#ofc after this scene in the novel

[silviakundera]

I just love those Story of Kunning Palace novel snippets where Jiang Xuening gets to display that ruthless determination isn't something she left in the past life. Nooooo don't plot insurrection with XW noooooo you're too sexyyyyy

//

Xie Wei had already read the secret letter, and asked her calmly, "Tomorrow I will leave for the border, can you go with me?"

Jiang Xuening looked at him. "What are you going to do, sir?"

Xie Wei narrowed his eyes and said, "If you don't know what to do, why did you come today?"

Jiang Xuening didn't speak.

Xie Wei said, "The Eldest Princess is not dead. When the war starts next spring, she will become a hostage, which will put the dynasty in a dilemma. The court's money and supplies are just beginning to move, and preparations are still urgent. They will never go to war in advance to save someone. You want to welcome the princess back, or welcome back the princess's coffin, it's all in this thought."

Although it was indeed expected, when Xie Wei said these words, Jiang Xuening still felt her heart tremble, and there was a feeling of being caught in the torrent——

Is there any way to welcome back the princess instead of her coffin?

She was full of emotions, closed her eyes, and clenched her hands tightly.

Xie Wei suddenly laughed. "Scared?"

Jiang Xuening gritted her teeth. "How could that be!"

Xie Wei was the big winner in the end, and now that Yan Lin is full of wings, even if he raises an attack in advance, there may not be no chance of winning! What's more, how could she just watch the princess be given to death?

She promised.

Hold that piece of homeland and welcome her back to the homeland!

Only…

Jiang Xuening slowly opened her eyes. "I promised the princess that I will not miss the appointment. But sir, have you really thought it through?"

Xie Wei's smile faded, he looked back at her, and said slowly, "I will not break my promise."

I don't lose faith in people either.

When Jiang Xuening heard these words, she was a bit dazed, because she didn't know who Xie Wei had made any promises to. Until a picture emerged from the vague memory, together with the voice that was almost forgotten by her in the past, it rang in her ears.

"When will the iron hooves of the Central Plains break through the Yanmen Gate and bring Her Highness back?"

"Soon, soon."

[velchronica]

blue lock boys’ perfect matches ( part i ) ♬~*.°₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ bllk

charas: isagi, bachira, chigiri, kunigami, reo (seperate, aged up/pro, fem!reader)

୨୧ * my personal hcs on who the bllk boys would fall in love with, how they’d meet and some scenarios unique to their relationships * just for fun -> nothing serious ໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১ * (part one/???)

isagi yoichi! ˖♡ ࣪‧♫ ₊˚໒꒱⋆✩

୨୧ * i feel like isagi would probably be the type who falls in love with the sports journalist interviewing him 😭 he’s such a football nerd & he’d defo suit someone who understands his passion, esp on a technical level. he defo rambles and borderline mansplains his tactics and plays to a sports journalist!s/o, but i also think he’s good at finding a decent work-life balance, so sports isn’t everything in your relationship.

୨୧ * isagi’s ability to separate his professional life aka his football ego/persona from his sweet irl personality would make him a green flag bf, bc he defo puts in as much effort into his relationship as he does football. he loves football, but he also loves his s/o just as much, if not slightly more, so while football is a prominent part in both your lives, it isn’t necessarily the defining factor in your relationship.

୨୧ * i also think isagi would date someone driven towards their own career, even if it’s not journalism. he defo would LOVE you in sporty clothing or leggings that show off ur thighs cos he has a canonical thing for those lmao. oh AND he’s the type who’s quite good with kids but has a level of awkwardness with them still, so watching his s/o struggle to interact with them would set him up for a laugh (w/ no ill intent, ofc). but if you’re really good with kids, no problem, because he’ll just watch you with sparkling eyes full of awe, heart swelling with unbridled affection.

୨୧ * he would defo be the perfect bf if you’re a picky eater cos he’ll find ways to work with your preferences but also encourage you to try new foods. the gentlemen who whisks you out everywhere to try new cuisine at nice restaurants and sneakily pays mid-meal during a ‘bathroom break’ so that when you attempt to pull your card out afterwards, he can simply smile and shake his head. goddamnit isagi. his argument is that growing up average and then getting propelled into wealth and fame means that he jumps at every opportunity to spoil you and show you off. you’re beautiful inside and out and he won’t treat you like anything less than a goddess.

bachira meguru! ˖♡ ࣪‧♫ ₊˚໒꒱⋆✩

୨୧ * bachira’s ideal s/o is either someone who loves retro 70s clothing, an indie band kid, or both combined. i feel like bachira’s goofy ass would go well with someone sweet, but not quite as hyperactive as himself. his ideal s/o is definitely either a bookworm or a guitarist, with no in between. he’s defo such a gremlin with you, either interrupting your peaceful reading sessions by being clingy and demanding cuddles, or asking you to play his favourite songs instead of the things you’re meant to be practicing.

୨୧ * bachira would go to every single one of guitarist!s/o’s gigs. he loves you so much, after all! you can hear his holler of your name over the crowds cheers as the speakers blare and your strings come to life. he’s not a memorisation-strong kind of guy, but he definitely knows all the lyrics to your favourite songs, and the lyrics to your originals, too. he has two versions of each one of your albums, one for the cd and one to add to the house-of-cd-cases-turned-shrine he has assembled somewhere in your apartment.

୨୧ * whereas with bookworm!s/o, bachira got his mom to teach him how to paint so that he could do those viral page-edge paintings. on your birthday, he gifts you hardback copies of your favourite books with intricate fore-edge paintings to match. if your favourite book has a movie or tv show adaption that you love, he definitely painted your favourite scene. although he’s not an avid reader, bachira will listen to your attempts to summarise a recently-read novel, even if he’s not quite following by halfway through.

୨୧ * he also only sporadically posts on his socials, but when he does, it’s usually random shitposts or spam posts of the two of you together. maybe at a gig or at a bookstore, but they’re all ‘artistically’ blurry. still, both of your smiles are clearly visible despite the lack of phone camera focus.

chigiri hyoma! ˖♡ ࣪‧♫ ₊˚໒꒱⋆✩

୨୧ * if you tell me this man wouldn’t date a a fashion magazine editor!s/o, you’re lying. he’s such a princess, and i can just imagine him as being a passionate fashionista as well, so i think he’d suit someone with a similar love for and knowledge of style. bring this man to fashion week please. actually, he probably met you there. he defo also impulse buys designer, whether it’s bags, clothes or just a pair of shades. he’s a diva like that /hj

୨୧ * shopping is a battle to the death between the two of you on which store to go in next. there’s not enough hours in the working day to account for your retail therapy sessions, given how long the two of you spend browsing the aisles together. at some point you panic, wondering where you’ve misplaced $500 of clothes, until your boyfriend rolls his eyes and shakes the bags he’s holding. you don’t even remember giving him the bags.

୨୧ * the two of you definitely rate and critique met gala outfits together. contrary to what most may believe, it is a NEED, not a want. when someone comes wandering onto the red carpet dressed in this year’s fashion monstrosity, just know that the two of you will be referencing it for days if not weeks, because really, how could anyone have the guts to go out wearing that?

୨୧ * just hope that you’re good with hair, because this fussy princess isn’t going to let you within ten feet of his if you have a brush in hand and you aren’t. his hair is his prized possession for all that he does the bare minimum to look as dazzling as he does, and chigiri would rather not ruin it. but if you’re good at elaborate and pretty hairdos, just know that his winding down comfort time is letting you try out new styles, strands of pink dancing over one another as they’re weaved into place by your fingers.

kunigami rensuke! ˖♡ ࣪‧♫ ₊˚໒꒱⋆✩

୨୧ * kunigami’s so highschool sweethearts-coded. maybe you started dating before blue lock and persevered through his change in persona, knowing full well that his kind and hardworking self was still present under the gruff, cold exterior. maybe he pined after you hopelessly for years until stumbling upon you years later. either way, he’s been madly in love with you since your high school days, and don’t think he’ll ever stop.

୨୧ * but like oh my god, this man would SO date a kindergarten (or elementary school) teacher!s/o. someone who is doting and good with kids, but is also hardworking and knows how to reward people efforts or work on their lack thereof. maybe it’s his superhero agenda but i think early years teachers are heroes in themselves, teaching young children valuable life lessons and basic skills and subjects, and therefore i think kunigami would really suit a teacher!s/o.

