#ok so i wanted to try colouring this scene again

[expelliarmus]

[capquinn]

ok we've been losing our minds about seeing quinn with kids but imagine him losing his mind seeing you with kids and babies. they're just so naturally drawn to you, smiling and giggling at you. when it's time to leave the kids pout, the babies cry and refuse to let go of you. it breaks his heart a little, but then he thinks about how you have that effect on kids and his heart is just so full and warm. he can't stop smiling thinking about how great of a mom you're going to be one day

It’s something Quinn’s been noticing more and more — how babies and kids always seem to be drawn to you, like there’s some invisible pull. He sees it everywhere, little moments that only fuel the quiet ache he’s been carrying, a bad case of baby fever that just keeps getting stronger.

It was a late summer afternoon at his friend’s BBQ, the kind of day where everything felt a little softer around the edges, the air warm and filled with lazy laughter and the smell of grilling food. Quinn was mid-conversation with a few of his buddies when he glanced over and spotted you down on the driveway, a piece of colourful chalk in your hand, showing his friend’s daughter how to draw a flower.

You were laughing, your voice floating over the soft hum of conversation as you patiently guided her tiny hand.

“Like this, see?” you were saying, helping her press the chalk down firmly. “And a little harder here — see how it makes the colour brighter?”

The little girl, determined to get it right, nodded with intense concentration, her face scrunched up in that serious way kids get when they’re trying so hard. She pressed down on the chalk with all her might, the green and purple smudges already staining her fingers. And you, just as focused, knelt beside her, not minding that your knees were getting chalky too.

Quinn couldn’t look away. The sight of you like that, so at ease, laughing with a child who was barely up to your waist, tugged at something in him. He imagined a version of this scene in a few years’ time — maybe it was a little girl with your eyes, or his determined frown, a toddler who insisted on doing everything by herself. He could already see the two of you, that same effortless connection, sharing these small, beautiful moments, and his heart did this odd little flip that made his chest feel warm and tight at the same time.

The little girl tugged on your hand, proudly holding up her chalk drawing. “Look! I did it!”

Your smile lit up, and you nodded, leaning closer to inspect it. “You did! That’s amazing! I think you’re a pro at this, honestly.”

Quinn’s friend nudged him with an amused grin. “Man, she’s a natural. I think the kids like her more than us.”

Quinn only nodded, distracted, not fully hearing what was said because his mind was spinning. It wasn’t just that you were good with kids — it was the way you seemed to understand them, to genuinely enjoy being there with them, in their world. And suddenly, this idea started to blossom, the thought of a life where this wasn’t just an afternoon at a BBQ but something that happened every day. He pictured you like this, kneeling in your own driveway with a little one by your side, his heart pounding with a kind of certainty he’d never felt before.

Lost in thought, he didn’t realise he was smiling until you caught his eye and gave him a playful little wave. Quinn’s chest tightened, a shy grin pulling at his lips as he waved back. He barely heard his friend teasing him about being “smitten” because in that moment, all he could think about was how right this felt, how natural, and how he wanted that future with you more than anything.

It happened again a few weeks later at the grocery store, a place Quinn usually breezed through, his list memorised, rarely giving more than a glance to the colourful chaos of the cereal aisle. But that day, he was momentarily caught up, staring at the endless choices, debating between two boxes. That’s when he heard it — a tiny giggle that somehow cut through the chatter of shoppers, the hum of the store. Glancing over, he saw you a few feet away, your attention fully focused on a baby sitting in a shopping cart beside you.

The baby, not much older than a year, was staring up at you with wide, amazed eyes, completely entranced as you wiggled your fingers and made a soft, silly noise, your face lit with an easy smile. You repeated the sound, and the baby’s mouth dropped open, then let out another round of giggles, that beautiful, innocent laughter that would soften anyone’s heart.

Quinn couldn’t help but pause, frozen mid-decision, just watching. The baby’s mother had been focused on reading the back of an oatmeal box, scanning ingredients with the usual distracted look of a tired parent. But after a moment, she glanced up, noticing the small, quiet exchange unfolding beside her cart. Her gaze softened as she took in the sight of her baby reaching toward you, chubby fingers stretching, drawn to the warmth in your playful smile,

And then Quinn’s heart did that strange, achy thing it had been doing lately, where he felt both immensely full and oddly vulnerable, like he’d stumbled onto a vision of the future without realising it.

He imagined you like this, but with your own baby — a little one with his dark hair and your bright smile, or maybe a mix of everything he loved most about you. The two of you would share that same joyful bubble, so completely at ease with each other, lost in some private little world only you two would understand.

Quinn placed both cereal boxes into the basket, feeling a strange warmth build in his chest, one that he couldn’t seem to shake. His fingers tightened around the handle of the basket, the weight of the thought filling him with a kind of quiet longing. It was such a simple scene, one he’d seen a dozen times with strangers, but with you…it was different. He was already imagining a life that was filled with moments like this, and the ache that came with it was exhilarating, a reminder of how badly he wanted this — wanted you, wanted this life with you and all that came with it.

