#i just love how colorful this era is. i did a surprisingly little amount of editing to bring out the colors that were already there!

[gingerteaonthetardis]

CLASSIC WHO | S12E04: Genesis of the Daleks + rainbow

[realityhelixcreates]

Dance of the Spheres Chapter 5: Martian March

Chapters: 5/?

Fandom:  Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: PG 13

Warnings: drugging, kidnapping, forced marriage

Characters: Loki(Marvel),

Additional Tags:  Loki Goes Overboard, But When Doesn’t Loki go Overboard, Mature Reader, Disabled Reader, Political Intrigue

Summary:  

I'm going back to Saturn where the rings all glow

Rainbow, moonbeams, and orange snow

On Saturn, people live to be two hundred and five

Going back to Saturn where the people smile.

                                              Saturn-Stevie Wonder

our rooms glittered. They were faced in massive scale pietra dura stone patterns from floor to ceiling. Gray, black, and white dominated, with a surprising amount of green mixed in, as well as startling pops of orange-red, blue, yellow, purple, and bright pink.

The designs were large and geometric, almost a sister style to the classic Art Deco that you saw on the older buildings downtown, mixed in among the flavorless glass towers and Brutalist boxes that defined the 'modern' era.

This main room housed a delicately carved stone couch and chairs, around a low stone table, and several stone shelves and storage boxes. These were all made of a black stone that held numerous yellowish-green crystals in their matrix, all polished so that the crystals shimmered.

This same stone appeared in the patterns on the walls and floor, as very thin panes on a pale backing, highlighting the colors of their crystals. This, along with a similar black stone with reddish-orange crystals, and a dark gray, large-grained stone that sparkled at any angle, was contrasted against the now familiar creamy white and pale orange. Here and there, inlays of silvery wire brought organic shapes to the mix.

The cloudy crystal made a reappearance in a round, well-lit, domed room Loki described as a 'Solar', even though no sun could reach this place. Instead, the clearest of the crystal had been set into the dome, all of it covering the mysterious lights, creating a bright light source that illuminated the room to something close to midday. The walls were covered in the cloudy crystal, which, in the bright light, shone with veils and flashes of iridescent blue.

On one wall there was a subtle inlay of  translucent gray stone, in the shape of clouds, that shone in splashes of blue and purple. Cleverly inlaid within them were specific pieces of the same type of stone, in the shape of lightning bolts that sparked yellow when viewed at the right angle, but were invisible from others.

He showed you the antechamber that connected your rooms and his, all in black and green. Even the lights were covered in thin panes of green crystals thickly packed in black matrix, casting a dim, viridian light over the whole chamber.

You decided that room was extremely creepy, and you never wanted to be in it.

The bath room was much better, ridiculously large, with a shower just out in the open, a wide counter with a mirror of polished metal, a huge tub carved right into a semi-finished block of stone, and a strange toilet tucked away in a stall in the corner. It was all big enough for you to move around in easily, though you mentioned that you would need a chair for the shower. Loki vowed to have one brought immediately.

But your bedroom was the obvious jewel. Loki puffed up with pride as he showed it off, as if he were the one who designed it. There were jewels in here, bright, bubblegum pink, golden yellow, and apple green in elaborate platinum settings, affixed to the walls. There was more cloudy gray and white crystal in here, with their blue and purple, pink and yellow flashes. The lights were clustered around the ceiling like stars, and the bed was another of the precious rare wooden objects, a four poster canopy bed, draped with a gauzy veil.

Most surprising of all, the bedroom had a window-or rather, a doorway out to a semi-circular balcony that overlooked what must be the main palace courtyard and entrance. When you stepped out onto it, you could see lines of guards-more people than you'd seen in one place since you'd been here. They framed the long, rectangular space every ten feet or so, in bright, brassy armor and sunny yellow capes.

This was clearly a cape kind of place.

It was very strange. You could have sworn you hadn't climbed any ramps, and you certainly hadn't gone up any stairs, but here you were, at least six stories up, and there were more stories above you.

“You must be clever builders.” you said without thinking about it.

“Our engineering capabilities are the envy of the galaxy, it's true.” Loki boasted. You believed him. All around the courtyard more balconies jutted out. Several dozen feet to the side of yours, the balcony you assumed must belong to Loki was connected to another large balcony on the opposite side by an elegant walkway, supported by slender pillars. There was a round platform in the center, and red curtains obscured the balcony on the other side.

“We can address large crowds from there, or call emergency meetings of the guards, or the other high nobles.” Loki said, following your gaze. “That's who lives on this floor. Myself, my brother, all of the most important Asgardians, and now you.”

But not for long, if you had any opportunity. “Uh, I'm honored.”

“How do you like them, though?” he pressed, “Is the décor to your liking? The size? We've been working on it for months, but we can still change things if you need.”

“Months?” you gasped, shocked. “You guys did all this in just months?”

Asgard had come to Earth a little under two years ago, decimated and begging for assistance. Thor led them, but no one knew Loki had come along. Thor himself served as his own liaison to the United Nations, bringing his case before the leaders of Earth, to secure a place for his people.

Obviously, it had worked. Thor's reputation and high-profile friends, as well as his surprisingly diplomatic and optimistic outlook had both charmed and discombobulated most people who spoke to him. People liked and respected him, but no one expected him to be savvy.

It had worked out very well for him and his people. They had secured some secret land that the entire U.N. had remained tight-lipped about. Then, a few months in, Thor had stopped making appearances, leaving Earth-Asgard relations to his advisors; an abrasive, undiplomatic woman whom you loved to watch, and a stoic and imposing man with unsettling eyes. Rumors flew for a while, but you hadn't paid much attention. There had been so much to fight for at home.

Did anyone even know you were gone? You were supposed to attend a march tonight. Or last night? You didn't know how long you had been asleep. Surely someone noticed you were missing.

But if they did, how would you even know?

“-harness the sun's energy over the long rotation period so that we can build even more efficiently.” Loki was saying. “We've done an admirable job for such a reduced population, but there is so much more to do.”

“And you took them away from that to build this for me?”

“I took them away from this to build special chambers for the princess of Asgard.” Loki corrected, “It was not a waste, nor was it superfluous. It was for someone important.”

“I'm not.” you insisted, “I'm just some rando they snatched up and tossed at you. I'm not princess material.”

“I will find out what is behind this.” he said, “But until I can, I want you to feel comfortable here. This is all yours now, and more.”

You couldn't, you couldn't allow yourself. You weren't supposed to be here. It was only a matter of time before this mix up was discovered, and a swap was arranged. You'd go home, and some other woman would take your place.

How horrible.

“But is everything to your liking? Do you need more light? More space? Is the bed all right for your leg? A good height?”

You were more than a little wary about getting into bed with him here, but as you hobbled over to it, he remained at a distance. You sank onto the plush mattress, with it's silky green sheets and thick comforter. It was very nice, soft and smooth, and warm, despite being placed on solid stone. Hopefully the blanket would ward off the slight chill that followed everywhere you had been so far.

“It's a good height,” you said, “especially if I get a new cane.”

“Excellent. Would you like to see my quarters?' he asked, “You may come and go between them as you please.”

Which meant that he could too. You didn't find that reassuring.

“Uh...isn't that, um, inappropriate?” you asked, casting about for any reason to refuse. “We haven't even, um, there hasn't even been a wedding!”

He paused, then his face broke into a beautiful, glowing smile. “Of course. I understand. You want that big celebration, naturally. Well, it is only fair, isn't it?” He sat down on the floor next to your bed, as if forgetting that he was a prince and a god, a powerful figure, abandoning his dignity to sit on the floor like a child.

“Do you want to plan it, or leave it to the advisors? Asgard is very good at grand weddings, but if you've had some specific plan for it, I'm sure we can accommodate it.”

“Uh...” This would be the perfect opportunity to stall. You could buy so much time with this! “I would like to plan it. There's things I've been wanting to do since I was a little girl. It would be a dream come true, to plan my own wedding.”

Not strictly true. Certainly, as a little girl you had contemplated flowers and a dress. There being a groom was far less important.

“Then begin any time you like.” Loki said warmly. “I'll have notebooks brought to you, and you can plan out whatever you want. Whatever it is, we can do it for you.”

You almost felt bad for what you were going to do, but on the other hand, you didn't trust him and his terrifying adoration, and horrible power over your life and safety. You'd make as many impossible demands and take up as much time as you possibly could. If it kept you safe. If it kept you from the nightmare scenario.

“I will have your bathing chair brought. You seem tired; shall I have dinner brought to you? We can dine in your audience room. We can have you measured for a new prosthetic, and for a new cane as well. The artificers will set to work on them immediately.”

“Um, sure. That sounds fine.” Dinner would be welcome, after only one apple and one cup of water. And a new, higher tech leg and cane might help you escape faster. You should take every opportunity available to you.

Loki helped you out to the largest room, with it's bookshelves and seating, and saw that you were comfortable. Then he bid you stay put and wait for a bit, while he got everything set up. You were in no shape to try for an escape right now; you would just bide your time.

You waited patiently, taking in the details of the beautifully precise stonework that made up your new-temporary-living quarters. What incredible workmanship. Shame it had been wasted on you.

Maybe someone else would have been thrilled. To have wealth and power, security and luxury, a handsome prince just handed to them with no effort on their part at all. That wasn't what you wanted though; you didn't want to join the lucky ones. You didn't want to be lifted out of your hardships and set above your peers, you wanted those hardships to be eliminated for everybody. You didn't want to be a social climber, you wanted a more equitable society. This fantasy was worthless to you. It had all been done without your consent.

A quiet knock on the door grabbed your attention. You didn't answer immediately, and the knock was hesitantly repeated.

“Um, come in?” you called.

The two adolescents you had run off before cracked the door open and peeked their heads in.

“Your highness?” the girl asked.

“May we enter?” the boy finished.

“Yeah, come in. I'm in a better mood now.” you said calmly. No need to be rude to them now that she knew what was going on. If Loki hadn't even known about the kidnapping, there was no way these kids were in on it.

“We were sent here to get measurements?” the boy-Andvarri wasn't it-asked shyly. “For a prosthetic leg, and a cane?”

“Yes, I was told you might be coming. I'm sorry about earlier: I was very disoriented and confused.”

“No harm done, your highness. This won't take long.”

The girl-Bjarkehilde-helped you stand as Andvarri took several measurements and asked about your preferences in weight and materials, flexibility and points of articulation, even colors and decorations.

They were going to put in a lot of effort to help you escape. A fine efficient leg, a sturdy lightweight cane, and Bjarkehilde even asked about what kinds of medication you needed, and for what.

Bjarkehild was surprisingly close to your height and build as well. That stayed in the back of your mind for a while after the two of them left.

As the minutes passed, you began to realize that you were going to need some kind of clock. You had no idea what time it was. There was no visible sunlight, the lights in your rooms hadn't changed at all, and no one had mentioned it at all. How did the Asgardians know? Was some kind of internal timekeeping part of their natural abilities?

Maybe it was the nebulous grasp of time, maybe it was the fading adrenaline and setting in of weariness, maybe it was residual drugs working their way out of your systems, but you began to feel strange as you waited for Loki to return. Either you felt hot, or the slight chill that was prevalent in this place was getting worse. Perhaps you had been staring at the artistic walls for too long, because the colors seemed to be vacillating between painfully saturated, and fuzzy at the edges.

It seemed to take forever for Loki to return, carrying a tray of food and drink. This he set on the lovely stone table before you, and then took a seat in a nearby chair.

“You must be ravenous by now.” he said, and you were. You leaned forward to inspect the offerings. The metal tray was filled with small stone bowls and plates, and two small cups of liquid. Was this how meals were traditionally served in Asgard? A great variety of small portions?

One of the cups turned out to be orange drink, from powder. You recognized that taste from your childhood. The dry air had made your tongue rough, and the acidic flavor was a blast on your tastebuds, as bright as the colors on the walls. The second cup was some kind of brown broth, possibly also from powder, as it got thicker at the bottom of the cup. There were dried apricots, soaked in honey, and dates, a barley porridge with a swirl of honey and a dash of cinnamon. There were common Saltine-type crackers that went with a very strange stew that looked like it was made, not just with re-hydrated vegetables, but re-hydrated meat as well. It tasted fine, but the texture left something to be desired.

You barely noticed. You wolfed it all down as Loki just sat and watched, having brought nothing for himself.

“I see you needed the fuel.” he commented, after every bite was gone. “Yes, I think you will need it. Beloved, I must tell you something about that apple you ate earlier. I can see it's effects are starting to take hold. Like I said earlier, I had thought to feed it to you slowly.”

“The apple? What...what's it doing to me?” Beloved? He was taking things a bit far, wasn't he? But you definitely were feeling weird. Uncomfortable. “I had just woken up and I didn't know where I was, or what was going to happen. I didn't know where my next meal was coming from.”

“And I understand that now, as I did not then, or I would have refrained from putting it out at all. But it's too late now. For several things. We will simply have to adapt and endure.”

“Endure?”

“I will not leave your side, you may count on that.” He promised. “But that was a special apple. Its tree came from a cutting, taken from a remnant grove in Vanir territory, as part of their peace treaty with us. A sacred tree whose fruits provided the Vanir with ageless warriors. For us, they heal terrible wounds and sickness. But for you, they are known as the Apples of Immortality, and they confer a great gift indeed. But it is not without price.”

You doubled over in pain.

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: VV Magazine December 2020 Issue

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

Interview with Matsumoto Sara

On VVM (VV Magazine) is voice actress, Matsumoto Sara, who plays the role of Higurashi Towa in the anime that started on October 3 on Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV channel, “Hanyō no Yashahime” (Every Saturday evening at 5:30pm~ *Some areas excluded)! What is the charm of this current work that depicts the efforts of the three daughters (Towa = voice: Matsumoto, Setsuna = voice: Komatsu Mikako, Moroha = voice: Tadokoro Azusa) of Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha, who appeared in Takahashi Rumiko sensei’s famous work “Inuyasha”? What do you keep in mind as you play a character who crosses over time and rampages left and right with the modern and feudal eras as her stage? What was your state of mind the moment you got specifically selected to play the role of Towa? We will be going behind-the-scenes of the new “Inuyasha world”!

Matsumoto: My name is Matsumoto Sara. Please treat me well today!

Ikeuchi: I am Ikeuchi Shinji of the Village Vanguard (abbreviated VV going forward) P strategic division. Please treat me well today.

VVM: This page is a specialty corner of this small magazine where we try to interview the person that the lucky staff members selected from the approximately 350 stores that VV maintains across the country, have said that they want to meet… This time, we specially had Ikeuchi-san from VV headquarters come as he is a big fan of not only the “Inuyasha” series of course, but Takahashi Rumiko-sensei as well.

Ikeuchi: I was part of the generation that read the “Inuyasha” manga in real time. Furthermore, I’m basically a big big big fan of Takahashi Rumiko-sensei so I took advantage of this opportunity and came today (laughs).

Matsumoto: I’m deeply honored!

Ikeuchi: No no, I am truly honored as well! Of course, I enjoy watching “Hanyō no Yashahime”, so just being able to meet a voice actor who takes part in a work that I love makes me happy.

Matsumoto: Thank you very much!

Ikeuchi: With that, regarding “Hanyō no Yashahime”. First, could you tell us what was going through your mind when it was decided that you would be cast in a work that continues the world of a big hit history work that makes someone from a generation like mine fired up?

Matsumoto: First I thought “No way!”. I was shaking. I had asked my manager over the phone in a corner of the train station building near the recording studio and I jumped for joy there (laughs).

Ikeuchi: It seems you auditioned, so you find out the results over the phone I see.

Matsumoto: I contact my manager via phone, email, and other different means, but so far good news tends to come over the phone (laughs). I knew that news had arrived regarding “Hanyō no Yashahime” and I was just in the middle of recording. I was always looking at an accent dictionary on my smartphone when recording. Then the screen suddenly flashed, and my manager’s name popped up.

Ikeuchi: You wanted to call back as soon as possible!

Matsumoto: That’s right. However, I really held myself back until after the recording was over. At this point, many days had passed since the audition so I thought “Could it be…”  and when I called back at the station building near the studio, they said “You got the part!”

Ikeuchi: That’s going to be a memorable station building.

Matsumoto: Yes! (laughs)

VVM: Though you explained it on your blog, it seems you were not allowed to tell anyone that you passed until the day of the announcement?

Matsumoto: The only person I told was my older sister who I live with. I recorded a voice sample for the “Hanyō no Yashahime” audition during the self-quarantine period but it seems my sister overheard it. She said, “You seem to be saying Sesshōmaru this and Sesshōmaru that next door” (laughs). It seems she figured it out somewhat.

Ikeuchi: She probably thought “Maybe it’s an audition related to “Inuyasha”” (laughs)

Matsumoto: That’s how she found out. Hence, I told her “I passed that thing”. Then my sister rejoiced too.

VVM: The information was released on August 7th. This was the first lead role in your career so I’m sure your family was overjoyed.

Matsumoto: Everyone told me “Congrats! ~” “Do you best~”. I have a relative who’s an avid fan of Rumiko-sensei, so they lamented “Why didn’t you tell me~!” (laughs). When that person told me previously “It looks like they’re going to do a new “Inuyasha” story”, I had already auditioned but I couldn’t even tell them that. I really had to suppress the urge to tell them.

Ikeuchi: I’m also a big fan, so I totally understand how they felt (laughs).

VVM: Was there already social distancing at the audition?

Matsumoto: Yes. Normally you meet a lot of people at the audition site (studio), but I auditioned alone. That’s why I don’t know what type and how many people auditioned.

VVM: Thus, you passed with flying colors and apparently during the first recording, sound director, Nagura Yasushi, advised you that “You don’t need to make her so boyish” or something like that?

Matsumoto: Nagura-san gives me all sorts of advice, but he really places importance on Towa being a girl.

VVM: Was there a reason you were leaning more towards boyishness?

Matsumoto: When I submitted the voice sample, I only had the character design and setting document, so I didn’t know the character’s personality or details.

Ikeuchi: Do you fill in the missing information yourself?!

Matsumoto: Yes. I thought over a lot of things like the meaning of a girl in boyish pants… Or that it’s written Sesshōmaru’s daughter, but her surname is Higurashi… the result was a pretty strong toned voice sample. I was told “You passed” with that so I went into the recording with that and I was advised “You don’t need to make her boyish”.

Ikeuchi: What was the intent?

Matsumoto: She’s simply a 14-year-old middle school girl who grew up in the modern era so she’s not really conscious of things like her strength in fights or the blood relation to her parents. It’s possible that by going to the feudal era and getting involved with Setsuna and Moroha, she becomes conscious of that side of herself. That’s why I think they wanted me to be aware that at the beginning, Towa is just a normal girl.