୨୧ * bring this man to meet your students and give them an assembly on how taking care of themselves plus hard work are the keys to fulfilling their dreams. the way these kids would be screaming because their sweet, humble teacher is dating football phenomenon kunigami rensuke, and he’s here to tell them that alcohol and nicotine addictions aren’t healthy. plus, eat your greens, kids. you’ll become a superhero in no time.

୨୧ * kunigami is either hopeless at cooking, five star michelin-worthy malewife chef material, or, the most boring option, the most mid chef of all time. ‘mid’ as in, he can put together a decent meal but nothing mindblowing, only occasionally tries to cook something new. i like to think that as the middle child, his older sister is a lost cause when it came to cooking, and his younger sister is quite the closet gourmet, so he knows how to cook pretty damn well. just know that after a long day, if he’s home earlier than you, you can expect an array of delectable dishes and the most delicious feast you can imagine waiting for you.

mikage reo! ˖♡ ࣪‧♫ ₊˚໒꒱⋆✩

୨୧ * i feel like reo would date someone who is far from having grown up well-off, maybe someone who grew up with difficult domestic circumstances, someone who’s fought tooth and nail to reach where they are today. for this reason, i feel like he’d date a corporate ceo!s/o. he admires how you’re both self-assured and self-made, and how your success bloomed from your own efforts and skill. to reo, who’s grown up with privilege and wealth without ever really having to try before he found football, he can’t help but find your work ethic and resilience attractive. they say confidence is attractive, after all.

୨୧ * he loves to spoil you, but he definitely doesn’t buy your love. while a good portion of his gifts to you do involve a waving of his black card, and are often designer, he also likes the authenticity of doing something for you. after all, with all the money in the world, he worries material goods may seem like half-assed presents that can’t even convey half of his feelings towards you. especially a ceo!s/o, because he’d hate for you to feel belittled by his love just because he was born into money. that won’t do at all! so now reo invests a lot of his spare time learning to do things himself, so that he can then do those things for you.

୨୧ * one of those things was pottery. prior to the two of you moving in together, he had been taking classes on ceramics and pottery so that he could surprise you with his hand-crafted and painted dining set. plates, mugs, bowls—each of them were painted with motifs relevant to places you’d been together. from the tropical beaches of bali, to the mountain views of peru and even the most famous italian vineyards—every plate was painted to bear some resemblance to the backgrounds of photos you’d taken at these locations. after all, reo is quite the globetrotter, because he loves going on adventures with you.

୨୧ * but sometimes the best days are days when you can laze about together. listen, reo’s always been the type of guy to never have a moment of rest. he always had so many things to do, because he was so good at everything that people usually required more of him. not that it was impossible for him, but it did mean a lot of his life was always scheduled out, busy and hectic. that’s why reo relishes in the moments where can relax in your arms, away from prying eyes, the paparazzi, the outside world—he loves how you can make a day full of nothing everything to him.

© velchronica 2024

[skywalkr-nberrie]

It honestly makes me cry how Padmé in her dying moments and as she’s giving birth was aching and yearning for Anakin to be by her side. Just as Vader was in anguish and pain, and longing to see Padmé, to know if she’s safe.

In the last scene where she’s giving birth she’s in such a haze due to labor, and in such a state of “heartbreak” that she doesn’t recognize her surroundings and doesn’t even realize that people were beside her because she’s so focused on Anakin (+giving birth ofc) we see it clearly in the ROTS novel

We see here that OW is holding onto Padmé’s hand which he described as being “still and cold” clearly her lack of strength from giving birth, but also because she’s heartbroken and is somewhat becoming numb (as she dies 💔) she’s not at all responsive nor does she react to human contact. Then we see that she’s clearly muddled and completely unaware of her surroundings as it describes that her “eyes rolled blindly” and yet, she’s still thinking of Anakin (as she’s giving birth) when she says what the gender of the baby was, and that Anakin thinks it’s a girl, so Padmé thinks so as well.

Then, despite her lack of strength and motivation, we see Padmé pick up all the strength she has left to reach up to her newborn son, Luke.

After she’s given birth, again all of Padmé’s thoughts just round back to her aching and yearning for Anakin. Once again, not even aware of her surroundings or even able to hear anyone in her vicinity due to how heartbroken she is over losing her husband and this precious moment with him (the birth of their babies) OW clearly tells Padmé that Anakin isn’t there when Padmé calls out to him, yet she can’t hear him, Padmé continues to constantly call out to him, telling him she loves him, and that she’s sorry for the misunderstanding that happened between them (even though absolutely NONE of it was her fault.)

Then we come to this part where it reveals that Padmé with the same hand she touched her new born babies with, was actually clutching onto the Japor Snippet that Anakin had given her this entire time she was giving birth. Part of me believes she was holding onto it as a substitute for Anakin’s hand, hence why she was in such a daze, unable to recognize anyone around her, and kept calling out to Anakin. She desperately wanted him by her side, and holding onto the Japor Snippet was like a solace for her.

It was only in the last minute where the novel describes her eyes to have finally cleared for only a moment, and she recognized OW, and even in that last moment of hers, her thoughts are of only Anakin. And of her undying, unwavering faith, trust, and love for him. Telling OW with full conviction that there is still good inside the man she loves, and she’s putting the very proof of it into his palms 💔

OW shows Yoda the Japor Snippet Padmé put into his hand, and Yoda can immediately tell right away that it was a possession that was precious to Padmé, and that she must’ve cherished it a lot. He suggests that she should be buried with it, and OW taps into the Force at that moment and can also feel the “soaring echos” of the love shared between Anakin and Padmé to which he describes as “transcendent love” and can also feel what he describes as “a bleak, black despair of an unendurable heartbreak” (clearly referring to Padmé.) He agrees that Padmé should also be buried with the Japor Snippet, so that Padmé can at least go away in peace, with a remnant of the man she truly, deeply, loved, still with her.

[asexual-juliet]

saw the outsiders musical last night (7/20/24) and thought i would make a little post about some of my favorite parts!! brody, sky & daryl were out so i saw trevor wayne as pony, josh strobl as johnny & henry julián gendron as two-bit!

there’s a bit after pony gets jumped by the socs where darry and soda are cleaning the blood off his face and when they’re done and have gotten up johnny comes and sits next to him and takes out a rag and starts also cleaning pony’s face <3 it’s so so sweet

henry does a couple little opt-ups as two-bit in both grease got a hold and hoods turned heroes where i was like “ooh!” i adore daryl tofa so i was a little disappointed when i found out i wouldn’t be able to see him but henry was SO fantastic!! such a talented dancer and you could tell he was having so much fun with the character! such a standout for me.

was deeply impressed by how many items were successfully thrown and caught in grease got a hold like holy shit dude

the LIGHTING in great expectations has pony pointing his flashlight at darrel on “darrel was on his way up in the world” & johnny on “johnny has no kind of chance in this world” and then as the verse goes on he points it at all of the greasers standing all over the stage and the light lingers on them for the rest of the song it’s so fucking cool-looking! and during the chorus the stage starts to look like a starry sky which is a choice they bring back for the little great expectations reprise at the end of far away from tulsa. 

the moment where pony & johnny do their little cool guy walks over to cherry and marcia at the drive-in with their popped collars was so precious to me

i ADORE cherry valance and i ADORE emma’s take on her!! her little convo with pony at the drive-in was really sweet and i loved that they chose not to make the dynamic feel like a crush on ponyboy’s part it was such a nice moment of two people finding and genuinely understanding each other so deeply <3

lighting sound & everything was so next-level during the fountain scene-bob’s death like i don’t even think i can describe it it was so much and so crisp and so visceral in the absolute best way

staging for run run brother was SO cool — there’s a part at the end where they use the tires and boards from the set to make two platforms that the other actors can roll them back and forth while johnny is on one and pony on the other and they roll them away from each other and they are both reaching out so desperately towards each other its so fantastic

i also really liked the part in run run brother where dally gives pony his jacket like he just wordlessly put it on for him it’s so nice

lighting & subsequent blackout at the end of run run brother as pb&j are in the air after jumping off the “train” was ELITE

pony is holding johnny’s switchblade during death’s at my door and at the end of the song johnny reaches out to take it from him but he doesn’t pull away so he’s just holding pony’s hand and then he puts his other hand over pony’s too and they sit there like that until the lights go down <3

