#its also supposed to include the color red for

[plushie-lovey]

Thanks to my datemate I was able to find a bunch of valentines day frogs at goodwill yesterday and one pink beanie baby 🥺

[dravidious]

You're more amazing than ALL THE THINGS

Here's some cards inspired by my love of counting in rhythm to myself in daily life

With these I have an excuse to count "one, two, three" and "one, two, three, four" out loud in the middle of games!

[wasyago]

Falls in, i would love to hear about this decked out/failed cave exploration au pls pls pls already i am Bewitched

hehehe [in tango's voice] sighh i suppose...

really im very tempted to just let it sit and not tell anything, because it's so fun seeing people theorize and point out details in the notes. but yeah i guess i shouldn't gatekeep it, its a fun au!

i do want to state in the beginning that it was a one-off thing and i have no plans on continuing it or drawing more for it. if you do tho? feel free! (not asking for fanart by any means, but giving the green light if anyone was wondering)

well

-------

Pet crew were a group of cave explorers. They're no experts by any means but they were no amateurs either! (ignore the fact that they're not wearing any PPE, i didn't want to draw it, ok--) And recently they've been excited about mapping out a new cave system they found, completely unexplored according to their research.

Tango, always a big lover of his plans and spreadsheets, presumably decided to go in alone ahead of time to sketch out at least a rough draft for a map, so they had an idea of what they're going to be dealing with.

But see, this cave is not an ordinary cave, no matter how pristine and untouched it looked. It is one gigantic organism of unknown origin, and a hunrgy one at that, the air inside it is filled with little cells or spores that, when inhaled enough, start taking over the body and corroding it to the cave's will. Killing the host in the process.

So, obviously, after spending some time in the cave by himself, Tango did get some cells in him. Not enough to be noticeable, but enough to give him a headstart on the corruption when the group went in for a proper dive some days later.

The first symptoms of undergoing the change are pretty standard: light fever, weakness, dizziness — easy to mistake for a flu.

Which is exactly what Tango did. Of course, going caving with a flu is not a smart thing to do either, but the group has been planning this trip for so long, delaying it even more because someone was slightly under the weather would've been foolish!

The cave started off with a big drop, requiring a rope to be set up, and then sprawled into a system of tunnels. Tango and Pearl were very excited to find an entrance to some ancient tombs a couple of hours into the dive. There were stairs leading even deeper underground, which turned out to be an entrance to a bigger cave system, with a huge frozen lake in the middle and an entrance to abandoned mines.

Further symptoms include skin turning pale, graying hair, eyes starting to shift color to red. Previous symptoms remain and intensify.

Tango had always been pale, he had blond hair too, and in the dark it was hard to notice the white streaks in them. The pink cheeks were easily passed as a result of being in the cold. Pearl did express some concerns about Tango's well-being when he started to fall back a bit, but he dismissed it as just him getting tired. By that point Pearl seemed to also have some "frost" in her hair.

After the hair have fully turned white, the tips start to switch color to an unnatural blue. Skin eventually loses color completely, turning gray. Fever intensifies as body desperately tries to fight the infection.

At that point it was impossible to deny that something was wrong with Tango. There are no mirrors underground though, so to him it was just his flu getting out of hand. Guilty of hiding his illness, yes, but nothing critical. The blue hair however were not normal, and the other two were freaking out a bit more than Tango would've hoped for.

They had an argument.

Etho snapped and hit Tango to beat some sense into his stupid head.

By that point Pearl was clearly looking bad too, and Etho's own hair were apparently turning white. They were all feeling terrible, physically and mentally. They decided to head home.

As previously stated, the cave is in fact alive and can sense when something that belongs to it is trying to escape. In an effort to stop it, the whole cave system comes to life. Old animal carcasses rise and start walking, small screeching creatures begin patrolling the tombs, the ice melts and the cave blooms in dangerous ways.

When the crew exited the mines into the second level of the cave system, it was apparent that the way back would be a lot harder. By that point Tango was struggling to stand and Etho had to drop his equipment to carry him. But the fever and the dizziness were making it hard to move fast, the changed layout of the cave was difficult to navigate even with their map, and the way to the surface was still very and very long. It was obvious they couldn't make it out....

Unless they were willing to make some sacrifices.

Etho isn't proud of his decision, but leaving Tango was their only option! He and Pearl still had a chance to escape if they moved quickly, but Tango was just too far gone, he couldn't-- Etho couldn't carry him to the exit, he was getting too tired, and if they all stuck together it would get all three of them killed! Was it not better for at least two of them to survive instead of-

They had another argument.

Pearl stubbornly insisted on taking Tango, so Etho had to lie to her and say that they will come back once they scout out the way. Etho couldn't force himself to look at Tango though, if he did he would be met with this knowing look and he just couldn't bear it. Tango cried when they were leaving.

After the body succumbs to the fever it stays dead for a short period of time, while the rest of the changes set in.

It took a miracle for both Etho and Pearl to reach the tombs, but the hard part came after. Etho did everything in his power to convince Pearl to leave with him, he said they will come back later when they're better prepared, he said it was too late to help Tango, he said it was Tango's own fault, he said many bad things, none of which were enough to change Pearl's mind. She turned back and Etho didn't follow her.

He ran through the tombs and the caves alone, losing his eye to a monster he saw all too late. It was painful and it was disorienting, Etho doesn't even remember how he got to the initial drop they went down, he was panicking and only moving forward because of adrenaline and instinct. The ascend was a fever dream, Etho doesn't know how he didn't fall to his death then.

Through the rush of blood in his head, Etho heard the faint sound of Tango's voice. Too cheery for his feverish condition, and much, much closer, a lot closer than the place they left him to die in. He did not hear Pearl. The sound stopped when it was right under him, and he felt a light tug on the rope he was hanging of. And nothing else happened...

Etho emerged from the cave into the cold night, stumbling over his own feet, too tired to run. Their van was parked over by the entrance and Gem was already waiting for him. Him — shaking, bloody and alone.

...

The body reanimates again, now obedient to the cave's will. It is no longer alive but it is not dead either, frozen, stalking through the tunnels in a mindless haze.

[sayruq]

Human heads eaten by crows, unidentified and decomposing body parts, and hundreds of corpses piled up and buried in mass graves are all that remained of the victims of the massacre at al-Shifa Hospital. The grim scene was something out of a dystopian movie, the product of the two-week siege of Gaza’s largest hospital that ended in its total destruction. Following the completion of al-Shifa’s decimation, the Israeli army announced that it had been one of the most successful operations since the start of the war, claiming that it had arrested hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members in the medical compound. But the question that no one seemed to ask is how such a massive number of so-called “operatives” from Hamas and PIJ had gathered at al-Shifa with the full knowledge that the place had already been combed by the army once before and that Gaza City had been occupied by the army ever since.

