#he was originally supposed to be monochrome black

[fluff-e-boy]

Vassal! I still think estrogen would have saved him

[chocostrwberry]

Nathalie Sancoeur!! The one on the right is just an alt design I was playing with. Ft. Faceless Gabriel!

More info below!!

I made her more monochrome because the Agreste family is very black-and-white, so I made her basically fit their house and their sense of style. It would also be interesting to see how Marinette collides with Adrien’s world; she also wants to be a fashion designer, but her projects are very fun and odd and non-traditional. She also puts lots of care and love into hand-making all of it, contrasting to his father who just approves and doesn’t approve designs. So she unconsciously represents him leaving his prison/comfort zone and experiencing something new and unfamiliar!!

Side fact: The mint green undershirt he’s wearing in his redesign wasn’t part of the originally planned outfit; it was supposed to be just the grey pants and the black polo. But he wanted to wear his favorite color (green) for the first day of school so he snuck it in, and Nathalie allowed it.

Bonus: Nathalie with black eyes and a more “plum” color palette

[imaginesig]

"I just don't understand / how you don't miss me / in the Black Dog"

Ralf Aron x singer!reader

SMAU

After 3 years, is your relationship as dreamy as it looks?

All songs mentioned are linked at the bottom. Originally I planned this to be a Zak O'Sullivan smau, but then I figured Ralf's age fit better (I also wanted to write for him anyway so its fine) but any ideas for Zak are appreciated

f2_updates

liked by user6, user76, user9, and 823,939 others

f2_updates: beloved couple Y/n L/n and Ralf Aron were spotted in the paddock today to supports Paul Aron

tagged: no one

user1 they look so good!!

user2 Ralf might not race but they're gonna show up like he does

user3 best dressed couple

user4 my fav (unofficial) wag

user5 idk if it was planned but the monochrome black and whit fits ate

user6 right?? Like they weren't matching but it was coordinated nicely

user7 that made it cuter honestly

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aronralf posted a story!

Caption: so proud of you @/paularon_! I'm so happy I got to see your podium in Monaco in person and celebrate with you

ynln

like by zak.osullivan, paularon_, user4, and 829,293 others

ynln: little bro got a podium AND Zak won, officially the best trip to Monaco ever!! I'm so so proud Paul (and Zak, what an incredible race). I couldnt have asked for a better tour send off 🖤🤍

tagged: paularon_, zak.osullivan, aronralf

paularon_ thank you for coming!! It means the world

ynln I'd never miss if possible 🫶

zak.osullivan thank you!

ynln this was def one for the books!! But don't party to hard

aronralf stunning ❤️

ynln ❤️

user1 im choosing to take the heart colors as a sign that their outfits were pre-coordinated

user2 awww not her celebrating Zak too 😭

user3 she cheered so hard the entire time

user4 Y/n really became a grid mom for the prema (current and former) boys

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ynln posted a story!

caption: (2) pre-show date at our spot @/aronralf

aronralf posted a story!

caption: Ma armastan sind @/ynln ❤️❤️

replies

ynln

Ma armastan sind ka

thank you so much for coming!! It felt good to know you were watching ❤️

nothing is more beautiful than watching you do what you love

paularon_ posted a story

caption: you're a killer @/ynln

replies

ynln

that picture is so cute!! Please send it to me

*1 image*

you were fantastic

thank you!! It means a lot you flew out to be here

you would and have done the same for me

zak.osullivan posted a story!

caption: you're a star @/ynln!!!

dinobenganovic posted a story!

caption: 💜🤍🩵 @/ynln

olliebearman posted a story!

caption: @/lettiemng, I had a magical night with you! Thank you @/ynln

juanmanuel posted a story!

caption: great music, great night @/ynln

ynln

liked by aronralf, user54, gracieabrams, and 983,832 others

ynln: London, thank you for being an amazing opening crowd!! It is always so special to know that this entire set was a surprise and get to experience your reactions live!! Next stop, Dublin 🫶🫶

tagged: no one

aronralf ❤️💜

ynln ❤️💜

sarbinacarpenter looks amazing! I cant wait to go

gracieabrams loving the purple!!

user1 how am I supposed to be normal knowing this concert was attended by her grid family

user2 omg the confetti!!!

user3 I cannot wait for my show

user4 ugh im so upset the US leg is so far away

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Time Skip-- a couple shows later

Time skip- a few more shows

ynln

liked by user43, user53, user1, and 928,392 others

ynln: Paris what a lovely crowd you were!! This last show has made me not want to break at all, but alas I must rest up before the US leg begins 🫶🫶

tagged: no one

user1 fingers crossed this break helps her relax and let the "Begin Again" incident be a one time thing

user2 yay!! I was missing Y/n and Ralf content

user3 my show is coming!!!

user4 get your rest, it is deserved 👏👏

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ynln

liked by friend1, dinobeganovic, user5, and 983,939 others

ynln: same time next week??

tagged: friend1, friend2, friend3

user1 LYRICS?? Y/N DO YOU SLEEP??

user2 fr girlie is supposed to be on break and rest but here she is writing

friend1 same time every week??

ynln omg please

friend2 its been so great having you home!!

ynln ive missed it so much

friend3 you so owe me an uno rematch

ynln its on

user3 no Ralf?

user4 lets not assume anything, she went home and he's probably busy with racing responsibility, plus its only half way through her break im sure they'll be together soon

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f2_updates

liked by user4, user8, user43, and 823,929 others

f2_updates: Paul Aron and a mystery women have stopped by to cheer Paul Aron on!!

tagged: no one

user6 oh he brought a friend

user7 they didnt look to romantic so thats my hope

user1 ok ik we collectivy agreed not to stress about the Y/n crying situation but between that and now her not being seen here is getting to me

user2 wdym Y/m missed a Paul race?? Y/n never misses a Paul race??

user3 great results today!!

user4 always a good day when the Aron brothers are in the paddock

user5 thats my championship leader!!

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ynln

liked by friend3, user5, zak.osullivan, and 893,939 others

ynln: I have missed you guys so much I decided to gift a piece I wrote first half of my break to hold us all over until we get this show back on the road. It's a piece that I didn't expect to write but I did! "The Black Dog" will drop tonight at midnight

tagged: no one

zak.osullivan a masterpiece I know it

user1 the black dog?? like her and Ralfs special spot??

user2 she read the twitter rumors and said "let me put these to rest real quick"

user3 im so excited, no one loves a RalfY/n love song like me

user4 it'll make a great addition to my playlist

user4 I love the golden look

user5 its very summer

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ynln

liked by dinobeganovic, user54, sabrinacarpenter, and 893,939 others

ynln: I have been overwhelmed and moved by the support for "The Black Dog." The healing process has been greatly aided by your love. I decided to give into the urge to release the songs written during this tour and break in an EP. Enjoy my new EP "Golden Days" out midnight!!!

tagged: no one

user1 I fear I won't be able to take more heartbreak

user2 beautiful visuals

user3 do we think its called Golden Days because she's looking back on those days

user4 omg and despite her getting to be home and see old friends its still not as light as it appears

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ynln

liked by dinobenganovic, user43, zak.osullivan, and 829,093 others

ynln: thank you Saint Louis for a warm welcome back!! It's a new leg and a *slightly* new setlist. It was an honor to go on this emotional rollercoaster with you all and I cannot wait for Madison Square Garden 🫶🫶

tagged no one

user1 best night of my life

user2 when I tell you I screamed by head off when she added the new songs

user3 I dont know if ill survive my show

user4 what a intimate setting it was, her emotions were raw and she connected with the crowd in the high and low parts

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ynln posted a story!

caption: I've spent these past few days in New York (and a pilgrimage to see Harry's banner) just thinking about how blessed I am to get to play a sold out show at MSG!! If you asked little me, I never would have imagine id be on a completely sold out tour much less MSG!! Its a dream come true, and tonight lets rock 🫶🫶

f2_updates

liked by user1, user7, user3, and 928,929 others

f2_updates: F2 drivers have seen entering Madison Square Garden in New York alongside Ralf Aron with potential new girl. Rumors saying that plenty familar faces were going to spend a bit of their summer break to celebrate singer Y/n L/n's accomplishment now seem to be true

tagged: no one

user7 OMG GLASSES PAUL HAS BEEN SPOTTED

user1 stop this was so sweet until the very last slide

User8 fr Prema family Reunion ruined

user9 I would've been just fine with Zak, Dino, and Paul- ralf could've stayed home

user2 the way id burn his house down if I could

user3 awww the videos of Dino and Elvira dancing to the opener are adorable

user4 fr when will it be my turn

user5 the audacity to bring your new girl to your ex's show

user6 fingers crossed Y/n doesn't know (until after at least)

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ynln

liked by dinobeganovic, aronralf, taylorswift, and 923,920 others

ynln: what a night! I dont know how ill move on from finally accomplishing a childhood dream, but after some celebration im sure ill manage. Thank you to everyone in the crowd tonight, you were electric 🍾🫶

tagged no one

friend1 the cowboy hat >>>

taylorswift my imagination didnt give that mashup justice!! You were amazing

dinobeganovic best way to spend summer break

zak.osullivan officially becoming a groupie

friend2 you are a star!!

sabrinacarpenter congrats babe!!!

comments have been limited

~~

Begin Again by Taylor Swift

The Black Dog by Taylor Swift

loml by Taylor Swift

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

Come Back... Be Here by Taylor Swift

The Great War x You're Losing Me by Taylor Swift

The Black Dog x Come Back... Be Here by Taylor Swift

[signoraviolettavalery]

Recap of the Damon Baker event/meet-and-greet (surprised no one's posted about this yet!)

