#i love subtle adding body language in my art

[l1-b1]

Thinking about Nya taking on a mentor role for Sora as she recognises parts of herself in Sora

[redara]

hello ^ _ ^ !! i've been wondering on what is Jun's lore? and does she also have a voice claim?

i also love your art so much <3

Omg hello!! Thank you so much for asking about Jun, and thank you for liking my art! I'll do my best not to answer too long 💕

Jun comes from the clan Tenshikiri, a clan that's rigorously trained in reading subtle social cues and body language, making them capable of knowing if someone is lying or not. Their talents earned them a seat as the Emperor's Spymaster during feudal Japan, replacing the previous Spymaster, the Kagehane clan.

The Tenshikiri love collecting secrets, and in a way, they become the secret keepers for Liu Kang. For generations, they have become allies with the Lin Kuei and the Shirai, whose clans have their own purpose in the current timeline, with the Lin Kuei as the militaristic defense of Earthrealm, and the Shirai as public relations with the Outworld Empire.

To represent their clans and foster their alliances, the Tenshikiri, the Lin Kuei, and the Shirai hold an annual meeting in the Tenshikiri's estate. This is how Jun befriends young Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and Harumi; with a hope that the future leaders of respective clans would continue the tradition for another generation.

Sadly, not everything works out smoothly. When Jun is 7, the Kagehane return with a centuries old vendetta, and ambush the Tenshikiri's main house. Thankfully, the Lin Kuei and the Shirai are staying in the area, and though they manage to kill and chase most of the Kagehane away, the Tenshikiri's small number has been outmatched. The attack leaves only Jun and three guardians as survivors.

The Shirai fear that the Kagehane won't stop until every last Tenshikiri is dead. Thus, the Lin Kuei offer to take Jun to Arctika, where she will be kept safe, trained, and educated so she can return and rebuild her clan one day. And so Jun stays with the Lin Kuei, training and growing up with Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and eventually their adoptive brother, Tomas.

Originally when i wrote the draft of the fic, i wanted to write about Bi-Han and his younger days growing up in the Lin Kuei, but i added Jun to bridge the gap between him and the readers. Then it grew, so i decided to make Jun officially an OC 😂

Her relationship with Bi-Han doesn't begin as romantically as expected, however, as the firstborns of their clans, they share similar responsibilities (and burden), so they bond easily. Jun supports Bi-Han and his goal in every way, the same way Bi-Han also supports Jun to restore her clan.

For her voice claim, i'm thinking she sounds like Toda Mariko from Shōgun.

[dariaastrid]

Bridgerton season 3

All right, I loved the season so far, but that's my take, what could be improved with storyline (there were lots of bad writting choices as well as good one, but I want to outline my thoughts). So, I'll try to sum up, what could be written or added, that could make narration style more elegant and truthful to the viewers. Free to disagree. Sorry for the mistakes in advance. English is not my first language.

Colin's character arc. A lot of the things we got was told through the dialogue or was subtle, but not in between. I had a feeling that they haven't developed him enough to really show his inner conflict. Sometimes he was a side-character in his own show(part 2 did him bad), while the thing he should be the main one, because it shows his dynamic with Penelope/Lady Whistledown and key to understand their dynamic as a couple and his character arc. Other leading male characters had that physiological touch/depth to their character, while Colin somehow didn't. What we needed: flashback to his travels and small plot about loosing himself there or maybe gaining false confidence(could be done with him alone reading the lines of his letters), study of the middle-child complex(scenes with small Colin and Antony, who was the father figure for him, or brother dynamics with parents that could outline his people pleaser arc), more journaling, including the scene we got, but also about his writting challangies, more details about his likes and dislikes as a writer(favourite authors, could be the scene with Benny, because writting and art is quiet close). Maybe, not him tellling of his jealousy, but again creating scene that show views that he feels inferior. All other thing they did alright, I guess.

Penelope's character arc. I guess I kinda like a lot of things, but I didn't like the ending with the message of 'woman couldn't have dreams, but their husbands could'. It doesn't matter for me was 'child; in the ending or not, but they should have given her character career arc plus. It might have been just a hint of her, talking about wrtitting a book or developing her gossip column into somethins more serious, like critique. Not her mentioning JUST editing Colin's book with a happy smile on her face, watching a newborn. That was the worst writting decision, because it proves Portia words. The whole point of Lady Whistledown was hiding under the mask and trying to gain control and power through her her, because Penelope was too afraid to bloom. In fact that power was within her, and although they did the choice of her uncovering face and name in the end, it didn't end well in her arc. It could have done way better, considering the point they made in the begining. I would also love to see more of her experience sexual awakening after episode five as a slow process of gaining that condifence and gaining control in bedroom(that will be my 3 bullet point about them together) by proceeding it through imagining, talking with friends or dreaming. Besides, I'd like to add that tv show would have benefited from scenes, where she's not only writting, but also looking at the mirror, kinda trying to see, what she really is every now and then(we had one of that scene in green dress). Could be in her bedroom before mirror scene, but after carriage one. It would have made sense, how perception of her body changed, and the mirror scene would have hit stronger. Could be done during her struggles of Whistledown reveal too.

Now let's focus on main couple, and what could have gone better, if writers didn't try to fit 10 storylines in 8 series and literally tried to write their leads attentively and thoughtfully. Polin. First and foremost, that talk about how they met (again bad creative decision, story should show, not hit right between your eyes) MUST have been a flashback. I don't take no as an aswer. It was the only part lacking through their development from season one. This one flshback could have fixed lots of things. + I think audience need a bit more warm-up with just the two of them in the first part of the show(more charming lessons, at least one more befoe the kiss, where Colin starts to get confused about his feelings, and it would have worked perfectly with all the other things). + him really going through the process of figuring out that she is Lady Whistledown. I feel like Luke played subtle emotions perfectly, but we didn't get build up of him, slowly noticing things from his POV(there were chances in the show and lines in the dialogues, ink scene, where they could have hinted on Colin's expression, even in the 1 part, that he could have found some of the Pen's action suspicious, but didn't question it or didn't want to believe in it because of the feelings, until finally he would have followed her to the dark streets of the town). Next thing, they should have shown the process of following her to raise the suspense, him hoping that was another person, her being in shadows in her cloackm, and that at the same time this build-up would have made Luck's acting incredible fulfilling and impactive) + after the reveal it's out of his character to leave her alone, and I guess writers lost themselves elsewhere + more dialogues with them not talking about their relationship, but art and craft of writting(again they share many common interests, why didn't they show us that before the fight and after they made up) + more dialogues with them being cute and teasy as in church and after the sex+ prolonging scene, where he reads her letters, but not just showing the letter, but hearing her voice in his ears + longing should have had more scenes and more touching and being hot and cold, not only him sleeping on the couch(this just one creative indea, but it's not enough, but by talking also), going back and forth after the fight, just the night encounter next to modiste and blue gown(in this particular one they didn't embodied the tension, my idea that although Colin wouldn't like the intimacy, when he is angry, but the stare wan't enough, he should have come, touched her and then made himself stop with a line or without it), these scenes were not enough to show their struggle there + longer scene of them making up after the ball and chage of sexual dynamic, because this is important to her character arc and him accepting her. This scene should have been the third long steamy scene, not 20 seconds with the attention to the details and how they do through trust and communicating with each other, it could have been wrtitten beautifully and releasing the tension of conflict between them by swapping roles, and Colin by that finding out he loves it, while Pen finally taking control as she wanted and as her real character is after revealing her indenty + having him coming to his senses before her speech and him holding her hand instead of her mother + the love confession which is not about just drama, but also bout them as friends and their dynamics

I am not sure I need to write the second part, about other nuanciens aspects and acrs, but this what I would have done if I had a chance to be in the writting room with them

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The Tamakis' "Roaming"

Tomorrow (September 12) at 7pm, I'll be at Toronto's Another Story Bookshop with my new book The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation. On September 14, I'm hosting the EFF Awards in San Francisco.