One young man who managed to escape the hospital mere moments before the army invasion began said that there had indeed been hundreds of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad-affiliated employees in the hospital, but none of them were military operatives. They were workers in the Gaza government’s civil branch, including Civil Defense crews, the police force, the internal security services, interior ministry employees, and employees of other branches of the local government. All of them had gathered to receive their governmental salaries at al-Shifa, given that it was one of the few remaining places that was supposed to be relatively safe from the fighting

When everyone left the buildings, the army began to separate the crowds of people into groups, making each group wear differently-colored plastic bracelets. The soldiers told them that these bracelets were connected to a system that alerts snipers to their movements. They were divided into two colors: yellow, which was attached to hospital staff and whoever the army considered civilians, and red, which was given to people who could not move on their own, such as patients, the injured, amputees, or people with broken limbs. The army also gathered people who were suspected of belonging to Hamas or the PIJ. They were not given bracelets but were separated from the injured and hospital staff, who were sent to a different building. A third much larger group was ordered to leave the hospital entirely — thousands of displaced persons who had been sheltering in the compound, in addition to some members of the hospital staff. Some of the staff members, including doctors, refused to leave. When they refused the army’s orders, they were executed immediately and without argument. The army then brought out a huge number of men from the group of suspected Hamas and PIJ members and employees, gathering them in the center of the courtyard. It then proceeded to execute them, one after the other. When the slaughter was done, army bulldozers piled up their corpses in the dozens, dragging them through the sand and burying them. As this was ongoing, other soldiers stormed various buildings in the compound in search of people who had refused to evacuate when the initial order was given. They killed anyone they found, regarding them as suspects.

This is a long article but I suggest you read the whole thing.

[colorfuldragons]

dungeon meshi characters, but as flight rising dragons

𝟣. laios touden: beige/antique/antique

2. marcille donato: caribbean/flaxen/ruby

3. chilchuck tims: auburn/camo/beige

4. senshi of izganda: coal/oilslick/latte

5. izutsumi: obsidian/obsidian/white

6. falin touden: iris/antique/antique

spoiler scry + design notes under the read-more:

7. falin (chimera): vermillion/antique/antique

———————

i had been meaning to scry/post the dungeon meshi main cast for a while. i figured in honor of the manga's final chapter would be a good occasion

design notes:

𝟣. laios touden:

outfit inspired by fr user Rafale's laios fandragon

ravenskull broadsword bc it has wings like his sword

tundra + antique secondary/tert, like falin (siblings)

2. marcille donato:

ruby runes to represent: her magic, her red hair bow, bloody hands when she was resurrecting falin

will o' the ember for her explosion spells

iridescent primary for her elven heritage + penchant of fancy things

3. chilchuck tims:

veined tert to represent his greying hairs

i debated between the gambeson (closer texture) VS tanned rogue vest (overall closer colors) for him, but ended up going for the gambeson as it feels more distinct

camo secondary for a "camo = stealthy" joke

[edit: 1 feb 2024] i think my screen had the Flux settings too high before and i thought his shirt was beige. its actually white, so i changed his shirt from a shabby to classy dress shirt.

4. senshi of izganda:

bamboo dried tea to represent his cooking supplies

unfortunately none of the helm apparel had the right colors for his helmet, so i opted for tan okapi to represent his helm's horn colors

i wanted to include the iron shield apparel for his adamantine shield/pot, but it wouldve covered up his kilt, so i left it out

[edit: 1 feb 2024] changed primary from ribbon to chrysocolla, an earthy gene to match his past as a miner. changed tert color slightly to match better. also gave him carrots

5. izutsumi:

initially i tried nocturne and spiral, but the armour pieces looked too short on them, so i ended up going for mirror instead

i also tried the tanned rogue apparels, but they covered up too much of the torso

wooly antennae for her ears

6. falin touden:

marshlurker's drape to represent her coat, bc there wasnt a lot of suitable coats, and the more purple-y hue (and hat) also references her debut outfit

sparkle tert to represent her magic

tundra + antique secondary/tert, like laios (siblings)

[edit: 1 feb 2024] edited her primary to be more purplish, since the animes confirmed her coat is supposed to be more indigo colored, and gave her browner boots. also edited her reference photo coat color to match it too

7. falin (chimera):

i chose to make the touden siblings both tundras, so that chimera falin could be a gaoler (based on the joke gaolers are just tundra 2.0)

spirit secondary bc she haunts the narrative

if youve made it to here, feel free to comment which fandragon scry is your fav! :)

[hetagrammy]

I'm really partial to the idea of visual storytelling through clothing, and I really like the concept of the whole Immigrant Trio experiencing it

When Molly first comes to America, through the 1850s she was constantly wearing black. Like to the extent that people on the street frequently mistook her for a widow. By the 1860s she started to get into more of a half mourning stage, not quite out of it, but incorporating colors like dark purple and blue into her clothing again. Then it's the late 1860s, the war is over, and she and Alfred go on their railroad adventure. She's in rough, mismatched clothing that helps her masquerade as a gender she isn't, but behind it she's still herself. She's trying to find and understand herself, but is coming to terms with the only way she is able to do that is in a new place where she can break down and build up again. It's after this point, and as she's joined by new friends and a lover that she starts taking on her old habits- lighter, warmer greens, lilacs, teals and blues.

Tolys first comes to America layered up and his clothing is tight. His waistcoat is always buttoned, his tie looks like it's choking him, his sleeves are always rolled down. He's almost too formal at points. Over time his clothing gradually starts to loosen around the house- his waistcoat is unbuttoned, his bow is looser, he lets his hair down when he's not working. He's living in a place where he's afforded the time to do this, and more importantly he can trust in the people around him to allow him that.

Lovino is almost the opposite. He comes to America with few possessions on him, including articles of clothing. He's plain, partially to do with his financial state and partially because he's trying to avoid home baggage. The exception of course is his cap, which is emblematic of his identity and acts as a bit of a connection with Molly (for whom the style is also culturally significant). As he's there and builds relationships he didn't anticipate, he accumulates more (items Molly knit or embroidered for him, clothing he's borrowed from Tolys, knick knacks he found for himself, etc.) Rather than layering per se, he gains more detail because he allows himself to form those bonds and he treasures them and his experience in spite of its rough beginnings. In a similar manner to Molly, he also starts to take on hints of color in his clothing again, especially reds and yellows.

Alfred is a special case because he's relatively consistent except for his breakdowns. He tries to be fashionable and trendy, but he's always got one thing out of place like a mismatched tie. He always looks really put together and professional, because it's what he's supposed to be masquerading around is. Then when he goes on his western breakdown adventures his clothing becomes even more mismatched, simple, and at times oddly fitted on him like a child trying to put on a shirt too big for them. Even though it peeks out under normal circumstances, it shows fully he is a bit of a child under the fresh and put together veneer.