So this was a launch of Damon's new perfume, and it involved a brief Q&A with him in front of an audience in an auditorium tucked away in Harrod's (which is a maze), where they served mocktails and the most delicious chocolate I've ever had.

After the Q&A, everybody who came got a brief meet-and-greet with Damon, where he'd also take your photo and do a selfie with you. There was also a chance to buy his perfume (you got a 20 pound discount for getting the ticket to the event), and do note that the 'regular' perfume costs the same as the exclusive version that comes with a notebook that includes some of Damon's photos and writing in his "handwriting." And, if you bought the perfume, he would also happily sign anything you wanted.

He is more beautiful in person. I know it's hard to believe because photos of him are stunning, but. He's more beautiful in person. I can't even. I was in the front row and I almost gasped.

He talked about the origin of the perfume - how when he lived in LA, he had bad anxiety, and when he was doing photoshoots he'd get overwhelmed, and a friend would rub oil on him, and the scent calmed him. That's where the idea for this came from, and he still sometimes sprays a scent on a journal when he's journaling. So the idea is, you can spray this perfume on anything, journals, yourself, etc. wherever you want the scent.

Since it's supposed to be calming/soothing, he put a lot of scents that reminded him of his childhood, such as rhubarb.

The first scent that he ever really noticed and fell in love with is.....leather. (He seemed to think this would be obvious and we would guess this)

Have y'all seen pics of what he looked like. He was stunning. Three-piece striped suit without a white shirt under it and black and white nails, all monochrome like his perfume. And boots with heels! (I am, as usual, so much shorter than him)

When it was my turn, he came up to say hello. he calls everybody "love" and is so sweet. I told him how much I loved his photos and how much everybody's waiting meant to me. He also mentioned he loves hearing the boys speak slovenian and thinks it sounds so beautiful. I said "I agree, tell them to write more songs in Slovenian" and he said "I will."

After we connected over Everybody's Waiting, he put it on during my photoshoot! He's so, so calming and soothing, I have no words to describe it. He tells you to close your eyes, breathe in, breathe ou, and open your eyes and look at the camera when you're ready. I've never felt more comfortable or secure in front of the camera than I did then. I absolutely understand how he does his magic and gets photos like that. He just makes you feel so safe.

He gave me a hug after, after asking if he could (what a gentleman!!)

We also did a selfie (he asked if he could put his arm around me!) and, since his vest didn't have a shirt under it, apologized for flashing a nipple while he put his arm around me. (me, internally: it's okay I've seen a lot of Bojan tits I'm unfazed)

there is also a photo booth in Harrod's where you can take some photos that it'll print out for you; when you start it, there's a little video damon narrates to tell you to relax and breathe in/out and look at the camera and ahhhhhhh I did that on my last day and he's so perfect

[vidreview]

VIDREV: "The Biggest Lie in Hollywood | Technicolor" by NationSquid.

[originally posted june 15th 2024]

i'm just going to be honest right here at the start so we're all on the same page: i do not think this is a particularly good video. it is by no means bereft of redeeming qualities, but those qualities are massively overshadowed by this essayist's reliance on assumptions, generalizations, and outright bad information. in this review i'm going to talk about both the good and the bad, but understand that i'm not interested in being mean for the sake of meanness, nor am i here to bully or make fun of anyone. at time of writing this video has 90,000+ views, and NationSquid's channel has 390,000+ subscribers. with an audience of that size, i think some measure of critical scrutiny is warranted.

"The Biggest Lie in Hollywood" is about the history of color film in general, and the development of the 3-strip Technicolor process specifically. the "lie" in question is the idea that Technicolor films are truly "in color," because technically they were shot in black and white. this is true by a dictionary's standards, and to NationSquid's credit he does a good job explaining the process that led him to this conclusion. with Technicolor, three strips of monochrome film are shot with red/blue/green filters in front of each; when developed, those monochrome film strips are then dyed cyan/magenta/yellow; when projected on top of each other, the result is the "appearance" of full-spectrum color, despite the fact that no color information was captured on set. basically: Technicolor films aren't "in color" because they weren't shot on color film.

it would be very easy to spend the bulk of this review hammering on that specific technicality. first of all, color information was captured on set. you have three different monochrome frames capturing the relative luminance of a scene as shot through three colored gels. yes, technically even after the dying process those three frames are still monochrome… but they're monochromes in three different hues. it's not a "trick" or an optical illusion that they reproduce color when combined, it's just how light and color work. NationSquid insists several times that this is proof that Technicolor films aren't "in color," that it's actually "your eyes tricking you," but that just is not true. the process is irrelevant; if the end result appears to your eyes to be "in color", then it is definitionally in color. his later furtherance of this supposed presentational deception through the lens of a CRT's phosphor dots at least has a symbolic case in that, if you look close enough, the image is actually a matrix of red green and blue rather than a "perfect" reproduction. but even then, is an old school superhero comic not "in color" if it uses the Ben Day process? are human beings not really "made of matter" because matter's actually just a collection of atoms?

you get my point. but if that were my only complaint, i wouldn't be writing this review. bold assertions aside, his explanation of how technicolor works is generally pretty good. he even reproduces the process through still photography, then later again in CRT video to believably insert himself into an episode of The Brady Bunch. this is cool! i like it when essayists do this! there is a level of technical knowledge here that's impressive and effective. but his faulty thesis carries water for dozens of tiny generalizations that range from odd to annoying to revisionist to outright falsehood. for example, early on he confidently says "you probably think The Wizard of Oz was hand-painted frame by frame to be in color," thus setting up this video as debunking a "popular misconception" that i've never heard anyone say in my entire life, and on this particular subject i've been paying attention for a long time. this moment has the air to me of a formative personal experience from one's youth (ie thinking Oz's color was hand-painted before learning about Technicolor) being misconstrued as an obvious universal experience. could be wrong, but that's my gloss. this is something everyone does sometimes, but your writing is stronger when you pause to reflect on these personal connections any time one makes it into a script to make sure it actually holds up to scrutiny. consider that a running theme of this review.

before we even hit the one minute mark, NationSquid bafflingly states that "no matter how immersive [B&W films] were, absolute suspension of disbelief was never possible. there was always one thing missing… color." it's an easy enough statement to let roll over you when you're still trying to get your bearings through the introduction. it feels like a dangerously impetuous way to start, but lord knows sometimes you gotta oversimplify to write through the opening minutes efficiently. hell, sometimes you even put such flags in as a deliberate trap-- you know, play towards an easy conventional conclusion only to critically re-evaluate it with a more nuanced one later on. i did as much in my recent video about the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials, where i spent significant time praising the show's practical effects before circling back around later to highlight the essential role that digital effects play even in practical effects-heavy productions, and how often we throw digital effects workers under the bus in our haste to praise practicals. now, i personally find the idea that color or lack thereof has any bearing on "suspension of disbelief" to be totally nonsensical, but whatever, sometimes you say wack shit to get where you want to go, and that's probably not even really what the video is about anyway… is certainly what i hoped. but after about thirteen minutes of generally pretty good technical process explanation, the video then jumps into a crash course on early film history which, uh, leaves some things to be desired.

he talks about B&W film as possessing a "degree of separation" which allows viewers to console themselves that everything on screen is make-believe. by lacking the color dimension, you see, B&W denaturalizes its subject and makes it feel less real. perhaps there's an argument to be made there, except NationSquid frames it as though the B&W film experience is inherently less affective due to the absence of color. he never says as much directly, but his conclusion sure seems to be that our experience of media today is qualitatively more nuanced and sophisticated than it was 50 years ago, that people today feel more deeply, experience more vividly the contours of a film's world when it is in color. consider the following paragraph:

