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jaslynnsblog · 2 years ago

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NM3217 Final Project

Creating a brand identity, I decided to look into what represented me the most that set me aside from other people. Like many others, I am a dancer, but I specialise in a relatively niche form of dance, namely Latin dance. This is unique from the various genres that most dancers specialise in. Having dedicated a huge portion of my life and year to Latin dance through competitions and in NUS CCA, I felt that it was representative of my self-identity, which I wanted to convey to those who viewed my brand.

Theme Latin dance is considered a distinctive and intricate form of dance, and gained popularity for its elegance and luxuriousness.The elegant and expressive moments of latin dance create a mesmerising spectacle that is both sophisticated and sensual, and latin dance is commonly associated with high-end events and sophisticated venues. Hence, the theme of my brand style and logo is elegance, which corresponds to my identity, shaped by latin dance.

Aligning to my idea of a sleek design for my logo, I wanted to have my brand style guide simple, neat, and clean. Hence, I did not include any explanatory or excessive text within my brand style guide.

Logo creation In my logo creation process, I used my name as a base. Initially during my sketching process, I had decided to use both my initials to create a logo for myself. During the sharing session, I showcased 3 different types of logo that I had created. Here are the logos:

The main idea was to combine my initials in one way or another, to form a logo that was aesthetically pleasing to look at. As such, I eliminated the first logo, and focused on developing the 2 remaining logos.

However, after greater consideration of my brand identity, I decide to change the logo. Instead of using both my initials, I decided to only use initial J from my name, Jaslynn. This was a letterform type of logo, which expresses my passion and love for Latin dance. Using the J, I used adobe illustrator to draw out many versions, trying to incorporate latin dance elements. Eventually, I came up with the logo:

Variations of logo: For my logo, the colour I utilised is gold, to show a nice contrast against the black background. Hence, my name card is black in colour, and the gold is elegant and eye catching. However, during the critique, I received many feedback for me to add another variation of my logo, when considering light backgrounds or gold backgrounds. Hence, I added the white version of the logo, which will be used when the background is greatly similar to the gold, as the logo needs to stand out against the background. Here is how the logo will look like on different backgrounds.

Namecard I decided to have 2 versions of name cards, using the 2 versions of my logo switched from front and back. Initially, for the second version - Portrait J logo in front, I had considered another way of displaying my information for the back of the name card, with the logo in the middle of my details, but eventually decided against it. Here are the 2 variations I had initially for version 2.

Colour palette & scheme:

Original colour palette: I originally intended to use the colour black, red, and magenta. This is because my cca often incorporates these colours into our performances, and I had chosen these costumes for my items. Here is my original moodboard created with these colours. I had also looked for suitable colours. I was satisfied with this because black and red were contrasting, and magenta was analogous with red. They also conveyed a sense of passion and power. Hence, I wanted to work around with these colours.

However, when applying the colours to my brand guide, the contrast of red against black was relatively jarring. Furthermore, in the chinese culture context, writing ones name in red was negative, despite its usual positive connotation. Names in red suggested that one was sentenced to death, or are dead. Hence, I decided to change the colour scheme.

Final colour palette The colour palette I decided to go with was black and gold, to align with the theme. Black is a neutral colour, representing prestige, sophistication, and seduction . Gold communicates an idea of elegance, elite, and idealism. Furthermore, both black and gold symbolises prestige and luxury, and all their representative meanings parallels to the theme of my brand. Additionally, these are the colours associate with my latin dance cca, so I felt that it was more personal.

Black was the dominant and main colour, and gold was an accent colour. For text within my style guide, I used white, which represents simplicity and cleanliness, to give details of my work. I worked to find black and gold colour palettes, and finally decided to use a gold colour #9a8020. Using a colour contrast checker, I ensured that it contrasted nicely against a black background.

Initially, I used #000000 and #FFFFFF for the black and white colours, but I received feedback from the critique to avoid using pure white or black. Hence, I eventually changed the colour codes to #010203 and #FBFCFB, such that it still suits my aesthetics in a subtle way. Initially, I thought that there would be no difference, but after converting half of my brand style guide and exporting as PDF, I realised the difference in colour was actually significant, especially the black turned out to be much richer.

To use my colours, I created new swatches using their CMYK values in InDesign, and renamed them accordingly.

Typography For the typography, I decided to use Gimlet Family, and Neurotica typeface. For Gimlet Family, I specifically used Gimlet Display Medium Italic for my headers, and Gimlet Text Italic for my subheaders. Neurotica was used for all body text, like resume information and contact details. I chose these two typeface as Gimlet Family were sans text, while Neurotic were sans-serif, and it gave a nice contrast for greater readability of the content in my resume and name card.

Document setup I created my brand style guide using InDesign, by rotating the A4 sized to horizontal, and using specific margins - 3p0, 4p6, 4p6, 4p6, as learnt in tutorial. I ensured that all my content for my brand style guide remained within the margins, to frame the type area and avoid any content being lost.

The background was created by drawing a rectangle that corresponded to the A4 size, and filled with the selected black colour. I then locked the rectangle to avoid any unnecessary edits.

Resume For my resume, I chose to create a portrait resume, that was similar to traditional resumes. I added my logo to the top right of my resume, to highlight my brand. The icons used for my contact details, website, education, and work experience were drawn in Adobe Illustrator, and copy pasted into InDesign.

Feedback received from critique:

1. My work experience icon - business bag, appeared to be compressed as compared to the icon for education. I re-adjusted the icon so that they were the same size, and there would be no distractions from size.

2. I should add in my actual job experiences instead of placeholders so that I have a clearer view of how much space I needed. I found that this feedback was very helpful, because I attempted adding in my work experience and relevant details and realised that I needed much more space. To combat this, I removed relatively unnecessary details - > A level education, decreased font size, and adjusted the remaining body text closer to the margins. This way, I could fit in the necessary details.

3. I lack any explanations or elaboration regarding dance, and there was no longer any link to the dance shoes that was my logo. This feedback was also very effective, as I realised that I needed to highlight how dance was related to my identity. Hence, I added in my relevant dance details to my resume, to show my passion for dance. Furthermore, the website link directly brings viewers to my dance blog page.

4. I should standardise my proficiency levels for skills and language. In addition, skills (in stars) are usually placed horizontally instead of vertically. I originally placed the stars vertically as I did not want the stars to exceed the margins, which it definitely would if positioned vertically. I intended to create bar-styled proficiency levels for my adobe platforms, but I did not know how to. After the critique, I slowly worked my way around and now have a relatively standardised presentation of my language and skill proficiency.

To create the proficiency levels, I used the rounded rectangle tool in Adobe Illustrator to draw a size I liked, and imported it into InDesign with white stroke and gold fill. From there, I duplicated the rectangle with a black fill. Lastly, I added black rectangles to highlight my proficiency levels in each software.

5. For my contact details, I should not used italics as it may reduce readability, and those are important details. I acknowledged this and changed to Neurotica, making the text much clearer and easier to read.

Here is my resume before and after for comparison

Extra feedback received: I also received feedback that I should add more colours, like magenta, which matched well with my style, as well as my dance genres. However, I wanted to keep my resume simplistic, elegant, and neat like the rest of my style guide, so I did not add any additional colours.

Overall, this assignment was quite fun, as I got to apply my skills learnt in the various adobe softwares to create my own individual band style guide, which can also be used as my portfolio.

