#but i think it would be a layered choice and be beautiful for different reasons like

[apricustar]

Eddie answers the call without opening his eyes.

It can't have been more than an hour since he had finally fallen asleep; he had spent the day in an odd state, waiting and checking his every notification, hoping it was Buck.

He knows Buck is on shift, of course, but Buck usually always finds the time to respond to any number of Eddie’s messages, even if it’s just with his selected heart emoji of the day, or a call on borrowed time to save waiting for a response, both their voices mingling as close as they can while he’s here.

He wasn’t quite asleep, truth be told. There had been a restless itch under his skin all day; a sort of tingling sensation of wrong that had only been exacerbated by not hearing from Buck—an ache that went back to those first few struggling days of him being in El Paso, where he began to silently wonder if everything between them was constrained to Californian borders. But then, Buck texted, and Eddie FaceTimed, and now they haven’t gone a day without either.

So, when Eddie’s phone rings at an ungodly hour, he swings his right hand out to an estimation of where his phone is on his nightstand—score—then answers without the need to look because who could it be but Buck?

“Buck?” he rasps, “Everything okay?”

There’s a pause at the end of the line, a quiet exhale, then a throat clears, and Eddie knows he’s miscalculated.

“Diaz,” Tommy’s voice rings out, far too close to his ear for comfort. He pulls the phone from his ear, and yep, there it is: ‘Tommy Kinard (x)’

With the hand not holding his phone, he puts the call on speaker, then pushes his thumb and first finger into his eyes, half-hoping this is some weird dream.

“Kinard,” Eddie says, voice flat, almost monotone. He doesn’t have it in him to muster anything warm for Tommy, but he can’t bring himself to be outright cruel either—not with the ghost of Buck’s disappointed eyes lingering in his mind. So he settles for something like neutrality with. Well, with Kinard, who, in his opinion, is an idiot undeserving of any of B—his time.

“Look, Eddie, I know you don’t want to hear from me, but it’s Evan,” Tommy says.

Eddie sits straight up in bed, heart in his throat, “Explain.”

“Shit- I mean. I’m sorry, Evan is not hurt. Not physically, I should have led with that…” Tommy laughs a bit ruefully, “I- Eddie there’s no easy way to say this. Bobby is dead.”

Bobby is dead Bobby is dead Bobby is dead Bobby is dead

It repeats, like a mantra. A cruel one. As though his brain believes that in saying them, they’ll start to make sense.

They don’t.

Eddie opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

He blinks—squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as possible—trying to reign in his emotions; Kinard called for a reason, and he needs to figure out what happened to Buck.

He blinks again and suddenly he’s standing, body moving on its own accord. Somehow, he’s gotten a pair of pants and a shirt on without realizing. He pauses, inhales slowly, trying to feel less like a reanimated corpse and more like a person, thinks of Buck beside him at the dinner table, sunlit and golden in the kitchen, asking:

‘Eddie did you know we breathe 22,000 times in a day? And, also, I read last night that when you take the time to become aware of your breaths it can help when you feel panicked? Like-‘

Eddie had cut him off there, quirking a half-smile, and told him he didn’t panic. He remembers. He remembers.

Buck had sighed, loud and theatrical, rolled his eyes—but finished his spiel anyway. Of course he had; listening to and learning from Buck were some of Eddie’s favorite pastimes.

He falls into that memory.

A kitchen filled with years of love and laughter. Crumbs on the counter from Chris’ after-school snack. A fridge full of things both he and Buck had picked out. Feels himself there in that moment: heart slow, face warmed; Chris safe in his room, and he at the table with—

Buck.

Brighter than everything, at the center of it all, haloed by the setting sun, smiling that I-know-you’re-entertaining-my-whims-smile—the kind where his lips curled to the side, like he was tucking a secret away. It made him look boyish, years younger than the truth, lighter than the world ever let him be.

The Eddie of the past ached with something unnamable. The Eddie of now aches with too much knowledge.

He exhales slowly, blinking back to himself, the warmth of the memory crashing against the cold of the present.

He fishes his phone out from where it’s buried in the covers, feeling off-footed by the sudden want—need—for Kinard to still be on the line.

Somehow, impossibly, he is.

The screen glows: call still active, minutes still ticking by.

Eddie grips the phone hard, slightly swaying on his feet for a second, unsteady, then braces a hand against the wall. His breath stutters. He tries to count them like Buck told him—one, two, three—but they catch in his throat, shallow and fast.

His other hand curls around his phone, knuckles white, “What happened to him,” Eddie says. Not a question. A demand.

Then, before Tommy can answer, “Buck—where’s Buck?” he asks, voice cracking like a fault line. “Is he—?”

“Evan is alive.” Tommy reassures, voice coming fast, “He’s alive, Eddie, but he isn’t okay. None of them are, but—”

Tommy hesitates, then continues, “I’ve never seen him cry like that. I watched him fall apart in a hallway over security footage. He collapsed, screaming. I’ve never seen—God. I’ve never seen someone grieve like that. Evan—he’s always so sure, you know? Always so bright and—and okay. He tried to explain once what Bobby meant to him I guess I didn’t fully realize it until…”

Eddie’s jaw locks, the ache in his chest flaring with something sharp and hot. A part of him aches to be cruel, to push back against Tommy’s casual expression of knowing Buck, how could he-

He bites down on the inside of his cheek until he tastes copper. It’s not fair. It’s not rational. But it burns all the same. He inhales instead. It comes back out shaky.

“I know I shouldn’t be the one calling,” Tommy admits, voice thick with something unspoken. “But I saw him and I just—“He swallows audibly, “I know he needs you, Diaz. I’ve never seen a relationship like the two of you have and whatever my feelings about that are, I think you’re the only person who can get through to him right now.”

Something twists in his chest. He doesn’t respond right away. Doesn’t trust what might come out of his mouth if he does. His hand is still braced on the wall, still trying to keep him grounded, but it doesn’t help the way his body feels like it’s vibrating with too many things at once—grief, fury, fear, love.

Finally, he says, low and hoarse, “Send me where Buck is. Get him to answer when I call.”

He ends the call without waiting for anything more, phone still clutched tight in his hand as he crosses the room in three long strides.

There’s only one thought in his head now, clear and steady:

Get Chris. Get home. To his family.

[babyangelsky]

Faith as a love language and why I want Ju Yeong to give Do Hoe his cross necklace

Let me preface this by saying that one, my interpretations are drawn heavily from my own personal experience as well as the culture I was raised in and two, that this is going to be very rambly and maybe not make a whole lot of sense to anyone but me. But @respectthepetty encouraged me to get this out of my brain so here we are.

In order to explain what I mean in the title of this post and actually get into the meat of it, there's two other things I need explain first. There are layers to this so please bear with me.

The first thing is that I am not and have never really been a practicing Catholic. I believe in god and have a very loose, very personal system of spiritual belief but I am not religious. My grandmother is Catholic however, a very devout one, and since she helped to raise me I would say I was partially raised Catholic. Emphasis on the partially because my beautiful mother in her infinite wisdom (and due entirely to her own religious trauma) felt it was important to give me a choice on the matter and figure out my faith for myself, which I love her dearly for.

(She also once infamously refused to kiss the ring of the local very important priest in the village she grew up in which is one of my favorite things about her)

However, I've learned that even if you are given a choice on whether or not religion will play any part in your life, that does not save you from developing religious trauma. Especially if you also happen to be queer and especially if you don't adhere dogmatically to the widely accepted--and arbitrary--set of rules that determine whether you are considered a "good (insert faith here)".

The second thing has to do with cross necklaces and why being given one is a very specific loving gesture.

I lived in Mexico for a while a couple of years ago. On the day that I was due to come back to the States, my grandma gave me a cross necklace. She didn't just give me a cross necklace, she gave me her necklace that had been custom made for her. She wanted me to have a safe flight and get home in one piece so she gave it to me.

I have worn that necklace every single day for the past two years. If I happen to wear another necklace for outfit reasons, I put my cross in my pocket. It's always around my neck or on my body. Always. And the thing is, I don't wear it to signify my belief god.

In the broader sense of faith and what it means to people, giving someone a necklace like that holds a lot of weight. Taking something off of your body, your 'self', that you trust to keep you safe and that represents your faith and your beliefs and then putting it on someone you love to keep them safe is such a visceral expression of love. It becomes a symbol of faith in a different way.

As I've established, I'm not devout like my grandma is. The necklace doesn't represent to me what it does to her. I wear it because doing so makes me feel loved and safe because she gave it to me, not because I have faith of my own.

Now, having said allllll of that.

Ju Yeong's cross necklace has been established to primarily represent not his faith, but his family's expectations. Expectations that he hasn't lived up to and that have turned that cross into a heavy symbol of his failure that keeps him shackled at all times except when he chooses to take it off. And when he chooses to take it off matters.

He took it off when he confessed to Do Hoe and again when he slept with him because in those moments he wants to be free of that burden, free of those expectations, free to just love Do Hoe without having to think about anything else. Not even god.

Because even if the necklace isn't primarily a symbol of Ju Yeong's faith, it still is a symbol of his faith or rather, the faith that he had no choice but to adhere to when he became a pastor's son. That's what makes Do Hoe misunderstand what it means for Ju Yeong to take it off when he's with him. He interprets it as Ju Yeong being ashamed, as wanting to hide his sin, as only allowing himself to love Do Hoe when god isn't watching. He's wrong, of course, but he doesn't know that. Yet. (Petty explained it better go read that post)

We haven't really gotten into Ju Yeong's relationship with his faith and with only two episodes left I don't think we will, and that's a shame because I think recontextualizing what the necklace means to him and what his faith means to him would help him heal.

(Which is something I believe anyone who has religious trauma should do at some point in their life, especially if they're queer. Religion is so often weaponized against people and something that's used to make them feel inadequate and ashamed and like they aren't allowed to draw comfort from it unless they fall in line with what it asks of them. We always think of it being used that way specifically against queer people but that isn't always the case. I'm not out to my family and I once had a relative look me in the eyes and tell me I was going to hell for not going to mass.)

Really it would help both of them heal because even though Do Hoe wasn't the one with the religious upbringing, the necklace is still making him feel the same sort of inadequacy and shame he thinks Ju Yeong feels.

Which is why I want Ju Yeong to give Do Hoe his cross necklace.