It's much easier to watch footage of the Vietnam War in black and white, because it makes the events feel further away. "This is a whole other world, it couldn't happen to me." if you met Elvis in person, you'd probably faint. I would probably faint. But instead, you can watch him in the comfort of your own home. Film and television allow you to feed into your curiosity of what is being shown on screen without the consequences, and with black and white it was even moreso. And it's this exact frame of thinking that allowed black and white pictures to serve as their own form of art in the film world, which prolonged its dominance over color.

citation needed. citation needed. citation needed. if B&W footage of the Vietnam War made it feel further away, how do you explain the massive student protest movements that helped get the draft rescinded and end the war? do people today seem any less prone to distancing themselves from contemporary wars now that their coverage is in color? what "consequences" are we avoiding by watching film and television-- as opposed to what, literally meeting Elvis Presley the man in real life? where's the relevant profundity in pointing out that these are different experiences? is media duplicitous for not bombing us in real life when we watch footage of a bombing? and how is B&W "even moreso" prone to this consequence-free affect when it comes from a time when virtually all film and television was B&W, including all the same kinds of essential journalism we have today? i just want to take a big red pen to that last sentence. what do you mean by "frame of thinking"? what do you mean by "form of art"? what mechanism, precisely, do you think allowed B&W to "prolong" its dominance?

elsewhere there is a discussion of how silent film evolved towards sound and color. nominally this is meant as a comparison point for how other major technological transitions were received, opening the door for what should be an interesting discussion of artistic epistemology. i know that it should be interesting because this era is a special interest of mine, which is why i can't let it slide that NationSquid namedrops Cecil B. Demill and DW Griffith as "innovating the landscapes" of silent cinema (????) and then moves on as if the matter is settled. here's a protip for all you aspiring video essayists out there: if your essay is all about correcting a "popular misconception," make sure you do at least a cursory investigation of all your other inherited conceptions first just in case you're missing an opportunity to add more nuance and context to your discussion. it's not even that Demill and Griffith are unimportant figures, but rather that saying their names alone in 2024 without mentioning, say, Mary Pickford, Dorothy Arzner, Alice Guy Blaché, or any one of the hundreds of women who dominated and defined silent cinema betrays a shallow wikipedia-level understanding of the history at best. you only bring those two up when they're the only two you know about, and at that point you should probably just gloss over the subject entirely for both our sakes.

when discussing the problems of phonograph records desyncing from silent films, NaionSquid hits you with a one-two punch that made me shout out loud in the privacy of my own office:

phonograph records were already popular when silent films were a thing. hell, the technology itself even predates film. i mean, technically, silent film should've never existed in the first place.

what's he saying here? is he saying that because records were a popular media format, no other formats should've emerged? is he saying that it's weird B&W film became popular since records already existed? or is he saying that film should've never been silent because we could have just used records to add sound? the chain of logic he lays out here is strained and confusing, and the succeeding lines provide little clarity. it's weak argumentative writing, a basic undergrad-level "many people say" type approach that permeates this whole middle portion of the essay. on its own, if you lack domain knowledge, you might be able to accept this chain of logic. but me, the special interest haver, the film school goer, i hear all this and i can't help but wonder why he's neglected to mention that silent films usually shipped with bespoke sheet music, and that movie houses employed dedicated musicians to perform them? anyone with more than a few hours of knowledge on silent film will tell you that "silent" is a misnomer, as it was rarely if ever experienced "silently" by the audience. one could, if they were in the mood, connect this to the monochromatic nature of Technicolor and explore how our experience of media is historically contingent to the material reality of extant transformative processes. instead, NationSquid leaves this context out, and the absence screams of well-intentioned ignorance. it indicates a narrow engagement with history that contradicts his philosophical confidence, which is nominally what English classes exist to beat out of you. these are the sorts of over-generalizations that are acceptable in a classroom where you're meant to be learning how to argue, but quickly become dangerous and misleading when they're confidently presented without review to a large audience for profit.

this is not a problem specific to NationSquid, and indeed, many in his comments share my criticisms. i picked this video because i think it's an excellent example of a broader problem that is by no means new, but certainly made worse by contemporary technology and economics. it is extraordinarily easy to presume yourself an expert, and there's only money to be made in pushing forward as fast and as often as possible. my videos take forever to make because i spend a lot of time fine-tuning the script, which is admittedly disastrous for my bottom line and certainly i could stand to speed things up in that regard, be a little less perfectionist, but the fact remains: in the current political economy of digital media, ignorance is profitable because it's easy and there's no one whose job is to say "now hold on, can you elaborate on this point please?"

there are just so many frustrating, unqualified assertions. he comes around to talking about nostalgia for B&W film and people's experiences of it, saying "The printing process, projectors, and screens that were used at the time just weren't as good as they are now." citation needed! "Black and white was just tolerated because of its cost effectiveness." citation needed!! "In other words Technicolor "looks older" because you were watching it on older technology back then" BUT I'M WATCHING IT ON MODERN TECHNOLOGY NOW AND IT STILL LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT! CITATION NEEDED!!!

he talks about people "tolerating" B&W film, as if everyone was just sitting around like "yeah Casablanca is cool and all, but it'd be better if it was in color." what is this technological determinist nonsense? who in their own time gets hung up on the absence of a technology that doesn't exist? what do you say of Civil War photography, WWI newsreels, the liberation of fucking Dachau, that it's experientially lesser for being B&W? imagine someone saying 2D film is less "immersive" than 3D and that people merely "tolerated" 2D because it was more cost effective. they'd be laughed out of the room! (unless they're James Cameron in 2007, but none of us are or ever will be again.) people use the technology available to them based on the economic and political conditions of the moment in which they're available. yes, B&W was dominant because it was exceedingly inexpensive compared to color film, but what filmmaker saw that as an abject hindrance? the canvas is your canvas, you work with what you have. yes, theorists argued B&W's superiority over color on aesthetic grounds, just as they argued that silent film was superior to the talkies. but such theorizing was secondary, it was a reaction to and commentary on extant conditions over which they had little to no control. people rationalize the times they find themselves in. we tell stories, and then we tell stories about how we told those stories, and then other people interpret what the stories about our stories tell us about the stories that we told. we are human beings and our experience of art runs soul-deep no matter the medium, no matter the spectrum of senses it encompasses-- if the art hits, it hits. we did not "tolerate" the absence of color, nor was B&W "less immersive" or less friendly to "suspension of disbelief." if it seems so today, that's only because color film has been naturalized and B&W made the novelty. by such ham-fisted terms, you shouldn't be able to suspend your disbelief reading a book because words imperfectly recreate the experience they're meant to evoke. no, see, The Wizard of Oz isn't actually in color, because at one point the film stock was B&W. what do you MEAN this map isn't the territory?! manager, i've been duped!!

and perhaps none of this is intentional. if i were to ask NationSquid if he believes in any of the conclusions i've extrapolated here, chances are he'd give an emphatic no. this is what i mean by "well-intentioned ignorance." it's the easiest thing in the world to skate by on an argument that feels sound to you because it maps to your own understanding of the subject. "it doesn't sound wrong to me, so it's probably not wrong, yeah?" you include single-sentence generalizations that are "basically true" because you read them or heard them somewhere at some point, and you know your source is good so if anyone calls you on it you can be like "well here's what i meant." but the more you rely on these half-remembered quasi-truths, the more your rhetorical scaffolding reveals itself to be unfit for the job of supporting your argument. at that point, all the plausible deniability in the world can't save you from yourself. it stops being about whether you're "right" or "wrong," and becomes something far more elemental and difficult to prove: did you do the work? did you sit with your script and scrutinize it, line by line and without ego, even for just a few minutes? a good essayist knows what they don't know, and educates themself when the opportunity arises (or otherwise omits the topic entirely to avoid looking like an ass to someone with actual domain knowledge). it's impossible to avoid making mistakes in this free-for-all media landscape where editors and peer review are a thing of the past. but this does not abdicate you of the responsibility you have to perform due diligence for the sake of not misinforming your audience, nor does it give you an excuse to presume that you in this moment already know everything you need to know. you don't need to be trying to deceive someone in order to be deceptive. it can just as easily happen as the result of laziness.

anyway, that's this review.

[bwobgames]

12 Detective Beebo Fun facts

there´s probably more but here's some

1.