P.s: Images are compromised because I first did my blog draft on google docs

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jakeperalta · 2 years ago

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Anon from Singapore here! We have got a lot of rules 😂 Bra must match skin colour, obviously no makeup and only your actually hair color, hair styles no hair till eyebrows or below shoulder, uniform obviously is school uni (Not sure what you meant by uniform shop cause ours is you buy the school uni from the school itself every school had different uni) the shirt how must be tucked in and skirt how long, pe clothes too, the shoes either ONLY all white SCHOOL TYPE SHOES or if the school allow uniform colour (eg yellow and blue, then the design cannot be more than 20 cent coin size in colour), shoelaces must be white (or school shoelaces 😂 the got the school name printed lolol) socks must be school socks only with the logo facing outward and readable, nails must be short clean and unpainted, no accessories jewellery, cosmetics toattOo or coloured contact lenses are allowed. Earrings can only be one small round stud plain color. and only one lobe piercing nothing else. spectacle frames cannot be some weird design only simple (everyone wears glasses here very rair someone doesn’t wear) school badge, name tag, house badge, cca badge and others have very specific placements and if u forgot any of them then penalty, all hair accessories eg clips and rubber bands must be black in color and cannot shave or crop sides and back, for boys no sideburns or facial hair and combed back

Actually there a lot more but I cannot rmb so many now 😂

by uniform shop i meant that in general for schools in the uk you can buy a lot of your uniform from various shops so long as it's inkeeping with the uniform code (so you could get your white shirts from a supermarket's school uniform range for example) so mine was more unusual in that it was all specific colours and styles that were only sold at these two specific places, which was annoying because it made it way more expensive

i actually had most of these rules too! although not ones like the socks or the school shoelaces haha, they just had to be certain colours and weren't allowed over tights (much to our dismay when it was briefly trendy to do that for some reason lol). also i remember the cool thing to do in colder weather was to wear a hoodie under your blazer and even though everyone took them off once they arrived the teachers used to get sooo annoyed if they saw anyone arriving/leaving with one on because we were giving the school a bad image to the public as though literally any random people on the street cared 😭

#answered #Anonymous

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ordinaryschmuck · 2 years ago

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Why do I love Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse?

Aside from the fact that it's about my favorite superhero of all time? Let me count the ways...

The animation. I already know I'm not blowing any minds here, but good word, the animation is SPECTACULAR! By blending CGI models with hand-drawn elements, this is the only experience in a superhero movie that made me feel like a comic book has been brought to life. You might say that "it's not live-action," but that's beside the point. 90% of most MCU movies are practically animated, aside from the 10% that have actual humans on screen. So you should have no qualms when this beautiful masterpiece of a film manages to make you feel like you're watching a comic in motion, to the point where you could pause any frame of animation and turn it into a comic panel. Sidenote, if they make this movie into a graphic novel, I would absolutely buy it. I don't care if it's pointless when I could just watch the movie. Give me that graphic novel version of this gorgeous film.

The opening logos are unironically jaw-dropping. They flash through the many variations each insignia could have/has gone through, giving you a taste of the insanity of what this movie will bring. It also plays into what happens to the characters, meaning that while the story hasn't started yet, we're still given a heavy dose of foreshadowing.

The CCA stamp doesn't get enough credit. For those who don't know, back in the day, comics had to adhere to the Comics Code Authority's regulations, sticking their CCA stamp onto every cover to ensure parents that what was inside was kid friendly. It got to the point where no one took it seriously anymore, and the stamp became an irrelevant system that almost always failed to point out the age demographic for comics. The fact that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is rated PG makes the callback even funnier.

The opening narration. It introduces us to this universe's version of Peter Parker, who's basically the every-man in the Spider-Man universe (The every-Spider-Man?). He features the highest highs and lowest lows of Spider-Man, showcasing his history and origins in a way that fans will adore while making something entertaining for the 1% of people who somehow never heard of Spider-Man.

Miles' introduction is close to perfection. Making him an artist already earns some relatability points from yours truly but having him jam out to music while doing it turns him into one of my favorite characters that I see myself in. I can't count the number of times I'm drawing something, and I get lost in the music playing in my headphones. I've known this character for less than a minute, and I already see a lot of myself in him. The fact that he procrastinated getting ready and did it all in a rush is just the cherry on top. And given how I look whiter than the snow on a Christmas day and Miles looks...very much not that, I already feel like the writers are doing something right if I see myself in someone like him. Most writers go the route of making a character's race or ethnicity their only character trait. There are some good intentions in that somewhere, but writers forget that without things like personalities, interests, and desires, the character's race does not matter. They're still going to be boring. Give me more Miles Morales, less of the hollowed shells called human beings that you find on the CW.

The one-take of Miles walking through his neighborhood mirroring/contrasting with his walk through school does well to visually explain the disconnect he feels about being in a new school and an unfamiliar environment.

I love Miles' dad. I'll get more to the emotional stuff later, but Jefferson Davis starts out great as someone strict but still trying hard to connect with Miles. It's genuinely heartwarming to see. Plus, that "I love you, Dad" scene…I mean, come on!

The montage of Miles' first day does well in showcasing the pressure the character is feeling. Maybe I'm still relating so much to Miles, but I felt how hard his day was for him.

The video of Olivia Octavius is some solid foreshadowing of the multiversal madness ahead and even better foreshadowing of who Olivia is, considering that Miles JUST blocks her last name. This scene also introduces us to Gwen while subtly hinting at who she is by Miles briefly saying, "I've never seen you around here before.”

Community is playing on Uncle Aaron's TV...That's it. I watched all of Community last year and grew to appreciate seeing a reference or two about it showing up.

Miles' moment with Uncle Aaron is sweet. It shows how things are easy between them, and Miles can rant about anything to the laid-back person his uncle is, in contrast to the eggshells Miles seems to dance around when dealing with his dad. Plus, Aaron showing off the shoulder touch pays off for two great scenes in the future. Not to mention his "hey" sends this bisexual a little...haywire.

Miles spray painting the wall is touching for two reasons. For one, it proves how much sweeter this universe's Aaron is. In other iterations, he manipulates Miles, searching for ulterior motives, primarily for Aaron's selfish gain. Here, it's clear he genuinely cares about his nephew, wanting to share this moment with Miles and have fun in a way the two should. It's also touching to see Miles express himself. We got a taste of his phenomenal talent near the beginning, but to see him make that masterpiece that he made proves how much of an artist he really is. It really is the best way to make this Miles not only unique but also engaging.

The spray paint getting sprayed on the corner of the screen is also a nice touch. They didn’t have to do it, but they did, and I love it.

The Spider bite. The thing that fundamentally changes Miles' life, and the lives of other Spider-People before him, for now, and forever...and he swats it like it was nothing. That's...incredible.

Miles reacting to his spider bite, however, leads to a collection of great moments that are awkward as they are hilarious.

By the way, have I mentioned that this movie is funny? And not in your face with it like other Marvel movies. I mean that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is naturally funny, having great jokes that work well within the situation while never stealing away from the moment. I won't go over all the humorous moments, but I'll definitely talk about my favorites.

Like Miles' interaction with Gwen post-spider bite. It's awkward in all the right ways, and his facial expression as he stiffly places his hand on her shoulder cracks me up every time.

The "Who's Morales?" bit is iconic. I told you, this movie is just naturally funny!

Using the Amazing Fantasy comic cover as a reference is great. It's the comic that gave us the best superhero ever made, so it's nice of the animators to throw that in as a callback, honoring the contribution it made to humanity.