LOVED what they’ve done with darry’s character here!! i know people have some nitpicky things with it but he is such a fascinating character and i’m so glad that the musical theater medium was able to do so much with him that the limited pov of the novel couldn’t — brent comer plays darry so so well and my heart aches for him like fuck dude he cares about his brothers so fucking much and he’s doing his best and he’s so so tired :((( give him a break!!

jason schmidt’s voice is SO fantastic holy fuck throwing in the towel was GORGEOUS!! and the little bit at the end where soda hugs darry and it looks like he maybe kisses him on the head a little is so darling <3

the entire “do i look like julie andrews?” scene is so fucking good… genuinely made me laugh out loud. “fine, paul newman, then!” “…no shit?” is so fantastic and johnny’s little “she is pretty as hell :)” about cherry is adorable. and ofc the “goldilocks and her ugly sister” line is fucking great

the way that johnny perks up when he hears “say hey to johnny for us :)” in soda’s letter is so cute

the church fire scene is perhaps the coolest shit i have ever seen onstage

ponyboy is crying so hard after johnny dies that has to sit down on the floor of the hospital room and soda sits behind him and just holds him <3

ponyboy is like actively crying as he narrates dally’s death its so fucking heartbreaking. i liked that they drew the parallels between the train crashes in order to make dally’s death meaningful despite its departure from the book. and the detail about the train derailing when it hit him was wonderfully written. 

there is a scene where ponyboy is like inconsolable sitting on the living room floor with his head in his arms after johnny and dally die and cherry comes by the house because she has been volunteering at the hospital and no one came to pick up johnny’s clothes after he died and she thought ponyboy should have them and she tells him there’s a letter in the pocket addressed to him and after she leaves he just sits there for a while and when he finally moves he picks up johnny’s jean jacket and fucking like hugs it and buries his face in it and it’s so so so heartbreaking and soda has to come over and start reading the letter to him before johnny appears and starts singing stay gold <3

johnny starts SR at the beginning of stay gold while pony is sitting on the car at SL but he is slowly moving closer to pony as the song goes on and right before they start singing in harmony johnny sits down next to him <3 <3 <3

josh’s stay gold made me CRY!! especially him and trevor singing “i have known a love that many never know / and that love lives on no matter where i go” holy shit. their voices blend together so beautifully

overall i fucking ADORED trevor’s ponyboy!! he embodies the role so so well and has such a fourteen-year-old boy vibe when he’s onstage that i definitely did not expect from an actor in his twenties! i’ve heard that his pony is a little more emotional than brody’s & josh’s and that was a choice i really really vibed with!! and his voice was like jaw-dropping, what a talent!!

stagedoor afterwards was so so wonderful! i made drawings for the entire cast and everyone was so so nice and seemed to really like them! the ensemble & understudies especially seemed really thrilled that i had made something for them

henry in particular was so so sweet and seemed like he couldn’t believe that i had drawn him! he was like “is this me for real?” and someone (i think it was trevor) told him to look at the back where i had written his name and a little note and he was really excited about it!! he actually was like “this is awesome i have to go inside and give this to my mom right now so i don’t lose it” and his family was right inside the stagedoor and he pointed me out to them and they were so excited! he gave me a hug too it was really nice :)

trevor was also really excited and was like “this is a drawing of me for real? not brody?” and he was so happy when he turned it around and saw his name <3

i gave melody and sarahgrace copies of the same drawing of both of them and as soon as i gave it to melody she immediately looked around to find sarahgrace and show it to her (she was still inside but it was very cute) and then she told me they were going to put it on the wall in their dressing room!!

sarahgrace was like “omg you even drew my bracelet!” and was excited when i pointed out the detail i put in for the pattern on her dress!

trevor yelled across the sidewalk to tell josh to stop talking to his (trevor’s) mom as a joke lmfao

everyone except jason & kevin c came out to stagedoor and they were all so so sweet!! got photos with most of them and they all signed my copy of the book!! overall such a fucking fantastic experience! the drawings were a lot of work but it was so nice to see the looks on the cast’s faces when they saw them!!

[hughungrybear]

So, I wanna talk about this scene:

DON'T WORRY. THIS IS SPOILER-FREE.

In the novel, Wang has maintained the same avatar and name in his WeChat profile from middle school up to high school. However, after meeting Tian, Wang developed a habit of changing his avatar and name in the app based on his emotional state, like in this scene from Shop's Closed to Shop's Grand Opening.

Wang also has a habit of changing Jiang Tian's saved name in his contacts, depending on how he feels about that person 😅😅😅

However, the most amazing thing in all of these is, not that Wang can come up with so many names and avatars to aptly describe how he feels at the moment, but Jiang Tian's fast reaction to the changes in WeChat as if he spends a considerable amount of time staring at Wang's WeChat profile (I mean, he prolly does but that's beside the point. Who am I kidding? Ofc Tian turned on his notifications but solely for Wang's profile 😅).

Like in this scene, as soon as Wang changed his name to 'Grand Opening', Tian quickly enters Wang's room. And just like that, their 'brother/study buddy' relationship resumes.

So, yeah. That's it. That's the post. Oh! And the scenes after this one reminded me why I was so lazy learning my Chinese alphabet in the first place lol

Sidenote: WeChat is an Asian-based social app. I remember it has the same function as the Whatsapp in terms of messaging and contact. You can also use it as a digital wallet. Sadly, I never really explore that app since none of my friends were using it 😩

[in-this-crystal-kingdom]

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SUFFERING GAME GRAPHIC NOVEL

Okay SO. Everyone has some thoughts on this one for sure as I have seen. A lot of people are saying they took a lot from Wonderland and that it's a disappointment as an adaptation but here's the thing: I have viewed the books as separate canon from the podcast since around Crystal Kingdom. I don't necessarily see it as a faithful adaptation but as a cool way to get more people into the story without giving EVERYTHING away in case they decide to listen. However, that being said, I have some things to say. I'm going to start with the negative first because even though I LOVED this book I so have some things I will miss about it (but please understand that I LOVED THE BOOK SM GUYS, I will ofc be adding what I loved after this part)

My Issues/Things I Wish Were Included:

Magnus trying to find his own answers with the voidfish. I was really looking forward to how they would show and represent that!

"I'm afraid no one else will have me" was such a good scene, I really liked the vulnerability Taako showed then because aside from his scene in Petals we haven't seen a whole lot of that from him in the books (again, I veiw the books as separate canon, but it would be nice to see)

CAM! I missed Cam so much he was delightful

No Boss Rush

I don't like that they basically forced Magus to decide if he wanted to lose Julia and never mention Gov. Kallen at all. That was such an impactful moment and they kind of side stepped it unfortunately

Trust or Forsake is missing which is also unfortunate

A lot of what made Wonderland interesting is either spedrun or absent so they kind of took the Wonder out of Wonderland

Taako giving up his beauty is also gone! Which sucks ass! My only true issue with this book that I genuinely was heartbroken over. I understand it can be a hard thing to show, especially when it runs the risk of someone in real life looking at the design and going "ow, that looks like me!'. So like. I get it. I really do. But they cut so much of Podcast!Taako's growth in Book!Taako's character that it was a sore spot for me personally.

If they let Johann live in the next book I will be very upset

SPEAKING OF NEXT BOOK!! Now that I have all my negative out of the way ohohoh boy I'm gonna share the positives I have with it. Given that, again, I view the books as separate story than the podcast, I thought they did a wonderful job overall. Solid 8/10 for me! Here are the things I am still screaming about

Things I adore about this book and will be living rent free in my head forever

TAAKO AND KRAVITZ KISS LIKE 5 PAGES IN AND I SCREAMED CAREY ATE WITH THAT

Merle's kids 😭😭😭

JOHANN IS ACKNOWLEDGED IN THIS ONE RAAAAAAAA I WAS SO WORRIED THEY WERE TRYING TO CUT HIM OUT

I love the redesign of Wonderland looking like a circus instead of a roulette wheel, I liked that a lot

Kravitz calling Taako to tell him to be safe,,, the call getting cut off,,,, pain

I loved the wheel it looked so cool

Edward and Lydia were giving Velvet and Veneer and I am HERE FOR IT

Heart Attack my beloved 🥰

ARMS OUTSTRETCHED!!!!!!!!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN TAAKO SAW KRAVITZ IN THE TAR??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE TRIED TO SAVE HIM?????? MCELROY FAMILY AND CAREY WHEN I GET YOU-

Seeing the umbra staff (*cough cough* Lup) BEAT THE SHIT out of Edward was lovely, no notes

HOW GRIFFIN DISAPPEARED!!! I WAS HOPING THEY WOULD DO THAT!!!