When Beebo goes to open the doorknob, you can see his reflection 5 times. That's the amount of loops he will go through.

2. Also, those particular pictures were drawn in 2019. Including others that were not shown

Like this design of 2019 Beebo

3.

The reason i never made another pixelated room is because I drew the furniture using a weird perspective, so I needed guiding lines, and it was a complete drag to do, so I never did it again. Probably won't do it for the game either, too tedious.

4.

This one drawing of the first loop has Ángel separated from Vivi and Beebo through the framing of the window. Foreshadowing whooo

5.

The original sprites used to be longer.

You can also see 2 other characters that were taken out, the doctor girl and the jacket guy. The jacket guy became a modified version of Coli, and the doctor girl just disappeared for the sin of being a borderline self insert. Lmao.

Also! Ángel was gonna have light grey hair, but after actually drawing it I didn't like it so it went to dark gray

Here's the tinified sprites

6.

Heres some planning for the looks of the game from 2019. I like it honestly, its 2.5d, looks like a pop-up book. It just needs some work with the perspective.

7. The original design for beebo (silly triangle hat guy) was supposed to be a comedy character for a nonsensical game like jazzpunk. I even made a very bad 3d model for it.

That is also where "he has anime eyes" came from

I used to draw him all over my school notebooks just being silly, like going down the stairs head first.

8. There were many ideas on how things were gonna go. From vampires to weird magic systems to sci-fi. The thing that was gonna stay was the tíme loop, was would vary was the reason

9.

A lot of the time, Beebo talks about his fear of big houses and feelings of being trapped. I'm actually surprised that aspect got so unnoticed in theory crafting

10. Nina's dress changes color in every post, thats because I never saved it, and just guessed it everytime I colored it.

Speaking of colors, Most of the colors used in this comic are from the same palette as Character Pattern, another one of my games.

Also speaking of colors, I planned all characters to have a very minimalistic color palette for the monochrome sprite work, this caused me to mistake Vivis dress as red and her jacket as white, when originally her dress was black and her jacket was red. whoops.

11. The constant references to the cold are not just for the fact that its, indeed, cold. Its also beacuse most of the time everyone dies with heavy blood loss, which makes someone feel very cold

12. The pictures for the spooky Haunted house explanation look pretty normal without the heavy editing

They required a lot of shadows to make it less incredibly bright

except for this one

this one just looked like that. spooky.

I also had a cool picture of a shadow (me) in the mirror of a dark bathroom, sadly it wasnt dark enough because you could very clearly see the toilet paper. It got erased.

[shinymoonforest]

A Second Chance

After two unfortunate souls leave a devious novelist to his unfortunate demise, an unexpected alliance is formed...

---------------------------------------------- Characters: Darkiplier, The Author (from Danger in Fiction & Danger in Fiction | Chapter II)* TW: blood/injuries, mention of death *[for better context on the situation, i would recommend you look up and watch these to videos first!]  ----------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 1 Everything smelled awful. And that wasn’t just because of the odor Sinclair and his friend had bestowed upon The Author as he left. The room was slowly being overtaken by the stench of fresh blood pooling out onto the floor, shooting pains traveling up his side from where the bullet went through his body. While he screamed and screamed at Ryan, at Daniel, at anyone that would listen to him… he got nothing. Nothing in response… no reassurances in this painful and agonizingly slow death. Not even his infamous narration seemed to help him in this moment.

So, as described in most movies and books of all ages, the stench and looming presence of death made his vision fade to black. … Correction: black.. and gray… and white? The Author awoke in a carbon copy of his office from mere moments ago, although with every square inch of it put through a dark gray-scale like filter. He wondered if this was what purgatory was like (which, given his past actions, would make sense) until a sharp noise pierced all thoughts in his mind. A high-pitched ringing noise had entered the room and with it, visual hallucinations of silent screams that sparked neon shades of red and blue.Too loud to think.. without thinking, he couldn’t narrate, he couldn’t write, he couldn’t distract himself… He couldn’t do anything! He couldn’t do anything. He- “Are you just going to sit around feeling sorry for yourself or are you going to tell me exactly who the hell you are?” Out of nowhere, a booming voice spoke and broke the constant screeches of tinnitus. When The Author looked up, however, he now saw a dapper looking man standing in front of him. Firmly grasping a plain black cane with a silver knob on top, the same sparks of red and blue seemed to be originating from him- or was it her? Her, with skin, hair, and a suit as monochrome as the scenery around them, yet blatantly bold all the same. It seemed that, like the writer, this figure had also been wounded in a variety of places, as some of the whites and lighter grays were dashed with darker grays and ripped fabric.  Fatally wounded, yet still functioning… but how?

“Excuse me?”

“H-How.. Are- Are you supposed to be Death? If so, then I can assure you I have been behaving well recently a-a-and you have no need to send me, a well-acclaimed-” “An author, yes, I’ve heard of you,” the being replied, pressing its cane onto The Author’s outstretched hand to his dismay. “Though I would have to disagree.” “What the hell do you mean!?” he started, panic being masked by anger, “I just got-” “Shot?”

The man smirked as the feeble critic crumpled under her very look, shrank down into a screaming ball as the shooting pains of the bullet wound were returned to him, albeit amplified. Profanities only made his smile grow, as the tidal waves of fear washed away the outer shell of anger. These throbbing pains from his side only stopped when, out of desperation and blinding pain, The Author claimed that he would do anything to make this stop. “Anything, you say?” the voice inquired out of curiosity. “Would you be willing to go to any lengths to keep yourself alive?” 

“YES,” he squealed, writhing now, “YES, ANYTHING, PLEASE! JUST MAKE THIS NIGHTMARE STOP!”

And just like that, the pain stopped as if it had never happened. But now, as he soon came to realize from the powerful figure approaching him, he could no longer move. “Well then, now that you’re cooperating, let us make a deal.”  Up close, The Author could now see that a pitch black aura surrounded the figure, making him the source of not only the chilly monochromatic atmosphere but also the high-pitched tones dancing in the background. “Assuming you wish to behave, I will heal your wounds and allow you to live. In exchange, however, you must live under my house and its rules for the rest of your days. You may tamely do as you please during your stay, however too many… misdemeanors will result in a pain FAR worse than your initial fate.

“Do I make myself clear?” 

she asked, tilting her head in the process. A gut-wrenching crackling was heard as this took place, followed by an outstretched hand that was soon taken by that of the shaken writer.  “We.. We have a deal.” “Excellent,” they proclaimed while shaking his hand, albeit for only a few moments. “I’m glad that you are able to trust me, ‘Author’... able to trust us.” ‘Wait, how the hell do you know my name?!’ was the final thought that attempted a strand before a force of slumber hastily took over the man’s body, the ringing beginning to fade at last. “See you soon.” ----------------------------------------------

Chapter 1/? first (youre here!) | next chapter thank you for reading :) take care~! <3 

[denimbex1986]

'Following the events of the new Netflix limited series Ripley, the enigmatic con artist went on to continue his sinister career as a professional scammer. The psychological thriller is based on the renowned 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by celebrated novelist Patricia Highsmith, the first of her 5-part "Ripley" book series that also includes Ripley Under Ground and Ripley's Game. The Talented Mr. Ripley has been adapted several times for film and television, but none have been shot completely in monochrome until Steven Zallian's Ripley. Zallian, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Schindler's List, American Gangster, and The Irishman, wrote and directed the entire 8-episode miniseries.

Tom Ripley, who uses several different aliases and also acquires many places of residence throughout Ripley, is a master of disguise and deceit. He is drawn to murder once his true identity of being an elaborate con man faces the threat of being exposed. Tom has conned his way from a lowly life of scamming and thievery in New York City to becoming incredibly wealthy in Italy thanks to a supposed old friend, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn). Ripley's cast is led by an exceptionally chilling Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Black Mirror, All of Us Strangers) as the titular treacherous protagonist. By the end of Zallian's Ripley, Tom has orchestrated a way to frame his murder of Dickie Greenleaf as a suicide by successfully convincing Dickie's concerned girlfriend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning) and a determined Inspector Ravini (Maurizio Lombardi).

