#but this darker version is interesting too i think :3

[muffinsin]

So it’s obvious that the girls had lives and families before the Cadou, so it got me wondering. What if the girls had a biological older or younger sibling that comes to work in the castle? It would probably feel weird to the girls to see what is basically a clone of you, that remembers a different version of you but you can’t remember them.

Tbh I love to occasionally think of setting Elena up as this (due to her obvious resemblance to Cassandra due to their models)👀 that’s a very interesting thought, hon!👀 this one’s got a bit angsty🙃

This one’s a little off my usual HCs for them since I HC that all 3 take a good 80 years tops to get to the point where they are in the game. Maturity and growth wise XD

Masterlists

Bela

Contrary to popular belief, not all are forced into the castle, forced to work there, to cook and clean and serve

Many come for the safety it can provide, the three meals a day, the roof above one’s head, the protection against Lycans

You, have come for a different reason

Bela Dimitrescu

The eldest of Alcina Dimitrescu, countess of Castle Dimitrescu, the head of the house

Her eldest. Her successor. Her heiress. One of three daughters, sisters

But also, your sister

She carries a different name now, looks a little different, acts different. But it’s her, undeniably so

You begin by working at the castle, and you work hard

Hard, quickly, every day. More and more. No task is too hard for you, no goal unreachable, for you have a single goal in mind;

To get to Bela

You know, you need to see her

You need to see your sister

You didn’t think you would again, that she would be lost forever after being taken by Mother Miranda

To see her in the distance, dragging something back to the castle…alive

Different, but alive

You need to know if your sister is still there

And so, as you continue to work hard and pick up more and more tasks, you eventually work your way up in the castle

Past ordinary tasks, ranking above the average maid

Until, at last, you’re assigned to clean and organize Bela’s spaces when she wants for it

You’re incredibly nervous on the first day, well aware that you will see her up close for the first time

While you’ve seen Cassandra around plenty times and managed to dodge her and had Daniela throw herself at you a few times, Bela has been distant, far too busy to spare the staff a glance or even interact with it

And when you are summoned to her office and finally see her, you feel like your heart is stopping

Her eyes are different, she sports a tattoo on her forehead. Her clothing is much richer and darker and while she barely wore make up in the village, she wears some now

But, beyond all this, she’s your sister still

Of course, she notices your racing heart

But, unlike her sisters, her reaction is different

She doesn’t grin, doesn’t approach you with a predatory smile and shine to her eyes as Cassandra would

She doesn’t move towards you with a sultry smile and seductive eyes as Daniela likes to do

Instead, she rolls her eyes subtly, as though a little annoyed

You immediately straighten up. You’re not sure how much she’s changed, but you know well enough to not anger her. Especially on your first day. You’ve heard rumors she is particularly unforgiving as it comes to a lack of competence

This, though, has you smile a little

This, at least, is a little like your sister, even if she was far, far more soft spoken in the village, unable to speak out as she can now due to the harsh, outdated hierarchy

Still, you remember her subtly rolling her eyes and glancing to you whenever something or someone annoyed her

Sensing your shift in behavior, she at last turns again, her hand raising, her gloved fingers gesturing to the room

As she talks, you can’t help but feel your heart ache. Her voice, though far more confident, is still the same

Your sister…

So close, yet so far

You so desperately want to reach out, to wrap your arms around her

You’re certain it wouldn’t be a very good idea judged by the dried blood around her lips

And still, you force yourself to stay quiet, to stay professional, to avoid staring at your long-lost sister overly long

As she works, you notice she checks in on you occasionally, critical as always, checking if you’re doing your work correctly

You can’t help a small smile

Even after all those years, you know how she likes to organize things. You know what ticks her off, what makes her smile, satisfied

You perform every task she gives you far better than all others, and she quickly decides she’s pleased with you. Pleased enough to have you work for her more and more

Every day, you see her

No. Every day, you see a shadow of who she was

She’s not quite your sister, and you’re not quite part of her family

She’s none the wiser, and you don’t dare tell her

You notice, though, she’s growing suspicious

Sometimes, you catch her staring, unashamed when she continues looking at you even when you turn to her

Like she’s trying to figure something out

Like she’a trying to figure out why you look so similar and familiar to her, but she has no recollection of you at all

At first, she thinks; could you be related to a former lover?

But…no, it doesn’t seem right

She can’t even begin to think she might be your sister

And you..you aren’t sure telling her is the best course of action

You can’t help but worry, fearing she might take you for a fool if you told her the truth

You know, in her eyes, she has a family

A new family

A stronger family

Not you…

She’s happy, you can’t help but notice. Or seems it, at least. She’s safe. And while she is occasionally heard complaining about “her sisters”, it isn’t hard to tell she loves them dearly nonetheless

Unsurprisingly, this stings

But…you can’t help but wonder whether it’s for the best

You’re about to tell her, once. About to spill your heart out and tell her everything. About to plead with her to come home

Home…

To the village, where it isn’t safe

A village, whose inhabitants have come to hate who your sister has turned into

How can you possibly ask her to do that? How could she possibly accept that?

You tell yourself, you won’t bother her. That after she’s looked after you all her life, you will look after her and grant her this life, now

But…you can’t bring yourself to stay away

You work eagerly, show up on time, every single day

You never fail to complete a task to her upmost satisfaction, and work for as long as you can, desperate to be with her and see her

You too notice yourself grow clingier, while she grows more and more curious

You seem so familiar, at ease. She can’t understand you, can’t figure you out at all

She wants to

She suspects, you must be keeping something from her

And when one day she confronts you, you almost forget who she is, now. That she no longer is the meek villager, the woman trying hard to protect you even if it meant being punished for it

The woman who would never resort to violence

You refuse to tell her what’s going on, originally, mistaking your relationship with Bela for one far more familiar than it is, now

You find yourself pressed against the window with a sickle to your throat, the not-so subtle threat of falling or being sliced imminent

You panic, suddenly struck with the realization again that despite her looks and certain similarities, this is not quite your sister

And you certainly are not family to her in her eyes

Terrified, you’re forced to realize; she will kill you, should you not speak up

And when you do, sobbing that she’s your sister, it’s like time stands still

She doesn’t believe it, at first

And for a moment, you’re certain she will kill you

But, the killing blow doesn’t come, and you’re left alone in her study instead

In the next couple of days, you don’t see her at all

You can’t even catch as much as a glimpse of her, really

Unbeknownst to you, your words have caused a small panic within her

She spends the majority of her days with Alcina, asking questions here and there, curious whether you could be telling the truth

She’s never quite cared for her former life

Of course, Alcina has once told her that she did exist as someone else before she was reborn

But, with her wonderful family surrounding her, she never found it within her to care

Now, she feels almost like she’s forced to

She panics easily at the thought of you, pacing as thoughts swirl about in her head

Often, it takes Alcina to calm her

It takes days for Bela to sort out her thoughts, to come to a point where she’s at least capable of making a choice

A choice, that comes a little easier to her than she likes to admit

The next day, you find your belongings packed and a carriage awaiting you, along with a handsome amount of gold

Some of the maidens congratulate you, others glance at you filthily, their jealousy clear as day

You feel only dread, only hurt

It’s clear to you in an instant; this is her doing

As much as she feels this odd feeling of familiarity with you, Bela can’t- no, does not want to- turn her back on her new family

She’s a Dimitrescu, and, to her, her family is Alcina, Cassandra and Daniela

She feels no sense of love towards you, no sense of affection she so dearly holds for her younger sisters

But, she does not want to see you hurt

She sends you off, away from the castle

You can’t be a part of her life. She makes this much clear

But, she sees to it that you’re cared for, financially, at least enough to afford a safe home

She can’t bring herself to do more than that

She’s a Dimitrescu, now, proudly so

And you are not

Cassandra

Cassandra Dimitrescu

A terror from the castle

A monster to many villagers. A devil, some even call her. A sadist, certainly. A predator, yes

Your sister

Can I be?

Could it really be her?

You remember her well, remember her strong face and stubbornness, her fierce protectiveness over you, which often led to her getting hurt

She never complained, never stopped protecting you

She’d always shield you from the dangers in the village

Gone, now

Given to Mother Miranda long ago

You remember she fought

You remember being unable to help her, staring into her brown eyes, wide and angry, as she was dragged away

The next time you look into her eyes, they’re golden, but unmistakably hers, still

It’s during a raid of the village, when you find yourself panting on the floor, watching a mysterious brunette rip apart the villager in front of you

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Then, when she turned, your sister…

Her face, her voice…but…not quite her

The woman in front of you is bloodied, and bloodthirsty. She holds your sister’s anger still, shows it openly, but it’s directed at everyone, and it feels like any wrong move could have it direct towards you, too

You aren’t sure why your instincts-unlike your wish- tell you not to run into her arms. But looking back, you’re certain it saved your life

Rooted in place, you can only stare and shiver, shake helplessly as the woman you’re so sure could be your sister tears apart the villager in front of you

By some miracle you aren’t next, left on the ground as she laughs and turns into what looks like a swarm of flies

Maybe, you should have dropped things

Maybe, you should have accepted your sister’s death

Maybe, you shouldn’t have gone chasing Cassandra

But, you do

You set out to work at the castle despite the rumors surrounding it

You know, after all, that is when you will find her

And, sure enough, you find out plenty

You find out, she’s the middle child, sister to Bela and Daniela Dimitrescu

A different family

A different woman?

But…you can’t help but see her, even as you’re confronted with the scary stories the staff likes telling about her in the dark

Maybe, you should have dropped it indeed

Finding Cassandra proves to be an easy task. Avoiding her sickle, a more difficult one

She’s loud, as your sister used to be, unfiltered

You remember, back then, this used to be a problem

You can’t help but notice, she seems happier, now

More confident

Free

Unburdened

Excited

Selfishly, perhaps, you can’t help but hope she isn’t loved. That maybe, she will come back to you

You’d hide her, make sure no resentful villager can find and hurt her. Or, by now, be hurt by her

Perhaps, this should be alarming

Still, you so desperately want to get your sister back

You try working your way up in the castle, try to work in areas you heard she regularly visits

The armory, she cellars, the wing containing her chambers

But, soon you realise; working hard has Bela Dimitrescu turn to you, not Cassandra

Bela, who seems to value order and your hard work

Daniela, who makes it a point to fluster you and all other staff members she comes across. So far, you have been lucky. You find; sticking to a group is important with the redhead, lest her seemingly random mood changes are directed at you

You begin to pull back a little, to take more risks, hoping it might catch Cassandra’s eye

Then, one day, it happens naturally

You’re caught up in a fight, screaming and scratching at the woman attacking you

You aren’t sure how it happened, how the maiden’s hurtful remarks could turn into a full blown fight

Nails scrape against skin, dig against it, hair is pulled

An unnecessary fight, foolish, in an already dangerous workplace

But, it’s enough to capture the sadist’s attention

You both flinch back when she’s suddenly there, and you gasp when her sickle easily slices forth through the air

It catches both of you, still, forming a bleeding cut at your cheek and a deep slash at the maiden’s one

She immediately begs for mercy, falls to her knees and sobs. You stand frozen in place

This close to her, you can’t help but look up again, your eyes finding her golden ones

Gold…not brown.. but the same lazy eye, the same frustration held in them

She’d always get so annoyed and frustrated at useless sobbing, would always scold you when you cried and apologized when she was hurt because of you

You know, this is your sister, deep down

You can’t bring yourself to look away. You want nothing more than to lunge forward, to wrap your arms around her and never let go

You’ve missed your sister so much. Now, she’s so close, yet so far

You flinch when the bloodied sickle is raised to your throat next, flinch and shiver uncomfortably when her tongue drags against the bleeding cut at your cheek

You don’t dare pull away, try to think about how embarrassed she will be once you tell her everything and she remembers you

The thought keeps you going despite your racing heart

And for a moment, she draws back, as if almost familiar with the scent and taste of the blood, as if it was far too similar to her own, far down beneath the scent and taste of her rotten one

For a second, you think she might understand, that she might suspect who you are

That she might remember

But, she doesn’t, and only pulls away again, eying you suspiciously

Of course, the huntress notices your odd taste and scent, so utterly familiar and out of place at the same time

She’s…curious, she decides

And while she snatches the other maid and leaves you that day, you’re summoned to the armory the very next one

From then on, you are to work for her

A deadly position

You still feel her eyes on you, always. You’re certain she’s around even when you can’t see her. Your sister always looked out for you. You hope, it can be like that again

As you work, you feel her around you, hear her flies buzzing while she stays in the shadows

She doesn’t speak, doesn’t come near you

Instead, she watches you, studies your mannerisms. Sometimes, she snarls, and you notice it’s usually triggered by you doing something your sister used to do

In the back of your mind, you wonder whether she still does those things, even as her life seems to be so different

In time, this stays the exact same

It’s always tense with her. Often, you’re around when she drags a new victim with her

At other times, she slices at you, always taking a taste for herself as if tying to study your taste and blood. Her injuries- to you at least- are never lethal. You can’t help but wonder, perhaps naively, that this is done on purpose. You’re sure someone like Cassandra is capable of differentiating

Working for her, you learn more and more about her

With a heavy heart, you notice her anger is much more prominent, now

And while it was often her cut and beat at the village by stronger, bigger villagers, it is now her who cuts and beats, slices and bites, taunts and tortures for hours to no be

Prey, turned to a predator

How could you possibly bring her back home?