[quillpokebiology]

what would members of the solosis line with drifblim fathers look like?

Pokemon Crossbreeds: Respiration

Respiration is the name for members of the Solosis line whose fathers were Driffloon/Drifblim. The breed got its name from the process or cellular respiration, which is when Oxygen in cells is used to make sugar. The breed is known for their melancholic personalities and their quietness. They were bred for their higher HP and their ability to learn Acid Armor.

Solosis

Respirative Solosis have a rounder shape and an X on their mouth instead of a diamond shape. The thing on their head becomes cloud shaped instead. These Solosis are quiet, and because of their nature, they've been nicknamed drifters. While they aren't ghost types, there are legends of this breed having spirits trapped in their jelly, waiting for them to get out.

Duosion

Respirative Duosion gain the traits if Drifblim, including sharper limbs, lighter colored underbellies, and lines on their bodies. There is also a 50% chance they can be born with red eyes instead of black, but I'm sticking with showing the black-eyed ones here. They have more oxygen inside of them than standard Duosion, and releasing it is how they are able to move around faster (sometimes it can sound like a fart and it gets old when you're supposed to teach about these things to first graders for a project). They're more active at evening.

Reuniclus

Respirative Reuniclus keep the X and markings of Drifblim, but the air that would float above them is now atop their head. Instead of the usual circles inside of Reuniclus, they gain little hearts that match the ones of Driffloon. The most notable change is their second pair of arms that resemble Drifblim's tentacles. These Solosis use their extra pair of tentacles to aid them in battle and help them with other simple tasks, making them useful service pokemon for paralyzed people. Like they're fathers, they're crepescular and travel in groups.

//My designs can be used by anyone if you credit me! Talking about designs under the cut

Solosis was super easy to draw, but I was confused about coloring. I kept wondering whether purple would be too much or if green wasn't enough. Eventually, I just settled on keeping it green.

Duosion was fun. I already like Drifblim a lot so it was fun making a pokemon crossed with it. Got inspiration from a basketball with the lines, lol. Had mixed opinions on the red eyes but I decided to stick to black when showing drawings though. I have what it looks like with red eyes though if anyone wants it

Reuniclus was the hardest, and I'm using thst lightly bcuz I didn't struggle much. It was more just sitting there and wondering if I should draw the arms downwards or keep them up. Wondered about the ears, but I just decided to move them so the air could fit. Wasn't going to give it hearts, but Driffloon has hearts, and I thought they looked cute, so I left them.

Thanks for reading this far if you did!

[factual-fantasy]

29 asks! Thank you!! :}} 🦀

I use FireAlpaca! And occasionally MS Paint in specific situations or for fun XDD

FireAlpaca is free and I'd say its good for beginner digital artists, but also has a lot of tools for pros! But keep in mind it's got some quirks and weird bugs sometimes- use it at your own risk! <XD

Tassels is a much nicer word than "ribbonlike feelers", which is what the pokedex entry's say they are <XDD

And thank you! I'm glad you like that detail!! :))

Thank you! I'm doing my best not to overdo it <XDD

@minnesotamedic186

*The bottle sinks into my head and disappears*

Thanks you :}} 👍

@samcat2

Oh, no no- they are not a couple/gay. They are like the bestest-best brothers :}

@realmerks6969

:0 .... do I like what-

@milk-powrit

Yes! Birdos in my AU are decedents from the original Yoshi's. They live on the coast by Daisy's kingdom and have been domesticated by the Delfino people.

While Yoshi's come in all different colors.. Birdos are mostly Pink, Red or shades of purple due to red Cheep-Cheeps being the corner stone of their diet.

Now, the specific/individual Birdo that we know? The one with the bow and everything? That Birdo is supposed to be Daisy's personal pet Birdo. She's very spoiled XDD

@antisocial-bird

Thank you!! And welcome back! :))

I'm sorry to hear you've got some personal battles and school weighing you down.. <:(( I hope you can salvage some of those connections and make some new ones soon! :}}

(Refencing this post)

SKJNJ I N G O T S XDDD

(Refencing this post)

Honestly? That's rather fitting for Emmet- XDD

I'm glad to hear it! But hey! Don't call it ugly >:(( Its wonderful!! :}}

@artblock200322022

I'm glad to hear it! :DD And ooo! Whisper?? That's such a cool name!! :}}}

@illogically-austere

<XD You don't seem happy about it, I'm guessing it was more of a nightmare?

If you mean which game ending my AU follows..

Its supposed to be a modified version of the 6AM ending. Where Gregory escapes when the front doors open but he doesn't get caught by Vanessa later. He ends up coming back to the Pizzaplex 2 weeks later on his own.

If you mean an ending to the entire AU itself? I have some ideas in mind and just need to take the time to pick one of them--

@glitchhayden418

:DDD ROSES AND ORANGES!! THANK YOU!! :)))))

XDD Don't worry, I assumed it was my POV-

@yourtypicalfoxobserver

:DD Thank you! I'm glad you like what I make! :)))

Just trying something new! This new lineless pixel style is a change of pace and is helping to keep me out of art block :) 👍👍

@pinkiexneomorph277

Thank you so much!! :DD And I'll take the thumbs up XDD 👍✨

(Refencing this post)

.....Well he's got that Papyrus energy tbh-- <XDD

(Refencing this post)

NOOOO <XDDDD

(Refencing this post)

AWWWWW 😭😭 THATS SO SAD YET ADORABLEEEE

🥺Flowers........ 💖🌹💖

(Referencing the comments of this post)

XDD Don't worry, I'll track em down! >XDD

@shiocreator (Referencing this post)

WAAAHGH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :DDDD

@kirozil

I'm hanging in there, thank you for asking! :}

My FNAF AU/Recap/Repair project thingy has kind'a been put on the shelf for a while. But that's mostly due to my poor health and being unable to sit at my desk and draw on my PC..

(All my resent posts- this one included- and drawings have been made on a laptop while laying on a couch. All of my FNAF stuff is on my desktop PC :((( )

As for your second question, sorry, I don't take requests! 😅

Thanks for the ask! I hope you have a great day/afternoon/night as well! :}}}

@empowtisblog

That sounds like me! XD Thank you! I'm glad you liked my Octonauts stuff! :))

@captain-skyler1987

:DD Thank you! :))) 🍪💖

@soulful-rodent

I'm hanging in there as best I can 🫠

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Still obsessed with the Atreides Desert Power (TM) flag. Because in-world I think this is supposed to represent the union of Fremen and Atreides power. But the actual design is the Atreides hawk crest (in blood red) stamped over the Fremen fabric patterns.