Cousins Mariko Tamaki and #JillianTamaki are a graphic storytelling powerhouse, and their latest title, Roaming (from Drawn and Quarterly) is a stunner:

https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/roaming/

Roaming is the story of three young Canadian women meeting up for a getaway to New York City. Zoe and Dani are high-school best friends who haven't seen each other since they graduated and decamped for universities in different cities. Fiona is Dani's art-school classmate, a glamorous and cantankerous artist with an affected air of sophistication.

The three young women check into a youth hostel for a hotly anticipated long weekend, which turns into a complicated and moody marathon of debauchery, bonding, feuding, flirting, resentments and wonders.

The Tamakis' specialty is capturing the charged sexuality, subtle friendship power-moves, and intense but brittle friendship between young women. They're very good at it, which is why they won a Governor General's prize for their 2014 blockbuster This One Summer:

https://memex.craphound.com/2014/05/06/review-this-one-summer/

With Roaming we get a dizzying, beautifully wrought three-body problem as the three protagonists struggle with resentments and love, sex and insecurity. The relationships between Zoe, Dani and Fiona careen wildly from scene to scene and even panel to panel, propelled by sly graphic cues and fantastically understated dialog.

Meanwhile, NYC looms large as it only could in a story about young Canadians in the City. It's hard to overstate the glamour with which New York looms in the imagination of (many) young Canadians. Hence the old joke: "How many Canadians does it take to change a lightbulb? Two: one to change the bulb and one to go to New York and make sure lightbulbs are still cool." Or: "Toronto is New York run by the Swiss; the city that never sleeps…in."

I was one of those Canadian adolescents drunk on New York, on several occasions, and even today the City can just floor me. The Tamakis nailed this, from the facial expressions to the body-language of their characters, the push-pull of wanting to go to all the tourist traps and not wanting to be the kind of rube who goes to all the tourist traps.

All my female friends have stories of growing up in intense, three-way friendships that were forever turning into two-on-one fights, with allegiances shifting from moment to moment. Roaming tells the story of one such triangle, forming and shattering and re-forming in a sorefooted, exhilarating weekend in the greatest city in the world (TM). It's a love story about friendship and the transition from adolescence to adulthood, perfectly precise in its depiction of very specific people in a very specific time and place, and yet absolutely universal in the truths it reveals.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/11/as-canadian-as/#possible-under-the-circumstances

[ablatheringblatherskite]

my thoughts on ep 1 and 2 of the live action ATLA series!

So it is absolutely GORGEOUS. like the visuals??? the costumes?? THE VFX??? OUTSTANDING. CHEF'S KISS. INCREDIBLE. the worst thing is Zuko's scar and like ok whatever nothing we can do about that.

Episode one was fantastic we actually see a lot of great additions, which is COOL! like more of Monk Gyatso, and the actual attack on the Air Nomads... 😭

I'd say writing wise it's not as great as I want it to be. A touch too many monologues for my taste, especially in the first episode, but nothing too bad. Could've been better, but definitely DEFINITELY could've been worse *eyes the movie that will not be named*

You can tell they're trying to squish important plot points together instead of spacing it out across more episodes I mean especially since Netflix decided everything has to be EIGHT EPISODES. but the pacing is actually good considering that LOL

but oh the EMOTIONS. THE EMOTIONS?!?!!

the actor of Aang oh my gosh, Gordon Cormier, OMG. DUDE I NEARLY BAWLED MULTIPLE TIMES BASED ON HIS PERFORMANCE ALONE. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING 😭 HE'S SO GOOD 😭 and he's so cute too he's so baby I'm wjrhwhrhwhdhwhdhwh

I love the actors of Sokka and Zuko whdhwhdhshdsjjdhsjd. Ian Ousley and Dallas Liu? DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

SOKKA WAS HILARIOUS we BURST out laughing SO MANY TIMES, he was so GOOD 😭 the jokes he cracked were genuinely funny wwhdhwhgd and the SARCASM especially. and HIS ACTING THE ACTING HE NAILED IT?? It was so natural and THE EXPRESSIONS HE'D MAKE AND JUST. ALL HIS ACTING CHOICES IN GENERAL WERE SO GOOD. HE WAS HILARIOUS. and other than the funny parts in general he was just so good! HE GETS IT. HE IS SOKKA.

and Zuko was so good too like, we haven't gotten to all the juicy angst yet so I can't fully judge, but so far he's done SO well. Like especially the moments he'd get really angry and also HE'S SO GOOD AT MARTIAL ARTS. SO.

BUT HE'S ALSO RLLY FUNNY TOO??? especially when he gets annoyed with Uncle Iroh LIKE THE BODY LANGUAGE WAS SO SUBTLE BUT IT WAS HILARIOUS. and YES UNCLE IROH WAS GREAT TOO, I LOVE HIM SO FAR. HE IS ALSO HILARIOUS and does seem like Uncle Iroh to me so far!!

Katara hasn't had much to do yet and much like. acting stuff or much to do with her character yet but like that's okay, I'm pretty confident they're still building it up. They haven't gotten to the JUICY bits yet. But she was already so good too.

I'm really interested in some changes, like how they focus more on the Avatar State as a plot point? It's interesting LOL. There was also a shot that showed that in this universe, Katara actually saw her mom die?!?? like omg, that's so gruesome I'm crying.

and it's true that they cut out the sexism arc of Sokka 😭 BUT BUT BUT. IAN OUSLEY. OH HE GETS IT. Like you can see he's really doing his best to keep it a part of the story, like in his acting choices, he's still trying to include the more sexist aspect of his character even if the script isn't supporting it. Like he really truly did his best with what he had and he nailed it, it's the script's fault

And I will say I'm not crazy about some of the stuff they added to Suki? like, I wasn't crazy about the whole "thank you for bringing the world to me" thing, but it's just okay LOL. She's frickin GORGEOUS tho

(also I was really hoping we'd get the scene of Sokka wearing the Kyoshi warrior outfit and makeup but sadly they didn't put it in but it's okay)

OH BUT THE CRUMBS. THE SOKKA AND SUKI CRUMBS. OH THEY'RE SO CUTE. ESPECIALLY THE SCENE IN THE DOJO WHERE SHE'S TEACHING HIM?? OH IT WAS SO CUTE. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. you can tell they're doubling down a bit more on their romance, especially since we know it's already gonna be endgame, but it's making me wonder how they'll tackle Yue 🤔

but yeah. Sokka and Suki stinking adorable I was SQUEALING MULTIPLE TIMES, I LOVE IT I LOVE IT

and the BENDING. THE BENDING IS KRIFFING GORGEOUS. IT'S SO GOOD. THE STUNTS?? THE MARTIAL ARTS?? BEAUTIFUL!! MAGNIFICENT!! PERFECTION!! and the VFX?? HECK YES. AUGH!! I'm definitely not disappointed about it. And I love how dangerous the bending legitimately feels?? like it feels so LETHAL. And there were some really shocking bending moments that were done incredibly well. I loved it.

so YEAH. IN CONCLUSION. so far, judging from just the FIRST TWO episodes... I rate it a 7.5/10

The writing is maybe a 6.5/10, but the acting for sure a solid 9/10. DEFINITELY worth the watch imo, BUT so much more enjoyable with an open mind and acceptance that it's not supposed to be a carbon copy of the show.