Ikeuchi: I see. Now that you mention it, at the beginning, Towa was the only one who didn’t have any experience in battle. Even in episode 3, she didn’t land the finishing blow.

Matsumoto: She gets into fights but she’s never experienced defeating demons so when I think about things like “I wonder if by chance the part of her that’s Sesshōmaru’s daughter will awaken?”, “How is she going to change?”, or “I wonder if she’s going to become cool?”, I get excited. But there’s a part of me that’s a little unsure if I’ll be able to express that well (laughs).

VVM: Two months have passed since broadcasting began; what sort of girl do you think Towa is now?

Matsumoto: She looks cool as there are visuals that make her look like a boy, but I think she has a surprisingly absentminded side to her (laughs).

Ikeuchi: Although I can feel Towa’s kindness and strong heart from your voice, do you have any difficulty balancing that aspect?

Matsumoto: While I leave the character balancing to the directors, even if I think about my acting at home, I won’t know until I sync up with Komatsu Mikako, who plays Setsuna, and Tadokoro Azusa, who plays Moroha, so that’s where it gets difficult.

Ikeuchi: Like what sort of acting will the other person do?

Matsumoto: That’s right. There are times where the act I’ve prepared takes a 180-degree turn, so I put 120% into my real time acting for each situation.

Ikeuchi: Starting from Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha, each of the three different characters have voices that really suit them.

Matsumoto: The tone of voice for all three of them isn’t very high, so there’s an aspect where I feel they’re all similar. Especially when it comes to serious lines. However, when listening to it, this might be strange to say, but the “shade” of the voice is different like the mellowness, so while the voices overlap, I think there’s differentiation between the characters. (translator’s note: I’m not positive about this sentence).

Ikeuchi: Towa and Setsuna are twins, so I think that the part where they’re a little “similar” makes them realistic.

Matsumoto: Thank you. After episode 3, there are more scenes where Towa and Setsuna poke comments at Moroha, so sometimes sound director Nagura (Yasushi) tells us our voices sound the same. Apparently, there are times where they sound like one person, so I consulted with Setsuna’s voice actress, Komatsu Mikako, and changed my tone.

Ikeuchi: What sort of conversations do you have with Komatsu-san and Tadokoro-san?

Matsumoto: We talk about acting of course, but the three of us love “Inuyasha” and we were able to take part in “Hanyō no Yashahime”, so we fan talk like “I wonder if that demon from that time was…?” or “This was in “Inuyasha” too right?” (laughs).

Ikeuchi: What about personally? (translator’s note: Like in private life)

Matsumoto: The three of us made a group chat in LINE and we communicate there. For example, after I watched episode 1 prior to airing, I messaged them like “Did you see episode 1? It was amazing!!”. Then Komatsu-san responded “Ooo, I’ll watch I’ll watch!”. Tadokoro-san responded with “It would be a waste so I’m going to watch it on air!”.

Ikeuchi: To fans, that’s an incredibly extravagant group chat!

Matsumoto: It’s only been two months since episode 1 but the three of us are already close and we always hype on recording day.

Ikeuchi: Are the three of you in the recording booth together?

Matsumoto: The staff made distancing considerations so that the three of us could record together. There are a lot of scenes with the three of them, so as of now the three of us mostly record together.

VVM: Has Takahashi Rumiko-sensei ever come to watch the recording or said anything to you before?

Matsumoto: When recording first started, it was during a situation where meetings were being done remotely, so I didn’t have opportunities to meet not only Rumiko-sensei of course, but the other cast members as well. However, the other day when I went to the limited time “Inuyasha” Café that opened in Shibuya PARCO with director Satō Teruo and the other “Hanyō no Yashahime” cast members, Rumiko-sensei was there! I greeted her with “I am Matsumoto Sara, the role of Higurashi Towa!”

Ikeuchi: I’m genuinely envious of you! Since she doesn’t make very many appearances on TV and such, her existence is so far away that you wonder if she really exists…

Matsumoto: It was deeply emotional. Pardon me for saying this but I was also moved like “She’s really here…”. She was like a god to me when I was a child.

VVM: Did you have any sort of conversation with her?

Matsumoto: I heard that the cast and staff of the “Inuyasha” anime went on trips together every year since the broadcasting. I was moved that they still communicate with each other even now after 20 years since the broadcast. When I think about how I get to participate in a part of this work that sensei cherishes so much, my body tenses up.

Ikeuchi: Actually, to celebrate the broadcasting of “Hanyō no Yashahime”, VV is also releasing “Hanyō no Yashahime” merchandise in which the actual animator drew the illustration… (shows a rough sketch drawn in pencil)

Matsumoto: What?! That’s amazing!! The side profile (face) feels fresh.

Ikeuchi: This will be used as the cover for VVM and such.

Matsumoto: I’m so happy that you would publish it in such a magazine!

Ikeuchi: Not at all, the pleasure is ours!

Matsumoto: (while looking at the picture) It really is the world of “Hanyō no Yashahime”! I look forward to the colored VVM cover!

VVM: We would like to have you trace your memories back a little here, but we would like to ask you what made you become a voice actress and what kind of girl were you when you were Towa’s age (14)?

Matsumoto: When I was 14 years old huh… I was in an all-girls middle school for three years, so I never really interacted with boys the same grade as me. Hence, I grew up in a world of only girls. It was a classroom permeating with the characteristic emotions of girls going through adolescence (laughs) and I think I learned all sorts of things like how to interact with people. Until then, part of my personality was that I was somewhat too conscious of things and I casually learned to “let go”. (translator’s note: it literally said “抜く” in quotes which directly translates to “to remove or pull out”. It can also translate to fap… honestly this can go in any direction so interpret this as you will lmao)

Ikeuchi: In addition, during adolescence did you ever go to VV?

Matsumoto: I’m from Chiba prefecture and I always went to the nearby VV. I bought presents at VV when it was someone’s birthday.

Ikeuchi: Thank you very much!

Matsumoto: After becoming an adult, I went to buy a towel with a meat pattern on it. I bought a lot and went about giving them to people who’ve taken care of me (laughs).

Ikeuchi: The meat towel! It’s been popular ever since it went on sale (*unfortunately it is sold out at this time)

VVM: Around when did you start aiming to become a voice actress?

Matsumoto: In my elementary school graduation anthology, I wrote that “I want to become a voice actor”!

Both: Whaat, Wow!

Ikeuchi: So since elementary school?

Matsumoto: I was good at drawing when I was in elementary, so apparently my parents and relatives thought I would go towards the design route. That’s when my friend told me about the work of voice acting. They said they wanted to be a voice actor. Influenced by that, I said “I’ll become one too!” (laughs).

Ikeuchi: Have to thank your friend for that then.

Matsumoto: Yes. For me, I wanted to become a manga artist since I was good at drawing, but thanks my friend, I learned that there was a world where you act with your voice.

VVM: What did you want to be during middle school?

Matsumoto: Around the end of middle school, I suddenly thought “I want to do acting!”. I looked at the notices for acting schools that are usually on the back of magazines and I thought “I don’t really get it, but I have a feeling I can do this!” (laughs). Then I spoke with my parents.

Ikeuchi: What did your parents say?

Matsumoto: My parents made a living with music to begin with, so they understood. They were basically like “If that’s what you want to do, then why not give it a try?”. So they let me go to (acting) school and as I learned about acting and singing, I vaguely began to think “I want to work in this field in the future”.

Ikeuchi: From there, why did you choose voice acting?

Matsumoto: By the time I was a high schooler, I had done several auditions but for some reason my (acting school) teacher brought a lot of voice work. Then I suddenly remembered how in elementary school I made a big deal about “I want to be a voice actor!”. I thought of voice acting as one way of acting.

Ikeuchi: How did you ultimately decide what path to take?

Matsumoto: The moment I decided my path. Until then, I had thought about going to a 4-year university that was known for theatre, but my mother told me “Going to university doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do acting all the time?”. I realized that that wasn’t quite right. I want to think about acting all the time!

VVM: Indeed, a university would mean that you would have general study plus theatre study.

Matsumoto: It’s a no brainer but the only thing in my head was “Acting!” “Voice Actor!” so my thought process was genuinely “I want to do acting = a university with a theatre department!”. Ultimately, I went to the vocational school I graduated from.

VVM: Tokyo Announce Gakuin correct?

Matsumoto: Yes. By that time, I had decided “I’ll definitely become a voice actor!”. My parents also pushed me saying “If you’re going to go to that kind of a vocational school, you better become a pro!” (laughs).

Ikeuchi: That’s how your dream came true.

Matsumoto: Yes. I’m truly happy.

Ikeuchi: Your friend who told you about voice actors, your parents, your (acting school) teacher… through all those different encounters, you were guided down the path of a voice actor.

Matsumoto: I’m grateful of the fact that I have a job doing something I enjoy, but this time I got a big role in a work that’s connected to “Inuyasha” which I have loved for a long time. I’m truly thankful to the people I met.

VVM: Before you became a voice actress, which works of anime did you like and influenced you aside from “Inuyasha”?

Matsumoto: When I was little, I enjoyed “Card Captor Sakura” that was being broadcasted on NHK. There was also the one-hour time slot of “Inuyasha”, of course, and “Detective Conan” (Nippon TV). Then there was the one-hour time slot of “Hikaru no Go” and “Prince of Tennis” (TV Tokyo). “Chibi Maruko-chan” and “Sazae-san”. I loved “One Piece” and “Kochi Kame (Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo)” (Fuji TV) so I watched them all the time. Not only do I remember the details of the works I watched back then but I still like them as well. Ever since I started making my own money, I’ve been repurchasing the original mangas.

VVM: On your blog, you recently wrote that you went to see “Princess Mononoke” at the theater, so do you like Ghibli works?

Matsumoto: I love Ghibli works and while I had a lot of VHS movies back home, “Princess Mononoke” was rescreened in June of this year so I went to watch it. I came to understand parts that I didn’t get as a child and once again thought it was an amazing work.

VVM: It was first shown in 1997. The content is a little difficult for a child to understand isn’t it?

Matsumoto: Now that I think about, this a little off tangent but at the time, my mother went to watch the movie and showed me the pamphlet. On the cover was the scene where the heroine, San, was sucking out blood from Moro’s wound.

VVM: It’s a well-known scene on posters and such.

Matsumoto: I thought the blood around San’s mouth was dirt. I remember thinking “We have to hurry and wipe the dirt off that girl’s mouth!” and scrubbing it.

Ikeuchi: (laughs) What happened to the dirt?

Matsumoto: I scrubbed too hard and tore a hole in it (laughs). I’m sorry, this was really off tangent!

VVM: (laughs) It would be great if you could make an appearance in a Ghibli work.

Matsumoto: Ever since I decided to become a voice actor, I always had the thought of “I want to be in Ghibli movie!” in my heart, so I definitely want to make that come true!

Ikeuchi: Speaking of movie theater, getting a little ahead but I want to see a movie edition of “Hanyō no Yashahime” just like “Inuyasha”!

Matsumoto: Absolutely! I also want to see Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha, in action on the big screen!! If we could see the parents and children fighting together at the movie theater… Aah~ just thinking about it makes the corner of my eyes heat up. Ever since I got the role of Towa, I’ve been hoping myself “Please let this happen!” (laughs).

Ikeuchi: We fans wish for that too!

VVM: Recently, you declared on your blog “I’ve become able to keep my word!” so please make this a reality!

Matsumoto: (laughs) Okay, we will do our best!

VVM: Alright then, lastly please tell us your goals for 2021!

Matsumoto: Let’s see, I don’t know if this will be possible until the world becomes more stable, but I would love to interact with “Hanyō no Yashahime” fans around the world. “Inuyasha” is popular worldwide so I get supportive messages in all sorts of languages on my twitter. Among them are people who comment using translation tools so I would like to meet everyone directly… even if meeting directly isn’t possible, I would like to talk to everyone in some way. This is what I think of “Hanyō no Yashahime”. I like this character. Anything is fine so I would love to hear them.

VVM: What about in your personal life?

Matsumoto: I want to move. I live with my older sister but because the state of the world has changed this past year and me becoming busy with “Hanyō no Yashahime”, we’ve had a few problems arise… The biggest problem is our bath times overlap. I say that but I do get along with my sister, so maybe living in the same apartment complex but in different units like the Asagaya Sisters (laughs). I’d like to talk with her and find the best possible solution!

Ikeuchi: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule today!

Matsumoto: Thank you as well! I look forward to seeing both the “Hanyō no Yashahime” cover issue and article. Please support “Hanyō no Yashahime” next year as well!

[ja-khajay]

2020-2021 Animation Watch(ed)list

I haven’t posted about animation in a while that I remember, and I know a lot of my followers are into it as much as me so I decided to make a list of the animated movies and series I watched on the past year or so, coupled with my short, spoilerless take on them. Enjoy!

Organized by

Things I saw for the first time

Things I rewatched

Under a cut for the sake of your dashboards! PS: I have not added any images yet. If you are interested in knowing more about the visuals of these movies, I might make an old fashion ask-prompted imageset list.

Part One: Things I saw for the first time

The Bear’s Famous Invasion of Sicily

Movie, 2019, Italian/French

9/10, a delightful little movie with amazing visuals. It feels like an animated picture book.

One of those “plot is in the title” media! I had never heard of this before but was heavily recommended it by my family members, who all loved it! It’s a sweet story, nothing groundbreaking but the unique colorful visual style alone makes it worth it.

The Castle of Cagliostro

Movie, 1979, Japanese

10/10. Reminded me of all the books i loved reading as a child

I assume its because it’s so old and the art style and themes are so different that it gets little to no love compared to other Ghibli movies, which is a shame! It’s fun with an endearing cast and as always, great animation and music

Mushishi

Series, 2006, Japanese

10/10 three episodes in I knew it was going to be my favorite series ever

One of the few things I’ve seen I’ll describe as life-changing. It’s absolutely lovely but never toots its own horn about it. Humble, calming, emotional and surprisingly mature. It’s pretty impossible to binge due to how intense the experience is. I just want to walk in the forest now...

FMA: Brotherhood

Series, 2009, Japanese

6/10 Dissapointing adaptation of a classic story

I read the manga for this when I was in middle school and remembered loving it. The animated version does an ok job of presenting the characters and worldbuilding and has some nice action scenes but overall looks really damn cheap and just. Not very good. Seeing I already knew most of the plot I did not have the element of discovery that made me marvel so much reading the original. It’s still a nice series but I really recommend reading it instead.

Code Lyoko (s1+2)

Series, 2003, french

3/10. 1.5 being for the opening song alone

This show sucks ass if I hadn’t been watching this with my bestie I would have dropped it two episodes in. The art style is ugly the stories are always the same and the first season has a (later removed thank fucking god) LITERAL “erase any consequences” button as a plot device in every episode. If you watch it for one thing let it be the nostalgia factor of early 00s Vidya Game Plot

The Legend of Hei

Movie, 2019, Chinese

7/10. Impressive visuals and a poor story

I finally watched this, peer pressured by the load of gifsets on my dashboard! It’s a sweet movie with really impressive animation, sometimes a bit too flashy for my taste (the action sequences go so ham they become not very readable...) but the story was just ok? The setting is barely explained and you are instead bombarded with vague epicspeech about powers and stuff that made me fondly remember Kingdom Hearts lol but that asides it’s a really good time! I need to watch more Chinese movies the few I know are just delightfully off the shits in how they approach action and I love that

Hunter x Hunter

Series, 1999, Japanese

9/10. Superior to the recent one!

I first got introduced to the series via the 2011 one. Comparatively, the 99 series focuses way less on action and way more on the characters, which I love because that fits my personal preferences! Despite mediocre filler episodes and some weird slight pointless plot changes, what it changes from the original manga doesn’t have much of an impact on the characters. The animation quality isn’t always consistent including a huge art style change for an arc (???) but it’s overall pretty nice. The series really shines in the last arc it adapts.

Oban Star-racers

Series, 2006, Japanese/french

9/10 a lovely surprise

This series is completly obscure despite having been created by people famous for their other series (Cowboy Bebop, Code Lyoko that i can name) and it’s a crime! It’s a kids show but without being stupid about it who tells the story of an inter-planetary race. If you liked that one scene in the star wars prequels you know what I mean. It’s got surprisingly nice animation for a TV series, and some truly great character design. The art style is a bit unique in a not for everyone sense, but I didn’t mind it much. It’s also THE most offensively 2000s series i’ve seen in terms of visuals. y2k kids assemble

The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon

Movie, 1963, japanese

8/10. Classic fairytale format with incredible visuals

Watched this for the art style because I know it inspired Samurai Jack, and it delievered! I dont’ have much to say about this one, it’s a very simply film but it’s sweet. For my pirates out there if you want to find it in good quality with english subtitles it’s VERY hard to find. If you just want to see the looks of it, it’s on Youtube with portugese subs.

We now enter the Gobelins Shorts Zone....!

My Friend Who Glows In The Dark

10/10 makes me cry each time

Pure delight...great animation writing everything. A little short about death and friendship but not in the way you imagine!

Colza

9/10

Visual treat...homely and nice :) not far from a 10 but a 9 because nothing about it is that groundbreaking

Sundown

9/10

If you’ve ever been ten minutes from failing a group project because of a single dude you will REALLY enjoy this. Loved the colors and personality

T’as vendu mes rollers?

10/10

It’s SUCH a sweet little short I loved that one so much

Dix-huit kilomètres trois

10/10

Surprisingly well written dialog. Visuals are great but the humanity of the characters carries this to another level

Un diable dans la poche

9/10

Amazing visuals and the most tense/creepy of Gobelin shorts i’ve ever seen. Chilling

La bestia

8/10

I had some issues with the pacing. Interesting story and visuals choices but I was not fond of the art style

Goodbye Robin

5/10

Confusing but predictable. Both at once??? Yes!

Le retour des vagues

6/10

Cool animation stuff but felt pretty pointless

                                                                ***

Part Two: Things I rewatched

Ruben Brandt: Collector

Movie, 2018, Hungarian

10/10. Underrated as hell

Watched this fully blind for the first time in an animated festival and rewatched it with friends. It’s a crime I never see anyone talking about it given the amount of whining I see about the lack of both adult animation and 2D movies? This film is a unique love letter to art in the form of a weird mix of charming crime story and psychological horror with amazing visuals. I recommend watching it blind and also buying it to show appreciation for how nice it is!!! WATCH THIS MOVIE...