How could you possibly get her to stop consuming blood?

At times, you like to daydream, perhaps she can change. Perhaps, you can feed her. Perhaps, she can come live with you. Maybe it will work out

But, she is loved, here

It’s not often you see a glimpse of this, but it’s there

She’s an older sister, here. A younger sister. A daughter. They are each others’ everything

You grow more and more depressed with each day at the castle, less and less convinced that you can ever be with your sister again

Each passing day you notice how much she has changed, how she could never live at the village with you again

Each passing day you notice how bloodthirsty she is, how unique, now

And each passing day you grow less convinced to tell her the truth

Then, one day, it’s as though she has it figured out

You gasp when you’re awoken in the middle of the night. She’s in the staff’s quarters, the beds around you bloodied, all others now forced into an endless sleep, their heads turned, limbs broken, throats sliced

Clearly, she wants to be alone with you

The Realisation that murder comes so naturally to your sister now is horrifying. You know, there is no scenario in which she can return to how she used to be, no amount of love and talking from you. Cassandra is different, now

She claims, she knows who you are

You can’t talk. Can’t hug her as you want, knowing if you do the stench of blood and guts that clings to her will bleed into your scent, too

You can’t speak, can only cry as she sits at your bed

You missed your sister so much

You never thought about how even now that she’s here, she isn’t quite your sister

Not anymore

She asks you what she was like

You can’t answer

She asks you what your parents were like

You can’t answer

You can only stare ahead blankly, knowing that despite her apparent calmness and curiosity, she cares little for you

Her eyes hold no love, only curiosity. She knows, you’re too different. She knows, you don’t accept her, can’t accept her, like this, your head far too full of fake hopes and dreams of a sweet family reunion

She has a family already

She asks you what her name was

You can’t answer

She’s growing annoyed, and you can only sit in silence, the stench of the bodies in the room filling your nose

She raises from the bed, her sickle raised. She demands answers from you, answers her mother could not give her

Who was she?!

You can’t answer

Who she was, is not who she is

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Bitter, you grit your teeth

Not your sister, not anymore. A different name, a different family, a different set of ideals, no longer yours alone. It was meant to be the two of you against the world

Bitter, you turn your head from her

Her patience runs out, and you draw your last breath

Daniela

Your sister…

Not a day passes you don’t think of her

At times, your heart aches when you think of her and feel anger and bitterness at her for leaving you. For being foolish. For being delusional. For being taken away from your family

You still see her eyes when you close yours, so wide and fearful, full of tears

You remember running and hiding away when she was taken, her screams loud, her cheeks wet with salty tears

You never thought you’d see her again, thought your precious sister was gone forever

Or, maybe even worse, a mindless lycan roaming the forest

You didn’t think she still existed, haven’t heard a thing from her

Until the day you too were sent away

Not to Mother Miranda, no, but to work at the castle

A cruel fate, certainly. You’re sure, your “parents” do not fully intend for you to return, money prioritized over you being home

You’re terrified on your first day, your mind full of stories the scared staff has whispered to you already

Whispers of three sisters- Bela, Cassandra, Daniela, and their mother

Bela, the cruel one

Cassandra, the sadistic one

Daniela, the unpredictable one

Alcina, the noble one, nearly impossible to please

You’re walking with a small group of women- soon to be staff members too- when you turn your head at a noise in the distance

A giggle, light, a little manic, but so painfully familiar

Your eyes are wide as you search for the source of it, your breathing ragged already

Could it be?

Could your sister be here?

A staff member, too?

A prisoner?!

You can’t see her clearly, but your eyes are fixated on two women in the distance

One, short, in a maiden’s uniform. You can’t see her face, but recognise the auburn-ginger hair, still

You think, she’s a little shorter than your sister was, but refuse to let go of the string of hope you’re clutching to you, now

In front of her stands a tall woman, dressed in black. You can’t see her face, can’t make out anything but her height, the black dress and coat and the few flies surrounding her and connecting to her skin

You shiver, not trusting the sight. Surely, it didn’t really connect with the woman

But, you’re sure: she must be one of the three sisters, one of the supposed monsters roaming the castle

Briefly, you want to fight, thinking your sister could be in danger

Has the tall woman taken a shine to her? Has she gotten herself in trouble because of her heart, again?

The thought it almost too much to bear

You didn’t help her, couldn’t help her, back then

You want to, now

But as you take a single step towards the pair a hand grabs your arm already, holding you back firmly

“Don’t stray”, the unknown woman, a maid, warns

You’re led back to the group, your eyes lingering on the two women for as long as they stay in your sight

You can only pray, your sister is safe

You only pray, you will see her again, will get to hug her again, talk to her again

Ah, and your wish does come true, in the end

When, just the day after, you’re assigned to the library

An easy task, really. Stacking books, reorganizing them, sweeping dust here and there

You clean idly, your head turning often in hopes of seeing your sister

But, the library is empty

You turn often, keep imagining the sound of her voice until you’re worried you didn’t hear her the day before at all

Then, out of nowhere, you feel a body press up against your back, a sickle held against your cheek

Immediately, you go completely tense, already picking up the scent of blood and flowery perfume behind you

“Oooo, you must be new!”

Instantly, you turn, even as the sharp blade grazes your skin

Your eyes are wide when you do so

First, hopeful

Then, almost horrified

You stare up at the woman in black clothing, her golden eyes set on you, her gaze curious and almost dreamy

You study her features, so familiar to you that you could paint them from memory easily

Your sister

Uncaring of the circumstances, you can’t help but throw your arms around her, your head pressing against her neck, tears already forming at your eyes

You hear her gasp above you, then hear her coo, as though you were nothing but a puppy clinging to her

When you look up at her hopefully, you see no recognition in her eyes at all, though find the faintest flicker of curiosity in the seemingly endless pools of gold

Gold, that you remember being green. Your heart aches as you find a glimpse of it in her eyes still, like a faint reminder of who she once was

You call her name, and she frowns. You try to search your mind, hoping to find her name in the countless scary stories that have been told to you

Daniela

Daniela Dimitrescu

A new name. A new life. A new reality, for her

Briefly, you think bitterly; she’s left you behind again

But you won’t be letting go of her this time. Won’t let her heart carry her away, won’t let her naivety take her from you again. Maybe, if you bring her home, your family could be once more

You’ve missed her so much

You frown when she coos again, her black painted lips spreading into a smile. She smiles, like a predator finding its prey

You shiver, but don’t let go

You won’t let go of your sister, this time

You call her name again, and just briefly there’s a flicker of anger in her eyes, as though growing annoyed with the idea you might mistake her for someone else

Tears begin to form in your eyes

“Don’t you remember me?”

Daniela is, overall, relatively easy to convince of who she uses to be

She hears you out, even as you get the feeling she’s barely taking anything in, as though your- her- story was nothing but that; a story to her, a fairytale

Still, she takes care of you, brings you along a lot

Daniela does not allow you to call her by the name she once went by, but she’s- kind, even as her sisters and mother send more than just one deadly glance your way

You understand fast: she is loved here. She has made a new family, has found one

She’s changed

But maybe, you can change too

You try hard to understand, try not to let it bother you when she kills and taunts and drinks from the staff

You try especially hard to avoid letting her see your terror whenever she randomly turns into a swarm of insects

After all, she could still be your sister, too

And while her sisters seem out for blood, Daniela seems almost excited to have you with her

She spends every day with you, chatting, playing games she has invented or heard of, telling you about her day

Only can you not get rid of that…feeling

Like she doesn’t view you as family, no

She has her family, after all…

No, you are- a friend, perhaps

A friend, she spends every single day with

Until, eventually, she becomes busier

When she hunts all day long and only has time for you in the evenings

When she prefers her new family over you, eventually

When, at last, she grows tired of playing with the little human that just can’t seem to keep up with her

You’re allowed to live at the castle, growing older while she stays forever young, energetic and happy, quickly bored when she visits and, in time, you can neither keep up with her speed nor understand her when she speaks far too fast and a little too low

In the years you spend together, she finds; she does find comfort in you

She likes you, too

But- she is a Dimitrescu

[adobe-outdesign]

Origami brush review?

Origami was released in 2018 as the third-place winner in a pet poll featuring new colors (surprisingly as a brush—would've expected this to be a Lab Ray colour, but then again Lab Ray colours are a pain so I'm not really complaining). I think the idea behind this colour is solid—paper-craft pets is a unique idea that has both flexibility and consistency. Granted, I don't think most origami pets actually legally qualify as origami due to the clear use of scissors, but hey, that's just me being pedantic.

One big thing about origami as a colour is that it's gone through three distinct visual changes since its release. Originally, origami pets tended to be a single color with drawn-on features, and they tended to look somewhat flat. This was fine, albeit a little bland given that it's just a paper version of a base/simple colour. Then they started to become more three-dimensional, and started having normal eyes and mouths; pets from this stage might also have two colors in their design. I think these pets tended to be the worst looking, in that they neither look like paper nor look all that appealing in general.

Stage 3, however, brought a welcome shift: starting with the origami Korbat, the colour gained a distinct visual identity by including colored paper (usually with more muted/pastel colors, though not always). This was a fantastic move that added some much-needed depth to the color, and it fits perfectly with the theme. This stage also brought back the drawn-on eyes and a slightly more paper-y look. TNT seems to be sticking with this route for the time being, and I'm all for it, as all of the best looking origami pets fall into this category.

Origami was released post-customization, so no need to cover conversion this time.

Favorite Species:

Yurble: The origami Yurble has a lovely muted brown palette with a flower-patterned mane, and I think it looks lovely. The eye is drawn-on and manages to be two-dimensional without looking too flat, and the folds are pretty decent (the mane in particular looks very papercraft-esq.). The shading might be a smidge dark for paper, but that's a nitpick—otherwise, this one's very nice.

Korbat: The first origami pet to use patterned paper, the Korbat really knocks it out of the park. The patterning is kept subtle on the body to not overwhelm the design but is allowed to be more prominent on the accent areas, and the use of three colors works surprisingly well even though the darker blue wings aren't technically needed. I do think the face could've been a smidge more scribbly, but it's not too noticeable here as their eyes are already black.