It feels particularly discordant because, as far as we can see, the Fremen do not have battle flags. In fact they don't seem to have any flags, or any kind of easily-recognizable-to-us symbols of allegiance to sietch, clan or family. In the place where we would most expect to see those kind of demarcations--the war council in the south where all the tribes should be represented--there is really nothing to distinguish one Fremen from another, except for the tribe leaders who sit in the middle of the circle and get to wear a special hat. As far as we can tell, there is no such thing as a Fremen flag.

But then, why would there be? Flags are for claiming things. A flag is a symbol you raise over a place to let other people know you've conquered it. (Insert Suzy Eddie Izzard voice: "Do you have a flag?") From a practical standpoint, having someone who could be holding a weapon use both hands to hold a flag in the middle of a battle is kind of silly. In a war of position you could argue that there is some limited use in marking out who controls what territory, but the Fremen aren't fighting that kind of war, and a guerrilla insurgency fighting on its home turf generally goes out of its way not to advertise its position.

Also like. In the middle of preparing for battle someone decided to make these. Whose idea was that? The Fremen fundamentalists' loyalty is to the Lisan al-Gaib. The Atreides symbols are only important to the Atreides and to the other Great Houses. But someone made sure they were present on the flags carried into battle to attack Arrakeen. This was designed to communicate a message to other imperialists, including the Emperor, in language they would understand. And of course, by the end of the film, the Desert Power flag does become a flag of conquest.

The flag is such a great production design/art direction detail, because it looks like something that could be conceivably be made in this environment (the Atreides deep green isn't a color that seems to really exist in the palette of dyes available to the Fremen). But it also feels like something deeply alien that's being imposed on this culture from the outside.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

The Dragon Drags On

Though seldom seen today, dragons, of the genus Draconis, are some of the most famous creatures in the world, known for their size, ferocity, elegance, and supposed love for treasure. Though the exact number of dragon species is unknown, there are at least a dozen that are officially recognized; the real number is likely much higher. Once widespread, the range of this group has declined dramatically in the past centuries and populations are now believed to reside in only the most remote parts of the world. Most of what we know of dragons comes from historical records, and study of live specimens has proved impossible due to their rarity.

Because of their global distribution, dragons display a wide variety of morphological traits, including coloration, features, and even the number of limbs. However, some traits are common to nearly all species. Most dragons are thought to be brightly colored, often red, green, or blue; many species also have gold patterns in some form. As reptiles, dragons are covered in scales, though some also posses feathers or manes. Dragons also have extremely long, flexible tails which in some species may act as a supplementary limb. The body is generally long and serpant like, with the exception of the European Dragon and the mushhushshu, or Babylonian dragon. Though all species share an ability to fly, only the European dragon has a functional set of wings. The mechanics of flight for other species are unknown. The European dragon is also noted for its ability to breathe fire; other species such as the Chinese Dragon, or lóng, are more often associated with water.

All dragon species are believed to be carnivorous, though the content of their diet varies from region to region. Due to their large size, it is believed that they predate upon larger mammals such as cattle, sheep, camels, llama, deer, and even megafauna like elephants. Though they lack natural predators, their consistent targeting of livestock and game animals has in the past led dragons into conflict with humans; centuries of dragon hunting for sport and to protect agricultural interest has pushed the dragon to the brink of extinction.

Very little is known about the breeding habits of dragons. Like most large reptiles, they are believed to be solitary and fiercely territorial. It is also likely that they lay eggs, but whether parents provide any kind of care for their clutch or hatchlings is unknown. To date, no record of juvenile dragons has been found, indicating that the rate of survival to adulthood is extremely low. This may be due to predation on hatchlings by opportunistic animals, or adult dragons may attack and kill juveniles to defend their territory, or a combination of the two.

Although they are extremely rare today, dragons have been and continue to be important part of cultures around the world. Ancient civilizations such as the Aztec, Egyptians, and Mesopotamians all revered dragons as dieties. Many other cultures incorporated dragons into their folklore and mythologies, and in many parts of the world the dragon has come to symbolize power, changes in the seasons, or natural disasters, among other things. In more modern times, dragons have come to be associated with wealth, though there is no biological evidence for treasure-hoarding behavior.

Conservation status: Because no dragon species has been sighted for several centuries, they are largely believed to be extinct; however, the IUCN has yet to make a formal declaration. A few hopeful biologists believe that some species still survive in remote locations such as the deep Amazon rainforest or the mountains of Central Asia.

April Fools! I hope you enjoyed this departure from the usual content. I will be on hiatus until April 9th, as I'll be helping a friend with his field research. In the meantime, feel free to send in questions, commons, requests for a particular animal, or proof-of-donation submissions to help the people of Palestine; I'll respond to them all if I have spare time or when I get back!

Photos

A mosaic of a mushhushshu (Draconis babylonia) on the Ishtar Gate, constructed in the 6th century in Babylon; photo by Jan van der Crabben

A bust of an Amazonian dragon (Draconis quetzalcoatl) carved in 150-200 CE in Teotihuacan; photo via Wikimedia Commons

An illustration of a European Dragon (Draconis europa) from 15th century Italy, by the British Library

A Chinese dragon (Draconis qin) depicted as one of the eleven dragons in a Ming dynasty scroll, via the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

A page from an illuminated manuscript of the Hamzanama, dated to the 16th century, showing a Persian dragon (Draconis mughal) via the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna

[peachi-blossom]

My Top 3 Least Favorite Female Leads

This is going to be my ranking on my Top 3 Least Favorite Female Leads.

#3. Meilin "Mei" Lee

When I watched Turning Red back in 2022 (since I was the target audience for the movie), I did not like Mei because she comes off as annoying, unrelatable, and unlikable to me. This is just my opinion on Mei.

Now, what makes her annoying? She is narcissistic, dishonest, bad-tempered, selfish, and she has no sense of self-control in her emotions. I know she is a teenage girl going through puberty, but I genuinely find her annoying.

What makes her unrelatable? Her shallow friendship with her friends and all of her friends including herself are BOY CRAZY. I know they have some good moments, but I find their friendship kind of shallow to me.

And what makes her so unlikable? She disobeys her parents, lies to her parents, sneaks out of the house, threatens Tyler twice, runs away from her family, and twerks at her mom. And what is the worst part? She completely gets away with it SCOT-FREE. At the end, She just becomes more of a narcissistic brat who never learns to grow up. I know she grew up with a strict Chinese mother, but I just can't see her as a likable character.

Again, why is she so annoying, unrelatable, and unlikable? Because she is literally the OPPOSITE version of me.

I know there are people who genuinely like Mei and relate to her, but I just couldn't because of how she acted.

The only thing I like about her is her bedroom. It has my favorite colors pink and green and its cozy.

Now onto the next one!