Mononoke

Series, 2007, Japanese

10/10 Visual/storytelling masterpiece in the weird shit departement

If you can stomach intense stuff watch this. The visuals are incredibly unique and beautiful and under the jewel tones and art direction high takes it’s a really cool horror series. My only obstacle to enjoying it the first time I saw it was how dense it is - simply put, it’s so...culturally Japanese it’s not very accessible to me who doesn’t know anything about the culture? Watching it for the second time helped understanding the stories more! 

Corto Maltese in Siberia

Movie, 2002, french

9/10 but really close to ten. A great adaptation!

I’m a huge fan of the original comic so I entered this a biiiittttt suspicious it would suck but it was a really pleasant surprise! It has all the wonder and charm of the original and the animation was surprisingly good for the little budget. If you’re not familiar with the series, it’s a sort of geopolitical action/adventure movie but with it’s own really poetic vibe to it. It’s almost impossible to find online but happens to be fully on YouTube so go ham I guess?

Redline

Movie, 2009, Japanese

10/10 cinema was invented for this, actually

Every review of this movie i’ve seen gives it five stars and starts by talking about how immensly stupid it is. I’m no different. It’s a masterpiece of escalating energy with the depth of a puddle and it fucking rules. It’s free on YouTube too so there really is no excuse to not watch it. Watched it for the first time on a huge cinema screen and despite this my second rewatch on my small laptop was as/even more enjoyable. If you watch this stoned with friends you might travel to another dimension

Spirited Away

Movie, 2001, Japan

10/10 deserves the love it gets

I watched this a single time as a kid and had little memory of it! I mean it’s Ghibli you know it’s going to be good as hell but this one rly shines in how colorful and detailed it is and in it’s world! It made me remember I had a huge crush on the dragonboy as a kid. I’m gay now

Kung-fu Panda (1&2)

Movie, Usa

10/10. KFP fucking rules

Honestly my favorite franchise of the whole disney/dreamworks/pixar hydra. It’s fun as hell, doesn’t skip a single beat and has amazing animation and character designs. If something is a good time I will not care if it’s deep or not and boy I fucking love these movies

Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas

Movie, 2003, Usa

5/10 Some great some really bad and overall generic

I tend to hate american cinema and this includes that era of animation I have no nostalgia for. Sinbad is in a weird place because I love adventure stories and the visuals of the movie absolutely deliver but it’s very predictable and TANKED by the addition of the female character, pushed in your face as “look we have woman!!!” despite her writing being misogynistic as hell lol. The evil goddess rules tho. This movie would have been a solid 9 if instead of the girl the two dudes had kissed

[marveloussupernerd]

Crowns and Courtships - A Mystic Messenger AU

Chapter 4 - The Scare

This is a regency-era AU where the readers get to pick the final love interest about halfway through the story! All causal and deep story LIs are options :)

Chapter 3

Summary: who tried to harm you? You meet the new stableboy, Saeyoung Choi, and get a surprise visit from Prince Jumin and his family

Words: 2125

To your side you could see a horse galloping in the other direction towards the stables. Sir Zen had pushed you aside to avoid getting run over by the horse, you figured. Although, it wasn’t that hard to put together, considering he was still lying on top of you from tackling you to the ground. Your face heated up, and his turned bright red. He scrambled off of you then offered a hand to help you up. You took it, allowing him to pull you back to standing position.

The second you stood, he dropped onto his knee, his head down. “Please forgive me, Your Highness. I would not have taken you down if I had thought of any other way to protect you.”

You smiled, taking his hand this time and pulling him up. “You were just doing your job. I thank you for that.”

His hand reached up to touch your face, but you quickly pulled away. “You have a cut on your face, Your Highness. I can take you inside and find somebody who can patch it up for you.”

“I’d rather go to the stables and see who could possibly be causing such havoc first,” You requested. It was unusual for a Princess to go out and confront a person like you were, but you weren’t going to let them get away with that, especially with the stress of that one group being after you! Sir Zen offered you his handkerchief so you could wipe away the blood. You gently dabbed at it, a little coming off, then gave it back.

As you made your way to the stables, you noticed a new visitor there. He had right red hair, curly, clearly messed up from riding at such a high speed. He wasn’t too tall, but quite lanky. It was clear he wasn’t a noble. He turned and looked at the two of you. “Yes?”

You couldn’t help but let out a scoff. “You nearly ran me over with your house.”

“I’m sorry?” He replied. It was hardly genuine. He turned back to the horse he was on and took the saddle off.

“Watch your tone; this is the Princess you’re talking to,” Sir Zen warned, his hand on his side. There must have been some sort of concealed weapon on his side, you figured.

“Look,” he turned to you, approaching slowly. “I get that you’re the Princess, but I’m still the same amount of sorry,” he scoffed, “surprisingly enough, you can’t influence my feelings just based on your class.”

Zen’s hand balled into fists, but you stayed calm. You stepped even closer to the man: “And who might you be? That you think you can talk to me like that?”

“I’m the new stableboy, Saeyoung Choi,” he held his hand out for you to shake. You rolled your eyes, which was unlike you, but honestly you had never been treated in this sort of manner.

“You won’t be for long if you keep this act up,” you warned.

“I don’t know about that. The horse your father rode to one of the nearby kingdoms on got hurt; I’m the reason he got back safely. Also it seems your previous one retired,” he explained, a smug smirk on his face.

“Well, Mr. Choi, it seems you have a lot to learn if you’re going to work here.” You turned away from him, then spoke over your shoulder. “Perhaps learning to ride a horse might be your first endeavor.”

“She’s a new horse. Almost impossible to tame,” he explained, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I am sorry that you got hurt, though it seems like you’re walking just fine to me.”

You were wordless, and left the stables, Zen walked alongside you this time, escorting you to the palace so you could get your wound attended to. Although it was nothing big, it was important to make sure it wouldn’t become infected. That would cause much greater problems. Jaehee carefully cleaned it out with water then wrapped it in a bandage. You had tea and dinner in your room that night. You didn’t want anyone to see you like this.

The next morning, the wound had not healed much more. It was still a large gash on your forehead. You got dressed in one of your more comfortable white dresses and decided to spend the day in your room once again. Even though it was a cut, it was embarrassing to be seen with it.

You had Jaehee select a book from the library to interest you, this one was on botany, and lounged in your chaise, legs propped up and head tilted back. It was around time for tea when a knock sounded on the door; it startled you: you hadn’t been expecting any visitors. You assumed it was Jaehee and asked her to enter. It was not.

Standing in the doorway was Prince Jumin. You quickly swung your legs off the chaise and stood up to greet him. “Prince Jumin, what a surprise. Please ignore the disarray of… everything. I think it is obvious that I was not expecting you.” You blushed, setting your book down. Your hair was falling out of its style because you had been lying down, the cut in your face stood out; it was embarrassing.

“Your father visited the other day; I was surprised you were not there as well. He invited us over for tea, but I just heard you were not feeling well. I wanted to send my best wishes,” he explained, still standing in the doorway awkwardly.

“Well if you have not had any tea yet, you are more than welcome to have some with me. I need to get myself together, but I will join you downstairs in a moment,” you mustered; you had been dreading seeing other people, especially another King and Queen, but it would be rude if you didn’t join them for tea.

Jumin took a step closer to you; in fact, you were so close you could make out the green swirls in his gray eyes. You hadn’t realized how much taller he was compared to you. Your breath felt drained out of you. He was so close, yet you found yourself unable to move. “How did you get this cut?” He asked, fingers grazing the rough skin so lightly that you could hardly feel it. Your eyes involuntarily fluttered closed.

Ah! It was just you and him in here. Alone. And you were so close. You finally got yourself to take a step back. “Uh, we got a new horse,” you explained, dancing around the whole embarrassing situation. “It is still being trained and adjusting.

You started walking towards the door to the hall; he followed. “I will be down in just a moment to join you for tea,” you reminded him. He took his leave, kissing your hand before stepping out of the room.

The second he took his leave, it was time to panic. Jaehee was downstairs, likely helping organize the tea. You hurried to your room and used a pin under the bun in order to pull back the hair that had come loose. There was no time to redo the hairstyle, especially not on your own. You loosened the pull of the hair so that it covered the wound on your forehead, then started to make your way downstairs, chewing your lips during the descent so that you could bring some color to them.

“King Henry, Queen Amelia. It is such a pleasure to see you,” you greeted as you entered the room, dropping into a deep curtsy.

“Princess, I like what you’ve done with your hair,” the Queen complimented. She turned to her lady. “You will have to try that style on me sometime.

“Mother, Father, I would like to join you all for tea,” you requested, putting on a practiced smile.

“Of course my dear. I wasn’t sure if you were feeling up to company today. I know you were feeling quite faint after yesterday’s events,” your mother explained. It seemed they had set up the tea date in advance, which was interesting because you were supposed to be choosing your own suitor. You remembered Jumin’s words, that he had always planned the two of you would be arranged to marry. You were certain his family was still pushing for it. It almost annoyed you, but you knew it wasn’t his fault personally; he was probably as forced into this as you were at the moment, if not more because they wanted him to court you.

The group got up and made their way into the sitting room for tea. The two fathers were placed at the heads of the table, with their wives seated to the right of them and then you and Jumin to the right once more. You willed yourself not to look and make awkward eye contact with the prince. Your mother nudged you, encouraging you to start a conversation.

Think of something! Anything! Your mind was completely blank. You stared down at your tea, then glanced up at the prince, then back again, searching your mind for any sort of topic. “Was your travel here pleasant? I know it is a long way,” you mustered.

“It wasn’t too bad, but I cannot wait until we go to the city. Everyone lives so much closer to one another that you aren’t stuck in a carriage for hours,” the Queen explained. The families nodded; going to the city was one of the more exciting parts of the year, and it would be even more busy now that you were looking for a suitor.

“Are you also out for the social season, Prince Jumin?” Your mother asked. Oh the scheming. You had to stop yourself from sighing.

He smiled. He was quite dashing. “Ah, not technically. I still have my sights on marrying a princess, as my parents would like me to do as well. But, I see no downside to courting you, Princess, especially if it works out in the end.” How did he make everything seem so simple? He was extremely well-spoken. It made you feel even more self-conscious. You couldn’t respond. You’d only embarrass yourself.

The men stood up, excusing themselves into the other room so they could do their own things. Your mother poured another cup of tea. “Jumin has grown up so much,” she complimented the Queen sitting across from her. You hated when the men and women split up. You always just complimented one another; you wondered what the men did.

“He is very well spoken,” you added. This was just how the social circles worked. Your job was to compliment each other and ask about the ladies’ families or lands one-by-one.

“Thank you, he tries hard to please everyone. He has ever since he was little: always putting on shoes and sometimes even trying to help the maids clean the rooms,” the queen looked directly at you, “he has a kind heart.” It was a warning, as well as a push that you should get to know him better. You smiled and nodded, acknowledging this point. You paused and took a few sips of your tea.

“Well you’ve become quite a fine young lady as well,” the Queen told you. “I’m sure that plenty of esteemed men will be lining up to meet you. You have done quite a good job raising her,” she told your mother. A double compliment. That way she didn’t have to hand any more out. She was clever. But it was strange she mentioned the courting again. The family must have been secretly upset and/or confused by the ordeal.

You smiled, responding to her. “That has been the hope-”

“She has always been somewhat… outgoing. It does not always fit well with some of the other nobles. Ideally, she will find somebody who not only tolerates her candor but also appreciates it.” Nice work, Mom, coming to your defense.

“That makes complete sense; my Jumin is quite infatuated with you, or the idea of you at the very least,” the Queen complimented. This one was far more genuine, perhaps it was because your mother had exposed your flaws so openly. It made you feel weird. Luckily the men came back into the room.

“I heard my name; hopefully it’s all good things, Mother?” Jumin asked, placing a kiss on his mother’s cheek.

“Oh Jumin, I only ever have good things to say about you.”

The King was peering outside. “It looks quite nice out; why don’t the two of you go for a walk so that we can talk about political issues,” he recommended.

[whenallelsefails-eatpie]

Finally Answering Questions for y’all

Q1: How tall or short do you wish you were?

I used to wish I was taller because I already am tall for an (AGAB)female (5′8 1/2) but then I learned about platforms so. 

4: What was your favorite video game growing up?

Monkey Ball or Sonic Adventure Escape the City...I only had a Gamecube.

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Warning: Uses humor as a defense mechanism but will quickly become extremely invested in you  and give you immense amounts of unending love if they vibe w you

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]

Melancholic

9: Are you ticklish?

extremely, on my back and sides (use this information wisely. I take no responsibility for involuntarily punching anyone who tickles me)

10: Are you allergic to anything?

absolutely nothing, allergies are to weed out the weak. (jkjk no eugenics here sis you slay that epipen)

11: What’s your sexuality?

~ pansexual  ~ (prefer agab [not cis, those are two different things] females)

12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa?

tea, then coffee with cocoa. I don’t enjoy cocoa or coffee as much separately.

37: What is your eye color?

hazel/green 

38: Introvert or extrovert?

I’m ambiverted but lean toward introversion. 

44: Do you like tattoos and piercings?

oh yeah absolutely, I personally just prefer that the tattoos aren’t on your face.  Or with piercings that they don’t take up so much of your face that I can’t see what you really look like.

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now?

pink, red, or platinum 56: Something that calms you down?

reading, playing instruments, taking a bath, cooking or baking

57: Have any mental disorders?

yessir. ADD, anxiety. and I used to have really bad depression. Now my depression is simply manageable lol. 

73: What is your MBTI type?

INFP (enneagram 4)

86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes?

surprisingly yes, will I come close to passing out? Maybe. But I can.

87: Do your socks always match?

never, I hate matching my socks unless the socks are funky and need to match to give them the biggest bang for their buck. 

92: A store you hate?

Dick’s sporting goods. I have been dragged around that place for hours and absolutely nothing there interests me. (edit: I found a beanie that I liked but my previous opinion still stands)

93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day?

start counting and never stop. If you mean in terms of actual measurements like cups/ounces, I can drink 20. What can I say I’m from New England.

94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds?

Definitely fly because that might help lessen my fear of heights

95: Do you like to wear camo?

literally shoot me if you ever see me wearing camo. please, I beg you. that will be me at my lowest point 

96: Winter or summer?

Autumn. Next question.

97: How long can you hold your breath for?

3-4 minutes. It’s all that breath control from musical theatre.

99: Someone you look up to:

Jughead Jones. Yes I said that, fight me. He is completely himself and he allows the different facets of his personality to shine through to people that he loves and cares about. He is loyal and caring but also unique and resilient. Plus his fave food is burgers which is an instant win for me.

100: A store you love?

Hot Topic, Barnes and Nobles, Savers or any thriftstore 

102: Where do you live?

New England bb (; gettin that dark academia aesthetic straight from the source

104: What is your favorite mineral or gem?

Amber

105: Do you drink milk?

You mean out of the glass? Like a psychopath? Like a serial killer? Absolutely not

106: Do you like bugs?

I do! Except for spiders and mosquitoes (although I’m warming up to spiders)

109: Can you draw:

Eh yeah ig, well enough. I draw realistically but I’m not great at animated style. 

111: A question you hate being asked?

“Are you a boy or a girl?” (like why? does it personally affect you? are you planning on boning me? if not then buzz off)

113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach?

Yes, but only at night when the beach is quiet. I’m not a huge fan of the beach during the day

114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days?

Rainy or sunny. Don’t go givin me the clouds with none of the drizzle.

119: Favorite thing about a person: 

Personality first and foremost. Humor and kindness. But physically; their smile and mannerisms. 

120: Fruits or vegetables?

Veggies (or berries i like berries)

121: Something you want to do right now:

Run away... ahah. But in all honesty I would love to go mushroom foraging rn, or possibly go on an adventure. Maybe go put on clothing meant for an entirely different time period and run around Target idk.

123: Sweet or sour foods?

Definitely not sour I hate sour. Spoonfeed me wasabi, that I can handle. But if you make me eat a Warheads I will cry. 

129: What would you want written on your tombstone?

I personally have a lot of problems with the funeral industry, so I would rather not take up space and rot preservation chemicals into the earth. But if I had an interim tombstone with no body underneath, it would read “Live Laugh Love” bc ~irony~

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself?

that I’m very individualistic and stubborn

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures?

Yes absolutely, that’s what they’re there for.

134: Do you like roller coasters?

Do I like feeling like I’m about to full send through the crust of the earth and die? No. No I do not. (I am a simple person, I go to carnivals for the food and to feed off terror.) 139: What nicknames do you have/have had?

Cookie

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?

OH YEAH absolutely, I am a repressed gen z homosexual raised in a homophobic religious atmosphere, I am practically born with a therapist assigned to me.

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others?

Definitely good -_- unfortunately. Catch me bein the mom friend.

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help?

I prefer giving, but I am learning how to recieve. 

144: What makes you angry

People who live their lives in willful ignorance despite the endless resources available to them and let that ignorance hurt others.

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries?

All of em. Gimme em all. I don’t like boys as much currently but I would still probably lay my life on the line for some. 

147: Are you androgynous?

Yes. It’s more fluid than it is being in consistent limbo between masc and femme. Usually I’m androgynous but I often swing wildly between both ends of that socially perceived spectrum. 148: Favorite thing about yourself physically?

My hands or smile(product of bracesTM). But I have been told I have nice hands. 

149: Favorite thing about your personality:

I am a very strong blend of wise and class clown. I can do em both, I can do em well, and I can do em whenever. I also care a lot about others but I don’t change myself to be accepted by them. 

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person.

MLK Jr. --> I want to gain perspective on some of the current global issues. Jesus --> I’ve got a lot of questions for that dude. JRR Tolkien bc he’s incredible or Joan of Arc for the same reason

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose?

Ooh well, as a woman not many eras are desirable. But um probably either the 70s or Ancient Greece

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons?

YES. GIMME UR FINGERS > i meant that to sound much less threatening than it did but my statement still stands. 155: Do you like to play with others’ hair?

Yes it’s literally one of my favorite things to do. I hab empty lap. *pat pat* U may lay your head on it and watch Rilakkuma and Kaoru with me while I play with your hair. pls. 157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious:

Women..... That’s it. That’s the tweet.

158: Biggest lie you have ever told:

That I am not a member of the alphabet mafia. (It’s not currently safe for me to come out) Now tell me *shines light in your face* who are your contacts?

164: Do you have long or short hair?

I have medium hair. It’s around the length of a bisexual bob or a good mullet. 

165: Shortest/Longest your hair has ever been:

Shortest was a pixie cut, almost buzzed, amazing. Longest was to my butt and was literally the worst experience in existence. I shall to this day actively rebel against having hair like that again. 

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religion?

Organized religion can suck it. You can’t organize your relationship with God, nor can you stick it into a little manmade box and pretend that you have the ability to create a perfect faith which others have to either follow or perish. It’s arrogant and damaging and hurtful and not at all what Christianity is supposed to mean. 