Koi: I really like how the paper used for the fins here is both incredibly flat looking and also has a wave pattern to it, which makes a lot of sense thematically for a fish. The subtle patterning on the body is also a nice touch, and kind of mimics a Koi's natural markings. My only minor issues are that the eyes feel a bit dark, and I wish the whiskers were both the same pattern as the fins and flatter. Still, it's good overall.

Least Favorite Colour:

Kougra: The Eyrie was also a strong contender here, but I have to give it to the Kougra for not even looking like paper. Instead, between the very normal eyes and the weird flat folds overlaying a very three-dimensional body, it looks more like a regular Kougra wearing paper armor. The design is also just mostly solid orange (technically two different shades, not that there's enough contrast for that to matter), so there's not a whole lot of visual interest. The scribbly stripes are cute, but that's about it.

[waroferas]

destiny :3 (said with agony)

here are some thoughts i want to share

i wanted to share the gifs bc i like them. weee look at tthem spin

Cia

the background is a darker tone of the blue i associate with the hw royal family. there is purple overlay/shading on her because of ganondorf's influence on her. there is a soft yellow light highlighting her face- this is the glow of the triforce. i'm also using my own design :3

Link

i associate the general tone of blue in the background with the hw royal family due to the scarf included in the hero’s tunic, plus the same material/blue of the scarf is used on the flags of hyrule castle. this is the second time now (in art i’ve posted) that i have obscured his face- i like doing this to invoke a weak sense of self, which is something these two have in common in my mind.

misc.

originally this was going to be 16 frames with 4 little "scenes" of these two. Cia before she started to realize her plan wasn't going to work -> Link before he got the master sword OR Link just before fighting Dink (does not make much sense now with where it ended up but it's important to the original thought) -> the 8 frames that i Did end up making. I think it's interesting if these two struggle with similar things but show off the opposite ends of the spectrum of reacting to it. Cia knows her fate and creates a self fulfilling prophecy in her anger and panic, Link knows his fate and gives himself up to it too readily, which not only leads to a kinda blank slate persona but also turns the power that the master sword gives him into the catalyst for the Dark Link fight. they don't spend enough time together in canon for this similarity to ever really shine, but i like to think it's something that they eventually talk about after the war there are several versions of this post that could have existed. i have had army dreamers associated with link for a while now so the trend was very convenient LOL but there is also an animation draft for over & over by rio romeo that would have been hell on my wrist!! but trust me it's really good

there is a single frame at the end of cia's segment that i can't get rid of it actually drives me nuts

[014miki]

♥︎‹ 𖤩 𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄 .

TW: dark concept, yandere themes, violence, unhealthy jealousy, little carefulness, non-gender specific (i try again) and song lyrics (not at all).

tomas vrbada (smoke) x reader. (yandere version)

a/n: headcanons and maybe they will find a small stage with the much-loved king of smoke <3

> used song: tonight you belong to me by patience and prudence.

＞﹏＜"You and tomas share a friendly relationship, however with the passage of time that feeling that Tomas had towards you had changed in a twisted way."

✧ YANDERE!TOMAS HEADCANONS:

🌪️ ▋୨★« ་. 01.- He hates seeing you with someone else, no matter what relationship you have, he will get quite angry (more so if he finds out that he is your partner or current interest).

🌪️ ▋୨★« ་. 02.- Is very aware that they do not share the mutual feeling other than that of friendship, but he still liked to think that they were a couple and that you belonged only to him, to no one else, and he would do anything. (He's tendencies are very mild, unless provoked, he will be and great intensity.)

🌪️ ▋୨★« ་. 03.- The last person who had flirted and made advances to you appeared the next day in a ditch dead, he had made sure that the punishment was the most appropriate. (One of the things his hate is when someone tries to take advantage of you.)

🌪️ ▋୨★« ་. 04.- (This headcanon is more like "what if")

WHAT IF... YOU ACCEPTED TOMAS' FEELINGS

GOOD ENDING: ¡Tomas is very happy! you're very happy too for this, maybe not for think this end but is well this finish because he and you will be togeder forever. Until he decided to do it, he decided to make you his property, kissing your lips. You reciprocate with confusion at first but the moment made you let yourself go, as if you had loved him too for a long time.

─ "No one in the world could separate us." he says happy, abruptly holding your arm to move closer to his chest, your could feel his heart beating passion for you, he loved you with madness and desire.

and you too now.

BAD ENDING: You NOT accep his feelings because you love other person, is anonymous for him. You never says who, maybe the theme was not relevant for you but for him, on the contrary, it was. He both to point of investigating who that was.

In a fit of sadness and fury he had ended the life of the person who had separated them, he could see how his face was unrecognizable and reeked of blood. In the same got dirty, but he didn't care because he did it for love, he did it for you and if it was necessary to hurt you so that you would be his perfect partner that he longed for so much, he was going to do it.

─ "I'll never let you go, you love me. ¿right my love?"

That had provoked him, revealing the darker and sadistic side of Tomas, but you would learn to love him sooner or later.

you belong to him tonight.

[kalisseo]

concept art about my favorite shows is always something so interesting to me, and of course clone high is not the exception

fork found in the kitchen, even though topher has barely any concept art posted of course analyzing his is so fun to me, so this post is just gonna be me making commentary on his concept art. maybe I'll make one for the other clones too

first of all I wanna start with the ones that look the most like his final concept

the first one is just alternative colors, I love both darker pants, but the shirts ehh idk, anyway to me those are other clothes that Topher has on his closet

the second picture just makes it more obvious to me that Topher's final design IT IS supposed to resemble young Columbus portrayals or pirate/navigate clothes (which i find kind of ironic, but I like it).2 is just, basic pirate clothes, at least to me, 4 and 5 also give me that. kind of piraty vibe? mainly the sleeves. 3 doesn't really have that vibe at least to me tho.

the third picture is so fascinating to me because idk, it does look similar to his final design but at the same time not??? in a way??? I guess it's just because it completely loses the pirate vibe but it's similar clothes. anyway to me he really conveys the annoying guy vibe, idk how to explain it, but it's the zip on the collar and his stupid pants in the right version, the pose is a heavy influence of course but idk, he's just, HE JUST LOOKS. ANNOYING. which I like because that's kinda his purpose as a character: being annoying

the fourth one also really gives his annoying guy vibe but well that's completely on his pose and expression this time.

he doesn't really make those kind of poses or expressions on s2, so I guess he was gonna have a more s3 personality from the start??? or maybe I'm just looking too much into it

anyway his healthy skin tone is really scary to me

now these designs fascinate me because of how different they are... idk I think he has a completely different vibe here

I guess they wanted to give him a kind of. hippie vibe. idk. saying this because of the colorful tie,

this is so funny because his clothes are kinda what you would expect from a relaxed chill character, I guess, but his expressions look tired and snnoyed

in the design of the middle he gives me this kind of, reserved guy impression, not that final Topher is an extrovert anyway. also his big worried eyes...

also he's supposed to have dreads, so that's kinda why I think they wanted to make him low-key a hippie tbh i don't think final topher would wear those, cultural appropriation yk. He does look like he's trying to distance himself from Columbus tho, i mean once you know who topher is it's more obvious the resemblance, but with these designs not really even knowing who he is.

if he's supposed to still be like #wokeally I can see him being it but in a more genuine way?? or relaxed way????? I don't. really know how to put it into words (and no by more genuine I don't mean that final topher is a fake woke to hide bigotry Sorry that vision of him pisses me off so bad. but I won't get into that rn.)

also to me he looks like a really tired guy, final topher is not the most joyous character but he's flamboyant, even if this design is more colorful he doesn't really give that vibe.

and I would write more about how i imagine his personality would be like,I have some ideas but at the same time I can't really. put my tongue into it so, let's just say I'm extremely intrigued by these versions and continue to the next ones

storyboard Topher, nothing much to say about him.

in the s2e3 storyboards he has a scarf, i love his little scarf idk...it has some charm I guess, tbh if this made it to the final design I don't think Topher would've been able to beat the gay allegations /hj

also I think it's probably his voice, but he also has a slightly different vibe in those storyboards, this might be a me thing tho

in the s2e8 storyboards he seems to have this turtle neck?? tbh i don't know if it's a turtleneck or supposed to be a simplified version of his collar, yk storyboards aren't really supposed to be that detailed i think

also something i noticed is that he has a slightly different shape in some of them?? An example is the third photo, also you can see that face shape in some of the concepts posted by tara billinger

honorable mention

dedicated to the fat Topher concept art that was never posted, id always mourn it, along with the rest of storyboards where he's in, and any concept that hasn't, and probably will never, see the light

but maybe if i wish hard enough there will be a clone high art book, or the artist will decide to post everything

anyway this is. not all . really, but whatever, it's most of it, so that's enough for today

[murdercide626]

Thoughts on the Sonic 3 trailer:

First of all, HOLY S***!! This trailer was frikkin amazing!! :D

Shadow looks so badass, and just from the three lines we hear from him in the trailer I can tell Keanu is gonna be great in the movie!

I'm also glad to see that they won't be shying away from the darker elements of Shadow's origin.This movie is definitely gonna make me cry I know it...

Also, Eggman finally has his chubby gut! lol

Speaking of, it seems that Eggman and Stone aren't the ones to awaken Shadow as they seem unaware of the situation until Sonic goes to them asking for help. I can see why they changed it because if Eggman was teaming up with Shadow, like in SA2, it would probably feel a bit too similar to the plot of the second movie, with Eggman's partnership with Knuckles. So it's interesting that it seems that Shadow could be working alone in this version of the story. Actually, that brings up another aspect...

WTF!! GERALD IS STILL ALIVE???

This is definitely an interesting turn, and it brings up so many questions! The most obvious question is HOW?? Well, some people think that Gerald might have been changed to being Eggman's father rather than grandfather to justify him still being around. But maybe he is still Eggman's grandfather but he was in suspended animation for all these years, like Shadow. Or maybe he's a ghost or hallucination? Or maybe it's time travel, who knows! XD Eggman called him "pappap" which could mean either father or grandfather, depending on who you ask.

So, if that really is Gerald "in the saggy flesh" could that mean that he's actively manipulating Shadow into destroying the world, or is he going to be somehow instrumental in stopping him? I'm really interested to see what direction they go with this!

Also, it looks like the Ark has been changed up and is significantly smaller. I wonder if this shot is showing it going up to space?

And in this shot that appears to show Tails flying from the Ark, you can see some sort of attachments on the front that resemble Eggman's, or rather Gerald's, mustache.

I love this Japanese Chuck E. Cheese-like place called the "Chao Garden". lol

Also, hello Shadow 2005 game reference!

Eggman actually getting to hug Gerald is something I never expected to see, but damn is it wholesome! ^^

Omg, this drawing Sonic made!! My heart!

And I really dig Eggman's new mobile base that resembles a giant crab! lol

Nice Akira reference!

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble, so I'll just end this by saying that I am so effing excited for this movie! Just a few more months! I can't frikkin wait to see it! :D

And this time I'm gonna try to avoid any more trailers or spoilers, but we'll see how that goes... lol

[wayfayrr]

Ok ok so u had an idea of what clothes Sky would look good in. What about the other Links?? If u don’t wanna do them all maybe Wild/Tears and Twilight? (Bc those r the only Zelda games I’ve played lol

oooooo I've thought a while about what tears would wear because I am a little obsessed with him but not really what twilight would, just gonna drop some images here from my interest <3 (each boy is gonna get a dress too <3) If you'd like anyone else feel free to pop in another ask!! I'm also gonna take this chance to even out the playing field and share what dress I think sky'd suit too <3333

First tears/wild

(I can see them having similar styles in different colours tears lighter/more colours to match his hair while wild goes for darker/bluer colours)

I'm an actual sucker for techwear in places and I can see him adoring it for how versatile it is (I mean he's going to die over all the pockets), he's also surprisingly well dressed because???? his game? best outfits hands down.

p-pretty strawberry dress - I think this is a simple pick but I can imagine him loving flowy stuff because of how freeing it feels, everything ingame was essentially a part of his body so it just feels nice.