BLUEJEANS REVEAL

The Umbra Staff jumping into Barry's arms 😭😭😭

Taako having STATIC IN HIS EYES seeing the staff and Barry together CAREY PLEASE

MERLE SEEING JOHN, THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE

L U P SHE IS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL I CRIED I AM SO GLAD THEY GAVE HER LONG HAIR TOO!!

GOD THE BOOK ENDED WHERE I WANTED IT TO AND THEN SOME ACTUALLY (I thought it would end with the line "Lucretia, what have you done???" BUT MAN I'M NOT MAD IT WENT ON A BIT LATER)

THE IPRE PAINTING. THEM. THEY. ALL OF THEM. I AM DYING. MY CROPS ARE WATERED AS SHIT.

[ilovechuuy4]

Horror movies w BSD boys Part 2/2

Characters; Fyodor D. Edgar A. Poe, Bram S.

A/N: if you are interested in part to here it is Horror movies w BSD boys 1/2 :33 I hope y'all like this one as much as y'all enjoyed part 1! And ofc scenarios are at the end!

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

Fyodor❦ 📖

•He definitely has random giggle fits when someone dies

• Fyodor would be laying his head on your lap so he doesn't get too dizzy(bc he's anemic.)

• Fyodor would have you watch multiple horror movies and gorey things and then watch cute things with you so you could go to sleep at night

• He is a big "I don't care you choose" when it comes to movies but when you pick soenthing with out gore/jump scares he tells you to change it

• He isn't cuddling with you he's cuddling with the pet (that is def a rat) but he is holding your hand

• Fyodor is probably one to laugh when you get scared but then comforts you after he's done laughing because he got too dizzy from laughing so hard

Poe✡ 📚

• Poe definitely gets scared quickly

• He cuddles you every chance he gets(obvi with Karl too)

• He screams/jumps at every jump scare even if it's not too scary

• Poe can't watch the horror scenes even if he tries, it scares him too much

• The movies are for sure going to be one of those mystery thrillers

Bram➷ 🧛‍♂️

• Bram falls asleep not even 39 minutes into the movie

• Y'all will be watching Dracula there wasn't even a discussion because Bram would NOT watch anything else

• He falls asleep on you but he could still feel your presents and hear the movie still going

• If he doesn't fall asleep he watches the entire movie and recommends more vampire movies to watch

• If you fall asleep Bram would carry you to bed and cuddle you so you're warm

Scenarios!

*+:｡.｡　｡.｡:+*

Fyodor❦ 📖

It was around 2pm when Fyodor arrived home, he had went to church in the morning and when church ended Fyodor had went to the store. You stood from the couch to help him since it was obvious he was getting s bit light headed from standing too much. A few hours later it was around 5pm, you had helped Fyodor cook dinner and the two of y'all decided to watch a movie!

You and Fyodor got settled into the comfortable couch, the dinner in hand. Y'all cuddles together, turning on a movie. You could hear small giggles and Russian remarks escaping Fyodor's mouth every time someone had died, it was quite funny to see. Y'all had finished the dinner that was made and the movie was half way over, there were light jump scares and most got you flinching which made Fyodor giggle.

At the end of the movie, Fyodor was already cuddled close to you his head in your lap. It was around 7pm now, the time Fyodor usually went to the shared room and slept, but not tonight it seemed like he wanted to sleep on the couch cuddled with you tonight. So that's what you did, you reached for the blanket covering you and Fyodor. He was hugging you as you both slowly drifted to sleep.

Poe✡ 📚

It was around the time of Poe to be writing another novel but instead, he had suggested watching a movie since he had wanted a break from writing novels and just wanted to spend time with you instead. So y'all got comfortable in the living room and turned a horror movie on, of course this wasn't what Edgar had really expected to watch but he would bare through it if it meant spending time with his dear.

You and the long haired brunette put on a horror movie, the raccoon between the two of yall. The both of you had bought popcorn some candies and drinks to have during the movie. About 20 minutes in there was already a jump scare. This caused Poe to jump and hug onto you, holding your hand tightly with the raccoon on his side. Poe wasnt really a fan of horror more of well of course writing mystery novels. But since he is spending time with you, he's happy.

Multiple jump scares and gorey screen times later, the movive was over and Poe was practically shiviering. You decided to put on a cute romance so Poe's mind could get rid of the ridiculous amount of gore and blood. Y'all cuddles while watching to movie and slowly fell asleep on the couch.

Bram➷ 🧛‍♂️

It was a cold Autmn night in the comfort of yours and Bram's shared home, you were with your roommate (or boyfriend whatever you prefer) and Bram recommend watching Dracula or a horror vampire movie. You had agreed and the both of y'all had got settled into the couch together, Bram had his head lay on your chest as he had his arms wrapped around you. (if it's roommates y'all are just sitting together) After y'all adjusted in the couch, you pressed play on the television remote and started up Dracula.

Of course it wasn't horror but it was an interesting movie to watch and it was fun. About 1 hour into the movie you could hear soft snores from Bram's mouth, and if you were honest. It made you smile. You enjoyed seeing him so comfortable it soothed your heart. And before you knew it, the movie was over, y'all were laying there, white noise filling the room along with soft snores from Bram. You placed a gentle kiss on Bram's long silver hair, running your fingers slowly into it.

You reached over with your free hand and arm, grabbing the remote, playing some old romances, since you knew Bram enjoyed music it was the best option since Bram was asleep. You reached once more grabbing a hairband, slowly tying Bram's hair into a braid so it wasn't all knotted in the morning. You then placed a soft kiss on Bram's lips(you can exclude this part if just roommates) closing your eyes shortly after, falling asleep with Bram in the comfort of the living room with low old romances playing in the embrace of the two of you.

დ .•*””*• 𝐸𝑛𝑑 •*””*•.დ

A/N; I'm actually shocked this didn't take as long as part 1 but I'm also working on a request so it was a LITTLE delayed but only by a bit, I hope y'all all enjoy it though! :3

[19burstraat]

I love that kaz's revenge kind of... fails. I really love that he doesn't quite get a satisfying revenge on rollins, and I've always thought that was... well, the point. I said more about the specific scene with pekka here but like. it IS a turning point for kaz, it's just not the one he wanted. kaz gets about three narrative warnings/pieces of foreshadowing that it's not going to go how he wants it to go, but he really doesn't heed them until it's too late.

the first is the broken leg from the heist on the bank that helped pekka scam them; while its main narrative purpose is that it's the source of kaz's disability ofc (which feeds into his personal arc and his dynamic with wylan), and it exists outside of the pekka stuff, it arguably has a secondary purpose as the first in a series of 'don't pursue this, it's going to hurt' warnings, which he ignores.

the second warning comes when kaz lets pekka out at hellgate for personal score settling reasons, wastes time and fucks up the plan, and then starts a big domino effect where rollins turns the dregs on him, teams up with van eck, and hires dunyasha to attack inej.

(there are lots of other mini-nods to kaz absolutely refusing to let go of what happened and it informing everything he does; making nina give muzzen fake firepox, the fake pandemic, his interest in fifth harbour being implied to be because that's where he crawled out of the harbour, his dynamics with jesper and wylan, the body boats taking everyone out of the city, etc, but these are the big slip-ups)

the third strike feeds from that; the sweet reef sugar silo job is an almost perfect copy of the second stage of rollins' scam on jordie and kaz; sugar stock prices being driven up due to scarcity. it going so horribly wrong (because pekka anticipated it, of course he did, he made it up) and almost getting inej killed by dunyasha is a final warning to kaz to, effectively, let go or be dragged. if he carries on living in the past like this, he's going to lose his new family, not just his old one.

