#completely unrelated i just thought that's neat :)
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fun discovery from today's internet rabbit hole:
the first lesbian magazine published in the US, Vice Versa (1947-48), was entirely hand-typed by one Edythe Eyde (better known by her pen name Lisa Ben - yes, that IS an anagram for lesbian). she worked as a secretary with a ton of spare time on her hands, and her boss would tell her he didn't care what she was doing so long as she "looked busy"... so she decided to use her free time to type out copies of a home-made periodical for lesbians, writing most of the content - editorials, book/film reviews, poetry, short stories, and more - herself!
overall, the magazine ran for 9 issues, 16 hand-typed copies of which lisa would mail to friends (well, until one of them advised her she could be arrested for sending "obscene" materials) and distribute at lesbian bars :)
#she was also an avid science fiction/fantasy fan and frequent contributor to scifi fanzines!#and so was the co-founder of the first (US) gay periodical#completely unrelated i just thought that's neat :)#.txt#i'll be adding some links in a sec
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When The Chips Are Down from the Hadestown musical is Kitty Softpawscore
particularly the lyrics " Cast your eyes to heaven you get a knife in the back "
#also help yourself to hell with the rest even the one who loves you best#works with the fact she also didn't show up to the wedding because of her personal issues and possible fear of commitment#i wanna make a art piece or maybe animatic based of Kitty based on this song#esp bc i'm making more Puss in Boots ocs based on Life#Mother Nature Father Time#and Fate/Destiny#maybe the other three horsemen of the apocalypse too idk#i have a bad addiction to making PiB/Shrekverse ocs bc i have so many ideas which resulted in a hyperfixation on fairytales in general#also fun fact thats completely unrelated but one of the fates in the broadway version#was played by the actress for Kiki from The Fresh Beat band ( Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer )#i just thought it was a neat little tidbit of info i know#puss in boots#cosmic chatz
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So I recently listened to Frankenstein - A New Musical, after I already read the book, so I was wondering what are your thoughts are on it as someone who hadn't read the book beforehand?
Also which song is your favorite?
For me, I kinda only really like 7 of the songs, and of those I think my favorite is "The Proposition" although "These Hands" does go really hard.
(Completely unrelated, but I want you to know I absolutely adore your JonTim art, and the last comic makes me want to chew on drywall.)
I liked all the songs haha, but I think my favorites would be Coming of the dawn, the chase, the duet from Happier day, and the part in The music of love where the creature sings with the family. The Proposition is also really good I just really like their voices hahaha
It is Really funny seeing how much more noble his reasons for creating life was in the musical vs the book. I'm sure his mother's death contributed some to his motivations but in the musical it's like front and center ish, and that's neat. I'm not too far into the book yet so I can't comment too much on the differences. I wish Walton got a song though he deserves one
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I remember having a crush on reaper sans for like a DAY because I thought his voice was nice in the Christmas AU comic dub. But now I just think he's kinda neat and really cool! Nothing more!
A-anyways, on something that is TOTALLY unrelated...could you draw reaper sans? P-please...? 👉👈 😖
hehehe, don't worry i completely understand the appeal (˵ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°˵) i have a reaper character i like from the darksiders game and im so crazy about him
anyways here's reaper!! i literally have no idea what his personality is like so uuuuuh yeah :3
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do you want to play a game?
summary: Wade Wilson (Deadpool) finds himself strapped to a sadistic torture chair in a room filled with gruesome contraptions, yet he remains gleefully sarcastic, much to the frustration of Jigsaw's ominous puppet.
word count: 1.6k
trigger warnings: violence, gore, torture, body horror
authors note: this was a headcanon idea someone posted a while back and asked to have a fic written about it, if it was you please let me know so I can properly tag you!
The room was dimly lit, a mixture of cold steel and rusted iron making up its gruesome decor. Wade Wilson, the infamous Deadpool, sat in the center of the room strapped to a chair, surrounded by a series of sadistic contraptions clearly meant to inspire terror. For most people, this would be the worst day of their lives. But Wade? Wade was thrilled.
“Well, hello, Mr. Saw!” Wade chirped with all the enthusiasm of a kid meeting their favorite mascot at Disneyland. His voice echoed through the dimly lit, blood-streaked room, cutting through the oppressive silence like a hot knife through butter. Strapped securely to a steel chair, Wade looked more like a man sitting in for a casual dental cleaning than someone caught in the clutches of a notorious serial killer.
The room smelled of rust and mildew, the air thick with the metallic tang of dried blood. Around him were a variety of deadly contraptions: gears, blades, and wires all meticulously arranged in a manner that suggested their designer had spent a bit too much time watching home renovation shows. Wade wasn’t scared. If anything, he was curious.
He squinted at the giant monitor flickering to life before him. The screen revealed the infamous Jigsaw puppet, its soulless eyes staring back at him with what Wade could only interpret as disapproval. “Okay, seriously,” Wade continued, completely ignoring the ominous vibe, “do you get these machines wholesale, or are they custom jobs? Because I gotta tell ya, the craftsmanship here? Chef’s kiss.”
The puppet’s expression remained unchanged, its head tilting slightly as if processing Wade’s commentary.
“I mean,” Wade went on, craning his neck as much as his restraints would allow, “are those hand-welded joints? No, really, this is top-tier work. I’ve seen Avengers tech, and honestly? Kinda mid compared to this. Do you have a Pinterest board for inspiration? Or do you just wing it?”
The puppet’s voice crackled through the speaker, distorted and menacing. “I want to play a game.”
“Oh! Oh!” Wade exclaimed, practically vibrating in his seat with excitement. “Twister? Monopoly? No wait, let me guess—Candyland! I love Candyland. Can I be the gumdrop guy? No one ever lets me be the gumdrop guy.”
The puppet’s eye twitched. Or, at least, Wade imagined it did. “Your constant need for validation and unrelenting irreverence have landed you here. If you do not escape this trap in time, your body will be—”
“—ripped apart, blood everywhere, yadda yadda, we get it. You really need a new schtick, Jiggy. I mean, what’s next, making me choose between tacos and chimichangas? Ha! Joke’s on you—I don’t choose. Ever.”
A metallic whir sounded as the trap sprung into action. Sharp blades inched closer to Wade’s arms, clearly designed to slice them off unless he solved the contraption before him.
“Neat,” Wade muttered, leaning as far as the straps allowed to get a closer look. “Do these things come in red?”
------
Logan Howlett prowled through the shadow-choked labyrinth of the abandoned city district, his boots crunching softly against the cracked pavement. The air was thick with the stench of mildew, rotting wood, and despair—an oppressive cocktail that clung to his heightened senses like oil on water. Neon lights flickered weakly from the occasional shattered sign, casting brief, eerie glows across graffitied walls and broken windows. This place had been dead for years, left to fester in its decay.