[rossithepixie]

!!!!! ROSSI! i feel like! at some point! you mentioned that hoyo made certain choices with wriothesley's character model and outfit that contribute to how BEEG he looks, etc. and i was wondering! if you'd like to elaborate on that? 🎤👀

Oh gosh I can certainly try! No promises on how much sense I'll make. Let me just -pulls up a picture of him-

Now you just stand there and look handsome. Amazing job. So Genshin uses set character models and they come in different categories. For male playable characters they come in "Tall" and "Short" but the models themselves don really contain body variation. It's all about the clothes and how they use colors and patterns to break up their shape! Wriothesely is arguably the largest male appearance wise. (while neuvi might be the tallest looking of the tall models)

(full breakdown under the cut)

The seams in Wrio's vest do a lot of the heavy lifting here in how they guide your eyes up and out toward his shoulders. Same for the lapels of the vest. Not only that but the dark panels of the vest on his side give an illusion of even more weight and thickness. There looks like there's somthing to grab onto there. Also note the extra bit of dark paneling between the deltoid of his shoulder and the space leading to his neck. This further pushes your eye outward. Those slight breaks of darker color do a lot of heavy lifting of informing how we take in his form. The collar of his shirt and cuffs of his sleeves once again draw your eye outward.

This of course doesn't even touch on the extra layer they added with the coat draped over his shoulders that does actually bulk out his figure more but it's not really the point of this post since i'm talking more about how the clothes close to his body are what really make him feel large. Moving downward his pants utilize similar visual cues to make him feel wider. Those like grey splits leading down to the seems that vanish into the top of his boots work the same as the paneling in his vest. breaking it up visually makes it feel like there's more there.

I'll get to his boots in a second but i had to pause to take a couple pictures of him from different angles that made me feel very rude. they're terrible pictures from my phone so i apologize

Man has a great ass. No denying that. And a part of it is once again how colors are used to break things up, along with the lighter color of his pants allowing for more depth with how they have the shadows cast on him. It's like they framed his ass essentially.

-coughs-

Now if you'll look at the first image of him again i'll get back to his boots. The armor cuffs at the top of them once again splay outward somewhat and as you go down the leg you'll notice that mot of the detailing is done in such a way to keep forcing your eyes outward. Then the main part of the boot really is just chunky.

In conclusion hoyoverse does a really good job useing shape language and color to add variation to their character models despite using a limited range of actual models. I could probably do a similar rundown with Al haitham, who while not as big looking as wriothesley also feels bigger than say Kaveh or Kaeya despite all the characters i mentioned here using the same base model. Seriously though the take away should be that even if you have limited resources or are trying to reduce them while making something with a ton of characters there are lots of subtle tricks you can use to trick the eye of your viewer (positive)

I'm sure there's someone with a more professional background in character design who could give a more in depth and better articulated run down of all this. I'm pretty much all self taught and just really love art and character design. I could talk about this at length still though with a bit of back and forth since there are definitely things i glazed over.

Thank you so much for getting my brain going Amira! (I've talked my non artist roomate's ear off about this before and they just politely listen so i can get it out of my system)

[tanenigiri]

My favorite manga got a drama adaptation and I don't know where else to freak out about it. So as a departure from the manga reviews I've been posting for this blog, here are some ramblings about Our Dining Table's first two episodes:

(There are some vague spoilers here about what might happen after these episodes based on the manga, so if you haven't read the source material, fair warning.)

Just need to get this out of the way first: they mADE AN OUR DINING TABLE DRAMA DSOIFHAWPOIHFAOIEH i'm glad we can have nice things

Probably my biggest praise for the show so far is how it's put Minoru's conflict front-and-center much earlier than in the manga. A significant amount of the manga's first half is focused on Yutaka's issues, with only a few scenes talking about what's going on in Minoru's end (the head patting scene mostly, and then some subtle assumptions about the fact that there's an absent mother). Episode 2 already sets up Minoru's conflict quite well with the additional scenes that weren't in the manga, and I think that's a fantastic decision in making the story explore its two leads more equally.

The shot of the four pairs of shoes at the entrance of the Ueda home in Episode 2 is by far my favorite shot of the show (at least so far). I don't know why footwear got me emotional but there you go.

Really appreciate the drawn out sequences of Yutaka cooking. We know that he's a great cook, but it's nice to actually see it.

Also really appreciate how it looks like we'll see more of Yutaka's work life. The final scene of Episode 1 was a slight deviation from what happens in the manga - no one sees Yutaka talk to Tane in the manga - so having the officemates be there tells me they're setting up something about Yutaka's work dynamic, which I am all for as I would love to see how his officemates gradually notice the change in Yutaka's behavior.

Hilariously, it's only while watching the drama where I find out that Yutaka works as an architect? I knew it had something to do with art because of a future scene but I didn't realize he was an architect.

I see those subtle indications of Minoru slowly (or maybe not-so-slowly) falling for Yutaka. Those lingering glances, the body language when it's just the two of them, the way he talks about Yutaka to his dad - it's a great call for his character!

There are so many references to future events where I've gone, "Oh when I see this it's gonna make me cry" that it feels like I'm gonna be in tears for 80% of the rest of the show.

Also want to point out that the Episode 3 preview seems like it's gonna deviate a bit from what happens in the manga next? Episodes 1 and 2 were pretty faithful to the first two chapters (with some scenes omitted that I feel like they're saving for future episodes) but I don't recognize the scenes at the preview at all (save for the very last one - I think I have an idea of what Yutaka wants to talk about but I'm not sure). Definitely understandable since this has 10 episodes, and I'm excited to see where else it'll take their dynamic.

TL;DR: The manga is my favorite for so many reasons and this show is only adding to those reasons. Really excited to see the rest of the episodes.

[nutmegdoggy]

MEET SPARKLEFUZZ WHISKERPAWS

ok so a friend used chatGPT to design a fursona for them ((of their own accord!!)) and it was so good I HAD to draw it!!

((only the description is AI, the art is mine!!))

((original description by ChatGPT under the cut))

Fursona Name: Sparklefuzz Whiskerpaws Species: Cat Gender: Non-binary Pronouns: They/Them Birthday: August 14th Height: 5'7" (170 cm) Rising Sun Sign: Gemini Moon Sign: Pisces Personality Traits: • Always speaks in UwU language • Semi-cringe social media presence • Loves role-playing in chatrooms • Flirts playfully with everyone • Has an obsession with pastel colors • Overuses emojis and text faces (^ω^) Quirky Facts: • Pees with their eyes closed • Has a deep love for polar bears • Is a fan of late-night infomercials • Can name every episode of "My Little Pony" • Collects limited-edition anime keychains • Has a secret talent for yodeling • Sleeps with a stuffed animal collection Favorite Activities: • Attending furry conventions • Drawing fan art for their favorite shows • Playing dress-up games online • Binge-watching 2000s cartoons • Posting dance videos on TikTok • Hosting themed tea parties Sparklefuzz Whiskerpaws' life goal is to become the most famous cat-themed internet personality while spreading love and positivity throughout the online world. They are quirky, playful, and always ready to make new friends in their never-ending quest for fun and adventure. Appearance: Fur Color: Pastel lavender with a gentle gradient of baby pink and sky blue, creating a soft, cotton candy-like appearance. Fur Pattern: A smattering of white stars adorning the fur, with a large white crescent moon on their forehead. Eye Color: Sparkling, large round eyes in a mesmerizing shade of mint green, with a subtle twinkle that resembles tiny stars. Body Shape: Lean and graceful with slightly longer limbs, giving an air of elegance to their every movement. A plump, fluffy chest adds to their overall cuteness. Tail: An exceptionally long, fluffy tail with a gradient that matches the fur color. It's adorned with a few tiny, white star-shaped markings scattered throughout. Ears: Large, perky ears with tufts of white fur on the inside, giving them an extra touch of adorableness. Outfit: Clothing: A pastel-colored, oversized hoodie with a galaxy pattern, featuring a large front pocket for carrying snacks and small trinkets. The sleeves are slightly too long, covering their paws and adding to the overall UwU vibe. Accessories: A pastel pink and purple beanie with cat ears, a crescent moon pendant necklace, and an array of colorful bracelets and wristbands on their front legs. Footwear: Soft, fuzzy ankle-high socks with non-slip paw prints on the bottom, perfect for sliding across smooth surfaces. Sparklefuzz Whiskerpaws' appearance is the epitome of cuteness, with their soft, pastel-colored fur and enchanting eyes. Their carefully curated outfit adds to their unique charm, embracing their UwU personality and ensuring they leave a lasting impression on everyone they meet

[animationstation66]

LACKADAISY (Pilot)

LACKADAISY is a 2D animated film pilot based on the 2006 comic series by Tracey J. Butler, directed by Fable Siegle, and produced by Iron Circus Animation. Released only 2 months ago as of June 15th 2023, LACKADAISY is a labor of love animated by over 160 artists around the world! The pilot introduces us to St. Louis Missouri in the year 1927, prohibition is in full effect and the impending doom of their beloved bar looms over the characters heads. Those characters including Rocky, Freckle and Ivy, three cats trying their hardest to smuggle alcohol into the city despite the challenges they face.