I think pekka's inability to remember jordie's name was more crushing than kaz admitted to himself, at least on the page; "it was a start" feels almost defeated after all that, and it lacks closure. kaz only gets one more point of view chapter (iirc?) one which feels quite reticent (it's the council of tides one and it's quite short) and he's quite quiet for the rest of the book, at least until the last inej chapter. he gets probably the cruellest wake-up call he could have been given. he doesn't get what he wants, and he'll never get it, because rollins still can't remember jordie's name by the end of the novel. it's time to move on. to his credit, he does it; he does what he always does, which is rise to a challenge. half of kaz's appeal lies in his ability to do that, no matter how hard the task, but it's a hard bandage to rip off.

unfortunately he does not really let go until he's being dragged, when his idea of what his confrontation with pekka should be like, crumbles in the face of pekka just not being able to remember jordie's name, no matter what kaz does. kaz is dragged to the precipice and told, look– here's inej, here's rollins. choose. and that's when he finally has to let go and start doing things for the future and inej, not the past and rollins and jordie. (remember that bit when he's drowning in SOC and he tries to think of revenge, and he can only think of inej instead? he always knew what he was going to pick, really).

he gets rollins out of ketterdam, but it's definitely hollow, in my estimation; the one thing kaz wanted him to remember, and he couldn't, because it wasn't important to him like it was to kaz. there's one final nod to kaz making everything about what happened to him and jordie (sneaking the grisha, colm, and matthias' body out of the city via the bodyboats and 'the bodymen don't bother to rearrange them') but I think inej saying "he doesn't say goodbye. he just lets go" comes at the perfect point; up until then it wasn't true, but now, kaz has finally been forced to (somewhat) let go, having never ever done that before.

but kaz buying inej her ship and a berth at fifth harbour (where he crawled out of the harbour and vowed to start the entire revenge plot) is a nice indication that he is trying to close that part off and move forwards with her, rather than staying in the past. and I really like that it's inej who actually makes the threat against pekka's life, to make sure he stays out of ketterdam; it's hard to know if kaz told her anything that prompted that visit (if he did, I doubt it was much, and I actually suspect he didn't know she'd gone there at all) but no matter what the circumstances, it indicates that he doesn't have to go on alone anymore, and he can finally turn away from that obsession. shared burdens n that. it's not a sad ending, it's honestly a good one for both of them, but it was a pretty rough journey to get there, and he had to fail first.

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Where's Mommy?

Wolffe x Lilith Sestri (OFC)

Part 7

Summary: Wolffe's wife suddenly dies, leaving him a single father in the middle of a war.

Pairing: Wolffe x Lilith Sestri (OFC)

Characters: Wolffe, Cara (child OFC), Comet

Tags & Warnings: heavy angst, mention of death, off-screen death, spousal death, grief, hurt/comfort, family fluff

Word Count: 1.2k

Author's Note: We are back to the Wolffe angst! (but did we ever really leave?) This part is really sad. I know I keep saying that, but this one actually made me tear up while writing it. I don't usually get emotional when writing emotional scenes, so yeah. Do with that what you will. As always, please enjoy 💚

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"Cara," Wolffe said after a moment of them sitting silent. "I need you to go with Comet and pack some things from your room, okay?"

Cara looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "Why?"

"Because we can't stay here without mommy," Wolffe explained.

"Oh," she frowned. "Where are we going?"

"The Jedi Temple," Wolffe said. "We'll be staying with Plo for a while."

"I don't want to go," she pouted.

Wolffe sighed. "I don't want to go either, but we don't have a choice. Please, help daddy and go with Comet to pack."

"No," Cara whined.

"Come on, ad'ika," Comet said. He hopped off of the couch and stretched his arms over his head. "I bet I can pack faster than you."

"Nuh uh," Cara said, then jumped off of Wolffe's lap and ran toward her bedroom.

"Well, that was easy," Comet chuckled. He looked down at Wolffe. "You okay?"

Wolffe sighed. "Do you want a real answer?"

Comet frowned. "I guess that was a dumb question."

"I'm fine," Wolffe said, but his facial expression betrayed his words.

Comet decided to change the subject. "How many boxes can she bring?"

"One," Wolffe said. "The Jedi aren't big on things."

"Understood," Comet nodded, then walked off to follow Cara.

"Oh, Comet," Wolffe threw over his shoulder. "Make sure the di'kute in the kitchen clean up their mess."

Comet smirked. "10-4."

Wolffe remained seated on the floor and fidgeted with the carpet pieces again. Fine. He didn't even know what that word meant anymore. He used to, back when life was simple and fine just meant he wasn't dead. Now, he wasn't sure what to feel, how to feel, or how to deal with whatever feelings he was having. Sure, he felt sad when his brothers died, but something about this death felt much different. It felt heavier, denser, tighter, and suffocating in a way he couldn't fully explain.

Unwilling to dwell on his unchecked thoughts, Wolffe grabbed whatever box he could find and headed to his bedroom. He scrolled through the mental list he made and collected all of the obvious items he wanted to keep. Some things were on the bookshelf, like her favorite holo-novel. Some things were in the dresser, like her nightshirt and a lingerie set he bought her for their first anniversary. And some things were on the bedside table, like the holo-photo album and her half-used chapstick.

He opened the bedside table drawer to check if there was anything hiding in it he wanted and his heart sank. His gold wedding band sat alone in the drawer. He almost forgot about it. He couldn't wear it most of the time, but usually he'd put it on when he was home. He didn't even get a chance this time around. He picked up the shiny band and admired it fondly, reading the inscription and the date on the inside. His wife saved every credit she had to buy those rings for them and he promised to repay her one day. He carefully placed the memento in the box.

Wolffe rummaged through the closet next, pulling little bits and pieces of his wife out and placing the most important items into the box. He only had one box, so he needed to make every spot count. He shifted a stack of clothes to the side on the top shelf and a data-stick fell to the ground with a small clack. He bent over to pick it up and studied it for a moment, wondering what could be on it. He walked over to the holor-projector across from the bed, plugged in the data-stick, then sat on the edge of the bed. An image popped up of his wife and his breath was stolen as the recording played.

Hi darling, his wife said with a warm smile while sitting next to Cara at their kitchen table.

Wolffe gasped, then covered his mouth. He remembered when his wife sent him this recording on Cara's third birthday. He was away on a mission, and wasn't able to look at it for a couple of rotations, but it made him so happy to see them both. He'd been on that mission for months and missed them dearly. He completely forgot about it until now, and couldn't believe his wife kept it all this time. She looked so beautiful that day, and Cara was all dressed up for her special day, too.

Today is Cara's third birthday, she continued, then looked at Cara. Say hi to daddy.

Hi daddy! Cara yelled with a big grin.

"Hi baby," Wolffe said. It might seem stupid to say hello to a recording but he didn't care.

It's time to sing happy birthday, his wife said. Ready, Cara? Nice and loud so daddy can hear.

Cara nodded and they both started to sing. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Cara, happy birthday to you.

Wolffe's eyes turned misty and his body trembled as he tried to contain his emotions.

Now, blow out the candles and make a wish, she said.

Cara blew out the three lit candles and his wife clapped.

What'd you wish for? she asked with a big smile.

Daddy come home! Cara yelled towards the recorder.

Wolffe couldn't hold back the tears that rolled down his face. He wished he had more time with her. With both of them, together, as a family. It was too short. He didn't even get the chance to give his wife the life she deserved. The life he promised her. She took care of everything while he was deployed, and he vowed to take care of everything when the War was over, but now… Every vow he made to her had turned to ash. Until death do us part was the promise, but now, death had claimed her.

Okay, Wolffe, his wife said. I know this needs to be short, so we're gonna say goodbye now.

"No," Wolffe's voice cracked. "Please, don't say goodbye."

Say goodbye to daddy, she said to Cara while waving towards the recorder.

Bye, daddy! Cara yelled and waved.

"Please," Wolffe begged, his entire body shaking. "Cyare. Don't go."

Come home soon, she said, then blew a kiss. I love you, Wolffe.

The recording ended, but the last image of his wife stayed on the screen. Wolffe stood up on shaky legs and approached the projected image. He stretched out his hand to touch his wife's cheek, but his fingers passed through the pixels. He gasped, then tried again. This time to brush her hair with the palm of his hand, but it also passed through. It was just an image. It wasn't real. She wasn't real. Why wasn't she real? All he wanted to do was touch her one more time and hug her one more time; to feel her warmth.

"I love you, too," Wolffe whispered through broken breath.