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created?

I do. I think it’s important and something we need to think about. I do believe there is something after death, and I like to believe that my life has meaning. I think that questions of creation are important questions to ask and we can’t just ignore them.

168: Do you like to wear makeup?

Yes! It’s fun! Pretty colors!

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully?

Absolutely. And the ones I didn’t feel like answering I simply omitted.

[deltaengineering]

Spring Anime 2020 Part 5: Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing

Appare-Ranman!

Oh hey, it’s PA Works, remember them? Their last project (A3) went hilariously awry, but it seemed like their heart wasn’t in it anyway. A-R is closer to a PAW premium product, with very nice production values that even manage to make the ridiculous character designs work. It’s also Wacky Races: A bunch of stereotypes in cartoony contraptions race across the USA. Oh, so it’s more like Cannonball Run then. Except A-R has some surprisingly good character writing in its first-episode origin story flashback, and I’d even say that writing this solid is kinda wasted on Cannonball Run. But wait, Cannonball Run with solid character writing and great looks, isn’t that just REDLINE? Sign me the fuck up!

ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream!

Bang Dream has its own male version now, you guys, and I do like me some Bang Dream (S3 only wasn’t in the season roundup because it finished so late — for the record, first time I’d call a full size Bandori anime “good” 7/10). Now the last time I encountered the male version of a franchise was IM@S Side M, and I didn’t like that, but also I don’t like IM@S much to begin with. On the other hand, I do like IDOLSHi7 a lot, and if you look at that one from the right angle it’s pretty close to a male version of Love Live. Uh, so Argonavis then: It’s Bang Dream with 20 year old guys instead of 16 year old girls. So the tone is similar, though a quite bit more subdued and the characters are a little less goofy. There’s only one (half of a) band so far, but they seem alright. It looks like a Sanzigen anime, slightly worse than S2/S3 in the regular parts but slightly better in the performances. I have no objections to watching this while I wait for Garupico Oomori to come out, because that’s where it’s really at.

Fugou Keiji Balance: UNLIMITED

Fugou Keiji B^U is a police comedy about a cop who solves crimes with the most realistic superpower: Money. It’s a solid comedy too, with a fairly laidback and wry sense of humor, aided by some slick directing and generally good (Cloverworks) looks. Now, the thing about this one specifically is that it’s good right now, but it can’t stay the way it is and remain good, because it’s already leaning close to [The Joke] territory. If every episode of this is going to be “Kambe throws fuck-you money at the problem and everyone goes ‘WHAAAAT’”, it’s going to get very old very fast. There’s some indication that it’s not that simple, notably Kambe obviously being portrayed as a prick (the ostentatious musical sting that plays whenever he appears is extra hilarious), but there’s nothing saying that they can’t just have him be a prick week after week either – he needs some character development or at the very least some getting dunked on, and sooner than by episode 11 too, please. I’m pretty impressed by this first episode and will stick with it for now, but the potential for this to not work out seems much higher than usual.

Houkago Teibou Nisshi

Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing. Then again, Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing. Since Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing, it’s likely that Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing possibly leading to Doga Kobo adapting a Kiraralike about fishing. I mean, Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing, how could it be anything but Doga Kobo adapting a Kiraralike about fishing. In three months I’ll go on MAL, select “Completed” and “(6) Fine” and then click “Add”. Because Doga Kobo is adapting a Kiraralike about fishing.

Kitsutsuki Tanteidokoro

Since Pecker Detectives is a novel and not a manga, researching its target demographic is harder than clicking the Wikipedia link to its magazine and as such beyond my means. However, it’s yet another fucking story about historic author’s hanging around together being dreamy, so I have some suspicions. Anyway, poets, yes? Let’s keep them a bit closer to reality this time, maybe? Late Meiji era, yes? You can put your dudes in kimonos or smexy three-piece suits. With HATS. But needs plot, what do? Oh, I guess we’ll just rip off Sherlock Holmes again, that never goes wrong. Murders are always interesting right? Not the fucking way you write them, buddy. This show is just incredibly boring, and no amount of poetry or pastel backgrounds (which do look pretty nice) make it any less so. I can’t scrape together even a fraction of a fuck. At least there’s not a Dazai in sight, but the cast list promises Edogawa Ranpo (the Date Masamune of literature), so lol.

Mewkledreamy

Sanrio is trying to sell some plastic toys again. Since they’re selling to very young girls, well congratulations, you found something even more Not For Me than Shadowverse. Mewkledreamy is obviously a candy-colored, sparkly nightmare, and the mascot voice is just as insufferable as expected. Now apart from this... everything, I do have to say I enjoyed it more than I expected. Good direction can help; this was originally scheduled to be done by Chiaki Kon, but she was replaced by Hiroaki Sakurai, crafter of cutesy/shoujo shit like Cromartie High for three decades. The guy knows what he’s doing, and Mewkledreamy is pretty pleasant when the cat isn’t talking, the character designs are plush and cute, and the writing puts in more effort than strictly required too. If you can stomach something like Aikatsu (which I could not), you could do worse than give Mewkledreamy a spin. There’s just one more negative though: Sanrio character franchises can run for years, the last one that Sakurai did (Jewelpet Happiness) had 52 episodes. Not that I give a shit about how much Mewkledreamy exists, but this makes it very unlikely that we’re going to see a sequel to Sakurai’s last show, Machikado Fucking Mazoku, any time soon. And that’s unforgivable, to be honest.

Zashiki Warashi no Tatami-chan

It’s a flash short with some supernatural critters complaining about Tokyo. It’s bad and it looks bad. Go away.

[vannahfanfics]

Between the Book Spines

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Characters: Kyoya Hibari, Kyoko Sasagawa

Additional Tags: Bookstore AU

Greetings, all~! Here’s my story for Day 4 of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! RarePair Week, for the prompt “Bookshop AU”! Happy reading! <3

Kyoko could get lost in it all- the heavy aroma of parchment painting the air, the flutter of flipping pages and shuffling of quiet footsteps, the rows and rows of colorful book spines stretching to the back of the story like towering forest trees. She thought that at least once a day, leaning over the cashier’s counter with a cheek in one hand while her deft fingers flipped through an illustrated fantasy novel. Many people read simply to escape reality into faraway, fictional lands. The escapism was all well and good, but Kyoko loved the bookstore itself. It was a gateway full of countless doors, doors for all different kinds and desires. It was the most magical place on Earth, more magical than any of the realities inked within the many, many pages.

Kyoko straightened up when the little bell on the front door chimed, indicating the arrival of a customer. She called a cheerful greeting and asked if she could help, which was customary, but the patron did not reply. He never did; that’s how Kyoya Hibari was. However, he always answered her more pertinent question.

“Did you enjoy the last book?”

“Indeed.” He always answered as such. He strolled over to the “new arrivals” bookstand beside the front door, pausing to scratch the shop owner’s fluffy, fat cat behind his ears. Kyoko watched him with intense wonder and curiosity. Kyoya Hibari was a regular customer to the bookstore, but she had hardly heard more than a few words out of him out of the countless interactions they’d had.

Kyoya Hibari was slightly older than her, a high school third-year. He was the head of the disciplinary committee, a position he had relished since his time in middle school. Thus, he held high power and authority. His status naturally landed him in the eyes and thoughts of every hopeful young girl in the three-story building. He was the school’s heartthrob. Too bad Kyoya cared not for fledgling school romances. He also held the reputation of a ruthless heartbreaker, bluntly refusing every poor soul who dared toss her heart to him. Kyoya swatted a confession away like a disinterested cat and sauntered away, leaving the heartbroken girls sobbing in the halls and classrooms.

Kyoko hummed thoughtfully as she watched him peruse the selection. His calm and aloof demeanor certainly lent to the rumors; she’d never once seen him smile. Still… Can he be that cold-hearted?

“You’ve been staring a while. Is there something on my face?” Kyoko flushed when he suddenly turned his piercing gaze on her. His black eyes shone like polished obsidian, hard-edged and shining. Still, she detected no malice there, not even a glimmer of annoyance. More like… amused curiosity. Rubbing her pink cheek with an index finger, she regarded him enquiringly.

“No. I was just thinking about what all the girls say at school.”

“And what do they say?” he smirked, plucking a courtroom drama from the shelf and striding over to the counter. His every move exuded confidence and pride; he moved like a lithe panther, fluid and dangerous and riveting. Kyoko found herself involuntarily straightening up when he leaned over the counter to trace his index finger over the inked pages of her fantasy novel.

“They say you’re a cold-hearted, mean boy who won’t let anyone in. You don’t bare your heart to anybody.” He blinked, and then his mouth curled into a devilish smirk. Despite his attempts to seem amused, however, Kyoko saw a flash of pain in those obsidian eyes.

“They’re right. I don’t.” The blunt admission startled her, making her swallow thickly. What a mysterious boy. He comes right out and admits it, yet I have the feeling he’s not entirely truthful. The hardback binding of the courtroom drama scraped over the counter as he pushed it forward. “Just this, please.”

“That will be 1500 yen.” He fished over the proper amount of bills and dropped it into her hand, then grabbed the book. He never asked for a paper bag. He tucked it under his arm and headed for the door; the little bell chimed as he pushed it open, piercing the air like a cry of lament. He paused in the threshold and glanced over his shoulder at her.

“They’re all troublesome, those girls. They don’t care about my heart at all. To them, I’m just a pretty face.” Kyoko watched with wide eyes as he strode out of the bookshop. Her gaze trailed him through the clear glass window until he disappeared from her line of sight. The fat cat meowed and hopped onto the counter, butting her chest demanding pets. Robotically she complied, still gawking at the space he had melted behind the brick.

Kyoya Hibari… What a fascinating boy.

The next day he came, it was raining. Business was always mind-numbingly slow on rainy days, so Kyoko was reclined in one of the store’s bean bag chairs in the front lobby, flipping through a historical fiction novel. The drumming rain cascading down the glass gave the light a marbled effect, and the rhythmic pounding was the perfect level of ambient noise to help Kyoko concentrate on the book. Suddenly, the little bell chimed gleefully, and the fat cat mewed invitingly. When Kyoko peered over the top of the book, there Kyoya was, scratching the cat’s belly and poring over the “new arrivals” stand.

“Did you enjoy the last book?”

“Indeed,” he answered without looking at her. He plucked a book from the stand and read the summary before putting it back. “I enjoy reading about law and order.” Kyoko giggled, and in response, he peeked at her through his peripheral vision. “Is that amusing to you?”

“A little. You’re head of the disciplinary committee; I’m sure rules and order are something you enjoy very much. It’s just a little funny to hear you say it aloud.” He blinked slowly at her, not unlike a cat. The corner of his mouth then twitched upward into a wry smile.

“I suppose.” He retrieved another book from the stand, a biography of a civil rights activist. He tossed it up into the air by the spine, watching it twirl before catching it. Kyoko jumped when he abruptly rounded on her. “And what do you enjoy, Miss Sasagawa?” She admittedly flushed at the proper use of her name. Of course, he knew her name; it was written plainly on her nametag, and she had introduced herself to him as such. Yet, it made her feel… happy that he called her by name.

She closed the book and showed him the front cover.

“Love stories! This is a Victorian-era love story.” She imagined Kyoya had no interest in romances, given his track record of purchases from the bookstore, but he admired the tome with slight interest. He quirked his eyebrow, clearly asking for more details. “It tells the story of a young maid who works for a rich banker. He refuses to marry because he believes that all women love him for his money.”

“Why does that sound familiar?” Kyoya snorted in laughter. Kyoko blinked, then looked at the illustrated couple on the front cover. She then snickered. Now that she thought about it, the wealthy banker’s plight definitely resembled Kyoya’s present reality. Smirking, Kyoya sunk into one of the armchairs and crossed his legs. “What happens to this young banker? Do you know?”

“Oh, yes. This is one of my favorite love stories,” she nodded excitedly. “The banker marries the maid, because she was the only one who ever loved him for himself.” The smile fell from his face, returning that dull blank stare to his features. He gave her that slow, cat-like blink, but she could read nothing from the countless emotions swirling in those onyx irises of his. Slowly, he rose from the chair and regarded his chosen book as if it were suddenly the most uninteresting scientific dissertation.

“I wonder,” he breathed distantly, almost to himself. “I wonder.” Stiffly, he plodded to the counter and placed 1500 yen’s worth of bills on the wood. “The same price as usual, yes?” Kyoko tossed the book aside and jumped up.

“Y-Yes, but-!”

“Good-bye.” Then he was gone, the little doorbell wailing his parting. He plunged into the rain without even bothering to retrieve his umbrella from the small stand by the door. The fat cat sprung down from the windowsill and wound around her legs, purring thunderously. Kyoko wrung her hands thoughtfully, the image of his back still burning in her eyes.

Kyoya Hibari… Just what were you thinking, then?

He came again the following week. The wee bell tinkled his coming like the greeting of a long-parted friend. Kyoko stood within the stacks on a stepladder stocking the teen romance section. Through the gap between the row of novels and the wooden shelf, she could observe him scratching the massive cat on his haunches, with his other hand under his chin as he searched the “new arrivals” shelf for his latest read.

“Did you enjoy the last book?”

“Indeed,” he affirmed. Kyoko smiled, taking comfort in the ritualistic aspect of their interactions. She had come quite to enjoy his routine visits; the simple idea of looking forward to his coming was soothing, in a way. After he had stormed out so suddenly the previous week, she was slightly afraid he would not come back again.

“Hibari-” she began as she carefully climbed down the stepladder.

“You may call me Kyoya.” She paused halfway down the steps to gape at him surprisingly. His mischievous grin flashed at her through the bookshelves’ gaps. “I feel we are well acquainted enough for a mutual first-name basis, eh, Kyoko?” Her hand flew to her breast on reflex when her heart somersaulted in her chest, and her cheeks blazed bright pink. His obsidian eyes glinted at her from between the book spines, waiting, measuring to see if she would take offense. How could she? All her peers would kill to be on a first-name basis with the handsome Hibari Kyoya. Swallowing thickly, she peered around the bookshelf at him.

“Y-yes, I suppose so.”

“You have something on your mind,” he remarked. Kyoko sunk her teeth into her bottom lip; how could read her so effortlessly? She fisted the fabric of her sundress nervously, but she was not the type to lie or avert conversation away from a blatant question.

“You left so suddenly last time. I was afraid that I offended you in some way.” He stepped away from the display stand without even choosing a book, which made her eyes fly wide open. Kyoya always selected a new story to read; it was almost sacred practice by now. The routine was crumbling before her, and the deviation unsettled her. She retreated within the towering bookshelves as he approached her, and he stopped to loom over her with an amused yet regretful grin. He slipped his hands into his pants pockets, and bored deep into her soul with those eyes like pure polished hematite.

“And how could you offend me in any way?” His baritone voice rumbled, not unlike the fat house cat’s purr. The vibration rattled in Kyoko’s cells, making her body pulse with an electric energy unlike any she had ever experienced. “I left for personal reasons.”

“P-personal reasons?”

“Indeed.”

That was the first time Kyoko had ever seen Kyoya Hibari smile.

It was so warm, the way he looked at her, like a fire blazing to life in a long-cold hearth. Its heat pulsed in the small space between them, filling her to the brim with simmering fondness. She whispered his name but had no conscious intention of doing so. He brushed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles, and she instinctually leaned into the caress, craving so much more of his touch. “For a moment, I fancied myself the bachelor banker… But I was afraid that I would not find my maid.”

“What do you think now?”

“Well, that depends, Kyoko. Tell me… what do you think about me?” Kyoko frowned as she considered how to formulate her genuine opinions of Kyoya. She knew he would not appreciate flowery words or placating lies, so she settled for brutal honesty.

“I think that you distance yourself from others because you are afraid that they won’t see you for what you truly are… and that saddens you. You come here to the bookstore to escape that sad reality, if only for a little while.” His face softened, and the hand caressing her cheekbone stilled to cup the entire side of her face.

“Astute observation, but it seems one minor detail escaped your notice.” When she blinked inquisitively at him, he smirked, “I come to the bookstore to visit the one person who does see me for who I really am.” Kyoko’s face burned with a fiery blush up to the tips of her ears, and the way her mouth wriggled unsurely made the stoic man chuckle softly. His hand dropped from her face to begin skipping along the book spines of the romance section.

“Are you… going to try a new kind of book today? You’ve never bought a romance novel before.”

“Indeed.” He smirked toothily at her. “I’m looking for a rather specific story, however. It’s one of a cold-hearted, mean disciplinary committee president who bared his heart to a bookstore attendant. Do you happen to know it?” Kyoko could not help but squeal, clap her hands on her cheeks, and whirl on her heel. Who knew Kyoya was such a smooth talker?! Oh, my heart is going to beat right out of my chest! “Kyoko.” She whirled back around with a very loud “hmm?!” to find Kyoya replacing a book to the shelf. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Do have the story in stock.” With a final, cocky smirk and a glint in those obsidian eyes, he promptly took his leave, forsaking Kyoko to short-circuit in the stacks. The little bell signaled his departure, tinkling a promise of short return.

“Oh my. Oh my!” Kyoko whispered under her breath as she paced violently in the two-foot-wide stretch of hallway between the bookshelves. In one turn of her frantic striding, she spied a strip of paper peeking out between two book spines where Kyoya had been messing around just a few minutes ago. She sank to her knees when she discovered his phone number written on it. “Oh my! Oh gosh! The other girls will kill me for this, but- ah!” she screamed and hugged the scrap of paper to her chest. The bulky, fluffy cat came sauntering up with his feathery tail swaying, rubbing his head against Kyoko’s bent knee.

“Can you believe it, big guy? I finally get my own love story!” she beamed and pulled the purring creature into her lap to happily rub his furry tummy.

A love story indeed, one not written within any leather book spine in the entirety of the world… One that was her own, and that was real.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork​ @khrrarepairweek​

[agentaletha]

YA Ace Secondary Character - Dread Nation

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Published 2018 by Balzer + Bray

I recently read Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, an alternate history where the Civil War was put on hold when zombies started to rise. Slavery has been abolished, but due to a new law called the Negro Reeducation Act, our protagonist, Jane, is at a training school to become a companion/bodyguard for a white family. One of her classmates is Katherine, her rival. Jane saves the day, but gets blamed and she and Katherine get sent off to a mysterious settlement out west. 

Some light spoilers after the cut

Jane passes light skinned Katherine off as white when they arrive and their relationship changes from rivals to partners. Eventually we find out that Katherine is ace when she complains about having to lead the sheriff on to accomplish their goals. Katherine is pretty, smart, and good at manipulating people, as she says:

“”What did you expect Jane? I grew up in a whorehouse. If there’s anyone who knows how to put on an act, it is a women dependent upon the appetites of men for her living.” There’s a sharp tone to her voice, a reminder that she’s playing this role because I asked it of her, not because she wanted to.” p.357.

