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journalsouppe · 2 months ago

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Sorry for the hiatus again!! I'm slowly getting back into journaling. In the meantime while I'm getting reorganized, here's the spread I made when my very first piece of physical zine merch I made came in!

Turnabout ballroom @turnaboutballroom !!! This was the first ever physical zine i worked on as a merch artist (I had been in a couple of zines as page artist before) so it was SO cool getting to have my merch printed!! This was such a fun zine to be a part of, and what a fitting theme for The Great Ace Attorney!! Since I was a part of this zine instead of structuring this how I normally structure zine spreads, I wrote down all my thoughts about the zine from my perspective as a contributor than a buyer.

I made the Sanguine Ball print, an illustration that was inspired by the Van Helsing movie! All the art, merch, and writing is so gorgeous. The merch is especially really high quality, and I’m saying that as someone who reviews all the merch in my journals not as a contributor to this project hfdjs. (Although it was sooo nice getting such a quality print of my print!!!) The stickers especially are not only really durable but super restickable. I am so honored to have been a part of this project!!

Leftovers are only open for a few more hours so if you want this zine now is your chance!

All writing is all typed below.

Turnabout Ballroom. Zine theme: DGS Ballroom

Merch List

Acrylic Charm

Dancing Print

Mascot sticker sheet

Herlock Wallpaper

Sanguine Print

Nikolina Button

4 dancing die cut stickers

Digital Icon Set

Color Page

Thoughts:

I had so much fun being a part of this zine!! All the art and writing is so well done, I am honored to have been in this zine!! I made the Sanguine ball print!! My inspiration was from the Van Helsing movie when Anna was dancing with Dracula in the ballroom and was dipped in front of a mirror and realizes she’s the only human in the ball. I wanted to use that idea for a fake Herlock Sholmes invesitagation case where Herlock faced a “vampire” attack and Barok was blamed due to his suspicious nature. All the iconography surrounding the two of them dancing are evidence. I’m so happy with the piece and it’s so nice having it physically!! Zeta even gave me the idea to turn the piece into shadow box art — I might just!! Or even reuse this concept for my DGS ballet au! This was such a great theme for DGS!! This and the tea zine are just too perfect, if DGS gets another sequel i really hope one of the settings is at a Victorian ball. The graphic design of the whole zine is incredible, the columns throughout the zine fit so perfectly and are drawn so well. The cover art is so dynamic and a perfect fit — they all look like they’re getting read to go to the ball and when you open the zine — you see them at the ball in different scenarios. I adore everything made! The production quality of the merch is especially great! The stickers are all durable and restickable. I have never seen such a nice quality button. I also love the quality of my print. The texturing adds to it! It was also really cool being in a dgs zine with so many dgs artists I admire! I’m excited for the day a new AA game is announced so the DGS community can be revitalized again. The mods were great!! It was fun working with familiar faces from the DGs sprig zine. TYSM to everyone on the zine, especially the mods, for making this such a wonderful experience. Being accepted as a pinch hitter opened up so many more zine opportunities for me. This plus the Sheik zine led me to being a merch artist for the TLOZ horror zine and that led me to now having multiple mod positions. My zine and art growth has been so dramatic since the start of this zine and I am so proud of my journey. Thank you again everyone, it’s been incredible!

#journalsouppe #journal #the great ace attorney #dgs #tgaa #zine #dgs spoilers #turnabout ballroom zine

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ereyies · 2 months ago

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i love your of mice and men oc. let me tell you i was scrolling thru the omam tag after reading that book for class because GOSH that ending destroyed me. bronwyn is so cute!!! and i love the ideas you have for her character and how she’d add onto the book. is there any more of your character that u thought of?? i’d love it hear it! ur art is stunning btw!!!

artists and writers are the backbone of dead fandoms. but i dont know if you could even call this fandom dead cuz i dont think it even had a life 💀

THANK YOU SO INCREDIBLY MUCH!!

this means the entire world to me you have no idea just how touched i am that you love my oc 💖 💖!! be VERY careful going through the of mice and men tag because unfortunately there are a LOT of nsfw bots!!

as for anything else relating to Bronwyn and her character, I don't have much else written/in mind other than that I have already shared other than maybe two things (copied and pasted from a document i made just to keep track of her lore):

Candy and Bronwyn probably wouldn't be close despite Candy having worked at the ranch for years. Not because of anything bad that happened between them, however I imagine that Candy was initially the main contributor to all the gossip said about her on the ranch and later on he learned she wasn't a bad person at all and just a lonely ill child, but by that point he had both immortalised her as a legend but condemned her from ever making real connections with people again. Knowing what he started and how he unintentionally isolated her and prevented her from being easily able to make friends with people on the ranch, the guilt would probably prevent him from forming any close connections with her.

I feel like if she were actually a character within the novel, her presence within the story would be similar to Andrey Bolkonsky in the musical Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 (brilliant but strange musical btw, if you're interested in musicals it's definitely worth a listen!!). She is this looming presence amongst all the characters, always being mentioned in passing during conversation, this figure that everyone is aware of yet never sees, never actually being present in person up until the very end.

Candy would probably be the reader's introduction to Bronwyn, since Candy is a known gossiper. She'd be this influence in the story but is never truly there. I'm not too sure how she'd be important if that were the case though? Perhaps she'd be a figure symbolic of a 'point of no return' for all the characters. They all have a dream that isn't totally impossible which they come very close to achieving, and could very well leave their situation, but Bronwyn never had a chance and can never truly escape, locked up just to be forgotten about. Maybe she'd be a warning of the terrible fate which Lennie would have faced if he had lived and been institutionalised.

ANYWAYS moving past all of that; i have only made very few drawings of Bronwyn since my last post talking about her (admittedly due to extreme art block). But I’ve mostly been brainstorming about Curley and Bronwyn, the similarities and differences between them, mostly differences. Here is some of my recent art:

I always love experimenting and playing around with my style, trying out new brushes, techniques and colours <33 The last isn’t exactly my favourite mostly because i was just getting a feel for how to draw Curley and had little to no references for the pose and so it looks a little stiff. But!! I made many notes for my ideas while I was doing the sketch:

Thank you once more for your ask!! It means the world to me <33 I was so embarrassed when I first made her and feared being called ‘cringe’ or that people wouldn’t like her or something else along those lines, but the reception so far has been nothing but positive and encouraging!! I definitely plan to make more art and potentially even write some short fanfics including her in the future!!

oh one final thing, i also made a spotify playlist for her!! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qrBhwqopc6KrC7RouFxOZ?si=GPudTv12S92QwBBXqxw0Bg&pi=khdpmOzjTfeQP

Thank you once more for being so kind <33 I hope you have the most wonderful day/evening/night!!

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holylustration · 3 months ago

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Dopamine Week #4: Fic Recommendation

My theme for Dopamine Week is "WIPs." And on that front, I have two WIPs in mind: one that I am currently caught up on and another that I haven't gotten to fully sink my teeth into yet.

Recommendation #1: Edge of Daybreak Unbroken by @themagnificentmags

So, I think I began reading Edge of Daybreak Unbroken during the very first Dopamine Week, so I'm glad to be able to give it a recommendation and bring it full circle!

Here's why Edge of Daybreak Unbroken is worth your time:

The premise is Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, New Game Plus. And I love that. I find it has that meta quality narrative where I, as the reader, can empathize with the main character when she sees the outcome of a choice she never took.

Despite it being a game "retelling," it isn't a one-for-one copy and paste of the game's script. And even the events that we see happening through Eltura's eyes aren't always a match for what we see in the game, as she might just nuke the planet from orbit rather than deal with the obvious and problematic trap that lurks on its surface.

The prose is a beautiful balance of matter-of-fact, dry humor, and evocative description. Mags gets you the necessary information to understand what's going on in a very unfussy, reader-friendly way, and then hits you upside the head with a bat as she describes what its like to wiggle teeth loose from their sockets with a tongue and subsequently choke on them.

You really can't help but cheer for Eltura. She comes back to relive all her horrors because she wants Heinrix to stay with her this time (and who WOULDN'T want that?), only she slips and falls into Iconoclasm along the way. Also, I put her in the category of fashionable Rogue Traders because of her coat. She is criminally underrepresented in Rogue Trader art.

Mags is not just a delightful person, but also meticulous. She really wants to think through the lore and the canon implications of the story. So, you can be sure that Edge of Daybreak Unbroken is being written in a way that is thoughtful and deliberate.

Recommendation #2: Omnissiah Forgive Me by @jaal-ama-daravv

Having not gotten very far yet into Omnissiah Forgive Me, let me give you the reasons why I've chosen to catch up on the fic this week:

Pasqal is one of the hardest characters for me to write; his speech pattern and motivations generally elude me. And Jaal's got seven chapters of him? SEVEN chapters? Emperor above, grant me blessed cognition so that I may better write him!

Sometimes, I just need a little break from Marazhai or Heinrix, so why not sample something that isn't Nocturne or Calligos? :D

I've had the pleasure of hearing Jaal narrate excerpts during our live readings, and she puts so much raw emotion into each and every word. It is electrifying. I cannot WAIT to see how that plays out on the page.