By the way, it used to bother me how Peter Parker allowed a comic to detail his backstory, but it just now occurred to me that the Peter Parker in the comic looks vastly different from the one in that universe. That, coupled with the knowledge that he has licensed merch, proves that he allowed this comic as long as the artists made sure his identity remained secret. Just another little detail that makes this movie amazing.

Speaking of small details, I love that Miles has a lot of contacts on his phone. Both his contacts and that one-take in the beginning show that he's a social kid instead of an outcast like Peter, which is nice. It’s for the best that this movie shows that Miles is his own person than a mixed-race Spider-Man

Another fact is that his comic creators are in there too. That's a cute thing to include.

The visual explanation for Miles' spider sense is remarkable. I always get chills with the words "LOOK OUT," illustrating that it's silently screaming in his brain. Gah, such a good scene! Can you marry a scene? Because I want to marry this scene. It's easily my favorite in anything Spider-Man-related.

Peter's fight with Green Goblin is INSANE! Admittingly, when I first watched this movie, it was a little hard to tell what was going on due to so much happening all at once. But, after seeing it for the fiftieth time, I can certainly say that I appreciate how off-the-wall Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gets with its action, especially with this first fight scene. It's only a taste of what's to come, and I'm glad the film slowly eases you into the more insane scenes by prepping you with a moment like this.

Peter Parker’s introduction to Miles is perfect. The writers do everything right, starting with Peter breaking the ice with a joke, attempting to cool Miles off from his first near-death experience, only to get serious once Peter realizes what Miles is exactly. And I adore how Peter calmly approaches the situation, reassuring Miles that while things will change whether he likes it or not, Peter will be there to help him. Peter doesn't even hesitate when he volunteers to mentor Miles. You get the sense that Peter's excited about it, and, gosh dang it, these writers really did a great job in making him the Every-Spider-Man.

Miles recording Peter's fight with Prowler...Because of f**king course, he does. Wouldn't you?

Kingpin's the villain! This is cool because, while he's mostly remembered as a Daredevil villain nowadays, it's great that this movie recognizes that he started off as a member of Spider-Man's rouge's gallery. And, sure, he lacks the depth that Vincent D'Onofrio had in Daredevil. But he's still pretty threatening and even terrifying, being the character that allows this movie to earn its PG rating.

Plus, his motivation is...good enough. It's not the best thing in the world, but it works just enough to be believable for this character, all while explaining why he's working hard to, you know, break the universe. So, yeah, a solid villain for one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The fact that it's Peter Parker that technically caused the other Spider-People to show up is amazing to me. It proves that without meaning to, he still manages to find a way to save the day. Even if that means pulling other Spider-People from their dimensions...which is ultimately killing them. Yeah, isn't that just classic Peter Parker bad luck for ya?

Also, heh, you can see Peter B. Parker and the others fly away from the explosion. That's funny.

Peter's last words to Miles...Wow. It's one of those moments you know that he knows that he's not going to make it out this time. So, in his last moments, Peter offers as much advice as he can to Miles, telling him what needs to be done and how to do it. What I love most is the fact that he still cracks jokes and still gives Miles the false hope that he'll "catch up," showing that, above all else, Peter cares about making people feel safe and secure. Again, he really is the Every-Spider-Man...Or was, at least.

Peter's eye-roll at Prowler. Even at death, he's still making us laugh.

Miles is a coward...It feels weird to say that's something I love about this film, but it's true. Miles starting off as someone who runs and hides instead of trying to help Peter Parker does the job to make it even more satisfying when Miles eventually does find courage and confidence in being a Spider-Man.

Also, his guilt seems more reasonable here than it does in the comics. Miles' guilt in the comics stems from not being there to help Ultimate Peter Parker, even though there's not really anything Miles could have done to help, and Peter was already as good as dead before Miles knew he could help. Here, while it's a lot more likely Miles could die, I do understand his guilt as he's right there and able to do something rather than nothing. So not only does Miles' cowardice set up a great character arc, but it also does its job in making him feel better guilt than his comic counterpart. So, nice job all around.

This version of The Prowler is amazing. His motif, his outfit, his silent badassery. It’s just so perfect.

Miles runs home to his family and not to the school...because his family is where he feels the safest. That just hit me--GAH, THIS MOVIE'S GREAT!

Miles' mom is so sweet. She's mostly remembered for one line, reassuring Miles that their family doesn't run away from things, but that one line proves to you all what you need to know: She's there to tell Miles what he needs to hear, even though she doesn't entirely know how much he needed to hear it. Such a great mom.

New York's reaction to Spider-Man's death. You feel it in everybody, literally everybody. Just the number of people showing up to his funeral proves how much he earned the title of "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man."

Best. Stan Lee cameo. Ever. This movie came out a month after Stan Lee passed away, and I feel like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse did the best job of honoring him. Spider-Man really is Stan's greatest co-creation (with help from Steve Ditko, of course), and the best Spider-Man movie being one of the last he made an appearance in really hits hard. RIP, Stan. Thank you and Steve Ditko for the hero that is loved by all.

It's also neat that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has a better reason why Miles is wearing a Halloween costume when dressing up as Spider-Man. It was done in the comics to make him easily hide his identity, but it's also in poor taste, to the point where even the characters in the comics point out how it's poor taste. Here, Miles buys the costume in tribute to Spider-Man when going to Peter Parker's funeral, like a lot of people have done. And, well, he already has it, so he might as well continue to use it. Man, this movie really is trying to make Miles' origin story better than it was in the comics, huh?

This movie manages to do the "Jump/Pussy" scene from Venom, and not only is it funnier, but it's also done better. At first, you're laughing at Miles giving up despite the music epically building up about how he's about to jump. But then, after he gives up the first time, he tries again, using a smaller building because he thinks it'll be easier. This movie took a funny scene, then twisted it to visually tell us how determined Miles is to do the right thing! You see, Venom? This is how you actually make a good movie!

Peter B. Parker's narration does a great job of underlining the contrast between him and Peter Parker (also, for consistency, I'll be calling him Peter B. for the rest of the review. It's simpler). While Peter's narration reveals to us his success and zeal for the life he has, Peter B.'s is all about his failures and how much he's given up on life. Already, it's a quick and easy way of proving how different both Peters are, and I don't mind it. Primarily because each narration works well for the film's main running joke and because Peter B.'s is the funniest because what he says clashing with what is shown. I still laugh at that hard cut of him crying in the shower, as mean as that sounds.

The seahorse bit. I mean, come on. The fact that he gets choked up about seahorses mating for life always gets to me.

While Peter B. is getting sucked into the portal, knowing there's no stopping it, his first priority is to get his mask. That tells me that despite how far life beat him with the bad luck stick, he still knows the number one rule of being Spider-Man: Always bring your mask.

Also, he tries to save the pizza...which makes me chuckle. I won't lie.

Peter B. and Miles getting pulled/dragged through the city is the best type of chaos. It's great knowing that while the animation is perfect for some epic fight scenes, it also has some impeccable slapstick.

Peter B. is the Spider-Man that rejects the code: With great power comes great responsibility. That part of Peter B. always intrigues me, and it makes sense. He was beaten down because of great responsibility, so even though it was the last words of his Uncle Ben, he'd rather live without them. Yet that doesn't mean he's done with being a good person. He's tired and burnt out, sure. But he still helps Miles once realizing that he can't just walk away from someone that needs him. It presents an interesting dynamic, for while Peter B. has to teach Miles how to be Spider-Man, Miles is there to help Peter B. remember how to be Spider-Man. Not a lot of people bring that up, and it's what I admire about their relationship.