Wolffe carefully pulled the data-stick out of the holo-projector and cradled it in his hands. Besides his daughter, this was his most prized possession. His wife's voice. He thought he'd never hear it again, and he didn't know if it helped him feel better or made him feel worse. Regardless, he nestled the special memory into the box and surrounded it with his wife's other things to keep it safe from harm. If anything ever happened to that memory, Wolffe didn't know what he would do.

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Masterlist

AO3

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[re-colligere]

Joyness

goddddd what COULDN'T I say about these two really. They're so incredibly fitting for each other. I legitimately think their friendship is truly the most important ship to come out of these movies.

Under the cut because holy shit this got long LOL

It can't be said enough: I absolutely adore how their relationship has progressed from the 1st to the 2nd. Even if there wasn't a Lot of scenes with them in it, the scenes that DO have them interacting makes me want to sob on the floor. Joy invites Sadness to the Belief System, she lets Sadness drive the console when it's needed, she sends Sadness back to HQ because she values Sadness's smarts. It speaks a lot to Joy's character development, really. Sadness is such an important actor in Joy's growth and Sadness just had to be herself. It's awesum. And in turn, I feel like Joy's encouragements gave Sadness some of that growth as well. I think Sadness feels a lot more confident in herself and what she can do (even if she is a little shy/meek about it lol, but I love how active she was in the 2nd movie).

There's definitely a tinge of angst with how their relationship developed, especially in the 11 years they've been together before the events of the 1st movie. All that time Sadness has been pushed in the sidelines because team leader Joy just didn't understand her purpose. And despite that, I don't think Sadness has ever shown any malice towards Joy--in Driven by Emotions, the first movie's novelization, Sadness mentions she didn't want to disappoint Joy, and despite them butting heads a lot, Sadness seemed to be motivated to do what she feels was right rather than to disobey Joy on principle. Sadness also seemed to be aware that Joy doesn't understand people need to be sad, so Sadness at least has a grasp of her purpose. Hell, she understands everyone else's purpose, especially Joy, because Sadness even expresses that Joy must get back to HQ for Riley to be happy.

...Though I can't help but feel like all that mistreatment and misunderstanding weighed a lot in Sadness's mind. She could have cried about it a few times when we couldn't see it. That must've been a rough few years. Which to me makes Joy's growth a whole lot more satisfying??? Like come OONNNN she actively searches for Sadness and she gives her the okay to drive the console even if the rest thought Joy should drive it!! Joy learns the importance of everyone, not just herself...but especially Sadness, because ofc that was the main idea of the first movie.

With so much experience between them I feel like they'd have such a close and unbreakable bond...That is, after Joy profusely apologizes to Sadness with how she treated her. Sadness wasn't even expecting an apology, but in the following year or two I think Joy really shows that she's changed. Sadness knows Joy the most out of everyone else, and Joy...........well, Joy's learning to know Sadness quickly outside of their time when they got lost. Despite their differences, conversation flows really smoothly between them methinks. And of course, I've gotta mention they complement each other really well, seemingly filling all of each other's weaknesses. It's joy and sadness man they're the ogs.... They're Most Likely the first two emotions people would mention if they were asked to list them. Most commonly seen to be "on opposite ends", but it's just. so perfect that they work best when they work together.

I don't know if I have much more to say about how they synergize their emotions considering the 1st movie shows that in a LOT of ways. I love their chemistry and I love how they balance each other out. Sadness helps Joy when she needs a break, Joy helps Sadness when she's stuck in her thoughts. Together they bring such a wonderful sense of relief after expressing their problems and feelings. It's great. I love them.

[hislittleraincloud]

Oh God, I need to rant about it. I'll illustrate with video later, but for now it'll have to be stills and text.

This is canon:

Fabian: Who you talking to, little girl?

Wednesday: Use “little” and “girl” to address me again and I can’t guarantee your safety.

Fabian: This is my place. Get out!

Wednesday: Thing, a hand here?

This is ANTI-canon:

It's not just canon that goes against what we saw on screen, but it drastically changes the core characterization of the main character for no reasonable purpose. I would argue that it's unreasonable to take this scene away from NC Wednesday, since it highlights her lack of empathy and hypocrisy: canon Wednesday doesn't care about people like Fabian who are obstacles to her goals, and within this she is also the elitist snob she accused Xavier of being.

Taking away her assertion that she's not to be perceived as a little girl is also further stripping her of her identity as someone who 1) isn't to be patronized and 2) does perceive herself as better than those around her (just as Bianca said to Xavier/what Wednesday overheard when she was stalking). Nearly every single thing she does is to try to prove that she's "better" (ordering Donovan around once she brought him the evidence he said he wanted is a prime example).

Ofc, there's the baby face/short queen element to this particular Wednesday situation, but addressing all of that would dive deeper into psychological fanon, and I'm trying to stay with canon here.

Wednesday asserting herself here in canon is also her means of telling people Don't fuck with me. I'm dangerous. And that is the awful truth: Don't fuck with Wednesday Addams. She put pirhanas in a pool because the boys in the pool picked on her brother. She sent mouse traps to the editor who rejected her novel. She will physically mutilate you if you piss her off.

And what did Tehlor Mejia do with that NC Wednesday?

Mejia turned her into a soft and caring goody girl who is sympathetic to the plight of the homeless and who did NOT order Thing to get rid of Fabian, and instead chided him for doing something so "unnecessary" by attacking him on his own. Mejia literally woked-up* a character who was definitely unfeeling towards the other character's situation (especially after he called her a "little girl").

And I despise using that term, since it's become so ingrained in the culture that anyone who uses it is automatically some kind of right winger. I'm not, but in this case it's a relevant term: This characterization of Wednesday speaks to a traditionally woke crowd:

because by the very dictionary definition of the word, mejia!Wednesday is woke Wednesday. And that's not what she was in Netflix Canon, at least not in the same manner of what it means to be in our non-fictional world.

Again, ranting about wokeness in our culture isn't in my vocabulary. I've seen the idiots who do rant about it in the other fandoms. It's just one very apt descriptor for m!Wednesday in this scene, softening her to be aware of the societal fact of Fabian's homelessness and to consciously express that to Thing. It's Mejia's own self-insert (speaking of one of my drafts about self-inserts and its saturation in fandoms); only someone like that would clutch pearls at the original scene and be compelled to correct it to align towards their own feelings instead of coming to terms with negative aspects of a character we all love (since coming to terms with it would mean ripping little holes in their carefully crafted ideologically humanitarianistic identities; how could one so in harmony with humanity love and relate to someone who hates humanity?). Mejia did this throughout the entire book while preserving some of her dry, people-hating sarcasm, but this here is one of the more blatant examples (along with the Tyler Rave'N conversation) of draining NC Wednesday of her peevish, bilious existence like a smug fanon vampire.

Once again, for people in the back:

Canon Wednesday did not give a flying shit about Fabian. She was insulted by him and his presence was hindering her investigation. She had no qualms ordering Thing to give her a "helping hand" that included violent assault and didn't give a second thought to the guy after Thing was done shooing him off.

And even though this was such a 'little' thing in canon, it's a big thing in the grand scheme of Mejia's totally unnecessary defanging and softening of Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday Addams. It's a betrayal of what she worked so hard to give us, and is insulting to her and the character's fans who love and respect the cold, calculating, unsympathetic Wednesday with the sharp tongue and IDGAF attitude that we saw on screen.

*This type of 'wokeness' is more of a corrective transference of righteousness that ignores the existent righteousness of a flawed character. Canon Wednesday is a deeply flawed character whose methods are, by real world standards, violent and absurd methods by which we real worlders only dream about using. Wednesday exists in a world where those violent fantasies can be acted out with little consequence. Those are her own little social justice moments, as twisted as they are, and to take them away from her is taking key positive characteristics from her that make her Ortega's fictional 'Wednesday' and forcing her into a role that's more palatable to someone judging fiction with the same metrics as they would judge reality.

