bleu Cheese, He/Him son of Cheese Sandwich and Pinkiepie !! One of the many fankids that I have for them. Drummer for Sandy’s band, shy yet sweet and wants to make ponies smile.

[chthonion]

I hope artists who make art for fanfic understand what a measurable and substantial difference it makes to writers to see that someone cared so much about a thing that they made art of it

I hope artists who make art for fanfic understand that you are like wish-granting magical entities that appear out of the ether bearing gifts and unexpected joy, in a medium that many writers are not skilled at and admire greatly

I hope artists who make art for fanfic are having an amazing day you guys are the best

@kai-janik-art @nevermindigotthis @likesdoodling @echo-bleu @insertadjectivefinwe @annatar-is-cha0s and everyone else whose username escapes me at the moment because I'm sleep deprived and emotional! Please do something nice for yourselves you deserve it!

P.S. Feel free to reblog this and tag an artist who made you go aaaaaaaaa