Now onto twilight!!

(fun fact what I searched for the second image was literally midwestern emo - it's him) he suits the darker grungier aesthetic and honestly he'd be pretty in anything

I showed this to my friends a while back and joked about twilight being apple jack (he would like mlp I'm sorry to admit, he's a bleeding heart like that)

but yeah!!! just gonna do those two for now - but to say why neither and by extension none of the self aware chain would really wear anything fitted or skin tight is due to that being all they've ever gotten to wear In the past, they've never worn proper clothes that weren't skin tight so they kinda like the feeling of flowy loose fabrics compared to say skinny jeans and tight shirts (not that they wouldn't wear them at times, it's just they prefer not to!)

Finally sky's dress to even it out :3

I felt like I was going insane for a minute finding this because?????? I swear there was a blueberry version ;-; pretty pastel blues remind him of home so I think he'd gravitate to that over any other colour

[writeforfandoms]

Island 3

Find the series masterlist

You do your level best to make sure these four can survive the Island, if anything were to happen to you. Things don't always work out as planned.

Warnings: Violence, dinos, most everything is trying to kill people, dinos are hungry and people look tasty I guess, swearing, injury.

Word count: 2.1k

The next days passed quietly. No drops in sight. No attacks. 

Just teaching. 

You took the group of them out to gather berries and plant fibers. You showed them how to weave baskets to the best of your ability - you were far from an expert, after all. 

You took them hunting again, a skill they already had mastered. But you made sure they all practiced getting cuts of meat. 

You made them all help you with cooking, too. Cooking was an essential skill, one they would need. 

Just in case. 

You weren't surprised when Price brought up taming again. 

“Taming.” He stood in front of you, arms crossed, head tipped to look down at you. 

You huffed in soft amusement. “It is week two,” you agreed. “Alright. I assume you want the hands on version.” 

That got you interested looks, Soap and Gaz lifting their heads and looking at you with blatant curiosity. 

“Right, okay.” You couldn't help but smile, amused. “Grab your weapons, I'll get Bessie.” 

It didn't take long before the group of you were headed down towards the beach. The hyaenadon had insisted on coming, and trotted happily between you and Gaz. 

“Think we could find another one like her?” Gaz motioned down at the hyaenadon. 

You shrugged. “They're around, though not so far down as the beach,” you mused. “But they're hard to start taming, you have to sneak up on them.” 

“Probably don't have ghillie laying about,” Gaz guessed with a little grin. 

“Funny you should mention that, actually.” Your lips twisted in a complicated mix of emotions. 

“What, really?” Gaz turned wide eyes on you. 

You shrugged, fingers twitching restlessly at your sides. “I have a set that more or less fits me, and two more sets. Plus some bits and pieces. It's one of the things that can be found in the drops.” 

Gaz nodded slowly. “I'd like to see that, and what else you have,” he said. “Later.” 

“Later,” you agreed, pausing at the tree line just at the edge of the shore. “Right. Who's volunteering to try this?” 

There was a moment of silence as the men all looked at you, clearly unwilling to volunteer to be the first. Until Price huffed and stepped forward. 

You nodded. “Right, good. Pick a dino. Anything you can see around here will be an easy tame.” 

Price turned a slow circle, taking in the beach, the various creatures walking around, and the sight of his men all huddled together like school children. He huffed. “What are the advantages to each?” 

You couldn't help your little smile at that. “Don't bother with dodos, they're not good for much but food. Trikes are good defenders and they can carry a lot of weight. Parasaurs can carry a fair bit too, and they're good watch towers.” You shaded your eyes to look around again, to see what else was around. “Let's see… that looks like an iguanodon, never had one before. If we can find one, gallimimus are pretty fast runners.” You shrugged, looking back to Price. 

His brow furrowed as he looked out at the iguanodon. This one was mostly green, with darker green stripes along its back and a lighter belly. Not a bad choice for a first tame. 

“That one, then.” Price looked back to you, shoulders straight and even. 

“Right.” You stood straight and looked at the other three. “I'm leaving you lot here with Bessie and the hyaenadon. Too much activity will spook the iguanodon. So I expect you lot to stay here and keep your eyes open. Yes?”

“Yes ma'am,” Gaz agreed easily, while Soap murmured an “Aye”. Ghost said nothing, but his chin dipped towards you, just enough acknowledgement that you took it as agreement. 

You grabbed the bag of berries from Bessie's saddle and handed it to Price, whistling for the two tames to stay put. The hyaenadon whined but sat next to Gaz. 

The walk towards the iguanodon was quiet, Price keeping pace with you. He stopped when you did, crouching next to you in the long grass. 

“Here, take these.” You handed him a bag of berries. “Start rolling berries towards it. You want to entice it closer until you can hand feed it.” 

Price gave you a bit of a side-eyed look but did as you instructed. The iguanodon slowly lumbered towards the two of you, eating berries along the way. You smiled, just a little.  So far, so good. 

The iguanodon stretched out its neck slowly, cautiously, until it could take a berry from Price’s hand. It was a little less shy the next time, until it didn't hesitate at all taking the berries from him. 

The look on his face was priceless, a bit shocked and a bit awed. 

The iguanodon lifted its head and lumbered away, not fast like it had been alarmed. Just like it was done eating. 

“Good,” you murmured, watching it go. “How do you feel?” 

He wiped his hand off on the grass, shrugging after a moment. “That was… interesting.” 

You laughed quietly. “Yeah, I remember. Okay. Think about it. How many more times do you think you need to feed the iguanodon?”

“Once.” He blinked after he spoke, like he hadn't quite meant to say that. 

You nodded knowingly. “See what I meant?”

He huffed, but his lips twitched in amusement. “I do see,” he agreed. “So, what now?” 

“Now we head back. Or, I suppose we could do a bit of hunting while we're out.” You stood up and stretched, working out some of the ache that had settled in your muscles while you waited. 

He stood with a little grunt, nodding for you to lead the way. 

“So? How'd it go?” Soap asked as soon as you two were close enough, clearly intensely curious. 

Leaving that one to Price, you simply rolled your eyes and tucked the bag of berries away again for now. Right. How best to divide the group of you…

“Gaz, you and I are going to gather berries. You three can hunt.” 

Gaz didn't even protest, just nodded once to you. 

By now, you trusted those three enough to not get themselves hurt while hunting, so you just whistled to the two tames and started looking for berry bushes. Gaz kept pace with you easily, glancing over at you every so often. 

“Think I could tame a hyaenadon?”

You snorted. “Sure,” you agreed with an easy shrug. “If you really want to, we'll figure it out.”

He grinned. “I'd like that.” 

You chuckled. “She is sweet,” you agreed, looking down at her. “We'll see if we can find you one to tame in a decent area.” 

“Thanks.” Gaz grabbed an empty bag and started picking berries. You stopped at the next bush down, focusing on not getting pricked. A soft curse from Gaz made you chuckle. 

“Thorns?” You asked, deceptively mild. 

“It was hiding,” he grouched, making you smile. 

Companionable silence fell between you as you focused on picking berries, moving around each other easily. 

“Think you'll make more of those biscuits?” Gaz couldn't quite keep the hopeful note from his voice. 

You laughed softly, shaking your head in amusement. “That fond of them, huh? Yeah, I'll make more. Although we'll need to find a supply drop soon, I'm getting low on some things.” 

“We'll find another one soon, I bet.” Gaz tied off his bag and went to get another, wandering off to find a different type of berry. You just watched him go, a little ache in your chest. 

They'd all learned fast, had taken to living here more easily than anyone else you'd seen. It was incredible, and heartening. 

Even if something happened to you, they'd be fine. 

The rest of berry gathering went quickly and quietly, and the two of you went back to see what progress the others had made with meat. 

Between you and Price, it didn't take long to get things packed up on Bessie. (Soap still eyed the dino with mistrust, but he was coming around.) Soap and Ghost took the lead, Soap chatting as they walked. Price walked next to Bessie, keeping an eye on the rear, leaving you and Gaz walking together in the middle of the group. 

Everything was fine. You didn't see any movement around you, didn't hear anything unusual. 

Soap shouted ahead of you, and a gun boomed through the relative quiet. You took off, swearing when you spotted the long body on the ground. 

“Fuck,” you hissed, skidding to a halt at Soap's side. “Did it bite you?”

“Aye,” Soap hissed, looking down at his leg. “Burns.” 

“Shit.” You dropped to your knees, leaning closer. Sure enough, blood seeped from the bite mark, punctures clear from the fangs. 

You didn't have anything for this at base. Not for a titanoboa bite. 

“Get on Bessie,” you ordered, pushing back to your feet. “Now.” 

“But–” Soap looked confused for a moment. Ghost, fortunately, didn't care, and bodily moved Soap to the trike. Price didn't ask, just helped shove the mohawked man up onto the dino. 

“We need to move.” You didn't look back at them, just started towards the base. Gaz kept pace with you, shooting worried looks towards you. But you didn't say another word the entire way back to base, too busy thinking of what needed to be done. 

This was not going to be easy. You felt like a fool for not having anything for a titanoboa bite. But you hadn't seen one for a long time, hadn't thought they came to this area… 

It was still your fault. You hadn't prepared them for all the dangers of this place. 

You hadn't been prepared for this. 

If Soap died… 

No. No, you weren't going to let that happen. 

You pulled the gate open and ushered the others in. “Get him inside,” you said, glancing at Soap, who had gone pale and sweaty already. 

“What can we do?” Price asked, even as he helped Ghost get Soap down from on top of Bessie. 

“Get everything else inside,” you answered, barely waiting for Soap to be out of the way before you started unloading bags. “Keep him cool. Do whatever you have to, but he will be running a fever.” 

“There must be something else,” Gaz pressed as he took some things from you. 

“No,” you snapped. “You all are staying here. I am getting the things I need for the antidote.” 

“One of us should go with you,” Price argued, even as he took things from you too. 

“No. I'm taking Ripper. Nothing else will keep up with him.” You pulled off one of the bags from Bessie's side, putting it aside and unloading the second bag. 

“Let us finish this,” Price ordered, coming back out with Gaz. “Do what you need to get ready.” 

You didn't bother arguing, just dropped everything and jogged over to Ripper's paddock. The raptor huffed at you, prancing in place a little. 

“I know,” you murmured. “Hold still.” It took a little longer than you liked to get his saddle on and fastened properly. It had been a while since you'd ridden Ripper. But you finished and led him out of his paddock. 

“How long will you be gone?” Gaz hovered nearby, shifting his weight as he watched you. 

“Don't know,” you admitted, glancing at him for only a moment before the guilt threatened to render you useless. “I'll be as fast as I can, I swear.” 

“Be safe.” Gaz stepped closer, taking your hand and squeezing it. “Okay? Come back safe.” 

“I'll bring back what we need,” you promised instead. It didn't matter if you were safe. Speed was more important than safety. It mattered that you saved Soap, nothing else. 

Gaz squeezed your hand again, but didn't press the issue. Instead he backed up, giving you and Ripper room. 

“Stay,” you told the hyaenadon finally, leading Ripper to the gate. “Keep him hydrated and cool,” you reiterated to Gaz. “Whatever it takes.” 