It was the kind of place Wade Wilson would love.
That thought made Logan’s scowl deepen, his jaw tightening as his claws slid out of his knuckles with a soft snikt. The silver blades glinted faintly in the dim light, their familiar weight offering a grim reassurance. Wade hadn’t answered a single one of Logan’s calls in days. Normally, that would’ve been a welcome reprieve—Logan wasn’t exactly the type to miss Wade’s incessant jokes or ceaseless chatter. But this time, something was off. Wade didn’t just not show up. The guy was like a damn cockroach, always turning up where you least expected him, unkillable and annoying as hell. For him to go silent? That meant trouble.
“Where the hell are ya, Wilson?” Logan growled under his breath, his gravelly voice swallowed by the shadows around him.
He came to a halt, sniffing the air. His hyper-sensitive nose twitched as he sifted through the various odors polluting the area—garbage, oil, rat droppings, the faint tang of rusted metal. And then he caught it, faint but distinct: the unmistakable scent of blood. Not just any blood. Wade’s.
Logan’s teeth clenched as he closed his eyes and inhaled again, isolating the scent. It was there, mixed with sweat and... something else. Fear? No. Wade didn’t do fear. It was exhaustion. Pain. The kind of pain that would kill a lesser man ten times over.
His claws slid back into his hands as he moved, quick and silent, through the maze of alleys. The scent grew stronger, more focused, leading him deeper into the heart of the district. He passed crumbling buildings with boarded-up windows, their skeletal remains groaning in protest against the night wind. A flicker of movement caught his eye—a rat scurrying across his path—but he ignored it. His focus was razor-sharp now, his instincts taking over as he tracked the trail.
The scent led him to a narrow alley that terminated in a massive steel door. It was dented and rusted, the kind of industrial barrier that screamed bad news. A faint smear of blood marked the handle, barely visible in the dim light, but Logan’s eyes caught it immediately. He placed a hand on the door, pausing for a moment to listen. His sharp hearing picked up the hum of machinery inside, accompanied by faint, muffled voices. Or maybe just one voice.
“Wilson,” Logan muttered, his voice a low rumble. His claws unsheathed again, a primal response to the growing anger roiling in his gut. He pushed the door, and it gave slightly under his strength, creaking open just enough to let him slip inside.
The interior was worse than he expected. It was a labyrinth of machinery and steel, a factory of nightmares brought to life. Gears turned noisily, chains rattled, and the faint smell of burnt metal stung his nose. The walls were lined with grotesque contraptions, each one a testament to the sadistic mind that had designed them. But Logan barely registered the horror of the place. His focus was on one thing—the idiot who’d managed to get himself into this mess.
Wade’s scent was stronger now, the blood fresher. Logan followed it through the maze of corridors, his movements a combination of raw instinct and calculated precision. Every muscle in his body was coiled, ready to strike. He rounded a corner, his sharp hearing picking up something new—laughter. Muffled, but undeniably familiar. It was Wade’s laugh, laced with exhaustion and a little bit of hysteria.
“Son of a—” Logan bit off the curse as he quickened his pace.
The sound of his boots on the grated floor echoed faintly, but he didn’t care about stealth anymore. He could feel the beast inside him clawing at the edges of his control, the primal part of him that wanted to tear through whatever or whoever had put Wade in this situation. The scent was nearly overwhelming now, and as he rounded another corner, the sight before him stopped him cold.
There was Wade, suspended in the middle of the room by a series of chains and straps. His suit was torn to shreds, revealing patches of raw, bloodied skin that glistened under the harsh, flickering lights. A grotesque contraption of blades and gears hovered dangerously close to his body, clearly designed to inflict as much pain as possible without delivering a killing blow. Not that Wade would die, of course. That was the point, wasn’t it? Keep him alive. Make him suffer.
And yet, despite the carnage, Wade’s maskless face split into a wide, bloody grin the moment he saw Logan.
“Logie-bear!” Wade called out, his voice hoarse but still infuriatingly cheerful. He waved weakly, his hand slick with blood. “You found me! Took you long enough, you big, hairy softie.”
Logan’s growl was low and guttural, his claws snapping out with a metallic snikt as his gaze swept over the room. His chest heaved with barely contained rage, the feral side of him threatening to take over. He took one step closer, his amber eyes locked on Wade.
“You’re a goddamn idiot,” Logan snarled.
“And you’re a goddamn knight in shining adamantium,” Wade shot back, coughing slightly but still managing to sound insufferable. “Now, how about you get me down from here before I lose more blood? Not that I’m complaining—I mean, it’s great for weight loss, but—”
“Shut up, Wilson,” Logan snapped, but his claws were already slicing through the chains holding Wade. He caught the mercenary as he fell, holding him awkwardly but securely.
“Aw, you do care,” Wade muttered, resting his head against Logan’s shoulder.
Logan didn’t respond. He was too busy glaring at the room, silently daring anything—or anyone—to try stopping them. The beast inside him wasn’t done yet, but for now, it could wait. First, he needed to get Wade out of here. Then, he’d deal with the bastard responsible for this.
“Let’s go,” Logan growled, carrying Wade toward the exit.
“Thanks, Daddy,” Wade murmured, his voice thick with exhaustion but still managing to be as annoying as ever.
Logan sighed. “I should’ve left you in the chair.”
#my work#my writing#my finds#My fics#logan x wade#wade wilson#wade winston wilson#wade x logan#deadpool#deadpool and wolverine#dead claws#deadclaws#deadpool & wolverine#deadpool fanfiction#deadpool wolverine#deadpool x wolverine#deadverine#poolverine#saw#Saw movies#saw fanfic#james logan howlett#logan#logan howlett#logan howlett fanfiction#logan wolverine#loganpool#wolverine#the wolverine#wolverine and deadpool
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Down Among the Dead Men Reread thoughts!