Recontextualizing what it means, allowing it to be a symbol of his faith and nothing more, and making the conscious decision to take it off of his body and put it on Do Hoe so Do Hoe knows that he's loved without shame would mean everything to me personally.

Faith is a love language. It's why Mexican mothers pin medals with the Virgin of Guadalupe on them to their newborns' onesies, why parents choose auspicious names for their babies, why the very first prayer Christian and Catholic children are taught is the guardian angel prayer, why grandmothers do the sign of the cross over their children and grandchildren and end every conversation with "que dios te acompañe", and why we put crosses on the people we love.

[shirefantasies]

Hello again! I have another request that came to me as I was submitting a different one. How do you think Thorin's or the LOTR companies would react to reader having a buzzcut. Especially for dwarves who pride themselves in long intricately done hair and braids. Would they think something bad must've happened to the reader for them to have short hair. Cue misunderstandings and fluff, with maybe hair petting(buzzcuts are super soft!) Hope this sounds interesting enough to do, have a good day again! :)

(I literally lied on my last post THIS is my last pre-op post by the 45 minutes left before my operation appointment)

Heck yeah friend I love this! I don’t quite have a buzzcut but my hair’s far shorter than the average lady’s & definitely so for a dwarf, so I wonder about this too 😁 hope you enjoy 🥰 Warnings: a little violence in one reaction, injury mention in another

Thorin’s Company When You Have a Buzzcut

Balin

“You’re causing quite a stir with everyone, you know that?” Giving a chuckle at Balin’s cheeky look, you lean forward with your chin upon your hand. “And why is that?” “At risk of offense,” the older dwarf answered, “they all want to know what happened to your hair.” “Yourself included,” you shot back with a grin, “or else you’d not be asking.” Taken aback, Balin stutters a bit. “Ah, well, I confess I am a bit curious, after all. Reminds me of when my brother first took all his off. What a stir over something so silly. Do what you like, I was just wondering if Dwalin was trying to get you all painted up too.” “Not yet,” your smile softens and you give him a wink, “but if he does you’ll be the first to know. Ahead of all the sensation.”

Dwalin

You start the conversation on this one, seeing that Dwalin is the other company member with little to no hair upon his head and considering it a bonding opportunity. “Well, I’ve got a reason,” he shoots back to your comment of similarity, arms crossed but expression teasing, “what’s yours? You need some tattoos up there at least.” “No thank you,” you tell him, “if I’m adding any tattoos it won’t be on top of my head! Feel how soft it is up here.” Dwalin looks at you, prompting you to take his hand and put it on top of your head, his eyebrows raising at the sensation. And perhaps because touching one’s hair is a much closer and more intimate thing for him than perhaps you realize. You are quite forward, aren’t you?

Thorin

Pays little mind to how you wear your hair…or lack thereof. In fact, by your appearance he gauges you to be a warrior of some kind, thus taking command of your actions in a fight and seeking proof of your prowess. Before your first encounter with a threat the king’s questions are more along the lines of “What is your weapon of choice?” and “From where in these lands do you hail?” The day the company fights a pack of orcs, you manage to take down more than Thorin expected and at one point, you even jump in front of Dori to parry before a potentially deadly strike takes him off guard. Rising from the struggle of battle, black blood splattered across your layers and even your shaven head, you feel a hand upon your shoulder. Thorin. "It can be hard for us to look beyond our own kin," he tells you, "but you have well proven yourself today. We may not always understand each other, but there is a beauty in that, too, I see."

Oin

Wincing despite your gratitude, you shifted in your seated position while Oin packed the poultice into the wound your side had suffered. "Don't worry, you'll go numb in a bit. If it stings, that is quite alright, that simply means you are getting clean again." Thanking him through heavy breaths, you watched as the dwarf reached a hand up toward your head, running a hand over the soft, shorn little bit of cover it had. "And this one's healing quite nicely, quite nicely indeed. Why, I cannot even see the scar!" The sting in your bloody side faded down a bit as you tilted your head to fix Oin right in the eyes. "What scar?" "Did they not have to sew up your head at some point? Figured that's why they shaved you down," he answered, finally removing his hand from your head. You giggled at that, regretted stretching yourself at a new, though much smaller, arc of pain. "No, my dear Oin, I am afraid the only thing my head has suffered is my typical madness," you teased, waving your hands mystically and grinning at the way the healer laughed.

Gloin

"Pardon me, my dear," your name rolled smoothly off Gloin's tongue as he shuffled forth, hands folded in front of him in the picture of innocence. Oh, this was going to be good. "Yes?" You indulged him, swiveling to give your full attention. The auburn-haired dwarf pointed to his head, his own flowing locks. "What happened t'yer hair?" Perhaps sheepishly, his voice suddenly quickened. Feeling your eyebrows involuntarily raise, you tilted your head- this was not exactly what you’d expected, after all. “I cut it,” you shrugged, “got tired of how it was before. Simply wanted a new beginning, you could say.” Gloin’s eyes never left yours. “So no accident?” “No.” “Ha!” The dwarf bellowed, waggling a hand at his brother and a small scattering of company members a ways back. “I was right! By choice! Now pay up and remember I told ya it was worth the risk!” Shaking your head, you playfully smack him on the shoulder. “I’d better get a cut from this, you ol’ scallywag!”

Bifur

Catching Bifur signing, you turn his way, seeing the motions he performs by his head. “Did you cut your hair yourself?” You realize he is asking. “No,” you sign back, “another did it for me.” “You must trust them a great deal.” Simple enough words signed and yet there is something in the way his eyes shine, the fond inquisition in his smile, that brings a little shock of joy to you. Barring royal dressings, it was far more common for one to do their own hair or entrust it to a loved one, and you could see intimacy in the act. It almost brought a pang of regret that it was just some small-town hairdresser that sheared it at your asking and payment. Your hands freeze for a moment as your eyes search Bifur before you finally sign a response. “I suppose. Perhaps if you ever want to do something different with your hair, I could help you, too.”

Bofur

A mix between caring and teasing, he offers you cover! “Your head looks cold. Need to borrow my hat?” Thinks he’s so funny he laughs at his own joke whether you roll your eyes or joke back. “But really, any particular reason you took it all off?” "It was uncomfortable having it long," you admit, "I was tired of it all being in my face." The way everyone spoke of dwarven culture, you half expect disapproval, but this is Bofur you speak of. Instead he nods acceptingly, smiling in that way that always has you feeling seen and reassured. "I understand that." "You do?" "Sure I do! Why do you think I keep mine braided out to the sides like this?" At that, you smile back. "Besides," he continues, "helps me see all the best sights. The trees, the flowers, that smile of yours..."

Bombur

“Singe all your hair off?” Bombur nods sagely despite the fact that he couldn’t be more wrong. “I’ve been there. Burned my beard leaning too far over the stove.” You can’t even correct him right away because you’re too busy laughing. Finally, though, you explain to him that your hair was simply so unhealthy it needed to start over. “Ah, I see, I see! Trying to take better care of it, then?” At that, you nod. He looks at you with new interest, eyes shining eagerly. “So what would you like to do with it next? I’ve got some things you might like to put in it, and I think it would look mighty nice if you wanted to try…”

Dori

"Sometimes I wish I could do that, too," Dori remarks one day, rolling blue eyes illuminated beneath the sun that peeked between the branches. Shifting carefully so as to not disturb your pony, you turned back to face him. "Do what?" "Cut all my hair off just to save some time in the morning!" He replied with a wave of a hand in your general direction. Chuckling, you gave a conceding nod. "I suppose you would gain back an hour, wouldn't you?" At that, it was Dori's turn to laugh. "But then again," you continued, "then you couldn't wear as many of those nice clips and cases. That is one thing I miss about having it all." Puffing up like a proud little bird, Dori smiled. "They are quite nice, aren't they? You know, if you ever get so bored you're tempted to let it all come back, I could make you some of your own."

Nori

Abrasive as it was, Nori's question found you in a way that raised such amusement you forgot to be upset with him entirely, instead simply falling back with a bark of laughter before you answered. "Looks like you're tryin' to hide your identity. You on the run from someone?" He continued musing, in fact, as you laughed. "Law somewhere? A scorned lover? Simply run off with something too valuable not to do that?" Finally, your voice returned. "All this because I've sheared my head down?" You burst out incredulously. "Ever consider," you gasped in mock-scandal, "I like it like this?" "Sure, but that's not exciting," Nori shot back with a smirk, "I like a good story." "Well," you crossed your arms, "perhaps I still have some of those, too."

Ori

Shuffling up to you was the youngest dwarf in the company, sweet Ori; Ori was one of the dwarves who accepted outsiders most readily, and you spent plenty of time at his side watching his drawings and records come to life. That day, though, what was in his hand was not his book, rather a bundle of fabric. "I made this for you." Eyes widening, you extend your hands to accept the soft knitting, peering back at Ori. "I thought your head must get cold," he explained his craft as you unfolded it, revealing a thick, sturdy cap you immediately began pulling onto your head, "does it fit?" Yarn hugging your head perfectly, you nodded. "It's just my size. Thank you." Before he could speak again, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. "This is the kindest thing anyone has done for me in some time. Thank you."

Fili

“One of my braids came undone. Kili?” The younger Durin prince seemingly did not hear the request for his presence, so you stepped forward. “I can help.” Goggling at you, Fili posed a question. “Do you even know how?” Hand falling to your hip, you shot him a look. “Though I may not possess them myself, I am quite capable of doing them up.” The golden-haired dwarf looked sheepish, a bit of the mischief fading from his blue eyes. “Suppose I assumed you didn’t much enjoy doing them either,” he told you with a nod toward your head. “Well,” a teasing smile drifted across your face, “I certainly would…unless you are scared.” You were no fool. You knew how the Durins were with challenges. And if you remembered correctly, you knew how dwarves were with braids…

Kili

He cares some of the least out of the dwarves being the least traditionally presenting himself. He’s sort of the type to be a little attracted to everyone, enjoying the unique traits of all types of people. You still cannot help being a bit surprised when he flirts with you, though, not expecting someone with a cut like yours to catch his eye or draw his teasing. “Not one for a courting braid, I see? No one worthy of putting one on you, no doubt.” For all his jesting questions, he never actually demands an answer, though. Instead he simply launches into a story about a haircut prank he pulled with his older brother once to keep light conversation flowing. “Well, by the end of it our uncle looked quite like you! Except he didn’t pull it off half as well.”