Ripley has received rave reviews from critics upon its April 4, 2024 release exclusively on Netflix. Ripley brings to light the lengths that monsters like Tom will go to in the name of self-preservation, using chilling methodology and calculation to be seen as significant by means of material wealth and social access. Even after Tom escapes to England in the final moments of Ripley, he does not seem satisfied, only aware of what it feels like to wear Dickie's clothes, flaunt Dickie's ring, and stare at Dickie's artwork while ultimately feeling nothing at all. Ripley is a chilling first entry of a magnificent book series by Highsmith, which continues with Tom living a new life in France six years after the events of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

10. Tom Lives A Lavish Life With His Heiress Wife In France

In Ripley Book 2: Ripley Under Ground

Ripley Book 2, titled Ripley Under Ground, which was published in 1970, some fifteen years after The Talented Mr. Ripley. The book takes place in the summer of 1968, which is about the time that it would have been written by Highsmith. Tom has settled down in France in Ripley Under Ground and is married to a prominent French heiress named Héloïse Plisson, who has suspicions about how Tom acquired his money but never pries too deeply. In some ways, Héloïse is a combination of Dickie and Marge from The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Dickie's casual attitude as well as Marge's underlying suspicions towards Tom.

9. Tom Establishes An Art Forgery Scheme After Painter's Death

In Ripley Book 2: Ripley Under Ground

Tom's big scam in Ripley Under Ground involves a massive art forgery operation. He became a silent partner of an organization known as Derwatt Ltd., which sells official works of the celebrated painter Philip Derwatt. Derwatt, however, is reported missing and has been presumed to be dead for years, although the general public is unaware of this. As a result, Tom enlists another painter named Bernard Tufts to impersonate Derwatt and paint original works on his behalf. Tom's corrupt operation is flawless until an American collector named Thomas Murchison claims one of the paintings to be fraudulent.

8. Tom Has An Accomplice To Murder In Book 2

In Ripley Book 2: Ripley Under Ground

Bernard Tufts, who feels incredibly guilty for his role in Tom's art forgery scheme, eventually becomes Tom's accomplice to the murder of the American art collector. After Tom kills Murchison, he enlists the help of Bernard to dispose of the body. This only worsens Barnard's guilty conscience, who is contemplating coming clean about the whole ordeal to the police. While Bernard is a terrible accomplice to Tom in the murder of Murchison in Ripley Under Ground, it's the first time in the book series where Tom enlists the help of another person after committing a murder.

7. Reeves Minot Asks Tom To Commit Murder

In Ripley Book 3: Ripley's Game

Ripley Book 3 titled Ripley's Game was published in 1974. It was adapted into a feature film that starred John Malkovich as Tom Ripley. Reeves Minot, who Malkovich plays in Netflix's Ripley, appears in both Ripley Under Water and Ripley’s Game, but has a very suspicious request for Tom in the third Ripley book. Reeves Minot, who is a known high collar criminal in the United States, asks Tom to be a hitman at the start of Ripley's Game. Tom, still living lavishly in France with his wife Héloïse, refuses and tries to find Minot a suitable replacement for that type of job.

6. Tom Assists In The Assassination of A Mafioso

In Ripley Book 3: Ripley's Game

After Tom finds the right man for the job, a poor man named Jonathan Trevanny who is dying from leukemia, he appears to be out of the operation altogether. Trevanny successfully completes one hit for Minot, which inspires Minot to get him to agree to another hit on a Mafia boss. The plan is tragic as the terminally ill Trevanny is meant to kill the mafioso and then take his own life immediately after, since there will be little chance of escape. Tom intervenes and kills the mafioso for Trevanny and makes him promise not to tell Minot that he assisted in the assassination.

5. Tom's Life Is Saved By An Accomplice Named Trevanny

In Ripley Book 3: Ripley's Game

Tom's life is later saved by Trevanny once news gets out about his involvement on the assassination of the aforementioned mafioso. As mafia hitmen are just about to kill Tom, Trevanny acts as a human shield and saves Tom's life. Overall, Ripley's Game is much different from The Talented Mr. Ripley in that Tom has much more of a heart and a moral compass than he does in Highsmith's first Ripley novel. Tom surprisingly also does not have a big new scam like he had in the previous two novels, which is an indication of the tonal shifts that are to come for his character later in the series.

4. Tom Helps A Young American Fugitive Named Frank

In Ripley Book 4: The Boy Who Followed Ripley

Ripley Book number four, The Boy Who Followed Ripley, is the most unlike the rest of the Ripley novels, especially The Talented Mr. Ripley. In The Boy Who Followed Ripley, which was published in 1980, Tom continues to live comfortably at his French estate and has not participated much in his old life of crime. A mysterious boy comes to visit him at his house, claiming he's from the United States and his name is Billy. Tom discovers that Billy is actually Frank Pierson, the son of an American business tycoon. Frank eventually confesses that he killed his father by pushing him off a cliff and came to Tom because he thought he would be able to help him based on his questionable reputation.

3. Tom Plays More Of A Hero Role In Ripley Book 4

In Ripley Book 4: The Boy Who Followed Ripley

The Boy Who Followed Ripley is so much unlike the original The Talented Mr. Ripley novel in the way that Tom is acting like a responsible, but still shady, father figure for the first time in the series. It's unclear why Highsmith decided to switch up the tone of her Ripley series so drastically with The Boy Who Followed Ripley, but it does align with the overall sense of growth that Tom was beginning to demonstrate in Ripley's Game. It appears that after all in The Boy Who Followed Ripley, Tom does have a decent heart, which is stunning to consider after watching Netflix's Ripley. At one point in the book, Tom even dresses in drag in order to rescue Frank after he's been kidnapped.

2. Tom Is Accused Of Murdering Dickie Greenleaf & Thomas Murchison

In Ripley Book 5: Ripley Under Water

Tom's ghosts come back to haunt him in the final Ripley book, Ripley Under Water. The title is a notable reference to Tom's fear of water that he demonstrated in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Ripley Under Water was published in 1991 and sees Tom living a completely normal, quaint life still in France where he tends to his garden daily. Tom is confronted by an American named David Pritchard who is convinced that Tom murdered the art collector Thomas Murchison, which took place in Ripley's Game. David also starts to ask Tom questions about Dickie, bringing back Tom's very first murder in the original book. Tom must find ways to deflect Pritchard's accusations but does not resort to killing him, proving that Tom's life of murder could in fact be over by the end of the book series.

1. Tom Never Gets Caught For Any Of His Crimes

In Ripley Book 5: Ripley Under Water

Despite the effects of David Pritchard in Ripley Under Water, Tom Ripley gets away with it once again by the end of the fifth and final Ripley book. Shockingly, Pritchard does somehow discover Murchison's body and goes so far as to leave his skeleton on Tom's doorstep. Tom hides the body once again and leaves it in the pond outside the Pritchard family's home, which leads to another tragedy and indirect murder on Tom's behalf. Tom's blood-soaked hands never come clean in any of Highsmith's five Ripley books, cementing his status as one of the best literary con artists ever created. While there's no current indication that Ripley season 2 will be made at Netflix, there is certainly plenty of source material to work with.'

[pleb-the-original]

Day 13: Creepypastas

(ok back to fun stuff. I've always been into creepypastas and spooky internet stuff (probably why that side of Hecrie is more understandable to me). so of course I knew exactly what to work in to make the perfect monster: big teeth, missing features, dark spaces, etc. I did mostly base the look and feel off of the art of Mr. Widemouth. The first one that comes up on google images. Wish I knew where to find the original artist. Fun fact: he was original more bear like. 2nd fun fact: the nose was lifted from laughing jack.) Name: Mr. Seek Species: Cat(?) Personality: Enigmatic, giggly, always has an unreadable smile on his face, completely unreadable Summary: If you are reading this now, then it’s already too late. Read until the end of this story or he will get you too. No one knows where he came from or how long he has been here. Some say he has always been around. Lurking in the dark corners of reality that we imagine monsters to lurk. Some have said he appears in other places too, out of the corner of their eye, in a few frames of footage on tv, in a small window on a computer, he can be anywhere and everywhere. No one knows how he chooses someone to play with. They never share any traits. They can be young or old, man or woman, brave or terrified, a fighter or a runner. But they will always know when Mr. Seek has chosen them. The air grows colder around them, animals and people grow more wary of their presence, and their mind is plagued with strange thoughts. This is how Seek finds you. He wants you to be alone because that is when he can take you. It is said that only one person has ever been able to not only win Seek’s game, but survive an encounter with him. They said the key was to hide among people. Seek cannot get to you when others are around, eventually he will give up. But they wanted to see Seek anyway. They hid in their bedroom, shut off all the lights, and stood in the center of the room. Then Seek crawled out from under the bed. He is supposed to look almost like a stuffed plush, but he is nowhere near that cuddly. He is completely monochrome, with teeth like a shark, a coned nose striped in black and white, frayed whiskers, pointed ears curled like horns, and with hollow eyes filled with nothing but void. He crawled out from beneath the bed on 6 limbs, though it seemed he could have gone on forever. His paws were stained red with dried blood as black spit drooled from his mouth. He was poised to attack like a cobra until he was stopped in his tracks by the survivor’s friend. Now I bring this story to you as a warning. Always have someone near you, never be alone where there is darkness, and always keep a lookout for strange things. Because in reading this, I have passed on the game to you. As soon as you are done reading this story, Mr. Seek will begin his game. Share this story around, to pass him on to others. Maybe they’ll have a better chance than you. 