The Mourn Watch continue to be my faves. What a bunch of absolute Fifth House style freaks. The description of Myrna taking control over Karn's possessed and enraged corpse like she's 'walking a small but wilful dog' fhkdsafhash amazing. I can't believe bioware is giving me the ability to roleplay as essentially a magical janitor. a good-natured magical corpse janitor slash gentleperson scholar. what more could I ask
the only time Emmrich is the least bit brought out of balance in the whole story is when he gets flustered at the way audric/curiosity kneels to take myrna's hand when they create their spirit/watcher bond. which. fdjfaks okay. we might perhaps read some stuff into that. 'let the poor fellow up' alright okay uh-huh. just taking some notes don't mind me. he genuinely seems so sweet and like such a comforting presence, though, I really can't wait to get to know him better
the way the mourn watch interact with spirits is fascinating. of the human cultures we've seen they may be the closest to conceptualizing them as equals (within clear limits -- there's still a leash, and a hand that holds it, at the end of the day).
the city watch exasperatedly bringing possessed corpses to the mourn watch like someone taking stray cats to a shelter or something is wild and hilarious within the context of the rest of thedas
audric taking a moment to drag outdated orlesian fashion my beloved
the big 'uncatalogued' self-animating skeleton monstrosity seems like it could be connected to the huge high lord vollnir-ass skeleton we've seen in the trailer no? tho honestly there's enough weird shit going on down there that it could be a completely unrelated skeleton monstrosity too lol
I love the way chantry beliefs and older cultural traditions meld in nevarra. the fact that audric finds the idea of cremation disturbing even though he isn't comfortable around the dead is really neat.
the necropolis is going to be SUCH a banger of a level I just know it. escher-ass house of horrors and casual comedy. (the corpse that sits up to scowl at audric and myrna accusingly for waking it before just lying back down😭). the fact that there must be actual architects who must spend their whole careers creating vast halls that will only ever be wandered by the restless dead...
also there are public gardens attached to the necropolis! now there's the space for a picnic if ever there was one
#dragon age#tevinter nights#dragon age tevinter nights#dragon age: the veilguard#dragon age: the veilguard spoilers#dragon age spoilers#emmrich volkarin#a watcher's work is never done#<- might become my mourn watch tag once the game is out we'll see!
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Moot Appreciation Post
I wanna appreciate my moots a bit:
Please, please, please take a look at their work and give them some love!
I’m gonna start with @birinboom Em, my dear sweet potato moot. She’s a really kind moot and will hear you out and support you in your endeavors! She also writes really sweet fics and has a penchant for sweetheart and silly/mischievous type characters…dunno much about Hashbrowns (Hoshina Kn8) but he seems silly and mischievous to me. Very warm like a baked sweet potato! Also has a way of describing nature that puts you there. Em you already know my favorite, and it’s coming up again: she has the ability to nail the vibes of one universe but apply it to different characters.
@philistiniphagottini Nagi is so very kind. It’s the firm kind of kind, the one that encourages establishing and maintaining boundaries. Also writes really sweet pieces and for chubby readers to boot! Embodies multiple characters and matches their vibes with her narration too! I have come across some neat prose reading her work, I cannot remember them off the top of my head. Which is concerning given I meant to borrow that… Anywho Nagi is considerate! Be kind to Nagi please! She has definitely taught me a lot by being herself.
@feral-artistry : in my head you’re objectively hot. Like a Thai spicy mango salad, sweet with a kick and it’s fun! I don’t think I thought to apply traditional painting techniques to digital painting until I saw you do it. The way she hears you out and gives out solid advice and interesting pieces of information. Generally an educational experience talking with you and I would recommend it to others here. Also: pretty art. Oh and your sense of humor might just align with mine because you’re effortlessly funny in some posts I’ve seen. Also you kicked one of the things I had only ever hoped to experience off my bucket list when you made art of Ace after reading my headcanons of him. Pure joy.
@captainportgasdace an absolute sweetheart. Seriously: like 80-90% fluff and sweetness. Deeply loving (her dedication to her blorbo and her sweet characterization of him speaks volumes) has absolutely brought me brainworms and joy on the dash. Also a patient listener and just so kind? Like...imagine a whole stranger tells you about something completely unrelated to you and you just wish them well? Tell them they deserve good things? Like...lovely. Just lovely.
(Yes my mutuals are all very kind sweethearts)
@silentgravesdontexist a well-meaning sweetheart through and through. Kinda feral not gonna lie, and the spice adds a nice variety. No, not spice like spicy work, more like a bit of a warm kick-her energy? Very energetic, it’s refreshing! Also I don’t think I’m going to be forgetting Cy and the Cap having one of my all time favorite reblog convos under my fic. The dopamine high was real. Absolute sweetie pie and she's goes out of her way to be kind to you.
@throwmethroughawindow : I remember sharing something with her about my reading preferences and her responses surprised me in a really good way. No judgement, just a lot of respect and consideration. I appreciate that. Also loving, and enthusiastic about it. The fun person screaming in the tags (as I've seen and had the privilege of experiencing)
@true-deru : haven’t been mutuals long, but definitely a lot of fun! There’s a decent amount of alignment in fandoms we’re interested in and is generally a sunny presence on the dash! Haven’t gotten to reading her stuff yet, but when I dooooo. Also a lot of the YuGiOh posts throw me back to my childhood and it just brings me this sense of: yay! other people like YuGiOh too!
Thank you all for listening to my rambles, struggles, and for providing me advice and being patient with me when I don't respond promptly.
#lovely moots#my lovely moots#feral-artistry#birinboom#Em#philistiniphagottini#Cy the Firefly#silentgravesdontexist#captainportgasdace#throwmethroughawindow#true-deru#I almost typed teru-deru#Nagi
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i'm back with another request favorite writer 😼, i was wondering if you could do Sun n Moon/Reader who's the daycare manager.
Essentially they help tidy, manage schedules, supplies, ect???
(sorry for not leaving more notes on your posts, tumblr doesn't show me ur stuff often 😭😭)
A/N: Hiii thank you so much for your kind words and patience?? My motivation has been on the floor but I'm trying to make it work somehow! Anyway, here is some mildly-annoying-coworkers to friends (to lovers) for your heart! :D
Sun & Moon x daycare manager!reader relationship headcanons
Please reblog this post! Likes make posts die :(
Masterlist
When you first got hired as the Daycare manager, you work was... Well.... Tough
To say the least.
Sun's sassy attitude and constant micro-aggressions were really getting to your nerves
And Moon.....
Well
Let's say you sometimes wondered if he saw you as his boss or his toy
He WILL jest around and stare at you while chuckling instead of following your commmands
Both of them don't really like the idea of having a human supervising them
I mean they're doing a super neat job on their own!! They don't need you!! Why would management send you here?!?
But surprisingly, instead of quitting
You actively try to work with them.
Unexpected I know.
You're not just bossing them around and yelling when they don't do what you want!!
You actually communicate with them to explain the goal of your missions and ask for their ideas when they refuse to do things your way!!
Okay to be honest how it ends up working out is truly a mystery to you
But after a while of almost constant bargaining
Welp the bargaining starts to lessen.
They do the activities you prepared instead of announcing a completely different unrelated thing to the kids
They don't argue as much about the schedule for naptimes
Hell, you can finally catch a fucking break
Of course you let them know how much you're thankful to them for agreeing with stuff (finally)
Sun also starts to get a little less mean, thankfully
You're greater at your job than he thought you'd be!! Different than the managers they had before, for sure, but it's a good thing!! You actually adapt your work and the schedule for them, and not despite them!!