It is YA, so there is some love triangle action going in, but less than Jane thinks. Katherine: “I did not fancy him. I don’t fancy anyone. But he was a good person and his passing is unfortunate.” p.334.

She goes into more detail a little later on, about passing and more explicitly saying she’s ace:

““I don’t want to live the rest of my life as a liar. To turn my back on my own people. And I definitely don’t want to be someone’s wife. I don’t want a man.”

I shift uncomfortably next to her. Is this your way of telling me you fancy women?” Not that I mind that. I’ve been distracted by a pretty face every now now and again myself. But trying to imagine Katherine pledging herself to a life as a spinster doesn’t quite fit.

Katherine jumps to her feet and begins to pace. “No!” I don’t fancy anyone. I’ve seen the way you look at Mr. Gideon and I’ve seen the way you look at Jackson. I’ve even seen the way you used to look at Merry Alfred when she was at Miss Preston’s.” ...

She keeps talking like I haven’t said a word. “ But I don’t feel that way about anyone Jane. I never have and I’m not sure I ever will.”

“Oh well, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“But that’s what makes it so hard. I don’t want to get married. I don’t want to chase after some man or set up housekeeping with another women. I’m just not interesting. I want to see the world!”” p. 362-363.

The word asexual is not used, but that fits with the setting, and the explanation goes into a fair amount of detail, also ruling out that she likes women instead. Jane accepts it surprisingly well, considering she has no frame of reference for it (and as they discuss, is bi herself). She may be aro as well, as they’re not distinguishing between sexual and romantic attraction.

This seems to be a book that is either very much your thing or not at all your thing. Neither zombies nor civil war era history interest me that much, and the fact that this was clearly the set up for a longer series made this more of a slog than I expected. Yay for women of color as protagonists, yay for bisexual character, and I also enjoyed many of the other women characters. Also lots of blatant racism, but with a more nuanced examination about passing. I’ll definitely pick up the next one, but I’m less interested in the plot than the characters.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of Marvel: Week of July 24th, 2019

Best of this Week: House of X #1 - Jonathan Hickman, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia and Clayton Cowles

“You have new Gods now.” - Erik Lehnsherr, 2019

The new era of X-Men is here and for all of its familiarity, it does something new and sort of unsettling with a tried and true formula. This is thanks to the beauty and scale of Larraz’s art and the far and wide nature with which Jonathan Hickman is crafting yet another saga to rival both his SHIELD and Avengers runs. If you let it, House of X will engulf you in a rich new mutant world filled with happiness and untold amounts of pride by it end, but also with a good helping of fear… as if everything is just a little bit off.

The book begins with a great wide shot of a figure staring up at what appears to be the root of or at least some important part of a tree. Two other figures, a woman with red hair and a man with glowing eyes, are birthed from two sacs under the tree and we get the familiar line, “To me, my X-Men. Presumably, this is Charles Xavier and as we progress, this idea is made clear as it seems we are doing away with the “X” identity he took up during Astonishing X-Men (2018). This also serves as some clear symbolism of a new rebirth for the X-Men.

Over the next few panels, we are shown shots of various X-Men planting flowers, plucked from the island of Krakoa, in various areas from their home in Westchester, New York to Mars, the moon and the Savage Land. The book is then framed around Magneto and two of the Stepford Cuckoos giving ambassadors from various countries a tour of the various locales that Krakoa has been placed upon as they ponder Charles’ proposed deal. This deal would allow them to make use of the flowers of Krakoa for various medicinal purposes, possibly making the world a much better place, so long as they agree to recognizing the sovereignty of the Krakoa nation state. A new Haven for Mutantkind.

Of course there have been such efforts made in the past. Genosha, the first and most prominently mentioned example, is alluded to have been the catalyst for humankind not being taken over by the mutant X gene. Mutantkind apparently would have become the dominant race on the planet Earth within ten years if not for Genosha’s destruction. Asteroid M and Utopia weren’t mentioned, but my guess is that they simply weren’t as impactful in regard to mutant kind likely because of the events of House of M (2005) dwindling their numbers to nothing. As it stands now, after the implementation of Krakoa spiking the birth rates to much higher than previously calculated, that humanity has about 20 years left.

These estimations are made by a brand new organization known as The Orchis Protocol, a network built for the purpose of monitoring evolutionary anomalies and preparing a doomsday protocol in case humanity is threatened by Homo Superior. The organization apparently consists of ex assets from practically all major organizations in the Marvel Universe from AIM, SHIELD and Hydra to even Hammer, Alpha Flight and SWORD. Some of Larraz’s best shots are in the scenes where we’re introduced to this mysterious group. They pilot a ship towards the sun and we get a good shot of the outside of a portion of their space station as they dock their ship.

Karima, an Omega Sentinel character that hasn’t been seen since sometime after Second Coming (2010) accompanies an Orchis higher up as they talk about the state of absolutely giant station so close to the sun. We get a bit of a tour before we get the best and most ominous shot of the full station. It appears to be the head of MASTER MOLD surrounded by hexagonal plates, the most terrifying shape in all of fiction. Master Mold hasn’t been really seen since about 1994, and again in 2010 because of universe jump in Second Coming. Master Mold was one of the X-Men’s most dangerous threats for it ability to produce sentinels at a rapid rate, so there’s no way that this can mean anything good.

Cutting back to New York, Mystique, Sabretooth and Toad are stealing information from the Damage Control Database. Mystique and Toad manage to get away, but Creed is captured by Invisible Woman and the rest of the Fantastic Four. Scott Summers shows up to remind them of the amnesty that’s apparently been granted to mutants, including thieves and possible killers like Sabretooth. Scott and, normally even tempered, Reed butt heads a little bit as Reed has a problem with Sabretooth getting away with his crimes and Scott acquiesces, seeing that Reed is serious. Scott does leave them with one sick burn as he tells Reed and Sue that Franklin has actual family on Krakoa when he’s ready.

What I love best about this scene is just how smug Reed is about all of this. For years, mutants have tried to stay out of the affairs of the greater Superhero world out of fear for their reputations. The shoe is on the other foot now that they have all of the leverage and the power that they so deserve. Even more awesomely, Scott’s new costume is a fantastic design combining the best of his Astonishing costume with the angular design of his Uncanny X-Men costume, minus the X mask, with blue lines instead of red.

Speaking of colors, Marte Garcia excelled in this regard. There’s so much symbolism to be gleaned from something as simple as a color change. Cyclops wore that suit in a red hue when he was a violent radical; having it recolored blue gives off the hint that he’s still a radical, but in the way that he dealt with the situation between Reed, he’s more hands off, non-violent even. Magneto normally wears red and purple when he’s angry and evil and gray during the AXIS (2015) era and that alluded to his anti-hero nature during that time. This go around he’s wearing white. He’s also peaceful, but at the same time he’s as graceful and imposing as he always has been, never betraying the idea that he is still the same man, but won’t harm anyone as long as they respect mutants. The most glaring example is the change in color from the AIM scientists where they’re wearing red instead of yellow.

In between each different scene we’re given these little interludes in the form of documents called Xavier files. These give some background on the new elements introduced in the book and the best one is the Omega Level file. There have been hundreds of mutants introduced over the years, many of which could have been considered Omega Level mutants, but thanks to Hickman’s expert writing, things have been parsed down to just fourteen. On Twitter, he stated that the X-Men lore was nothing but chaos, so he wrote a 14,000 word memo on what the new status quo would be, including limiting the use of the term “Omega Level.” This undoubtedly helps to establish something of a power structure given the high number of mutants that are known about while also acknowledging other heroes. Notably, while Forge is a master of technopathy, his level has been surpassed by humans in the past, but Magneto is the only master of Magnetism.

I want to bring things back to the tour. After it is over, several of the ambassadors agree to support Xavier. Russia’s ambassador never had intentions too, neither did one of the representatives of STRIKE as he was simply assigned to watch another ambassador. The last ambassador had a weapon hidden and Magneto immediately dismantles it and promises to each of them that things will be different. He wants them to tell their superiors that while Charles made the offer out of grace and love, it is NOT a negotiation.

Magneto takes pride in this. So much so that his assurance and steadfastness in his stance is powerful. It moved me. He tells them to be grateful for the bounty they’re receiving out of graciousness as mutants, like Thanos, are inevitable. It’s like he can actually see a future, one not shrouded in darkness for mutants and he’s smiling because he knows it’s coming.

This is one of the more interesting aspects of the book. Charles Xavier had always wanted to coexist with humanity, but after years of divisions and attacks, he seems to mostly be done with that. He’s willing to give humanity Krakoa’s flowers to make pills that will help them as long as they leave mutants alone. He’s effectively made something that will definitely topple the pharmaceutical market and he has to know that humanity would start to get very afraid. Not only that, but Krakoa has the ability to create portals that can move mutants from place to place without humans being able to track where they’re going. Of course the ambassadors are afraid of the use they could have as far as movement and positioning in case things went to war, but Magneto assures them that it is only them that wants war.

Everything seems perfect. Everything seems like it’s going to be alright, but that helmet… something about that helmet and the bodysuit reminds me of The Maker, another Jonathan Hickman creation from his turn on The Ultimates. It scares me and I needed that, I needed something to keep me hooked and the fear that everything is not as it seems is just that.

House of X hit the ground running. While it does little to acknowledge the fantastic Uncanny X-Men run from Matthew Rosenberg, that’s probably for the best. Jonathan Hickman does his best work when he has a fresh slate. He took over Avengers from Brian Michael Bendis and made an amazing story over the course of nearly four years. He reinvigorated SHIELD and the Fantastic Four with innovative stories that had nothing to do with the books prior to them. Hell, the reverberations of his runs on each of these are still being felt to this day.

Pepe Larraz was possibly the absolute best artist to capture Hickman’s vision for this project. His high angles and wide shots give credence to the size of the story. His facial expressions give into the idea that mutants have won this time, there’s hope where previously there was none. Body language surprisingly upbeat, bouncy even. There’s a lot to say about symbolism in terms of sun positioning in many scenes. The book has many showing the sun rising, symbolically showing a rise for the mutants. I see Orchis base near the sun as an allegory for Icarus flying too close to it. As the book ends with a sunset over Jerusalem, I see things as the sun setting on the time of humanity.

X-Men and their vast history is absolutely ripe for fine tuning if not complete destruction only for it to be made bigger and better in the years to come. I have no idea where this story is going and with 80,000 spin-offs incoming with a bunch of different creative teams, there will absolutely be something for everyone. In an attempt to revitalize a part of the world that used to sell like gangbusters, Jonathan Hickman is gearing up to shoot the X-Men right back up to the moon and light the world on fire behind them.

[erniesbrainfreeze]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ZOE ROBINS, NINJA STEEL WHITE RANGER: by pearl, co-moderator of @erniesbrainfreeze 

The lovely & talented Zoe Robins, who plays Hayley Foster in Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel, was kind enough to agree to an exclusive interview for erniesbrainfreeze with me and we spent almost four hours talking about Hayley’s backstory, the romance between Calvin & Hayley, her favorite moments with the cast, and how she got started with acting!

Below the cut is our conversations, my questions/comments and her answers. And thank you to those in the fandom who gave me amazing questions to ask her!

We hope you enjoy the incredible behind-the-scenes information Zoe has shared with us and don’t forget to watch Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel every Saturday on Nickelodeon at 12/11 central!

PEARL: So the first question is about Hayley, she seems like a really fun character to play even if she doesn’t always get a lot of focus. What’s something about Hayley’s character that you have in your head or in your personal notes that we might not know from the show itself?

ZOE: Ooo great question! I decided early on that Hayley’s love for animals stems from her experiences of always being surrounded by them from a young age. She was raised on a small ranch with her mom and younger brother after her parent’s divorce. They were almost self-sustainable. Her caring nature comes from her mother who dedicated her life to sustainable living and caring for the planet.

Her empathy and compassion for all things come from the unconditional love and bond she has with her younger brother, who recently came out as gay.

PEARL: Oh, I love that so much! I always thought of Hayley as being a flower child raised by environmentalists so her being raised on a ranch is so cool! And so much love for the idea of her little brother, I wish Power Rangers would explore that some day for real.

Question by Jaz @elizabethdelgados: If there was an episode that you could have solely about Hayley, what would you make it about? How would you incorporate her backstory into a Power Rangers-esque plot?

ZOE: I would love an episode to be just a solely Hayley focus. She hasn’t had that yet - and there’s obviously so much more to her than just being Calvin’s girlfriend and a part of the ranger team.

If anything it would be about her and Kody, or maybe a situation where she goes above and beyond with helping someone and actually makes things worse. I think one of her weaknesses is that she gives too much of herself so learning to put herself first and valuing the process of self love would be fun to explore, and a great lesson for children! And adults as well!

PEARL: That’s so true and it would work great since a lot of the other rangers have had their flaws highlighted in various focus episodes. And we all love Kody so more of him is always good.

In fact, a question by Chipster @kimberlyannharts: Since having an animal as a side character is pretty uncommon for Power Rangers, how did you prepare for working alongside Kody? Did you have to take time to do classes or exercises with him before the show and how did you approach that as an actor?

ZOE: I’ve never owned a dog in my life so initially I was really nervous! We had a few chances to meet and play before we started and really it was just about us being comfortable around each other. The trainers were amazing and were always nearby!

I would have treats in my pocket or in my hand if he (Jax was his real name) needed to come to me in the scene or do something wild like wake me up by licking my face in the forest. We actually had peanut butter and bits of raw meat under my fringe so he would lick my face in that scene. It was nasty and I smelled so bad hahah

PEARL: Wow, that sounds gross but also your dedication is inspiring! I’ve also never owned a dog so I don’t think I could do that. But it came out great in show, I love watching Hayley and Kody together.

Speaking of your fringe, a lot of us were wondering, since Hayley’s hair is a lot more relaxed than your hairstyle at your Power Morphicon reveal 2 years ago, how did you or the stylists come up with that style? I know they made Chrysti [Ane] dye her hair blonde (I guess for hair color diversity?) so did they also ask you to relax your curls? (question by @hunterbradley)

ZOE: It was production’s idea, I would’ve loved to have kept the curls but I guess maintaining the look like the one they chose is much easier! And yes when we were all initially cast, we all looked very similar. Tan/brown skin tones with dark hair, so I think they were worried that kids might not be able to tell us apart lol. I would love to see a ranger with dreads or braids one day.

PEARL: Well, that’s fair, but there’s just so little natural hair representation in kids shows. I think there’s only been one ranger with dreads and one with an afro, both before the current era.*

ZOE: Absolutely! I would’ve been more than happy to rock my natural hair for representation.

PEARL: A question by Tabitha @operationoverdrive: It’s a sad fact that only five black actresses have played power rangers in the past 25 years (and you’re the fifth), however that is the perfect amount for a teamup! Have you had a chance to meet any of these actresses and how has it been to meet previous rangers in general? Did they give you any advice on being a ranger?

ZOE: Yes, I have, and they were beyond lovely. Camille [Hyde] was the first I met and she was so sweet! I met Karan [Ashley] at Comic Con and then Morphicon and Nakia [Burrise] as well. Everyone is just so great and for the most part the advice has been to make the most of every moment. They’ve all welcomed us to the “family” from the moment we were announced which has been so special.

PEARL: That’s so sweet! I love Karan and Nakia so much, they’re always so genuine and wonderful to their fans.

Going a little back to Hayley, she mostly sticks to Calvin and Preston for the majority of the series. Was there any cast member or guest star you wished you would’ve gotten a chance to work with more? (question also by Tabitha)

ZOE: I would’ve loved more scenes directly with Kelson [Henderson]. I couldn’t speak more highly of him. He’s the most professional, talented and down-to-earth person I’ve ever worked with and he’s a wonderful man too. He is so patient and had a great way of calming us most days when we were in the 11th hour of shooting and slowly losing the plot. Haha! I probably learned the most from him - his tenacity and gratefulness for the work grounded me so much.

Chrysti and I had a lot of fun with the Hayley and Sarah episode with their parents! It would’ve been nice to have more female driven episodes!

PEARL: That’s so sweet! Everyone has only high praise for Kelson, he’s such a legend on this show, I’m so glad he ended up being on Ninja Steel.  And we loved that Hayley/Sarah episode! Their cute little handshake/hair flip thing was adorable and their dynamic was so fun and unique.

ZOE: Hahaha we put that in there ourselves! There’s a lot of stuff we added in the hopes that they’d make the edit and surprisingly a good amount of it did!

PEARL: That makes it even cuter! I love all the little things you guys add in the show it helps make the rangers so much brighter as characters.

Speaking of, Nico [Greetham] and Chrysti both recently took to Twitter to talk about how there was originally a love triangle/breakup storyline planned for Calvin/Hayley and Sarah, but that you and Chrysti spoke to Chip [Lynn] and they decided not to do it - a great choice, as we all love Calvin/Hayley. But we were wondering, did that plot ever get to script and what do you think Hayley’s feelings would’ve been on a potential Calvin/Sarah relationship? Would she have eventually moved on as well? Maybe even with one of the other boys on the team, although that would definitely be awkward, but Hayley has had focus eps with Preston and Levi both and those dynamics are really fun and interesting.

ZOE: We were told very early on with the story lines and both Chrysti and I were really confused about where they were going with it and concerned about the message being put out. We arranged a meeting with Chip where he really listened to us and I’m assuming saw how much we cared about the relationships within the whole cast. Women are constantly being pitted against each other in society and we were just not having it in our show.

Ultimately, Hayley would be fine, lol. Of course Calvin is her best friend and she loves him but she has joy and love for many other things in her life too! It would take some time for them to get over a breakup and remain in the same team and deal with the enormous responsibility of saving the world (lol) but those two have a lot of respect for each other so I think they would be able to stay friends.

Also LOL! I’ve seen some comments about the chemistry between Hayley and Levi. There are a lot of eps with Preston and Hayley together too. Honestly I think it’s because I just have so much fun with them both and love them very much as people so that probably translated on screen. I don’t think any of the rangers in our season would switch up partners haha

PEARL: I’m so glad Chip listened because yeah, two girls fighting over a guy is almost never a good storyline and it’s so predictable in media nowadays. Although I personally love romance & drama so I really enjoyed the ep with Calvin getting jealous over Hayley and Preston even though there was nothing between them haha. And that’s so cute how much Calvin and Hayley love each other, I think it really comes across on screen! You have great chemistry with the whole cast of course but you and Nico play off each other so well.