[marine-indie-gal]

Coming up with some Background and Character Lore for One of My Original Stories that being "Colorland", here we are is the Main Leaders of each of the Main Lands in the World of Colorland; Mr. Sunshines (The Mayor and Leader of both Chromaville and all of Colorland) and Dr. Monochrome (The Dictator of Black 'n White Land). Of course, these Two Leaders are actually Biological Brothers with their own Real Names. Mr. Sunshines' Real Name is "Aidan" while Dr. Monochrome's Real Name is "Diablo".

Aidan and Diablo were the Descendants of the Primordial Gods of Colorland (Phoebe, the Sun Goddess and Dian, the Moon God) as well as the Heirs to their Parents' Throne in Colorland. Their Father was a Yellow Humanoid (from a species called "Sunfolks") by the name, "King Solar Sunshine" while their Mother was a Monochrome Humanoid (also from another Species called "Moonfolks") named "Queen Evana Monochrome". Long ago, Sunfolk and Moonfolks hated each other due to how that the Moonfolks were jealous at the Sunfolks for having much Cute and Beautiful Nature due to the Day and Nature of the Sun while the Moonfolks' Nature of the Moon was nothing more but Dark and Scary because of how that the Night can be quite frightful. There was once a War in which the Moonfolk People were holding their grudges and battling against the Sunfolk People because of how that the Sun gave them more Beauty and more Light as the Moonfolk People wanted to have their Light for themselves. However, the Two Heirs from each of the Sun and Moon's own Kingdoms were desperately in love as The Two Heirs from Different Races stopped the War with the Power of their Love as the Answer to Sun and Moon people together was not supposed to be about racism but how that the Species of the Sun and Moon were actually meant to each other as One.

The Kings of the Sun and Moon Kingdoms cancelled the entire War as they made a New Constitution to their own Laws that Sunfolks and Moonfolks should leave together in Peace and Harmony with Love and Joy as the Nature of the Sun and Moon no longer exisited when the Darkness behind the Town of Moonfolks faded away as the Sun People and the Moon People now lived together along with other Domainate Species of Colorland Citizens. Thus, the New Title for their New Land was officially "Colorland". The Sun Prince married the Moon Princess as they had a Kingdom of their own and were blessed with litter of Heirs of Two Princes (Aidan and Diablo). Diablo was the Oldest while Aidan was the Youngest.

Aidan is a Kind-Hearted, Joyful, and Generous Humble Mayor who often would keep and protect Chromaville for Safety while Diablo was often Mean-Spirited, Narcissistic, Cold-Hearted, and Vain who was often more of a Dicator than just a Leader to his own Land.

As a Rotten Bad Egg Diablo was, he always wanted to rule over their Father's Kingdom to have more extreme power over all and each of the Lands for Himself as he was often a Troublemaker always causing mischeif behind every prank to every of the Servants in the Colorland Kingdom (which often annoys their Parents since the Parents always saw Diablo as a Bad Seed that he was born to be) while Aidan however was a more contrast to his Brother, that being he was never a troublemaker or would often ditched his own lessons of becoming Future King, but that he was always helpful, understanding, and to learn the ways of Growing Up.

When it came to Coronation when Aidan and Diablo were around in their 20s, King Solar decided to make his Youngest Son the New King of Colorland as Aidan was crowned the Rightful King of Colorland from his Parents. Diablo grew extremly jealous at heart for he wanted to be the New King of Colorland but what their Parents saw in their Eldest Son was that he would make Colorland a Bad Future for they knew that Aidan was often trustworthy and that they made the Right choice for their Youngest Son to become King. During at a Dinner Party at Coronation Day, Diablo was at the Kitchen sneakfully putting some poison ingredients into his Father's Soup while the Chefs didn't noticed that Diablo was in the Kitchen but as when Former King Solar was enjoying his Soup, he instantly felt death right in his heart as his head was drob dead unconscious in the Soup bowl which made Everyone at the Dinner Table gasped in their Eyes of Fear. King Solar Sunshine was dead.

As the People around in the Kingdom were trying to find out on who the Mass Murder really was that killed the Old King, Aidan found out that it was his Brother who posioned their Father but Diablo spoked out to Aidan, saying that he shouldn't be the New Ruler of their Land and that the New King should've been Diablo himself. When their Mother found out the Truth behind her Husband's horrible murder, it was then that Aidan banished his Brother off of Colorland as Diablo was kicked out of their Kingdom for he had to search through the Lands all by himself even after when The Entire Family were at King Solar's Funreal but since Diablo was kicked out, he did not come to visit his Father's Funreal.

When Aidan was now the Official King of Colorland, he became a Mayor of Chromaville as he would often give good fortune to those in need of the Poor as he often kept his Kingdom a lot busy but kept the Land more Peaceful shortly after when Queen Evana died, Aidan was given a New Name, "Mr. Sunshines" (sometimes known as "Mayor Sunshines"). But as for Diablo, well, needless to say that while he was lost throughout his Long Journey, he found himself a New Land (that being "Black 'n White Land") where he was sheltered by the Monochrome Citizens. As soon as Diablo was sheltered in that village for Weeks, he ended up becoming their New Leader as he officially became the King of Black 'n White Land, giving his New Name "Dr. Monochrome".

Mr. Sunshines and Dr. Monochrome (c) Me

[very-grownup]

Werewolf at (by?) Night

Like playing Bioware DLC without the rest of the game.

While this is multiple layers of "I don't go here" (modern movies, the MCU, Marvel in general), I emerged from my hole to watch this with some friends. It's in black and white! You can pet our cat! Man Thing!

Props for trying something slightly different, but imagine if it had been something slightly different and also done well and thoroughly.

I might not feel I had such pressing unkindness to share with respect to this hour of streaming entertainment with leads whose names I've already forgotten (I think they were Jack and Ilsa but I wouldn't put money on it) but the very end violates one of the important rules of modern media: don't remind the audience of a Better Thing.

You're right, Werewolf in the Night, I could have been watching THE WIZARD OF OZ. That's a great movie that you're reminding me of while simultaneously evoking without integrating the reference in a thematically coherent way, namely with a record playing young Judy Garland's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", a song she sings at the beginning of the movie when the world is colourless and she's longing for something beyond her drab and unkind-seeming Kansas farm life. Not when she arrives in Oz and her world floods with colour, a visual the significance of which five-year-olds can grasp. I suppose the choice to bring in colour at the end with Werewolf the Night is meant to tell the audience that it's morning which is.

Fine.

Although it also draws attention to how little attention was paid to the actual aesthetic of black and white films, the care with which colour and lighting have to be used in anticipation of how they will look in black and white so images are clear enough in the lower visual quality of the time which extended to colour films.

It's too sharp. HD crisp high resolution bright and perfect underscoring that the previous fifty minutes haven't really been like the Universal monster movies the aesthetic is hoping to evoke, but just someone slapping a monochrome filter on their instagram post. Nowhere is this more obvious than when Man Thing is on screen. The CGI monster looks wrong. He just looks wrong. He doesn't belong there. There's a similar problem in the choice to have the magic red stone be the only thing shown in colour when everything else is black and white. It's red, laser light red, and it looks tacky and wrong, visual nails on the chalkboard of my eyes. In university, I went with some friends to see a movie constructed as a throwback love letter to old pulp serials, SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW. I still remember having a great time, because, even though it was in colour, there was a softness to how everything was shot that felt closer to the movies of the '30s and '40s I grew up watching than the black and white Werewolf to Night.

The thing is, colour was introduced to black and white photos before the pictures moved. There are silent movies with colour scenes (the Lon Chaney PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has one). The original BEN-HUR opens with the birth of Christ and in the nativity, Mary's blue robe is the only spot of colour. It's not something as simple as there can be no colour in a black and white movie. It just doesn't look like it does in Werewolf in Night. It's jarring.

There are a few moments where the black and white is used well; a properly contrasted transformation scene through black shadow splashed across a pale wall is pleasantly striking. The werewolf design has a lot in common with Lon Chaney Jr.'s iconic wolf man makeup which makes it feel more appropriate in black and white than Man Thing's clean CGI slickness.