But you didn't give him time to respond. You pulled yourself up into the saddle and clicked your tongue at Ripper. Finally free to run, the raptor took off, long strides eating up distance much faster than any other tame you'd ever seen. Except maybe a horse. 

You knew where you needed to go. You knew what you needed to get. But you didn't know what you'd encounter along the way. 

Dammit. 

But you wouldn't let Soap die. Not on your watch.

[bishonenvoicedbyadyke]

made my pilgrimage to see saint armand <3 <3 <3

interesting to see that in real life the boy's skin is much darker, the whole painting is actually. i think the version they used in the show was based on the official photo on the louvre website and this reproduction is too contrasted and exposed.

[99redragons]

Wow, I agonized over this post way too long. Here it is, finally. I was gonna make this a reblog but i think since it's referencing multiple posts (and boy it got super long and added a related theory) this is better on its own. This is furthering @gin-juice-tonic's analysis of the tBoB journal pages. Heavy tBoB spoilers, and warning for the darker content it has. (some swearing too) I'm convinced now they're a warped version of events and downright fake for some, however, I believe many are real.

...But did Ford remember them? "I can delete memories randomly, just for fun. Maybe I already have." I do NOT think Bill could erase everything. He probably can only erase small/recent sections. But this is a big part of my theory.

But first, Gin's points. (using some of your pics for this Gin, hope you dont mind) I'm not going to post every journal page, but I'll give a ref for ones that seem important.

Okay, this is the post that actually convinced me (went through the links from tapas, the first is sure suspicious, but the second has pretty compelling evidence.) Ford referred to Fiddleford as F through the whole of journal 3 (aside from in code), and Bill as his Muse until the reveal, he wouldn't suddenly change the way he refers to people, even if he planned to rip out the pages, in which case, why would you write them in the first place?

On the first link (this one), this appears to be an embellished story. When you look at it from bill's perspective, he's reminiscing. He lies to himself. He's making it seem like Ford and Bill hit it off immediately, and while in a way, they did, it probably wasn't like this. I'll buy Ford used Cipher's line back at him, but the jovial way they banter is just so Bill. Ford would emphasize how he felt, the mysteries he was thinking about, his reverence for his Muse. He probably wouldn't recount it line for line when he was so secretive in journal 3. Bill makes it seem like they were more like equals, when in reality he likely relished the devotion and divine status Ford attributed to him. Also, "Cipher Speaks" is in Bill's handwriting from the sticky notes. could be coincidence? I think not. 'Ford' also describes it as the "GREATEST. DAY. OF MY LIFE." This mirrors bill's earlier statements about the reader's life being forever changed after meeting bill. According to Bill, meeting him is the highest moment of anyone's life, right?

In an additional post, Gin explains how Bill didn't tell Ford he was from another dimension. Ford had to find that out at the betrayal. So, all this taken, those two pages at least are fake.

For the third link, this one, while from Doylist perspective, Alex wanted the book to have fun little callbacks, from Watsonian, Bill simply can't help himself. Bill loves trying to be funny. He's trying to keep the reader hooked, and keeping the story interesting through callbacks is one way to do that. Some of these are Bill, some are self-referential because Bill's talking about real events from the past. (rats, cipherite suit, Small World cassette, we'll get to those later)

Bill has a habit of telling the truth through his lies. What I mean by that is, if he is repeating himself through actions or words, it's probably because there's some truth to it. If he's contradicting himself, there's something he's hiding. He'll claim he has no weaknesses, but later admit he does. He'll say he has no exes, only to reference exes later. So, we can glean truths from the lies he's telling in the pages.

I think Alex is a good enough writer to keep Ford and his writing (mostly) in character. He's made retcons/continuity errors before, but he knows the fandom will pick apart everything and find them, and will have a reason for it. There's definitely some fake pages, which begs the question, which are real?

One detail I want to point out is the vignette/burn marks on the edges of some of the pages. My secondary theory is about these. (And no, it doesn't indicate they were fake.) I'll explain later.

Assumptions/disclaimers: The pages we're shown are roughly chronological, though skip forward where surviving J3 pages would go. Pages aren't realistically double-sided like they would be in J3, these are inserted into tBoB magically. I don't have a blacklight version of J3, so I'm probably missing a little bit of context there. References J3 quite a few times, so this post works best if you are able to reference both books. I can go into detail and post more pictures for any sections that aren't clear.

First off, 'Lost in the woods'. This one I believe is real, because Ford's (author's cipher) codes are in it. This code is consistently used in the book whenever Ford inserts a page, even on the moth. For Bill to use this code would break the established pattern Alex has made. However, I agree with Gin that Bill intentionally placed this page to establish Ford as lonely, and thus make Bill look better for befriending him in contrast. I don't think it's that odd for Ford to talk about his social awkwardness, he talks about his childhood bullying pretty frankly, specifically on a page meant to be an author's About Me. However, he did rip this one out, so I think he was trying to ignore his feelings by hiding this page. No vignette.

'Cipher speaks', as we've discussed, is likely a fake/altered meeting. Vignettes on both pages. On the second page you can see where it looks burnt in one corner, and there's even tear marks like there's a page missing there, perhaps their real first meeting. It's also strange for Ford to draw himself like that.

'My Muse & Me'- Ford refers to Bill as his Muse again. Despite my doubts (I went back and forth on this one), I think this one has to be real. We find on the website computer (code: Fordtramarine) that Ford tried to submit a paper on fordtramarine. In that paper he refers to an 'extradimensional entity' and 'two-dimensional'. He shouldn't know that Bill is interdimensional at this point, so Ford must mean 'outside of physical reality', as in, the astral plane. Though, there's a painting of 'a muse' in the paper. Wasn't Bill supposed to be secret? Perhaps he thought he could get away with that small reference? Perhaps this paper was submitted more recently? I don't like the idea that things from the website are also fake, since it would be strange for Bill to have such narrative control there. The website seems to reveal things Bill can't control, even if Bill is talking. This page also establishes more timeline. This is saying that not only could Bill freely move in and out of Ford's mind within a year, he had full access to alter it as well, ahead of their deal before the test. This page is probably to make it seem appealing to let Bill into your mind. It also serves a purpose of showing us Ford had let Bill fully into his mind at this point in the story Bill's weaving. I am curious why would Ford hide this only to submit a paper on it, just to keep his Muse secret? And those damn red triangles, did Bill draw those, implying he could possess Ford before their deal? No burns/vignette. The neighboring pages both have it, why not this one?

June 15th- There is direct dialogue from Bill quoted, however, he refers to Bill as his Muse. Wouldn't Ford be creeped the hell out by the rat thing, and be alarmed that Bill possessed things just to kill them? I think this page was real, but was ripped out by Bill. Heavy vignette.

(Sorry for the poor quality, my phone camera is awful)

At this point I should explain: I think the burn/vignette represents Bill 'burning away' memories/altering them. Ford's memories, but possibly even the reader's. I want to be clear; I don't mean Bill erased the entire memory of the page, I mean Bill erased at least some part of those events. When it's heavy around the edges, heavier manipulation. It also could indicate which ones Bill burned/destroyed. More evidence for this later.

Karaoke page- How did Bill convince Ford to drink with him after the rat thing? Bill made him forget it was Bill. "The rats were his idea?" Yeah, he told you that right away, why did he need to tell you again? While probable this happened, the writing from Ford is sus. "This Bill guy, he's really got it all figured out"? Sounds a bit like Bill talking. The drawing is strangely detailed, too. 'Dancing queen' (disco girl's parody origin) was released in '76, so that lines up time wise, at least. Likely altered/created to make Bill seem friendlier. Either could have destroyed this one if there was a real version. Vignette.

A Voice from the Past spread- He says 'my Muse', but then mentions Bill by name, which indicates it's altered. Is the first bit real, then? Why would Ford rip out this important page revealing his muse's origin and past? His curiosity would overtake wanting to keep it secret, surely? And conversely, why would Bill fabricate it? To make himself seem more sympathetic? However, there is another explanation. There is the possibility Bill erased the memories of this conversation and it really happened in some form. Bill probably realized after revealing this information to Ford it could ruin his plans. Some vignette at the top, mostly on the right page. In that is a drawing of space and a code. The code says 'forget the past." Coincidence, or purposeful on a page for a conversation Bill made Ford forget? Bill could have ripped out the pages (if they existed) himself. It's also important to note Bill is trying to isolate Ford here, which is another reason he'd hide the pages/alter memories of talking about Stanley. Also, if Bill erased the phone number from Ford's mind later, it would make sense why Ford had to send a postcard.

A Winter Break/The Krampus adventure. Where would these pages have gone if they were real? It was January for the test, so it was before the deal, but after the bunker? Gin mentioned it feeling 'off' and strange because it's just Krampus, nothing weird or Gravity Falls-y about it, and I agree. And also, Fidds knocking it out feels... weird. I think that story is fabricated with some real details thrown in. Fidds is noticeably shaken up after, but otherwise the whole story seemed almost whimsical, and just...weird, and not in the GF way. It's fake. Ford goes back inside after looking outside in Time Traveler's Pig. He doesn't come outside onto the porch at all. You could say he comes back out after that, maybe. You could say it's a retcon. But we know the children's footprints were Dipper and Mabel, not random kidnapped kids. (Bill likely wouldn't expect the reader to know this.) My eyes are also drawn to the green and red rectangles. The festive theming bring to mind a Christmas special, and how often are those only partly canon? So, then what's real about it? I believe the gloves, and possibly the snow globe was real, since they come up again later. I believe if there was a monster, Ford (or bill possessing ford 'then-DARKNESS') fought it off, traumatizing Fidds even more. Something made Fidds shaken up. Fidds and Ford probably spent Christmas together. And Bill did warn Ford about Fidds' second thoughts (mentioned in J3). Did Fiddleford notice Ford forgetting things? Did he assume Ford was simply unshaken by what happened? For me what seals the deal is the heavy vignette around those pages. Bill altered his memories of what happened and is telling us this story instead, probably to make it seem not as bad, so Ford wouldn't be so angry that Bill wasn't there/realize that he possessed Ford. I'm also suspicious of the "Trust No One." at the end. Did this phrase really come from Bill? Wouldn't Bill be saying 'Trust me'? To be honest, it's possible the last page here was half a real conversation, but the way Ford suddenly changes his tune is strange AF and I suspect shenanigans for it. And the things Bill says are very different from 'F is not bold enough to follow through.' (J3 code, An Encounter) Also, most of these pages seem to have no reason to be ripped out, aside from mentioning Stan by name/drawing them, but he could have crossed that out, and the last page which Ford would have hidden from Fidds. If they were real in some form, Bill probably destroyed them to hide the truth.

Stanley memories pages- Real, not much to say about those. Goes after Bill's warning. Probably legitimately torn out by Ford since he'd want to keep these pictures before hiding J3. Though I do notice they are covering up a lot of red triangles, perhaps also drawn by Bill. No vignette.

Dream, or warning?- Before Jan. 17th. Real, since I can't see why Bill would make up a warning about himself. He wants the reader to trust him. The heavy vignette, again, indicates he made Ford forget about it and destroyed the pages before he could solve it, which would probably be easy since it was a dream. The laughter+fire at the end indicates Bill discovered them. Just a fun side note: the song referenced is 'Im your puppet'

"I was wrong about everything" spread- I think goes in the gap where the black scribbled out pages are in J3. Again, the Author's cipher is here, indicating these are real. Vignette again. Bill's possessing Ford a lot, trying to erase the idea of fighting back from his mind(unsuccessfully), likely also hiding these pages. More red triangles.

