#i see the motifs and whatnot

[justanaspiringsomeone]

I just had to draw @adastra121 cast of Touchstarved ocs~

They’re so fun and dramatic! Hope you enjoy them~ and don’t mind the slight changes I made—

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

of course it’s an alicent profile pic saying this shit:

the thing is, i would’ve agreed with the original sentiment of this post if it wasn’t for the tags, but then this person goes mask off and proves to me that they were only pretending to offer meaningful criticism.

cause all i see in these tags is buzzword 🗣️🗣️ buzzword 🗣️🗣️ buzzword 🗣️🗣️

i just wanna know, why are the targaryens always singled out as the house that ‘regularly cannibalizes its own?’

these don’t exist ig: the she-wolves of winterfell, the current lannisters, and literally every House ever.

why are the targaryens held to such an unfair standard? and why are they held responsible for the sins of their ancestors?

it is literally so funny. but like… in an astonishing kind of way.

in these tags there’s no objective language used 🙅‍♀️ no care for nuance 🙅‍♀️ and no meaningful interaction with the main themes of the series 🙅‍♀️

OP kind of tries to pretend, but it’s all surface level shit. it’s clear that they’re blinded by their hatred of the targs and dany.

because george never holds things his characters can’t control against them. what a character should be judged by is their actions, and imo, that’s what george writes about: how individual characters actions and choices can shape the world around them (bonus if the character is a cripple, bastard, or broken thing and is trying to protect others); and he also puts a lot of emphasis on a characters intentions and how they come to their decisions, which gets us his famous ‘human heart in conflict with itself’ thesis statement.

george, someone who’s interested in the choices of the individual and how they get there, clearly thinks it’s important to showcase how different characters handle great power, otherwise he wouldn’t have so many POV characters in positions of such great importance.

on that note, asoiaf isn’t an anti-monarchy piece. you could easily claim that it’s a criticism of systematic oppression, systematic violence, corrupt institutions, and unbalanced social structures; it’s a sort of think piece on how people in positions of power destroy the lives of the common in their petty fights of greed and ambition, all whilst ignoring the incoming humanity ending threat.

and through this thought process, you get the title of the first book: a game of thrones. the political shifts are a game for these powerful people, and this motif is one of the most important statements to understand in order to interact with the series discussion on what it means to be a good ruler. this motif also comes up in a conversation jorah and dany have about the smallfolk: “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace. They never are.” it’s high lords, not royals. it’s a critique of the whole social structure and political system, not a criticism of one family.

so, if you’re of this belief that petty power disputes are dumb and are angry that most high lords don’t give a shit about their subjects, then you should love daenerys, who’s one of the few characters who’s using her power to make lasting societal change.

now, is she perfect? no. no she’s not. cause she’s a teenage girl trying to take down a slave trade that’s been around for thousands of years (hilarious that she’s actually fixing the mistakes of her ancestors…). but dany is learning and is doing her best to get better and is trying to empower the powerless. that sets her apart from almost every other ruler in asoiaf and makes her one of the most important POVs in this book series quest to find out what makes a good ruler. something something gods make kings and queens to protect those who can’t protect themselves…

with that in mind, i agree that the conclusion of the series won’t be a character sitting on a throne because of their blood or because of some divine right mumbo jumbo. imo, a character will only sit on a throne if they’ve been smart, gained allies, formed alliances, have control of an army, have gained loyalty from the people they wish to rule, have been honorable, maybe have a dragon or three, and are a hero.

dany has checked off almost all the boxes, so i think it’s safe to root for her. and considering the foreshadowing, i think it’s logical to guess that peace will be ushered in, even if it’s a hard won peace. and what’s wrong with believing that daenerys will be one of the ones who helps usher in this peace after all the work she’s done to protect those who don’t have the power to protect themselves?

[citronaut69]

.

[merakiui]

thinking summer thoughts and the octotrio preferences with bikinis/swimwear,, i feel jade is more of the type of guy to enjoy a more teasingly covered up look,, for example a long skirt that has a slit on each side that is so flowy when wind hits it you need to readjust or else it might reveal something,, or perhaps a backless one-piece that reveals the curvature of your spine,, something just enough to gif him over for later, he doesn’t want the full meal yet

for floyd, i’m thinking jade calls his preference ‘teasingly slutty’ and floyd just throws out the teasing part altogether,, skimpy bikini enjoyer!!! dude wants you wearing the thinnest pieces like IAMGIA level bikini sets,, this is so self indulgent but i love buying from that clothing line, like the tops that are the tiniest triangles and thong bottoms, maybe 🤔 skimpy bottoms with frills he would enjoy

i didn’t have a big epiphany for azul but i was thinking azul might like those waist beads that are silver or blue just for the pearl motif or eye color symbolism,, imagine you going out shopping and holding each waist-bead chain up to his eyes, making sure to get the right color

anyways these are my silly thoughts!!!! 💕💕 kiss

!!!!!!! these are all such delicious thoughts omg... feasting on all of them like it's one big buffet. I so agree,, it's just like Jade to be patient enough for the entire meal. I also think he enjoys using his imagination to fill in the blanks, so he likes things that will feed his thoughts. A peek of your thigh or a sliver of shoulder and collarbone just barely hidden by your outfit/swimwear!!!! I also think he would enjoy elaborate lingerie because he appreciates the imagery and also the delicate nature in which he must slowly peel it from your person, lest he be too rough and tear gentle fabrics in his haste. I think he's a big fan of sundresses, but then maybe that's just because he gets to fantasize about all that's beneath the dress, with such easy access should he wish to sample you.

But I digress!!! Floyd absolutely loves all things skimpy and slutty. The IAMGIA bikini sets........ the way he'd adore you in frills,,, omg YES!!!!!! If he's really feeling it, maybe he can be patient enough to appreciate those long slit skirts and whatnot, but no one in Octavinelle holds a candle to Jade's level of patience. ^^;;; Floyd just likes showing skin and thinks human bodies are such a wonderful, beautiful thing. Why hide that with layers of clothes? Besides, the weather is so hot and humid. Less layers means more relaxation (and less things he has to pry off, but then he's the type of impatient to just slide your swim bottoms to the side and go from there,,,,) but also....... I think he has a soft spot for the types of swimsuits and summer clothes that make you look so cute and soft and !!!!! His cuteness aggression is off the charts as soon as he sees you hehe.