Taglist: @lokilover476 @fuckyoumakeart @kilibaggins | Let me know if you'd like to join!

[gh0stbeeee]

Rise of the Guardians/The Guardians of Childhood is low-key my Roman Empire.

Like, specifically in the movie verse, there's just... so much that was never elaborated on. It's one of the unfortunate side effects of being kid's media, things get dumbed down for no reason.

Like, Jack Frost in general as a character. He died. DIED. He DROWNED in a pond saving his sister and??? Nothing. The entire moment when he remembered became "Oh I'm the fun guy that had a family and saved my sister!" AND DIED. Very important part that is completely glossed over other than the idea of sacrifice. Like, the other guardians were "chosen," did they not die too? Did Jack lose his memories because he died, but the others were chosen while alive, chose to leave their lives and remembered?

And just, what were his early years? For a very long time, at least a decade, he probably thought he was totally invisible, that he could never have a true conversation with another person, because I doubt that he stumbled upon another spirit/legend for a while.

Like, that would have driven him INSANE. There's no way he wouldn't be super socially awkward from the isolation, much less just totally mentally well. Are spirit's brains built different? They'd have to be, but I don't think they should be able to withstand that level. Like what was the mim thinking??? Seriously just abandoned a TEENAGER he resurrected with no memory or possibility of support, that's wrong.

And on that note, let me reiterate that Jack died. In front of his little sister. Who had to go back home and tell her family what happened. Did he have a father too? More siblings? Friends and family? They had a funeral no doubt, mourned him. Because he died.

The worst part? He was right there. The whole time. Jack came back to that pond and settlement for hundreds of years, even when it became Burgress. He probably watched his funeral not knowing what was going on, saw his family mourn him without knowing it was for him. He was there when they died, not knowing who they were to him. Did he realize later on? I can only imagine the devastation.

The worst part is Manny probably had to take his memories, because Jack would have been DEPRESSED. He would've tried everything to make them believe, and they probably never would. His parents would probably never see him again, they were adults. His sister was plausible, but she's still mortal. She would have died, Jack would have seen his little sister grow old and die while he stayed eternally young. He might've not ever recovered from that, mim taking his memories distanced him from the pain for when he remembered 300 years later.

But he also could have moved on, grown and loved her descendants and honored her. The mim took that choice away, and that's pretty fucked up.

Then yeah, 300 years of pretty much no acknowledgement. Going into live blind with no guidance or memories, trying to figure yourself out but being ignored by the once who brought you here. Jack would realistically be a little nutty, because wow. It's shown the even other spirits didn't really talk to him, he made them acknowledge him by playing pranks and pissing them off till they confronted him. Maybe it's in spirit's nature to be recluses, but it's not in Jack's. He wanted attention and to be seen, but no one wanted to or could give it to him.

That's why Jamie seeing him for the first time always makes me tear up. This is the first time for HUNDREDS of years that a human has acknowledged him, not an out of touch spirit, but a regular person Jack can connect with, that chose to see him, to believe. That's beautiful, and special.

There's just so many layers to this story that we never got to see, and I'm forever sad DreamWorks abandoned the franchise.

(If anyone has any good fics that explore topics like this, especially Jack's family, please share)

[hansooyung]

hansooyung's coloring tutorial & ctiys: alma time! 🍒

hello everyone! though i've been meaning to for a while, i've finally gotten around to making my first manga coloring tutorial! i'll be going over cleaning panels and screentones, choosing base colors, and finally shading and lighting.

this will also be a color this in your style challenge, so if you're willing, feel free to post your colored panel and tag me in it!! i'd love to see all the results :)

find details under the cut! 🦋

DISCLAIMERS:

this is just how i personally color! i know for a fact that some of my other friends follow other methods and have such beautiful colorings <33

for colors specifically, i play around a LOT. if you don't like your color scheme for the time being, mess around with it! i don't use psds since i like to mess around by hand with color palettes, but maybe i'll look into it for the future.

i explain a lot just bear with me gang 🙏

TECHNICAL STUFF:

software: ibis paint x (on iphone). i use ibis since it is FREE for all phones and it worked on my chromebook as well.

while this tutorial is made for ibis paint x, everything works on other softwares except the brushes, which i've provided alternatives for below.

brushes: i will be using dip pen (hard) which is automatically included with ibis, and two other brushes i made myself which you can find here and here. for more brushes, @/bkdkdh was incredibly helpful and posted her awesome set here!

for other softwares, you can use similar brushes. dip pen (hard) can just be the default brush, while wet edges is just the default brush on lowered opacity (and more of a rectangle/marker shape?). watercolor pencil is a watercolor brush in the rectangle/marker shape as well. if you can't get the shape, you can always smudge your lines into shape as well, so don't fret too much! a bunch of people only use one brush for coloring everything (which is insane to me, personally, they are so talented!)

fun fact: the first brush listed that i made was originally called "aki tao watercolor smooth" 👍

ok here we go guys!!

STEP ONE: CLEANING THE PANEL

i think of this part as setting up the panel for coloring! usually it's pretty exhausting cuz it's all b&w but it's all worth it i swear. the panel i'll be coloring is this beautiful one of alma from chapter 2:

imgur link here (x)

a lot of people redraw their lines to avoid screentones, which is extremely helpful. however, i work on a phone and my fingers are not steady even with the stabilizer turned all the way up T~T. i do it this way, but a different (possibly easier) way may work for you!!!

your first step will be to remove all the white, giving us a transparent background to work with. THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY I USE IBIS PAINT X.

when you upload the image to ibis, a popup comes asking if you would like to "extract line drawing". this creates a lineart of your image. click yes, and your work is like 90% done.

if you're not on ibis, you can redraw your panel, put lineart layer on screen, etc. or you can just extract line drawing from ibis and upload to software of your choice

for those of you not on ibis, i've included the line drawing here (x) if it looks black, don't worry and set your background to white.

omg i was not kidding when i said i explained a lot. ok now onto the three main steps of cleaning the panel:

cleaning background

removing screentones

repainting black lines

for cleaning the background, we're going to clear off all the extraneous stuff. this includes the text in the speech bubble, the gradient screentones behind alma, and the panel line on the left side. just use your eraser tool and go crazy! (i forgot to save the panel at this point of the coloring OTL)

for removing screentones, we're going to remove all those "dots" that mangakas use for shading. these are used to show value for b&w art, but since we're coloring we don't need them—a lot of people have really cool ways of incorporating screentones in their colorings though, and it looks amazing! i used it on nana's hand in my bnha coloring.

remove the screentones from alma's hair and jacket with your eraser tool. this will take time, but it's worth it in the end!

for portions with a bunch of lines, you can create A NEW LAYER and redraw some of the lines. that way, you can erase indiscriminately from the original layer but the lines you drew are still there. again, like i said, my hand is really shaky so i don't do it a lot, but it's extremely helpful for smaller parts where i have control! i used this on alma's jacket, and here's a screenshot of the process:

(i made his jacket purple so i could distinguish between layers easily).

it should look like this when you're done:

for the final step of cleaning, i like to erase all the things colored black (the collar and strings of the jacket, along with the back part of his hair). that way, i can color them in with dark colors and it adds to the whole look of the coloring.

i've circled the parts i'm going to erase below:

and it should look like this when you're done!

ok everyone cheer we're ready to color now!!!!

STEP TWO: BASE COLORS

CROWD CHEERS ok lets go!

this part is the most important to me, because it sets the tone for the whole coloring. i like to use three-four main colors in my colorings, and it's usually background, skintone, hair, and the secret fourth color. the secret fourth color is usually whatever color fits the character's vibe, or if the character's color is the bg, it'll be an accent color.

for example, with my nagi coloring, i used white for the hair, i had my skintone, i had blue as the main coloring vibe (as nagi's color), and black as the accent color.

for alma, i chose his main color to be red! it's the color of his hair and his jacket, so i wanted it to be vibrant and stand out. since blue contrasts red, i went for a greyish-blue shade for the background. (i went for grey rather than solely blue because then it would clash rather than complement).

disclaimer please please please take your device off night mode warm mode f.lux whatever you have. this has screwed me over more times than you may think :(

i like to make my vibrant colors closer to the right end of the color square. for alma's hair, i chose this color:

i dragged it down from the corner a bit but kept the saturation since his hair is kind of dark. we can use vibrant colors to shade it though, so don't worry!

here's his hair and the background together:

now from here, play around with skintones until you find one that matches the hair!

i usually drag around the wheel to the orange-red intersection, and have it on the lighter, more saturated side. here's the color i chose for alma's skintone.

i thought his original skintone looked a bit too orange, so i pulled the saturation back a little bit (moved closer to the left side of the square).

after that, color in his jacket with a bit darker red than hair, choose a gold color for the accents on his jacket, and color in the black parts with a grey-ish color (we will change that later).

here's the base colors!

if it looks a bit bright, don't worry! we can change that with shading. or you might just have to. accept the light.

STEP THREE: SHADING AND LIGHTING

wooo we made it!!!!!!! ok now i lied, we have a bit more of base colors to go. on a layer above the skin, color in your teeth and tongue. for pieces that have a more red feel (like this one), i like to make the teeth and the shading a more vibrant blue color. (for blue pieces, i make it a purple!).