He might start to take a liking for you
After a long while
I mean you truly are the first human handler to not treat them as objects
So of course it takes time for them to trust you
But Sun eventually does because he's just too much of a sweetheart
Moon just... Teases you a bit less. If that means anything.
(it does)
Or at least it's not mean teasing anymore
He's still a Creature™️ tho
Sun still acts confident and almost cocky at times, but it's not passive-agressive anymore
He can even appear charming at times, now that his jokes and remarks aren't meant to make you quit your job
And of course both argue from time to time
Or well, show their dislike of your commands in their own ways I guess
Their "own ways" being that Moon crawls up to the ceiling and sits in a corner upside-down to pout
And Sun just outright refuses to execute whatever you told him to do (and WILL get snappy if you insist)
The trips at Parts N Service are the worst, but you manage to get them down there two times out of three
But overall your relationship with the both of them is getting better and better everyday!
And you genuinely feel so glad the day they give you a friendship drawing!! You're officially their friend now!!
You almost teared up, but no one needs to know that
And then, they gave you another one
And another one
And MANY other ones
And plenty of them both holding your hands
Overtime, you became their bestest friend!!
Who could have thought you would end up being so close!!
Well you, at least, didn't expect it
Not that you're complaining!
You had to admit you grew VERY attached to them too
But oh boy was this development unexpected.
#wowie stopping there or i'll never post this#hope this pleases you!#i do love gentle sun but OUGH i would do anything for sassy sun#i cannot decide which version of them i enjoy the most#same for sweetheart moon i love the idea but damn creature moon is kinda........#like damn#anyway this was be rambling lmao#whispers from atlantis#fnaf sun#fnaf moon#fnaf daycare attendant#dca fandom#answered
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I have so many thoughts and feelings about act 1 of Arcane season 2. I don’t think I could even put them into coherent sentences right now. A few things that I can are:
— I’ve said this on a couple reblogs but I can’t shake the thoughts about it. When Cait finally lets herself break in front of Vi, I noticed Vi almost hesitate. It looks like she takes a small step back before leaning forward to catch Cait. Once she does, she doesn’t seem to hug back right away, hands closed into fists. Even when she does, her hands are still closed. When Cait slides her arms down Vi’s back is when Vi finally opens her hands. I have a feeling it means something (aside from the dropping of her guard) and we might get a parallel to it.
— Speaking of Vi dropping her guard, she does it a lot around Cait in act 1. After their kiss, the gauntlets come off. Before the uh… super heartbreaking breakup, the gauntlets come off. She completely lowered her guard before talking to Cait (who was still armed) which almost makes it worse.
— Vi already drinking a lot.
— Completely unrelated to the show itself… Maddie’s voice actress is the same one who voices the companion Cait in Fallout 4. Kinda found that funny but also a touch irritated with myself for not noticing seeing as Cait is my favorite companion (outside of Dogmeat, of course). Like I should have noticed from the lines “I have to ask…” and “… a heart like yours.” Like… she says it damn near the exact same way in the game. So that makes 2 people in Arcane related to Fallout in some way. Ella Purnell (Jinx) being the other. She plays Lucy in the show. Just a neat little bit of trivia for the Fallout fans.
— Cait, darling, I love you but you’re making it awfully hard to keep defending you. Knock it off and go get your girl back. You better have a damn good apology.
— Jinx was so unbothered for most of act 1 and I am so here for it. Especially with Sevika’s new arm.
— I see a lot of people going on about Maddie. Her vibe is all off to me. Not related to any of the leaks either (sigh). Just… nah. I dunno what it is.
— Can we also talk about the blue guy on the strike team? Come on. He’s cool and doesn’t even say a word. I want to know more about him. He has a good vibe about him… for now at least.
— Cait’s cape is cool looking.
— Heimerdinger was so unbothered. Absolutely love it. Funny lil guy.
— Viktor is Jesus?? Alrighty then.
— Mel got kidnapped?
— Ambessa needs to kindly fuck off and leave Cait alone.
—Jayce needs to not touch things sometimes. I swear. Had to go fuck around with magic at the worst time while our girls were in the middle of a fucking battle.
There’s so much more bouncing around my head but can’t quite put into words yet. I’m sure I’ll get there and have even more to say once act 2 destroys us further. Until then, let’s just focus on that kiss and not what happened after…
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Thoughts on Galadriel's Hair
I'm back with more conjecture disguised as meta and this time, I'm exploring Galadriel's hair design. Hair is an integral part of Galadriel's character and story in the lore. When the early s2 promo shots of Galadriel wearing her crown braid came out, fans were excited because of its direct reference to Tolkien.
For me, I'm more interested in what her hair design expresses in the current story beyond 'it's just hair' or 'it looks pretty.' I was surprised to see how short-lived the crown braid was until I realized that it tells us so much about where Galadriel is in her story.
Galadriel's bound hair shows a controlled but darker self. Galadriel's loose hair shows her freer, if not wilder, self. I think this could even go back to s1 so let's have a look.
(I know there are practical reasons to have tied hair. I've heard that some action productions will put actresses with loose hair because it's easier to swap between stunt doubles but I'm also having fun here.)
When we're first introduced to Galadriel in the present day, she's wearing her hair loose. She's deep in her pursuit and is already at odds with her squad.
Again, in Numenor, she roams with confidence and arrogance, clashing with anyone that challenges her. "There is a tempest in me." As much as people snark about this line, this line perfectly reflects how fast and unrelenting she approaches her self-appointed task.
This is the wildness we see. As much as she's weighed down by her trauma, this is Galadriel's truer state at this point in the story.
Note when I say true self, I mean Galadriel being the best version of herself; freer, in the light and upholding the values of her kind.
The braid in the battle for the Southlands is an interesting choice because she boards the Numenorean schooner with loose hair. When this happens, it's framed as a glorious moment for Galadriel, in what appears to be her most powerful moment but it's just an illusion.
Because Sauron was here the whole time. She holds her hand out to Halbrand, thinking that it's an alliance between the two when it was an elaborate ruse. In her time with him, Galadriel showed all her cards to Sauron and he used it to lay breadcrumbs.
So why the braid?
I think the braid here represents Galadriel trying to stay in control of herself. She admitted to Sauron how her pursuit has worried her friends and what it's doing to her. Her confrontation with Adar nearly pushes her over the edge of losing control.
Then with the Mt. Doom eruption, Galadriel is confronted with darkness in an unexpected way. The way that even a young child, Theo, who is should be free and happy but instead, is affected by the darkness. Galadriel trying to guide Theo with hope is also a call to return to her true self.