Have you and Nico ever discussed how Calvin and Hayley met and ended up in a relationship? They’ve been dating for two years by season 2 but was it a childhood friends to lovers thing or did they meet in high school, what do you think the start of their romance was like?

ZOE: For drama, yeah, I can see why they thought that could work but it’s just so contrasting to the tone of our show it just didn’t make sense. I’m glad production listened too! Because it was in something called “The Power Rangers Bible” which had storylines that we were told were set in stone and could not be changed!

And yes we have! Though I have absolutely no idea where my journal is for Hayley so I won’t be able to say what we agreed on and discussed 100%. I think we decided that they had been friends for a few years before dating and Calvin secretly crushed on Hayley for a while. I think we went out for a drive in his truck to a beach one night to watch the sunset and he asked Hayley out. Nico can correct me if I’m wrong but I’m sure I’m not pulling it out of nowhere! Haha

PEARL: That’s the cutest thing ever! You know, usually in Power Rangers they would just show the crush part (see: Tyler and Shelby, or Jake and Gia) without bothering to show the relationship part so it’s really cool that we started with Calvin and Hayley already established. But I would’ve loved to have seen that sunset scene. We all love Calvin and Hayley so much, their focus episodes are some of the best and most charming eps of the show.

ZOE: We really wanted to have flashbacks and conversations that alluded to the start of their romance but I guess it’s fun that the audience can fill it in for themselves :)

Thank you! Nico and I worked really really hard on the relationship and spent a lot of time getting to know each other off set before we started filming - and then obviously during the duration of filming. As a result we became really close, so our job was easy! The chemistry was already there!

PEARL: That’s so cute! The effort you guys put in really shows, even in the background scenes, how Calvin softens whenever Hayley is near him and how she’s always touching him... a lot of us are romantics at heart in this fandom so we love seeing that.

ZOE: Haha I love it! There’s so much opportunity to sneak those things in as the Rangers stand around as a group a lot! So we wanted to make it as believable as possible

PEARL: We’ve talked a lot about Hayley and I love all the new stuff we’ve learned about her but we also wanted to know more about you! Zali @2014federalbudget wanted to know: Being a kiwi, do you prefer to work at home in New Zealand or abroad in America/Canada? And are there are any classic New Zealand shows that you would be interested in being a part of?

ZOE: Working at home would be a lot easier as I’m pretty familiar with the way things work over here and ideally I want to be near family. Unfortunately our industry is so small and diversity is still an issue, so I’m finding I’m auditioning for a lot more projects overseas, mainly in America. I would’ve loved to be on Outrageous Fortune for a bit. It looked like a lot of fun and many talented actors that I look up to (Antonia Prebble, Claire Chitham, Sophie Henderson, Nicole Whippy, just to name a few) were on there and do amazing work.

PEARL: That makes sense, and that would be so cool! Did you know Antonia Prebble was on Power Rangers too?

ZOE: Yes I did! She was also on a show called The Tribe! I was in a remake of the show when I was twelve so I’ve been a fan of her work for a while!

PEARL: That’s amazing! I love the connections between Kiwi ranger actors, there are so many of you guys!

Kels (@rltarepulsas on twitter) asked a related question: Was there a role you saw growing up that made you want to act?

ZOE: It was Dakota Fanning in a role.. it may have been in I am Sam or Charlotte’s Webb - I can’t actually remember the specifics. But I do remember watching her and thinking “Oh that’s it. That’s the thing I want to do.”

PEARL: Dakota Fanning is super talented, that’s so cool! We also loved you on the Shannara Chronicles - how was that experience like and how was filming a more teen-oriented show different from a kids show like Power Rangers?

ZOE: Oh thank you! That was my first big international project and I was super anxious going into it but I had such a great time. The people involved were awesome. Very talented NZ actors and from overseas - Austin [Butler] is one of the sweetest people you could meet. I love doing fantasy too, and my character Zora is so much cooler than I am! Haha! I had to have archery training for that which was a lot of fun.

PEARL: Archery training sounds hardcore but then you also went through PR’s stunt training so I guess you can do anything!

We are all super excited to see you in more projects after PR! Ivory @lunarskye wanted to know if there are any projects you’ve been working on currently and if you can tell us anything about how they’re going?

ZOE: Thank you! At the moment I’m just enjoying being home after being in LA for over a month. With the down time I’m hoping to finally start writing, I have a few stories that I want to tell. But I’m auditioning for projects a lot of the time :)

PEARL: Oh, you’re a writer too? That’s so cool, what kind of stories do you write? Is it like scripts or do you prefer novel form?

ZOE: I’m not actually! Haha I just have some experiences and stories that I want to share. And they would be scripts. I definitely want to work behind the scenes as well as act :)

PEARL: Either way, that’s awesome! Did you get to do anything behind the scenes on Power Rangers? I know Peter [Sudarso] said he would pitch scripts to Chip occasionally and he even got to write an episode once.

ZOE: It’s something I’ve never thought that I could do but I’ve been so inspired lately to say something that it’s only a matter of time until I give in lol

Chip and the production team were great about that actually, in that they fully invited us to basically intern - be it shadowing directors if we wanted or submit scripts etc. Honestly I can’t speak for the whole cast but I do know we were super tired after working 6 days a week and there wasn’t much more we could give of ourselves when the week was over. It really was like an endurance test and I think for the most part we chose to focus on the task at hand and look after ourselves the best we could. Which meant on our day off we would relax and do whatever we needed to refresh ourselves. And yes, Peter’s episode was actually amazing, I hope he continues with that as well.

PEARL: Ah, that makes sense but it’s really cool that they let you do that! Speaking of the cast and your downtime, Kat @powerprincesses wanted to know, with you and Jordi [Webber] being the kiwis of the cast, was there any sort of culture clash with you guys? Did you take them out to tour New Zealand at any point and show them the sights?

ZOE: We had a few bonding trips before we started, one was heading out to a beautiful west coast beach called Piha together. We just spent time together and practised our morph on the sand lol it was cute!

Chip had an evil idea of picking us up super early in the morning a week or so before filming, to drive a few hours out of Auckland to do the Waitomo caves. Look them up, they’re extraordinary! You end up abseiling into this cave, and trudging through mud and water to see waterfalls and the amazing cave formations - and the glow worms! I’m pretty sure it was on our day off so none of us wanted to go as we were tired from training and all we wanted to do was sleep and prep. But Chip was right, it was one of the best times we had together.

Jordi took a few of the boys to his home in Rotorua, where they met his family and were introduced to some parts of the Maori culture. I know that was really special for them too.

PEARL: That all sounds so amazing! Those caves must have been seriously magical to witness. And that’s so cool about Jordi and the boys, I wish we got more of his Maori culture in the show, it would be really neat to teach more people about that. I think he’s only our second or third Maori actor on Power Rangers.

ZOE: It would’ve been super cool! But for some reason they didn’t have any New Zealand characters in our season!

PEARL: I noticed, that was so weird, especially since they let Chase not only be kiwi on the show in Dino Charge but he got whole episodes devoted to his New Zealand culture, including one where his little sister was part of a Maori dance group. But I guess since Ninja Steel is an anniversary season they wanted to take it back to the show’s American high school theme roots?

ZOE: I’m not sure! I think it has something to do with the tax incentives here where international productions have had to somehow showcase New Zealand for tourism benefits and have a certain amount of New Zealanders as cast. I think that’s changed cause we didn’t do that at all lol

PEARL: I definitely remember reading about a New Zealand grant starting with Dino Charge, yeah. I think it’s mentioned in the credits of each episode too. I think Peter also once told me that just having two kiwi actors in the cast was enough so maybe that’s what changed?

ZOE: I’m not sure. I remember Chip telling me that Jordi and I weren’t cast because of that as it didn’t apply anymore :) Makes sense as the new rangers are all American!

PEARL: Well that’s interesting... I’m glad you guys were cast anyway! It’s really so much fun watching you all each Saturday, I can’t express how much I love Ninja Steel.

I should wrap this up as I think I’ve asked a lot of questions already, so just one last one: Is there anything you can tell us about this last batch of upcoming Ninja Steel episodes, things to look forward to in general? Anything exciting for Hayley coming up?

ZOE: Us too :) Thanks so much! It means the world to me to have amazing fans like you. Thank you! And yes, I don’t want to give away too much but I think the best stuff with Hayley is yet to come xxxx

[sithlordintraining]

Little Lucy II

A/N: This fic is old and I decided to FINALLY share it. It’s only four parts and will be posted on Wednesday. I’m taking a break from my other works because of midterms. So I hope you enjoy.

Summary: Everyday Kylo thanked God for sending you to him. You were something different, something fresh. Like now, as you two walked in the autumn breeze back to your apartment, your eyes were glued on him lovingly while everyone else stared at you: ‘The most beautiful being God himself created.’

Little Lucy Masterlist

Kylo stood in the middle of the room frozen and unsure of what to do. Was he really in hell? When the cab driver that he cut in front of today told him to go to hell, he really didn’t think that he would be taking his advice. Sweat began to form on his skin. Was it him or was it literally hot as hell? Awkwardly, he parted his feet and held his arms open in a stance just in case something would pop out. His eyes were glued to the door but every once and a while, he would jump to see if there was something behind him. This lasted for a good five minutes before he tired himself out. Like a worn down child, he slowly made his way to your massive canopy bed that rested on a raised platform. He sat at the edge making sure to not crease crimson and gold velvet blanket that covered the detailed mahogany silk sheets. His brown orbs observed the whole room taking in every intricate detail, from the golden furniture, large fire pit, chiffon fabric that bellowed over the bed, and the dome ceilings that appeared to fade from its old gold hue and disappear to never-ending darkness. This room was truly fit for a Queen. Queen of the Underworld to be correct. Kylo gently fell back and rested his sweaty palms against his stomach. He took in deep breaths as he recalled the past events. “This is all too much.” He mumbled with closed eyes before drifting off to sleep.

Something tickled against his cheek causing him to stir. Slowly, his long lashes fluttered open to see your beautiful face framed by your (y/h/c) hair. A smile lifted his cheeks as he closed his eyes once more. “Babe, I had the craziest dream. That red rotary phone by your bed rung and I answered it. You turned out to be the devil.” Kylo looked at you with hooded eyes as he began to shift up. “Then you took me to HELLLLLLLL!” Eyes widening as he let out a scream with varying, who he assumed were demons, staring back at him. They were creatures that haunted every mind, being able to ignite at least one fear. The larger ones with marred and seared wings clearly covered in large amounts of soot. Y/N’s hand pressed against his chest as she tried to calm him down. “Kylo, Kylo, calm down!” You shushed him. “Y/N wh-what’s going on? Whe-where are we? H-How is this real?” All these questions flew out his mouth as you still tried to calm him. “Kylo, Kylo, yes, it’s true.” You looked into his eyes. “We are in hell, I am the devil, and these are my demon lords.” You shyly turned to them. “And this is Kylo, my boyfriend...and he’s human.” A groan left their lips. Loud voices filled the room with some archaic language which he guessed was latin, mixed with hisses. He could see Y/N’s nose flare before she too was communicating with them in the language. “ENOUGH!” Her voice echoed off the walls; everyone composed themselves quickly, even Kylo. “Leave us,” She ordered and they filed out. One brave demon turned around and said “ It is in my power to do you no harm, but the Raphael spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Y/N.' “

Kylo saw Y/N’s jaw tighten as she stares down her subordinate down before he left. Silence filled the room as Kylo watch her chest heave. “Y/N,” He called out, but she did not answer. “Y/N,” His fingers hooked under your chin, but you didn’t budge. A sigh slipped past his lips before he begged once more. She gave in, allowing him to guide her to face him. “Look at me...please.” Her eyes averted his for as long as she could before her lashes fluttered up to reveal glowing eyes. Her normally (y/e/c) eyes were now black with streaks of gold and faint blood-red rings circling the iris. He wasn’t prepared for the sight, so he couldn’t help his reflexed jump. Y/N scolded herself as she looked down. This was the side of her she didn’t want him to see. Tears began to fill in her eyes. “What did he mean?” Kylo inquired. “I don’t know,” You sniffled. That sound wrenched his heart. Both hands cradled your face as he lifted them once more. For a moment, he just watched your eyes slowly revert back to its natural color as the tears seemed to build up even more. “I can’t cry.” You huffed, rolling your eyes. “It’s ok,” His plump lips pressed a kiss to your nose then your cheeks and the rest of the soft feverish skin on your face. “If I do I’ll cause another natural disaster.” Kylo stopped at your words and mulled it over. “So you're telling me every time you cry you cause a hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruptions?” He inquired. “When I cry it’s tsunamis, hurricanes, and floods; when I’m mad it’s volcanoes, earthquakes, sinkholes, etc.” You sighed. His mind drifted back to the other day when there was a flash flood which, then, coincidentally you watched a documentary about children and war. “Well, then let’s make you happy!” A squeal left your lips as Kylo’s long fingers tickled up and down your sides. Giggles filled the room; a sound that was never heard in the Underworld. The tickling ceased as Kylo peered down at your beautiful face. “What happens when you’re happy?” He asked. You shook your head peering up at him with shining eyes. “Nothing,” You shook your head. “Because nothing bad happens when you’re happy.” Kylo pressed a kiss to your nose, before looking into your eyes.

“You’re the only thing in this universe that makes me happy.” You said softly. A blush began to form on his face. “There had to be something that made you happy before you met me.” Your eyes glazed over as you looked into the fiery abyss. “Once, but it was long before I met you. Long before you were even born.” You told him. A deep chuckle left his lips as he scratched the back of his neck. “Honestly, I knew you looked too good and young for your age but what are you like 2000 years old?” He joked. You rolled your eyes, “I don’t think I even qualify as a cougar, I’m more like the Felis Attica.” “What is that?” He asked. “Exactly,” You huffed. “So...you weren’t an angel like they say?” He asked. “No, not exactly.” You turned to him. “I wasn’t the first,” You gestured to yourself. “I was once human, like you. I lived in the area of what you now call East Africa that stretched up.” He watched as her hands delicately moved up. “I was born in a village, to a family that didn’t have much. We were simple people, farmers.” All Kylo did was blink and when he opened his eyes he was transported to your world. The sand that swirled around his feet as a herd of goats passed him by. He squinted under the hot sun looking at his surroundings, unbelieving that he was in a realm of Christ era. He felt a tug; an unknown force that pulled him towards a small hut. He did his best to avoid bumping into people, but it was hard due to his stature. He was surprised about how much he towered of them more the usual. But then, he stopped in his tracks as he saw you.

You were much younger, a child, maybe seven. Your face was fuller and your complexion darker from the sun, a thick cloth wrapped around your hair. Almost sensing him, your younger self looked up, eyes connecting. Just as fast as it began it ended as you stood up following the voice that called out for you. Although you were not with him, Y/N’s voice was strong as he heard you continue your story. “The village thought I was beautiful and offered my gifts and prayers as if I were a God.” Second Commandment: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.  “One night my village was raided and I was kidnapped by a man who had claimed he saved me. He offered me solace in this time in return of servitude. But in reality, my parents had sold me for more prosperity. And I cursed them since that day.” Fifth Commandment: Honour thy father and thy mother. The scene had changed before Kylo’s eyes and he saw you tending to your chores and growing into womanhood, and he wasn’t the only one that noticed it. The man who had saved you offered you freedom but only if you agreed to marriage. You were at the normal age but the man grew possessive, frequently he had men offering to buy your freedom for a hand in marriage. “I accepted, of course. He had shown me nothing but kindness and I didn’t think things would change. But it did.” Time seemed to move face as he watched innocence and light leave your light being replaced by fear and bruises that littered your body. Kylo felt his chest tightening just thinking about anyone doing this to any women, who was more child than woman, but more specifically you. It had happened to you and there was no way he could have protected you. “He told me he would stop once I bear him a son. But just the simple task of bearing a child was hard enough.” Your voice wavered. “But then there was Timbu.”

Kylo noticed how your voice perked up and he turned to see a man a few inches shorter than him, with bronze skin and thick dark hair. His body was marked with many tattooed ticks. “He too was also a slave, we had met when I first came, he was my friend. But he was carried off to war where he became a great warrior. When he came back, we both had grown.” Y/N’s voice played as Kylo watched the stolen look between the two. Surprisingly, he wasn’t jealous, yet routing for the hero to save the damsel. But of course, this was a tragedy and you were it’s tragic hero. He watched as one night Timbu snuck into your home, his hands were soft and loving before he woke you. “He had to leave around the time I found out I was with child.” Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery. “It was blissful, those nine months and my husband was kind, even though my heart yearned for Timbu. But, I would find a way to love him just for the sake of the child.” Kylo could not help but stare at you in awe as you glowed with life and your swollen belly. And God, what an image to behold. “But then, he gave me freedom.” Y/N said and Kylo watched as your husband spoke to you. You were confused, hurt, and breaking. “My freedom meant leaving my child, he would just discard me after everything. He used me.” The scene changed to you giving birth. Layers of sweat covered you as painful screams filled the air. Now Kylo wasn’t an expert but even he knew there was too much blood. Y/N quieted down as the tiny cries filled the air. It was a boy, that’s what the nurse told you. Your husband walked in quickly swaddling the child holding him close. Kylo watched your lips move as your hand stretched toward the baby, each movement you winced in pain. “I gained my freedom that day and he gained a son.” Y/N’s voice was thick with sadness.

Kylo blinked and had returned to the present to see you fighting tears. “Y-Y/N, I’m-” Sadness and fury bellowed within him after what he had seen. He didn’t know what to say and hadn’t much time to think before you were continuing. “Before I died, I asked for forgiveness of my sins. I was granted access into heaven, given wings, became an angel. You would think I would be content.” You looked at Kylo, who wore a frown to hide his sadness. “I was able to watch over my son and over Timbu, even though I was supposed to only look over one. I would oftentimes visit my son in his dreams to let him know he was loved. My husband married someone else who bore many children, leaving mine in squalor.” Y/N spoke. “But then, Timbu returned and he came to me, only to find out I was dead. He saw my son, our son, and he knew. Timbu paid my husband a large sum to buy him, he accepted but the night he came to fetch him, he killed Timbu.” Her eyes cast down and she undoubtedly relived the scene as she watched from the heavens. “I couldn’t even be with him after death, God cast him here for the killings he committed in war. He didn’t deserve it, to be down here. He was a protector before he was a warrior. It seemed the only hope for my son was gone. I wept for days causing a monsoon.” Kylo’s mind pictured you in a beautiful garb with large white wings folded over covering your face, weeping. “Like the Angel of Grief,” Kylo said. “That I was, as I couldn’t find comfort anymore. I began to do things I shouldn’t until I was cast out and fell from grace. I was unable to look at my son out of fear of corrupting his soul.” You added. “And you ended up here, under the care of the previous devil?” Kylo asked. Y/N shook her head. “I was left to be with the fallen angels, some of them are now my lords.” Kylo looked you over; you confirmed yourself being an angel, yet had no sign of wings.