Damn, if Kassard's description doesn't come off as an absolute and utter badass. Tall, strong, scarred woman? Not afraid of her emotion? Heck yes.

A shout goes out to Jaal herself for her dedication not just to the story, but also the Rogue Trader community. Whether she's a mod or organizing the gift exchanges, she's somewhere being a positive contributor! And she does all of that on top of one of the hardest real life jobs that I can imagine, so she deserves double the praise!

Whether you're reading one (or both) of the fics above, or you're starting on something else, thanks for joining us this week!

#rogue trader #warhammer 40k #rogue trader crpg #warhammer 40000 #fanfic #writing #Dopamine Week #fic recs

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moltensmusings · 5 months ago

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Alright going to talk about the Manhwa "How to Win my Husband Over" with heavy spoilers and tw for: eating disorders, abuse, incest, suicidal ideation. If you haven't read the series and can handle these, I highly recommend doing so rather than hearing me ramble. Everything I listed is portrayed as a negative thing, there's no romanticizing it.

I've been reading the series since the translations first started and don't talk about it much but I want to.

The story follows Rudbeckia, who has been reincarnated from our world into a novel she read. She takes over the body of a villainess in the novel who married the male lead and brought about death and destruction of both others and herself on the direction of her family. We follow her as she tries to avoid this fate by going way over the top in her attempts to show adoration for her husband while rejecting the chances to do what her family sent her for.

It is a very funny series at times but gets incredibly heavy.

I really love how complicated all the characters are and how the author seems to be putting out the idea that there isn't really a simple good or bad character in the reoccurring cast. Obviously Ruby's family itself is portrayed as pretty clear cut evil with how they both emotionally and physically abused her. But there's still a depth to them that makes them more terrifying than characters who are mustache twirlingly evil.

Now onto my rambles:

Ruby struggling with the same things Ellen and Izek's mother did with Ellen being the only one of the two with full knowledge of that and a deep trauma connected to it, means that to me her reaction and actions (while aggrevating and disappoint at times) make sense. Coupling in the fact that no one likes or trusts Ruby's family only compounds the issues.

I like how the author writes Ruby as not suddenly getting better from her depression and Bulemia, with it instead being something she relapses on when under intense stress. Mental illness isn't something that just goes away because people love you or you find happiness, Izek loving Ruby isn't a one and done fix for her own troubles. And Bulemia once more taking ahold of her life in the wake of the Cardinal appearing brings a whole new level of tragedy to things.

I don't even blame Ellen for getting angry or stressed in these moments and not being able to deal with Ruby because it makes sense that she wouldn't. She was the one at the hands of her mother's abuse when her mother went through a similar situation, she got to see the decline first hand and what the end result was. It doesn't matter if she's a grown woman that trauma doesn't stop existing.

And on the subject of the Cardinal, when he kissed her, I really liked that the author and artist made it dramatic and horrifying. They'd built up this man as abusive, cruel, one of the main contributors to Ruby being as she was. We'd seen him in action while hiding behind the guise of being her brother who cares. The scenes are always given the weight and tone they deserve as we get put in Ruby's shoes.

I enjoy the romance that grew between her and Izek and how he is always on her side regardless of what people say, but I also like that the author doesn't just make Ruby instantly confide in him all her troubles and history. That he doesn't immediately fix her life or take away all her turmoil. It feels realistic in a way. Not perfect but still.

I know readers have a habit of just hating on everyone who causes pain or trouble for the female lead in these stories but I am waiting for us to get more content on Freya because I heard her actions are painted more sympathetic and I want to see what is written for her.

All in all I really like this story, from the art to the writing it's a great read.

#molten rambles #how to win my husband over

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duckprintspress · 1 year ago

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DPP Contributor Interview: Nicola Kapron

Author Nicola Kapron has been working with Duck Prints Press for over two years, and in that time she has been one of our most prolific authors. Her work ranges from the sweet and fluffy to the dark and grotesque, with an emphasis on horror elements, trope twisting, love and the monstrous, and cross-genre queer works. We're thrilled to have Nicola as the debut author in our new Creator Interview series!

Author Biography: Nicola Kapron has previously been published by Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Rebel Mountain Press, Soteira Press, All Worlds Wayfarer, Mannison Press, and more. Nicola lives in British Columbia with a hoard of books—mostly fantasy and horror—and an extremely fluffy cat.

Links: Personal Website

Nicola works with Duck Prints Press as an author, and is also the crafter whose skilled hands are behind our adorable Dux plushies.

When and why did you being creating?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Most of my work was very small when I was younger because I have dysgraphia and handwriting is physically painful for me. As soon as I learned to use a keyboard, I started working on longer and longer projects. Now there’s no stopping me.

What are your goals as a creator?

I want to write stories that linger.

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

Dialog[ue], genre-blending, worldbuilding, coming up with cool monsters, slow-burn romance (or at least obsession), crafting background lore that is impossible to tag.

What do you consider to be your weaknesses as a creator?

Description, pacing, writing healthy characters with healthy relationships, easy-to-tag stories.

What’s your favorite medium to work in? Why?

Fiction writing, particularly fantasy. I enjoy coming up with the most bizarre situations and then thinking about how people might react to them. After all, mountains may crumble, oceans may rise, but people will stay fundamentally people.

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

A planster. I spend a lot of time coming up with detailed story outlines and summarizing character arcs. Then I start writing and 80% of that goes out the window. I like to say that my first drafts are dedicated to figuring out what the story isn’t about. Unless I’m writing a short story, in which case draft 1 may well be the final draft. I don’t control the process.

I typically write in chronological order from beginning to end, but for a short project I may pause and write the middle bits ahead of time as they drift into my head. This isn’t viable for a longer project because the pacing always begins to confuse me.

What do the phrases “writer’s block” or “art block” mean to you?

Writer’s block comes in two kinds to me. The first kind is the most common: I’m not actually blocked so much as I am swamped. I have too many ideas and too much stuff to do. As a result, I can’t focus on anything and writing words is like pulling teeth. This kind just has to be muscled through until I hit another vein of inspiration. The second kind is the kind where I genuinely run out of writing energy completely, leaving me feeling drained and empty. I only hit this state once. It lasted for about a week. Worst week of my life. The second kind can’t be worked through, only waited out like a sprain. I recommend going outside and finding something else to focus on until your writing muscles recover.

Tell us about a creator who is an inspiration to you. When did you first encounter them? How have they influenced your work?

Charles de Lint. I had the opportunity to do a Co-Op with him in high school. He supervised me writing my first novella, an urban fantasy story about the people whose job it is to keep magic secret. Although our writing styles are rather different – he’s a pioneer of dreamlike mythic fantasy, I prefer to write about the ‘realistic’ consequences of fantastical things existing – I feel I learned a lot from his approach to worldbuilding and character-crafting. There’s nobody who writes flawed, troubled, and incandescently beautiful characters like Charles de Lint.

What book or media franchise or other creator’s work do you always come back to? How many times have you rewatched/reread/reviewed it?

Neil Gaiman’s work has a way of bringing me back in. I don’t think I could tell you how many times I’ve read and re-read his various creations. Just know that it’s a lot.

What’s your favorite part of the creation process?

Daydreaming about writing the story is always the best part. That and reading it after it’s done.

What are your favorite tropes?

Cute monsters, involuntary body modification as trauma metaphor, codependent relationships, coping mechanisms that aren’t good but are at least keeping you alive.

What are your favorite character archetypes?

My favourite character archetypes are anything that is clearly meant to evoke a classic heroic or villainous archetype, but with the alignment swapped. Luminous holy maidens plotting destruction. Ominous armoured overlords trying to bring salvation. Man-eating monsters struggling to live happy, productive lives in the shadow of cities they’ll never truly belong in. Chosen ones choosing to turn their backs on what they were meant to save. It’s the defiance of fate and expectations both.

What motivates you to create?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a clear answer for this one. Just breathing motivates me to create some days. In general, though, I think that the desire to share my thoughts with others is what makes me put my fingers on the keyboard. I can’t chat about my work with people if I don’t write the work.

Which of your own creations is your favorite? Why?

Whichever one I just re-read and got invested in as if someone else wrote it.

Which of your own creations is your least favorite? Why?

Whichever story I just finished always causes me physical pain to think about.

Do you like having background noise when you create? What do you listen to? Does it vary depending on the project, and if so, how?

Rain noises help me think. Music is a very hit or miss addition, because if there are words I’ll end up mentally singing along instead of thinking about writing.

When you look at your “career” as a creator, what achievement would you most like to reach – what, if it happened or has already happened, would/did make you go “now – now I’m a success!”?

I would love to publish a full novel.

What advice were you given as a new creator? Did it help you?

Show, don’t tell. It definitely helped me when I was younger and had a grudge against the entire concept of descriptive language. Now I keep having to remove entire paragraphs of description for word count, though, so it does have an expiration date.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new creator who came to you for help, what would that advice be?

Worldbuilding is your friend, but sooner or later, you have to actually start writing the story.