Speaking of her true self, we have this from the raft sequence which was all about temptation. Galadriel could let go everything but she resists. Her neat, loose hair is from a begone time that she longs for but the truth is that it's gone so she has to fight back.
Her bedraggled hair on the raft, in a storm no less, again is that wildness which Sauron completely underestimates. He can't turn her no matter how dark things get because Galadriel isn't someone to be controlled. She will find her way back.
This brings us to s2 where Galadriel's hair design is mostly partially bound. On the left, it's a simple but formal pulled-back style. Galadriel is now back with the elves and in Lindon, no less. Galadriel cannot act however she wishes but she also has the backing of Gil-Galad so she's not completely restrained.
On the right, we have some braiding again. This entire episode, we see Galadriel troubled—by her visions, her conflict with Elrond and even with how much Sauron affected her. So while she has Gil-Galad's support, she's constrained and struggling with her sense of self.
This finally brings us to the mission with Elrond, where the two are at odds. Galadriel's ego is hurt that Gil-Galad doesn't trust her to lead. She's hurt from Elrond's mistrust. Elrond sees Galadriel as completely compromised, even though her visions from Nenya later proved to be correct.
To me, Galadriel's crown braid symbolizes how cut off and restrained from the others' mistrust. She cannot be herself because she's not allowed to and so she plays the part as expected.
Only when she's proven right that Galadriel sheds the crown. Her hair is still loosely braided, for what I think is practicality with the night orc sequence stunts but notice how the front is loose and only the back is tied back.
This tells us that Galadriel is ready to break from Elrond's command because she's unfortunately vindicated with the dangers of the south path. Here, Galadriel places trust back in herself.
Now it doesn't mean that she's entirely correct because Galadriel still makes mistakes.
"I stand alone," she said before her stand against the orcs.
In this sequence, Galadriel could have fought with the group to make a clear escape together. However, Galadriel seizes the chance to do things her way, alone. She fights like an amazon with an explosive rage that we haven't seen in a while but it falls apart.
I do think she intended to keep the ring safe just in case by giving it to Elrond because I also don't think she intended to get captured by Adar, which is the consequence of running without thinking clearly.
Given the trailer, this is likely going to be Galadriel's hair style for the rest of the season. I'm interested in how her character evolves while wearing this style.
As a closing note, hair and costume in pop culture generally gets treated as -aesthetic- but there is a reason it's considered design and not just a wardrobe. It's another way of visual storytelling for the character. In media set in the modern day, there is still styling choices in hair and costume to show you who the characters are; eg A Most Violent Year, Barbie, Ready or Not.
credit: cap-that.com
#rings of power#a wild meta post appears!#cinema: symbolism and visual storytelling#rop analysis#galadriel most radiant
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Clone OCs: Dusk Company
I made these guys waaay back in March (?) of last year and for some reason never posted them here-
Randomly I decided to go back to them because I think I stopped working on them simply because I couldn't decide on a name for the group/color scheme but I got ideas and the time/motivation to digitalize my initial doodles, so introducing members of Dusk Company!
Dusk Company specializes in (surprise, surprise) stealth missions, thriving in the darkness and all of that. They're great to have when you need a retrieval or assassination mission done! Still working on their Jedis though.
Check out Dawn Company as well!
Close ups and brief Introductions under the cut!
Commander Milo:
- Just thought it would be a neat name - Mom Friend (Squad jokingly calls him 'Commander Mom-lo") - 2W1 on Enneagram - Constantly stressed and worried over his men (it's a wonder he doesn't already have gray hairs) - A very good listener - Hanging on by a thread guys please do not push him, he is one really bad mission away from completely snapping
Captain Eclipse:
- Eclipse because of night and also because he likes to 'eclipse' people and show off whenever he can - He's like subconsciously a show off though, he doesn't really mean to, it just happens - 3W2 on Enneagram - Has a tough time talking about his feelings and likes to pretend nothing is wrong and will laugh anything off - On a completely unrelated note, totally having nothing to do with all his bottled up feelings, but does someone want to hold him tenderly? He just wants to be held. - Incredibly stubborn to the point where it's almost reckless; has cheated death probably four times now
Ranger:
- Just thought it would be a cool name - Sharpshooter - Mute, uses sign language to communicate - Tongue piercing and eyebrow slit just because - Cool older vod kind of guy; will give you candy before dinner and won't tell your parents kind of guy - 6W5 on Enneagram - Really great at keeping secrets - One of the more reasonable clones in the Company and keeps the others out of trouble (if only they'd listen and take his advice)
Chip:
- Got his name because he's a technology buff - Was born with a mutation in his eyes for some reason and now needs cybernetics (like Wolffe) to see - Has orange tattoos just because why not? - 4W3 on the Enneagram - Doesn't like to talk much and will talk when needed (so he gets along with Ranger pretty well) - Eyes give him an advantage in the dark (sees a little better than his brothers) - Eyes are also reflective when you shine a light on them in the dark and this has scared a few of his brothers shitless as a result
Clicks + Buttons:
- A set, do not separate - Clicks has a nervous tic that causes him to make a 'clicking' noise, hence the name - Buttons likes to push buttons, both in a literal and metaphorical sense - Buttons is their pilot (he's not a great one but in his defense they haven't died from a crash landing yet) - Clicks is a 6W5 - Buttons is a 7W6 - Fives and Echo type of dynamic (Clicks is the only one who can tolerate Buttons) - Dye each other's hair
Tats:
- Clone Medic - Got his name because of all his tattoos and because he's the one to go to to get them done (he's got a ready steady hand) - Really chill kind of guy, has an incredible amount of patience - 9W8 on Enneagram - Keeps the Company together (is usually the voice of reason outside of Ranger) - Whattaman wattaman; knows how to treat people right - Extensive hair care routine
ARC Trooper Shark:
- Thinks sharks are cool (pretend there's sharks in Star Wars) + used to bite people as a cadet - Are his teeth sharpened? Maybe. - Not much of a conversationalist; mainly speaks in grumbles, growls, and groans - 3W4 on the Enneagram - Usually grumpy and tired (he's gotta put up with all the other knuckleheads of his company) - Honestly has no idea how to interact with others in a normal way - Is a little off-putting but I swear he's trying his best. Maybe.