I don't know about you all, but the diner scene always makes me want burgers and fries, without fail. It just makes the food look so good! Too bad it comes from a restaurant with a C-grade health code...Oh, so that's why it closed down six years ago in Peter B.'s universe.

Aside from their narrations, Peter B.'s advice also clashes with Peter's. Peter B. always offers more practical stuff, telling Miles what to do so he won't lose his mind while being Spider-Man. It works with Peter B.'s character and, once again, proves how he couldn't be further different from Peter Parker. With that said, Peter B. still offers great advice from time to time. Granted, it's when things are actually serious and during danger, but, hey, at least he tries.

Peter B. and Miles thinking is perfect and earned being a meme.

Peter B. coming up with the plan. It proves that he's both intuitive for coming up with it so quickly and simple-minded in thinking it would be that easy. Plus, Miles' interjections offer great humor.

Peter B. saying teenagers are the worst always gets a chuckle out of me because of the fact that Spider-Man is the superhero widely remembered for being a teenager.

Olivia Octavius. GOOD! GOLLY! MISS MOLLY, what a twist! Now, there are a few minuscule hints making it more obvious in hindsight, like the octagon decorating surrounding her and what looks like an arm prototype behind Peter B. With that said, however, I WAS SHOCKED IN THEATERS! This kooky lady who, at first, seems ecstatic to see Peter B. turns out to be an alternate version of one of his worst enemies and was actually fascinated by how he got there and how to kill him. Such a good scene that never fails to give me chills!

And the fight that comes after it is equally intense, fun, and epic.

The funniest moment in the movie is the monitor gag. That is all.

BAGEL! By the way, someone actually cosplayed as that scientist who got BAGELED! Not really a fun fact about the movie, but it is a fun fact about life.

Gwen's narration is probably the most beneficial. Nearly everybody knows about Peter Parker, and I think enough people know about Miles, but I'm not sure how well-known Spider-Gwen was before the movie (and, yes, I know she's called Spider-Woman or Ghost Spider. It's just that Spider-Gwen's more fun to say. Leave me alone). People might know of her but not so much about her whole deal and origins. So, it helps that the movie flies by her origins, telling newcomers what they need to know and leaving them to learn the rest from her comics.

Also, Gwen, come on. Miles is the reason you got that dope haircut in the first place. Let him compliment it.

ALSO also, Gwen's a pretty fun character. I have some problems with how she's in the story, but I do love her punk-rock personality and how she's basically the only Spider-Person with a functioning brain cell...Except for that Gwanda bit, but we don't talk about that. Despite some flaws, Gwen's a character with a lot of humor and solid character interactions, especially with Miles.

Gwen and Miles are adorable together. Have I mentioned that? Because it's true. They don't have much time to develop their relationship (that's for future movies to do), but the time they do have is still pretty darn cute.

Kingpin's flashback is beautifully animated while also paying homage to the art style of the comic his design is based on. It's pretty cool that this already brilliantly animated movie still manages to find different ways to look gorgeous.

This movie has the best Aunt May. Don't argue, Raimi nerds! You know it's true! She kicks ass, accepting of Peter's secret, looks old, and has some pretty snappy one-liners. You see this woman and understand how Peter Parker came to be the man he is--Er, was. If you have a problem with this Aunt May, you can take it up with the baseball bat she used to beat Tombstone. Tombstone! How can you hate an old woman who can do that?!

As for May's interaction with Peter B., it's--Say it with me now--perfect. They're both basically meeting ghosts of people they loved, and May and Peter B. interact the same as if it was the version of each other they've always known. There is genuine heartbreak and love in each of their voices, and you feel every bit of it. Even the jokes about Peter B. being fat and wearing sweatpants doesn't spoil the moment but add to it, showing May's distaste over a version of her nephew letting himself go. It's snark, but snark from the love of a woman who's basically his mother. What did you expect?

The Spider-Cave is awesome! Little weird that Peter Parker, a character known for being as poor as dirt in the comics, has this, but then you remember something: The merchandise. This was a Peter who whored himself out with cereal, Christmas albums, and so-so popsicles. Heck, even the Spider-Buggy, also from the comics, was promotional material. This means that Peter Parker made BANK on the stuff he made, so much so that he was able to afford a cave that would make Batman jealous. It might not be one-for-one the exact explanation for how he has it, but the movie offers enough information to make it a reasonable conclusion anyway.

I want a Spider-Noir movie. I don't care if it's animated or not. I want a gosh dang Spider-Noir movie. And it has to be played by Nicholas Cage. It wouldn't be right if it wasn't because he’s the reason that Spider-Noir is the funniest character in the movie.

I love that every single Spider-Person is totally on board with staying behind and leaving their homes forever if it's the only way to get the others back to where they belong. They're definitely Spider-People, alright. Nobel sacrifices like that are all a part of the DNA.

The scene where the others put a lot of pressure on Miles results in complicated feelings. On the one hand, it's not cool for them to do this. On the other, you understand why. This isn't the typical stopping a mugger or fighting a c-lister. This is a fight to save the multiverse with dozens of people who will make the mission all the more dangerous. The pressure they're making Miles feel is close to what they'll be dealing with in the fight with Kingpin, so what they're doing is somewhat validated through the current circumstances. I may not like it, but I do understand it.

And I've got to give Peter B. credit for being both Miles' hype man and telling the other Spider-People to cool it with the pressure. Out of all of them, he understands Miles a little better and wants to keep the poor boy sane. It's pretty sweet.

Jefferson reaching out to Aaron is also pretty dang heartwarming. You can tell there's some definite tension between the two, but they're still brothers. Family loves family, no matter the mistakes (unless your family is reasonably toxic, in which case, you cut them out yesterday). Jefferson reaching out is a testament to that...Even if Aaron might not have deserved it--Yeah, let's get into that.

The reveal of Aaron being the Prowler...Where do I even begin? Fellow comic nerds already knew this was coming, but that doesn't stop this reveal from hurting. The part that gets me is the score. It expertly portrays the amount of fear and betrayal Miles is feeling at this moment, to the point where you don't even need to see what's happening to understand something tragic is going down.

The chase scene that follows is also pretty intense, added with the red sky and the several moments where Miles barely gets away. It's...You know what it is. It's f**king perfect.

Scorpion looks cool. A little weird, sure, but still pretty badass and intimidating.

My favorite fight in the movie might just be the Spider-People battling the...Fearsome Fivesome? Alright, whatever they're called, they're part of a fun and chaotic fight scene, with playing keep away with the Goober being what adds much-needed tension.

Uncle Aaron's death. I love that they let Aaron die a good man, willing to back down so Miles could go free. It's definitive proof that he actually cared for his nephew, to the point where the first thing Aaron felt upon realizing it was Miles was pure fear. Like, "Oh, crap! Not only did I almost kill my brother's son, but this boy is now in some deep s**t! I gotta help him!" And I appreciate that the writers made Aaron a decent human being rather than a diabolical scumbag who wanted to take advantage of Miles or a coward who tried to kill him because he was too scared to fail Kingpin. Even when Aaron's dying, the first thing he does is apologize for letting Miles down, a sentiment that's as sweet as it is tragic. Aaron may not have been a perfect man, but he died wanting to protect Miles, the love for his nephew overshadowing his greed. And I think that redemption is worth everything.

And, MAN, is his death a gut punch! The writers certainly succeeded in giving Miles his Uncle Ben Moment, with Aaron's last words being motivational in telling Miles to "keep going" and how he's the best of them. It's a bittersweet moment, and Miles' dad mistaking Miles to be Aaron's killer doesn't make things any better.