“Where are your wings?” He asked. Slowly lowered the back of your dress, he observed the two scars along your back. “The fallen angels plucked my feathers one by one, broke my wings because I was undeserving like every human. Even after everything.” Kylo had a bad taste in his mouth; he had seen those scars numerous times and would joke about them being your angel wings and in reality, they were. But, it was much more gruesome than he imagined. “Then what happened?” Kylo felt bad for pushing but he wanted to know. He would be lying if this wasn’t a story for the ages. “I was presented to Satan, stripped of all my dignity to be one of his many mistresses if I wanted all of it to stop.” Y/N scoffed. “Promised freedoms by men with power to trick young naive girls like me. But not anymore, I accepted on one condition: that I will be the one to collect my husband's soul. Only he and the demon lords could do that, he found it amusing but taught me.” Boy, was this a story, it was something you could only imagine, but he was sitting in front of you in Hell, it had to be true. “What did he look like? Was he a compilation of beast?” Kylo asked clearly, his imagination was running rampant of all the different creatures coming together to make one. “He was more beast than man, but only by nature. But he was beautiful.” There was a glint in your eye as you thought about Lucifer. “My husband died very soon and Lucifer was very impressed at my delivery. I surpassed many of his lords, so he took me on as a protege until I succeeded him.” Kylo was practically in your face begging you to tell him how. “I killed him and then I ate him.” His eyes widened at your statement.

“You...a-ate him?” He managed to get out and you nodded. “It was unexpected and caused a tremble in the underworld and in heaven when God found out. Evil incarnate, the enemy, Diablo, Satan; the court saw it as revenge. I saw it as justice. They said I truly embodied the name Lucifer.” Y/N shrugged. Kylo didn’t see himself as super religious, but after hearing you, he very much understood why you were the devil. That was incredibly...psychotic. “Wow, I guess you really are Satan,” Kylo said breathlessly. Y/N looked up at him, knees now pressed to your chest. To him, you looked just like the seven-year-old girl he had seen minutes ago. “Are you mad at me, you know, for not telling you?” She asked. “I don’t think I can be mad, it’s not like it’s a job you can just sign up for. Also, if I would’ve known you were the devil during my heavy metal phase, I would’ve definitely sold my soul to you.” Kylo joked wrapping his arms around you as you lightly hit him. “Stop, don’t joke about that! I would never want to have it.” A dark chuckle left his lips as his forehead leaned against yours. “Well unfortunately for you, you already have it. You have my mind, body, and soul.” He pressed lingering kisses down your neck. “Plus, I don’t want you getting jealous if I end up up there.” He quipped and you scoffed. “They don’t stand a chance.” Y/N laughed. “Is God a woman?” Kylo asked. Your nose ran along his jaw. “I can’t tell you that.” You kissed his jaw. “But you should go, you shouldn’t even be down here, at least not now.” You were pulling him up and leading him back to the room you came from. “Wait are you not coming back?” Kylo asked. “No, not now, I have to stay and finish up.” You looked up at him. “But, babe, what about our anniversary?” His large hands cradled your face as you sighed, forgetting it was a month away. “I’ll be back, I promise.” Your lips softly pressed a kiss to the inside of his wrist and lowering him onto the sofa before leaving him alone in the room. “Y/N wait!” He felt his movements get lethargic and it felt like everything was in slow motion as he walked to the door. When he walked out, he was in the hallway of your apartment.

P.S.: The devil is Kylo's soft smol immortal bean. Also, I feel like God is judging me for trying to make y'all sympathize with the devil.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Creative Essay on: the voice of Thomas Sanders.

This creative non fiction essay was inspired by this post by @ironwoman359 and the ask was by @peachie-keeen so maybe I’ll tag them too. Nervously. I dunno if this will do as good of a job describing anything as that post did, but I’ll sure try.

I’ve had a lot of thoughts about the voice of @thatsthat24 for over a year and a half now. So, here are some of them. And I guess I’m getting some creative non fiction practice in at the same time so that’s cool. Essay under the cut.

I should probably point out before we start that I haven’t been trained with the vocabulary to describe voices. This is just a creative interpretation with the limited knowledge that I have. It’s not too terribly long so I’m not gonna put  word count.

A voice. A noise. Has kind of a... yellow quality to it? Maybe like honey. Not the taste of honey. Like the color. A dark rich yellow. But it can change color so rapidly, right?

His voice in particular I mean. That guy from Vine and YouTube. The Floridian one. Wait. There are more than... Thomas Sanders. Thomas Sanders is what I’m talking about. Him specifically,

Well probably not everybody associates feelings with colors. I do. And the feeling, the general vibe I get from listening to his voice is the color of honey. So how Do I explain this some other way?

It’s bright, to use a different visual metaphor, but it can go dark in a second. It moves from high to low naturally even faster, but the singing bit is almost always low. Except for the falsetto. That is a rare thing to hear but when you do hear it then it reminds you of a boy’s choir with how high it is, but it’s lost that purity that disappears with puberty. But it does sound like it would be more at home in a church choir than a disco number if that makes sense. But that’s just the falsetto. And I’ve only heard that once.

What about the normal singing voice? Well that’s got a variety too. It’s low though. It’s low. Not extremely low. It’s a... baritone? Baritone. That’s the word. But sometimes it’s just a little higher? It seems to be made to be just slightly old fashioned but in the newest way. Like it’s perfectly made to sing Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra and keep up with the best of the crooners and yet also be a golden era Disney Prince but at the same time not. There’s something unmistakably modern about it. Maybe it was made for the theater. Not really for pop. It’s not very poppy. Not quite pop-ish. But it’s definitely with the times. Right at home here in this early 21st century situation we’re in right now. But elegant. Like a voice that makes even the most ridiculous things seem classy. Never pretentious. Always approachable. Usually smooth. Not a whole lot of vocal pyrotechnics to be found, but impressive just the same.

Oh, and he riffs a lot. Like, a lot a lot.

Now the speaking voice is more complicated. That can go all over the place. Can change color in an instant. Jumping from its normal honey yellow to black to green to bright yellow to bright blue and back again. Now how to explain that in normal terms...

Let’s start with the laugh. The thing that seems to come too easily for him and punctuates every few sentences. The normal one is bright and goofy. Not like the character Goofy. It’s unique to Mr. Thomas Sanders. It’s silly and genuinely full of joy. You can hear the “HA HA HA HA” as he laughs. It’s quick, but you can hear it. But other times it’s a giggle. Like he’s giddy about everything all the time. Like he’s restraining himself from bouncing up and down and covering his smile with his hands. And then his laugh is evil. Jumping down in tone, coming from the base of his throat, carrying the sound of an evil smile with it. And it is delightful and delicious and is nothing like the joyful belly laugh you’re used to, but somehow you’re not surprised that it came from Thomas.

The normal speaking voice? It’s... higher than the singing voice but not by much. It’s expressive even when it’s quiet. Like it was made for the stage. It’s a voice that’s always playing for the back row whether it wants to be or not. It’s bright enough that you feel if you look at it long enough you might get burned, but you never do. Instead of hurting you find it stays warm and approachable. Almost like a cartoon, but too real for that. Except when it’s not. It’s a voice that would be good with kids but could get genuine enough for adults. It sounds sincere and then it’s ridiculous. It’s happy but then it’s confused. Like it’s surprised to be there, but happy to be there just the same.

But then Thomas’ speaking voice morphs like the shapeshifter that it is. It goes higher with a horribly fake but endearing British accent. It’s much more juvenile when it’s like that. Innocent and strange. Then he goes from being like a cartoon character to actually being a cartoon character. He tightens his throat and speaks from the top back of his mouth to become the Family Guy character Stewie Griffin and from his tone you would believe he’s that evil British sounding baby, set on killing people and hating sprinkles. Then he’s Stitch, squeaky and hard to understand. A blue alien landed in Hawaii. And you believe it, even as it’s his human face there.

Then there’s his own characters. Some of which fall into the more villainous tone. A deeper tone. Sometimes he’s a bad boy, like when he played Jason Dean and sung about freezing his brain. There he’s comfortable and planning something. So sure that he’s right and dangerous and smooth. Or maybe he’s that anxiety character. The literal embodiment of fear. Then there’s always something on guard about him and you can just hear his voice straining to go that low. He’s sarcastic and mean but protective and careful. There’s a primal sneer hiding deep in the background behind that makeup coated facade even as the voice goes gentle. Then he’s the embodiment of deception with all the smooth talking charms of a Victorian devil. Moving smoothly and capturing that movement in his voice. So deliciously evil you can’t help but love to hate him. Or maybe the deep tone isn’t villainous or threatening at all. Maybe it’s loud and serious. A trailer voice. In a world where he would announce what is coming next.

Go a little higher and what do we find? A monotone with expression. Just the right amount of interesting for being a teacher, which is exactly what he becomes. An educator with all the verbal movement necessary to keep someone engaged for a lecture. Not so loud you tune him out, but not so monotone you lose interest. All the brightness and darkness gone, it’s just interesting. A voice that is simply interesting. Nothing more and nothing less, which is what it aims to be. Without brightness, even as it rises in frustration.

A little higher and louder and what do we find? He’s filled his chest with sound and projected it out to the world. Each word has an extra curve and embellishment, like he stepped straight out of a fairy tale and someone splashed his words with dust made of diamonds. Yes, he is a prince. Directly out of your daydreams. The words themselves sweep you off your feet and take you on a royal adventure. More cartoonish than ever. More regal than ever. Taste the pretentiousness he’s spewing into the air. It’s surprisingly beautiful as it swirls about in a flurry of white and pink and gold and you laugh at just how well he does it and hear his singing voice gain a layer of magic reserved only for royalty.

Go higher than his normal range and the brightness is back with a vengeance. It’s like how I imagine the sky on a clear day would sound. Thomas’ voice becomes so overcome with joy you imagine it will take on a life of it’s own and go bouncing away. He is supportive, but tied to the earth with a thread that could snap any minute. He sounds like he’s constantly holding back a squeal of delight as he talks from the top of his mouth. He still gives off an authority though even as the voice bounces off of the word ‘kiddo’ like a trampoline. He turns on the dad voice and sounds serious but loving even as the voice holds a juvenile quality to it. It’s the verbal equivalent of watching a set of colorful balloons tied to a playground be buffeted by a sudden wind.

I’m certain too, that there are a million other places Thomas Sanders’ voice could take us that it hasn’t yet. How do you describe it? It’s a shapeshifter and a traveler, moving from the depths of his chest up through the mouth all the way to the tip of his nose. It’s an instrument the man has mastered and it shows.

[happilyrainyinternet]

The Best Window Curtains, According to Interior Designers

You may not appreciate the importance of window dressings — which, in addition to looks, provide privacy and block light — until you move into a place with naked windows. Luckily, adding curtains is one of the easier — and less expensive — projects you can undertake to transform a room. To help you dress your windows with the least amount of headache, we turned to 10 interior designers for their favorite curtains, lots of which are surprisingly quite budget friendly. (If you’re shopping for curtains, you’re likely looking at rods, and this list has a bunch of expert-recommended options to choose from.)

Before we get to the blackout curtain— which include a range of ready-made styles in different opacities, colors, and patterns, as well as a couple of custom options — some quick guidelines for how to size the drapery you choose for your space. When it comes to measuring your windows, Megan Hersch, the owner of Studio MG Interiors and online interior-design service RoomLift, says you should measure 12 to 24 inches beyond the window on either side to determine how wide each curtain panel should be, so that you have some gather. In determining the length of your curtain, Hersch says it depends on how formal you want them to look — and how much cleaning you want to do. “I typically measure the drapery so that it just ‘kisses’ the floor,” she says. “This way, nothing is dragging and trapping dirt, but you are sure they don’t look too short.” For a more formal look, she suggests adding an extra 1.5 inches so the drape just “breaks” on the floor. The most dramatic look is to have the panels “puddle” on the floor, which means adding anywhere from 8 to 12 inches to the length of the curtain (the type of fabric, whether stiff like taffeta or soft like velvet, will also determine how naturally it gathers on the floor).

A sheer curtain is a great choice if you want a little bit of everything from your window treatments — privacy, light, and looks — without having to commit too heavily to any one of those needs. As Megan Huffman, a designer with the online interior-design service Modsy, puts it, sheer curtains “provide the ability to allow natural light into a space and help brighten up dark rooms while still allowing privacy,” adding that, “there’s nothing I love more than a crisp, white, sheer curtain.” She recommends this pair from West Elm, which features a subtle crosshatch pattern that adds a bit of texture. If you like the look of sheer curtains during the day but also want to keep light pollution from coming through at night, Huffman says these can easily be hung on a double curtain rod with a pair of thicker, more opaque blackout curtains.

Interior designer Nicole Fuller also loves the sheer look, noting that sheer curtains made with linen in particular allow for that “gauzy feel” as the sun shines through the fabric. Linen drapes in general, she adds, “are incredibly timeless.” Fuller told us her favorite linen curtains come from Restoration Hardware’s Perennials line. But Hersch did us one better: She pointed us to these less expensive Perennials dupes from Restoration Hardware’s teen line, which she says will often have “very affordable,” premade drapery panels. (Hersch says Pottery Barn’s teen line is another source of affordable but expensive-looking curtains.) The curtains shown are made from a linen-cotton blend and cost about a third of their counterparts from the Perennials line.

For something more opaque (and still less expensive than Restoration’s regular line), try this linen-cotton style, which has the same look as the curtains above, but with a blackout lining that offers full privacy and light control.

For basic, neutral curtain panels that are less than $20 apiece, Dani Mulhearn, a senior designer at online interior-design service Havenly, recommends these curtains she uses in her own home. She says they “add a bit of softness and dress up standard window treatments in a space.” While Mulhearn cautions they are not true blackout curtains — just “room-darkening” — they still work great for privacy. She likes the pearl color, calling it “a great neutral that goes with any cool or warm color schemes.” (If pearl’s not your thing, there are 16 other colors available.) Mulhearn also appreciates the fact that they have grommets, which are “a super-functional” detail that negates the need to buy curtain rings, and makes opening and closing them easy.

For faux linen blackout curtain, these are Mulhearn’s go-tos. She likes that they’re affordable, come in a variety of neutral colors, and are available in various lengths, from 63 inches to 108 inches. They also have a grommet top, which means you don’t need to get additional curtain rings to hang them from a rod.

If you’re looking for solid curtains with more drama, Huffman recommends using velvet ones — specifically, these light-blocking matte velvet curtains from Anthropologie that come in an array of jewel tones. The fabric’s piled texture and more substantial feel add heft to a space, not to mention color, making them a functional and stylish choice, she says. Each panel is made to order, which accounts for the price tag (velvet is also generally a more expensive material because of the way it is made).

If you want to stick to neutral colors but crave a bit more personality, consider these cotton-canvas patterned curtains from West Elm that also come recommended by Mulhearn. She told us they “have a little sheen to them,” with a “subtle enough pattern to give your windows that ‘dressed up’ feel without being super flashy,” noting that they also block most light and help insulate windows.

This curtain is Decorilla design expert Devin Shaffer’s choice. He says the panel’s raised pattern, which is made with metallic threads and kind of looks like tree bark, reminds him of the outdoors. While noticeable, the neutral-colored pattern is subtle enough that it won’t overwhelm a room, he adds.

Pinstripes add a “casual and coastal feel” to otherwise straightforward drapery, according to Modsy designer Katherine Tlapa, who says these curtains “add height and brighten a space with their simple vertical striping” while still being “clean and classic.” Interior designer Bachman Brown agrees that patterned curtains like this can do wonders for a room. “A large-scale pattern is one of the best drapery treatments you can do for a window,” he says. “It sets the tone for the room, and nothing draws your eye more than a grand-scaled fabric.”

Decorist designer Katy Byrne likes experimenting with boldly patterned curtains because “unlike paint, drapes can add a lot of color to a room while being much easier to swap out with changing trends.” She recommends these ikat panels that she says “would add a fun highlight to a playroom or kids’ space.”

If you want to splurge on custom drapery, interior designer Betsy Burnham, who also prefers “clean, unfussy treatments,” recommends the Shade Store. She likes its solid linens, opting for those with “inverted pleat drapery,” like this one, “for its tailored feel.” If you don’t like the linen fabric, Burnham says these curtains can be customized with a range of other materials.

For many of us, lockdown means looking: gazing at the views outside our windows, the traffic and the trees, with thoughts of post-pandemic life dancing through our heads. We ought to give some thoughts to those windows too, whether they are panes, sheets, or entire walls of glass. As my mother once said regarding domestic architecture, “A house without a porch is like a man without a country.” To my mind, a similar rule applies to windows—without blinds or shades or shutters or curtains, many windows are just featureless voids. I’m not the only one who thinks this: Scores of AD100 interior designers from Manhattan’s Jeffrey Bilhuber to Milan’s Studio Peregalli consider a window undressed to be a window unfinished.

Historically speaking, windows have typically had some sort of covering, to regulate sunlight, protect interiors from inclement weather, and to provide privacy for you and yours. In the ancient world, they were simple fabric panels that could be folded back or lifted up and then held in place, in one manner or another, for the duration.

Time-travel thousands of years later to the minimalist Bauhaus era, where rejection was the rule yet curtains were still considered essential decorative components. Le Corbusier specified curtains and shades for his projects, and Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld’s houses possessed their own complement of window treatments, from full-length to café short. Alas, Rietveld’s marvelous little 1924 house for and in collaboration with the young widow Truus Schröder in Utrecht, his very first architectural commission and now a museum, possesses no shades or sheer window treatments anymore—a curatorial mistake, to my mind, because that decision deifies the architecture while ignoring the domesticity of Schröder and her children for which it was built. (Rietveld, though married, would become his client’s lover and live there too, returning to his family only at night.)

Luxurious floor-to-ceiling curtains outfitted the Czech Republic’s Villa Tugendhat, one of modernism’s most celebrated residences, a glass-walled villa designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and decorated with designer Lilly Reich in the 1920s. Some of them were made of silver-gray shantung silk, while others were fashioned of black or white velvet, the uncomplicated lengths and plain colors framing a green landscape. The Frenchman Jean-Michel Frank may have been a pioneering reductivist, but even he understood the power of a pretty window. After all, he was the man who put dramatically ruffled curtains into Elsa Schiaparelli’s Place Vendôme fashion salon.