[iztea]

How do you get the ideas for your backgrounds?

mmm ideas.... sometimes i draw the background directly from a photo reference (the happy case) so there's not a lot for me to change and i can have a rather peaceful painting process

othertimes, the BG is tied to the subject/concept/scene I'm thinking of, so it only makes sense that i have that as the background

for example, for this fem skk art, i knew i wanted to have chuu kneeling in a crater after destroying a city so drawing that background was just a logical follow-up because i already had the entire idea in mind

Here, I wanted to have Akiangel sit on a building, watching over the city. The ominous sign with "the day of salvation" and crow came later after I found this picture on Pinterest, so they helped further develop the concept, but the main idea was there and so on

The third background option happens when my painting doesn't depict a certain irl scene or landscape, nor do i have any particular references i can use. In that situation, I first and foremost think about the general composition, the shapes, how they flow with each other, how I can tie them to my main theme and what sort of symbolism or little easter eggs i can throw in there just to keep it fresh and interesting for the viewer ( aka the person reading this aha ;;) :-* )

For this piece, i started with a big circle for the background, and then I started breaking it up in pleasing, cloud-like shapes and swirls that constantly keep your eye moving around the picture (i mean hopefully lol). The composition was inspired by a) Dazai's Mayoi card ofc, that trad Eastern illustration style with the circle and then branches of trees, and also .. kazuha's splash art ok i admit it bshsj

for this one, the roses came much, much later. Again, I added that sort of golden arcade to better frame the focal point or the main subject of the scene which was ofc her face and/or outfit. Then, since it still felt rather empty, awkward, and directionless, I tried finding a pleasing, spiral line that would compliment the already existing shapes and that would, again, move your eye all around the composition. I figured since her outfit already had those small roses stuffed in her belt, those curvy lines could become some bloody, spikey roses and boom! here are the theme and elements for you: blacks-roses-blood-deadly-sharp-gold etc. I then had her crush some of those roses in her right (ik it's the left hand shut up) hand to balance out the busier left side

and a last example, sometimes I draw multiple character poses in one piece and they sort of become my background. Yet I still have some blank spaces left so i gotta figure out a way to fill them out. Here, since the pose where he's all curled up was inspired by the TDIPUD light novel, i drew him as a "corpse" in a pool of blood, and contrasted it with some nice flowery-ish patterns and swirls that sort of come from within that bloody mess ( someone also mentioned it looks like a womb which I found very interesting as well ). The cats also helped fill out the space. On the left side, i added that swirly black sun that drips into three squares that gradually fill up with straight blackness and raindrops falling below inspired by the "a conviction that the sun will never rise again" line. I don't think I should go into detail with the symbolism cause it's pretty obvious and not that deep so i won't but yeah, and that's my BG all filled up!

I do this with most of my BGs, it's mostly just abstract shapes; I'm very fixated on making the overall composition look okay and for the piece to send a message ( most of the time ), so i don't think of backgrounds as a separate entity, they are part of an already existing idea, generally speaking.

This kinda turned into a composition discussion midway......... sorry about that....... To be completely honest with you, I have plenty of BG ideas, they kinda just spawn in my brain so i'm not exactly lacking in that department. Having to draw them and finding refs is the hard part for me

[razberryyum]

EVERY DAY IS EVERY DAY

Manhua artist Mao Tuan Xiao Jian Jian-laoshi serves up the last part of WangXian's papapa scene from chap 111 of the novel (what would've been chap 256 if the world was a perfect place). Go to their Twitter @maotuanxjj for all the missing goodies 🍆 and to send them some love.

Missing 🍆

🔥🔥🔥

Again, I love this sexy gremlin so much 😭😭

Hornee Lan Zhan is adorable.

😭😭😭💖

And that's it for WangXian's first full papapa scene! There are of course more ppp scenes in the extras chapters of the novel...the most famous of them ofc courtesy of the Incense Burner (WangXian's wonderful adventures in the Library Pavilion and Bichen's amazing journey up Wei Ying's 💮, for example), but again that's not ALL that the extras are about! They're really the happily ever after moments of WangXian and a lot of it is so freaking sweet and romantic! And while their dreamworld sexcapades may get a bit too adventurous for some, they're all bourne from their immense love and healthy lust for each other and we should all hope that we are blessed with what they have. Not to mention, one of the extras even gives us a flashback involving Jin Guangyao and Xue Yang, so again, it's not all just about the sex so don't be misled into skipping them!

Mao Tuan XJJ-laoshi has already illustrated the Incense Burner Library Pavilion scene a while back but I do hope they will continue with illustrating the Gusu Lan banquet extra and all the other extras in this unofficial way. I am deeply saddened that because this is all unofficial we will never see these scenes as a part of the official English release of the manhua, but I hope everyone will still support the Eng volumes by purchasing them, as a way of showing our support for MXTX-laoshi.

To purchase English releases of all of MXTX's novels, go to Sevenseasdanmei.

[miaitzia]

My review on episode 5 + some comparisons with manga and ln1.

It's mainly about Souheki because if i don't talk about them every chance i get i will explode.

Start of the episode ,i love the idea of using the sound the Ramune bottle and marble to attract Atsushi's n audiences' attention.It's a shame that they didn't animate Kunikida's soft smile when Ranpo was being even more rude in the manga.

annnnnnd ofc he's gonna focus on the marble and leave Atsushi sitting there awkwardly. Ranpo autism moment.

Atsushi thought Ranpo can't do anything without an ability is funny.Atsushi sweetie that's some wild assumption for a guy you just met a few days ago.He really just saw Ranpo can't take the train and assumed the worst lol.

this scene is always interesting to me because this is the only time we saw Ranpo paying respect to the dead like this.Now i have a few guesses of the reason.

1.a simple one is that maybe he did this all the time,after all we only saw him solve crimes with real bodies like two times.in perfect crime arc they were on rush.

2.Ranpo actually said "oh it's a lady",so yeah maybe he only did that to certain people

3.it's the start of the series so eveything is still uncertain

I don't have anything to add here,i think we could all agree dazai being there wasn't a coincident.

Another thing i mourn not making into Anime is that Ranpo saying even Dazai is an enigma to him in manga.it adds more layer in their relationship.tbh it's a bit boring if Ranpo always knows what Dazai is up to.

Now it's cute seeing Dazai defending Ranpo like that because i dont think minoura would actually hit him or something,maybe Dazai just wants to stop the bickering.

I love Ranpo's motto "All's well that's well for me" because it just like him.It seem self-center at first, but if you know him a little better, you'll know it actually means as long as he's fine he can make sure everyone else is fine.It's not just the meaning,this is how everyone's impression of him at first vs when they get to know him.

this part annoyed me the most cause Dazai looks so fond in the manga ,but he looks passive and serious in anime.LIKE WTF WAS THAT???DAZAI NEVER LOOKED AT RANPO LIKE THAT>>this leads to my biggest complaint of this episode⬇

//spoil for light novel 1

it has been talked many times how messed up the azure messenger arc aka light novel 1 adaption is.But I want to add it was so poor that it has already affects this episode.In the manga, Dazai didn't explain how he knows Ranpo didn't have an ability to Atsushi.The explanation here is actually straight up pull up from ln1 what he told Kunikida after he first met Ranpo.BUT because Bones don't wanna properly adapt the novel, they have to stiffly add it here.So that's why Dazai seemed serious when testing Ranpo,they want to add the impression this is the first time he discover it.

Do you want to know another fucked up thing about this scene is?They phased it like Dazai never work with Ranpo , that they're unfamiliar with each other.But in reality, Dazai has saw Ranpo's "ability"the very first time they met.They have worked together so well that they received their own name "Souheki".Dazai admires Ranpo so much that he constantly compliment him.

End the post of my favorite shot of this episode<3 Look at my son having the best time in his life🤩🤩🤩good for him good for him.

[thehistoriangirl]

HIII i love your works soooo much i literally cry when you update anything *violent sobs* you dropped this my queen 👑 also i don't mean to pressurize or anything, but is the work "If You Hadn't Left (Me)" on AO3 still continuing? if not no pressure! as always, take care of yourself and your health lots of love mwah

aANON IM SO SORRY

I had been in a writing slump—and plotting my original novel didn't help—, but I'm going to start college soon :3 so ofc I'm starting to write for Viktor again!!!

Here's a sneak peek at a scene for chapter 2 👀

Viktor's eyes swept over your designs. All swifts lines and clean sketches you've surely done a million times.

He couldn't help but remember how you had drawn him before, after carefully examining the features of his face with attentive eyes and feather-like touches.

His sigh echoed in the quiet lab, and he felt your gaze over his shoulder, waiting.