#2. Princess Ariana De Sacramise

I hate Princess Ariana De Sacramise so much. She's a shallow Mary Sue who collects men like their Pokemon (yes I watched BlackLightJack's two videos yesterday), treats them like animals, manipulates them, and only cares about their looks. Yes I said it, she is WAY MORE shallow than Mei and her friends! I'm not even joking right now, she is a grown woman who is more shallow than four teenage girls who like 4*Town. Like, she ONLY cares about physical attractiveness of MEN.

The creators depicted her as some "hero" you're supposed to root for, but in reality, she is a villainess.

Also, she is a MASSIVE hypocrite.

BRUH, SHE IS LITERALLY DOING THE SAME THING TO MEN AND DOESN'T SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN! I CAN'T WITH THE DOUBLE STANDARDS THAT THE CREATORS HAVE SINCE THEY'RE ALSO WOMEN AND THE ARTIST IS A PEDOPHILE!

Finally, we have the one and only least favorite female lead!

#1. Charlotte "Charlie" Morningstar

I didn't loathe Charlie in the first three episodes, but after episode 4, It just made me LOATHE her so much. I couldn't stand her anymore. She is a delusional friend who doesn't care about her friends, inconsiderate to their feelings and needs, more annoying than Mei because she acts very happy ALL THE TIME on certain situations, doesn't kill Valentino to rescue Angel Dust, and acts like a SPINELESS CRYBABY AS A GROWN WOMAN! I REPEAT, SHE IS A GROWN WOMAN WHO IS A SPINELESS CRYBABY! NO GROWN ADULT SHOULD BE ACTING LIKE HER BECAUSE THAT MAKES THEM MORE IMMATURE AND SELFISH! ESPECIALLY WOMEN BECAUSE THAT JUST REINFORCES THE STEREOTYPE OF WOMEN BEING USELESS! I HATE SEEING WOMEN BEING SPINELESS CRYBABIES!

She is the absolute worst female lead in animation history! She is everything wrong about what a female lead should NOT be! A SELFISH. INCONSIDERATE. DELUSIONAL. SPINELESS. BRATTY. CRYBABY. That's why I LOATHE Charlie Morningstar!

The reason she acts like this is because she is Vivienne Medrano's horrible self insert.

How can anybody stand her bratty behavior? I cannot stand her anymore...

I LITERALLY CANNOT STAND HER ANYMORE FOR BEING SUCH A SPINELESS WOMAN SHE IS!

SHE IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE TO HUMANITY! HOW CAN ANYONE STAND HER WHEN SHE IS A SPINELESS GROWN WOMAN?! NOBODY SHOULD BE LOOKING UP TO HER AS SOME ROLE MODEL, ESPECIALLY KIDS WHO ARE IN THE FANDOM WHEN THEY SHOULD NOT BE THERE!

STANS WHO BLINDLY WORSHIP HER SHOULD GROW A SPINE AND STOP BEING SELFISH INCONSIDERATE SPINELESS BRATTY CRYBABIES LIKE SHE IS!

Some people call her a Mary Sue, but for me, I call her a SPINELESS CRYBABY. I have to say all those things because I just can't stand her anymore.

EDIT 7/23/24:

I changed and expanded my reasons why I loathe Charlie Morningstar so much.

EDIT 7/24/2024:

I expanded more reasons why I loathe Charlie so much since I rushed it last night.

EDIT 7/26/2024:

I explained why I hate seeing women being spineless crybabies.

EDIT 8/06/2024:

I crossed out "narcissistic" because I was pretty harsh on Mei. She's only a teenager who still has a lot to learn after all.

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ AHA SPLASH ART ANALYSIS ⌝

sampo analysis m.list

— what the stars reveal: honkai: star rail, interpretative analysis, mainly aha!sampo, emanator!sampo sprinkled in for funsies

— word count: 1.4k

— overview: (as of 2.2) a look at aha’s splash art, what it might mean, and the potential clues it leaves for the identity of a physical avatar.

note: this is my own interpretative opinion — it’s fine if you don’t agree! i know a lot of people don’t subscribe to elation!sampo theories, just as a lot of people do. this is an analysis i’m doing for fun and i understand there are many different & valid interpretations people can have about this. thanks! 🪐

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First, let’s look at the splash art itself:

Our eyes are immediately drawn front-and-center to two masks reminiscent of the comedy and tragedy masks from greek theater — however, instead of one smiling and one frowning, both appear to be laughing.

The other masks, which lay in the shadowed background, are the ones frowning. Note how the spotlights and coloring draw our attention to not just the laughing masks, but the masks themselves (more on this later).

A popular image of this splash art is one cropped down to only the laughing masks, showing that most people’s idea of Aha’s “face” is, in fact, centered around the front-facing masks:

However, upon closer look, we can see a variety of other objects at play, including the frowning masks:

The one on the right is specifically interesting because it also seems to have a spotlight on it. Despite not being front-and-center, its frown is still illuminated, perhaps suggesting a “multi-faceted” appearance or personality (even performative sadness or pain).

Other notable objects include: confetti, flowers with eyes, a coin purse in the shape of a mouth, eyeball-shaped candy, a toybox moon with a face, an owl-cat perched on a circus ball, a strange white bird with human legs and a top hat, the aforementioned frowning masks in the background, and, most notably, several playing cards.

The playing cards indicate a red 5 with an upside-down laughing face, a red heart with a frowning face, a black H with a frowning face, a potentially black 7, and a black pi (which might be a roman numeral 2, but since the 5 was not in roman numerals, my bet is on pi) with a smiling face.

While I do think most of these objects are supposed to be fun little trinkets for the sake of being fun little trinkets — like the circus balls and confetti — the playing cards, coin purse, and shadowed masks stand out to me as potential links between Aha and a physical avatar.

The playing cards have connotations to gambling, money, and deceit, with their unconventional markings tying into Aha’s multiple “masks” and ever-changing persona.

The coin purse signals further associations with gambling and money, with the mouth adding a layer of consumptive desire.

The shadowed masks, as somewhat mentioned before, heavily imply the existence of contradictory emotion behind Aha’s “facade” — a pain or sadness hidden by the flashy lights and faces.

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, behind all of this gaudy glamor is a silhouette, easily missed for the bright colors of the smiling masks’ spotlight:

This silhouette is the most widely-circulated clue I’ve seen as to Aha having a physical, humanoid form.

While it may be difficult to make out at first glance, the shape of a human is undoubtedly there, complete with a jawline, neck muscles, biceps, and hands with the palms facing up.

To bring back the detail mentioned earlier, something important to note is that the spotlights draw our focus to the masks rather than the silhouette, manipulating us into only seeing the front-facing objects rather than the person beneath.

This diversion could very well speak to a more literal diversion in Aha’s form — a misdirection where They don’t want others to know Their true identity, so They throw the spotlight on others while They operate under the radar, away from prying eyes.