Short Stories and Novelettes Nicola has published with Duck Prints Press:

The Act of Salvation (science fantasy, m/m, second person pov)

Be Not Afraid (modern fantasy, m/m, omg they were roommates, the apocalypse happened and life didn’t actually change that much)

Campfire Stories (modern horror, no ship, trading campfire monster stories)

Dead Man’s Bells (fantasy, m/nb, dark romance, demonic possession)

In Good Company (modern horror, m/m, enemies to accomplices)

More Than We Deserve (dystopian sci-fi, m/m, friends to lovers)

The Ocean Went on Forever (sci-fi, m/m if you squint, very hard to summarize – see “challenge: easy-to-tag works)

Nicola is also a contributor to our upcoming anthology Aether Beyond the Binary. We’ll be launching crowdfunding for this campaign in late December, and we’ve invited Nicola to host an Ask Me Anything session during the campaign! The time and date for the AMA aren’t set yet, but if you want to make sure you don’t miss it, join our Book Lover’s Server.

#duck prints press #creator interview #nicola kapron

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just-before-dawn · 2 years ago

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just a lil small statement from me :)

i know that the zine and the people involved has caused uproar within the fandom. i wanted to ignore it as best as i could, but because of me wanting to live my life in peace (as i already have enough on my plate), some people call it me being naive and idiotic.

im going to say this again (as i have done so many times already but people keep needing to be reminded), my zine is on a neutral standpoint. if people think of it in a certain "discourse" position, then please change your thinking. im so tired of having to overexplain and defend the entire purpose of this zine constantly, again and again. some people still don't understand.

ive been involved with this fandom since december 2022 when i made my first post. i decided to make this zine because there was nothing else out there and i thought it would be fun. i have experience in outsourcing and finding manufacturers, i also know the process and the ins and outs of being in a zine. that's why i decided to make one for this fandom. dont let this zine be the ONLY zine in this fandom, i myself plan to make more after this one (coughcoughtuggoffeleeszinecough) and if someone else wants to start one, please do!

i truly love this goddamn musical about singing and dancing cats. this zine is for the purpose of celebrating this musical through art and writing. this musical has had a horrible reputation amongst society, why not turn that around?

in my own words and actions, i chose the people in this zine based off of what they have submitted in their applications, both moderators and contributors. i dont have time to do a deep dive internet check to see what problems a person has caused in a fandom. i work two jobs, im currently also packing 300 kickstarter orders, and im running this zine at the same time. i honestly do not have time to look into the drama that happened in this fandom unless if someone brings it up to me personally and they give me proof. i have explained myself time and time again that i do not absolutely give a single fuck about what side a person stands on. i do not care what a person enjoys or likes on the internet, i have my own business to attend to and other people have theirs.

if im so busy, why am i running this? because i want to and it gives me joy knowing that something great is coming into fruition!

please note that ive gotten anon hate from both a "proshipper" and an "anti", if that doesn't already explain the true neutrality of me and my zine, i dont know what does. im sorry that the results of who was picked and chosen for this zine gave out the supposed wrong reputation. im sorry that i didnt work hard enough to spend time (that i dont have) to do an fbi check on everyone to find out that they've done a certain action in this fandom. i cant make anyone happy with how this zine goes, i can only do so much. i had no idea that fandom discourse was going to be the main problem with running the zine. i thought it would be something bigger like finance. but this discourse does not define the zine.

im so tired of reading things said behind my back, assuming things about me, without actually confronting me about it. my dms are always open for anyone to talk to me about things. my asks are always open too.

the zine and myself have zero people blocked because i dont have time for that. guest contributors were chosen because multiple people requested them, moderators were chosen by me without any bias because i liked what i saw in their applications, contributors were chosen by all of us mods (there are FIVE of us, nothing more) as a collective group. my process with choosing was specifically on work, i dont choose people by bias. im not that kind of person. i also have already talked to my mods about interacting with the apparent discourse surrounding this zine. they will not interact with any posts outside of the people involved. any actions they have made already are not condoned by me and i couldnt say something about it earlier because i was at work.

so please, if a person has a problem with me and my zine, confront ME about. do not bother anyone else.

again, if my zine happened to make someone assume that its "proship" or "anti", then please think twice. this zine is a celebration of this musical and fan content. i dont fucking have a stance. stop assuming shit about me behind my back, im so tired of having to explain this to people. the people involved might and i have no clue because yet again, i dont do fucking deep dives on people unless if someone actually mentions and brings it up to me. but just because i choose to enjoy my time in a fandom without any drama doesnt make me naive and stupid.

it is a person's decision whether or not they want to support this zine. but please do not spread hate. tell me about it and i will take action. thank you.

again, my dms and asks are open. i have zero people blocked on here and the zine's acc. i cannot say the same for anyone else involved. the zine's acc on tumblr and insta are only run by me, nobody else.

#im sorry about this again #i literally hate talking about this but it had to be said #because im tired of it truthfully #idk whos gonna read it but please take my words into consideration

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brandonjohnbarnard · 1 month ago

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Production history around: Disseminate

Today I am going to be going over the roundabout way in which ‘Disseminate’ came to be.

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While reading around the topic of ‘Nouveau Réalisme’, I came across something which I used to always enjoy doing as a kid and which I had forgotten about.

Exquisite Corpses! This is the game you play with your friends where you fold a piece of paper into different sections, and each person takes turns drawing a part of the overall picture, but no one can see the previous work until everyone is finished. To be honest, I had no idea that this was called an ‘exquisite corpse’, and neither does anyone else I talk to about it. Everyone knows the game in some capacity, but just know it as ‘that paper game’.

(An exquisite corpse that was made on the 24th of August 2024, when I was in the early phases of my thoughts. It was done by me (hat), my wife Isobel (the face), and my friends Louis (shoulders) and Art (hands).)

In terms of my PhD (Chance in Filmmaking), this is a great look into collaboration as a form of chance. The overall creation is heavily influenced by factors outside of each contributors control, yet everyone has a nice equal level of impact. I love these things.

I was wondering how I could create something similar in terms of filmmaking, so I decided to reach out to other creatives so we could make a collaborative art piece called ‘the Corpse Project’ — very creative I know.

(The poster I threw together for it.)

9 people (8 + myself) noted that they were interested after a few days of asking around.

The way the project would work was each director would create a 1-minute film, and then pass on this minute to another director so that they could continue the narrative. This way, you were forced to work with what another person decided to do, and needed to figure out how to problem solve. How would you replace actors? How would you match their style? Would you even try to? etc. etc.

This process would have resulted in 9 short films, that were each 9 minutes long, that would have had equal contributions from 9 different directors.

The timeline was that each director was expected to contribute 1 minute every 2 weeks. This meant that the final films would be completed after 4 and a half months.

My wife made a turn order schedule (she is a maths person and lover of logic puzzles) that meant that no two directors proceeded or followed one another in separate films. So for example, each person got to start a film, each person got to end a film, and each person always had a different person’s work to follow on from. Isobel made the 6 person version, and my friend Louis made the 9 person version.

Very interestingly, ChatGPT could not create this chart at all. It always broke the rules in one way or another.

(The schedule Isobel created, allowing 6 directors.)

To skip forward through time a bit: out of the 9 people involved, only 2 people submitted in the end. The main reasons for this was:

Time constraints.

The worry about being good enough to work with other people.

Not knowing how to do a production solo — always part of a team on separate ventures.

If I were to try this again in the future, I would make sure it was way more casual. Even if it took a year, it is better than nothing. Overall, I learnt a lot from this process.

💿 Film Idea 1: Bin Creature 💿

I wanted to create a film where someone was at a construction site chatting away, when they suddenly notice a bunch of noises behind them coming from a bin. They investigate, and are so worried by what they see, that they call their supervisor. Their supervisor, incredulous, goes over to see what is up. After seeing what is in the bin, they also run away.

(My doodle storyboard, made on the 4th of September 2024, at 10AM (now that’s specific note taking!).)

In terms of the corpse, I was really excited to see what people would do with this premise. Would the next scene be the FBI/MI5, or the creature attacking people? Would the creature transform into something else? Would it take their point of view?

The plan was for me to be the initial construction worker, and for Louis to be my supervisor. I created a bunch of props for this role, and made sure to gather any supplies to help sell the bit.

However, when it came to the day of filming, it rained. I told Louis we should reschedule.

💿 Film Idea 2: Toilet Creature 💿

Okay. So if filming outside was going to be an issue, and I was struggling to arrange people to come over within the timeframe, I needed to problem solve for this.

As such, I created a version of the previous story that took place inside, with just myself as an actor, and someone on the phone.

At this point I was stressing. I told so many people to work within 2 weeks, and suddenly I too was struggling to have something created. I felt like a bit of a hypocrite.

💿 Film Idea 3: Cursed DVD 💿

I was watching some Björk music videos, because I think her stuff is rad, but also I wanted to slowly get through her entire discography. I was making a tier list of which of her songs I liked more than others.

(Where I am so far, don’t @ me lol. I am sure these will all change around as I listen more.)

Well, I was watching the music video for ‘Declare Independence’ and I was really enjoying how Björk uses non-realistic ways to show off concepts. I am very particular about some things, and want to do them ‘correctly’. Seeing someone purposely depicting concepts like influence via media in a more abstract way was very refreshing. I wanted to make something like that with film creation.

(Original idea card from the 13th of September 2024, at 18:32.)