ARC Trooper Leo:
- No real reason why he's named Leo, just thought it was a cool clone name - He's an ARC trooper and sometimes people question how and why - A little cocky and stuck-up but means well - Loves his time off (don't ask him what he does during it) - 7W8 on Enneagram - Dyes his hair that color; tends to dye it different browns/reds at a time - Got clawed by a juvenile Nexu once (hence facial scars)
#tcw#star wars#the clone wars#clone wars#clone ocs#ocs#original characters#tbb#star wars oc#sw ocs#clone oc#clone troopers#dawn company#if you saw this before shhh no you didn't
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Timeline placement theories
Not gonna provide images cuz im not bothered
I have a few threories so ill order them 1-however many in order of which i like most-least
1. After the hero of legend or the hero of legend again (so after alttp, oos, ooa & la)
I think the downfall timeline is more likely. We have Ganon after he shed his humanity, which only happens in the downfall timeline, Zelda's dress looks similar to ALTTP zelda's blue dress, there are the hostile zora style zora, the la remake style (though that could just be for speed of making). However link doesn't have the yellow stripe that all of the downfall links have. We do also have two randomly seperate games between the hero of legend and hero of hyrule so what's one more? We can even hc it to be albw link and zelda is we really want. Also we have what seems to be an old impa. The only timeline of the slip timelines where we see impa being OLD is the downfall timeline (at least that i know of) but that is probably unrelated completely
2. Before botw (before the great calamity 10,000 years ago)
Now this could probably clash with my tears of the kingdom placement headcanon, or work with it. But we see both types of zora from the downfall and child timelines, and who knows? Maybe those rifts are what is reconnecting the timeline (why maybe the two zora types are confronting(?) Eachother) dont have much else to say about this but its a neat little placement. Also maybe the reconnected timeline is a way to show the new direction the zelda games are foing, at least maybe what they are thinking in nintendo hq or something. Also the sword and bow and cape that link had look kinda like the zonai tech. As much as i dont like the zonai and want this to be completely seperate from the botw/totk/aoc-verse, maybe they took inspiration. Especially with the ultra-build aspect of the echoes and similar ui
3. After oot, before alttp
Less plausible. I dont exactly remember the alttp lore but it feels like, and i love the fact that tge hero o legend arrived because of the fact that the hero of time died and he has to fix things. Hoever that could be what's going on. So i just like the idea of it being in the downfall timeline so much
4. Before oot
Less likely, but hyrule does seem to look a lot more thhriving and big. However, ganon only shows up for the first time and as a human in oot, and the hostile zora wouldn't have evolved that way yet since everything is peaceful and not corrupted. We also have a deku scrub, but idk what that means, also forgot what game they are from
5. (Worst) child or adult timeline
Child is slightly more plausible, but i really dont want it to be there. We do have the oot/tp style zora but it judt doesnt work as well.
Adult timeline i HOPE they dont touch it ever again. Not becausd i do t like it but because they made it so well that shoving another game in there would ruin it. The flow from ww to ph to st works so well and was clearly really thought out. Also hyrule is kinda flooded, and we have the gerudo desert so it can't be new hyrule, and it cant be before ww because the whole lore of that is there WAS NO hero to save hyrule so it wouldn't make sense. This is the worst option ever to place it.
In conclusion: theory number 2 is probably most plausible imo, but i would like it to be theory number 1 most
I was just thinking, imagine if nintendo decided to make a 4th timeline in the timeline split XD
Anyways
Goobye
#echoes of wisdom#i do a little ramble#loz#the legend of zelda#zelda timeline#loz eow#eow#loz echoes of wisdom#theory#zelda theory#loz art
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as a tech lover what do u think of ai. love ur art <3
Oh man. This is a hell of a question!!
I think right off the bat I want to say that “AI” as a term is so so deeply misused it may be beyond repair at this point. The broadness of AI cannot be understated. Even the most basic search and sorting algorithms are AI. Chessbots are AI. Speech recognition is AI. Machine translation, camera autofocus, playlist shuffle, spam filtering, antivirus, inverse kinematics, it all uses AI and has used it for years. Every single piece of software you interact with has AI technology in it somewhere.
All of this is mostly unrelated to what most people think of as AI nowadays (generative AI, like chatGPT or midjourney), both of which are entirely unrelated to the science fiction concept of an artificial intelligence.
That said, I'm assuming you're talking about generative AI since that's the hot-button issue. I think it's a very neat technology and one I wish I could be enthusiastic about seeing improve. I also think it is a deeply dangerous technology and we are entirely unprepared for the consequences of unfettered access to and complete trust in AI generation. It's what should be a beneficial technology built on foundations of harm – programmed bias from inextricable structural prejudice in the computer science world, manipulation of sources without creator/user/random person who happened to be caught on a camera once/etc consent – being used for harm – deliberate disinformation, nonsense generated content being taken as fact, violation of personal privacy and consent (as seen with deepfake porn), the list goes on. There's even more I could say about non-generative neural networks (that very reductive reference to "bread scanning AIs they taught to recognize cancer cells" so highly lauded by tumblr) but it just boils down to the same thing; the potential risk of using these technologies irresponsibly far and away outweighs any benefit they might have since there's no actual way to guarantee they can be used in a "good" or "safe" way.
All of it leaves a rotten taste in my mouth and I can't engage with the thought of any generative AI technology because of it. There's just too much at stake and I don't know if it even can be corralled to be used beneficially at this point. The genie's out of the bottle.
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The Curious Case of The Dead Wheeler Granny
Also known as: I need to make a cohesive post that actually has context so i can add it to the ✨ master post ✨. So basically if you already know, you know. idk.
So... recently have been thinking A Lot about weird "production errors" (tm) and creel home fuckery + wheeler parallels. Its no secret that there are Many references to the creel home in the wheeler home for whatever reason, from the piano to the wedding dress to even the clock chimes (?) close to the the door way of the wheeler home.
However one of the most fascinating Choices was when the main urn that sat on the wheeler mantle place since s1 suddenly changed to a completely different urn during the convergence of the four gates at the climax of s4. What was the reason for this? It's also no secret that ST is riddled with what we can call "intentional" errors in objects, peoples positions, etc etc. But why a seemingly random object that has been sitting in the background of the home for 4 seasons w/o any special attention? And why at the important climax of the season?
Season 1
Season 4- before the climax
Season 4- after the climax
(and this isnt even to mention the fact that the wheeler dining room is covered in rose vases that mimic the OG urn)
If you reference this back to the mantle place in the Creel home... there is something quite interesting:
A few little trinkets, weirdly placed and evenly spread out. There is a little bird (dove?) statue like how the wheelers have two geese statues sitting on their mantle place. Next to that though? A strange looking golden vase. Mind you, this is happened when Virginia is having her "holding up the mirror" moment. As in this mirror is right there reflecting Virginia and this little urn-looking vase trinket and the rose-y wallpaper behind her (which is interesting given that the OG urn has pink roses on it with a framed picture of pink roses next to it).