And Azul....... I think anything that has any sort of mer motif (pearls/waist beads as you noted, etc) is going to have him salivating because he likes the symbolism (also,, pretty, shiny things on his pretty darling = very yum in his tako brain hehe). The fact that you could enjoy his culture in the same way he enjoys yours means a lot to him. That, and for someone who is so self-conscious of his true form it warms his heart that you find octo-mers so fascinating and pretty. 🥺 can he marry you on the spot right now!!!!! I think Azul has a thing for sarong skirts. Also a fan of sundresses; he just doesn't realize it at first.

Matching pieces with his eyes... that's really cute AAAAAAA. Picking out jewelry and other accessories based on his eyes while he does the same, and he's just melting because you're such a sweetheart,, oh, he's so in love,,, I think Azul is the best person to go shopping with because he enjoys shopping (especially when he has a list of things he needs) and is good at helping you choose things if you're debating different aesthetics and prices and whatnot. Very logical. Jade is the type who will go and has fun seeing you shop, but he doesn't buy anything (he insists on holding your bags and everything else so that you can have free hands,,, he's so boyfriend). As for Floyd, I suppose it's entirely mood dependent. He does make for a fun shopping friend, but then he's also a big spender who likes luxury brands,, also, I feel like if you go shopping with Floyd there's a high chance he'll buy things that remind him of you and gift you them after the fact. He shops with Shrimpy in his mind all the time. <3

AAAAA OTL I rambled so much,,, but your thoughts are now wedged in my mind. It's just so perfect. Octavinelle + summer fashion/swimsuits is so *chef's kiss*!!!!!

[chocodajib]

i dreamt of anemones

what was your expression?

lawlight week 2024 day 3: nightmares

inspo and thoughts under cut!

hello can you tell i've been rewatching madoka lolll

inspo!

i've been really into @ tothepointofinsanity 's art recently! it might be a bit to obvious hahah

with regard to the 'melting' effect, i was inspired by haruno's deep coma album art!

@ 19701125s on twitter! i didn't really end up doing too much similar to them, but i just really love the way they draw eyeballs or eyeball-like things

@ Veron_1411 on twitter as well! i wanted to take a lot more inspiration from their colours originally but uh. it was hard. so we will go back to blue and red

as aforementioned: madoka music has very much fueled this whole thing

i'm not totally happy with it since the whole composition is really unbalanced :/ but it was fun to just doodle a bit!

breakdown of the motifs and whatnot (i haven't done literature in so long....):

it's meant to be from light's pov! perhaps he is having a nightmare :)

many (L) eyeballs, mainly of when he's dying

the left side's wiggly 'column' of eyes going from open -> shut is L doing the dying thing; similarly, there's L's spoon that i liquified to death

tried to eyeball-fy the flowers and leaves too!

anemone

originally i was planning to have a heavier flower motif but then it was hard so. we just a little bit. as a treat. the floriography of anemone is usually pretty bittersweet (from wikipedia: Forsaken, sickness, brevity, withered hopes; anticipation), most of the time i just think of that one love live song tho

the colouring of the background, giant eyeball is loosely based on a red anemone flower (red white black). originally it was gonna be a moon cus like. light yagami's name. i didn't know how to make it look good tho

the flowers are in the corners of the boarders too

melting, rain ft. hands

uhh water goes dribble -> being washed away

L's pose is obviously a reference to The Rain Scene, but i struggled to do his cupping ear arm, since it kept unbalancing it even more. now it's just a hand lazily mozaic-ed. red since a) needed contrast, b) blood colour go drip drip, and c) wanted to like a. hands of gods thing. do you see the vision. (you can't because itis mosaic-ed)

(lazily drawn) chains are in there trust

wrote ryzaki, hideki ryuuga, l lawiet on the sides! mainly for aesthetic balance

light has really. violent ? english handwriting. i tried to imitate it

if you have read all of this tysm for joining me in my brain!!!!!!

p.s. not sure if i should tag a tw? and if so what tw? please lmk if i do need to!

[icurushasfallen]

Here's my take on this post

Okay, so I have my own theory. I’d like to think Wade wasn’t loved as child and has serve abandonment or attachment issues. Through the movieverse, we see Wade as this goofy guy. He’s quick-tongued and annoying and had an extremely crude sense of humor. But I think there has to be some truth in his jokes.

Wade was never comforted as a child. When he cried, his mother was the type to watch in silent resentment. I think Wade’s mother was similar to Beatrice HorseMan from the Netflix Show Bojack HorseMan.

Wade, in the comics, was a love Affair of Slade Wilson and his sister-in-law at the time, Hailey Wilson.

As a child, Wade was raised by his mother and his uncle, Mickey, whom he believed to be his biological father.

He later gave many conflicting reports regarding his childhood. Among these was his claiming that his father abandoned his mother while she was pregnant with him and she took out her anger on him until, as an adult, he beat her instead. He also claimed that his mother died when he was five and that his father, an army officer, became abusive, causing Wade to grow up to be a thug and criminal.

When his father got his act together and tried to rein in his son, one of Wade's friends shot and killed him. On another occasion, he told a writer that his father was a teller of bad jokes who abandoned him and his mother while he was a boy. And because of this his mother turned to humor, alcohol and home shopping networks as a coping mechanism. He believed that he ran away from home so that his mother wouldn't need to spend what little money she had left on him. All of these accounts appeared to either be false memories implanted in his mind or lies made up by himself. (All stated verbatim by the Deadpool Wiki)

But me frankly? I think the first statement had some truth in it. Hailey had a run-away affair with Slade in my opinion. Slade probably left for one reason or another, leaving them both broke and borderline homeless.

Theres not much Hailey, but I like to believe she was a young woman down on her luck and got herself pregnant with Wade. She then started to resent Wade and maybe even beat him at times. His uncle? A drunk and (Im my interpretation of Wade) the start of Wade’s trauma induced Hypersexuality.