Originally, the film had nothing to do with me and my work. It was just about a person creating a cursed DVD.

The greenscreen monitors were created by having a jpeg of green opened up on each monitor.

(Don’t be a desk detective now 😉.)

This had the cool, and unintended consequence, of causing my face to glow bright green. This is what my PhD is all about — a chance discovery has resulted in a film technique being learnt that can me repeated, purposefully, in the future. It is great that this does not affect the background, meaning only my face is picked up by the chromakey.

(You won’t like me when I’m angry.)

In order to see if this effect was worth pursuing, I created a short demo of me playing with the chromakey. This is where the final seed of this production was planted.

youtube

In order to test the chromakey, I put previous film, ‘Graffiti’, in the background. While the decision to have ‘Disseminate’ be about me and my films was not decided in this moment (it happened when I had all the footage and finally decided to edit it all), the possibility entered my mind here.

The final background shot (on the monitors and my face) was made by taking all of my films, increasing the transparency, and layering them all on top of one another. I also juggled the position of them so one film was not dominant over another.

I really like the accidental symbolism of it all. That creating a film is both ‘what comes from within’ being put onto the editing timeline, but also that your previous creations influence your later ones. Not only that, but the act of creating is an influence (the current typing being internal as well).

That once a film is out there is the world, the influence leaves you and is free to change people in a way that is out of your control. You create media, but its lasting impact has way less to do with you and your decisions.

I also like the scene of multiple versions of me going to the post box. Could it be that in releasing a video, you go through the same journey again and again, or that the previous yous are present in that moment. Is it again the building up of influence and experience over time. Again, once we reach the post box, we disappear. From the moment of release, our connection to the creation is severed. I’m not sure, but I like the shot.

An interesting cheat I discovered for corpse creation is allowing some breathing room at the end of a scene. Because this was created for the Corpse Project, the run-time of the production is exactly 1 minute. An element that helped with that is allowing a buffer shot. In this instance, it was the sky. Thinking about the idea of transmission and etherealness, it works nicely, and also for someone to continue the piece from here, I feel a buffer like this would make it less jarring.

The song used in this film is ‘Warped Melody’ by Komit.wav — I like these sense of building up that it gives, as well as the vibe of pushing forward into the unknown. It is alien and upsetting (in a good way!).

💿 Side Note 💿

On a meta-note, here is the meta note I created for this article.

I would like to catch up with my previous films in terms of articles, and start releasing them as I publish the films. The film I am currently working on is a doozy, so it is taking a while.

Thanks for reading ❤

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thimbil · 3 years ago

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Having some thoughts about the references and inspirations used for the Bad Batch’s designs.

So Boba Fett is my absolute favorite character and Temeura Morrison was perfect casting. I went to see the 2008 TCW movie in theaters because I was so excited to see him again, even if he was animated. You can imagine my disappointment. Whoever was on screen was not Temeura Morrison. You could sort of see a resemblance if you squinted and didn’t think too hard about it. They replaced Temeura with Racially Ambiguous G.I. Joe. If I didn’t know better and someone told me the animated clones are space Italians from the moon of New Jersey I would buy it. One Million Brothers Pizzeria and Italian Bistro. Not that there’s something wrong with being space Italian, I just don’t think it’s the right choice for the Fetts. The design got slightly improved by season 7 but it still bugs the hell out of me.

I did eventually get into the show later and (of course) got invested in the clones. Unfortunately, they were largely sidelined by the Jedi storylines. Out of the two new main characters created for TCW, Ahsoka definitely got more development and focus than Rex. When they announced The Bad Batch, I was excited to see a show specifically devoted to the clones… at least that’s what it said on the tin. We have all seen what lurks beneath those stylish helmets.

Jango Fett, you are NOT the father.

So who is?

Based on interviews with Filoni, it sounds like the Bad Batch was a George Lucas idea. And like all his ideas, it’s super derivative. The original trilogy directly lifted elements from sci fi serials, westerns, and samurai movies, more specifically Kurosawa films like The Hidden Fortress. For The Bad Batch character designs, the influence is obviously American action and adventure movies.

Now let’s get specific. Bad Batch, who’s your daddy?

Hunter

Sylvester Stallone as Rambo in First Blood 1982. That bandana has become an integral part of the iconic action hero look. You see a character wearing one and it’s a visual shorthand for either “this character is a tough guy” like Billy played by Sonny Landham in Predator 1987, or “this character thinks he is/wants to be a tough guy” like Brand played by Josh Brolin in The Goonies 1985 or Edward Frog played by Corey Feldman in The Lost Boys 1987.

Hunter’s model is closest to the original clone base. If you look closely you will see the eyebrows are straighter with a much lower angle to the arch. His nose is also not the same shape as a standard clone like Rex, including a narrower bridge. It’s certainly not Temeura Morrison’s nose. Remember what I said about space Italians? It didn’t take much to push the existing clone design to resemble an specific Italian man instead of a specific Māori man. The 23&Me came back, and Hunter inherited more than the bandana from Sylvester.

Crosshair

The long narrow nose, the sharp cheekbones, the scowl. That’s no clone, that’s just animated Clint Eastwood. Not even Young and Hot Clint Eastwood from Rawhide 1959-1965. With that hair, I’m talking Gran Torino 2008. The man of few words schtick and family friendly toothpick in lieu of cigar are pure Eastwood as The Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns A Fist Full of Dollars 1964, For a Few Dollars More 1965, and The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966.

In a way, this is full circle because the actor Jeremy Bulloch took inspiration from Clint Eastwood for his performance as Boba Fett in ESB.

Wrecker

In an interview Filoni lists the Hulk as an (obvious) inspiration for Wrecker. Ever seen the old Hulk tv show from 1978? Well take a look at the actor who played him, Lou Ferrigno. Would you look at that. Even has his papa’s nose.

You could make the argument that Wrecker was influenced by The Rock, an appropriately buff ‘n bald Polynesian (Samoan, not Maori) man. But look at him next his Fast and Furious costar Vin Diesel and tell me which one resembles Wrecker’s character model more.

Tech

Tech is a little trickier for me to place. If he has a more direct inspiration it must be something I haven’t seen. That said, his hairline is very Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard 1988. His quippiness and large glasses remind me of Shane Black as Hawkins from Predator 1987. In terms of his face, he looks a but like the result of McClane and Hawkins deciding to settle down and start a family. Although, Tech’s biggest contributors are probably just everyone on TV Trope’s list for Smart People Wear Glasses.

And finally,

Echo

Oh Echo. Considering he wasn’t created for the Bad Batch, he probably wasn’t based on a particular character or movie. But if I had to guess, his situation and appearance remind me a lot of Alex Murphy played by Peter Weller in Robocop 1987. However, Robocop explored the Man or Machine Identity Crisis with more nuance, depth, and dignity. Yikes.

The exact tropes and references used in The Bad Batch have been done successfully with characters who aren’t even human. Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch 1990 had a brief stint with the Rambo bandana. I could have picked any number of characters for Defining Feature Is Glasses but here is the most cursed version of Simon of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Suffer as I have. Marc Antony with his beloved Pussyfoot from Looney Tunes has the same tough guy with a soft center vibe as Wrecker and his Lula (also a kind of cat). Hell, in the same show we have Cad Bane sharing Cowboy Clint Eastwood with Crosshair. I actually think Bane makes a better Eastwood which is wild considering Crosshair has Eastwood’s entire face and Bane is blue.

So we’ve established you don’t need your characters to look exactly like their inspirations to match their vibe. So why go through the trouble and cost of creating completely new character designs instead of recycling and altering assets they already had on hand? Just slap on a bandana, toothpick, goggles, and make Wrecker bigger than the others while he does a Hulk pose and you’re done. Based on the general reaction to Howzer it would have been a low effort slam dunk crowd pleaser.

But they didn’t do that.

So here’s the thing. I like the tropes used in The Bad Batch. I am a fan of action adventure movies from the 80s-90s, the sillier the better. I am part of the Bad Batch’s target audience. Considering what I know about Disney and Lucasfilm, I went in with low expectations. I genuinely don’t hate the idea of seeing references to these actors and media in The Bad Batch. I don’t think basing these characters on tropes was a bad idea. If anything it’s a solid starting point for building the characters.

The trouble is nothing got built on the foundation. The plot is directionless, the pacing is wacky, and the characters have nearly no emotional depth or defining character arcs. They just sort of exist without reacting much while the story happens around them. But I can excuse all of that. You don’t stay a fan of Star Wars as long as I have not being able to cherrypick and fill in the gaps. This show has a deeper issue that shouldn’t be ignored.

Why do the animated clones bear at best only a passing resemblance to their live action actor? In interviews, Filoni wouldn’t shut up but the technological advancements in the animation for season 7. So if they are updating things, why not try to make the clones a closer match to their source material? Why did they have to look like completely different people in The Bad Batch to be “unique”? Looking like Temeura Morrison would have no bearing on their special abilities and TCW proved you can have identical looking characters and still have them be distinct. In fact, that’s a powerful theme and the source of tragedy for the clones’ narrative overall.