Bill-proof suit- Goes after The Blind Eye- references being banned from the library, Blind eye mentions still researching Bill. J3 said he discovered the chant to enter someone's mind by researching Bill, so he could also find the anti-cipher society and the cassette. Real. Bill likely destroyed these pages and the previous ones to try and slow down Ford and erase his plans to destroy Bill. Vignette.

Zom-bills to Looky Here: After 'Ways to hide', as Zom-bills is written in invisible ink, but before the truck stop. (This would require Ford to have written on the right page first, then Bill tore the rest of these out, but not a huge stretch) Bill is fucking with Ford hard. He's probably taking his anger out on Ford while simultaneously trying to bully and manipulate him like he would do to his henchmaniacs, as he says later. Vignette on most of these- he's constantly possessing Ford and making him black out, trying to manipulate his memory to make him compliant/torture him. Bill likely destroyed the cassette+the memory of it so it couldn't be used against him, as Ford presumably never gets the chance to. Why he's showing the reader this? He thinks it's funny. He could also be hoping to scare the reader, if the reader knows what he's capable of, they'll be more afraid, and fear and love are the same, right? Notably the sticky note page is only a little darkened, probably because Bill genuinely was trying to talk at first. I can't find any evidence that these are fake, but there's no codes indicating they're real either. I think they were real, but Bill destroyed at least some of them.

(Side note: Computer code: Oroborous. Curiously uses Bill's cipher, bill writes in J3 too. These pages are also vignetted. Bill wouldn't like Ford knowing he showed fear. He also purposefully didn't give the reader these 'missing pages', because he hates them and doesn't want to reveal his fear.)

Polaroids- Did Ford destroy this himself like the VHS? Trying to avoid being blamed for things Bill did? Just ashamed/horrified? Curiously, no vignette on the polaroids (this could be just to have the full page visible), or Bill wanted Ford to remember these to have the threat sink in fully. Probably actually happened, Bill doesn't really have a reason to fake these pages as they make him look worse/scarier.

Blackness/'No' pages: This is largely where my theory that vignette=memory manipulation makes the most sense, The darkness overtaking the page represents bill's influence and control, and stops resembling the journal pages much (though it could be invisible ink again). He can mess with Ford's mind as much as he likes. If these pages were ever real, Bill could have destroyed them himself too. Bill's pretty much telling the story here.

Fidds page, S page- Gin made another excellent post pointing out the problems with these. They're a bit redundant when compared to J3, aren't they? And in oddly specific ways. The use of the brother code indicates they're real, though. If Bill erased Ford's memories of these pages, him basically re-writing them makes sense, and also Ford going from 'the caves hold the answer' to 'the caves might hold the answers', the snow going from 'begun to fall' to 'has fallen', and going 'fidds wont speak to me'! instead of 'my assistant has clearly left me'. In some way Ford has probably retained a bit of his plans, but its not a stretch to say he'd loop his train of thought after losing memories. The "I grow maddened" at the edge is very shaky and blurry, which could reflect the shaky and blurry memory.

I also notice (this has probably been pointed out before) now in J3 that only once outside of Gravity Falls (route 14) can Ford plan clearly. Perhaps Cipher's influence is weaker outside the town? It makes sense. if Ford sent the postcard and made his plan while free(ish) of Bill's meddling, that's why Bill couldn't just erase his memory of his plan again.

So...yeah! Some are definitely fake. Some are placed or altered intentionally to serve a narrative. Bill could be manipulating the reader's and ford's memory to have never seen these pages. Some of these memories could have been simply warped, or erased later- not right away. I'll be honest I don't love the implication that Bill can just manipulate Ford's memories freely, so I'm sure there are significant limitations to it. Bill has to stall for the whole book and give away a lot of secrets in order to change the reader's brain enough for him to be satisfied, and even then it's not enough to make the reader give in. Bill's abilities are much less than he purports. He also says that the person can notice his 'tune-ups', so there is only so much he could alter someone's brain before they notice. However, if he's been messing with Ford's head this long, he'd have a big advantage. Is the explanation that Bill erased Ford's memory a little lazy? ...Yeah? But it also kind of heightens how badly Ford was being manipulated and why he got so paranoid and unhinged there. It lets a lot of these puzzle pieces fit together that wouldn't otherwise.

My vignette theory isn't super strong, I'll admit, but I think it definitely indicates something, given some pages don't have it when they could have. They could also simply indicate those pages were burned, though it being on the fake pages makes less sense then. Bill having destroyed the pages himself makes sense for a lot of the pages, but I cant rule out the possibility Ford did destroy some of them out of frustration/shame.

Something I also realized while going through J3 again is how many 'doodles' in J3 involve red triangles. (you can see an example on Frilliam's page) The triangles I assumed were Ford's obsession with Bill, but what if they were Bill's obsession? For another post perhaps.

So, what do y'all think? Ideas? Agree? Disagree? Things I missed? Questions? Something huge that shatters my whole theory? Let me know!

[justevelynnnn]

Black and Purple.

Notes: So now i like Mr. Hitoshi. I used to reallyyy like him a couple yrs ago and ig here we r again🤭 So basically this is gonna be a mini series of mine like idk 3 posts? I don’t wanna call them chapters..

Content: Hitoshi Shinso x afab, Blk!Goth!reader

- You were weird. You’re quirk was weird and so was the music you listen to or how you dressed which, could be blamed on your quirk.

- When you were younger, like up until kindergarten, you were really feminine and pink and peppy. Until you got your quirk.

- When you were 5 it activated for the first time. It was halloween and you dressed up as a witch. Door to door you tried to look as scary as possible. You got to your neighbors house and when she opened the door you stood and did your creepiest face knocking she was terrified of witches. Oh this would be good.

- Hmmm, it was maybe a bit too good…

- She opened the door and screamed. You and your mother were a bit taken aback..you were 5 were you really that scary?

- Turns out the neighbor saw a much more creepier version…

- You later learned that your quirk was meant to play on people’s fears and paranoia causing people to hallucinate or hear things not there. The doctor you saw called it paranoia. So that was it, your quirk was just Causing paranoia.

- Your parents had emotion related quirks too but this? It seemed….villainous.

- Your life changed that day. Kids were scared of you. Teachers too. You only got good grades even if you didn’t try on work. You could do anything and never get in trouble because if people knew what you could do to them it was over.

- You spent most of your life from that day lonely and sad. You always wanted to be a hero but this was just such an obstacle. You started getting darker..

- And this appearance change did not help your case at all.

- Anyways time skip to your UA days. Yes you got in. But not in the way you hoped.

- You were in class C.

- You we’re jealous of the lucky people in Classes A and B. But you felt if you tried hard enough you could get bumped up.

- The first few weeks of school you just sat in the back of the class. You didn’t really speak to anyone.

- However you did start to catch a certain purple hair boy staring at you often.

-One day you finally looked over at him and asked, “What do you want?”

- He shrugged and went back to doing his work.

- You knew him just a little and mostly because his quirk. Secretly you wanted to get to know him more and his quirk. But you had become so anti social you just couldn’t. He didn’t seem the type to strike up conversation either but luckily for you he was interested enough in you to try.

- “Hey.”

- You looked up from packing your backpack as class was over.

-Quirking an eyebrow you wanted to know what this guy wanted now.

- “What do you want?”

- “Careful, i’m trying to be nice here Morticia.”

- “Ok, i’m sorry, but no one talks to me out of nowhere.”

- “Interesting… I wonder why..”

- You rolled your eyes. Was he playing dumb, being sarcastic?

- “How about you? You don’t seem so popular yourself sir.”

- “No i’m not…and i think it’s because of my you know what..”

- “Same here.” You thought about this next part, “Wanna talk about it?”

- He didn’t seem like much of a talker especially about his quirk but he took interest in you so it’s only fair you do the same back.

- To your surprise he nodded. Then he added, “Only if you talk about your situation too.”

- So you two left class and walked around talking about your quirks and how it isolated you both from everyone. You talked about your get up and he talked about why he has eyebags.

- You learned you both had almost the same life, we’re night owls, had the same ambitions and loved cats.

- Before you both knew it, it was dark out.

- “Thanks for talking to me, Shinso. I haven’t said this many words since my junior high science project presentation.”

- He chuckled slightly and thank you back.

- He walked you to the street your house was at and waved goodbye.

- You never had a crush on anyone but Shinso…he evoked a whole new feeling.

- Everyday you two would talk about any and everything. It was so nice to see him open up. And surprisingly he was such a gentleman too..

- The sports festival was coming up and you really wanted to go but said nothing. You saw Shinso signing up one day and asked him about it.

- “You’re really serious about this huh?”

- He just nodded.

- “Well, i believe in you Shin..” You smiled.

- “I think you’d do pretty good out there too yknow. You should sign up. Scare some of those pros.”

- You were shocked. He really believed in you? You barely believed in yourself. You were extremely lacking in the physical department so you were nervous to go up against anyone honestly. You wondered how Shinso was so brave himself. If someone doesn’t answer him it would be over..

- “You really think so??” You asked.

- He just nodded again and handed you the pen as he walked away.

-You stares at the sign up sheet for a bit. And then you did the unthinkable.

- You wrote your name.

- The day came and you were a wreck. You didn’t even do your usual makeup and kept your face bare.

- Shinso noticed your face and patted your back. “You’ll do amazing. Even if you don’t, you tried and that’s saying something right?”

- He smiled. He was not the best motivational speaker but he helped you just a tad.

- When it was your turn you were up against some green haired boy named Izuku. He had just defeated your friend so you were a bit fired up now. You saw all he could do was flick his fingers and send waves of power out which was..odd.

- Your quirk allowed you to see people’s fears and anxieties. You quickly accessed this boy, peering into his life. You saw what he was afraid of. Failure.

- You stared into his soul as the game started and activated your quirk. He started to attack but stopped once he heard, booing?

- He started to look around and see people pointing at him and laughing and booing his name and gagging and and and.. what was happening??? He was frozen.

- Then he heard whispers in his ear. Like the most unmotivatonal things ever. The sky got darker and you started your final move. You snapped your fingers and he looked at you to see your eyes roll back to your head as you smiled your most creepiest smile ever as it started “raining” burning metors. Izuku ran out the ring in pure fear to avoid get “hit”.

- The whole time you just stood there smiling an of course the snapping your fingers part. Once Izuku was out of bounds he saw how reality finally snapped back.

- You won..

- Well you didn’t win in the end, losing to Bakugo, but you got 4th place.

- And still plenty of pros came over to you to ask you how your quirk worked and offered you internships. Even kids from Class 1-A came to talk to you. It was amazing to be seen for once. You were quite popular now in fact.

- Later you heard a voice; “See i knew you’d do great…” Shinso said after everything was over and the room you were in was empty.

- You then ran up to him and hugged him. He was shocked. He wasn’t used to touches but here you were. The most prettiest girl ever, hugging him.

-“Thank you…” You said into his chest.

- He blushed and looked away. “Don’t mention it…”

- “No, really. You just changed my fucking life dude…Thank you so much.” You said pulling back looking him in his eyes.

- He just smiled.

- You held his hand as you two left that day. Your heart filled with joy. It wouldn’t be long before He asked you out finally…😉

More notes: anyways if y’all haven’t seen on my latest post, i started college and i work so i’m like really busy everyday, all the time. So idk the posts r gonna be kinda slow 😭👋🏾 but yeah i’m still alive, i still got my plug!connie and nerd!armin drafts but i’m saving those for when i’m really slumped and can’t put nothing out for a while so if ur waiting sorry 😵‍💫😔 also this is not proofread…

[mycrofts-umbrella]

Hiii! 28 fem here, I'm **not** replacing anyone, just looking for anyone who would be interested in more stories with me. I have more time to write so if you are 21+ please don't hesitate to send me a dm! Most random stuff but willing to do original characters as well! I love talking ooc, it helps keep me engaged and I love plotting and collaborating! Can do some days of rapid fire responses, other times it might take a few days. I know real life comes first and I will always be patient so no worries. Would love to hear from you!