Concurrently, while the tastemakers of the 1920s and 1930s were paring back but not abandoning window treatments entirely, their traditionalist peers held faithful to layered looks that began in the 17th century, grew more complicated in the 18th century, and became suffocatingly elaborate in the 19th century. Sumptuous window dressings reached their 20th-century apotheosis in the work of the British tastemaker John Fowler, a cofounder of London’s Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, as well as such disciples as America’s Mario Buatta.

Fowler’s curtains for aristocratic country houses and the apartments of international grandees remain a standard in the craft—lined, interlined, fringed, looped, swagged, tasseled, pinked, and otherwise elaborated in a manner that brings to mind the intricacies of haute couture as well as 18th-century France, one of the decorator’s passions. Among my favorites of the genre, though far simpler than Fowler’s swoony extravagances—such as the madly romantic cascades of silk taffeta in Evangeline and David Bruce’s famous London drawing room—are the ones that his colleague Tom Parr created in the 1980s for the Manhattan multipurpose living room of Grace, Countess of Dudley, and her longtime companion, Robert Silvers, editor in chief of the New York Review of Books. Great lengths of rose-splashed white chintz sluiced from ceiling to floor in the vast primary space—the 50-odd-foot sweep was divided into several areas for living and dining—emphasizing the height of the ceiling and parted to reveal views of Park Avenue.

Take note of the word parted. Beyond the myriad practical aspects, window treatments, from simple to elaborate, offer us moments of communion, as human hands—whether your own or those of Lady Dudley’s housekeeper—adjust them at will. There are aural pleasures too, from the clicking of curtain rings to the swish of fabric to the creak of shutters to the whir of roller blinds. Literally, the beauty of geometric blackout curtain is an open-and-shut case.

[colorfuljellyfishpirate]

The Best Window Curtains, According to Interior Designers

You may not appreciate the importance of window dressings — which, in addition to looks, provide privacy and block light — until you move into a place with naked windows. Luckily, adding curtains is one of the easier — and less expensive — projects you can undertake to transform a room. To help you dress your windows with the least amount of headache, we turned to 10 interior designers for their favorite curtains, lots of which are surprisingly quite budget friendly. (If you’re shopping for curtains, you’re likely looking at rods, and this list has a bunch of expert-recommended options to choose from.)

Before we get to the blackout curtain— which include a range of ready-made styles in different opacities, colors, and patterns, as well as a couple of custom options — some quick guidelines for how to size the drapery you choose for your space. When it comes to measuring your windows, Megan Hersch, the owner of Studio MG Interiors and online interior-design service RoomLift, says you should measure 12 to 24 inches beyond the window on either side to determine how wide each curtain panel should be, so that you have some gather. In determining the length of your curtain, Hersch says it depends on how formal you want them to look — and how much cleaning you want to do. “I typically measure the drapery so that it just ‘kisses’ the floor,” she says. “This way, nothing is dragging and trapping dirt, but you are sure they don’t look too short.” For a more formal look, she suggests adding an extra 1.5 inches so the drape just “breaks” on the floor. The most dramatic look is to have the panels “puddle” on the floor, which means adding anywhere from 8 to 12 inches to the length of the curtain (the type of fabric, whether stiff like taffeta or soft like velvet, will also determine how naturally it gathers on the floor).

A sheer curtain is a great choice if you want a little bit of everything from your window treatments — privacy, light, and looks — without having to commit too heavily to any one of those needs. As Megan Huffman, a designer with the online interior-design service Modsy, puts it, sheer curtains “provide the ability to allow natural light into a space and help brighten up dark rooms while still allowing privacy,” adding that, “there’s nothing I love more than a crisp, white, sheer curtain.” She recommends this pair from West Elm, which features a subtle crosshatch pattern that adds a bit of texture. If you like the look of sheer curtains during the day but also want to keep light pollution from coming through at night, Huffman says these can easily be hung on a double curtain rod with a pair of thicker, more opaque blackout curtains.

Interior designer Nicole Fuller also loves the sheer look, noting that sheer curtains made with linen in particular allow for that “gauzy feel” as the sun shines through the fabric. Linen drapes in general, she adds, “are incredibly timeless.” Fuller told us her favorite linen curtains come from Restoration Hardware’s Perennials line. But Hersch did us one better: She pointed us to these less expensive Perennials dupes from Restoration Hardware’s teen line, which she says will often have “very affordable,” premade drapery panels. (Hersch says Pottery Barn’s teen line is another source of affordable but expensive-looking curtains.) The curtains shown are made from a linen-cotton blend and cost about a third of their counterparts from the Perennials line.

For something more opaque (and still less expensive than Restoration’s regular line), try this linen-cotton style, which has the same look as the curtains above, but with a blackout lining that offers full privacy and light control.

For basic, neutral curtain panels that are less than $20 apiece, Dani Mulhearn, a senior designer at online interior-design service Havenly, recommends these curtains she uses in her own home. She says they “add a bit of softness and dress up standard window treatments in a space.” While Mulhearn cautions they are not true blackout curtains — just “room-darkening” — they still work great for privacy. She likes the pearl color, calling it “a great neutral that goes with any cool or warm color schemes.” (If pearl’s not your thing, there are 16 other colors available.) Mulhearn also appreciates the fact that they have grommets, which are “a super-functional” detail that negates the need to buy curtain rings, and makes opening and closing them easy.

For faux linen blackout curtain, these are Mulhearn’s go-tos. She likes that they’re affordable, come in a variety of neutral colors, and are available in various lengths, from 63 inches to 108 inches. They also have a grommet top, which means you don’t need to get additional curtain rings to hang them from a rod.

If you’re looking for solid curtains with more drama, Huffman recommends using velvet ones — specifically, these light-blocking matte velvet curtains from Anthropologie that come in an array of jewel tones. The fabric’s piled texture and more substantial feel add heft to a space, not to mention color, making them a functional and stylish choice, she says. Each panel is made to order, which accounts for the price tag (velvet is also generally a more expensive material because of the way it is made).

If you want to stick to neutral colors but crave a bit more personality, consider these cotton-canvas patterned curtains from West Elm that also come recommended by Mulhearn. She told us they “have a little sheen to them,” with a “subtle enough pattern to give your windows that ‘dressed up’ feel without being super flashy,” noting that they also block most light and help insulate windows.

This curtain is Decorilla design expert Devin Shaffer’s choice. He says the panel’s raised pattern, which is made with metallic threads and kind of looks like tree bark, reminds him of the outdoors. While noticeable, the neutral-colored pattern is subtle enough that it won’t overwhelm a room, he adds.

Pinstripes add a “casual and coastal feel” to otherwise straightforward drapery, according to Modsy designer Katherine Tlapa, who says these curtains “add height and brighten a space with their simple vertical striping” while still being “clean and classic.” Interior designer Bachman Brown agrees that patterned curtains like this can do wonders for a room. “A large-scale pattern is one of the best drapery treatments you can do for a window,” he says. “It sets the tone for the room, and nothing draws your eye more than a grand-scaled fabric.”

Decorist designer Katy Byrne likes experimenting with boldly patterned curtains because “unlike paint, drapes can add a lot of color to a room while being much easier to swap out with changing trends.” She recommends these ikat panels that she says “would add a fun highlight to a playroom or kids’ space.”

If you want to splurge on custom drapery, interior designer Betsy Burnham, who also prefers “clean, unfussy treatments,” recommends the Shade Store. She likes its solid linens, opting for those with “inverted pleat drapery,” like this one, “for its tailored feel.” If you don’t like the linen fabric, Burnham says these curtains can be customized with a range of other materials.

For many of us, lockdown means looking: gazing at the views outside our windows, the traffic and the trees, with thoughts of post-pandemic life dancing through our heads. We ought to give some thoughts to those windows too, whether they are panes, sheets, or entire walls of glass. As my mother once said regarding domestic architecture, “A house without a porch is like a man without a country.” To my mind, a similar rule applies to windows—without blinds or shades or shutters or curtains, many windows are just featureless voids. I’m not the only one who thinks this: Scores of AD100 interior designers from Manhattan’s Jeffrey Bilhuber to Milan’s Studio Peregalli consider a window undressed to be a window unfinished.

Historically speaking, windows have typically had some sort of covering, to regulate sunlight, protect interiors from inclement weather, and to provide privacy for you and yours. In the ancient world, they were simple fabric panels that could be folded back or lifted up and then held in place, in one manner or another, for the duration.

Time-travel thousands of years later to the minimalist Bauhaus era, where rejection was the rule yet curtains were still considered essential decorative components. Le Corbusier specified curtains and shades for his projects, and Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld’s houses possessed their own complement of window treatments, from full-length to café short. Alas, Rietveld’s marvelous little 1924 house for and in collaboration with the young widow Truus Schröder in Utrecht, his very first architectural commission and now a museum, possesses no shades or sheer window treatments anymore—a curatorial mistake, to my mind, because that decision deifies the architecture while ignoring the domesticity of Schröder and her children for which it was built. (Rietveld, though married, would become his client’s lover and live there too, returning to his family only at night.)

Luxurious floor-to-ceiling curtains outfitted the Czech Republic’s Villa Tugendhat, one of modernism’s most celebrated residences, a glass-walled villa designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and decorated with designer Lilly Reich in the 1920s. Some of them were made of silver-gray shantung silk, while others were fashioned of black or white velvet, the uncomplicated lengths and plain colors framing a green landscape. The Frenchman Jean-Michel Frank may have been a pioneering reductivist, but even he understood the power of a pretty window. After all, he was the man who put dramatically ruffled curtains into Elsa Schiaparelli’s Place Vendôme fashion salon.

Concurrently, while the tastemakers of the 1920s and 1930s were paring back but not abandoning window treatments entirely, their traditionalist peers held faithful to layered looks that began in the 17th century, grew more complicated in the 18th century, and became suffocatingly elaborate in the 19th century. Sumptuous window dressings reached their 20th-century apotheosis in the work of the British tastemaker John Fowler, a cofounder of London’s Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, as well as such disciples as America’s Mario Buatta.

Fowler’s curtains for aristocratic country houses and the apartments of international grandees remain a standard in the craft—lined, interlined, fringed, looped, swagged, tasseled, pinked, and otherwise elaborated in a manner that brings to mind the intricacies of haute couture as well as 18th-century France, one of the decorator’s passions. Among my favorites of the genre, though far simpler than Fowler’s swoony extravagances—such as the madly romantic cascades of silk taffeta in Evangeline and David Bruce’s famous London drawing room—are the ones that his colleague Tom Parr created in the 1980s for the Manhattan multipurpose living room of Grace, Countess of Dudley, and her longtime companion, Robert Silvers, editor in chief of the New York Review of Books. Great lengths of rose-splashed white chintz sluiced from ceiling to floor in the vast primary space—the 50-odd-foot sweep was divided into several areas for living and dining—emphasizing the height of the ceiling and parted to reveal views of Park Avenue.

Take note of the word parted. Beyond the myriad practical aspects, window treatments, from simple to elaborate, offer us moments of communion, as human hands—whether your own or those of Lady Dudley’s housekeeper—adjust them at will. There are aural pleasures too, from the clicking of curtain rings to the swish of fabric to the creak of shutters to the whir of roller blinds. Literally, the beauty of geometric blackout curtain is an open-and-shut case.

[finsterhund]

Finsterhund’s 2017 Summary of Art (and by extension, the rest of my life)

I’d be lying if I said that 2017 wasn’t an incredibly difficult year for the easily excitable finsterhund but it was also a very productive year for my art. I’m not going to deny that. A lot of issues came about that pushed me really hard, and I did break, but I mended too. I grew stronger in some ways. My writing took a nosedive and I’m not sure how to repair that, but my art, well... this is the first time I’ve ever done one of these. That should speak for itself.

In some months it was difficult to pick which one. I decided against choosing ones that may have been partially rotoscoped (such as my reaction images and most memes) and also because I tend to draw too similar to reference images I use. So no redraws of blurry HoD concept art or stuff.

January: [x]

This was supposed to be the picture for holidays 2016 but I’m a lazy earth boy who must’ve been slacking off because I finished and posted it right on January first! I remember at the time I was really proud of this one, and spent a lot of time on it. It was drawn traditionally and then scanned and digitized in GIMP... yes gimp. Fishy loved it and that made me happy. Nowadays I can pick apart so many flaws, especially in Andy. The lines look so shaky! Maybe I’ll redraw it for January 1st 2018! Assuming I don’t slack off again.

February: [x]

It was hard picking one from this month because I didn’t really like my drawings from then. Here’s art in paint of Red Spot eating a burger. I used to draw him with food when I was hungry for a while. Mmmmmm borger.

March: [x]

This is the month things started to take a nosedive. There was lots of good things happening, but some bad stuff too. A few new problems arose, but at the time the biggest was I found out my birth mom was being evicted and I would have to help her clear the old house. THAT old house. I retreated heavily into my artistic comforts and drew a lot of pictures of Red Spot being comforting and supportive to Andy. Red was created for that purpose after all, and Andy being a character I so closely identify with ended up being the comfort I needed especially then. Despite its crudeness in ms paint I do love this picture and should redraw it in Sai at some point.

April: [x]

The trials I had to face were unreal this month. The Wannabe War(tm) is well underway, and the time to return to the old house rapidly approached. I drew like there was no tomorrow, and these paint pictures were the best. Smoother lines, and more detail. When the time came to face that house things got ugly. Mom hid that my dog Jack had been dead for over half a year and broke the news only when I became distraught when I arrived and he didn’t come when I called him. My fixation on the “monkey’s paw” that was ruining everything I ever wished for started around here, and I kept breaking down. Bad regressing back to before I left that place happened. But something else did too. I DIDN’T. STOP. DRAWING. I drew more and more. Choosing to bring my laptop allowed me to make more pictures. A lot of Red Spot and Andy comfort ones, some mean little immature vent comics, and memes. Lots of memes. I was able to do the job I went there to do and returned home exhausted but VICTORIOUS. My art? Well I think I actually improved a lot then. It was predominantly due to surviving in spite of everything and the sheer volume of cruddy little paint drawings. I didn’t want to pick a mean comic and already had one ms paint Andy and Red picture in this line up so here’s a surprisingly detailed xenomorph queen being licked by a prequel era character who is a massive spoiler. Not only were both characters very complicated to draw, but I’m genuinely shocked I was able to draw an xenomorph at all.

May: [x]

After the painful embarrassment of April I tried really hard to relax. I was still really scared and anxious about the Wannabe incident, but it had more or less turned into a post-arms race stalemate where he wasn’t really doing anything and I just had my weapons of mass destruction pointed at him with my grubby little orange paw over the launch button which is where things have been ever since. My art took a relaxation break, but it was still steadily getting better. Late May I wanted to come up with a reason to actually celebrate my birthday (June 3rd) so I did a silly little “June is International Heart of Darkness month” post featuring Red and Andy sharing a slice of chocolate cake. I went on to say that June 3rd was “International draw heart of darkness fan art” day (real smooth you egocentric mutt) but I thought it’d be a good way to actually celebrate the day but make it about the video game that gave me a reason to live another year instead of about me aging, as I openly hate that I grow older.

June: [x]

A few of my friends drew HoD stuff this month, but a lot of my friends were busy due to jobs, school, life, etc. We used to be a lot more active in 2015 and even in 2016 so this did hit me pretty hard. As a result, I become very frustrated and out of spite decide it’s finally time to test my “new toy.” I don’t remember when Kale actually gave me his old tablet, but in June I finally install its drivers, get a copy of paint tool sai, and draw a lot with it. At first I hate these pictures and go back to paint whenever possible. There’s something wrong with my copy of sai and windows 10 doesn’t like the drivers. But I push myself, and I start to make more pictures of Andy, Whisky, Red Spot, etc. Not a lot of my early Sai pictures ever got posted or even made it past the inking stage, but one night I just couldn’t sleep so I drew Andy cradled in the crook of Red’s wing and got it to the flat colors stage.

July: [x]

I try to calm down. it’s a good month I think. Not much happens. It’s the month I finally give myself a new fursona. I decided that Red Spot isn’t “me” and I can’t use Andy in furry communities so I come up with a solution. It... it’s just Andy as a doberman. It’s a little orange doberman that wears a red bandanna and Andy’s hat... Doberman Andy. But he’s cute, and I can draw him, and so I do draw him. And he helps me get better at drawing in Sai.

August: [x]

The month of the solar eclipse! Me and my friend were going to go down to the US to see it together and... nope... that plan fell through. It makes me a brat, but that’s okay because I can just draw six hundred thousand drawings of Andy. That’ll help me feel better. I ended up having a sabbatical from my blog after some people on tumblr began to bother me and I put up a drawing of Andy’s shoe so nobody could go in. This is an MS Paint picture! Sadly, I’ve stopped really drawing in the program. I like how I did Andy’s face even if his hat and hair weren’t the best.

September: [x]

I return from my sabbatical and begin to spam my tumblr with Andy drawings I’m making in paint tool sai. The quality and style of Andy in these pictures varies drastically as I try a whole manner of new things. At one point I make a post that has five color pictures of Andy in it. It’s slowly becoming difficult to pick which picture I wanted to put here. Not because I didn’t like any, but because I liked too many. SMOL Andy was probably my favourite of the bunch. I made him more chibi and cute than I normally do. It was on accident but I thought he was too cute to go back and make him more on-model.

October: [x]

I was supposed to do an Andy version of Inktober but I guess the extreme amount of Andy pictures was a September thing because I burned out relatively quickly. I had some drama involving a prototype disc and also ended up having to pay way too much extra money every month until further notice but it’s a relatively calm month all things considering. The way I drew Andy in this art isn’t particularly stellar, but I love what I did with Red’s mouth and nose. I wanted to show that the way I draw Red improved too.

November: [x]

My chronic pain gets worse for no good reason, I get a very disturbing creeper threatening me online, and I’m generally depressed, but I’m drawing. That’s good. I start a new revolutionary technique when I rely almost entirely on the cinematics as reference and don’t reference other cartoon styles whenever I can when it comes to drawing Andy. I enjoy the result. Drawing him in a cute penguin-themed suit made my day. It was so hard to decide which one to pick this month. I loved so many of them.

December: [x]

Like November, but somewhat better I think. I’m still drawing Andy a lot, with Red coming along for the ride too. This one I tried to draw Andy in a more Disney-like style. I love how I did his face and freckles. The drawing of Whisky from the same post is great too. I look at a lot of my newer drawings and feel genuinely pleased with the result. I think I actually am improving, and whilst I think it is due a lot to getting sai and a tablet, it can also be because I’m becoming more skilled and getting more practice as well. Lets hope the new year brings us smooth sailing, lots of fun, and happy times our way. HoD will be 20 in 2018 and I’m ready to bring the subject of my love and joy a great two decade celebration.