Here’s Filoni’s early concept art of Crosshair, Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. (Interesting but irrelevant: Wrecker seems to have a cog tattoo similar to Jesse’s instead of a scar. Wouldn’t it have been funny if they kept that so when they met in season 7 one if them could say something like “Hey we’re twins!” That’s a little clone humor. Just for you guys 😘)

None of these drawings look like the clones in TCW, much less Temeura Morrison. Let’s be generous. Maybe Filoni struggles with drawing a real person’s likeness, as many people do. But he had to hand this off to other artists down the line whose job specifically involves making a stylized character resemble their actor. Yet the final designs missed the mark almost as much as this initial concept. Starting to seem as if the clones looking more like Temeura Morrison was never even on the table. It wasn’t a lack of creativity, skill or technical limitations on the part of the creative team. I don’t think there is an innocent explanation. They went out of their way to make the final product exactly how we got it.

This goes beyond homage. They could have made the same pop culture references and character tropes without completely stripping Temeura Morrison from the role he originated. It was a very purposeful choice to replace him with more immediately familiar actors from established franchises and films. It wouldn’t shock me if Filoni, Lucas, and anyone else calling the shots didn’t even think hard or care enough about the decision to immediately recognize a problem. And I don’t think they believed anyone else would either. At least no one whose opinion they cared about. Those faces are comfortingly familiar and proven bankable. They are what we’re all used to seeing after all. They’re white.

Lack of imagination, bad intentions, or simple ignorance doesn’t really matter in the end. The result is the same. Call it what it is. They replaced a man of color with a bunch of white guys. That’s by the book garden variety run of the mill whitewashing. There’s no debate worth having about it. For a fanbase that loves to nitpick things like whether or not it’s in character for Han to shoot first or Jeans Guy in the Mandalorian, we sure are quick to find excuses for clones who look nothing like their template. Why is that? If you don’t see the problem, congratulations. Your ass is showing. Pull your jeans up.

#star wars #the bad batch #unwhitewashtbb #wrecker #crosshair #tech #hunter #echo

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lubdubsworld · 3 years ago

Text

Blackberry Winters.

Part 1

Check part one for warnings 💔

Part 2.

Namjoon stared at his mother, her words registering but not quite sinking in. He blinked, a couple of times and swallowed dryly, trying to gather his wits that felt like they'd been scattered to the four winds. There was a dull ringing in his ear, a feeling of impending horror and he had to fight to bring himself back to the present.

"She is...?" He couldn't even say it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realised the irony of it. It wasn't supposed to makes him feel that way. The reason he had taken her to bed was for this : a heir to take over the duties of the head alpha after him. And yet, he knew that he couldn't just ignore all the things that would come with having a pregnant mate. All the added responsibility.

At the heart of it , Namjoon was exhausted.

He had been trained for this position but it didn't make it any easier. His wolf yearned for solitude and serenity, peaceful quiet where he could contemplate life and all its mysteries but the duties and responsibilities kept piling up. He had no time to indulge in such whimsical fantasies. From daybreak to sundown, he drowned in problems that demanded solutions, issues that required his intervention and he was always giving so much of himself to so many.

It was as taking a toll.

And now here was the promise of another new soul. A pup. Fully dependant on him for survival. It was hard to be ecstatic.

" Why do you look so surprised? Have you not been sleeping with her?" She frowned, moving closer to the small wooden bench in the corner of the room. She sat down, primly adjusting the large swathes of her skirt. Even at her age, she was a beauty and despite being a widow, she was treated with great respect by all the wolves in the clan.

" I have... Of course...I just didn't expect her to ...so soon. " He muttered hesitantly. He made a quick calculation, Conceived at the end of autumn meant the child would be born at the end of summer. Rains and more rains. He would have to commission the weavers to make a lot of warm blankets and thick bedding for the babe. And make sure that all the birthing huts had their roofs mended. He felt an ache in his chest. He knew he had to have a heir. It was part of what he was responsible for. But he wasn't ready to be a father yet. Especially not with someone like her.

" You haven't been very subtle in your disdain for her, Joon. It makes me wonder of perhaps I have failed in teaching you the ways of a husband." His mother's sharp voice made him wince.

His parents had been deeply in love with each other. His mother had been an equal contributor in running the clan, his father's most trusted confidante. He couldn't imagine having something like that with the woman he had rather recklessly chained himself to for life. But he couldn't be openly defiant in front of his mother.

So he bowed.

" I've tried to talk to her mother. She looks at me like I'm some marauding villain."

Lady Kim scoffed.

" Because, for all she knows, you may as well be one. Think of who she is, how she was raised. Her mother died when she was eight and she has been keeping house for her father since then. It Is a miracle she knows how to read a few words and to write her own name. Old man Gong is unkind and cruel and I've only ever watched him treat her like an unruly dog that needed discipline and never like his own flesh and blood. She knows men to be cruel and powerful and capable of doing her great harm. Add to it your status as the head of the clan, of course she thinks you're dangerous. "

" am I to be blamed for her childhood now?"

" Don't be obtuse. That is not what I'm saying. I just want you to consider her upbringing, before you write her off as dramatic or hysterical. "

Namjoon sighed deeply.

" Alright, mother. I'll try to talk to her again. "

And he knew that he had to. If he wanted some semblance of peace in his life, he would have to make an effort with his wife.

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

Jiah sat by the haybale near the barn, cross-legged on the dirty floor as she watched Misu and Loshim, two of the stable boys tend to the horses. She stared at the careful way they brushed the large beasts, their tone gentle and soothing as they murmured reassurance to the agitated animals. She found it fascinating, how even an animal that powerful could feel fear and anxiety. It made her feel better about her own shortcomings.

From a very young age, she had known of her flaws. She was jittery, prone to cold sweats and breathing problems, easily frightened and absolutely terrified of confrontation of any kind. Her parents had been, to put it lightly, unkind. They had seen her as a burden, as something broken and useless and cumbersome and that had done nothing for her self esteem.

To make matters worse, they didn't let her attend lessons with the other omega girls, her education limited to scribbled writing on granite with chalk when her father was feeling bored or charitable. She could read a few words with difficulty . Could write her name out if you gave her some time and patience.

At first, her ignorance had been embarassing but over time she realised her education wouldn't serve her much purpose.

She thought of herself as something temporary and fleeting. Not meant to leave any lasting impression on the world. So it was alright if she didn't know what every other girl her age did. She was going to live and die in that hut near the boundary walls..... She would have no use for fancy words or exotic dances.

Or so she hd always believed.

So when the head alpha had asked for her hand in marriage, she had nearly passed out from her heart giving out.

Namjoon was seven years older, almost thirty winters old and she had only ever caught glimpses of him when he came to check on her father's watchpost occasionally. He was a tall man, strapping and intimidating with dragon eyes that glowed red. And one evening he had stopped by her side when she had been tending the beets and potatoes in the small vegetable garden out back.

He had stared at her for a few long minutes while she had sweated in nervousness and then he had promptly asked for her father. When the man had Stepped in and told her father that he was looking to make her his bride, the old man had been jubilant while Jiah had been confounded.

She hadn't wanted to say yes but she had been too much of a coward to say no. Besides, she didn't know if saying no would have any repurcussions....she didn't want to risk offending the literal head of the entire clan. What if they banished her? What would become of her then?

And so she had said yes. And here she was.

Mated to the man for life, her wolf connected to his and his mark on her neck and now....his child in her womb.

She felt the familiar stirring of panic, digging her nails into her palm to ground herself .

Jiah had long come to terms with the fact that her mind was not her friend. It sometimes tried to attack her , tried to make her feel irrational things. It convinced her that she was a bother, that she was useless, that she was a burden. It also tried to tell her that she was in danger, that she had to run and avoid and get away, even when she was perfectly safe.

When she had first come here as the head Alphas new wife, her brain had wrecked havoc on her senses. Had made her feel like a hunted animal, always cowering and hiding and trying to disappear . Namjoon had tried to be friendly, tried to be courteous and all she had done was hide and recoil, skin ice cold and words practically non existent. She hadn't said a word to him those first few days and even the bedding had been a nightmare, her entire body stiff as a board and she knew that he had probably felt like he was making love to a corpse.

She regretted it. Deeply. But there was not much she could do about it now. Besides she wasn't sure she even wanted to. It was obvious her husband's affections lay elsewhere. She had seen the way he looked at that courtesan. Had seen him sneak out for walks with her, had seen them huddled together in the room with all the scrolls and leather bound books.

Jisoo was a beautiful omega, well read and trained in musical arts. She played the gayageum and the flute, knew how to entertain guests with a perfect ceremonial dance and she was always at the helm of every festivity, dressed in vibrant fabrics and full of life.

She was also madly in love with Namjoon.

Jiah sighed, watching the horses paw at the dirty stable floor. She wanted to get to know her husband, yes. But she knew that even if she did, he would only find her wanting and inadequate in all ways.

And that was just not acceptable .

She maybe self aware when it came to her short comings but she also had her pride.

She would rather live like this. Tucked away like an embarassment, hidden like a dirty secret because then there would be no piercing gaze weighing her against her peers and declaring her broken.

Yes.

Pregnant or not, she wanted nothing to do with her husband.