Here are some of the fandoms with pairings/tropes I like:

**Spock/Kirk** - Wholesome sci-fi adventures, potential for shorter procedural missions, would ideally want to expand and write other members of the enterprise as needed (such as Bones, Sulu, Nyota, Chekov, Scotty, Nurse Chapel, etc.), would play/write either characters

**Charles/Erik** - Friends to Lovers to Enemies, would do either post xmen first class cherik or would do older versions of them, darker themes, I would prefer to write Erik in this because I don't think I can do the optimistic Charles justice, we need to plot further with this one cause I would be down for lots of ideas

**Deadpool/Spider-Man** - slooooooow burn to even get to friends then maybe 🌈, would mainly start as Deadpool and Spider-Man running into each other doing work/patrols in the city and mexican food, prefer to write as Deadpool but would be willing to write Peter

**Deadpool/Wolverine** - post movie, Logan has nightmares, differences in their timelines, Logan visits this universe's version of the X-Men. Would be open to writing either.

**Harry/Hermione** - my preference would be to start sometime during deathly hallows after Ron left and Harry and Hermione are still dealing with the Horcrux, and writing either is good with me

**Hannibal/Will** - MURDER HUSBANDS 4EVER, post fall, (or I also have very many ideas for this ship, oh man), I would loooove to play Will for once in my friggin life but I would also understand that your sweet soul could not handle Hannibal and I have experience writing hanni

**Lestat/Louis** - set season 2 finale, during the hurricane, sweet *sweet* depressing vampire cuddles while mourning our daughter crying blood, but I get that's a LOT to start so also start of s3 rockstat era, Louis doing Lestat's makeup, would write either, genuinely love these two, tho more experience writing Lestat

**Daniel/Armand** - devil's minion era, or post season 2 TV show devil's minion, Armand IS ALICE au(?), open to writing either (would also do a one shot for Daniel/Louis)

**Crowley/Aziraphale** - I prefer writing Crowley but that's cause I have a very specific view of him and his feelings for Aziraphale, however I do like writing Aziraphale too, post season 2, or lots of different ideas for this one too

**Joker/Akechi** - set p5r term 3, OR Akechi has a palace that they do after Sae’s palace and before Shido’s cause I think Akechi should get to do a patricide, or whenever joker sleeps and goes to the Velvet Room, Akechi is there or they know they are the two tricksters from the start and Joker starts in the metaverse with Akechi and Joker knows about Akechi’s murders but Akechi is his only family until he finally meets the phantom thieves and starts to pull away from Akechi and wants to turn him in

**Lucy/The Ghoul/Cooper Howard** - heterosexuals strike again, post season finale as they track down Kyle McLaughlin and figure out what is happening, would probably prefer to play The Ghoul but I would also like Lucy too so IDK not a hard preference actually

**Hughie/OC** - AU he leaves the boys and lives a normal life and is cherished for ONCE in his ridiculous existence, would be fine with either male or female OC just not starlight sorry Annie January you have a cool name but your powers kinda suck and ur personality is idk I just think him and Kimiko would have been cute 🥰

**Homelander/OC** - again I'm fine with male or female and would prefer to write the OC but am open to it. OC could be someone new joining The Seven or someone he somehow met during his childhood (maybe even Sage or Hughie)

**Tyrion Lannister/Daenerys Targaryen** - rewind a few seasons, take things slower then follow the journey to King's Landing and the Red Keep, maybe when they first met, would write either but have more experience as Daenerys. (Sidenote: I also ship Jorah/Dany and Tyrion/Varys so same thing)

**AU / Tropes** I like and would do with ANY of the ships and characters above or even OCs:

Soulmate AU

Hanahaki disease

Teammates/Roommates

Childhood best friends

Enemies-to-lovers

Coffeeshop (always - one exists in every fandom and ship)

Stockholm syndrome 🕊️

Powers OR (No Powers for fandoms that have supes, mutants, magic, etc. )

Amnesia where person A wakes up and doesn't remember person B but wrongly (rightly) assumes person B is their spouse/significant other or just memory loss of critical moments

If you're interested at all, my dms are open! Thank you! 🖤🫶🏼🩵

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers : 2x04 Victory (Part 2)

Welcome back, Gentle Readers, to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

Alright, guys, we're getting into the return of Marina. For better or worse, let's do this!

Lady Crane

Colin is very serious in his carriage ride over to see Marina again. Is he nervous, anxious, unsure of what he's going to get once he's there? All of that - yes?

I love his tophat, though, notice in Season 3 they don't bring that back? Because they didn't want to ruin Colin's hair ;)

Also, is it just me or does the carriage almost look like the backseat of a car here?

I have no deep meta for this. I just wanted to get a better look at his outfit. Just going to throw out there that there was a recent-ish interview with the costume designer that stated the pastels were for a younger version of Colin, and that Season 3 he gets darker, solid colors to signify that he's grown up. Interesting, right?

It's always amusing to me when the level of detail put into things like costumes, props, acting choices, etc, etc, are more thought out than the writing. Because, I may adore this show, but I can't claim the writing is blowing anyone away.

Anyway, Colin does do a little tug on his coat and takes in a deep breath before heading inside - he's ready to face whatever is waiting for him. (And technically, nothing is waiting, since he's arriving unannounced.) Just another instance of how chaotic Colin can be.

Okay, I kind of love the Crane house. It's nice and bright and open and rather inviting. It also looks like the nicest warm day there.

Anyway, so Colin is a bit restless as he waits. When Marina finally arrives, he immediately forgets himself - and calls her Marina, and then Miss Thompson, and then finally Lady Crane before remembering to bow. (Now, the whole bowing thing is going to be phased out, but it's a nice touch here to show he's forgotten himself a bit.

And this is what I think is interesting -- Marina doesn't look unhappy to see him. In fact, she seems amused if nothing else. I don't think a visit from Colin is necessarily a problem. It's when he starts to get too clingy to a romanticized idea of what could have been that she gets annoyed. But I also think -- she and Colin wouldn't have made a good match, and she knows this. Colin's brand of uniqueness just isn't her cup of tea, and that's fine, but Colin has to recognize this.

I will say, he is enamored with her baby. So, it's the second time in two episodes that he's going to be cooing over a small child. I think he's going to be be just fine becoming a father at a young age.

He's also taken aback by the fact that she has twins, though not necessarily in a bad way. And he comes over to say hello to Oliver and comment on his -- wigglyness. Which is a kind of funny delivery. This whole sequence starts out in such a light manner. I can only imagine that Colin, himself, was probably a pretty wiggly child.

Interestingly, Marina is pretty chill about the whole thing. Colin is still acting rather nervous, but I have to hand it to Marina that she's handling all of it in stride. She informs Colin that Sir Philip is not around at the moment, since he is out studying flowers. Colin stumbles over an apology for not extending an invitation.

(Like, my dude - how scandalous would this have been? A young bachelor showing up at someone's house while the husband was away. Colin does what he wants and answers to no one, truly.)

Colin states that he just wanted to check in on her after everything that went down the previous year (season? time makes zero sense in this world). Marina does seem happy with her life (and her wiggly baby - she looks like she's about to break, if I'm being honest, but that's not a bad thing - I'm glad Marina looks happy). And she says she's happy to see Colin. He's delighted by this and joins her for tea.

I honestly love the moment he sits down and just says 'hello' to the baby. Idk why, it cracks me up every time. He may still be on his journey to discovering it, but one of Colin's purposes in life is fatherhood. It really is.

Tea Time

We cut away for some time, and come back to Colin and Marina enjoying some tea. And I kind of love some of the subtleties in this little moment. Colin is telling Marina about all the things he experienced in Greece. He's excited to tell her - because she's someone new who will listen, and not his family, who seems to be over his stories.

When Marina states that it sounds like a 'remarkable' journey, Colin makes the pun that it's remarkable in that he has plenty of 'remarks' about it. Which is... such a dad joke. (I mean, we're gonna get that olive pun in a moment, I didn't realize just how much they were pushing in on the geeky!dad vibes they're giving to Colin this season).

But then there's a very - youthful - moment, in which, Colin pulls himself back in, feeling like his excitement is too outlandish, and he plays with his teacup awkwardly. It's such a small moment, but a nice acting choice, as it shows Colin's discomfort for the situation he's in, and how young and inexperienced he is dealing with emotions and relationships. I mean, Colin is a very empathetic character, but not an experienced one, and the crossroads of the two is on display right here.

And then Marina assuages his discomfort by stating, soundly, that she likes his 'remarks'. And I do think she's sincere, that she probably did enjoy the moment away from being strictly a mother and a wife. But she is quick to thank him for stopping by and is kind of ready for him to go. She can entertain him for a few hours, but that's about all she can handle -- for whatever her reasons are.

When Colin stands - he does ask about Sir Philip. Colin hasn't really made his actual intentions for being there clear. I mean, he says he wants to check in on her. But what he's really looking for (in my opinion) is a sense of purpose. If Sir Philip is a dick, then maybe he can rescue her again -- and that romantic fantasy he's been entertaining since he met her can come into play. It's one part -- his hero complex, if he isn't saving someone, well than what use is he? And one part being caught up in romantic fantasy, which Colin has a tendency to do.

At that moment, however, Sir Philip does show up. And you know what? He's actually a delight. He's all smiles, and seems totally fine that his wife has a male suitor, and the minute Colin says 'Greece' he is all in wanting to hear more.

And of course -- we get one of Colin's most famous lines... 'I oiled my way in... that was an olive joke.' I love this ridiculous pun. I love the look Marina gives him like... dude, you are an awkward little bean, aren't you? And I love that not but a few episodes earlier, Penelope was grumpy because no one was appreciating her ridiculous plant puns.

Cause here's my thing... so many of these love stories happen, and I don't know that I fully understand them -- other than, two people are hot and want to bang. And when they actually show two people who are cut from the same cloth, that match each other's freaks, that make sense being in a relationship based on commonalities -- then I really appreciate that. Colin and Penelope don't need to be in the same scenes to get an understanding that the two of them very much have things in common, and undoubtedly appreciate, enjoy, and understand each other's personalities. It's one of the things that endears me to them so much.

Sir Philip doesn't seem to care about Colin's terrible taste in jokes, he's too busy geeking out over plants. Marina rolls her eyes, because my god, she does not care one bit about plants. But Colin definitely seems interested in hearing about the history of said plants in relation to Greece. He jumps on the chance to hang out with Sir Philip.

And this is where I say -- this universe does not have enough friendships. Like, Colin needs a friend. He's got Penelope - who is clearly his bff, but she's going to fill other roles, too. Sir Phillip seems like he could use a friend, as well. Both of them seem a little starved or actual attention and genuine interest. And I do find it kind of hilarious that Marina entertains him for, like, ten minutes but Sir Philip is going to have him over for hours.

How Colin doesn't wise up to the fact clearly, one of these two people he'd rather spend more time with, I don't know. I love him to death, but sometimes he's kinda dumb.

And... that's where I'm stopping for now! More with Penelope attempting society, as well as the end wrap up of Marina :)

[amrass]

8 films that inspire my RDR2 fanfics

So this is for the kind and patient anon who asked me for some movie recs relevant to my writing, and for anyone else who might be interested.

This list has genres like western, drama, crime and horror. Most of the films have darker themes, half are non-English, and some have that surrealistic edge that I try to emulate as a nod towards Rockstar games. I consider fanfics closer to screenplays than literary fiction, and so it feels natural that this list has an emphasis on fun!!!