Pushing past the visuals, as a narrative all I can think after watching Werewolf to Night is that screenwriters need a crash course in compressed storytelling because there's not much here, even if the soft pencil sketch of the characters has charming pulpy comedic potential. They could have also leaned more into the hard woman archetype the female lead is trying for; a full serious Katherine Hepburn approach would have been good, fitting with the aesthetic and distinguishing her from the Strong Female Character favoured by genre fiction writers of the last twenty-five years.

All I'm saying is: I watched THE WOLF MAN a couple weeks ago. It's only 70 minutes and doesn't feel like a collection of afterthought cutscenes used to stitch together a lackluster Dragon Age add-on.

[zkylearnstherope]

what inspired you to draw the characters you do :3 and why do you like the mercs so much? I remember you got a ask to and you said you watched that video first but are there other reasons to why you like them more

The reason I started drawing digitally, like making an online account and all that, was so I could tell the story of Rush Hour. That comic ended up being really high effort (I worked on it for almost a month straight), but the way I presented the story and cropped everything, made it confusing for people to read.

It was both a good and bad comic. Who knows, I might release a Director's cut of it, with better panelling and dialogue.

The reason I started my [The Other Side] AU and came up with A, is because of my theory. Ever since Wanted, I have predicted that victim had a tall wife who died because of Chosen. (I was wrong about Agent being his son though.) Of course I had no clue what she looked like, but I wanted to make fan arts of it. So, I made a wife.

The wife eventually evolved so much that s/he became he/r own thing. H originally had a different purpose in the story, and then I started shipping him to Agent. And as you know, Agent and vic eventually became separate characters which I now call vic+ and Gent. They still kinda look similar, but I am reworking on their designs, because I want them to be separate from AvA.

(Heads up, I started talking dark from here onwards.)

I like The Mercs simply because it was AvA. They kickstarted the series again. I never liked AvM, and I've always felt betrayed when Alan started working on Minecraft. So I stopped watching for years, and when I came back, The Dark Lord was evil now. Not only evil, but dead.

He was originally portrayed as a leader. He had this charisma which made the Windows XP programs follow him to their deaths. He even unwittingly charmed the guy he was supposed to kill.

But he was evil now. An incomprehensible being that kills programs and NPCs. His character was so butchered, all because they needed to emphasize how The Second Coming is the main character now.

That's why I am so indifferent to The Salads. They literally hijacked the whole series, and killed an old character. It was so amazing watching Chosen and Dark working together to destroy the pc. Their death by explosion and high-five was beautiful.

But they both came back, just to say that one of them is evil now.

Chosen betrayed me ever since that day. He let them kill Dark.

Remember that scene where Dark was showing off his latest invention to Chosen? All those background details, the blueprints, it was obvious that his target was the Creators. NOT stickfigures.

It was Chosen who told the audience that Dark will use the Vira-Spiders to kill Sticks. It was Chosen who said that, NOT Dark. We never heard what he really said.

And because of that few seconds of scene, Dark was the bad guy, and Chosen was the good guy now. He has convinced everyone for years.

He's a liar and his true colour needs to be shown, and Victim did exactly that.

The Mercs had all the qualities of AvA. Utilizing tools and programs, of course the colour black, the teamwork. The consequences of their actions.

AvM is sunshine, rainbows, and Minecraft blocks. Hug it out, and it's like it never happened.

I grew more indifferent when it was revealed that The Second Coming has amnesia.

Hug it out, and it's like it never happened.

I want Dark to come back, because I loved his original character. Not the Showdown one.

And Dark being dead means that the main character is a killer. But no one is bothered by that, because he has amnesia. It's fine. They kill NPCs in Minecraft all the time.

You see where I am going with this?

The Mercs never killed anyone. victim hasn't killed anyone.

But alas, they are not colourful enough. They are Monochromes after all.

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

Did a couple more, these ones have actual comic covers that the art originated from.

First up is this one, which actually was in a green tint monochrome sort of thing ((as was the entire issue!)), so I decided it would be more fun to look up the colors of the characters in other appearances of the same year, and adjust accordingly, using only my alcohol markers' colors.

Took me a while to track down who the other characters besides Ra's Al Ghul and Batman were on here, and the guy at the bottom square ((Ubu)) is one of those characters that has a wildly different design based on continuity, so I chose to merge most of them and have him wear green to be cohesive with Ra's, since he's supposed to be his bodyguard and uniformity makes sense. Kept the colors limited so it wasn't overwhelming, and there was a lot of green and gold among the characters anyway.

Funny enough, I almost mistook the guy with the eyepatch as Deathstroke, but then I realized the eyepatch was wrong, and found out it was actually some character named "Kyle Abbot" who is some sort of lycanthrope, and I am amazed with the fact that I'm still learning about characters in this multiverse despite being knee deep in Batman lore since I was a toddler. To be fair, I'm more familiar with B:TAS/TNBA, DCAU, Arkham games, Nolan-Verse, Adam West era, and those movies we loved in the late 80s to early 90s... So it's a lot to absorb, but still...

The uncolored page and the original

And this one was done to replicate the original colors with a couple personal flairs to it, such as some shading and my favorite white outline trick.

Uncolored page and the original cover. Interestingly, the Two-Face's belt and Batman's eyes weren't done with negative space in mind, as well as some of Penguin's coat, so I had to gently touch things up with black marker and white gel pen.

This was fun.

Maybe I'll go read Haunted Knight and Long Halloween now that we're in season for it

Got an insanely good deal on some Batman coloring pages due to stock clearance, and decided to play with alcohol markers today, with a twinge of white gel pen

I used mostly ILY Markers, with a touch up of some Prismacolors, and Gelly Roll White Gel Pen in tip Size 8

This was fun

[forgottenvice]

Vibrant

Newest chapter of my prompt fic Who serves Whom going to try and be good about posting here and there Shang Qinghua couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it started, but once he noticed it he couldn't stop noticing it.

Originally all of Mobei Jun's robes were duller blues, greys and blacks. In his brain he considered them quiet colours, very monochrome and stoic. Just like MBJ.

The change was subtle at first, the blues became richer the contrast more apparent, originally SQH thought the demon was just starting to grow into his role as future king. Nothing out of place, King's were supposed to dress opulently to display their power and prestige.

At least that's what he'd assumed until the demon showed up on An Ding wearing a hot pink under robe. It took Shang Qinghua some time to notice as Mobei Jun had materialized on his bed while he was busy finishing work on his desk.

That wasn't unusual, Mobei Jun seemed to enjoy lounging around Shang Qinghuas meagre disciple quarters. When he finally had time to look at the demon he had to do a double take.

He almost thought it was  a trick of the light, or maybe the system glitching. If this was a digital world maybe the shaders got corrupted or something. The vibrant fabric barely peeked out from beneath the rich blue overrobe, but it had been meticulously arranged.

It was clearly intentional and Shang Qinghua was baffled as to why.

It didn't help that the strips of pink were perfectly framing pale sculpted pectoral muscles that Shang Qinghua already had a hard time looking away from.

His eyes trailed up the demon’s form only to freeze when their eyes met. Mobei Jun was watching him intently and sweat began to bead at his temples. Shit did he notice Shang Qinghua staring?

He immediately jumped into grovelling mode.

"My King, what brings you to see this servant?"

"Can I not visit?" There seemed to be a hit of a smirk in Mobei jun's voice though it didn't appear on his face. Shang Qinghua was starting to feel dizzy with how his eyes kept darting back to that damn pink strip of cloth.

He'd thought he'd started to get the hang of handling Mobei Jun, but then the demon always turned around and did something to throw him off. How was he supposed to avoid death flags when Mobei Jun was so fickle?

He was pretty sure he spent the rest of the night unable to look the demon in the eye, mostly because his cleavage was RIGHT THERE!

He'd thought it might have been an anomaly, because the next time he was in the north Mobei Jun was back to blues and greys. He hoped it was an anomaly, Mobei Jun's father was still alive and if he drew too much attention to himself it could mean trouble. He already had enough to deal with regarding his uncle and any change could be perceived as a play for power.

Hell Shang Qinghua still had to hide most of the time he spent in the underground palace.

It wasn't until the end of the night when Mobei Jun was due to return Shang Qinghua to An Ding when it happened again. Mobei Jun unwound the bracers holding his sleeves tight. The loose fabric revealed a bright yellow lining that would have put most of Huan Hua to shame.