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

" Are you feeling well now?" Namjoon's voice startled her, eyes going wide as she looked around the resting quarters , gaze finally falling on the man standing near the large table on the side. Namjoon was bent over the rough oak surface , papers spread out in front of him, an oil lamp burning bright nearby, casting a sepia shadow on the man himself and she hesitated, debating the pros and cons of excusing herself to go see his mother instead. Maybe claiming a headache?

In the end she did neither, resolving to at least make an effort with this.

" I'm well, alpha. " She swallowed the lump in her throat. " I'm sorry for inconveniencing you. "

He straightened, turning around to look at her finally.

" Do you wish to move into another room?" He said briskly and she startled.

" Another room?"

" Now that you are with pup, there's no reason for us to keep sleeping together. I prefer having my own space. "

Jiah felt the blood rush through her ears. This shouldn't hurt but it did and she could feel the self loathing flood her senses. She stared down at herself, the lack of beauty and the utter lack of any kind of elegant upbringing. Of course he didn't want to stay with her any longer. What had she been thinking , agreeing to this farce of a mating?

" I... Alright. "

Namjoon turned away from her.

" Good. I've already arranged for all your things to be moved to the west wing , next to the gardens."

Far away from his rooms, Jiah thought bitterly. The sudden realization that Namjoon had been looking for some sort of brood mare and not a mate hit her . And it suddenly made sense that he hd picked her.

Someone easy to boss around.

Someone who wouldn't demand anything from him, loyalty or affection or attention .

And it irked her for some reason.

Why did he get to treat her that way? Why must she put up with it?

But she stayed quiet because she wasn't sure what to say.

" You can leave now, Jiah. " He said dismissively and she hesitated before stepping out of the room.

And she wondered if with her departure, someone else would be taking her place in his bed.

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

Authors Note : would you guys like first person narrative or should I continue in third person? 👀

#namjoon Werewolf drabble

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superhero--imagines · 4 years ago

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Etsy Store Here l Ko-Fi l Commission Info I Instagram I Zine

A/N: I just felt like it, this is pretty self-indulgent tbh. also please buy my stickers on etsy. Please. I worked so hard and I'm so scared they're going to flop.

* Yo babe, this guy is like your #1 supporter

* Like there’s two ways he meets you. The first is probably like that romantic “it’s fate” type of way, and the second is one of his brothers sets him up with you

* The first one is sort of romantic- you meet him when you’re still young at some book signing or a poetry reading or something

* And he sits next to you, and you start chatting a little about the author and their work

* “You sound like a writer” Jason says, and you blush a little

* “I guess I am” you’re just starting out though

* “What kinda stuff do you write?” He asks

* “The bad kind”

* He laughs at that

* And there’s this sort of romantic mood over the scene, like he just knows you’re going to be special to him

* But then the reading ends, and he’s waiting for it- to give you his number or to you see again but he never does

* You just get up and leave

* He see’s you again years later, at a charity ball Bruce is forcing him to go to “public appearance is important” and “optics need to be good” or something

* And you’re there, one hand on Dick’s arm, and the other around a flute of champagne

* “Oh, (Y/N)- this is my little brother Jason, Jason this is (Y/N)”

* The hand wrapped around Dick’s arm unfurls to hold his own, Jason can’t take his eyes off of yours

* “Nice to meet you”

* And there’s no familiar glint in your eyes, this isn’t some inside joke-

* You really don’t remember him

* “Nice to meet you too,” Jason says giving you a firm squeeze back

* Your hand is soft

* He can picture it, desperately clutching a pen, flying across a page, and scribbling all the ideas in your mind-

* It feels like a writers hand

* “(Y/N)’s an aspiring writer,” Dick says, and Jason flinches.

* So you are still writing

* “I’m not an aspiring writer, I am a writer”

* Jason doesn’t miss the slight bite in your words, despite your expressionless exterior

* “No I mean like a real writer- a published writer”

* “I am a published writer” you sigh, and Jason guesses you’re exasperated

* “Oh really where at?” Dick asks, and Jason almost wants to strangle his brother. Here’s the person of his dreams, and Dick had the stupid dumb luck to date them first- only to say all the wrong things.

* But before you can answer Dick’s eyes light up as they hover over the bar-

* Then out of nowhere, he grabs your champagne flute away from you

* “You’re running low huh?” The flute is mostly full, Jason notices. “I’ll get you another”

* And then he’s gone, leaving just you and Jason

* “I’m going to take a wild stab here, and say you’re not dating my brother”

* You shake your head with a small smile

* “This would be pretty sad if we were,” you say, picking up a champagne flute from a nearby server

* Jason mirrors the motion

* “Dick said he wanted to make an ex jealous, it’s a mutually beneficial situation”

* You motion to the bar, and sure enough Dick’s chatting up a familiar redhead Jason knows all too well

* “What do you get out of this?” The question is punctuated with a sip of champagne and your lips quirk into a small smile

* “I’ve never been to an event like this,” your eyes sweep the room- marble columns and men with shiny cuff links and tuxedos and women in polished gowns

* It’s like something out of a tv show

* “I thought it might be good for my writing” you shrug, your editor is always saying that you need more romantic elements in your work

* “Well you don’t need Dick for that,” Jason takes a sip of his champagne “I’m right here”

* You grin, and Jason has to pinch himself to snap out of the way you dazzle him

* “What a gentleman,” you say, still smiling, though it’s dimmed

* “Anything to support the arts”

* Elsewhere at the bar-

* “Do you think they’re hitting it off?” Barbara asks, and Dick grins

* “Of course they are, they’re a writer- Jason loves to read, it’s a match made in heaven”

* Barbara rolls her eyes, but she’ll admit, you guys look good together

* Things move fast after that, the way they always seem to when people are happy

* First dates at the pier

* Second dates watching bad movies and smuggling wine into a movie theatre

* Third dates where you do nothing but kiss

* Bookstore trips, late nights where you do nothing but dream

* Jason knows you’re getting close when you open up to him about your art

* “I’ve had this idea in my head for months now but it just won’t come out”

* And you’re taking such a huge chance talking about this- how many times have you been told to quit while you’re ahead, or ridiculed, treated as an annoyance, or even laughed at for opening up about your work.

* So the pure joy Jason shows when you speak to him about it makes your heart skip

* “Tell me about it, what kind of a story is it?”

* And this is such a vulnerable moment for both of you- but Jason makes it seem like it’s the most normal thing in the world, like this is how it should have been with everyone before

* And honestly it’s healing

* This dork will buy any magazine or journal you’re printed in and ask you to sign it

* If it’s web-only, he’ll print out your story on high-quality paper and ask you to sign that

* “You know you didn’t have to buy one, I have like 12 contributor copies,” you say hiding your smile as you indulge him by signing the cover

* “I just happened to see it-”

* He didn’t just ‘happen to see it’ he preordered this copy a month ago

* “Besides I like supporting your work”

* And no ones ever loved you like this, so you hide your smile behind your hand

* “Anything to support the art right?”

* “Exactly,” he says with a grin

* If you write a book and add his name to the dedications/acknowledgments he’ll straight-up start crying

* “Jason-“

* You’re a little concerned, you didn’t even write anything mushy just ‘For Jason, my number one supporter’

* When he finally shows his face from behind his hand he’s smiling so wide with the brightest blush on his face

* “This is my favorite book,” he says hugging the copy to his chest

* And you just smile

* He buys two books, one to make notes in and the other to keep in a shadow box

* Speaking of books-

* If you guys live together you have a lot

* Like seriously almost TOO many

* Have you guys seen that tik tok of the girl whose parents are professors and they have a whole house just COVERED in books- like even the bathroom

* Yeah

* That’s your house!!

* Well, probably apartment, but yeah

* You have a “guest bedroom”

* But really it’s a library with a bed in the middle

* Your living room has every wall covered in bookshelves and one small empty spot so he could mount the television

* It makes perfect sense- one bookshelf Is yours, one is for reference material, one is to keep all the stuff you get published, one bookshelf is for Jason, another is for shared classics, another is books you guys share with signed books in it, another is just a display case really

* And so on

* “Do you ever think we have too many books?” You ask Jason one night over cups of chamomile tea

* He looks up from the book in his lap, reading glasses slipping down

* “I think we’re the only people who have the correct amount of books”

* You grin

* “Yeah I think so too”

* He would totally show up to all your readings and book signings

* Your manager/agent might start to get worried

* “You don’t think he’s a stalker do you?”

* “Nah that’s just my boyfriend” you say with a smile, blowing a kiss in his direction

* Just- supportive Jason who loves that you were born to tell stories

#batman imagine #jason todd zine #Jason Todd imagine #jason todd heacanon #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #Jason Todd #red hood #red hood imagine #red hood x reader #dc comics imagine #superhero--imagines #dc comics

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recycledmoviecostumes · 4 years ago

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Do you work for a costume house? How else could anyone possibly put this together????

I do not work for a costume house, though I sure wish I did! I don't even work in any kind of costume or fashion related field either. Granted, I have always had a great love of costumes and costume dramas, and I've always had an eye for remembering small details, so that has certainly helped me in this hobby of spotting recycled costumes. I actually work at an experiential brand agency as the manager of their art department.