My Thoughts:

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

What else can I say other than this film was phenomenal! I was incredibly impressed by how smooth the animation is and I love, love, loved the character designs! All of them were unique and had their own sort of spunk and interest while keeping a cohesive look. Let's take a moment to appreciate the artwork for this show shall we?

This image here is an excellent example of creative character design within a certain art style! Shape language, body language, facial expression, and color are all used in subtle ways to express the character's personality!

An important detail to remember is that LACKADAISY was originally a comic, so some things had to be changed to translate it from comic to film.

The original comics primarily used warm, detailed pictures that focused more on shading and texture rather than color. The artwork has a similar warm, almost brown tone that some film photographs from the area take on. Whether that is on purpose I have no idea, it was just something I noticed. These images are from the comics, just to give you a better idea of what I mean.

Even when color is added that detailed artwork and focus on shading remains. Giving the viewer stunning scenes to look at, like these.

Gorgeous right?

But one thing you notice right off the bat is that with the animated pilot, the detail and the emphasis on shading have decreased significantly. But that is to be expected with an animated show, as those things are well... hard to animate. However, what is lacking in detail and shading is made up for in color! The animated pilot is packed full of color and light, which I really enjoy.

Personally, I believe they did a really good job adapting a comic into an animated pilot, if you have anything to add or any animations you want me to look over let me know in the suggestion box! Anyways! be sure to send the people behind this amazing pilot (and comic) some love and support! signing off for now,

-N.Ink

[ronaldanthony4]

Oh dear, guess what? I just finished working on another piece of digital art, and let me tell you, it's all about my beloved OCs Arlon and Liliana! You know, those two are like the epitome of my perfect idea of romantic love. So, here's the scoop: I decided to place them in this amazing lush and flowery garden, surrounded by nature's beauty. You wouldn't believe it, but I made sure to capture them in their most natural state, just being themselves, vulnerable and without barriers and enjoying each other's company. The colours of the flowers perfectly complemented their vibrant personalities, creating a visually stunning and captivating scene. As I added the final touches to the artwork, I couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and happiness radiating from the image, as if their love had come to life on the digital canvas.

Now, let's talk details! This time, I went for a half-body shot portrait, you know, to keep things intriguing and not give away everything in one glance. I wanted people to take a closer look and really appreciate the essence of their connection. Oh, and there's a little twist – I intentionally left out any hints or clues about what's going on between them. You'll have to really dive into the artwork to uncover all the layers of their story. The composition of the portrait is carefully crafted to enhance the mystery and intrigue surrounding their connection. By omitting any visual cues, viewers are encouraged to interpret and create their own narratives, allowing for a more personal and immersive experience with the artwork. It's an invitation to explore the depths of their story and discover hidden meanings within the layers of the painting.

Oh, Liliana and her love for Arlon – it's just heartwarming! I made sure to depict her wrapping her arms around him in a tight, affectionate hug. It's like she can't spend even a single day without being close to him. I mean, who could blame her? Their love is something so pure and sweet that it's practically tangible in the air around them. As an artist, capturing the essence of their love was a joyous challenge. I wanted to convey the intense emotions they share through every brushstroke and colour choice, allowing viewers to feel the warmth and tenderness radiating from the painting. It's a testament to the power of love and its ability to transcend time and space. And you know what's cool? I took inspiration from an AI-generated artwork for their pose, and Liliana's hairstyle also got a touch of that vibe.

But wait, there's more! To really capture that dreamy and utterly blissful atmosphere, I decided to add this super cool effect. I took a slightly blurred version of the artwork and superimposed it on top of the main image with about 50% opacity. Can you believe the effect it created? It's like a subtle dream within a dream, adding this layer of enchantment to the whole scene. You'll feel like you're peeking into a magical world where their love blossoms like the flowers around them. The soft edges and gentle blending of colours create a surreal and ethereal quality, enhancing the romantic ambiance. It's as if the artwork itself is alive, breathing life into the love story depicted. The overall effect is mesmerizing, transporting viewers to a realm where imagination and reality intertwine seamlessly.

So there you have it, my latest masterpiece. I poured my heart and soul into this piece, trying to balance the serene beauty of their surroundings with the passionate love they share. It's moments like these that make me love being an artist – the ability to capture emotions and stories in a single frame, and transport people to a world where love knows no bounds. I can't wait to see how this artwork touches the hearts of those who lay their eyes upon it. Creating art is a profound way to connect with others, as it allows us to communicate universal emotions that transcend language and culture. The power of visual storytelling lies in its ability to evoke empathy and inspire introspection, reminding us of our shared humanity. As an artist, I am humbled by the potential impact this piece may have on viewers, and I hope it sparks a sense of wonder and ignites their own imagination.

[alicemp]

[...] "Yes. Whether a child of an art god or just musically inclined, the island definitely has entertainment down. I think I overheard that Apollo will be bringing the symphony back soon for a early Spring concert. We will definitely need to attend." He told her with a light smile. Nights like this proved much potential, and if he could open another one, he would definitely do so. He shifted his gaze to the musician for a moment. "I've been here quite a lot, actually. It reminds me of home. Nothing can replace mom's food, but I know this is as close as I can get without having to put the effort in." The length his mom would take in creating their red sauces showed to her craftmanship, but he definitely did not have the time to follow her recipe. "But, I do not think I am on first name basis. So, you can't make fun of me." He teases, turning back to look at her. Lupin, though taking the menu, did not open it. He truly did not need to do so. He had a feeling that she would not be able to choose between all the delicious items on the menu. Lupin, so far, had not found one that he disagreed with, and he planned simple to order the other items she had wanted so she could get a taste of both. It had not been the first time he had done so for her, and he hoped it would not be the last. So, when she talked about the items she wanted, he had to mask his chuckle. He was about to respond when the waiter came back by. Smiling at her, he then turned his gaze up to the waiter. "We want some garlic bread, and I think we want to split the following dishes: shrimp risotto, squid pizza, and a seafood stew." While it might be a bit of overkill for just the two of them, he did not quite mind. "I think I want a glass of Chianti. What about you?"

“Oh, they’ll have a classical concert this early Spring? How wonderful!” she exclaimed, hints of anticipation for attending the event with Lupin brought subtle sparkles to her eyes. “We definitely should go! It’ll be my first time watching an orchestra live performance! Well, the first one I’ll remember going to, to be exact.” 

Alice ended her statement with a relaxed smile that reached her eyes, as she wanted to reassure Lupin that she was not over-stressed about her memory loss. So far, she had not found a way to live in peace with that fact yet, and she doubted she would ever be able to. Inexplicable headaches and mental exhaustion still haunted her, but at least, she got used to talking about it without being eaten by fear or guilt, and there were people she could trust, with Lupin being among the most significant ones.   

As her companion mentioned his mother and homeland, Alice listened with all her heart and mind. It was one of the abilities she was born with - collecting verbal clues, picking up nuanced signs, paying attention to body language, and drawing precise conclusions without bombarding other interlocutors with basic questions. Besides, Lupin was talking about the most important person and the most important place in his life, so she felt the urge to give him her full attention. 