I like to think he did kill his mother accidentally. Maybe in a fire (A motif to the fire would trapped in later as adult after his mutation)

And circling back, I believe thats why Wade has such a soft spot for kids. Like Russel in Deadpool 2. He see’s a child in his same situation more or less and realizes the kid in like him in a way. He was never comforted and therefore comforts others. I.E his humor and remarks. Maybe it’s not how other people comfort. But I like to think that it wasn’t always bad with his mother. And maybe they did bound over the odd joke or two. But whatever the reason, I think Wade just needs to comfort others in order to comfort himself.

I’m in the works of writing a fanfic based on this. It’s gonna be Christmas themed in lue for the holiday season and whatnot. But if you’re interested in a synopsis, I’d be happy to deliver.

@atimesfeeler @twilightkitkat @icarusredwings @ramblingautisticman

[kaitokitty19]

Pandora AU: Home pt.1

Snippet written for my Pandora AU where Kaito became immortal and he travels around with Hakuba. In the following part, Hakuba’s around his 40s.

———

"Don't you ever want to settle down somewhere?"

Right now, Kaito was curled up next to Saguru's body, which always generates heat like a furnace. It's chilling despite the heater. Kaito instinctively moved closer to the heat source.

In response, Hakuba only petted his hair absent-mindedly and gave a distracted hum. He was busy perusing the file marked "URGENT" Interpol had forwarded earlier that evening, interrupting their dinner. The file had been printed out into a thick stack of paper – getting along in his 40s, long screen time had started to tire Saguru's eyes out quicker; they’re always red and watery after staring at his monitor for a long case, hence the printing.

Always bringing murders and terrorists and whatnot horror into their bed, that bastard. But Kaito could hardly find it in him to complain; not when Saguru is this dastardly handsome with all his fine lines and glasses and laser focus. His juvenile cockiness might have dulled somewhat in age, but his eyes remained as sharp as ever. Kaito imagined he could be cut through with a look. God, he wish he could age with him.

"I already am."

"Huh?" Kaito startled, forgetting that it was him who asked.

"I said ‘I already am’," Saguru reiterated, eyes still glued to inked black and white and free hand waving vaguely around as if that alone should make sense, "settled, that is."

Kaito followed the directions of his wild gestures. Yes, their apartment is nice and all: a tasteful cream-colored motif, delicate plaster ceiling rose, high windows and ceilings, spacious, with a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower. The Hakuba Corp spared no expense in making sure its young master was happy, and this was no exception. From the most cutting-edge technology to the most beautiful antique furniture, everything seamlessly pieced together in a coherent harmony of livable space. Everything was at his fingertips. Kaito could spend all day mopping around the place without feeling an ounce of claustrophobia. And he did, occasionally - on which days Kaito felt more like a spoiled cat than an actual person. That Hakuba would come home from whatever businesses he tended to, shrug off his trench coat and shoes before bending over the sofa and spoil him with indulgent kisses certainly didn't help the case.

Even if he were to nitpick, there was nothing to bemoan about. But they had scantly been there 5 months. Kaito was sure there were suitcases at the bottom of their closet that had yet been unpacked. 'Settling down' wouldn't be how he would describe it. Nor would it apply to any of their previous many relocations.

"That's not... I mean, don’t you get tired, of moving around like this? Hardly get to see your friends and family? Never allow yourself to take root somewhere? Isn't it suffocating building your life around me?"

This had Saguru's attention. He lowered the case file and turned those keen eyes onto Kaito. The way Kaito's breath hitched was completely involuntary.

"Does it bother you?"

"It doesn't matter, does it? I don't have a choice." There was no use talking around it. With Pandora, Kaito could hardly stay anywhere longer than a handful of years before his unchanging appearance raised a few eyebrows. "But you do. Wouldn't you rather have a home to come back to instead of hotel rooms and new fancy penthouses every other year?"

They were already getting looks as they were, from the way master Hakuba always had a young twenty-something draping over his arm. There had been hushes and whispers that Kaito knew that Saguru feigned oblivion to, only to quietly have them moved within the week.

He hadn't noticed he had been fidgeting until Saguru took hold of his restless fingers, the warmth of his hand effectively stopped his anxious tingle from spreading from his fingertips.

"Kaito," Hakuba sighed, exasperated but firm, like he had said what he was going to say next a thousand times before and had absolute faith in it. And maybe he had. Kaito just couldn't quite bring himself to believe him, "as long as I am with you, I'm already home."

[diamondchili]

despite not being very far into ooo i've seen ankh's full greeed form, and tbh i kinda hate it,, so i redesigned him!! feat. some doodles of him not clinically posed and symmetrical :p

character design is a true passion of mine, so i infodumped broke down my process below the cut!! do note i'm not approaching this as someone who would have to consider fight choreo and stunts and whatnot. just a disclaimer lol

id in alt text as always! <3

The thing i immediately hated was how human-like his face looked?? or at least his mouth. yuck. while i get wanting to set Ankh apart from the other greeeds, there's a difference between uniqueness and breaking the rules of design you've put in place for a set of characters. Uva, for instance, has a very bug-like face, whereas Mezool has almost no face thanks to the orca's mouth framing it. That means there's two major ways for a greeed's face to look, and i think where they went wrong was trying to do something entirely different for ankh.

i kindof get what they were going for by making the bird face frame Ankh's *real* face, but imo they added too much detail to both. if youre making the big face's mouth frame the actual face, don't give the actual face a mouth lol, it crowds the design too much and looks confusing. Plus, he's a suit character, he doesn't exactly need a mouth to talk from!! So for this redesign, i made both faces much more simple and gave the primary face a sortof stand-in mouth.

Next thing was the hair. why, why, WHY on EARTH does the hair on Ankh's full form not match the hair he gives the people he possesses?!?!?!? that was the first visual hint we get as to Ankh's full appearance when he changes Shingo's physical attributes upon possessing him, and when he possesses Eiji it does the same swoopy thing. so. i made my design have hair that does that. this is basic shit yall come on 😭

Then i saw the dinky lil drab half-cape they gave him and i said oh no. oh honey. this is a BIRD. you've Gotta give him more drama than that. i kept the black to break up the ocean of red in the design (and i'll admit it is still a little red-heavy up top), but since he is a bird-based character with a triad color scheme, i made the back of it have that gradient. the tatoba/traffic-light/analogous color pattern is repeated all over the suit in Ankh's canon design, and i did want to stick to that so he's still recognizable as the same character.