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL SHADING AND ALL COLORS SHOULD BE DONE ON NEW, CLIPPED LAYER.

i'll then go in and do some light shading with my wet edges brush. i'll use a darker color for hard shadows and then a lighter, more vibrant color to accentuate it.

next up we have blush! a lot of people do this in very different ways but i like to do it directly under the eyes, in a vibrant red shade. make a new layer above the skin and clip it on. color pick alma's hair and drag it to the most saturated shade (red corner). then using the watercolor pencil brush, lower the opacity of the brush and drag a line under the eyes on both sides.

make sure to erase the portion of blush that goes above the eyeline. i also added some lips for alma as you can see, and then added a red line under the eyes! this was back to the regular dip pen (hard) brush on 100% opacity. it may take a few tries to get your blush to the way you want it, so don't worry too much.

now we can start our actual shading!

i break this part up into three steps: skin shading, blue shading, and light shading (highlights?)

for all of them, think about where the light is falling and how it will look on alma.

quick interlude about brushes: i use the watercolor pencil brush for softer, bouncy looks (like blush and noses) and i use the wet edges brush for more hard lines in shading.

again, make a new layer above the skin and clip it on. (i like to have it below the blush, so it doesn't cover it). for skin shading, i take the vibrant red and lower the opacity of the wet edges brush by a significant amount (specifics don't really matter, as long as you're happy with it). i'll trace his neck, from the shadow of his face, shadows of his hair falling on his face, ears, and nose. (for the nose i used the watercolor pencil brush for a softer look).

this is what i have once i'm done!

next we have skin shading part two, where we basically make a new layer on top of our first shading, lower the opacity further, and trace outside whatever we just did to blend it in more.

i used the watercolor pencil brush since it's more softer shading meant for blending! i also added it around the eyebrows for depth.

next up we have our blue shading! this is a technique that i learned from @/bkdkdh's colorings, but adding blue as a shadow really adds to the whole coloring. using the watercolor pencil brush, select a light-ish blue shade (a bit more saturated than background color) and use it to shadow a few more areas than your skin shading. i always make sure to hit the underside of the nose, cuz i think it adds depth!

finally, to wrap up our skin shading we have our lights. i use an orange-ish yellow color, which i set pretty light to not blend into the skin. using the watercolor pencil brush, i'll basically highlight any areas opposite to where the blue was, and highlight different parts. i always highlight one side of the nose as well.

i erased the line around the nose since we now have shading there, and added a darker shade to the teeth since i felt it wasn't shaded enough.

now onto the hair!!! (guys we're almost done bear with me, skin and hair are the two main things and then you can half-ass the clothes)

color pick alma's hair color, then drag the red a bit further down to get a darker yet still saturated color. here's mine:

then, using the wet edges brush, draw lines of shadow wherever clumps of his hair fall or overlap with each other. you can have the opacity set to whatever level you want, i just went with around 90. just try to follow the natural lines and patterns of the original line drawing, and everything should work out fine.

here's how mine looks! then, just like we did for skin shading, place a layer on top and lower the opacity to around 50%. place some more shading to blend it in. you can also shade more parts with this shade for some softer shading. i actually forgot to take a screenshot of this step but you'll see it in the next one!

for our (almost) last part of hair shading, take a layer and place it below both of your shading layers. this is going to be our highlight layer! you can see it below, labeled 49%.

remember how we set alma's hair a bit darker from the corner color? now select that corner color and draw highlights in the center of each hair clump.

lightly visible but it's there!

now here i skipped around a bit bc i was having fun and forgot i was doing a tutorial, but repeat the shading (not highlighting) steps with darker colors for alma's jacket. you should have your base layer, a dark shading, and a softer shading for blending.

we're almost there guys!!!

for the pretty much final step of shading, select a light blue color and do some blue shading with the watercolor pencil brush opposite to wherever your darker shading falls (just like we did on the face). make sure to do it to both your hair and your jacket! here's mine:

now for the black portions, we're going to color the whole thing in a dark blue color. just alpha lock your layer and make a big stroke of dark blue, almost black. for our black shading, we're actually going to go lighter.

select a lighter (but still dark) color and place highlights on the base layer, then take an even more vibrant, lighter blue and place it on the very outside for highlights. a better example of this would be nagi's legs in his blue lock uniform here. then, choose a shade to apply shading to the gold accents on alma's jacket and we're done!

CROWD CHEERS!!!!!

STEP FOUR: FINISHING TOUCHES

we made it guys!!!! for finishing touches, i'll usually do background effects or text or that kind of stuff.

step one is coloring your lines. you can add a new layer and clip it to your lineart, or simply alpha lock your lineart and color directly on top. for hair i like to add vibrant blue/purple lines, along with a few red ones. for skin lines i try to do dark brownish purples, but leaving some black is good too bc it adds flavor!

i colored in the text boxes and added shadows using the wet edge feature, then added some text. for the glitch effect, i duplicated the lineart, dragged the layer below all of my colors (including speech bubbles) and then used the glitch effect with height full from ibis. if you don't have ibis, you can look into features on your software, or you can also just drag your lineart layer a bit to either side and color it in. i also applied just the tiniest bit of noise on top of everything

and there we go!!!!! we made it to the end :)

if you've read all the way til here, thank you so much! if you decide to color this panel of alma (or any other panels!) don't be afraid to post them and tag me for a color this in your style type of thing! (you can also put it in my tracked tag, #user.roy) i'd love to see everyone's works :)

here's the full timelapse: (it stalls for a bit at some times but hey we can't have everything)

[dioslesbianwife]

hii!! I hope this finds you well. Can you do jofoes with y/n who’s Muslim and wears a niqab?

of course! hope you enjoy and thank you for requesting <3

Dio

Initially curious, but never mocking. He thrives on mystique and power, and you- so quiet, unreadable behind your veil- fascinate him.

“You hide your face, but your presence speaks louder than any expression.”

Doesn’t ask invasive questions. If you offer to explain, he listens.

He’s very interested in theology and will be very pleased to hear you talk about your beliefs.

Would be overprotective in public- not because of the niqab itself, but because he knows the world can be cruel. Anyone who disrespects you won’t get a second chance.

Kars

Intrigued by the spiritual reasoning. As someone who seeks perfection and higher existence, he actually appreciates how your belief system disciplines ego and flesh.

“Your faith is admirable… and inconvenient for those who rely only on appearances.”

He’ll ask questions- not to mock, but to genuinely understand the spiritual structure of your life.

Sees your niqab as an extension of self-control and devotion, which he deeply respects.

Kira Yoshikage

At first, he's a little wary of attention, and he's hyper-aware of social norms- but he grows to admire how you carry yourself so confidently, even while covered.

Thinks your modesty is beautiful. “You dress with purpose, not with impulse… I can respect that.”

Likes how peaceful you are. He finds your routines- prayer, cleanliness, discipline- very calming and oddly compatible with his desire for order.

He doesn’t fully understand everything at first, but he notices how serene you are when you speak about your faith, and he quietly admires it.

Diavolo

Fiercely defensive of your right to choose. He hates systems that force people into visibility or conformity, so the fact that you choose the niqab makes him protective.

“Anyone who demands to see your face deserves to feel fear instead.”

He respects boundaries. He may not fully grasp the layers of meaning, but he understands power in choice- and you have that.

Sees you as someone spiritually untouchable, and that pleases him.

Doppio

At first, he’s a little confused, but never rude. “So… only certain people can see your face?”

Finds your modesty very sweet. He overthinks how to compliment you, always worried about being inappropriate.

Would love helping you find niqabs in different colors or styles. Thinks you look amazing in everything but is scared to say it too boldly.

Always asks for permission before touching you or getting close. His respect is so earnest it’s adorable.

Enrico Pucci

Deeply respectful. As a man of faith himself, he doesn’t see your religion as “other”-he sees it as a different path to devotion.

“Your convictions are firm. That alone makes you powerful.”

He asks sincere theological questions, not to argue but to learn. He sees your niqab not as separation, but connection, to faith, to something higher.

There’s mutual respect here. Even if your views differ, he values how grounded you are.

Funny Valentine

When he sees how calm, poised, and deliberate you are, he realizes how wrong stereotypes can be. You redefine strength for him.

“The soul of a nation is found in the freedom to be different. You… are an example of strength.”

Would ensure you’re treated with absolute dignity wherever he takes you. And if you wanted to stay out of public eye, he’d honor that, too.

Diego Brando

Honestly he doesn’t care how you dress, as long as you can keep up with him. He notices your niqab but doesn’t fixate on it.

“If you’re strong, that’s what matters. The rest is your business.”

Over time, he starts to really like it- he enjoys the mystery, and finds your ability to be so secure in your identity very attractive.

Would fight anyone who tries to exoticize or insult you. Immediately. No warning.

Tooru

At first, he tries to figure you out. Your veil blocks a lot of the nonverbal cues he’s used to reading. But he learns quickly to pick up on your voice, your energy, your movements.

“You’re… difficult to read. I like that.”

He gently teases sometimes- never about your beliefs, but about how you make it impossible for him to predict you.

Deep down, he admires that you don’t perform for others.

[tomatoland]

something i have noticed about mew is that although he dressed similarly to ray since episode 7, the designs or the patterns of his outer layer have slightly changed. he used to wear a lot of bold or edgy design/prints but i think when his moms visited him episode 9, he started to wear a lot more floral/plant designs? it may be a redundant observation or I’m observing too much, but mew mostly wear them around top or his moms? I’m curious to know if you have any thoughts about it.

+ since you have been putting down songs for topmew, i have one for them: again - eden, sophiya (i personally feel the lyrics fit them so well, since how many characters and viewers are so against them together🫢). Thanks for reading!

This song is absolutely beautiful and you're right, the lyrics fit them amazingly. I've been listening to it nonstop. Thank you so much for recommending it to me! <3

Observing too much? No such thing!

Yes, I do have thoughts. I'm actually really glad you asked about Mew's clothing because it gives me a reason to make some collages of my favorite characters.

The super deep-dive into Mew's clothing choices I'm sure you were not expecting.

Clothing can be considered armor we wear when we interact with the world. It's what others first perceive when they meet us. It tells people about who we are or who we want to be. Clothing can also give you confidence. And for Mew, it is exactly this. He even says as much to Cheum here.

In the first half of the show, Mew did wear some short sleeved button down shirts, quite a few actually. He usually wore lighter colors with more neutral patterns and ALWAYS with a t-shirt as the base layer.

The catalyst for the change in Mew’s clothes I would say is this moment in Episode 7, part 3, when Mew is the bathtub. This is quite literally Mew's re-birth as Mew 2.0.

The show also pointedly shows us this by contrasting the book shop scene with Ray in episode 8 with a flashback with Top from the first episode. Mew's shirts are the exact opposites. Instead of predominantly white with black graphics like with Top, it's predominantly black with white with Ray.

Mew in his revenge era as Jojo called it wears short sleeved button downs with louder prints with a black undershirt.

The patterns of some of Mew's shirt are closer to Ray's palette than his own. The Outkast one he wore with Gap and the Vegas one he worse when he went to Boston’s house are the most similar to something Ray would wear.