“I wish one day I could come to your hometown, and have dinner with your mom,” Alice spoke, an honest desire she was not sure where it was rooted from. Then, she recalled seeing Lupin’s mother in some photos he had shown her in their fateful reunion. There was a loving smile on her face as she added, looking at Lupin with all the tenderness Alice did not realize she had. “She must be a wonderful woman, and a wonderful cook too!”

She did not look back at the menu until the waiter came to collect their order, not wanting to stress herself over choosing the dishes. By looking at the way Lupin left his menu lying untouched the whole time, and how completely unfazed he was by her indecisiveness, Alice quickly realized that they must have gone through the same scenario more than a few times in the past. 

While Lupin was making the order, Alice could not help chuckling softly, giving the confused waiter a light shake of her head to indicate that it was not related to him. When asked about her wine of choice, her reply came easily. “Riesling, a moderately sweet one, please.”

Alice happened to read quite a lot of books about quite a lot of topics in the library, and tonight, it proved to help her pick a wine suitable for the plates of seafood they had ordered. When the waiter left, she resumed their conversation with a playful question. 

“How was our very first restaurant date? I hope I didn’t take one hour or so mulling over what to order?”

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Manga Review ch (90)- First pages ONLY.

I skimmed thro ch-89 to know the context of ch-90. it was Cinderella’s play. In this chapter, Kyo says early on, that time has passed since the play & that they are NOW starting their third year in high school. cool.

This part will ONLY focus on the 1st few pages of ch 90 abt (kyo & tohru) & stop before kyo’s memories starts, because the early pages contain:

Tons of new unexplored analysis of (kyo & tohru) characters that unfortunately was intentionally cut & worse! “changed” in the anime.

No space to add kyoko’s story in this post.

Kyoko’s story is full psychologically & socially.. I need to take a deeeeeeep breath before I unpack it. very deeeeep breath!

-Glimpses of Tohru (the silent grieving girl) Subtle Writing of Grief:

Right from the beginning, I hate how much insight into tohru’s grief & weakness as a human being is already there in the first few pages of ch-90 than the entire 3 seasons of the anime! From few pages we have:

Tohru’s seemingly delighted watching a video. Subtly, showcasing tohru’s grieve & paving the path for tohru’s trauma exploration later in the story. Grief is not sth you quickly past, that’s the most tragic misunderstanding of grief. Time will pass, so, you’ll be better & healthier. Really?!. Tohru’s inner desire to see her mom alive manifested in her words: “ like a photo comes to life” T_T.

The story/writing/manga is acknowledging tohru’s heartbreaking & NOT cute habit of talking to her mom’s cold dead photo! In the anime, tohru talks to her a lot in se01 & it’s up to you to see as as “ cute” as all the canon characters do or actually feeling it IS wrong. Kyo’s  “ what would she do if there were a video of her mom”! “ drives the point more abt tohru being a sad grieving human~not the “advice-giving, optimistic angel, & rain-stopping sunshine in the anime.

Tohru telling kyo to NOT catch cold connecting it to se01, ep 9 (haru’s ep) when tohru was afraid that yuki might catch cold & kyo noticed that! so now in se03, they’re dropping this plot altogether within the main anime, for what? we dont even know if this part would be included in whatever “ kyoko’s” spinoff content would be. -_-’.

That’s how you write subtle trauma such as (grief) for a main (female) MC. subtlety is the key. Respect the viewers intelligence & do it.

You don’t have to give her the long speeches or the many focused ep that yuki had. he’s the kind who confront himself inwardly constantly.

You don’t have to showcase drama, confrontation & force the emotions out like you did with kyo. he runs from his trauma & punishes himself.

Tohru buries her feelings! she’s different from both kyo & yuki. So, with her subtle & symbolic scenes are enough!!!The viewers will catch it if you show it, but ignoring it, cutting it & hoping the viewers will magically predict what you cut, is weird. But the anime isn’t even into us predicting nor subtly showing her cuz this tohru is NOT the tohru we have in the anime. How?

Simply cuz there is no kyo’s inner thoughts abt small things such as tohru’s photo obsession which subtly shows her grief & trauma. If kyo didn’t monologue abt her, tohru does not exist as she’s meant to be. You loose the subtle insights into tohru if you cut kyo’s inner thoughts. Not everything kyo thinks abt in regards to tohru is romance!!! That’s a very narrow & superficial look into the writing of kyo/’tohru dynamics. Flip the pages, hmm..cut this kyoru scene here & there cuz we dont want the anime to be only their love story.. But the story itself IS NOT only their love story at all. These pages/scenes here are abt tohru as a PERSON. Not tohru the lover...

- Writing Clashes between manga & anime: (Kyo’s Conscious Gradual Psychological Exploration vs Shock Value & Drama)

In ch 90 i really love all the inner self talking that kyo’s doing. It really explains why he ended up rejecting tohru so strongly. Also, going for a trip into kyo’s mind is hella exciting, new, refreshing & full of analysis-worthy exploration! Kyo’s inner psychological argument with himself is a psychologically-informed presentation of a tried guilty mind:

“ Why can’t I stop thinking of (kyoko’s words) lately? Acknowledging that he IS remembering kyoko & never forgot her. This is also supported in the anime itself. When he apologized to a sleeping tohru in se01, ep14 & se02, ep9 , confronting yuki in the stairs & other instances as well. 

“ It’s like a lid been opened & all the memories came pouring”. Acknowledging that kyo DID open his lid since se02, ep9 byt chose to run & not confront it due to his guilt of ruining tohru’s happiness by confessing his connection to her mom. 

“ pretending I didn’t know, pretending I forgot”. Here is a blatant clash in kyo’s writing (1) between the anime & manga (2) between the anime’s episodes themselves!!. In the manga, again kyo chose to ignore & pretended to forget. Death is NOT sth you forgot. Kyo saw kyoko bleeding & dying.  The anime chose to make him totally forget & it could’ve worked if they didn’t included all the canon moments of him actually remembering & pretending to forget. Is that lazy writing? or was the director for se03 different from se 1 &2 &? chose to NOT watch the two previous seasons? Why would you consciously include a contradicting depiction of your character on screen for thousands of confused viewers? Was the scene of kyo’s shocked gave upon seeing kyoko’s photo that artistically appealing that you forgot everything? I really have NO problem of kyo forgetting kyoko if that was written in the anime since se01, but it wasn't. that's why it sucks. 

“Is this payback? maybe I want to blame ME?” augh! i love this line so much! Directly hinting to the viewers that this is kyo’s one-sided guilt before his story with kyoko even started! subtly paving the path for the reason of his rejection of tohru” I dont want forgiveness. I want to blame ME.

-I don’t mind that the anime left kyo’s thoughts of kyoko until the climax in eo8, cuz ep 8 was SO well-done! Se03, ep 8 pacing was very suitable to (1) uncovering dark secrets & death, trauma, & guilt. (2)  for exploring the effects such secrets on kyo’s character, decisions, mentality. Also, the animation of kyo’s face all ep 8 was one of the most expressive facial expressions the anime has ever delivered! The eyebrows, eyes, mouth, tears, body languages, heartache was all 100% perfect. The fact that the following eps didnt have much time to express everything & chapters were cramped is not ep 8′s fault but the decision to have 13 eps. Kyo’s delayed trauma deserved to have its own ep.

-What I DO mind is the added scene of ep 6 where he freaked out upon seeing kyoko’s picture, the concept of shock is perfect & so suitable for an anime but was NEVER properly written into the anime itself from the beginning. On the contrary, the anime itself contradict such usage of such value. Good job ruining an otherwise perfect-depiction of two traumatized characters (kyo & tohru) with ONE scene.. -_-

Side Notes:

I thought tohru is narrating the 1st page in ch-90, turned it out it is kyo!!!! Kyo narrates sth? Kyo monologues? kyo has a POV? Just the setting of kyo doing that feels different! I duno if it cuz when that happens in the anime it’s always clash & drama! lol, or cuz it’s sth original!