Put the Virginia relation in your back pocket for now. Lets go up to the stuff in the Creel attic, which are heavily referenced in the wheeler home, in particular the wedding dress:
Where has have we seen a piece of a brides clothing in s4? In Suzie's home, where her sister Tabitha is wearing a wedding veil, and you guess it, a pink floral (roses? Honestly the color scheme is very similar to the creel wallpaper mentioned above) dress:
In which Tabitha pretends to die. She's not really dying. The joke here is that Tabitha's father had thought she was dying though ("it looked genuine"). And oh... is that the edge of a grandfather clock I see right outside the doorway framed right there this scene?
If I was extra weird about it I could also point out that the letter blocks on Tabitha's bracelet kind of spell out (M?)AMA. But its super blurry and I cant get a good shot of it so take this with a grain of salt:
A little sprinkle of Petergate here but Tabitha is a woman who was raised from the dead by Saint Peter:
Which I mean... If we're going to talk about lying about moms dying? The "Nanas got cancer" gag in s3 in which... Hopper lies about Mikes Nana being sick but then goes onto say:
There's nothing wrong with Nana
Mike then proceeds to repeatedly call him a liar. So... nothing's wrong with Nana? Would that explain the weird trend of people specifically lying over the phone about having a sick family member also in s3/s4?
(credit: screenshots from this @/heroesbyler post - unrelated to this theory, I just think its neat)
And if we're talking about lies:
(oh holly girl... wearing that pink + white outfit and that rose shirt lmao)
And of course: Papa lies.
(don't even get me started on how the grandfather clock most likely represents Brenner ("maybe hes a clock maker?" and s4 literally starting with Brenner setting a timer))
But this begs the question... If, by all accounts, nothing is wrong with Nana, so much so it would be like she was raised from the dead, then who's ashes do the Wheeler's have on their mantle place thinking that its their granny?
Could it be, thinking back to the weird trinket on front of the mirror in the Creel home, Virginia's ashes instead? Quick question, where exactly are Virginia and Alice buried? Did Victor get a say in his wife's funeral arrangements?
And if Nana Wheeler's death was a lie designed to conceal a truth and Papa lies... ah who am i kidding it was martin brenner. it was fucking brenner who else would do some weird shit like this. it was him.
Anyways things like this really make me question why exactly the Wheelers are one of two main families in the show. As far as I know they didn't do much in TFS, so hell, why not Patty? Bob? The Sin Claires?
Regardless, I would really like them to be kind and rewind back to whatever is going on here if you know what I mean
#rosegate#karen wheeler#ted wheeler#mike wheeler#nancy wheeler#holly wheeler#virginia creel#alice creel#martin brenner
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No. 5 - jetBlue 2: Electric Bluegaloo
I am writing this post on the 15th of June, 2023.
I was going to publish one post tomorrow. It was going to be about a completely unrelated airline from a different country. I wrote it already. I have several other posts written already, because I like writing them, and they make me excited. I had a partially written post on jetBlue. It was going to be finished soon and uploaded after that. Just one in a sea of many things people have painted onto their airplanes.
I did not plan to discuss jetBlue tomorrow. I did not plan to finish my jetBlue post today. But they have forced my hand by announcing an overhaul of their 20-year-old livery at the most inconvenient possible time for me specifically, and I suppose I'm someone who reviews airline liveries now so I'm not just going to not talk about it.
Okay, let’s see. What they’ve been doing has worked for them for two decades, so I am very curious what they...
(image: jetblue)
Oh.
Huh. Not...sure what I expected. This is really taking a moment to sink in.
Well, okay. My immediate thought is ‘neat, they finally extended it past the tail’. My second thought is ‘thank goodness they're finally moving past their Eurowhite phase’. My third thought is...
Obviously they don’t have an exclusive right to this shade of blue, but does...does Southwest know about this? You two are probably the two biggest players in the low-cost market on the East Coast, should you be...being nearly the exact same shade of blue? Like, the rest of the liveries are obviously very different, you wouldn’t confuse them even from a distance, and I'm pretty sure jetBlue's is slightly lighter, but it just feels, viscerally, like someone’s nose gear is being run over a little bit.
Okay. No. We are forgetting about this. We literally just talked about not comparing beautiful blue girls to each other. They’re going to stall or soar on their own merits. Let’s take another look at N982JB “A Defining MoMint” (neé “One Mint, Two Mint, Blue Mint, You Mint”), who is patient zero for jetBlue’s new rebrand.
(image: jetblue)
There she is in all her eyestraining glory. I mean, there’s bright and then there’s hard to look at. jetBlue has, for some reason, decided to unleash a migraine machine onto airports across America and beyond.
jetBlue? I know you're reading this. Can we talk, jetBlue? There are a billion shades of blue you could have picked from for the main body.
(image: jetblue)
In fact, here are five of them from your own most recent tail design. And you chose the only one that is extremely painful to look at in large quantities. So, unfortunately, we’re taking off from the wrong runway. But let’s hear what you have to say for yourself, jetBlue.
I can only imagine how badly tumblr is going to crunch this, so here’s a direct link to the PDF jetBlue put out explaining their design choices.
Well, it’s definitely one of the bluest planes they’ve ever made. I think Blueprint might actually be bluer, but that’s a discussion for later. It’s a reasonably, maybe even unreasonably, blue plane, and I think we can all agree on that.
They’ve made a lot of changes that seem almost like direct responses to my earlier complaints. Robin N. Hayes, CEO of jetBlue Airlines, are you in my head reading my mind? If you are, I think I at least deserve a couple of scale models for all the advice I’ve given you. Come on. I’ll even proofread your website for you.
Sadly, I have yet to receive my rightly deserved 1:100 model of the jetBlue retrojet, but they’ve at least recognized that I’m correct about a lot of things. The all-white fuselage is boring and the tail designs need to be allowed to unfurl from their prison on the vertical stabilizer. I’m absolutely with them on that. I actually can’t say how I feel about this new ‘mint leaves’ tail pattern. I think that I don’t like it, but it’s very hard to tell because looking at this image for too long without my darkreader on genuinely hurts my eyes. I’m sure it’ll be fine in person, but I haven’t seen this livery in person. I’ve had all of a day to process this through my computer screen, and because of that I think I sort of really dislike it!
But I also can’t commit to that opinion because it’s been a day and a half and there’s so much we still don’t know. Well, I know that this is literally the worst shade of blue that there is, but my least favorite color is orange and I think there are plenty of decent looking orange planes out there. It’s not about the base color. It’s about what you do with it. And what will they do with it? It’s...not really clear.
The thing about this launch is that if Robin N. Hayes, CEO of jetBlue Airlines, can read my mind, I can’t read his. All I have is this PDF and a couple paragraphs of copy that really raise more questions than they answer. I'm just going to paste the important bit here.