But Ray actually doesn't always wear a black undershirt. He seen just as often, if not more, wearing white undershirts. Ray's also worn long sleeve button down completely buttoned up with no undershirt or altogether different types of shirt. I was going to make a Ray clothing collage to prove this point, but there's already enough Ray content on this site, you're just going to have to trust me lol.

So before his moms visit, the patterns of Mew 2.0’s shirts are darker and more in your face. This is Mew with his battle armor on, trying to fake it until he makes it. But once his moms come, the patterns immediately change.

I think him coming from a warm, loving home with two caring parents is important for him as a character. His moms notice things like the pack of cigarettes on his coffee table. They immediately know something is up with him but they don't know what because he doesn't tell them. But they know this is not the Mew they raised or the one they last saw.

His moms have always been his strength. Their love for him is why he didn't think he needed romantic love, which is a strong stance to have. So when his moms visit, they are able to help ground him a little and he is able to reconnect to who he is. And as result, he softens his armor.

He still wears a a short sleeve button down, but now with more feminine details, softer colors and more whimsical patterns like the aquarium and the ships. These shirts are more Mew.

Now, let's talk about how Top plays into Mew's clothing choices because I actually have a lot I want to discuss.

Mew has only ever worn a black undershirt since that moment. Only ever black, which is extremely curious.

Because do you know who has only ever consistently worn a white undershirt throughout the entire show?

Top. Interesting, huh?

The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. So even when Mew was rage angry at Top, subconsciously, he wasn't actually as indifferent as he pretended to be.

Mew wanted to become the opposite of who he was before and somehow ended up taking an element of Top's style with him.

Top coming to Mew's family's home is the turning point for TopMew Take 2. And their undershirt colors when they were side-by-side reminded me of something.

Do you see it?

Maybe this will help.

The visual representation of TopMew's fresh start is a yin yang symbol. Yin, the traditional feminine energy is the dark side and Yang, the traditional masculine energy is the light side. Two connected elements in perfect balance with each other.

They are both coming into this fresh start as equals with open communication and dialogue, of their own free will.

And because I love this symbolism, this is literally the Sun hugging his Moon and his Moon embracing him back 🥺

[notyetbulletproof]

Do I hope to see them be parents in Season 4? Yeah. Not in this upcoming season. Like maybe at the end but not immediately.

I just think it’s an interesting dynamic story wise and if they move into season 4 as not being the newlyweds (POLIN stepping into that role post S3) then there is still so many layers they could explore.

Kate/Anthony being parents - 2 beautifully flawed people that finally got to be happy and choose for themselves now given the choice and opportunity to be parents. In a happy way. For beautiful joyful reasons. Not tragedy. Not obligation. Not duty and honour. Choice.

Getting to see a Bridgerton couple have kids- I know that at this point Daphne has already had 2 children. Yes. But we never got to see her parent them on screen. We never got to know her kids and watch that generational dynamic.

Connection to the younger ones— who have seen Anthony as a surrogate father figure now actually parenting his own children. Not to mention how they would have come to regard Kate and knowing she too (due to devastating circumstances) raised her sister during formative years. How does it affect them? This is a HUGE opportunity to get the audience to start investing in Hyacinth and Gregory.

It doesn’t have to be a huge B plot line. It could be in small doses. Then have them continue to be there for Viscount/Viscountess reasons.

The main storyline should still be Benny B (please) with a parallel to Eloise or (I suspect) Fran’s first marriage.

Then Pen/Colin can step into the role of happy newlyweds navigating ton either post whistledown reveal or kept secret. Whichever works best for future storytelling.

That way we get a different story for each couple (as the B plots) and they can use it to contribute to the overarching narrative of the season.

I just think Kate and Anthony deserve happiness and sexy times and fun newlywed things. Joy, happiness, domestic bliss and navigating the ton after (ridiculous) scandal (and sharing their story with someone’s weird ass cousin) for a season before they become parents/we don’t see them anymore.

[astroceans]

11.02.22

i dont know how to stop it. the thoughts the memories. i thought that maybe when you decided it would all stop. contrary, they wont stop. im stuck thinking about the last 6 months and the times i could of been better and done better. the times where i should of stayed quiet where i should have loved you more. theres no benefit in thinking it though. i know you've made up your mind. and when i called you out i didn't think you would leave. i thought you'd stay like you had before. i thought you would fight more or maybe even just try. but this time you didn't. you left, you moved on. and now i think where i went wrong and if i could just been different. that if maybe i wasn't so messed up you would of stayed. maybe if i was less sad less me you wouldn't leave. but its ok. i know she is kind and she is beautiful. she is loved and taken care of. she can love you. and i know you deserve who takes away all the lies and brings you hope, poetry, and most importantly coffee. if i could talk to her, i would tell her this. his birhtday is january 10. hes actually not a typical capricorn but that might be because his mother is a cancer. hes emotional. he is kind. he is thoughtful. his love language is physical touch and words of affirmation. hes a great gift giver. he has the biggest heart. hes easily influenced. gym is his therapy. he loves his family especially his sister and his mom. hes actually a feminist. hes a clean person. his alcohol tolerance is suprsisngly high. he likes to party and have fun. but more importantly i think he likes to stay in and do nothing. his favorite color is blue but he looks great in orange. his favorite artist is j balvin. and his music taste is impeccable. hes cannot park if his life depended on it but hes a great driver. he has a sweet tooth and probably the reason he has so many cavities. his favorite sweet is donuts, coming in second gummies. his grandpa is his biggest inspiration. and like many people, he's been hurt too many times especially by me. he has the worst anxiety and overthinks too much. his best friend committed suicide and his cousin was close to. he needs reassurance and lots of love. overall, i think he's the only person who has fought for me and for our relationship something i couldn't understand and maybe why i can't let it go. 

i know you deserve more than i could ever give you. you deserve an easy love with someone who doesn't have so many layers to cut through. someone with less complications and more love to give. in fact someone who isn't afraid to be loved. i know my thoughts wont leave because i live with regret, i live with sadness. i know i'll have to live without you and live with the thought that i failed you. and more importantly that given the choice, you wouldn't choose me anymore. that i am no longer the girl you want to be with and the one you want to spend the rest of your life with . i am not the first thought in your mind and i am not the last one either. you have simply moved and found arms to come home to. and i am stuck being the sad story. the girl who cannot love and be loved. and maybe thats what kills me the most. you get to move on and i cannot even find myself talking to another person without crying. i cannot listen to music without breaking down. i cant eat without feeling guilty. that i've lost myself throughtout everything and it took you a week to move on. i'd like to ask you how you did it but i fear that when i hear your voice i would lose my breathe. i have no hope for life. and i find no pleasure in it. i live day by day hoping one day i feel less sad but its been a month and a half and i still can't listen to our song. i know its not your fault but how cannot it not be? when i told you this you didnt seem to care and you chose to move on. im so tired of crying and the sleepless nights. the calling out of work. the torturing myself at the gym. the breaking down every time i go out with my friends. you're the punchline to all my jokes and the topic of conversation when it comes to gossip. you're the theme of all my spotify playlists and the inspiration behind my new hair color. youre my excuse when my parents ask me why i can't be more active in church and the reason i dont text back any guy. the reason i've started smoking again. i dont want to love you anymore. but im sorry i love you.

[hurlumerlu]

Not Me Tarot

The other day @amysgiantbees asked me which Tarot card my wife and I had assigned to each Not Me characters, in reference to this post about all of them being The Fool, but I felt the need to explain our reasonings so here's a separate post (cause it got long).

A few notes : - we’re basing our choices on the Marseilles Tarot, which is slightly different from the Rider-Waite one (especially with cards like The Empress or The Lovers) - even then, it’s more Marseilles Tarot through seven layers of interpretations we built together for fun over the years than anything else - we also didn’t necessarily always assign cards based on their meaning: sometimes it was just about making the symbols rhyme. - we argued a lot, and in some cases neither of us could remember who got the last word. that's why sometimes a card has several characters Ok that's enough disclaimers. Let's go:

0. The Fool: White.

Freedom, Pursuing your own path, Stubborness? As established, they’re all The Fool. In the end, though, it is also a card of beginings, and the one that can best be used to signify a protagonist: we settled on White pretty quickly.

1. The Magician: White or Todd.

We both see The Magician as a trickster figure but that was still our first disagreement! I was arguing for White or Yok (youth, change brought forth with words). She sees the Magicien as a self-interested card (in french, he’s called The Pebbler : he’s trying to sell you something), so her vote was for Todd. In the end we eliminated Yok because he’s an actively straightforward character while The Magician is a liar. So White for the positive meanings of the card (beginings once again, ressourcefulness, transformation), and Todd for the card in reverse (selfishness, dishonesty).

2. The High Priestess: the twin’s mother.

Patience & Power. A woman who took the time to build her throne on strong foundations. Also a card of wisdom, motherhood and intuition, all things she appeals to when she tries to bring White back into the fold. And now I feel like I slandered that card and need to apologize.

3. The Empress: Namo.

Intelligence, Creativity, Communication. Namo is both an artist and an intelectual, someone people turn to for advice and whose judgement they respect. I’d say she’s an Empress-to-be at the begining of the show, and fully becomes one at the end.

4. The Emperor: the twin’s father.

I’ll be honnest here, our reasoning is mostly that we’ve never vibed with The Emperor. But still : authority and stability, the establishment card. Can symbolize tyrany and a narrow mind in reverse. We rest our case. (another really good pick would be the unamed man who pressures Dan into betraying the gang, but he is more a symbol than an actual character, so we went with the twin's dad)

5. The Hierophant: Gumpa.

We didn’t need to think for that one, just said Gumpa at the exact same time. Wise teacher, spiritual guide, represented by a (slightly) older man? Yeah.

6. The Lovers: Dan.

Hear us out, we feel strongly about this one. In the Marseilles Tarot, The Lovers shows a man hesitating between two women: a rich, older one and a beautiful, poorer one. He has a choice to make, and cannot seem to make it. The card doesn’t actually imply one path is better than the other, but in the context of the show we have on one side the establishment and the safety of working for it ; and on the other the uncertainity but beauty of rebellion, with Dan stuck between the two until the very end. That’s right folks, Yok is a sexy medieval minx.

7. The Chariot: Black & White.

Look, that card is just Plato’s Chariot Allegory. A black horse and a white horse, pulling in two different directions – but if you manage to give them the same goal they move forward… hmm, I wonder what we could make this about.