As to how anyone could put this together, I guess it just sort of happened over time. The idea originated on CostumersGuide.com, which shared reused costumes as a feature on their website, in addition to the other research about costumes that they provide. I was saddened when they stopped taking contributions since the number of them had gotten to be overwhelming, and reused costumes were not what that site was about. I had a whole binder of reused costume after reused costume that I had found and still had not submitted to them, and I knew that I had enough content to make a full site. I reached out and asked if I could use their collection of reused costumes as the beginning basis for my own site, featuring nothing but reused costumes. Thankfully, they agreed!

While I am the only person running the site, I do have dozens of people who write to me every week with contributions and submissions. In fact, I have a backlog of a couple of thousand submissions! Eek! I appreciate everyone's patience in waiting for their contributions or answers to their questions to be posted. I more often than not work at my job at the agency 80 hours a week (to say nothing of my non-work related commitments - family, friends, running a household, two side businesses, and a third I am attempting to get off the ground, etc.), so just getting two costume posts a week up can really be a challenge, and usually I have to make the choice between updating the site or sleeping - I’m answering this question after 11 PM, for example.

Without my awesome and incredible contributors submitting the unique content that everyone gets to enjoy week after week for almost twelve years now (!!!), this site would not be possible. They get all of the credit. And anyone can contribute! Anyone who finds a reused costume can send the sighting to me at [email protected]

E-mail Submissions: [email protected]

Follow: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

#costume #costume drama #period drama #recycled movie costumes

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woodelf68 · 2 years ago

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AO3 tag game

Tagged by @luthienebonyx

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

272,188

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

For fics that I've published/posted to share with others: Robin of Sherwood, Wizards and Warriors, Zorro (the Family Channel series), Lord of the Rings, Once Upon A Time, Stargate: Universe, The Tournament, Thor -- and like 99% of that is OUAT, SGU, and Thor. Everything pre-OUAT was no more than one or two fics per fandom. (I am not a natural story writer. I find it easy to write missing scenes, or extend existing ones, but a proper fic with a beginning, middle and end? At that age, the only thing that could force me to come up with enough words to count as a proper fic were those magic words "free contributor's copy". I did do a lot of art and poetry/filks for RoS, though.)

For all those journals filled with fannish scribbles that I wrote just for myself? Various soap operas, with the most being from Days of Our Lives probably, since I had a couple of big OTPs there. House. Highlander. Beauty and the Beast (Ron Perlman series). A bit of Hercules the Legendary Journeys? I remember writing something for Aphrodite and Hephaestus and at least one thing based on Tyr from Andromeda. More of all the shows that I listed as having posted online or had published in zines. Maybe some ST:TNG for Picard and Crusher? It's hard to remember, it's so long ago; I'm sure I've missed at least one fandom.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Bearing in mind that most of the Rumbelle and Rushbelle ones were posted on tumblr years before I copied them to AO3 (thus having most of their likes over here), these are all my more recent Thor fandom ones: Measuring Up, Child of Love, Tumblr Prompt Fics, Mornings, and Trust.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

Yes, always. I very much appreciate any and all comments and I want those who leave them to know that.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

*Scrolls through my fics on AO3* Hm, I can't decide, my three fics in which I accept Neal Cassidy as being dead all make me sniffly. It's either 'Rumple and Henry at Neal's grave', 'Rumple names a star after Neal for Henry's birthday present', or 'Years after Neal's death, his sister visits the grave of the brother she never met'. I debated rewriting that last one when the Rumbaby turned out to be a boy, but was too pleased with the way the fic came out to mess with it.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

I've done several Rushbelle ones and one Macelle one that springboarded off a Bad Faery fic. Craziest one was a prompt for SGU's Nicholas Rush to turn into a unicorn. It somehow ended up not feeling like crack at all, though.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I got a few critical reviews from someone this past winter, but nothing strong enough that I would call it hate or be bothered by it. Like 'this is too fluffy and OOC' and I was like 'if you're looking for angst, you're in the wrong place, but thanks for reading!' I was having quite a bit of fun responding to this person tbqh, I was kind of sad when they stopped after three fics.

9. Do you write smut?

Yep. My brain keeps providing me with ideas, rudely not caring that it's much easier to play out sex scenes in my head for my own pleasure than to actually write them down.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. (At least that I know of!)

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oh boy. *Drums fingers* I'm going to go with Vincent and Catherine from Beauty and the Beast, because their journey was cut short when Linda Hamilton left the show and I was left feeling unfulfilled and cheated of everything that they could have been. Fic was good, but they were canon, and we did not get enough of them. I wish they had either tried recasting the role or just cancelled it without doing what they did in the third season. Their romance was just so beautiful.

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

If little isolated scenes I just wrote for my own pleasure (often extending an aired scene to make it fluffier or smuttier) in a journal counts, then Days of Our Lives, I think. Or maybe General Hospital. That was the first soap I got hooked on at the tender age of 12, thanks to my mom. For a proper fic written to be shared with others...it might have been a very short Robin of Sherwood scene where Robin wasn't killed due to some Herne-sent Magical Mist™ shrouding him from view of the Sheriff's archers and allowing him to escape back into the woods. (My more experienced self is asking what good that would have done, when the dogs could have just tracked him right back down. I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?)

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh man, I've got too many to choose from. The best I can do is say that for Rumbelle it's probably one (or all) of the fics in the Floofy!verse, and for Thor, one (or all) of the completely self-indulgently fluffy kid Thor and Loki fics.

Open tag for anyone who wants to do it!

#tagged!#luthienebonyx

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db-reviews · 2 years ago

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#107 - Night - Gazpacho (2007)

Dreams are so interesting and odd to me. The idea of journeying to the inner corners of your mind and imagination with no rhyme or reason, yet some form of meaning is something that feels almost like fiction. This real-world phenomenon has been researched from point a to point z, and I feel like we might never get a grasp of what they truly mean due to people’s different psyches. Our psychological understanding of what is and isn’t, the false truths bleed into dreams and our minds mustn’t be deterred from reality or our sanity will go away. In all honesty, I am surprised this phenomenon would make an amazing concept for an album, especially in the realm of progressive rock, but sadly I never see any such a concept explored to its fullest potential. We may get albums where a part is a character’s delusions in their minds or being stuck in their mind, but never dreams themselves. There may be two reasons for this. 1. It’d be very hard to pull off effectively. 2. Night by Gazpacho is already a thing, so why attempt what they mastered once in their career?

Gazpacho is a contemporary progressive rock group from the early 2000s. Formed by Jan-Henrik Ohme, Jon-Arne Vilbo, and Thomas Andersen they take a page from the popular, more Radioheadesque art rock of the time, however with their spin on the whole style that is most closely related to Neo progressive rock. Their name comes from the Marillion song off of their Afraid of Sunlight album. At this point in their career they had released 3 albums, Brave, When Earth Lets Go, and Firebird. During this period they experimented and improved on their melancholic sound, utilizing alternative rock atmospheres that allowed them to create a unique, inspired sound. Since their conception they have always been a progressive rock band, however, they never fully smothered deep dished themselves in the bread, sauce, cheese, and grease of the progressive rock pizza. That was until 2007 when the band had created their 50+ minute conceptual piece. This was an album where they fully delved into the concept of dreams, creating one giant song in the process, however, they split it into 5 different songs that all fit together.

Unlike most albums that do something similar to this in the vein where it is one song that is split up (IE Colors or Tower of Silence) where I genuinely feel like each part intertwines in such a way that it makes every part feel essential for the listening experience. However, the fact each part is separated allows this album to never get boring, which I feel is one of the biggest hurdles any band making this kind of album has to go through. It may be one long song but I do not feel as though I ever get bored near the end, or that some parts do not mesh well with others, which were some of my complaints for stuff like Dopesmoker or Mirror Reaper.

The sounds on this album are something to behold. Everything around each part has a consistent theme and leitmotifs that you can notice, which I think is a good thing. I am a sucker for this kind of thing, especially when it comes to leitmotifs. Heck one of my favorite video games is packed brim with leitmotifs, and when it applies to a progressive rock context I am always happy. It is like a fun spotting game where after each song you can have a new motif to search for. While in most cases this would be boring, in the grand scale of the piece these motifs happen fairly rarely, however they happen often enough to fit every piece to this dreamy puzzle. Not only that but the main contributor to this album’s greatness is the instrumentation. I just love how it perfectly captures the feelings of dreams and nighttime. The energy that resonates from this album speaks home to the feeling of being in a dream. The strums of the guitar, the drumming, and Ohme’s vocal works on this album are the cream of the crop. Speaking of Ohme, his singing is downright beautiful. I cannot express how truly lovely they can get, sometimes to where I feel like he turns into a completely different singer.

Not only is the instrumentation excellent, but so is the emotion that drips off this album. Everything here feels melancholic, and where in some cases I feel like the band is missing out on something greater if they expressed more emotions on the emotional spectrum in their music, I feel like here it works well, since what is the night without the lack of light? The night is the darkest time of each 24 hours, because of this it is befitting for the band to be more melancholic.