What is sweet, though, is how all the Spider-People are there for Miles, sharing the tragedy they all went through and confirming that the hardest part about being Spider-Man is losing the people you love. And the biggest miracle is that THE CARTOON PIG DOESN'T RUIN THIS MOMENT! Seriously, what does it say about this movie where the character who's practically a Looney Tune manages to keep the emotional weight of the scene going?

Peter B. being tough with Miles...Ouch. It was necessary. Peter B. was doing it as one final test, giving Miles one last chance that he could come through when it matters. The others were even right outside his window, ready and hoping to let Miles join them. But it wasn't meant to be, and it stings to see Miles at this low point. Thankfully, he has someone to pull him out of this funk.

Jefferson's talk with Miles...Told you I'd get to the emotional stuff. But joking aside, this scene...left my eyes a little steamy this time around. Jefferson visually meets Miles halfway and pours his heart out, sharing the feelings Jefferson usually kept guarded except for a moment when it mattered. Sure, Jefferson doesn't know all the facts about the current tragedy he and Miles are going through, but the words he provides give Miles the spark he needs. The spark that Jefferson has always seen in Miles. And the spark that Miles uses to free himself to take that one last step to being Spider-Man. Or, rather, one last leap.

The "What's Up Danger" scene. Do I really need to explain what makes this scene incredible? I know I keep saying the word perfect a lot with this review, but that's really the best way to describe so much of this movie, especially with this moment. The visuals of Miles rising instead of falling and swinging through the city in succession are awe-inspiring. The score mixing in Miles' hero motif with "What's Up Danger," resulting in a moment that's as pleasant on the ears as it is on the eyes. All of it culminates together for a scene that delivers all of the hype, creating a moment where Miles is no longer Miles Morales. He's f**king Spider-Man. And he earned that title.

Also, a small thing, I love that Miles' suit is one of Peter Parker's, but spray-painted black with Miles' interpretation of the Spider-Man logo. It shows Miles stepping into Peter Parker's shoes but doing it in his own style. It's just a great little detail that not a lot of people mention.

Did Kingpin seriously throw a memorial service for the guy he killed? What a filthy, disgusting man...I love him!

The bread scene is hilarious. It involves a pointless character, but I can't help but crack up at how Peter B.'s attempt to find closure with MJ is through him apologizing about not getting her table bread. Peter B. saying, "I want to fill this room up with bread," is just the cherry on top this hilarious sundae.

I really dig Olivia saying, "Goodbye, Peter Parker." You can tell by the way she said it that she wanted to be the one to kill Spider-Man.

Miles coming in to deliver that punch at Doc Ock is a laptop background in the making.

I love how in a situation where the universe is crumbling apart around them, and bad guys are shooting at them all, THAT is the moment when Peter B. realizes that he wants kids. I'm telling you, most of the time, this movie is just naturally funny.

As for the situation they're in, the collider fight is, without a doubt, the most insane final battle in a Spider-Man movie. All the universes merging and tearing the place apart forces the characters to fight as the environment morphs and forms around them, making it a battle where anything could go down. It results in a pretty fun climax, and I love how the colors match the light tone this fight is going for...remember that. It's gonna come back later.

Spider-Ham DESTROYING Scorpion after he dissed cartoons is an exact representation of what the animation community wants to do when someone calls animation kids' stuff or silly. Let it be known that we'd wreck your shop too if we could.

I love how Miles swinging up to the top of the collider incorporates lessons from both Peter Parkers. Obviously, there's the way Miles copied his universe's Peter moves to get up there, but stealing away the Goober by throwing back Peter B.'s "don't watch the mouth, watch the hands" motto adds a little extra that I appreciate.

Miles' goodbye to Peter B. is a culmination of their arcs, where Miles, the student, finally becomes the master, being the one to trip up Peter B. (with the same move he used on Miles, no less) and tells him to get his s**t together and go home. Peter B. taught Miles a lot, letting him see the importance of Spider-Man, the pressure he has to go through, and the faith he must have. And here comes Miles spitting all that back at Peter B., adding more to how they teach each other how to be their better selves. And I relish that!

Remember how I said the colors were bright in the collider, matching the fun of the climax? Well, the second it's just Miles and Kingpin, the colors become darker and more intense, matching the tone of this final battle between good and evil. It makes things way more cinematic and visually pleasing, so kudos...to whoever I give kudos to in this case. There are SO MANY people responsible for animating a single second--Literally, a single second of animation that it's hard to tell who deserves more credit half the time.

As for the fight itself, IT'S AS INTENSE AS THE COLORS IMPLY IT IS! You feel the beating Kingpin gives Miles, but despite how violent it is, there were always these small glimmers of hope that Miles might get the upper hand. That hope gets beaten down by Kingpin's cartoonishly big fist, but there is still hope nonetheless. And it would grow through the most unexpected places.

Is it a little ludicrous that Jefferson is right there to give the most essential words any Spider-Man needs to learn? Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt. But is it still heartwarming that Jefferson still tells Spider-Man to get up despite thinking he killed Aaron, further proofing how Jefferson's always there to tell Miles what he needs to hear when it's important? You'd better gosh dang believe it.

Miles using the shoulder touch on Kingpin is the best. In a way, that lets Miles and Aaron get revenge.

Seeing into the Spider-verse (ha!) is a gorgeous sight to behold, both for the audience and for Miles.

DID THEY HAND DRAW THAT EXPLOSION?! Gosh DANG IT, this movie is insane!

Dang, Jefferson allowing Miles to throw up his art on the wall warms the heart to the fullest it's ever been when watching this movie. He really wants to do better in reaching out to Miles, even if Jefferson still lays down the ground rules for how Miles should express himself.

And Spider-Man hugging Jefferson is equal parts touching and hilarious.

I'm noticing a pattern. My favorite Spider-Man movies are ones where Spidey webs up the big bad for the police to pick up. Instead of, you know...killing them. I loved it in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and I especially adore it here.

The one-take of Miles walking through the streets as Spider-Man mirrors how he did it at the beginning of the movie and contrasts the one-take at his school. It illustrates that he regained his confidence because how could he not after all the s**t he went through. I'd feel pretty big about myself too.

Miles' final narration does well in tying everything together, recapping events, showing how everyone else is doing, and stating the big lesson of the movie. A lesson that Stan Lee himself believed in, as he always thought that what makes Spider-Man amazing is that anyone, anyone at all, could be under that mask. No matter who they are or what they look like, anybody has the potential to represent the ideals of Spider-Man. And while I'm not a fan of movies spelling out their messages to the audience...It's a Spider-Man movie. Narrating to the audience is as essential for the ending as the final swing is, and this one has both! All around, a good ending...with a tease for more.

Though I will admit, it's not every day when I say that a movie's credits are as visually pleasing as the rest of the film.

And while Stan Lee's cameo is a great final tribute to him, ending the movie with one of his quotes is just as spectacular. Again, rest in peace, Stan.

By the way, I adore "Spider-Bells." Not only does it crack me up that Peter has a mental breakdown halfway through singing it, but it also means this movie is a Christmas movie...Because if people can call Die Hard a Christmas movie, then I can call Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a Christmas movie too. Leave me alone.

As for final teasers, Spider-Man 2099 looks dope and I cannot wait to see him tear Miles apart in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse...That felt weird to say, but let the record show that I said with love!

And they got the pointing meme in. Yup, I adore this movie!

So, a pretty flawless film, right?

…Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell–

Ok, I want to make it clear that while there are problems to be had, they don't spoil the movie. Most of them are just nitpicks that always bothered me personally, so don't take them too seriously. With that said...

Where did the spider come from? It's the thing that fundamentally changes Miles' life, and we never really got an answer for that.

Why did Gwen double back on revealing her name? Gwen's a pretty common name to have. And, odds are, the one in this universe looks vastly different to her. We already know Peter B. Parker is different from Miles' Peter Parker, so it's not too much of a stretch. Plus, even if Gwen looks the same, the Gwen we know within this movie is already risking a lot by being out as herself, so why change the name? I know it's a small thing, but like I said, it always bothered me.

And while we're on the topic of Gwen, I'm not a fan of her backstory. Not her origin story, that's fine. But the fact that she was in Miles' universe for a whole week and her spider-sense told her to go to his school is...confusing? If being in Miles' universe is literally killing her, how is she not dead already? And how does spider-sense tell her to go to a new school? As far as I can tell, spider-sense is an alarm system that gives a Spider-Person total awareness of everything around them. Not to act as an instruction manual of what to do in life. I take it that this is an excuse to get her and Miles to interact more and form more of a romantic bond, which I'm fine with because they're adorable together. It's just that I wish this was done in a way that made more sense because, as is, it's making my brain hurt.

Kingpin's design...is laughable. Apparently, it's paying homage to a Daredevil comic's artist interpretation of the character, which I guess it's cool...but he looks ridiculous. And don't get me wrong, I love it when superhero animation goes for a more stylistic approach with heroes and villains instead of a realistic one. It's why Spectacular Spider-Man is my favorite Spider-Man show as opposed to others, because every character looks unique from one another, especially the villains. And while Kingpin certainly looks unique...it's a little too much, and it's the one thing I never take seriously with this film.

Green Goblin! One of the most important and influential villains in Spider-Man's line-up...is wasted as canon fodder, dying just as fast as he's introduced. Kind of disappointing.

Spider-Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham are great characters. They're each animated in great styles that perfectly convey they're from another universe, have some great jokes, and are overall a good time. The problem? They're...not necessary. You can cut these three out of the movie, and nothing will change. I wouldn't mind if they were characters who were there to add fluff and nothing else, but they're there to also add emotional weight to the story. Take Peni's sadness about SP/dr getting destroyed or the characters all saying goodbye to Miles. I can tell that they're all meant to be heart wrenching moments, but we hardly spend time with these characters to feel like it's earned. Miles barely got time to spend with them, so that, right there, takes the punch out of their sad farewells. Again, they're great characters, and I do love that they're a part of this movie. The only problem is that they're in too short of a film to really deserve the emotional beats.

The Spider-People hiding from Miles' roommate might be the ONE joke that fits the more "In your face" style like other Marvel movies. It spoiled the serious momentum before it, and I feel like they kept it in for the sake of a trailer clip.

Hey! Mary Jane Watson is the worst part of a Spider-Man movie! Yeah, go figure. She's an essential part of Peter's life, but there's no personality to either version of the character we see in this movie. Calling her an over-glorified plot device would be generous. Sorry, MJ, but a Spider-Man movie has, once again, done you dirty. But at least you're pretty good in the MCU...Don't give me that look. You know it's true.

I don't mind Kingpin failing to kill Miles. Villains will stupidly allow the heroes to gain the second wind, and you just need to accept that in superhero media...BUT HOW THE ACTUAL HELL DID MILES, HIS DAD AND ALL THE OTHER NORMAL LIVING PEOPLE SURVIVE THAT EXPLOSION! Look at it! It was massive!

But, seriously, that’s all I have.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie. Nerds and losers debate about which of the live-action films are better but note how rarely anyone denies Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse being on top. Can you blame them? With game-changing animation, amazing characters, and a story showcasing everything that's to love about Spider-Man, you cannot get better than this. I look forward to the rest of this trilogy, but I have already accepted that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will forever remain at the best that there is, and it'll take actual flawless perfection to change my mind.

#spider-man into the spider-verse #spider man #miles morales #peter parker #peter b parker #gwen stacy #spider gwen #spider noir #spider ham #peni parker #kingpin #aaron davis #jefferson davis #what i thought about

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roguestorm · 3 years ago

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One of the comics I was reading was from 1950 and it had a little star on the front that said it “conformed to the comics code” but I know it couldn’t have been the Comics Code Authority bc a) the logo looks different, b) the CCA banned books from having the word “terror” in the title (the comic in question was Crypt of Terror), and c) the CCA wasn’t founded until 1954. Anyone happen to know anything about a pre-Comics Code Authority “comics code”?

#m.txt

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gleightter · 4 years ago

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instead of working on coursework i have deviated to another side project yet again.... 😅😅

it's supposed to be a logo representing my cca but i ended up drawing a whole drawing bc idk how to draw logos ?? 😭😭

ohwells :'))

also she's wearing a white sneaker and a ballet shoe to represent the two main types of dance my cca does - modern dance and chinese dance !! (we wear ballet flats for chinese dance btw)

hope yall have a good weekend !! 🥰🥰 sorry for posting so little recently :((

#dancer #dance #digital art #art #artist #ribbon #chinese dance #modern dance #logo #icon

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cooperhewitt · 5 years ago

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Transcending Advertising

Herbert Bayer first became involved with Container Corporation of America (CCA) when Walter Paepcke, at the suggestion of his wife Elizabeth, began commissioning advertisements from avant-garde artists and designers, advocating for a collaborative relationship between art and industry. After completing several innovative advertisements, Bayer designed an exhibition for CCA in 1945 titled “Modern Art in Advertising,” which opened at the Art Institute of Chicago before traveling across the country.[1] Bayer went on to serve as a consultant to CCA and eventually became Chairman of the Department of Design (later renamed the Department of Visual Communication), where he had control over all visual aspects of the corporation.

Bayer became involved in CCA’s “Great Ideas of Western Man” series, after Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke began participating in a “Great Books” discussion group led by Robert M. Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, who worked with Encyclopedia Britannica on the publication of the monumental Great Books of the Western World series. The Paepckes came up with the idea of an advertising series based on quotes from classic “great books.” Adler was able to supply the quotes, centered around moral, philosophical, and political issues, from his Syntopicon, a detailed index of core ideas of the Western canon. A small committee led by Bayer, who had been selected as art director for the new series, then determined which artists would illustrate or interpret each quotation, with substantial creative license given. The varied interpretations featured the work of a range of artists and designers, including Paul Rand, Alvin Lustig, E. McKnight Kauffer, René Magritte, Joseph Cornell, Herbert Matter, Willem de Kooning, Ben Shahn, and Bayer himself.[2] Beginning in the 1950s, CCA’s “Great Ideas” campaign lasted 25 years, including more than 190 advertisements that reached the public through inclusion in popular periodicals and printed folios.

Cooper Hewitt’s current exhibition, Herbert Bayer: Bauhaus Master, features some of his designs for CCA, including three advertisements for the “Great Ideas” series. Ignoring the rules of conventional print advertising, the campaign replaces direct reference to the effectiveness of the product with an effort to project the personality or character of the corporation.[3] Recognizing that the products of CCA—including paperboard containers and folding cartons—are not particularly enthralling, Bayer instead sought to focus on conveying the corporation’s identity as humanistic, dynamic, and aspirational. This particular advertisement by Bayer promotes moral and cultural awareness, featuring a quote by Abraham Lincoln from an 1861 speech: “I hold that while man exists it is his duty to improve not only his own condition but to assist in ameliorating mankind.” The power of Lincoln’s words is amplified by the central black circle and thin, blue geometric form above, with their indistinct borders subtly suggesting a resistance to containment or egocentrism. Although the company name appears across a thin, red rectangular strip along the bottom, above a small company logo, Bayer transforms an advertisement for mundane, short-lived paper packaging into a compelling call for civic responsibility.