So, how does Sampo factor into all of this? Beyond the fact that a shady, somewhat pathetic underworld merchant on a remote snow planet is a great alias for “operating under the radar” in terms of the wider universe, let’s start with the silhouette itself, which bears a striking resemblance to Sampo’s E6:

As you can see, they seem to have similar jawlines, collarbones, and shoulder lengths. To me, it very much looks like an inverted version of the E6.

Additionally, the silhouette proper seems to have a broad upper body that tapers near the hips, which fits Sampo’s build. However, this connection alone isn’t enough to make a solid theory, so let’s continue.

I mentioned several key objects earlier, like the coin purse, masks, and playing cards. While these individual marks could apply to other characters (i.e. Aventurine & coins, Sparkle & masks), Sampo is the one that checks every box combined.

Who has an obsession with money (cash ➜ coins)? Sampo. Who is always smiling and hiding his true feelings (putting on a mask)? Sampo. Who is always playing a master game of disguise and manipulation to get what he wants, even if it seems he is “losing” at times (cards)? Sampo.

While I do admit Aventurine could also fit most of this criteria, it is important to note that Sampo is the only one to check these boxes while also being directly affiliated with the Masked Fools, a faction that worships Aha the Elation.

Additionally, we have already received a pretty intensive exploration of Aventurine’s backstory in canon, so I think it’s safe to say he walks the path of Preservation and is mostly affiliated with the IPC.

Sampo, however, walks the Path of Nihility, which in my mind has a lot of overlap with Elation. (I tend to see “Nihility” and “Elation” as existing on two separate ends of the “presentation of meaninglessness” spectrum, with Nihility as pure existential stagnation and Elation as pure existential chaos. As such, it’s easy for me to think of someone potentially going back and forth between Nihility and Elation since both Paths can place heavy emphasis on similar ideas.) Nihility is also the Path often associated with those who have something to obfuscate about their identity (ex. Welt & his past, Acheron & her memory, Kafka & “destiny”).

Overall, I think Sampo checks the most boxes if we are operating under the assumption that Aha has a physical avatar.

This isn’t even touching on the conversation between Sampo and Sparkle during the 2.0 Trailblaze Mission where he refers to himself as an “old timer,” or any other clues like his voicelines (looking at you, “everyone has a colorful past, wouldn’t you say?”) and fourth-wall breaking.

However, it is also possible that all these pieces of evidence can be used for the Emanator!Sampo theory — the different masks and coins in this case could resemble Aha’s Emanators, or a kind of shared or split consciousness that uses parts to make the whole. If we’re going based on that, my money is on this mask in the background being the one to represent Sampo, since the eyes/eyebrows are an expression he often makes:

This could break into several other theories, but the two that first come to mind are A. Sampo & the other Emanators are Aha’s “collection” of what They consider to be practical jokes or props, or B. These separate objects represent different parts of Aha’s consciousness or being — i.e. the parts that make the whole.

(Side Note: In this case, I would attribute Doll!Sampo to the coin purse, as it lines up with the Aha Stuffed Toy occurrence and Sampo’s name as a reference to Finnish mythology! Who knows, maybe he’s both?)

Additionally, there is always the chance of a divide between the silhouette and masks, with the potential of a silhouetted Sampo being a “background” entity occupying a different form than the “full” masks of Aeon Aha. (There can even be places of overlap between Aha! and Emanator!Sampo, so the two are not mutually exclusive!)

Whatever the case, I think there are many strong leads in the Elation!Sampo theory, especially including the ones in the splash art described here. Even though so many possibilities are open at this point, I think Sampo’s identity being closely intertwined with the Elation is a plausible interpretation of canon. However, these are still unconfirmed theories, so that doesn’t mean they’re 100% guaranteed (though I think they have a good chance!).

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𖥔 ݁ ˖ જ⁀➴ anyways, that’s the end of my analysis. let me know if there’s anything else you want me to talk about, since there’s a lot of stuff i didn’t touch on here!

also, thanks for reading this far if you did, i’m a bit of a nerd about this theory and i hope all of this made sense! if you want to add anything else to the splash art theory, please let me know, i’d love to hear any details i may have missed! thanks 🪐

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[h3artach3]

TLDR AT THE END!

Ignoring how Vivizepop is SUCH a bad person, racism, homophobia, transphobia and all that. I want to talk about how much I dislike the entirety of helluva boss/hazbin hotel.

This is less about the writing of the shows, it is obivous that its just pure ass. There's nothing good about how the writing is. The animation is mid etc etc. I want to go into the characters themselves. Specifically Mammon.

My BIGGEST issue with Mammon is why is he GREEN. I get creative freedom but it makes no sense to my brain. Especially since he's supposed to represent Greed. The sin that is mostly associated with gold, and just money in general. And YELLOW. Yellow.

Yellow has always been Greed's color. Even far back into the 6th century A.D. one of the Popes, Pope Gregory the Great(not really great in my opinion but nevertheless), stated the base work of the sins. Quote ;

Greed (treachery, covetousness) — A strong desire to gain, especially in money or power. Disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason, especially for personal gain or when compensated. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects. Theft and robbery by violence. Simony is the evolution of avarice because it fills you with the urge to make money by selling things within the confines of the church. This sin is abhorred by the Catholic Church and is seen as a sin of malice; Dante included this sin in the first poem of the Divine Comedy (the Inferno). Simony can be viewed as betrayal. Thomas Aquinas on greed: “it is a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.” Greed is represented by the frog and the color yellow. faust.com, seven deadly sins.

Even without Pope Gregory's input, it is commonly accepted within the Christian community/mythology that the colors of the sins are as follows ;

Pride ; Violet - Purple

Lust ; Blue

Greed ; Yellow

Sloth ; Light Blue

Gluttony ; Orange

Envy ; Green

Wrath ; Red.

It makes absolutely no sense for Mammon to be green.

"But what if she used a different classification for the sins?" You may ask.

Mammon would STILL be Yellow. Plus it is stated in Helluva Boss/implied that Mammon is Greed. (not only that but there is no classifaction of the sins where Mammon is NOT Greed so that throws that out of the window).

In both The Lanterne Of Light and Binsfeld Classifactions of the Sins nowhere Mammon is anything OTHER than Greed. It is also clear that she is using the Binsfeld Classifications since Beezlebub is Gluttony. So that also disproves the different classification theory.

Also there's way more to Greed than just MONEY MONEY MONEY. Greed is being wealthy in anything not just cold hard cash. Any material object.

Greed is defined as the immoderate love or desire for riches and earthly possessions. A person can also be greedy for fame, attention, power, or anything else that feeds one’s selfishness. As a deadly sin, greed is believed to spur other sins and further immoral behavior. The Britannica, Greed.

Using strictly the Money aspect (I acknowledge I might be wrong for this but from what I can find, that is his entire character other than being a misogynist), he is such a bland and boring character. Vivzie could've done so much more with his character, its honestly disappointing with how he is.