Aptly named A Defining MoMint, the first plane to sport our new livery (our first-ever Mint pattern, coming soon to all Mint planes) is an Airbus A321 with Mint—which rolls into service on 6/15/23. Look for refreshed versions of our existing patterns to make their runway debuts as the rest of the fleet is repaint-ready.
This leaves so many questions unanswered. Is this for all Mint planes? That's not an insignificant portion of the fleet. Are all the planes currently wearing the ribbon and streamer tails going to wear this exact design, or will there be multiple Mint liveries? Will the ribbon and streamer tails be retired completely? They're pretty new, that seems a bit premature to me. What about the non-Mint planes? I assume the implication is that they're going to get patterns that extend onto their main fuselages as well, but are they going to also be repainted now or will there be a gradual rollout where it'll only be Mint planes for the time being? What is even going on? Seriously, does Southwest know? How did nobody notice the two massive typos on the liveries page of your website when you updated it with this new information? Ya blue it!
This is sending me into a bit of a tailspin. This redesign is everything I should want. It's spitting in the face of the design principles that I hate so much I started this blog. It's addressing some of my complaints. But I just don't...like to look at it?
I think what's bothering me here, when my eyes adjust somewhat to the sheer piercing brightness of it, is the overwhelming amount of stuff happening. When I do focus in I can see things that I like. For example, the tail pattern seems to be almost spreading onto the main fuselage rather than being isolated on a tail with its own background color. Some things I just can't entirely process. Like the PDF says they're using a new font but I can't really tell the difference between it and the old one. I guess it doesn't matter that much.
Anyway, I'm not done complaining. On the old livery, the engines were a dark color which contrasted with the light fuselage. This is pretty common. That's for a good reason. It creates such a weird visual effect when the engines and the fuselage are the same color. When you look at them from the side they look like they're merging. Also, despite them mentioning that they made the text in the front bigger to make the livery look less rear-heavy, and the fact that it's worked to some extent, it hasn't worked nearly enough. It would really behoove them to add something else to the front.
(I'm just saying, jetBlue...if you want to be America's Fun Airline, I don't think any defunct airlines have a trademark on painting cute little faces on your airplanes. Just keep that in the back of your mind.)
I ultimately just can't reconcile my thoughts on this. I keep repeating myself and I can't seem to convince myself to like this even though I really, really want to find some way to decide that yes, this is good, actually. This is an improvement. I can't. I can't convince myself. Maybe if I chew on it a bit longer. Maybe when they show off new tail patterns they'll all look better than this. Maybe it's just the mint green that's throwing me off and it'll all be okay. Maybe I'll wake up and a perfectly designed new jetBlue livery will be standing by the side of my bed, and I won't even mind that geometry forbids every part of that scenario, and she'll be beautiful and I will remember what it felt like to first learn that jetBlue has a plane named Blue's On First. Maybe. But right now it's the 15th of June and I'm feeling an emotion I can only imagine myself sharing with cosmic horror protagonists who have stumbled on some horrible secret that destroys the foundation which until mere moments ago undergirded their entire concept of reality. I don't know how to reconcile any of this.
jetBlue...how could you blue this to me?
Provisional* Grade: D(on't Blue That)+
(provisional because I'm being very dramatic but as I've said this is brand new fresh off the livery printer, Mint condition if you will, and I've barely had any time to process it so I'll definitely revisit it at some point. But probably not soon. I'm just about jetBlued out at the moMint.)
#tarmac fashion week#runwayrunway blueses it#grade: d+#region: north america#region: united states#era: 2020s#jetblue#low cost carriers#neelemanverse#southwest airlines
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You knpow what I think you haven't done for a design review? Pineco and Foretress. Got to love Pinecone Bug and Walnut Cannon Shell in general.
At first glance, Pineco here looks like a sentient pine cone and like it should be a grass-type, ala Seedot. However, Pineco has a secret:
Pineco isn't a pinecone at all, but is instead a bagworm caterpillar, hence the bug typing. For those not familiar, bagworms are a kind of moth caterpillar that build cases out of materials such as pine needles and tree bark:
You can't see it in this photo, but there's a caterpillar in this structure (possibly already cocooned in this photo). In order to move, they stick their heads out of the top like a sleeping bag. :)
Anyway, visually, Pineco is perfectly fine, albeit somewhat generic if you didn't pick up on the "bug in a protective shell" thing. The individual pieces of bark, resembling the scales of a pinecone, are well structured, and having the eyes tucked under the top two scales allows them to pop nicely against the dark shading, especially with their red coloration. It also bears a slight semblance to a grenade, which is fitting giving their habit of blowing themselves up with little warning.
Female bagworms never develop into something resembling a moth and stay in their cases through adulthood. While this line isn't gendered, Forretress indeed isn't a moth but some other kind of organism entirely. The question of what kind of organism is a bit more questionable; it's presumably still a bagworm, but the case now looks more like a clamshell and it gains steel typing of all things.
My guess is that it's a walnut shell, keeping with the idea of protection and the tree theme—it looks a lot less rocky and a lot more organic in its original sprite above. The body has just hardened along with the modified case to justify the typing.
Regardless of what it is, I do like Forretress a lot, more so than Pineco. Like I said above, Pineco can seem fairly generic at a glance if you don't know the concept, but this red creature with an obvious shell and turrets sticking of it its body is super neat, and conveys both that it's a creature in something and that it'll explode and/or fire steel fragments in your face if you get too close to it.
I also like the design just in terms of pure aesthetics. The shell has teeth along its edge, and in each gap lies a turret—except for the front two spots, which perfectly hold its eyes. A black stripe runs across the middle of the body and helps to draw attention to the eyes. It's very nicely balanced. I do wish that it had a little more to connect it visually to Pineco however. I like the colors as-is, but maybe just making it green instead of red would've been enough.
My other nitpick relates to how we actually have an entire beta history for Forretress. It started as a unrelated bagworm Pokemon, then got a placeholder sprite, and then we got these early designs:
These designs confirm that the black band around Forretress' eyes used to be its mouth, and while I really like the design we got, there's also something super appealing in these sprites (especially the first one with the wiggly mouth that matches the shell) that feels like it got lost.
I think it's the expressions: the Forretress design we got has very flat and dead eyes, but early Forretress 100% looks like a creature that will explode in your face if you get any closer to it. If the eyes had kept the slightly maniac expression from this sprite while keep the design as the final version, I think we would've had the ideal Forretress. Like I said, a nitpick, just one I thought I'd point out.
Overall, this is a pretty solid line. I do think more visual continuity could've been maintained between the two stages, but the bagworm concept is solid and Forretress in particular is well designed.
Also, this has little to do with the Pokemon, but I don't feel like this review would be complete without bringing up the best Pokemon TCG move name of all time:
EVERYONE EXPLODE NOW
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