Speaking of sticking to canon, i actually think the chest piece and waist armor is the only thing i didn't majorly change. i simplified the color placement, but tbh that can be chocked up to the quick-and-dirty art style i did for this, i was mostly just feeling the design out. But i did include the gradients down the chest, again to break up the red. not sure if i like it if i'm 100% honest-- it doesn't quite line up the way i want. The only other thing i added here were the bird claw pauldrons, mostly to make him match Uva bc i LOVE Uva's weird bug leg pauldrons, and I love when design elements are repeated across different characters in unique ways. not sure if you can really see them under his fluffy feather cape, but oh well

I kept the thigh pieces fairly simple, omitting the green from the gradient as it's present on the loincloth-like piece just between them. For the kneepads, i repeated the flying bird motif on the iconic forearm armor, because it's such a fun element and is the first thing we see of Ankh, so i knew repeating it somewhere on the design was essential, even if it didnt match exactly. i see they did this on the canon design, but the shape was just too different to solidify it. it weirdly looks like a face? and again this isn't practical suit design-- i'm sure having kneepads in this shape would Not Work from a stunts standpoint.

Lastly, i don't have much to say about the shoepieces honestly? Aside from the fact that in Ankh's canon greeed form his bird claws more resemble owl feet. which. i guess isn't incorrect? they're still bird themed. just looks odd with the tropical bird everything else. So i just made them a bit daintier lol. kinda wish i'd kept the green painted nails tho, thats cute.

ANYWAYS if you read this far, thank you!! i love getting to analyze character design-- what works, what doesn't, all that!! so this was a lot of fun. whether you agree or disagree with my decisions, i hope you enjoyed seeing my art and reading my ramblings!! <3

[angelbambisworld]

I saw these cool orbs and knew I had to incorporate magical orbs into Glam Metal Heart somehow.

Trouble is, idk who to give them to. I have a few ideas tho...

1. Cinderella(Cuz yknow, fairy tale motifs and whatnot. Their whole villain backstory is that after Cinderella became inactive, they lost their magic powers and they were kinda angsty about that and their inability to be as big as other glam metal bands. And then in 2021, Jeff LaBar died and that just added more angst to the angsty emotional dumpster fire.

And then Traci Michaelz from Peppermint Creeps(I'll elaborate on his role in the story in another long post but TL;DR he came back from the dead because "GRRR I died before my time UGH all these other bands that came before and after me are alive and well RAWWWR I'll show them!" Something like that)shows up and is like "Now this looks like a job for me." and does some evil magic bullshit to help give Cinderella back their powers and bring Jeff LaBar back from the dead.

But Traci's magic(And the magical orb too, if I decide to give the band one)corrupts the band, turning them evil.

2. Michael Monroe(He's got crystal powers in this AU and the battle between him and Angel take place in an crystal-like setting, so I see no reason why he shouldn't have a very cool crystal ball of his own)

3. Steel Panther(They're basically evil wizards in this AU. I'm sure there's a ball joke I could make here.)

4. Vinnie Vincent(He's a pretty princess and he deserves all the pretty orbs in the world and a pretty little castle to lock Angel away in...Oops, I'm spoiling his chapter, aren't I?)

5. Blackie Lawless(As per my last update, I'm still keeping Blackie in my AU but he won't be joining the main cast. I think it'd be funny for him to watch them from his crystal ball and be like "Oooh I'm gonna destroy them oooh I'm so evil!" Or something dumb like that lol)

Tagging: @peanutbutter-doodles @ravenh37 @ladyshandioftheendless @spacedoutman @gh0stfl0ra

[mirror-to-the-past]

Owari-Hajimari ENG Lyrical Analysis

Heyo, I just finished TWEWY recently and have been pouring over the soundtrack and turning things over in my head. Thought this song particularly was interesting in terms of the game's themes and whatnot- it seems to be from Joshua's perspective, both in the subject matter and the context in where it first played in the game (pretty sure it was the first battle Neku has alongside Joshua when he first forms the pact with him). So, here's me taking a stab at this whole thing, and digging at potential insight in Joshua's character.

("Happy-go-lucky, yo, here I am

I'm not a yuppie or a puppie, yeah, hear me roar

Jinxes mean nothin' to me they're such a joke

Never can stop me 'cause I'm on my way

Minus and plus, got 'em plugged in the wrong way

And now minor keys are easier to hear

Regression and progression, I start to realize something true")

The speaker wants to be seen as a devil-may-care yet powerful individual, not someone who's a shallow, materialistic young person or a naïve person. They don't pay any mind towards the idea of "bad luck" or spirituality, tossing aside several societal ideas of 'fairness/luck' inherently in the universe; they just want to carve out their own path. They're a cynical person, they see more of the tragedy and sadness in the world than the good and positivity that they think most people ought to appreciate. They look at the world around them and see how society constantly oscillates between growing and advancing, then falling back into old behaviors.

("’How many bottles did you throw into the right bin?’

‘Did you wash them nice and clean?’

Geniuses invent machines and wealthy people invest more funds

My momma used to say start with what you can do today, yeah, not tomorrow

So I list it up, and set this up (listen up!)

My secret plan is based on this truth)

With the first two quotes, the song starts its thematic motifs on recycling which equates towards the idea of looping/being locked in a cycle. The quotes also reflect the procedural and orderly nature of what is required to do a thing that's good for the planet and society, in this case recycling. It takes consistent effort and deliberated action to do what is most beneficial for the world around them- a level of effort and precision that can seem tedious to expend. The speaker also illustrates the taxing nature of this “do-gooder” attitude of compliance and diligence with how the dedication of innovation is often reliant upon the wealthy to promote new products- reflecting how the speaker likely thinks that even with individual diligence and determination in as many places of one’s life as possible, we are strung along to the rhythm of the rich in terms of seeing significant results from our practices. The speaker’s mother, implied to be confronted with the speaker’s feelings of impotence in an unbending society, tells them that if they want things to change, they have to focus on the moment and not become overwhelmed with the bigger picture (“tomorrow”). The “list it up/set it up/secret plan based on this truth” is repeated in the song, demonstrating extreme significance for the development of the speaker’s core values- in response to all of these perceived struggles present in the world and the speaker’s society and an interpretation of the advice of their parent, they internalized a mindset/course of action that may be seen as unacceptable to others, hence the “secret” nature of their “plan.” The speaker copes with their struggles in an analytical and strategic way.