Shigure’s “ it’s broadcasted all over the nation” is epic! XD! you know poor stupid kyo would fall for that! XD. kyo, you really are an idiot! XD... man this scene would’ve been epic comedy~ lol.

Tohru not knowing what a “dvd” is is outdated for the anime, but to still keep the sentiment of “her wishing she’d have a video footage of her mom”, they could’ve replaced her words with “ It’d be fun watching this play years from now & remembering all the details”. I know that to some, it feels weird that tohru doesn't have video footage of her mom in this era. but trust me, this is more common than you might think. My late brother, who’s way younger than me, doesn't have much video footage, he always felt awkward & preferred not to be filmed. We got photos for him tho~

Even if you want kyo’s knowledge of kyoko to be in the climax only. You can always include this scene of tohru & kyo in the first pages in the anime somehow. It doesn't even need to be abt the dvd even tho that’s manageable. Cutting this short scene of them talking abt videos, & catching cold is cutting tohru’s trauma from its core. Then, the old grandpa’s narration from se03, ep6 would at least have some backup in the anime’s canon.

Momiji & shigure are perfect as a comedic duo!

I can’t get over tohru’s art~ <3

Pinning kyo at the beginning is epic~ kyo always gets the BEST romantic lines when he talks to himself. “ burning (tohru’s ) memories into my head or forgetting everything”. The torturing fire inside him is only distinguished by loving her but is also ignited by loving her~ what’s the solution~

[darkacademicfrom2021]

The Dark Team (part 6)

<<Previous part Masterlist   Next part>>

Join the taglist in here (Taglist: @lucywrites02, @louieboo87)

“What did you fuck up?”, you heard Loki’s sharp whisper through the earbud, while you frantically searched through papers and papers and some more papers.

“I didn’t fuck up. I have the guy. I have information”, cleared Bucky. “Hey, DON’T MOVE”, he shouted at the kidnapped, cocking his gun. He cleared his throat before talking again. “Good and bad news”.

“Must be Christmas”, you said.

“No, Christmas is when you only have good news”, said Bucky.

“Not in my family. Generally, there was only bad news and food. Food was the good news”.

“I love how professional and focused on the mission you two are. Stark would be so proud”.

“Wait, I’m invested now. Tell me more about your family, y/n”.

“For the Norns, I don’t have much time. The information, Barnes”. You could hear Loki's footsteps resonate. According to plan, he should've been walking through a hall full of burocrats, so he was right; he did not have much time.

“Okay, so, I know who has the stick”.

“Good”.

“He’s dead”.

“Not so good”.

“Not really, no”.

“What do we do now?”.

An alarm on the building had set off and every door locked down, with a man on a speaker announcing the disappearance of an important object followed by an awfully accurate description of the three of you.

“We run, that’s what we do now”.

You didn’t have to say more. Bucky threw himself off the window before it finished closing. You looked around desperately, trying to find a way to free yourself from that office. Two security guards entered the room screaming for you to get on the floor, and instead you made an unstable wall with the desk and chairs, avoiding getting shot and giving you enough time to figure out some sort of weapon to take them down.

The watch was already used, the knives were useless if they had guns, you didn’t have a gun yourself (silly you), and the parachute was apparently not working anymore, so you couldn’t jump off the window like your teammates. Damn.

“By any chance”, you whispered through your microphone “could you tele…”, but Loki gave you no time to finish the sentence and teleported himself to the office, still in the shape of a security guard.

“My dearest friend”, he said to one of the shooters, opening his arms welcomingly, “how’s the family?”.

“What the fuck, Robert?” asked angrily one of the real guards. “How did you…”.

Loki kicked off his gun and touched his head with a halo of green lights, making him fall unconscious to the floor. He looked up and down at the second security guard and formed half a smile.

“And what about your wife? Is she well?”.

“You ain’t Robert, ain’t ya?”.

“Mmh, nah”.

You grabbed the second security guard from behind and made him trip, immobilizing his arms and legs, and held his own gun to his head. Loki watched you amused, and then transformed back into himself.

“Oh, there you are”, you greeted him. “Did Buck say anything about the walking dead?”.

“The… what?”.

“The man with the stick. If he’s dead, who activated the alarm? Someone has to have it”.

“He didn’t say anything else. Can’t you track it down?”.

“If I could, why would we have done all of this for?”.

“Point made”.

“I need to get back to our room, take some things off the checklist before going all in for a new plan”.

“Alri…”, he started saying, but his gaze fell back on the immobilized guard you were holding down. “What are you planning on doing with him? He saw our faces”.

“If you let me live I won’t talk about this at all”, he pleaded, face squished against the floor. “I have kids, please”.

“He’s lying, he has no kids”, he said with a neutral face, and you looked at him trying to tell him to communicate telepathically. Surprisingly, he understood. “What?”.

“I’m not killing him, what do we do?”.

“Just kill him, what’s all the fuss about?”. You looked at him horrorized and he rolled his eyes “alright, just threaten him enough”.

You let him go, still pointing the gun at him, and gestured to the door so he could leave. When he reached for the door knob, you shot twice at the wall, mere inches from his head, and he froze in place.

“Talk and I’ll find you”, you threatened.

“I won't say a word, I promise”.

You looked at Loki and he nodded, letting you know the man was telling the truth. You kept your eyes fixed on him while he ran away, terrified. Must be new, you thought. Loki grabbed your waist.

“What the Hell are you doing?”, you pushed him away.

“Teleporting us, as you asked”.

“You have to grab me to do that?”.

“I don’t have to. It’s so you get stability”.

“Oh. Give me a big bear hug, then. No, better, let’s cuddle” you spat with sarcasm. He sighed annoyed, massaging his temples.

“Fine. I’m not even touching you”.

As he teleported both of you, you felt your whole body tear its own cells apart and dissolve, and then regenerate them. Your head spinned like it never has, and something hit your head; but you weren’t sure if it was the floor, a wall or the roof, for your sense directions were nowhere to be found. You took a few seconds to compose yourself before opening your eyes once everything stopped moving. When you finally managed to realize where your head even was, your eyes met with Loki’s, who was holding back a smirk with his arms crossed.

“Reconsidering that cuddle next time, are you?”.

“That was… hilarious. Such a shame I missed the previous part to give me context, though”, said Bucky from the counter of the hotel room, munching on some chips. “Look, the tiny fridge had these. You were right, they’re actually great”.

“Yeah. Grab whatever, they’re on Stark’s”, you said, still with your head a bit fuzzed. Loki offered his hand to help you get up but you did it yourself. He sighed.

“How do you fit your clothes with that huge ego of yours?”.

“I don’t, I walk around naked”, you answered, opening the nearest laptop and starting to work on the checklist.

That night was like the last one. Dark, silent and with your head full on the work. Bucky was barely snoring, and Loki was sitting on his bed reading a book. Every once in a while you glanced up your work to look at how painfully beautiful he was. You hated every thought about it, of course, but you couldn’t deny his sight grew on you a bit. He was an asshole, of course. A parasite on your head. An inconvenience. A distraction, sometimes. But the warm light of the bed lamp and the shadows it formed on half of his face enhanced his features, almost like a sculpture, a piece of art.

While you thought of that you checked on his expressions, making sure he wasn’t listening to your highly embarrassing thoughts.

After a few hours, Bucky had already woken up and you were still spread on the floor, surrounded by the files and laptops from before. The light conversation had caught half the attention of the God, who was still reading peacefully. He seemed so calm you wondered what kept him up anyways.

“You think he still has it on him?”, asked Bucky, changing his shirt.

“I think it’s a possibility. I’m tracking his body down. Should be in the morgue by now, maybe they haven’t taken off his clothes yet. But if not, the security cameras would have recorded who took it from the body”.

“Groovy”.

"Oh my God, James".

"What?".

"What does groovy even mean?".

"You know... it's like saying cool beans".

"Coo... alright".