Carey Gibbons is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the History of Art & Design Department at the Pratt Institute. She previously worked as a Cataloguer in the Drawings, Prints & Graphic Design Department at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

[1] See Gwen F. Chanzit, From Bauhaus to Aspen: Herbert Bayer and Modernist Design in America (Boulder: Johnson Books, 2005), 185–198 for an overview of Bayer’s work for CCA.

[2] Cooper Hewitt recently acquired many of these “Great Ideas” designs.

[3] Bayer believed that a corporation creates an impression or conveys a personality through its visual elements, including “business stationary, printed advertising, offices and furniture, plants and workers’ facilities.” Herbert Bayer, Herbert Bayer: Painter, Designer, Architect (New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation and London: Studio Vista Ltd., 1967), 86.

from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum https://ift.tt/2HPkojX via IFTTT

#cooper hewitt #design conversations

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winchester-with-wings · 6 years ago

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Chemical Reactions (Part 22)

Series Summary: Being a teacher at Central City Academy doesn’t leave much time for a personal life. You didn’t really notice or care…that is until the day the new substitute science teacher, Barry Allen makes an appearance.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Part 22 Summary: You and Barry only have a short time to make a decision.

Pairing: Barry Allen x Reader, Substitute Teacher!Barry Allen x Teacher!Reader

Word Count: 2700ish

A/N: Thank you to my amazing friend and beta @thinkwritexpress-official!! Hope ya’ll like it! Sorry that it’s been a while since I posted. Life has been crazy. just been pulled in every direction lately. :( *i don’t own gifs*

Ya’ll are finally gonna find out how this story got it’s name!

warnings(?): angst, Barry cusses. that must mean it’s emotional right?

Please let me know what you guys think of the story! Send me asks!

Mobile Masterlist

This was posted almost a month ago on my Patreon! Wanna get previews, early access and make requests? Become a Patron! Can’t become a patron? please consider a donation to my Ko-Fi (Tips are appreciated!)

The weekend goes by as usual. You and Barry order in and grade homework on Friday night. On Saturday, you hang out and binge Netflix. Sunday morning, you have a brunch with Caitlin. It lasts several hours as you tell her about the meeting with the Dean.

“Have you and Barry talked about it, yet?” she’d asked.

“No. It’s kinda like we’re pretending it didn’t happen at all,” you answered honestly. You’d slumped in your chair because you were as much to blame as Barry. You didn’t want to face it either.

On Sunday night...

You cling to Barry and he holds onto you. You’re curled up in bed, a late night show on the bedroom tv, but the volume is down and neither of you are paying attention. There’s a bedside lamp on, casting a warm glow over the two of you.

Barry is wearing flannel pajama pants and a cotton t-shirt with some faded logo on it. You’re wearing an extra large and extra old t-shirt too. It’s the shirt you wear when you’re sick or cramping from your period, or when you’re just not feeling good, perhaps sad. Barry pretends not to notice.

You’re resting your head on Barry’s chest and pulling the comforter up to your chest. Barry curls his arm around you and runs his fingers through your hair. It’s soothing for the both of you.

In the silence, you’re left alone with your thoughts. Barry must feel your warm tears soaking through his shirt. He reaches out with his other hand to stroke your cheek, wiping away the sadness.

You still feel hopeless.

“Barry...what are we going to do?” you say, sniffling.

“I don’t know,” he whispers back. “We still have some time. We’ll figure this out.” He kisses the top of your head before reaching out to turn out the light and turn off the tv. “Just get some rest, sweetheart.”

Barry’s grip tightens around you when he feels your body shaking, wracked with quiet sobs.

---------------------------------------------------------------

You and Barry keep your distance on Monday and Tuesday. Caitlin, Ronnie, and Cisco notice the distant attitude but of course they understand. No doubt Caitlin has shared the news with them and the two of you don’t mind.

But Barry...he hates how he’s acting. In even just two days he’s become detached and less energetic while teaching. The students would have to be blind to not notice the sudden change. He knows you’re feeling terrible too. He doesn’t blame you for not telling him about your meeting with Stein. He didn’t tell you that he’d received the same email too.

He still hasn’t told you about Patty either.

He meant to. He’d asked you down to the track field that day to tell you about Patty’s behavior. But he’d just been so happy to see you that it had escaped his mind at the expense of his better judgement.

Patty is in Barry’s forensic science elective class.

“Hello Mr. Allen,” she says in a rather suggestive tone while walking into his classroom before everyone else. Barry props the door to his room open and stays standing. He watches her and tries to gauge if she’s acting differently. It’s obvious to him but he hopes the rest of his students can’t tell. No, they can just tell that something’s wrong with him. Even one or two of his students asked if he was okay on their way out of class. He lies, of course.

Patty just keeps looking after him with a secret twinkle in her eyes.

On Wednesday, he can’t take the chance anymore. He needs to know if she knows anything else. How else can he make a decision with you about Dr. Stein’s ultimatum?

“Patty, come see me after class? ” Barry whispers to her while the class is engaged in lab work. She gives him a sickly-sweet half smile and it makes him nauseous.

She delays putting away her things in her backpack at the end of class until she’s the last one there. Then Barry closes the door and locks it.

“Looks like you’ve come around to my proposal, Mr. Allen.” Patty sits on one of the tables and crosses her legs. She’s wearing shorts today and the pose shows off her tan and toned legs.

“Absolutely not.”

Her smile only falters for a moment.

“You’re not getting what you want, Patty. Sorry if that’s the first time you’ve ever heard that,” Barry says curtly, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

“But...I--I’ll tell Dr. Stein that you propositioned me. He’ll believe me.”

“Really?” Barry scoffed. “Why do you think he’ll take your word over mine?”

“Because...because he already knows about you and Ms. Y/L/N.”

And there it is.

“It’s just an anonymous tip right now. I could retract it if I were so inclined.”

Barry’s chest rises and falls with angry breaths. His hands are in his pockets but they’re balling into fists.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to manipulate me? What do you have against Y/N?”

“Oh, I have nothing against her. It’s you, Mr. Allen. I want you. I want you before I leave this place.” Patty hops down from the table and starts approaching Barry. He stands his ground. “I’ve always been a good girl.” She rolls her eyes. “Teacher’s pet, following directions and always behaving. I’ve got that 4.0 GPA my mom wants me to have. I’ve been accepted to the college she wanted. I’ve always done what others expected of me. Now it’s time I get something that I want, that I deserve.”

“You’re not getting what you want, Patty. I’m not going to touch you and you’re not going to come between me and Y/N.”

“But I already have. I saw you two at the field last Friday. I have photos now. Dr. Stein won’t believe you, no matter what you have to say.”

Barry tries to recover from the shock of those words. He suspected that it could have been Patty at the field but photos? He tries to think back and recall if it’s even possible. Is Patty bluffing again? She wasn’t bluffing before either...she’d gone to the dean and snitched on your relationship. Did she really have pictures?

Did it even matter?

Barry sighs and calms down; his angry furrowed brows come apart once more and he smirks at Patty. He walks to his classroom door and unlocks it. Patty seems taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor.

It doesn’t matter. He knows that now.