You can say he also has fame as one of his Greedy traits, but it's so surface level to the point where it is steamrolled by him wanting money.

BEEZLEBUB!

EDIT ; Due to some points that were brought up in the notes of this post, I understand where Vivzie was coming from with the Bee theming and Honey mentioning. That's actually interesting.

Also if Vivzie is using the Biblical meaning of Gluttony, Beezlebub's character would make more sense. I just wish that there was more to the character and she went more into it. Right now(and most likely in the future), Beezlebub seems like still a very bland character. There's little to no personality other than the drugs, partying and binge-eating (side note ; this might be me looking too much into things but since Vivziepop is well known to be extremely fatphobic, the ability to manipulate her body to get rid of the weight she might gain from eating, just gives me off vibes. this is mostly just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt.)

THIS STILL DOESN'T MEAN I ENJOY HOW SHE IS CHARACTERISED ! I still believe there could've been way more to her than the base form of gluttony. Though I acknowledge that Vivzie could be sticking to the Biblical version of Gluttony.

END OF EDIT.

She makes no sense whatsoever to me. It's like Vivzie just saw the BEE in her name and just ran with it without even looking into her. None of her ANYTHING even represents Gluttony. Other than binge-eating, which seems to be the only thing that actually represents Gluttony. (though Gluttony is WAY MORE than just "oh food and eating alot.") Hell, she seems more like PRIDE than anything else. Her not liking when people insult her, having a very high view of herself. Even with the aspects of her that do scream Gluttony, its such a Base Interpretation of Gluttony. Gluttony is indugunce of ANYTHING. Not just drugs, food, drinking, etc. The way she is written just screams "I searched Gluttony on google and used the first results." There's no depth into her Sin whatsoever. Side note ; Her not liking when her guests indugle for self destructive reasons is SUCH a contridiction to Gluttony. Self Destructive induglence is what Gluttony is. That is what the sin IS. Again this makes no sense to me at all.

Her design is also like a unicorn threw up on her in all the wrong ways but that's not what I'm here to talk about.

ASMODEUS! Asmodeus is from my opinion the more well-written of the sins. Then again Lust is such an easy sin to write. I don't have much to say about this guy since Lust is a such a well known and obvious sin. I really wish I could say more about this guy but I truly can't. His character is almost strictly sex related. (hey! maybe the reason he's seemingly more well-written than the others is that the whole show is pretty much sex jokes.)

LUCIFER!

I don't know much about this guy so I'm not going to say anything but once I learn more I'll add onto this post with how I feel about him.

TLDR ; I don't like how the Sins are interpreted in the show due to them being such a surface level version of the Sins, and they could've done much more with them. Maybe this'll change in the future but I doubt it.

Also if I got anything wrong do tell, I'd like to correct myself on things if I am wrong. Provide proof if possible.

[adobe-outdesign]

Well since you reviewed Pinsir, how about Haracross too?

Heracross is the counterpoint to Pinsir, though ironically the two couldn't be more different design-wise. Pinsir is very much a monster that looks vaguely like a stag beetle, while Heracross is pretty straightforwardly a rhinoceros beetle (stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles being some of the most popular pairings in Japanese bug fights, which is what Pokemon is based off of). Sure, Heracross is bipedal and there are some anatomical differences here and there, but it's not quite as wildly different from the IRL insect compared to Pinsir.

Visually, Heracross is a fairly rare example of an almost completely monotone Pokemon, being a nice shade of blue with only its white claws and yellow eyes to break things up. The body has a plated look to match actual beetle exoskeletons, and includes details like the spikes on the forelegs that actual beetles have. I like Heracross' face in particular—the face is divided into its own section that looks around and under the eyes, creating a short of :3 mouth shape. It's both cute and a unique way to handle the tricky subject of how to stylize bug mouthparts for Pokemon in a way that isn't just humanoid. Overall, a very straightfoward design, but a pretty decent one.

The degree to which Heracross' design is straightforward is a bit of its time, so Mega Heracross adds a ton of detail, some of which works and some of which I think just clutters things. It also progresses the rhinoceros beetle idea by making it into a Hercules beetle specifically, one of the biggest beetles out there, as emphasized by the particular double horn shape.

I do really like the addition of the red bands around the body, which is now a slightly darker blue for higher contrast. I don't mind Heracross being monocolor, but the red bands add just the right pop of color without being too much. The progression of the theme and the overall changes to the body shape make it very distinct and give it a good sense of progression. There's also a few neat mechanical things in there, like the way it can pop open its arms to fire things like seeds

However, there's also some parts of the design that feel a bit overworked. For example, I don't get what that giant red splotch across the forehead is supposed to be; it's pretty distracting and really doesn't add anything to the design. (I also miss the :3 expression, but that's not the point.) Likewise, it has yellow on its back, which feels like too much color—yes, it looks like a Hercules beetle, but I feel like it gets that across perfectly well without the unnecessary color.

White it's less of a problem, I also don't love the vents on the stomach. It's probably supposed to look a bit mech-like because bugs are a big superhero thing in Japan, but I feel like this pushes it too much into looking mechanical instead of insect-like. I think if the vents were just changed to straight line divisions and the yellow elytra and red on the forehead were removed, you'd have a much more cohesive and less busy design.

As a whole, Heracross is a pretty straightforward but nicely designed rhinoceros beetle. Mega Heracross has the right idea, but has just a few too many things going on with it that bog down the design a bit.

[duckduckington]

Differences of the WoY visual style between the pilot and the final show (Along some other stuff) (Part 1)

So a crap-ton of cartoon show bibles and pilots surfaced recently, which is kind of fucking cool, and it included stuff from Wander over Yonder, which is way fucking cooler.

First thing I did was over-analyze the show's visual style and I figure I should put my findings somewhere, so here you go! In a chronological order, it's easier that way (and builds suspense for the real good stuff, ooohooooh (in a spooky ghost voice)).

The first shot alone already brings forth some differences. As far as I know, the show never illustrates space like this, entirely black with just a couple of stars to break the void. There's usually some blue star dust or something, kinda like this:

The skullship was planned to be 3D-animated apparently, instead of being drawn in the same style as the backgrounds. This allows for WAY more complex movements, since it's easier to pull off.

We then get to take a looksie inside of the ship... this isn't like ANYTHING in the show.

We do see control rooms on occasion, but not one like this. It's a circular room with rows of watchdogs on the wall, watching monitors, circulating the middle where Hater sits on his throne. The railings on its support carry Peepers and his cockpit. Two watchdogs control the ship (I think) at the front. That blue goop at the top might be the ship's brain (you can also already see some animation errors in the front, peep their grabbers). There ain't ever been a color palette inside the ship like this, they usually opt for red and black rather than red and white. This might have been their solution to making the characters native to Hater pop out against the background before deciding to just substitute black for purple.