(“It's a small world, it's a small universe. Remember? We used to sing along to the song

Listen to what she says, we are the universe, OWARI-WA HAJIMARI, HAJIMARI-WA OWARI”)

The characterization of assumedly the universe’s “song” as feminine reflects a level of reverence, attachment, feelings of fickleness, or reliance, as is often seen in feminine personifications of inanimate concepts. The speaker then says “we are the universe,” which shows that these are also all traits that they may see in humanity itself. ‘Owari-wa hajimari,” and “Hajimari-wa Owari” translates to “The end is the beginning,” and “The beginning is the end,” respectively, echoing the cyclical viewpoint of the speaker when it comes to the idea of the universe’s progression- any movement is movement, for creation or destruction, but stagnation is what is against the will of the universe itself.

(“An original strategy is what I need. Contradicted world? I've had enough indeed.

Whatsoever, what is forever? I hear them say it, again and again

‘Recycle, reuse, and try to reduce.’ But in the first place, I refuse to confuse!

How many companies want to sell us more services and products? Can't we share?”)

The speaker is at odds with the idea of maintaining the status quo and the level of dissonance that comes from the public at large as a result. “I’ve had enough indeed. Whatsoever, what is forever” flowing thought, in that the ideas bleed together [I’ve had enough indeed, whatsoever/Whatsoever, what is forever?], with the “whatsoever” being the emphasized focal point of the two phrases. This “whatsoever,” meaning “at all,” reflecting an entirety or generalized feeling, or meaning “whatever,” expressing apathy in a longstanding, archaic manner, is the key point here, showing both chronic fatigue at the tug-and-pull/paradoxical system the speaker is in, alongside a presented apathy about it. The speaker is tired of what they view as trivialities born from the idea of individual responsibility for one’s own well-being and the well-being of their society [expressed once again through the recycling metaphor], using double wordplay in response to the recycling metaphor: “recycle, reuse, reduce,” responded to with “refuse” = waste. This shows how the speaker wants to exit the system, highlighted by how they put blame on those behind production and consumerism for pushing the narrative of individual responsibility upon the populace, while they remain the ones primarily in control of the thrum of waste vs. reuse. The speaker wants a collective responsibility to be acknowledged, where no single person is an island to each other, and no person ‘higher on the ladder,’ so to speak, gets to decide the rules of how the common person ought to live their life.

(“How about talking about something different, because all I got is fake, play money

Jigsaw puzzle I can't find the last piece, maybe I swallowed it when I was a kid

My daddy used to say, ‘Keep your eyes on reality and kid don't you forget to enjoy it’

So I list it up and I set this up (listen up!)

My secret plan is based on this truth”)

This verse focuses on trivializing consumerism and asking questions about emotional wholeness with motifs of childishness/childhood, respectively. The speaker feels helpless discussing the inner working of society especially on a class-based critique basis, because they feel the concept of economy and materialism is all illusory anyway, feeling more occupied by how they feel a sort of deep-running gap in themselves and their self-concept that is implied to have persisted since childhood. The ‘jigsaw-puzzle’ in this case symbolizes the speaker, the ‘last piece’ symbolizes the dissatisfaction the speaker has towards society and life in general, and they blame something deep within themselves for this feeling of emptiness, hence the loaded responsibility behind the ‘maybe I swallowed it when I was a kid.’ The speaker’s father must have born witness to these feelings and beliefs, seemingly more in favor of materialism and against internal emotional introspection in comparison to his child. ‘Keep your eyes on reality,’ has the father likely telling the speaker that should care more about things like the aforementioned ‘play money,’ and ‘don’t you forget to enjoy it’ has the father telling the speaker to set their feelings of emotional emptiness to the side, and focus more on the pleasures of life to fill that gap. With the final two lines, the speaker shows that they internalized their father’s words in accordance with their aforementioned strategy on how to approach the dissatisfaction of life.

[ghoulishtomato]

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM KNOCKOFF MOVIE???

Under the "keep reading" tab, you will see a bullet list of my reaction to a movie I found at Half-Priced Books called Night at the Magic Museum. It'll be me pointing out things about the movie and what I enjoy and whatnot. I do my best to describe what happens in the movie but, again, it's mostly reactions, so not a reliable play by play of the movie's events.

First, the basic plot synopsis of the movie that they have in the back of the DVD case (which is completely true and accurate to the events of the film):

⚡ During a fierce electrical storm, lightning hits a museum creating a magical passageway between our world and the world within the museum's paintings. Ben and Kim (brother and sister) find themselves transported to a 17th century village under siege by Falco, an evil sorcerer learned in the ways of black magic. The kids learn that the evil Falco is in search of the village's most prizes possession: The Jewel of Polaris. With the Jewel, Falco will be unstoppable. Ben and Kim must save the village and return to our world before it's too late.⚡

Now, onto my actual (a little bit disjointed) commentary:

before the actual movie, there was a trailer that had some lovely 90s Fantasy Whimsy, and the scenes/compositions scratched my brain just right that now my hopes for NAT(M)M are probably way too high now. Also, the trailer was for something called The Tiny Kingdom, so ofc my NATM brain thought of Jed and Oct

LOVE the orchestra music that plays over a black screen as they list the credits. If they really wanted to rip off NATM tho, they coulda shown us B Roll of the magic museum. But it serves it's purpose and I love orchestra music so I'm not bothered.

We are now in 1632. A Sharp tongued British man named Falco is sneering at his subordinates (?) and my Red Dwarf brainrot has immediately projected Arnold Rimmer onto him.

Falco is kind of cunty actually. And also sounds EXACTLY like Rimmer.

Very obvious ADR for this one side character, but otherwise, not the worst production! I enjoy this!

This would fuck as an old anime, that's what the dialogue feels like.