Who cares if Patty has pictures? You and Barry had already admitted to kissing on campus. You’d admitted to the relationship and the two of you would face those consequences. And Patty? It didn’t matter what she had to say to the Dean, because Barry’s side of the story was the truth. You would support him; he had to have faith that you would believe him.

Barry opens the door.

“Our conversation is done, Miss Spivot. I’ll see you the next time we have class. But that’s the extent of our interactions from now on. If you have questions with homework, you’re welcome to get help from the tutoring center. Have a nice day.” Barry doesn’t let Patty get a word in as he ushers her out.

He doesn’t doubt that she might be heading for the dean’s office right now with those photos. He can’t bring himself to care. What he truly cares about is you. And he’s dreading the conversation you have to have before Friday. Dr. Stein will be expecting an answer soon.

Either one of you leaves CCA or you break up.

He knows where he stands on that decision. But what about you?

---------------------------------------------------------------

The few days the Dr. Stein had given you has gone in no time.

It was both the slowest and fastest week you’ve ever experienced. Classes go by in a blur. Everyone is more aware of the upcoming end of the year. Less than 8 weeks left. Has this year really gone by that fast?

Time flies when you’re falling in love.

But on Thursday, the minutes pass like hours. You’re in no particular hurry to get home. You’re dreading the upcoming night. Barry made plans to stop by a liquor store to grab wine. You expect him around dinner time.

He enters your apartment with the key you gave him. Setting down the wine, he finds you in your bedroom.

Curled up in bed. Alone and feeling numb.

He kicks off his shoes and climbs onto the bed, curling an arm around you and pulling you into his chest. He can see that you’ve been crying, the skin under your eyes red and puffy.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“Barry, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know. I guess we have to figure that out. But it’s going to be okay, Y/N.”

You pull yourself out of Barry’s embrace and get off the bed. Your tears are renewed and you’re running your fingers through your hair, ready to tear it out.

“How can you say that!? You know it’s not. We knew being together was a risk. And now this is the ultimate consequence.”

“Maybe not,” Barry responds, getting to his feet as well. You start to walk away into the living room and he follows. “Maybe there’s another way.”

“What are you talking about?” You sigh, rolling your eyes as you grab the bottle of wine and stomp into the kitchen for a bottle opener.

“I know who filed the complaint.” Barry’s lips form into a tight line and he looks anywhere but you. You freeze just before the cork pops out of the bottle.

“What? Who did you tell? You think it was Cisco or Caity? They would never do this to us,” you rapid fire your questions.

“No. I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Well neither did I!”

“I know. Babe, I know. It was…” Barry sighs and starts rubbing hard at the back of his neck. He rolls his head from side to side. “It was a student.” You stare at him in shock so he continues. “Patty Spivot. She...she--uh--she came onto me the last day of school before Spring Break. She said that she knew I was seeing someone, a student or a teacher...I thought she was bluffing. She didn’t know who I was seeing. Didn’t have any evidence. She said she was going to go to Dr. Stein and...” Barry goes on while you pour yourself and him a glass of wine. He scoffs in anger at himself and rolls his eyes. “She threatened to go to Dr. Stein and fucking tattle-tale on me if I didn’t give her what she wanted.”

“What did she want from you, Barry?” You offer him the glass of wine but keep your distance from him, standing back and leaning against the counter while he confessed.

“I don’t know.” He threw his hands up before taking his glass of wine. “I don’t know. I didn’t care. I don’t know if she wanted me to fucking kiss her or to fuck her. I don’t know, Y/N. It doesn’t matter. I said no.”

“So you let her go to the dean.”

“You’re missing the point, Y/N. A student came onto me. That’s a helluva lot worse than two teachers getting together. I wasn’t going to compromise myself or what we had.”

“But you did, Barry. She filed the complaint and now our relationship is on the line.”

“What would you have had me do? Give the princess of the senior class what she wanted?” Barry’s face twists up in disgust and insult. What was your answer going to be? You didn’t even know because what would you have done in his place?

“Why didn’t you tell me about this? I went into that meeting and I was blindsided.”

“I meant to tell you. At the field. But I didn’t get the chance.”

“Right because…” You trail off because you were there and you were partly to blame too; kissing him back under those bleachers, desperate for that secret thrill. You finish your glass of wine.

“I talked to Patty yesterday. I thought I could get her to retract the complaint. But she’s the one who saw us at the field. She claims she has pictures.” You don’t answer right away, looking at the ground and replaying the events in your head.

“How could she? She ran away the second she saw us,” you say defensively.

“Exactly. I don’t think she does have pictures but the so-called damage is done. Dr. Stein knows about us.” Barry takes a long sip of his drink; he wishes it was stronger. The red wine coats his throat, soothing it from talking. His mouth remains dry and his throat grows tighter. He’s holding back his own emotions and tears. You’ve cried enough for the both of you. He needs to keep it together that much.

“We admitted to it,” you whispered, “and it was all just an unfounded claim until then.”

“That’s why it doesn’t matter if Patty supposedly has pictures of us,” Barry muttered.

“We should’ve stayed quiet. We shouldn’t have admitted to it. We should’ve known it was just a rumor. Oh god, Barry, what are we going to do? How could we be so stupid?” You start crying all over again and Barry closes the distance between you two, enveloping you in his arms. Your hands grasp at his shirt, balling into fists.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“No,” you hiccup.

“Yes,” Barry soothes you, rubbing your back. “I’ll leave CCA. I’ll teach somewhere else.”

You push against Barry’s chest so you can unbury your face and look up at him.

“What? No, Barry, you can’t do that. It’s a full-time position and you just accepted it. You love it and I encouraged you to take it. I can’t let you do that. It’ll hurt your career!”

“Y/N, you’re more important to me than some job. I can find something else.” You push yourself out of Barry’s arms completely, the heartbroken look on his face kills you.

“No. I can’t let you. I’m not worth that. I’m not worth losing your career over. Barry, you can’t quit. I will.”

“Absolutely not. You’ve been at CCA longer; you could even get tenure someday. I’m not letting you give that up. I can find another job. You should stay.”

“You don’t think I could find another job?” You’re projecting your own doubt onto Barry and he knows it.

“Of course not. You know I don’t think that. You could have any job you wanted. But I don’t care about some job. What we have is real. I love you, Y/N.”

You stay silent rather than repeating the sentiment.

“Love and desire are just chemical reactions, aren’t they, Barry?” you say, somber and unwilling to meet his gaze. “Hormones mixed with dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Isn’t that right? It’s not real; it’s just a scientific concoction.”

“Y/N...what are you trying to say?”

“Barry, we jeopardized everything to be together.”

“Yeah? We knew the risks from the beginning. It was fucking worth it,” he says harshly. He’s raising his voice, it’s raspy and his face is contorted in anger and pain. He’s fighting for you. “And what? You just want to throw it all away now?”

“You don’t want me to quit CCA and I can’t let you quit. We’d end up resenting each other. I don’t know what other options there are now.”

You finally look up when you hear Barry scoff and release a shaky sigh. His beautiful green eyes are dull but glistening with unshed tears. His shoulders have slumped and his mouth is hanging open with his lower lip quivering.

“Y/N, don’t do this. Please don’t do this.” He approaches you, slow enough to allow you to retreat. You don’t. He cradles your face between his hands. His tears fall freely as he wipes away your own. He continues to shake his head and your hands shake as you hold onto his waist. “P-please, no. Don’t do this.” He presses wet, salty kisses to your lips. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get past this. We’ll figure it out.”

“No, Barry. No, we won’t.”

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