8. Justice: Nuch.

The law is just the law. It’s only the gate to justice. But the law itself isn’t justice. What you are fighting for, I respect that. (I understand why people would want to give this card to Black or Gram, but it is still a lawful card, and anyway Nuch deserves it)

9. The Hermit: Sean.

Yeah, we know the hermit is only a card of solitude and isolation in reverse, and that it is also supposed to be a calm, measured card. But we just couldn’t let go of how alienated Sean is. More of an exile than a hermit, cast out of society as he is, but you get the idea. Petition to change the name of the card just so that it can work. Plus it’s a nod to the fact that he’s also a thinker and a seeker, and it is arguably a card for deep internal turmoils being slowly but surely untangled. (if you want to go with the traditional meanings of the card, Gumpa would probably be your best pick)

10. Wheel of Fortune: ToddBlack or GramBlackGene or Yok’s mother.

The night we talked about it, the wife had a lovely reasoning for Yok’s mother as the Wheel of Fortune, partially based on the constant instability of poverty. Unfortunately I couldn’t remember it and when I asked her she just said "I did????" so. Take my word for it, it was very convincing. Otherwise I offer ToddBlack for their Ironic Coma Role-Reversal, or GramBlackGene for the symbolism of three people chasing after each other, each pairing always on shaky grounds but put the three of them together and it works

11. The Strength: Eugene.

A discreetly resilient character, who comes to terms with her situation in a strong, calm and accepting manner. While most Not Me characters are changed by others, Gene isn't so much transformed as she comes into herself, and this journey of self-actualization is mostly solitary and internal (in fact, other characters tend to hinder it). When dancing, she exudes inner discipline and self-posession. A quiet, internal sort of strength. (if we wanted to go the "taming with patience" interpretation of the card, White or Yok would be good picks)

12. The Hanged Man: Black.

Willing sacrifices and temporary impairements to attain knowledge and wisdom. It suits both twins, as they both left their cushy life behind (and are the only characters attuned to something otherwordly, with their psychic bond). Black’s coma, however – a moment of suspension, out of which he comes seemingly stronger, more determined and bringing with him a new truth (Todd’s a bad guy) – made for too good an analogy not to give him the card.

13. Death: Seanwhite.

Another card of change! This one sparked serious debates. Black, White or Sean ? In the end we chose Seanwhite : both dealing with loss, both transforming each other, both encouraging each other to move forward. Their stated goal, at the end, of wanting to change society together, pairs very well with the Death card. Tabula Rasa.

14. Temperance: Gram.

Gram cares about fairness and balance, and plays the role of mediator and peacekeeper quite a bit in the gang. I mean, he even tried to play bridge between Black and Gene for a while! The very laid-back way he acts around White-as-Black kinda makes me think of him as a mitigating agent in the alchemy of the group. We kinda feel like he had that middle ground role in the Nuch-Gram-Black trifecta too, as he advocates for following the law a lot less than Nuch, but for violence a lot less than Black. Also while he certainly feels a lot and very strongly, he tends to try to appeal to logic and reason more than raw passion. Pretty sure he’s the only one of the boys we never see actively fight another member of the gang, too. Gram doesn’t mind upsetting the status quo, but he does seem to care about maintaining a certain equilibrium.

15. The Devil: Todd or Tawi.

I say Todd, she says Tawi: it does not matter, as those are the same guy at different times of his life. Clever, manipulative and a connoisseur of the human soul, The Devil is motivated primarily by material goods. It’s the card of earthly pleasures in excess, which can be linked to Todd & Tawi's economic status, the fact that Tawi moves drugs, and Todd’s not very buttoned button-downs. Someone talented should make a Tawi & Todd fanvid set to Sympathy For The Devil.

16. The Tower : Tawi or Yok.

She says Tawi, for a "pride before the fall" reading of the card (and because the protestors keep meeting in front of Tawi’s tower). I say Yok, because I love this card I feel like brutal changes, the unexpected, quests for authenticity, and redeeming destruction are all things he vibes with. But it’s also the card of harsh disillusionments, and boy does a certain scene comes to mind.

17. The Star: Yok’s mom.

Creativity & love of beauty: the star is tradionally the artists’ card, so giving it to Namo or Yok would make a lot of sense. It’s also, however, a card of peace, acceptance and serenity, all things Yok’s mom seems to value. It’s a very loving card, too, and as the nurturer and probably first appreciator of her son’s artistic sensibilities, doesn’t she fit the love of beauty meaning too? Reversed, the card is also supposed to anounce bad luck, and Yok's mom loses her job (and almost her son) twice in one show.

18. The Moon: Sean or Dan.

The card of the subconcious, of fears born from the past, of withdrawal into oneself. Two characters, flashing back to the same scene again and again. Guilt on one hand, Nightmares on the other. It’s almost like these two are foils or something.

19. The Sun: The Gang! (Gumpa included)

I don’t feel like I have to explain this one, honestly. Only possible response. Just rewatch the scene of Sean, Yok and Gram piling on top of each other after the rooftop race, and you’ll get what I mean.

20. The Judgement: Seanwhite or Dan.

New beginings, realizations, renewal: like with Death, this is what Sean and White are to each other. But it’s also Dan when he finally quit the force. We know which options most people would prefer, but we wanted to put the two out there. (the meanings of the card in reverse, stagnation and mental blocks, also suit the three characters when we meet them)

21. The World: The protestors stopping the van.

Not me, not you, but everyone.

[operationbeifong]

Hey there, Beifong family enthusiast!

Who's your favorite Beifong? And who do you ship them with?

First of all, I already love you to the 'yue' and back for this ♡ Ty, I'm virtually holding your hand rn!

"Who's your favorite Beifong?" Now that.. requires a huge @$$ long answer, babe! Grab a coffee and seat down. ☕️ — I have three different answers to this, organized by category, because I can't simply just choose one Beifong, so.. ◇ My favorite based on "emotional attachment" is definitely Suyin (kinda of an unpopular choice). I simply can't help but love every aspect of her, she's so beautiful, bright and collected - I love how against all odds she overcame her traumas the healthiest way she could, rebuilt her whole life, never gave up on reconnecting with the people she loved and missed after all, etc. I have an immense amount of respect for her - she's the personification of growth, maturity and forgiveness. And I love that for her for many reasons! Her adult self reminds me a bit of Sokka in a way, that probably helped to establish my "emotional attachment" towards her as well! ◇ My favorite based on "complexity and strength" would be obviously Lin. Lin is the character I validate and understand the most too, I enjoy analyzing her whole story and personality. I'm a Psychology student, so it makes sense to me that I loved her instantly and so much (apart from being a Toph seed), she was presented to us as the typical tough character ofc but I was amazed how many layers she turned out to have, how profound and complicated her traumas, choices and path turned out to be. I love and respect Lin for reasons that are completely different from Su (they are completely opposites). Lin's psychological strength (physical too, ofc), courage and endlessly emphaty always get me. I would fight anyone just to protect her! ◇ And of course, my number one girl.. Ultimate Favorite in the entire franchise.. the ORIGINAL Beifong; TOPH!! I don't even think I need to explain myself on this one, do I?? Everything I listed about her daughters comes from Toph Beifong and even her imperfections are kinda perfect to me, she is one of the most brilliant characters in the franchise hand down. In fact I believe their daughters inherited a lot of Toph's values, beliefs and characteristics. They are her legacy in a way, probably part of the reason I love them so much too. But anyways.

That's my favorite Beifong; TophLinSu!♡

"And who do you ship them with?" That's piece of cake! For Su; Suyin/Baatar Sr. ◇ For Lin; Linzin & Kyalin, maybe Linzumi too — I do think Lin & Tenzin are soulmates who could never be though (This is actually a can of worms, 'cause I have A LOT to say regarding this entire ship!). ◇ And for Toph; Tokka yesterday, Tokka today and Tokka for always!♡ I can't actually picture Toph with anyone else, for some reason. I tried (with her other love interests and all).. But It's just not it for me. Kanto we've never even seen & Satoru was more of a simp - nothing against it but it kills the mood for me that he's a fanboy who'd spend their whole relationship praising her & kissing the ground she steps on, not into that for Toph (or any human being) in a relationship. — While with Sokka (even tho it was just a childhood crush & he was a bit older) I think they were a perfect match for a future relationship; They were opposites in the right amount, but also pretty similar (in terms of sense of humor and some values). I love how they completed each other in their dynamic, how Sokka was so kind, supportive and understanding - they had a real profound bond and he was always offering to help her out (if needed) or trying to protect her, even tho she hated to be treated like that; he was her exception. And Toph genuinely respected him (jokes apart) & would consider his opinions, even embracing his stupid ideas. It was simple and sweet. Not to mention the fact that Sokka would never pick fights with her (not that I remember), whenever Katara would ask him to intervene in their fights he'd be like "Nah, leave me out of this" and I do think that that's what intrigued Toph, he would listen to her & validate her feelings since Day 1. Then we cut to TLOK; at Yakone's trial when Sokka is giving that sentenced speech and start praising Toph for developing the Metalbending skill by herself; his facial expression immediately changes to something more affectionate (genuinely smiling at her), then Old Toph telling Korra about when she taught Aang earthbending and feeling the need to mention what happened to Sokka that day (should've been insignificant, but she kept that memory from that day) and then Suyin & Lin's small details or characteristics that were related to Sokka in ATLA (Like their usage of adapted metal swords to fight, Su's collection of meteorites, how Sokka was always praising Toph for inventing the Metalbending and later Su building a whole city out of it where Toph's achievement would be praised and immortalized for once and all, not to mention Su & some members of the family looking like Sokka, I'm pretty sure that was purposely done by the creators in a way to keep Sokka's design, idk & it makes me the happiest that it was done in the Beifong family). It's impossible not to acknowledge the impact Sokka had on Toph, they truly loved each other and loved being around each other. Romantically or not, canon or not - it's impossible for me not to ship them.♡

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #166

I said in yesterday's letter that today's letter is gonna be early, so here it is! I still have a slight headache, which is weird, but I took some ibuprofen, so I should be fine soon! I can only assume I somehow ended up with a migraine yesterday; oh well.

J and I are going camping today! We're going to a spot in New Hampshire from where we live in New York! I'm not sure how the internet will be over there (there might not be any!), and I am committed to writing to you daily, so that means if I'm gonna be in a place where the internet isn't good, I gotta get my letter done before I go to that place!!