It's probably impertinent that I tell y'all right now that I fuck with older shit and actively enjoy what people nowadays would likely call major flaws and "ruining the immersion".

hAHA ISTG THERE IS JUST SOME DUDE WHO ACCIDENTALLY FELL INTO THE SHOT WHEN HE DIDN'T MEAN TO, I LOVE LIVE THEATRE 💀

Some... Editing discrepancies... They say it is raining outside... No it's not 💀 And not enough for there to be flashes of blue lightning visible from inside. But luckily I possess a strong will for suspension of disbelief. And the blue lightning is just sort of a running motif through the movie as a reminder of the real world while they're in the painting.

Ben and Kim are mentioned in the plot synopsis, but they leave out the fact they have a little sister named Casey, who I argue is pretty important to the movie. Kim works at the museum and she has to bring Ben and Casey along with her.

Omg, Armour in a museum. Like Lancelot.

Okay VERY obvious ADR line that was supposed to be said by young teen Ben, but the ADR'd voice sounds like a grown ass man 💀? Quite a few noticable ADR moments that don't quite match up with what's on screen throughout the movie actually.

Alright, paintings can come to life because of lightning. No Egyptian magic here.

God, Ben is such a 90s teen boy.

Very clearly the draw of this movie is not the museum- like at all. It's this ONE painting functioning as a portal and the legit world it leads to. Not in any art style a la the black and white painting in Smithsonian, or the Escher painting in Secret of the Tomb. Just a straight up other world. Painting just sucks Ben and Kim in after lightning strike and spits them out into a hay pile in fantasy land.

There's a menacing guy who fell out of a painting and is now up and about in the museum (not important).

Older sister Kim is coming to ridiculous conclusions to blame Ben for the situation they're in (a la annoying big sister stereotype) but Ben's responses are so calm, candid, and reasonable that it's not annoying to me HAHA

Ben's so fucking funny actually HAHA. Everyone has had at least one surprisingly funny line actually

This Fantasy world low-key reminds me of The Legend of Zelda and I fuck with it. Just a little bit. (But everyone is basically human here; no fish people, or even fairies or hell, not even elves).

Falco is such a cunty asshole. Excellent villain so far oh my gAWD. He's so evil.

People keep mocking each other in this movie it's so funny.

HAHA, OKAY SO- They gave us a magician guy (M) who indirectly is responsible for Lincoln's assassination. This movie is so delightful. M is my new favorite.

M is there, btw, because Casey likes to draw, and he's basic her OC that they manage to get into the painting (in order to help Ben and Kim get home and whatnot) by sticking here drawing to the painting they're in. Yeah, Casey's just hanging in the museum with a security guard named Monty (who also play the magician M. The actor actually has some nice range in this movie!).

If you're like crazy about world building, I hate to tell you that s o m e of the stuff about this isn't real clear to me (like, it's implied the fantasy characters also existed in the real world or something but like??? That doesn't make sense here) so like 💀💀

Fun and creative puzzle moment near the climax :D Just one though. Also, Ben likes to roller skate, and that's helpful for this cave he's in to find some magic jewel to help him and Kim get home (and that he's gotta find before Falco).

Also there was a cave in this movie that Istg I saw in a dream...

There's this voiceover narration for some "Tests of bravery and intelligence" Ben has to do, and the narrator sounds like Crispin Freeman to me, heehee (it's def not him tho).

Btw, sister Kim has been delegated to prisoner waiting to be rescued but this is a late 90s fantasy movie so like... what do I expect.

The acting is kind of 1 Note, all on the same level for the most part. It's not bad by any means, of course, they've all been funny at least.

...... This movie had an extremely lackluster and borderline disappointing climax with all the fantasy land magic jewel shit... 💀 Falco deserved something more grand...

Btw, remember how I said there was a guy from a painting wondering around? Well he seemed to be after Casey for unknown reasons. But he was hardly in the movie 💀 He seemed to pose a threat near the end, but dispatching him was "super easy. Barely an inconvenience!" (A sword shot out of fantasy land painting for some reason and killed him before meeting him back into his painting).

So that's it. Literally NOTHING like Night at the Museum save for magic painting portal. Again, as mentioned in my previous post about the movie (and based on how the movie just looks and functions) it was made in like '99.

So what the fuck is the deal with the EXTREMELY NOTICEABLE Night at the Museum coattail riding???

Well, the company that released the movie (from what I can tell) is Moonbeam films, which wasn't founded until 2012- bUT it's parent company is Full Moon features, which was founded in 1988. So if I were to guess, perhaps Full Moon features made the movie, but Moonbeam released it on DVD.

NOW, THE ORIGINAL TITLE FOR THIS FILM WAS ACTUALLY Search for the Jewel of Polaris: Mysterious Museum. But when it was released on DVD in August of 2012, it was renamed to Night at the Magic Museum (it looks like it had a few other different names it could've been called as well, including just The Magic Museum or Mysterious Museum).

Both these production companies or whatever don't make like... The best films, I guess. Or at the very least, very tongue-in-cheek goofy ass movies that aren't trying to be cinema or anything (which is so valid of them). In fact, Full Moon features is known for shit like Evil Bong, Gingerdead Man, and Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong.

The point is- they're not particularly high quality or serious about their movies and productions if I were to take a lucky guess (cause I'm not gonna search THAT deep into this; I'm not a YouTuber who can get paid for it 💀).

SO- I THINK...

Moonbeam Films changed the movie title AND specifically designed the DVD case to match Night at the Museum as close as they possibly could (from the composition down to the font) YEARS after the movie was originally made/released, and a few years after Night at the Museum released it's sequel, Battle of the Smithsonian. Hell, the kid on the DVD cover doesn't even look like the movie's MC, Ben (left) 💀 They just grabbed some random white boy to pose SPECIFICALLY for this.

NATM had proven itself to be- like- EXTREMELY fucking popular among kids, families, and a bunch of gay people who want to see that tiny cowboy and Roman kiss. Like we see with lots of bootlegs, they were likely banking on riding the coattails of NATM's success in order to make money on their low budget crummy movie...

Except like.... Search for the Jewel of Polaris isn't bad? It's nowhere near the level Night at the Museum is production wise, of course. But it's got a homey feel to it. It's got an actual story it's telling, and the actor's do quite a good job! (Especially in the beginning of the movie). It is it's own, quaint little movie that I would like to watch a second time.