After a while, you collected all the data you needed for tomorrow. You were so exhausted your eyes were getting dry and blurry. Loki was still reading in that same place, not even fazed by the amount of hours that had happened. You got up to clean the dishes from the last meal, and he lifted his gaze up from the book.

“Wait”, he stopped you. With a wrist movement, the dishes got as clean as they could get and arranged on the shelf. You chuckled.

“I wish I had that ability”.

“Are you going to sleep now?”.

“A few hours”.

“Sleep here”, he said from his bed. You looked at Bucky’s; he fell asleep back again.

“You haven’t slept yet. I don’t want to occupy your bed”.

“I won’t, don’t worry”, you nodded, kind of worried he might pass out of tiredness in the middle of the mission. Why the hell was he not sleeping? “If it doesn’t bother you, I’d rather finish this book on here too”.

“I think there’s enough space”.

He moved and gave you space for half of the tiny bed, and you laid by his side with your arms crossed and a leg on top of the other. He went back to his book, and even though he was sitting and your sight couldn’t reach the pages, you were sure it was in Old Norse.

“What are you reading?”.

He didn’t answer right away. Doubtfully as in to share it with you or not, he then proceeded.

“Hamlet. It’s a translation in Old Norse from an author I adore. I’d say it’s an even better version than Shakespeare’s”.

You felt yourself about to smile. You tried not to, but you probably did. That was your favourite piece of literature of all times. You wondered how could that have gotten to Asgardian hands, and why would he (certainly a Midgardian hater) want to read Earth’s literature. You were so curious in that version. Was it really that good, that would be better than Shakespeare himself? Sadly, you didn’t even know how to say hello in that language.

“Do you like it so far?”.

“I’m re-reading it. Brings good memories”, he said with a subtle smile he had hoped you wouldn’t notice. But you did. Something in your chest warmed up a bit and you shook it off. No, no. Not feelings. Don’t confuse your physical attraction, don’t feed your touch starved soul. No. You had to repeat to yourself a couple of times. You were just very, very tired.

��Brings good memories to me too. I love this book”. You figured it was alright to open up a little. The situation was relaxed enough. He wasn’t snarky or avoidant. He looked… melancholic. Sad, even. Like a facet of himself he didn’t allow everyone to see.

You connected with that. Maybe you could even relate to him in some way. For years, you had a feeling of something not adding up quite right. A longing for something you couldn’t exactly pin up. Melancholy for a blank space.

But there you were, barely knew him for three days yet felt close enough. Not too much. Just a feeling. Just the traces of something that maybe happened in another life. But in this one, you would get the mission done and leave. So don’t get attached, you ordered yourself.

“It’s a really good version”.

“Wish I could read it but I don’t know Old Norse”, you said slower than you intended. Loki chuckled at your tiredness. Maybe you could push your curiosity a little further. What was the damage? That he could just say ‘piss off’ or something like that? “What good memories does it bring to you?”.

He sighed and muttered almost to himself “I used to read it to my beloved”.

You almost gasped, surprised he actually answered you. You didn’t ask for more. It was already a lot he had just trusted you with. He told you he had a beloved. You didn’t even know he had a lover, but of course he had. He was nearly a thousand years old; why wouldn’t he? Did he lose that lover, in past tense?

Curiosity grew bigger on you, but fear pushed you aback. But the questions floated around in your head as a lullaby. Your head started to weigh a little more on the pillow and everything happened slightly slower. Loki closed the book and left it resting on his lap. He whispered “I feel you have questions”, and you denied it with your head. Your eyelids fell heavier than before.

“I’m mmnmnnhnm”, you managed to sort of say before getting knocked down by sleep. You heard his laughter, but nothing more after that.

[leggyre]

I posted 574 times in 2021

367 posts created (64%)

207 posts reblogged (36%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.6 posts.

I added 642 tags in 2021

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My Top Posts in 2021

#5

i used to do this with my bunny

love the concept of amitie being able to read his very subtle body language like a book

143 notes • Posted 2021-01-09 01:43:53 GMT

#4

(she was watching funny cat videos ‘til 2 am)

148 notes • Posted 2021-01-05 01:47:31 GMT

#3

[whispers] vintage

163 notes • Posted 2021-07-26 03:14:28 GMT

#2

them

189 notes • Posted 2021-01-04 00:28:06 GMT

#1

i kinda miss their banter

521 notes • Posted 2021-07-26 19:30:08 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[knifefather]

wahh congrats on 400+ followers!! 💞 this is honestly one of my favorite blogs. if you’re still doing them i’d like to have a matchup! if not then just don’t pay any mind to this lol.

i’m a woman, straight, i’m 5”3, have long curly/wavy brown hair, hazel eyes, i kinda got a baby face (round head, chubby cheeks, y’know) and i gots the chub (aka plus sized, and i think pear shaped body?). i’d say my love languages are words of affirmation and physical touch. i’m also an INFP and a gemini!

i’m really passionate about the arts! i love music, art, literature, and as geeky as it sounds i’ve been in love with theatre ever since i was little. i LOVE to act and sing, i’ve been in shows and concerts for years. i tend to break into song and dance a lot when i’m cooking or in the shower lol. whenever i get the chance, i like to write and draw sometimes too! i’m also a geek when it comes to video games, movies and anime too!

i’m a huge animal person. i can never choose a favorite animal because all of them are perfect in their own way! i like to call myself an omnivert because i love to hang out with my friends and go places, but afterwards my social battery takes a looong time to recharge. and y’know, a gal just needs some alone time now and then! i also tend to be the listener or the big sister/mom of the friend group. i usually just listen to what others have to say instead of adding to the conversation. i do have bouts of self consciousness every now and then when it comes to my body, but i’ve been a lot better at accepting myself throughout the years!

thank you so much for taking the time to read this! can’t wait to read your future works!!

Thank you so much, I appreciate it! I hope you like the matchup. :3 Also... you said “baby face” and I had to!! lol

The Knife Father matches you with...

Melone!

➼ Melone falls so hard for you that he wants to start a family with you. Kidding. But not really. He gets attached to you because you’re very sweet and give him the time of day. He also believes that you’re one of the only interesting people around to talk to: your interests in the arts always keeps the conversation flowing. It’s not because Melone enjoys the arts as well, it’s actually the opposite! He’s not very cultured in music, movies, or theatre, so it’s a whole new world when he interacts with you. He ends up falling in love with certain pieces of media because of you, and when he consumes that media, he always thinks of you. 

➼ He’s really into your body type. Melone really likes the chub, and he thinks that small, curvy girls like you are very cute! Especially since he’s pretty tall and skinny. The difference is just really hot to him. He frequently likes to grab you by your sides and lift you onto his knee so he can love on you. He wraps his arms around your middle and hugs you close, enjoying the feeling of your soft, warm body against his. 

➼ Which leads me to my next point! You and Melone share very similar love languages, which makes for a very successful relationship between the two of you. Physical touch is a big yes for Melone. If he had it his way, he would be in physical contact with you at pretty much every moment. He loves to hold your hand, hug, and cuddle, but he also likes subtle ways of showing affection as well. Just touching his thigh to yours when you’re both sitting on the couch is good, or draping his leg over yours when you’re laying in bed together. Our lavender-haired friend is also happy to let you know how he feels about you verbally. He blabbers all the time about his love for you and how much he would love to spend his future with you! If you let him ramble for long enough, he will usually always circle back around to having a family lol. 

➼ Admires your ability to empathize with others. He notices that you’re usually quiet and the big sister/mom towards your friends, and he loves that about you! He knows that you spend a lot of energy helping other people, so he tries to take care of you as much as he can. He knows that giving can really take it out of someone.