We're going to fly there from the little airport that is relatively close to us; it's about 100 miles or about 156 kilometers away. It's about 2.75 hours to get there by car. But it'll only be about an hour by plane! But of course, that hour doesn't account for driving to the airport, inspecting the plane, and getting everything packed and squared away, ahaha!

It's only about 9am, so I don't have a whole lot else to write about yet today. So what I thought to do is show you all the pictures I took over the last several days that I didn't get around to showing you in my previous letters. Because... Sephiroth... the world is full of beautiful things if you know where to look for them. I want to teach you where to look for them. I saved the best one for last, you'll see!!

Some pictures of the sky:

Some tea swirls!

This is Lebanese food. I dunno if you have a place like Lebanon in your world, but... I guess it's a lot like Greek food, except with more warming spices. This one is lamb over spiced buttered rice with cucumber, corn, and yogurt sauce and tomatoes:

These are tiny spiced meat pies; they're amazing with cucumber-yogurt sauce!!

This one is rose-flavored cream stuffed inside layers of phyllo dough, drizzled with simple syrup and sprinkled with shaved pistachios. I think you really would have liked this one:

Some more tea swirls:

This is German food! Or... well. Americanized German food, anyway! I imagine a place like Kalm might have stuff like German food, maybe? This is three different kinds of sausage, with sauerkraut underneath, and french fries and curry ketchup:

...These french fries were SO GOOD, which is saying something because I don't normally like french fries very much. But I wasn't crazy about the curry ketchup...

This is pretzel sticks with mustard and ale cheese! The ale cheese has paprika on top!

Here are some more tea swirls!!

Last set of swirls... some of the sky after...

...And a few more pictures of the sky:

...Told ya I saved the best one for last! Hahaha!

Well that's it for today; we gotta go. But I'll take lots more pictures for you during our flight and during all our other activities, don't you worry! I'm sure I'll have plenty to write to you about by the time I get back tomorrow night!!

...I hope that all the little ways I try to tell you I love you are getting through to you. Because I do - more than you can even begin to imagine, and just because you're you. And you... are kind, brave, compassionate, steadfast, determined, and able to learn from your mistakes so you can do better and make gentler choices. What's there not to like? You are everything that a human being is supposed to be, and everything I am trying to strive for and cultivate within myself. You are my reason for living, even in a place as frightening and messed-up as this one.

Looking for the sparks of beauty and joy is very important precisely because our world is so messed up. You are one of those sparks that keeps me going, so please... I'll beg you not to disappear. Keep yourself safe out there. Treat yourself kindly. Make loving and compassionate choices - with yourself and with the world around you.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[vividspectrum]

Now that all of the new unit designs have been revealed, I want to go through and give my thoughts!!

(Small note: I took several days to finally sit down and give my thoughts, and as I was writing several things were revealed, so if you see colored text it's because new information was revealed while I was writing and didn't want to edit what I'd already written)

This post does get long, so if that's not your thing, then feel free to scroll past!

Overall, I really like Leo/Need's new look! It feels more professional and cohesive but still keeps some of the individual charm the original designs had.

School Miku's original design is one I'm especially going to miss. I think if they kept the skirt the same, I wouldn't mind as much, since then you still have some of the same pop as the initial design. I do like the 39 patch on the sweater - it's a cute detail.

Ichika's original design is one I wasn't too much of a fan of. I don't really know how to explain it other than she stands out just a bit too much? Strangely enough, this new design has the exact opposite problem - Ichika blends in a bit too well now. I do think part of that is just from a portion of the outfit being obscured by the guitar, though.

Speaking of obscuring a portion of your outfit with an instrument, Saki now has the full fit on display! Her new outfit is pretty similar, though I do think the bow tie is cuter and suits her better. I will miss the cropped jacket, but I don't think that length would have worked as well with the new blazer. The double belt is also another neat detail.

Shiho is next, and I really don't have much to say about her. Similar to Saki, I think the tie switch was a good choice, but there really isn't much more to mention.

Moving on to Honami, I wish there were more elements of her original design present here. I understand why they aren't - they just don't fit as cohesively - but the puff sleeves and half-buttoned jacket thing were cute. It also just doesn't seem very practical to have the drummer wear full sleeves on a blazer? Like, yeah a lot of motion is just in the wrist, but there is some shoulder movement that would make the jacket bunch up and overall would just be uncomfortable... or so I'd think. I played flute, so what do I know.

I know the general consensus with More More Jump is that people don't like the blue, but I don't mind it thaat much. I do wish the individual members' colors were more apparent- you can still see them, especially with Minori's, but I wish they used the accents in more places. Overall very cute, though.

I also just wasn't a fan of MMJ's original designs anyway, so these are definitely a step up

Stage Miku's new outfit is beautiful, and I love the little homages to Miku's different voicebank outfits- it honestly reminds me mostly of her V3 design, but I can see elements of the NT design in there as well. The little hair braids are adorable as well. My biggest worry is whether or not the other Stage Singers will get a new design, as only changing Miku (and Rin?) (UPDATE: Yes Rin too) would lose the cohesion they had in that Sekai.

Minori's outfit is one I have mixed feelings about. I don't think it's bad - I quite like the look of it - but I can't help but feel like something is... missing? I guess? (It does look better in the 3DMVs, so who knows what this might have been)

Haruka looks lovely in this new outfit, though oddly enough, she is the main reason I wish that the secondary color of the outfits weren't blue; her color is lost. You can still see it in the plaid, but you really have to zoom in. The layers on the skirt are very pretty, though, so I don't mind too much.

Airi's outfit is my favorite, I think? I know the skirt is for certain - the train is a very nice touch, though I can't quite tell if it's asymmetrical or not (UPDATE: seeing the new 3DMVs confirmed it is asymmetrical). The underskirt is also really pretty, and I genuinely think the pink matches the blue more than Haruka's blue does.

I don't really have much to say about Shizuku's new outfit. It's quite beautiful, though she experiences a similar problem to Haruka. It's a bit easier to see her greenish-blue in the plaid, but you do have to look for it.

I adore Vivid Bad Squad's new designs oh my goodness. The initial designs were good, but I really like how these new designs (mostly) show another side to street wear- yes, the group had a similar style with the previous iteration, but VBS is a group where I feel the lack of cohesion fits them best.

Street Miku is probably the redesign I dislike the most, but most of it just how same-y the colors are. The trenchcoat looks really nice, and I do really like the pieces of the outfit, but I wish there was a bit more variation with the colors... that said, I do think I'll grow to like it. (UPDATE:

Kohane's new design is absolutely stunning. Her initial design was really cute, but when you look at this new one, you can just see the confidence she's gained. A lot of the design aspects are the same - mainly in terms of the top and skirt - but whereas these are hidden under the big jacket in the initial design, they're on full display with the new one. It reminds me of what happens when someone starts to dabble in a new style, growing more confident in how you feel with the style and how it looks.

As I'm sure several people have mentioned, An's design is reminiscent of Nagi. It's not exact, of course, but the inspiration is still very apparent. This design is also really interesting to me because of its similarly to her initial; the colors are used in the same way, something that really isn't seen in any of the other new designs. The shoes are different, though.

Akito is still wearing a jacket over a sweatshirt... for some reason. Moving on.

Toya is another character whose gained confidence you can see in this new design. Unlike Kohane's new outfit, Toya's is very different from his initial design. The only similarities I could really see are the wear on the knees and the overall color scheme (UPDATE: the 3DMV revealed there was still text on the back of the outer jacket, but my point still stands). It's not a bad thing that the two are so different, though. In fact, I think it's a really neat way of showing character growth - the two designs are different because Toya is finally letting himself be without fitting any one else's definition of what he should be.

Let it be known that I was terrified for WxS's new designs. Luckily, there was no need to worry, but the worry was there all the same. I quite liked how the original designs looked, since they fit the setting fairly well, but they were very disjointed and (to me) felt less like a troupe and more like one of those shows when costuming is based on what you have in your closet. In comparison, these designs feel more coherent and ask if the costume shop made them... if that makes any sense.

Wonderland Miku looks adorable. Her initial design wasn't my favorite, especially with the cowl and overabundance of baubles, but this one has a wonderful balance between whimsy and cute. Very interesting that the ears changes color, though... wonder what that means.

I've had to write my thoughts on Tsukasa three times because Tumblr refused to save it, but basically: looks nice. I like the addition of more contrast. I'm not typing this again.

Emu's new outfit looks nice as well! I like how they chose to keep the shapes, such as the skirt and sleeves, while adding more details that the other members share. The contrast of round and angular is also nice, and the colors aren't too bright. Very nice.

Nene's design also keeps the overall shapes, but there's a lot of new elements to it as well. Keeping the buttons and expanding upon the butterfly motif is very cute.

What we can see of Rui's design looks nice, which makes me a little scared of what the front may look like knowing the initial design (UPDATE: the front view isn't awful, but my brain randomly decided it looked like Dimentio and now I can't look at it the same way). The asymmetry is nice, and I like the diamond/rhombus motif throughout. I know the motif was in the initial design, but it's more subtle here.

And here we have the group I started with and grew to love, whose video I watched while in class... fun fact, the video also dropped on my birthday, so that was a fun little gift~

Now, my opinions on N25's original designs are overall mixed; I like the overall look, but I wasn't the biggest fan of how Kanade just had an oversized sweatshirt. Yes, it fit her, but it didn't really fit the aesthetic the others had, if that makes any sense. Oddly enough, I have the opposite problem now.

Empty Miku is probably who I have the least to say about. I liked the initial design, but I don't think it really fits the group anymore - and I'm not just saying that because everyone else has new designs. Her initial design is fairly simple when you look at it, and so of course she grows to have more detail as the group grows to accept themselves and their true feelings: the Sekai was empty, Miku's design was simple, but that's not the case anymore.

Like I alluded to before, I wasn't a fan of Kanade's initial design. I liked the idea, but placing her beside the other members of the group just made her stand out too much. It really was just the colors, if I'm being honest, since the rest of the group wore these dark uniforms while Kanade had her bright sweatshirt. With this design, the sweatshirt (jacket?? There is a zipper this time...) aspect doesn't stand out as much, though oddly enough, I kind of wish they leaned into it more.