To ride on the coattails of another movie kind of shows insecurity about the movie's actual contents I think. I mean, that dinosaur, knight, pirate ship, and weird alien thing we see on the cover?? Not in the damn movie 💀 This attempt to be dishonest about what the movie has to offer while also maybe hoping people confuse it with another, successful movie in order to milk money out of it just looks bad on Moonbeam Films' behalf.

In conclusion: Search for the Jewel of Polaris is NOT a Night at the Museum ripoff, and could never have been, what with being made 6-7 years before the first NATM actually came out. It was rebranded in 2012 as Night at the Magic Museum for DVD releases by Moonbeam Films. It's a cute, simple little movie with it's own charming characters and concept, and you can feel the human touch/heart all throughout it 💛💛

Thank You for reading. ☺️✨ Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be thinking about Falco for forever til eternity.

[quinn-pop]

im not sure what happened to me but suddenly i love queen ripple and she’s my new dress up doll

anyway, let’s talk about her!!

taking the fact that ribbon’s name is ribbon entirely too far (and going off their designs) i think it’d be cool if ripple star fashions leaned into frills, bows, and long or exaggerated silhouettes

since the planet is literally just a heart shape i imagine their aesthetics lean into that sort of romantic and elegant vibe. a lot of ivory, pinks, and reds

(ripple dresses up a little different to see her friends tho)

also flower and butterfly motifs. because they’re fairies of course <3

think it’d be a little ironic if butterflies were a symbol of beauty and all that…

also she’s friends with carol and dedede. they can go to pta meetings or something /j

(taranza can come sometimes too because he’s cool and it makes sense to me)

btw ripple star probably exports a lot of silks (because silkworms in a land of butterflies feels right) and luxury items whereas dreamland is more agriculture focused + maybe some livestock and furs

…yeah i’m saying these places reflect their rulers basically. ripple star can be a little more traditional and whatnot. that’s what makes ripple so endeared to her dreamland friends—they’re silly! and yeah, tragic princess angle, it’s my favorite trope—i think that would really pull at her heart

i won’t get into that right now, but i gotta imagine getting possessed gives you a lot to think about lol

…gah i have so many thoughts on this

there isn’t much to go off of in canon, sure, but i think there’s a lot of interesting directions something like that could go ^^

[satancopilotsmytardis]

i know you said you don't share outlines and whatnot, so i hope this question doesn't make me seem like i'm asking for one, but how does outlining a fic go? you always have such vivid worldbuilding, concepts and etc so i'm actually pretty curious of your writing process as a whole for your stories

It genuinely depends on the fic! Some stories don't get an outline at all (101 Slime/Electrostimulation/Forced Feminization and plenty of others) don't/didn't have outlines. I just knew what vibes I was going for and I let the writing go wherever it wanted to. After so many years of writing, I'm comfortable letting that happen, and even when I do create more solid outlines for stories, I never treat them as sacred. I am always willing to adapt them and let things change. With Leave of Absence, for instance, I think I originally outlined 22-24 chapters, but as I was writing it, I decided to cut that down significantly to help streamline the story better. For works like Changing Currents, I noted down a few big events that I wanted to hit in each chapter. In chapter 1 that was their first meeting, the whale hunt, and Dabi leaving the island for the first time. For chapter 2 that was the fight with Kai, the cannibalism/fucking scene, meeting AFO, and the cliffhanger. All of the other events got filled in as they went and how I thought they should logically fit. My big school of thought for outlines is that they don't really matter for me personally as long as I know where I want the characters to end up at the conclusion. Like for 101 Kinks: Slime, I knew that by the end I wanted Dabi to forsake his godhood to stay with Tomura, the rest of the story was just about me adding scenes until I got to the point where that felt like the logical conclusion for his character arc. Generally speaking when I do outline, I mostly just put down a couple of scenes I know I want as like the key frames of my writing and then all the in-betweens just get thrown in until those connections look smooth. Ironically, usually the final chapter of a fic ends up being the one with the most detailed outline as I consider what motifs and loose ends I've got to wrap up before the conclusion, but otherwise, outlining is barely present in my writing process overall! 

As for world building and story concepts, in general, I'm a top-down worldbuilder. I create the setting based on the parts of the world that I want the character to interact with, and I don't think about it much beyond what the character would be able to see and be influenced by. I have an amazing friend who is a bottom-up worldbuilder and they have a lore document for their multiverse that is, last I heard, over 100 pages and they made their own custom encyclopedia, which blows my mind. I literally just build the systems that the POV character would know well. Since I'm working with pre-established characters, that means I'm just trying to design systems that would allow for analogs of the experiences that they had in canon to occur in the story. Because all of the trauma that the LOV has faced is due to societal shortcomings and issues, that means every AU I build for them has to have its own set of issues built in for them to be disenfranchised by. Keeping that in mind, I'm able to take a concept (animal hybrid people) and apply some lens to ensure that the characters wouldn't have been able to lead a good life (predator/prey relations/cannibalism) which can be made the basis for their trauma in the AU. I don't know if I'm explaining this well, but it really does just come down to making sure that I've got a world where it feels like the character knows what's going on and understands how they should be seeing it. When they're the only way that readers can look into the world, if they seem like they're comfortable in it and grounded in the rules of that reality, then it becomes a lot easier to suspend disbelief and get brought along with the story first and foremost. 

But that's just my opinion and how I approach writing like this. There are a lot of different styles and methods that work well for others, and that should be studied as you find the approach that works the best for you! I hope this helps/was interesting and not too much of a ramble! 

[mossy-paws]

MOSSY HAI!!! @hyp-fixator here....

I have... a few questions!!!

First, if you've figured it all out, what fishy species will all the phighters be? This could include Npcs/Deities too if you wanna :D

Second... what would be your favourite pair to write about in this au?? It doesn't even have to be a ship, literally just- which sillies do you wanna talk about the most, and GO HAM WITH THE ANSWER!!

and lastly, I heard you talk about ships and whatnot in your fishy broker headcannons? Does that mean that theres some phighters who are mermaids and some who aren't? And like....... what do they do.... AUGH THIS AU IS SO GOOD

Literally holding onto you. Like. More fish food pleaze... pleaze.... donate some fishy scraps for the less fortunate pleaze..... insert miserable cat eyes/lh

HHEHEHEHEHEHEHE SO FUNNY STORY I actually woke up really early this morning and I saw this ask and I had to physically restrain myself from answering it because I didn’t want it to be really rough LMAO OKAY SOOOO!