What is more melancholic is the entire concept of this piece, which is of course about dreams. While the lyrics feel more like a story about something coming to an end, it is actually about where dreams end and reality begins. It is not simply about dreams as in something our brain conjures up when we sleep, it is about what happens when the dream ends. Where do all those little brain characters go and so forth? Each part does contribute to this narrative in some way, with Dream of Stone and Upside Down being about a blind prince who gets engulfed by the sun; Chequered Light Buildings is about growing so high to go to space; Valerie’s Friends is about a girl named Valerie having a nightmare about going to a dangerous party; Massive Illusion being about how dreams end. All such have that intrinsically implemented inconsolable nature the band always loves to pull.

For a progressive rock epic, not only is this a masterpiece, there truly is no other album like it in the grand sea of albums. For anyone who loves that atmospheric, melancholy progressive rock from bands like Marillion, The Pineapple Thief, or even Pink Floyd, this album deserves its highs in spades. An amazing modern progressive rock record deserves its five stars.

5/5

#music review #album review #progressive rock #Gazpacho

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phoenix-downer · 4 years ago

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Spring Birthday

After Sora’s return, Naminé’s friends celebrate her birthday with her. While her early days were lonely, her life is very different now, and she treasures each new memory with the people dear to her heart.

~1650 words. Post-Kingdom Hearts III and Melody of Memory. Gen, Friendship, Fluff. Naminé POV. Written for @naminezine, and the banner art is by the lovely @somniumars.

“Naminé, when is your birthday?” Kairi asked over breakfast one day, scones with jam and clotted cream, served with a hot cup of tea for both of them. They liked to visit this cafe together at least once a month. It had outdoor seating, and the weather was finally warm enough again for them to sit outside with light jackets.

Naminé stopped buttering her scone for a moment and frowned. It was a simple enough question, and yet she found herself unsure of what to say.

“Well, I suppose it was the day Sora released his heart to save you,” she said at last. “But as glad as I am to be alive, it feels strange to celebrate that day, considering what happened.”

“I understand,” Kairi said softly. “Are there any other days you can think of?”

Naminé paused once more and thought as Kairi sipped some more of her tea. The only other day she could really think of was…

“The day of my rebirth. It was spring on Radiant Garden. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and the weather was perfect.” She sighed happily at the memory. “I’ll never forget what it felt like to walk outside for the first time in a body of my own.”

“Then why don’t we make that your birthday? I know we technically missed it last year, when we were all searching for Sora, but it’s coming up here soon.”

“Sure, that sounds nice.” Naminé put one more cube of sugar in her tea to get it to just the right sweetness, then added a little more cream and stirred. “I’ve never really thought about having a birthday of my own before.”

“Well, you deserve to have one,” Kairi said with a determined glint in her eye. “You’re your own person. Always have been, always will be.”

The two girls chatted some more as they finished their breakfast, and the subject soon slipped away from Naminé’s mind. It wasn’t until she and Xion were gathering shells together on Destiny Islands a few days later when the topic of birthdays came up again.

“See,” Xion said as she picked up a thalassa shell, “I like these ones the most, with the pink centers and yellow edges.”

“I like them too. Yellow’s one of my favorite colors.”

Yellow was the color of the sun. A hopeful color for a girl that had begun her life in a cage, longing to see the outdoors for herself. For that reason alone it was precious to her.

“You like blue too, right?” Xion said. She placed another thalassa shell in Naminé’s palm, this one with a blue center and yellow edges.

Naminé nodded. “Yes. Blue is the color of the sky… of the waves… all the things I longed to see when I was imprisoned in Castle Oblivion.”

“It suits you, and so does yellow,” Xion said with a smile. “Born from the waves, and reborn during the spring.”

“Xion, when is your birthday?” Naminé suddenly asked. She realized she hadn’t really gotten to celebrate it with her before.

“Oh, my birthday? I figured it should be during the fall. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been drawn to falling leaves, the seasons changing, that kind of thing.” She smiled ruefully. “I suppose because I felt like my time was limited, just like those leaves. Kairi actually asked me about it recently, I think because she wants to—”

Her eyes went wide, then she coughed and craned her neck. “Look, I see some more shells over there!”

Naminé found Xion’s startled reaction rather curious, but she didn’t press her friend. It was just nice to spend time together sharing a hobby they both enjoyed. For a girl who had started life with no friends of her own, Naminé was lucky to have so many now.

The next time she met with her friends, it was for a picnic on Rapunzel’s world, in a clearing in the woods near a small pool. The weather was perfect, sunny with a breeze blowing dandelions and flower petals through the air, and she and Sora and Rapunzel were all cloud gazing after a delicious lunch of sandwiches and cookies and lemonade.

“See that one right there?” Rapunzel said, pointing up at the sky. “It looks like Maximus.”

“It sure does!” Sora put his hand behind his neck and grinned. “The sky’s full of all sorts of interesting clouds today.”

“I wish I had my sketchbook with me,” Naminé said with a sigh. “I’d love to draw all of them.”

“Take a picture with your Gummiphone then,” Sora suggested. “You can always draw it later based off of that.”

“I’d like to, but I’ve run out of room in my sketchbook. I could really use some new pencils, too.”

Sora and Rapunzel exchanged glances, and Sora grinned.

“Naminé, you should come to the castle,” Rapunzel said. “I’d love to show you some of my art supplies. Have you ever tried painting before?”

Naminé shook her head. “No, I haven’t, but I’d love to. Thank you for the invitation.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go now!” Sora sat up and sprang to his feet.

The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon trying out Rapunzel’s art supplies. Well, more like Rapunzel showed Naminé her things and let her try them out while Sora kept typing away at his Gummiphone. Naminé giggled at how he still typed with one finger, like a bird pecking at grains of rice.

“There we go,” he said all of a sudden, then put his phone in his pocket. “What’d I miss?”

Naminé and Rapunzel both giggled and showed him what they’d made: a painting to hang on the walls of Naminé’s room in Twilight Town. It was of the beautiful woods where they’d had the picnic with dandelions flower petals floating through the air. As soon as she got home, she put it up and gave it a satisfied nod.

The days flew by until at last it was the anniversary of her rebirth. There was a knock on the door late in the afternoon, and when she went to get it, she was surprised to see Riku and Roxas waiting there for her.

“Hey Naminé,” Roxas greeted with a grin. His eyes were playful, like he had a big secret he couldn’t wait to share.

“Come with us, there’s something we’d like to show you,” Riku added, and she ducked back inside to grab a few things before following them through the woods and to the Old Mansion.

“Why are we here?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” was all Roxas and Riku said, and she followed them inside. She was shocked by how nice the entrance looked, like someone had been in here and cleaned things up—

“Surprise!”

She gasped as she entered the foyer. A huge banner hanging from the stairs read Happy Birthday Naminé, and all her friends were gathered around a large table in the center of the room. The evening light shone through the window behind them, pink and purple and blue, another gorgeous twilight on this world she called home now.

“Happy Birthday Naminé!” her friends all cheered, and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. So this was what they had been plotting and planning all this time. Roxas grinned and grabbed a camera to take a few shots, and Sora and Riku had some of those confetti poppers that they popped with loud crackling noises.

The seashell decorations were yellow and the star candles were blue on the cake Xion held. Axel lit the candles, and they cast flickering lights and shadows over everyone’s faces.

Kairi leaned close and murmured, “Make a wish, but keep it secret.”

“A secret?” Naminé asked, tilting her head.

“It won’t come true if you tell us,” Ven explained, and Terra nodded.

As Naminé looked at the faces of her friends, what she should wish for became clear. She knew, deep in her heart, what she wanted more than anything.

With that, she blew out the candles, and everyone cheered loudly. Aqua swept the cake out of Xion’s hands so she could cut it properly, and then everyone sat around the table. The cake was delicious, vanilla and lemon, and after everyone was done eating, it was time for Naminé to open her presents.

“Here!” Sora said, his eyes shining as he handed her the first one. “It’s from all of us.”

Naminé’s hands shook as she removed the wrapping paper. She wasn’t used to getting gifts, and it took her some time to free the box. But once she did, she couldn’t have stopped the smile on her face even if she’d wanted to.

“They’re like the paints Rapunzel has! And in all the colors I like too.” She hugged the box to her chest. “Oh, thank you so much everyone, I can’t wait to use these.”

When she was finished unwrapping the rest of her presents, more art supplies and nice jewelry and cute clothes, she thanked her friends for making this such a wonderful birthday night. But there was one last thing that would make it truly perfect.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Naminé said, “let’s make a painting together. So we have something to help us remember tonight.”

Naminé loved drawing on her own, but drawing with her friends was truly wonderful. Everyone brought their own unique spark to the table. And when the painting was finished, it was one huge flowing mosaic of color and life and creativity. Sure, it wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was something truly unique that only they could have made. And that was why it was a work of art. Not because it was perfect or technically skilled, but because it had their hearts poured into it.

Naminé couldn’t have asked for a better way to commemorate her birthday.

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A/N: Thank you so much to the mods for making this project possible and for being so caring and supportive! And thank you to the other contributors, this zine was such a joy and I enjoyed talking to you all. A big thank you too to Somnium for drawing the banner! I really enjoyed working with you!

And thank you for reading!

#kingdom hearts #namine #naminé #naminezine #namine zine #kh fanfiction #phoenix writes #phoenix downer #gen #friendship #fluff #birthday #happy birthday namine #long post

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