"I don't like it," he said, recoiling inside himself after hearing his whine. But it was true; this wasn't your style. You loved sinous curves and flowery details, soft edges that would end in intricate carvings like vines ensnared in an old tower.

Rather, the building was like a rounded obelisk, with sharp walls and a rounded roof that would merge well with the rooftops of the boulevards' buildings. A gigantic tower that was meant to be awed and feared.

"It doesn't surprise me that you never won any ingenieering competition," you huffed, your petty tone trying to conceal the hurt of his words. "Your machines may be good, but they're ugly. You clearly have no taste."

Viktor chuckled, humorless. "I must dissagree, Miss." He could do 'cute-looking' machines. Usually made to decorate your shelves, but he wasn't going to say that. "I dated you, after all."

He didn't register the words until they had come out his mouth, the damage undone and his professional reputation on the floor.

Your eyes were wide open, clutching the papers against your chest as if scandalized.

"You're insufferable," you mumbled, taking your sketch from his desk and dashing toward Jayce's empty desk, where you would finish the necessary blueprints copies for Jayce and the Council without daring to look at Viktor's direction.

"Isn't it a little bit early to already get out of work?" Viktor mused, looking at you putting your things inside a bag. Past lunchtime, but with the sun still shining and the streets still lively with children and students chatting all over the Academy's courtyard.

"I'm working full time. Just not here," you answered dryly, already heading toward the door.

"Why?" He couldn't help but question. It was because of what he had said, of course. How could he let his tongue run so carelessly in an art he had masterfully controlled before?

"I don't have my drafting table here," you said, eyes connecting with his just for a second. "And I forgot my portfolio with my scale rulers and other stuff. I will bring them tomorrow."

He nodded, ignoring the way his heart made a somersault. You'll return here tomorrow—because of course you would, this was your job.

"Good evening then," he said, turning back to his stool, back hunched as he continued to scribble his equations away.

Viktor just heard the click of the door closing behind your back, and then you were all gone.

[agenericplaceholdername]

Dragons Rising E6-10 Thoughts

Here’s some thoughts on each episode in the latter half of Dragons Rising, Season 1 Part 1:

Return to Imperium:

The color grading of this opening seems off – almost as if it’s a flashback (it’s not, ofc)

JORDANA SPOTTED

The conveyor belts directing people where to go is so on the nose for an authoritarian society

“It's the perfect companion for anyone that might... be lonely” :(

“Unconventional? Perhaps you can forgive her” man this is seriously dystopian but also pretty funny

Sora in her S1 outfit without headphones is kinda cursed

“Ever since the Merge it’s been you and me” I AGREE ARIN. LET’S KEEP IT THAT WAY

Kai’s Wu impression is great

The Advanced Science Lab? Isn’t it the Advanced Systems Lab?

I HATE SORA’S PARENTS I HATE SORA’S PARENTS

The sewer smash cut is perfect. Beyond the Phantasm Cave implies that Sora actually traveled through the sewers before so at least she had a reason to assume there was no security

The public shaming platform? At least it’s not a two hour YouTube video essay documenting your every misdeed (which I will then watch)

This episode sold me on Sora’s character and is essential for her arc this season

Mindless Beasts:

Like the Rapton ad

The Arin chase scene is fun

I certainly hope nothing bad happens to the new shoulder pad store

The Imperium Teenage Protection Force all have shorter legs, meaning they’re probably slightly younger than Arin (or just short)

Every Wyldfyre line is gold: “If I was your enemy, why would I let you out of your cell?” “If you don’t know, how should I?”

Sora says her family was poisoned against her by LaRow— meaning she believes that her parents would have accepted her if not for LaRow. Ofc, we know later that once they see the truth, they don’t change their mind, so her rejection of them means even more

For a scientist, LaRow isn’t very smart (or lab skills =/= street skills)

“I’ve got a master teaching me all the things I’m doing wrong” Arin no he’s trying to help you

Percival talking about him is the first time Lord Ras is identified in front of Arin — before, he was just the “tiger guy”

Rapton has the perfect combination of incredible arrogance and thin skin

Dorama just wants to show off

Ras has such a deeper voice than in S2

The Hunted soundtrack!

LaRow just can’t stop gloating lol. Not sure how a Photac can capture a source dragon 

This episode is pretty important for Arin and Sora, and introduces Wyldfyre… but also isn’t super interesting

I Will Be the Danger:

Wyldfyre opening! Not what I was expecting when I originally watched but super cool. Not sure where she came from tho

The caregiver-bot helping Wyldfyre train is sweet. I wish she came back later (I know she does in a canon(?) novel and there was a deleted scene, but I wish it had been in the show)

Wyldfyre not knowing certain words is a clever detail that isn’t used often

Percival is so not convincing as an antagonist

JORDANA NAMED??

Considering the other empty holes in the portal gate room—are they supposed to link to other monasteries? Since the one Kai goes through links to the Imperium Monastary?

You probably are famous among ghosts Kai, considering the whole Morro thing

Poor Riyu

Thank you Sora, she really is weird— oh shoot Dorama! forgot about him

“I DON’T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS ‘SHUT UP’!” and then the one take after are pure Wyldfyre gold

The “ninja think Sora betrayed them” plot line could have gone somewhere but didn’t, and honestly I hate bad miscommunication plots so all good

Weird way to end

This episode peaks with the opening scene, and is generally fine outside

The Calm Inside:

Green eyes child Lloyd voiced by Sam Vincent is off putting. I get why they do this but whatever. The lighting/texturing in this scene (maybe bc of the rain) also makes Lloyd and Wu look super plasticy

Good lesson tho, and I’m glad it keeps coming up

Arin and Sora are a great duo

Melvin, remember, always do the bare minimum that gets you paid

And so the Empress joins the main plot

Super cool protective Lloyd is great, leaping down to pull Wyldfyre back from the Photac

What’s his “big plan” Beatrix? Why does Ras want Riyu? “You can’t [drain him] yet. My plan for—” no wait he was about to say it!

Ras is so mad at Beatrix omg

Kai and Nya have interacted more now than in any season post Hands of Time right?

So how did Arin trip? Tbf he punched himself in the face so makes sense

Ok the show just made the same joke after I wrote it, I guess I forgot

This sweat thing reminds me of the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie (the blood scene)

Lloyd being surrounded by chaos is overshadowed by the very strange design of imaginary Wu, but the scene leading up to Wu is so great. The music, the action, the direction— really stellar. Someone needs to let this guy take a break

Not Rapton’s unicorn figurines!

Excellent rhetorical comeback Lloyd

Ras is so cool -- singlehandedly fighting multiple dragons

Zane! But how did he end up in that pod?

Jordana! Sora is just totally lost lol

Do you think Kai, Nya, and Zane were planning on jumping out or was it spontaneous?

Lot of questions in this episode, and it would probably be better if they saved Lloyd hitting the targets for a flashback later in the episode (that is, end the first flashback before Wu gives Lloyd the lesson)

That being said it’s the best one since E6 and a good setup for the finale

The Battle of the Second Monastery:

Jordana getting insulted by LaRow (albeit indirectly) :(

This is probably very overwhelming for Zane

Everything seems particularly saturated in this scene 

The Jordana reveal is very good. Funny, but also kinda heartbreaking since Sora was just using her technology to give herself a friend

Lord Ras is not very nice (although he’s right how do you lose to two mostly-untrained teenagers who are in handcuffs)

Arin and Sora use Jordana swinging her sword to free themselves, just like Lloyd did in E2. Shows how far they’ve come (much better than when they fight Ras, which just diminishes him as an antagonist)

Ouch Lloyd, always look before you leap

“As opposed to those really strong gnats” I’d spend some more time workshopping those comebacks Arin

The Source Dragon scene is SO cool!

Sora beats Ras mostly though luck but the real question is why was he running so slowly

And so we finish the S1P1 aspect of Sora’s arc, although her conclusion of “having a responsibility to use her powers” is very similar to the end of E5

Sad Arin :( already made a post relating this scene to what happens in S2 but it takes on a whole new meaning knowing what happens after

Beatrix imprisoning Ras actually makes a ton of sense and I might make a whole post talking about why (and her character generally)

The Ras fight isn’t great - I get why it happens and Arin and Sora don’t really beat him physically, but it does undermine him as a threat. The rest of the episode is really good tho, especially the vision

Next up, the first half of S1P2!