When Mobei Jun held his hand out for the cultivator, Shang Qinghua couldn't help but stare. He tilted his head wondering if Mobei's robes had always been lined, but no that wasn't right, he'd done laundry for the king often enough to no he'd never seen this particular robe.

"Qinghua?" RIGHT! Mobei Jun is waiting for him. He jumps immediately smacking his hand into Mobei Jun's and hoped he wasn't blushing. With how cool the breeze across it felt during teleportation he was probably wrong.

Thankfully Mobei Jun didn't mention it but when they reached An Ding. Shang Qinghua was ready to bolt to relieve his embarrassment but when he tried to dart away he felt stress on his shoulder causing him to fall back.

Mobei Jun hadn't let go of his hand.

"M-my King?" Predatory eyes bored into him, both of them standing deadly still. For a moment Shang Qinghua thought. this is it, he's finally going to kill me. reflexively he tensed.

Then, Mobei let go.

His heart was beating in his throat but before he could react the demon was gone in a swirl of shadow and ice. Seconds later his knees gave way and he slumped to the floor wondering why a change in demonic fashion had him so worked up.

But it kept happening, A splash of teal beneath a pleat, bright red boots, orange cuffs, a vibrant green ribbon. But he'd only ever spotted the colours when there was no one else around.

Which to be fair was most of their meetings; one didn't conduct espionage in front of the sect you might be betraying BUT every vibrant colour remained hidden until it was just the two of them and Shang Qinghua was getting dizzy trying to imagine what colour was going to pop up next and where.

He didn't ask though, Mobei Jun already had such a low opinion of him, he didn't want the demon to think he was stupid, or worse what if Mobei Jun was insulted by the question?

So instead he tortured himself trying (and failing) to not think about each pop of colour and what part of Mobei Jun it highlighted.

Until the day he was declared Peak lord.

It was a long day full of pomp and ceremony and frankly having planned most of it he spent half the time paranoid something might go wrong. Which it did, but he'd planned for that so in the end it had appeared pretty seamless.

Still Shang Qinghua was exhausted, so stepping into his new home as An Ding's peak lord, his only thought was of flopping down on the ridiculously comfortable bed. Even with everything working out, the ceremony and following celebration had gone late into the night, he was cold, tired and ready to sleep for a week.

Which was why he didn't see the seven foot demon lounging in his new bedroom until it was too late.

When he did notice he had to do a double take.

Mobei Jun was underdressed, MORE than usual and Shang Qinghua could only yelp. His entire torso was exposed revealing muscles that Shang Qinghua was certain did not actually exist in real life, but fuck real life, hot demon!

What Mobei Jun was wearing was brightly colored and ostentatious, draping blue and green fabrics attached to cuffs around bulging biceps, pants that had cut-outs r-rated movies would second guess and an oversized headdress that he couldn't help but compare to a peacock.

That's when it hit him. All of these brightly colored bits of fabric and the way Mobei Jun had been strutting around was EXACTLY like a peacock.

Something he may have mentioned once upon a time when PIDWs peacock analog interrupted one of their night time liaisons, then proceeded to ramble about the mating dances and colours of different species, and... and Mobei Jun had listened to him the whole time, and now was acting just like the courting birds.

But he couldn't be, could he?

"My... My King? Are you.... courting me?" Shang Qinghua tensed ready for the blow instead a cool hand cupped his face before curling around the back of his neck.

"Took you long enough, this king was worried he might have to learn how to dance."

[tortoisesshells]

for the FIC ask Game C, F, & N please and thank!

C: What character do you identify with most?

It's cliche at this point, but: Lucy Muir from The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Have a tendency towards isolation and a monochrome wardrobe, will travel.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

James Norrington pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed, and followed – claiming the weather-side and banishing Lieutenant Hardy to the quarterdeck with a glance. He paced for a few moments, scraping his conversation together. “I will entertain the outlandish possibility,” he started, “that your compass somehow violates every natural law I have learned. How – why does it point to the Black Pearl?”

“ ‘Cause I want it to, Commodore.”

Norrington scoffed.

“It’s what it does. Sold five years’ worth of dreams and a piece of Ponce de León’s map of the road to Bimini to a powerful witch for the damn thing,” Sparrow said, “A bargain, really; dreamless sleep’s a blessing when you get where I’ve got.”

“Your broken compass is – you expect me to believe your compass is enchanted?"

“I don’t expect it. Curious if you will believe it, though.”

“I don’t,” said Norrington, who was starting to feel ridiculous for even having this conversation out loud.

“Ah. How dull. And I suppose you believe Charleton, that the Morgana of the Messina Strait is just the crystal bits and bobs of the sand and antimony in the Sicilian hills and that hot sun of the Med making the sky a mirror?”

“A more likely explanation than a fairy queen of England conjuring Palladian cities off Sicily,” Norrington shot back.

Sparrow, irksome as ever, merely shrugged. “The compass points to the Pearl because I want it to, Commodore. Simple as that.”

From Suffer A Sea Change - & I love it because:

1. writing Jack Sparrow terrifies me on an atomic level, because there's infinite ways to make him seem like an actual idiot or the theme park version of himself (ironic for a theme-park-ride-movie character but there you are), and I'm not too upset with how his voice turner out; 2. Love it when Jack Sparrow goes from lying outrageously about something (the origins of the compass) to proving he is perhaps the most intelligent person in any given room (the current-to-the-early-18th-c explanation for the Fata Morgana). 3. James Norrington having a bad time is like. a solid 75% of my fic output.

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

Quite salty I cannot just beam the rest of Customs down onto the page, fully realized, without me fiddling with the details and secure in the knowledge that all of Nellie's choices from here on out make sense.

Fic Ask Game!

[stromuprisahat]

Yennefer in season 2

Whole Yennefer's storyline was for nothing. She lost her powers, tried to sell Ciri, made up her mind and "redeemed herself", got her magic back somehow. Same spot as before they told us she's powerless, only now she likes Ciri. For reasons.

Not only it's unnecessarily book-divergent, it didn't add to the story in any way. Keeping her original storyline wouldn't be only "more faithful", but it would offer more development.

In the books she lost her eyesight in Sodden. The 14th of the hill storyline should’ve stayed Triss’. This switch adds exactly nothing to the plot. Tissaia could've grieved Triss. Triss getting badly burned and losing her characteristic beautiful hair, therefore being found and unrecongized would add her as a character and offer some drama for her. Yen’s missing only to meet fake!Francesca, Nilfgaardian fanatic!Fringilla and start her involvement in the Voleth Meir nonsense.

Instead of all this, Yen could've dealt with her blindness untill they find the cure. She even could've temporarily lost her magic due to psychological block or exhaustion. We could’ve seen her working with Redanian intelligence, saving Jaskier on their behalf in the first half of the season.

For the second half they should have kept teaching Ciri in Melitele's tample. And I mean some real teaching, not two quick lessons on the way to save Geralt. This would erase another unnecessary change of the book!canon: Melitele's tample was about worship, healing and herbs, not magic, that's Yennefer's storyline. They could’ve actually shown Yen and Ciri’s developing relationship. They didn’t like each other in the beginning, their growing appreciation of the other one would be much more interesting, than them instantly liking each other, because the writers said so, and didn’t wanna bother with that much work.

What we get is a character losing her main ability, but how does it affect her? There’s her desperation, ok. But she’s fully able to defend herself, get out of any trouble she gets into and that one time she’s caught by universally evil Stregobor, she’s immediately rescued by Tissaia. When "The Plot" eventually needs her somewhere else, she's teleported by the Big Bad. (Good thing it's in its abilities.) To make it short, it doesn’t have any impact on her aside from mental pressure, thanks to which the creators can „excuse“, why she’s suddenly an antagonist- for a single episode- and why should she have ulterior motives for Ciri, Geralt’s child surprise. But hey, she changes her mind for exactly this reason as soon as she finds out! Therefore even this has been for naught.

Since Yen’s relationship to Geralt should be one of the cornerstones of the story, I’m gonna mention it too. Last we saw Geralt and Yennefer together, he hurt her. Next we see them, they're okay, and then he has some righteous anger issues towards her. Am I supposed to root for him? Am I the only one feeling like HE should still be appologizing to HER?! The “writers” have completely ruined one of the stronges scenes from Blood of Elves, by ripping it out of context and having Geralt hold a sword to Yennefer’s neck! I mean, yeah, this version of Yennefer definitely deserves to beg Geralt for anything. Sure...

If I wanted to be a nit-picker, I’d ask why Yennefer, lovingly nicknamed „monochrome mom“, wears grey, violet and gold, when her style is whites and blacks, but I think this is enough for one post.