I do like how Mafuyu is the one with the gradient now, though. I can't really say more since the profile view doesn't offer much? (UPDATE: after seeing more of the outfit I still can't really say much. The off center bow is a neat detail, as well as how the over skirt adds a nice asymmetry. It's a welcome change from the symmetrical uniform she wore initially).

Ena's initial design was one I really liked, though I didn't really realize it until now. It's simple in concept, but there's some neat detail that I wish was kept. I get that the new idea is to have them wearing something more casual, but I feel like they could have incorporated more elements of the initial design in Ena's new one.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about Mizuki's new outfit. I miss the color their initial design had, but at the same time I understand the direction the unit is going in. I did like how personalized their initial design looked; it was unique, but still fit the themeing the rest (sans Kanade) has. The new design does scream "Mizuki" with its fashion, but I can't tell if this new design has to little or if their initial had too much; the new design looks like the rest of what Mizuki wore, while the initial really didn't share a lot of aspects with the rest of their wardrobe. That said, I can't wait to put the Hermit hairstyle on this new outfit because I have a problem.

I do want to try and find what flowers everyone has on their outfits because I'm weird like that and overanalyze the use of flowers in media, but I'll leave that for another day.

[aventurineswife]

I'm going to be honest, I was enchanted from the beginning with the way you described the reader, to the point that I wouldn't know how... In short I have no words (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)

Now, I must mention something that I had mentioned at the time I had made the request, one day before the requests closed, What was my basis for Aventurine, Sampo, Dan Heng and Jing Yuan to have those specific gems?

1 | First with Aventurine who has a reader who is a Phosphophyllite: From the beginning I had thought that a phosphophyllite would be good for an Aventurine gem (literally), I based my choice on its meaning, its meaning being: "Overcoming difficulties and healing the mind" and the meaning is left to Aventurine.

2 | Second with Sampo and a reader who is a Euclase gem: Actually, my first choice was not Euclase but was a Lapis Lazuli or a Sapphire, but it ended up being a Euclase because of the hair of both and what it is associated with (it has no meaning...), which is: "The magic of abundance, love and joy" I felt that it somehow fit Sampo.

3 | Dan Heng with a reader who is an Alexandrite gem: I based my choice on the color palette to choose Alexandrite, thinking that it would fit Dan Heng, Alexandrite represents several messages but the one I liked the most and that would fit him, would be: "Wisdom and good luck"

4 | Jing Yuan with a reader who is a Phantom Quartz gem: I based it purely on one of the messages I had, which was too perfect, it is associated with: "Evolution, growth, multiplicity of existence and self-knowledge"

But, which gems would you have chosen for those four? (⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠)

-💤🩵 anon

I’m really glad you enjoyed my perspective. It’s fascinating how you’ve linked each gem to the characters, and I can totally see why you chose those specific ones for each of them.

Your reasoning for this pairing is beautiful. Phosphophyllite’s meaning—"Overcoming difficulties and healing the mind"—is perfect for Aventurine, as it symbolizes resilience, healing, and the inner strength needed to endure and overcome hardship. I’d keep Phos as the Reader for Aventurine, as it matches the healing and emotional growth Phos undergoes through their journey. Phos’ initial fragility and later resilience after many transformations fit perfectly with the idea of overcoming difficulties and healing the mind. So, for Aventurine’s Reader, Phos is a perfect gem that mirrors the emotional and physical journey that they both go through.

I love your choice of Euclase for Sampo, especially since its meaning relates to "the magic of abundance, love, and joy"—it really fits his charismatic and playful nature! I would consider Euclase for Sampo because of their sharpness and cleverness. Euclase has a more angular, intellectual design, which could align with Sampo’s wittiness and strategic mind. I would also pick Euclase for the Reader based on the connection of multiplying happiness and bringing joy in the way Sampo tends to find humor and solutions in any situation. Euclase would be seen as a more clever, yet fun-loving gem who brings balance to Sampo's energetic and outgoing nature.

Alexandrite is an excellent choice for Dan Heng, especially considering its dual nature—its color-changing properties symbolize wisdom and good luck in different settings. I would choose Alexandrite because of its versatility and inner conflict—much like how Dan Heng constantly struggles with his identity and past. Alexandrite's shifting colors are symbolic of internal change, and it fits with Dan Heng's quiet, yet complex nature, making it a gem that mirrors his hidden layers and wisdom. It represents the way Dan Heng constantly evolves while trying to find peace within himself.

Phantom Quartz for Jing Yuan is absolutely perfect! The symbolism of "Evolution, growth, multiplicity of existence, and self-knowledge" fits him so well. Phantom Quartz would represent Jing Yuan’s role as someone who not only acts as a leader but also someone who’s been through trials, learning and evolving over time. The multiplicity of existence and self-knowledge aligns with Jing Yuan’s sense of responsibility and wisdom. It also mirrors the journey of self-reflection that many of the gems go through in their own way.

I really love how you’ve thought deeply about the meaning behind each gem choice—it makes these connections feel so much more intentional and powerful. The gems you chose beautifully mirror the qualities of each character, adding layers of depth to them.

And I think my choices align in a similar way, focusing on symbolic meaning and how each gem fits their unique qualities (now that I know the context but I probably messed up the req you sent of it... 😔🙏).

[chemmerson]

i need to begin writing my thoughts and feelings down somewhere because i think i might explode if not.

life has been so hard lately. i have gone through hard seasons of my life. covid. grad school. living with my parents again. etc. but facing the hard truths that i have been trying to ignore these past three months has made me such a miserable person to the point where i don’t even recognize myself anymore.

i have never really been someone who struggled or perseverated on “the meaning of life”. i have wondered what my purpose is, sure. i have been through phases where i second guessed my decisions and pondered if they would ultimately be the wrong ones. but overall, i had a sense that i would be okay. somehow, some way. i would be okay.

i think there are many factors to this feeling of failure and impending doom that seems to be weighing more and more on my chest. the fact that i didn’t have a break from the years 2022-2024. family members passing away, one expected, one unexpected. graduating, getting married, and starting a job all in the span of 3 months.

and the fact that what i thought was my dream job and my number one passion in life turned out to be the number one reason i cry every day.

i am facing what i didn’t think possible: i would run out. of energy, of emotion, of fucks to give. that i have been trying to water the many different facets of my life to keep them alive and thriving with a cup that has been empty for far too long.

and i find myself grappling with these existential questions: did i make the right choice? was my passion a lie? am i not meant to make the world a better place? am i not as capable as i thought i was? is everyone lying to me? is this really what adulthood looks like?

what the fuck am i even doing.

these questions are so fucking tiring and i don’t have the energy to really even care. why am i doing all of this? and do i really need to care? that is the scariest part of all - i really don’t feel like caring would make a difference.

but it would. and it does. because that is what makes us fundamentally human. caring and caring too much. making messes and grappling with it all. peeling back the layers to find more layers we didn’t even know existed.

i know life is beautiful. i know what makes this one life we have worth it. i know there’s dappled sunlight, wind singing through the trees, belly laughter and holding hands. i know life is beautiful.

but i just can’t seem to grasp it.

i am so tired. and i don’t know how to get back up again when my bones are dried up.

i will let you know when i figure it out.

[idotartist]

I love the way you draw fire though! and your colouring is beautiful, I was wondering if there are any tips you could give for colouring?

OMG THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!! ;A; i'm still figuring out how drawing fire works tho and the feedback i got was super helpfull and got me a step closer to it i think!! during my last 2 drawings i've always had some super helpful feedback about the fire so i feel really blessed about that~ as for the colouring tips, well these are some of the tricks and methods i use;

1- instead of using a darker colour for the shading i just use a more saturated colour, kinda like this;

the added saturation makes the colour appear darker when in reality it's not! think about it like colouring traditionally with colour pencils. when you use a colour pencil the places where you added a lot of pressure look much darker than the places where you added only very little pressure - despite it being one and the same colour! done with the same pencil! the reason it appears darker is because it simply just has more pigment. that's what we're doing here too, we're making the color appear darker by adding more pigment.

BUT

if we just simply stick with the exact same hue then the colouring would look bright and vivid - but still be horribly boring. so i play around with the hue too!!

the circle determines the hue you're selecting and the colors you see there are all at 0% darkness but 100% saturation despite them, technically, being equally light/dark according to the software they still look differently dark rotate the hue in the direction of blue/purple for the shadows and in the direction for yellow to select the colours for the highlights

blue, purple and red are the best colours to shade white with, for black however it'd stick to blue or else it stops looking like black and starts looking like a very dark colour instead

2- give each colour it's own layer.

that way, if you notice halfway through that the colours you've chosen don't look so good together you can still make adjustements and edit every single colour without losing any of the progress you've done with the shading (note: do all of the shading on the same!!! layer as the base colour tho!!!)

many artists solve this issue by using predetermined colour palettes, that way they're guaranteed that the colours look good toghether but colour palettes save absolutely no time at all (adjusting the colours of a layer takes only a few seconds) and are extremely limiting when colouring so i just don't see any benefit to them

3- USE THE RIGHT BRUSH!!!! your choice of brushes can honestly make or break the colouring. the impact they have should not be underestimated, it's huge. which brush is best for you depends on your artstyle but personally i think brushes that simulate either watercolours or copic markers are the best ones.

if you use a software where it's possible to use custom brushes made by fellow artists then PLEASE do that. most art software comes with awful default brushes, and even for those that come with decent default brushes (such as photoshop) most free custom brushes made by fellow artists are still so much better than the default brushes that they're worlds apart Clip Studio Paint (the software i use) has an assets "store" where you can download brushes made by fellow users. for other art software i'd recommend checking out deviantart for user made custom brushes if it's a software that existed before the downfall of deviantart. it's a huge goldmine filled with insanely amazing brushes for many different types of software. personally i use a brush called froggy pencil for the colouring 4- add overlay layers to your art after finishing with the colouring. they can make a drawing really come to live and it's insane just HOW much they add to a drawing. usually i always either use a gradient, a solid colour or a soft airbrushed colour on the overlays and let them do their magic.

to show just how much of a difference overlay layers make; here's a comparision between my most recent drawing - and a version of the same drawing where i removed all overlay layers. see the difference?

...soo uhhh ... that's all the tips and tricks i have up my sleeve lol hope it helped a bit?