There's still bright locations within the skullship, but they're non-threatening ones, like the food court.

Commander Peepers and the watchdogs have designs that, while closer to their final versions than the pitch bible (or whatever that cover of that graphic novel was supposed to be), carry some traits still worth pointing out (well, so does everything here, but pshhhshshhhshh).

SHINY

COLLARS

Puffy collars around necks, wrists and ankles.

Detailed irises.

Detailed soles on shoes.

Those lines on their gloves that you see in your grandpa's toons.

(bugs bunny pictured flipping the bird)

This is specific to Peepers; the jagged thunder-spike on his helmet has dimension to it, as opposed to the implied dimension in his final design. Spikes on the side are also way longer here.

His eye/face emotes differently by just utilizing a black eyelid, rather than turning the hat into a pseudo-eyebrow, kinda like Double D from Ed, Edd n' Eddy.

We then get a glimpse at Hater's design...

Despite his face missing, you can already see some differences, like his arms resembling more those of an actual skeleton and packing a lot less mass. His hood is also a bit more tout and the folds surrounding it have more empathis.

Another space shot with some shapes to break up the infinite black; it's not always you see a warm color palette for space in the actual show.

Maybe here, when Wander and Sylvia stop the sun from blowing up in "The Good Deed".

When entering the city that's about to get its shit stirred by Hater, we notice that there aren't ANY other locations illustrated like this. We usually have smooth, airbrushy looking stuff, when this is more reminiscent of a comic strip, with clear lines and some hatching to indicate weight here and there. Same goes for the townsfolk, they remind me of... Krazy Kat or something. Craig McCracken has gone on record saying he drew a lot of inspiration from old comic strips, but I don't know if Krazy Kat is one of them. I just thought of it :)

The inside of the skullship looked different so this place might have had an unique artstyle to other locations we would've seen in this version of the show, but that would also be a big difference since the actual show keeps the background style consistent throughout the whole run (as far as I know).

Goes in hand with the skullship; the watchdogs are 3D-animated here, although subtly.

Different gun designs... they look more like water guns here. Big ol' TUBES. Their guns in the show are more sci-fi-esque.

Hater's logo is different, in-line with his design. Way flatter design too. Might as well take a look at his actual face now.

Well, more like next time. Just found out you can only use up to 30 images in one post. Oopsies. I'll continue this when I have the energy! I'll continue my chronological analysis/rambling and perhaps talk about the general art-style and animation at the end. Might take me a couple of more posts.

[simpel-is]

ranting abt moonlight again bc holy FUCK THIS FILM IS SO SMART AND SO GOOD WITH ITS COLOR

this hyperfixation will drag me into the ground and i will happily go along

spoilers for the movie (if u havent seen it go watch it mf its pride month) also discussion about religion (kind of), homophobia, black masculinity identity and culture, ect ect

no because how tarell mccraney and barry jenkins used the color blue as a symbolism in this movie is SO FUCKING GOOD i feel like in almost every scene u can see a color being used in a symbolic way

in my interpretation at least, blue here represents both vulnerability, security with one's identity but also masculinity (in the sense how blue is used in society to represent men and masculine gender roles, the expectations that come along), and which meaning of the blue is used is colored (ha get it) by the context of the scenes

at the end we reach the conclusion that masculinity and vulnerability can co-exist without contradicting each other in the final sequence of little in blue moonlight but WE WILL GET TO THAT IN A BIT

in the beginning chase sequence little is getting bullied and chased while he wears a blue backpack -> the blue here represents the vulnerability, and how it paints a target on chiron to get bullied by other kids

even in subtle details like how juan drives a blue car but doesn't wear blue on himself, how teresa wears blue through-out the movie, how there's hints of blue in juan and teresa's home (in that scene where juan has little sitting with his front to the door but back to the blue, but we the audience can see it, smth tells me its supposed to be how juan is trying to put up a front to act as a reliable older figure for little which GUH JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH HE CARES), his house's walls and mother wore blue at the beginning scenes which shows when he was younger he could feel and project vulnerability into his own home at one point

during the little section, after the chase sequence little is shown wearing a red shirt while other kids, including kevin, wear white and blue. white here is sort of used as a neutral color of uncertainty and perhaps innocence, while red is the opposite of blue; it's invulnerability, but also insecurity and femininity (which lines up with how chiron's mother wears red in the scene she yells at him), and it shows how chiron is outcasted with the kids, bc of his quiet nature

during the chiron section, the bully wears red and black, contrasting against chiron's mainly light colored outfits. i thought a long time for what the yellow could stand for, and maybe it's there to represent whenever chiron feels love towards another character (teresa, kevin, in specific scenes with his mother) or that sense of escapism (when he was running to the beach at night), his shirt for 80% of this section is a plaid shirt with yellow blue and white sort of mixed up together and a blank white shirt inside

before and during the betrayal scene, he wears a white shirt with blue lines, no yellow anymore bc it felt like he doesn't need to imagine kevin's love for him only exists in dreams. it's reality now, and it makes things more clear for him and his identity (THEIR SHIRTS EVEN MATCH LIKE THEY COMPLETE EACH OTHER IM GONNA CRY.)

also it might be to distinguish when its masculinity or vulnerability but the shade of blue used during the revenge scene is a more teal blue while the moonlight blue is like a natural real blue without a tint of green (i could yap on abt how green is used but this is getting too much)

now during the black section of the film, yellow is first used to represent anxiety for chiron when he wakes up from the nightmare; that escapism and affection he felt for kevin and his mother now reminds him of what happened years ago. it still haunts him. and it also haunts kevin shown in the scene when he calls chiron to apologize (but at the center the lighting is blue. he calls in vulnerability)

as black travels back to confront his past and familiar ties, his mother now wears light blue which is contrasted against chiron's darker shade of blue shirt in the forgiveness scene (they're on different ends of the spectrum, but they're slowly healing, both on the same page of what they wanna do; heal from the past)

as the movie continues, the yellow in scenes slowly turns to represent familiarity and affection instead of anxiety, but the yellow doesn't look warm or as bright as before; there's still tension, things left unsaid. but at the centre, the focus point of these scenes, there's blue, and it isn't tinted by another color (the car drive scene, how blue light peeks in through the diner scene, when kevin changes into a blue shirt)

and the scene where black fucking says "you're the only man who's ever touched me." good fucking god.

he looks at kevin's shirt. he wants the blue. he wants to share the vulnerability with kevin.

when kevin holds chiron, the lighting is dark, and the yellow now is warmer, it represents familiarity and affection again. a lot of things are still a mystery to them, a lot still left unsaid, but everything feels familiar again in a new way, in a more intimate way.

and that fucking scene where little looks back in the blue moonlight, showing how chiron's vulnerability and masculinity don't have to contradict one another; he reaches security with his child self. he finally heals.

this movie is so, so beautiful.