This is a pretty popular question actually HAH, I’m not gonna list all of them since I’m a little paranoid about the ideas getting reused/stolen and I don’t really want that SOOOOO as a teaser here’s some of the ones I’m gonna be doing next: :3

boombox is a seal, katana is a lionfish, skateboard is a shortfin mako, banhammer is an orca, scythe is a seasnake, shurifin is pretty much just a mermaid that can shapeshift to resemble the shurifin skin, vinesplash is the same, and slingshot is a flying fish! I have all of the other characters figured out but those are all the ones I’m giving away

2. OHOHOHOHO THIS IS A FUN ONE! The main center focus of the au I would say is shurifin and Medkit, technically they’re supposed to be friend/just fully platonic but I can see it being interpreted as not! Also, Subspace and broker because they absolutely HATE eachother and banhammer and boombox because of the orca/seal motif (banhammer specifically thinks boombox is the perpetrator of a crime that he did not do (scythe and broker just pinned it on him) so he’s on like a manhunt for poor boombox who’s just really confused LMAO)

3. HEHEHEHEH YEAH! So pretty much a good chunk of the mermaids and stuff have powers, mainly the ability to shapeshift and such, broker and scythe are both mermaids who can shapeshift to resemble demons (they are also pirates as well, and are wanted by BOTH worlds for 1. Raiding ships, and 2. Selling out OTHER mermaids for money/riches). Medkit works with scythe and broker because he needs the money. Medkit, sword, venomshank, paint buckét, spray paint, etc are all regular demons! Sword and venomshank have their own shop and are trying to get Medkit to join it so that he can get away from broker and scythe and avoid prosecution as venomshank’s ship is more noble/looked up too.

(As an add on to the shapeshift thing, Rocket, shurifin, and vinesplash all can to an EXTENT, not fully though like how scythe and broker can. Other Phighters also have other abilities that aren’t tied to powers but I think are just cool, specifically like boombox having echo-location because of being a seal, slingshot being able to “fly” (more so glide) because of being a flying fish, or skateboard just being incredibly fast because he’s a mako shark which are the speediest sharks in the world! They aren’t powers but their fun quirks that I feel fit their characters!)

also,,,, soon my friend,, soon,,, I am cooking with this au so HEHEHEHEHE

[venture-through-the-mist]

I’ve been thinking once again about how awesome the Lotus Radiant design is (this is like…a biweekly occurrence for me XD). I 100% expect that these things have been said before, but I still wanted to post this lol. This is going to have some spoilers for The New War, so the full post is under the cut.

All of the Lotus skins are amazing in their own rights, but there’s something about the Lotus Radiant skin that keeps it near and dear to my heart, and I think it’s just how obviously it takes inspiration from Natah. I mean, we all know that the generic Lotus skin is pretty much just ‘Margulis but helmet’. This makes sense (obviously) for her story-wise, since before the events of TNW she was meant to be mimicking Margulis and whatnot, even if she had made somewhat of a name for herself/‘The Lotus’ in the interim between the Old War and the Apostasy Prologue. Even just looking at the colors and shapes of her clothes and helmet, we get this sense that pre-TNW Lotus was meant to be kind, soft, obedient, moldable. Everything that Ballas had wished Margulis was.

And yet, like Margulis, Lotus didn’t fit that ideal. Not really. And her choice in appearance at the end of The New War really cements that for me. Instead of Margulis’s light purples and greys, she takes on much darker colors, colors more reminiscent of Natah’s palette of dark greys—nearer to black than grey, really—, silver, and a very bright blue for the lights on her body. But of course, it isn’t as simple as Lotus rejecting Margulis in favor of Natah, because the Radiant skin still has hints of the Archimedean’s touch in the gold accents and the streaks of blueish-purple in her outfit. She isn’t going full Sentient Queen, but she’s no longer the mimic of the human caretaker anymore either. She’s both, and yet she’s something else entirely. Even her helmet is something ‘other’ now, its previously rounded edges dismissed in favor of sharper ones, with crests that I can only describe as ‘alien’-like. It’s Sentient in its design…sort of. And yet, the crests are sharper and more elaborate than anything we see on any of the other Lotus skins, Natah and Eido-Lotus included.

The Radiant skin is a beautiful combination of the design motifs for both Margulis and Natah, but it also adds some unique elements that distinguish it from simply being a mashup of the two. It distinguishes Lotus from simply being a mashup of the two. It’s quite possibly the first real choice that Lotus has ever been able to make for herself, and it was made in an instant. In that split second where she killed Ballas, that split second where she was brought back from the verge of death (once again), Lotus chose to embrace Natah, the very figure that she has been distancing herself from ever since the ‘Natah’ quest (and even before that, really). She chose to embrace Margulis, the parts of her that really mattered at least, not the altered memories that Ballas forced into her mind. She’s chosen to accept (or begin to, at least) that without those two, she would not exist, and that, even with that being the case, she is not simply Natah’s body + Margulis’s mind. The road ahead will be long and full of struggles for all three of them as they adjust and try to heal, but the first move is this very choice.

[tomwambsgans]

was thinking about the dog motif and how it relates to sex, and how i can very easily see roman being into puppy play in the way where he's like actually led around on a leash and made to eat from a dish and whatnot. but greg despite being just as much like a dog, and even considering that *i* have personally put him into sexual situations with the dog motif present, i simply know he would have zero interest in that or ability to get off on it. and obviously greg just has a more normal relationship with sex anyway but i realized that, irt the whole dog motif, this is also because roman fits into that erotic framework as simply *a* dog. like just in general. and his only concept of A Dog, of being owned, is a matter of neglect and degradation and being locked away. whereas greg wants to be specifically your dog (tom's dog). owned, but taken care of and loved and spoiled and being devoted in return. all that to say i think the furthest he'd go is wearing a collar/leash while tom fucks him