1. Il Grande Silenzio / The Great Silence (1968)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is my favorite western film of all time. It is a classic, a spaghetti (Italian) western made by Sergio Carbucci ("the second greatest spaghetti western director"), and it has a Morricone score - buuut it is set in snowy mountains as opposed to deserts, have anti-fascist themes and is revisionist and dark.

The main character Silence, who is an outlaw who kills bounty hunters, reminds me of Arthur Morgan, and the main villain, the evil bounty hunter Loco, of Micah Bell. I think it served as an inspiration for them. It's great if you want to get that western atmosphere seen through a colder lense.

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2. Utvandrarna & Nybyggarna / The Emmigrants & The New Land (1971 and 1972)

These two movies are best seen as one imo, as they follow the same Swedish family of farmer immigrants through the 1800s, as they travel across the sea to settle in the USA. These films are great for getting into the history at the time, as they are quite accurate, and might give you a realistic portrait to "lawful" human beings lived and died, such as Abigail and John in RDR1-2. To say it's a harsh life puts it mildly, but there is also joy, and I love how unflinching this film is in showing the life at the time. Great for seeing why it isn't easy for the Van der Linde Gang to settle down.

The last one might be the most relevant since it's set wholly in the USA, but personally I adore the shift from the Scandinavian landscape to the American one, a contrast that helps me describe it better. It has great actors you might associate with Ingmar Bergman films (no one is as good at dying as Liv Ullmann lol, kudos).

PS: PLEASE DON'T WATCH THE NEWER NORWEGIAN REMAKE. THE SWEDISH VERSION IS SUPERIOR.

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3. The Thing (1982)

AHHH I couldn't not put it here, and not only because the main character wears a cowboy hat, or it being my favorite horror film. No, this one is just great for learning how to write tension. The whole movie is super tense, and made more so by the characters being smart, the stakes being high, and the whole setting being used. It’s also gory and FUN.

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4. Le Cercle Rouge / The Red Circle (1970)

Lolol when I first wanted to watch this I got the German one made many years prior, which was pretty meh. Afterwards I watched the correct version, and MAN, truly a great heist film. It really gives young Dutch & Hosea vibes. This one is great how at showing how much planning and carefulness one has to do if one wishes to lead a life of crime, and how it might not save you. It’s also just a cool movie. Old school cool.

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5. Le Trou (1960)

More tension ... And god, the sound picture in this movie is something else. This is a French prison escape film, and can help you if you want to see just how important loyalty is among criminals. It really has that harsh, high testerone vibe to it lololol, and I'm sorry, but the French butts in tight and sexy prison uniforms are a sight to behold.

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6. Sin City (2005)

Okay this is the sort of film I can't watch with just everyone because it's so exploitative and over-the-top, but it's my favorite comic book style movie. It has extreme violence, very sexy men and women in nice coats or underwear, and it's just so much fun. The character Marv reminds me of low honor Arthur Morgan, and Dwight, of high honor John Marston. I love the comics too. Just know that this isn't for everyone, but it is very me.

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7. Female Trouble (1974)

LOLOL another film that isn't for everyone, but it's kind of considered mandatory viewing if you're queer. I know this is an odd choice to inspire RDR2 fics, but I write crack fics, and believe it or not they require work as humor requires a degree of form, seriousness and precision.

I love also John Waters so much, I remember watching this exact movie with my first queer friend at sixteen and we were like, hugging and kissing each other in sheer joy. I am inspired by this type of surralist, over-the-top, dark humor across all my stories. Tbh if Divine showed up in the Rockstar universe, probably toned down for Rockstar due to marketing reasons, would you be surprised? I'd love to see her on a horse spray painted with glitter.

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8. The Hateful Eight (2015)

I almost translated this movie title into Italian just for fun, but ... Yeah, I guess I had to kind of end this list with a circle composition, what with The Hateful Eight being inspired by Il Grande Silenzio and all, and those two GIFS before the list being from the film.

I grew up with Tarantino movies, and when I watched this in the cinema I liked it but was underwhelmed. It's only after rewatching it a couple of times that I started to really, really like it. I like and understand the references, I love the atmosphere, it just helps remind me how fun a movie can be. It's also great for giving characters the necessary degree of coolness. I reference this one a lot in all my works, and would love to do write a fic directly inspired by this.

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That was it! I can mention some more movies I like that are kind of relevant to this list: Army of Shadows, Django, Man Without a Past, Werckmeister Harmonies, Jackie Brown, Diary of a Country Priest, The Price of Fear (French one!), Event Horizon, Hellraiser, Braindead, Green Room, Rec, Withnail and I, Ravenous …

I always welcome movie recs! Just know that I got specific tastes lol.

Thanks for reading!

[milesconure]

They never came.

So Welcome To The Dark Side exists, but I actually once imagined even darker version of this AU. So dark that I decided that writing it would be impossible for me. Maybe a scene or two I could write as oneshots, but not the entire thing, because it would break my heart.

In original WTTDS story I simply changed the episodes from Naboo to Hoth. Rowan gets blackmailed by Naare into helping her with finding the Kyber crystals, Naare reveals to him that she wants more and wants to train him on the Dark Side, Rowan then escapes from her on Zoh, almost escapes entirely, Naare captures him again, they go to Hoth, find the crystal, Zander and Kordi swoop in and save him, they take the crystals and leave Naare behind. But then the story continues like in canon show so Rowan then seperates from Kordi and Zander yada yada the same thing, only with small changes, but that's basically it.

The darker version (is this even a pun-) would go differently on Hoth. Basically Kordi and Zander wouldn't be able to find them and would never come to rescue Rowan. Desperate Rowan would take his last chance to free himself from Naare and actually destroys the Kyber crystal, hoping this would convince Naare to just leave him alone. But this motivates Naare even further. No Kyber Saber? Okay then. Let's pour my frustration on this kid and completely turn him to the Dark Side. And she basically takes him away to train him and make him another Sith.

But, despite the AU being darker, it still ends, hm, "well". If I can use the word well in the first place, because it's not pretty. Rowan is gone for about 3 months while training under Naare's wing, but he never looses his determination to go back to his siblings. After 3 months he finally has a succesful escape attempt. But this last attempt is only succesful, because Naare got killed by Rowan in self defense when she tried to stop him from leaving. It's darker for a reason.

It ends well, since Rowan manages to find Kordi and Zander and returns home, but not so well, because the whole damage is already done and Rowan would need a long time to heal from that. Kordi and Zander would be there for him though.

Maybe one day I'll write about how relationship between Naare and Rowan would look like if she was his mentor on the Dark Side. I think it could be interesting and I have a lot of ideas for it. I can only assure that there would be nothing extreme. No violence, no gore, like I saw in many fanfics portraying situations like that. Especially since Rowan is a kid.

But yeah it's still too dark to me and I'm bigger fan of wholesome and happy stuff, so that's why I like to see this darker AU as something like nightmares Rowan would sometimes have, doesn't matter if it's in canon show or WTTDS AU.

[fereldanwench]

i'm still holding off final judgement until the gameplay today, but seeing some stills on twitter kind of helped me solidify what i found so off-putting about the style in the companion trailer

although before i post those, a few counter arguments because i'm already tired of ppl bashing the ppl who aren't vibing with it, and my head is clear enough to put these thoughts down:

"cinematic trailers rarely look like the actual game" - true to a point. however: 1) typically cinematic trailers strive to look like a higher definition version of the game, which seems to be the opposite here. in the case of DAO and DA2, i would say the cinematic trailers actually strived for more realism, not stylization, as that was the trend at the time. 2) this is a cinematic trailer, but it is also done in the game engine so it's not unreasonable to assume that the end product is gonna look somewhat similar 3) this was supposed to be their best foot forward so suddenly going "don't worry, it's gonna look better in-game" is just a bad marketing move. it's not on the audience to give this company the benefit of the doubt (particularly in light of all the shit that has gone down there in the past decade)

"not everything has to be super realistic!" - agreed! not liking elements of this particular style doesn't mean i'm opposed to stylization in DA at all. i think DA2 is much more stylized than DAO, and not only does it look nicer, it looks more distinctly dragon age. DAO visually is also very generic, especially for its time. i still love the almost painterly look of DA2, even all these years later

and i think DAI has issues with the character models, especially the uncanny valley disconnect between the really stiff animations and realistic faces (having played it within the past year, they've aged pretty roughly), but in terms of environment and armor and whatnot, it did build off the style presented in DA2 in a way that effectively modernized it for that era. it did go for a more realistic look, but it was cohesive and still distinctly dragon age

"people reacted like this to DA2 and DAI's trailers too" - no, they did not, lmao. DA2's trailers were the reverse--they looked more realistic than the actual game. now there was some backlash against the stylistic choice in the actual game. i remember david gaider talking about it in a panel at dragon con in 2012--apparently ppl were upset that the companions looked like they were made with cosplayers in mind, which i thought was an interesting criticism. but no, the trailers did not get this sort of response.

and DAI's trailers used a lot of in-game footage, and the cinematic ones were both pretty accurate to the game and well-received by the audience. DAI's marketing was also absolutely bonkers and nonstop for like 9 months before the game was released, which in hindsight i think was way too much, but in terms of visuals, we knew exactly what we were getting.

"you guys just think anything with a style to it looks like fortnite" - lmao, okay, yeah, describing it as fornite is probably unfair and inaccurate, but i know for me, i kind of use it as a shorthand to reflect my general dissatisfaction with the way so many 3D styles (in both games and movies) just have this bland, cartoonish look to them. the pixar-ification of everything. i just don't like it.

and the logo with the bright purple and overly smooth text doesn't really help here either. i think a less saturated and darker purple paired with a grungier font would also help in making this feel like less like fornite season 3458345: dragon age avengers.

plus it was originally gonna be a live service game and i think that it still has some of that dna artistically

SO ANYWAY

these stills, which i think are also in-game engine but im not entirely sure if they're from cinematics, gameplay, or just renders but they seem to be in-line with the trailer:

and seeing emmrich and to a lesser extent neve in these pics solidified why the stylization didn't work for me on a visual level (never mind it being paired with the light-hearted planning-for-a-silly-little-heist vibes)

so when i first saw the trailer, and i saw varric, i was like "nice"

he looked like a higher definition, older version of a DA2/DAI hybrid of his model. he looked really good. i thought harding looked good, too. it did take me a minute to realize who she was, but it really wouldn't be a DA trailer if we weren't left wondering who tf a returning character was lmao (remember the confusion over alistair's appearance in one of the DAI trailers? this is actually tradition now)

but as the trailer goes on, the style doesn't even stay consistent--it just gets progressively more cartoonish right up to emmrich, which is the exact moment that made me go WHAT

he looks like a cartoon character. the hard lines in his face, the stiffness of his hair, his overall proportions--he looks like he should be a villain in a pixar movie. like i'm digging his overall vibe and as a concept of a character design, i love it. but this execution of it next to fellow old wrinkled man varric looks so off

and then we go right into davrin who is beautifully rendered and designed--he doesn't look out of place next to varric or harding

some characters have the soft, wispy hair while others have hair that looks like a hard shell with lines carve into it. some characters have finely detailed wrinkles while others have thick, cartoonish ones. some characters have realistic proportions while others have more exaggerated features.

stylization is only effective when it's purposeful and consistent, and from what i've seen so far, it's not. it's all over the place.

so there's my thesis about why i dont like the art direction in the trailer lmao

and like i've been saying since it dropped, i am reserving full judgment for the gameplay reveal, but based on the other stuff bioware has teased, i'm not expecting this aspect to change too much. i've seen other ppl who were on the fan council thing say the tone in the game is more in-line with the tone in the other games, so maybe that'll help smooth out this disconnect