➼ Melone loves to hear you sing. He’s watched you perform before, but it’s different when the only audience member is him. He sits and listens, a smile coming onto his face when you start singing one of your favorite songs. Your passion shows through the lyrics, the way your notes tie together and you crescendo at all the right parts. He  rises to his feet and claps after you’ve finished your song every time. Any time you sing at home, like when you’re in the shower or cooking, he always pays attention and turns his ear towards your direction. He’s really just so incredibly in love with you that the sound of your voice gives him instant euphoria. You’re definitely his baby. 💜

[ajokeformur-ray]

My love for you is an ocean  // Hannibal x Lilith x Will  // thunderstorm comfort.

Summary: It’s storming so hard outside that in your twenty years in this world you have never heard thunder that loud. You long to listen to the rain through an open window but the thunder is too loud. You are scared of storms and though Hannibal finds the scent of you to be delicious in this state, he finds that he much prefers you comfortable within yourself. The scent of you then is sweeter.

Written for @jokersspookyhyena​. Darling, you know everything I want to say to you, but the most important of all of these things is that I love you. Please don’t ever doubt or forget that for even a moment. 💜💚

Source for the info. about storms 

Word count: 1, 637.

You had always appreciated the use of pathetic fallacy in literature, but today was life imitating art in the worst of ways, for the storm which was raging within you was also raging outside. 

Rain was battering against the window with such ferocity that you half wondered if the glass wasn’t going to shatter. The mirrors within your soul certainly had. The thunder boomed across the sky so loud that you had been rendered unable to sleep and even Hannibal, completely unfased was he by natural phenomenons such as a storm, had been impressed; his head tilted up and to one side towards the ceiling so that he could better hear. His nostrils had flared slightly as he had inhaled, and all the warning you had had this morning was, “It is to be a rough one, darling. Stay by me today.”

As it would turn out, the warning was to be the best thing which Hannibal could have said to you, for Hannibal provided you protection not just from Mother Nature’s warring outside, but also from the storm which was within you, too.

Protective was the lion over his hyena.

All too knowing was Hannibal about your fondness for Will and so once Hannibal had warned you to prepare for a nerve-wracking and scary day, he had phoned Will. The man in question had been on Hannibal’s doorstep in ninety minutes from the phone call. It took an hour to drive from his house to Hannibal’s own, which meant that Will had gotten ready as soon as Hannibal had hung up the phone. You were important to the two men and though they didn’t often verbalise the significance of your presence in their lives, which had begun to merge and blur together, they showed it to you in the smallest of ways, though frequent were the occurrences. Their love languages were strange to all but themselves but you had learned to look and to listen, and you had found upon achieving fluency in their languages that the two men were loud in their love for you. 

The day was beginning to age and noon ticked into the early afternoon and still did the storm rage on. The outside world was dark and stormy, the weather unrelenting and the thunder didn’t stop being scary for you. Every time it boomed across the sky, every time lightning illuminated the dark expanse above your heads, you almost jumped out of your skin. For their parts did neither man leave the room at the same time, one of them was always with you. Tales of Thor playing with Mjolnir, relayed to you by Will, failed to comfort you, as did a purely scientific explanation from your darling Hannibal of how and why thunder and lightning respectively occurred. Even still, the two men did their best to keep you grounded and to keep you distracted, and when the thunder ripped across the sky, making you jump so badly that you almost dropped your Monster, which was poured into a large wine glass, they knew that they had to get you to a safe room. In drinking Monster from a wine glass, you were in equal parts gently making fun of Hannibal for his strong hold on tradition and on proper etiquette and doing it because you wanted him to approve. Will, for his part, had barked laughter at the incredulous look on Hannibal’s face when he had smelt the, in his words, “overpowering chemical formula” which you were drinking from one of his most expensive crystal wine glasses. 

It had been thundering since four in the morning and you were tired of the weather in more ways than one. Though Hannibal’s home was stable, still did the storm cause the building to shake and you longed for your home. It was safe, familiar, comforting... but the safe cage of Hannibal’s warm, strong embrace was infinitely more so. Currently were the three of you in Hannibal’s study, the fire roaring merrily in the lit fireplace. The wood cracked and popped and it added a relaxing ambience; a stark contrast to the roaring of the outside elements. You were safe here, physically and emotionally, and no harm would befall you so long as you stayed close to your lion and to your mongoose. As the snakes slithered by the house did the two beasts stay by you; they bared their teeth, though they made no noise, and they protected you from all who sought to do you harm.

On this day, the enemy was the storm. The weapon of choice was their love for you, combined for a stronger, longer lasting affect, and your very presence kept their weapon locked and loaded.

The soft orange glow cast by the fire was lost in the harsh artificial light of the lamps which were dotted around the study; so dark was it outside despite it being the middle of the day, and you were sat in between your men. As the thunder shook the building, you made a noise of protest and Hannibal’s large, warm hands clasped either side of your head. You felt him move on the plush sofa so that he could rest the corner of his jaw on the crown of your head. Will gazed at the two of you with a single dark brow raised, his cerulean eyes taking everything in. He heard everything which you and Hannibal said, but he listened to that which you did not, and this was a subtle but important distinction.

“It is all right, Lilith. The storm may be directly overhead but you are under my roof and no harm shall befall you. I shall protect you in this life.” Hannibal’s deep voice, rich like silk, caressed your ears. The syllables he uttered seeped into your mind and calmed your nerves and you pressed your head further into Hannibal’s hands. Hannibal felt the movement and his fingers flexed in their hold as did he go from comforting you to holding you in place. You were slowly pulled back, back, to rest against Hannibal’s chest, and Will automatically stood up as Hannibal raised his leg and turned his body to the side so that he lay across the full expanse of the sofa. Your back was pressed to his chest, your head supported by Hannibal’s shoulder, and you laid there together. Will hovered for a moment and then pulled up a chair so that he could sit by your head, his hands reaching out for both of yours. 

With your head held in place by Hannibal, though you knew that you could move easily if you wanted to, and your hands held by Will, the calloused pads of his thumbs soothing across the backs of your hands in gentle back and forth movements, you felt the fearful ache in your chest lessen somewhat, though you were still terrified. How could one noise be so loud?

“It’s because the, uh, the electricity in the sky is like a very big waterfall. There’s so much of it all at once and it all has to go somewhere.” Will’s deep cadence caressed your ears just as Hannibal’s had and he squeezed your hands in comfort. He understood and empathised completely with your fears, and he knew exactly what you needed even before you did. His imagination was a double edged blade but in times like this was he grateful for it. “And the - the, uh, the lightning is really close with the thunder because light travels faster through the air than sound does.” Will’s simplified version of Hannibal’s textbook explanation still did little to soothe you, but at the men’s touches and at the sounds of their voices could you feel yourself coming down by even the smallest measure. You nestled back into Hannibal and the elder of the two men made a small noise in the back of his throat. It was soft, welcoming, and your back melted into his chest as a series of tender kisses were pressed to the back of your head, Hannibal’s sharp nose lingering in your dark strands as he inhaled you at your most natural. Oh, how easily he could kill you, just a twist of his wrists... but he cherished you, and he much preferred his life with you in it. You had been so deeply hurt and so wronged by so many in your life, and for one so young did Hannibal feel a true tug upon his heartstrings; long ago had he believed that they had ceased to function but you and Will had revitalised him. 

As Hannibal kissed the back of your head, his chest rising and falling with each deep and steady breath, Will leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead, his eyes wide open as he timed the kiss so that his own landed just as Hannibal’s did. You were surrounded with love in its most animalistic, rawest form from all sides and so distracted were you by the candid displays of love and affection that you almost, almost forgot about the tempestuous storm outside. The storm inside was being tended to, as well, for there was nothing that your beautiful men wouldn’t support you through, wouldn’t be with you through, and no matter how bad things become, you would always have love to fall back upon. Will pulled away and rested his forehead against yours, his breathing deep and exaggerated as he told you without words to breathe with him, to feel him and to feel your Hannibal, and to know that you were loved, that you were safe.

The hunter had long ago become the hunted, and your arrows of love had landed so perfectly that both Will and Hannibal were left wondering just how they had ever lived before you.