“Hey, are you ready?” you asked, glancing over and catching his gaze, breaking him out of his reverie.

He blinked, realised the mother and baby had moved on, then nodded, feeling a soft blush creep up his neck as he tried to play it cool.

“Yeah, just… got distracted,” he muttered, but he couldn’t hide the small, knowing smile that stayed with him all the way to the checkout, the warmth of the thought still lingering as he followed you down the aisle.

The feeling roots itself deeply, one he can’t quite ignore as he watches you with his cousin’s 8-month-old, who’s been wide-eyed and mesmerised by you since the moment you walked in. The baby, fussy with everyone else, settles effortlessly in your arms, chubby fingers curling tightly around your shirt, her small head resting trustingly against your shoulder.

Quinn’s cousin chuckles, watching you both. “You’ve got some kind of superpower,” she says, amused.

You smile down at the baby, shifting your arms to hold her closer as you sway gently, instinctively.

“She just needed someone to chat with,” you murmur, your voice soft and soothing.

You don’t see Quinn across the room, his gaze fixed on you, like he’s trying to memorise this scene, the tenderness in the way you hold the baby, your gentle laugh, the look in your eyes. His chest tightens, that strange warmth filling him again that’s both beautiful and a little overwhelming.

From beside him, his mom nudges his arm lightly. “You’ve got a look there, Quinn,” Ellen says quietly, watching him watch you.

Quinn gives a faint smile, eyes still locked on you, almost in disbelief.

“She’s… good with kids,” he says softly, as if the realisation itself has him feeling a little unsteady. “Just — look at her.”

Ellen’s face softens, a knowing smile lighting her eyes. “Some people just have that kind of warmth. Kids feel it. She’s going to be such a wonderful mom someday.”

Quinn glances at her, but his gaze quickly finds its way back to you, his heart doing an uneven thud as he watches you look down at the baby, cooing softly as her eyes close. You look up then, meeting his eyes, and you send him the sweetes smile, one that makes him feel like he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.

His mom places a hand on his back. “You’d make a wonderful dad, too, Quinn,” she whispers.

Quinn swallows hard, feeling a sudden swell of emotion he wasn’t prepared for. His mom’s words settle over him, and he feels it, the truth of them, sinking in deep. He’s always thought about it in passing, but the whole idea feels closer, more real, like something he could almost reach out and touch.

“You really think so?” he murmurs, voice barely audible, eyes flickering to his mom.

Ellen nods, her hand a steady presence on his back. “Absolutely,” she whispers, surprised that he even has to ask, her smile softening. “Have you two talked about kids lately?”

Quinn’s face flushes slightly as he keeps his gaze on you.

“A little,” he admits quietly, a small, almost shy smile creeping onto his face. “I mean, I think about it all the time.”

Ellen chuckles, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “Well, whenever you’re both ready, you’ll be wonderful parents.” She pauses, trying to keep her smile from widening. “I can see it already. A Baby Hughes with those gorgeous dark waves,” she laughs, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

Quinn shakes his head, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he gently swats her hand away. “Mum,” he murmurs, trying to hide how much he’s secretly loving the idea.

Ellen laughs, her hand falling to his shoulder in a gentle squeeze. “No pressure, of course,” she says, though there’s a glimmer of excitement in her eyes that she can’t quite hide. “But when you do, I know you two will make a great team.” She looks back over at you, voice dropping. “You both have so much love to give.”

As he watches you across the room, swaying gently with his cousin’s baby asleep in your arms, he can’t shake the feeling that someday, hopefully soon, this picture will be a little different — a little closer to home.

Later that night, in the cosy guest room at his parents’ house, you lie curled up against Quinn’s side, watching the soft flicker of the TV in the dim light. His arm is wrapped around you, fingers tracing gentle patterns on your shoulder as you both unwind from the family gathering.

In his other hand, he’s casually scrolling through his phone, when he pauses, then turns the screen your way. It’s a picture his cousin posted of her daughter in your arms at the party. In the photo, you’re smiling softly, looking down at the baby as she rests against you, and the sight of it, even through a screen, makes his chest warm.

“That’s a good picture,” he murmurs, his voice quiet, thoughtful.

You smile, curling up closer to him, resting your head against his shoulder. Something about that moment earlier had felt so natural, so easy. And as you look at the picture, that feeling stirs again, warming you in a way that feels both exciting and a little nerve-wracking.

After a pause, you swallow softly, gathering your thoughts, and then, before you can second-guess yourself, you say, “hace you thought about having… you know, a baby? Starting a family?”

Quinn tenses for a split second, and you can feel his heart pick up, thumping faster under your cheek. He pulls back a little to look at you, eyes wide with surprise.

“Did my mom talk to you?” he asks, a hint of suspicion, as if he’s caught onto something.

You let out a laugh, the tension breaking instantly, and sit up, leaning back against the headboard as you turn your body toward him, raising an eyebrow. “No, why would she?”

Quinn rubs the back of his neck, chuckling softly. “She, uh… she sort of mentioned it earlier. Said she thought we’d make a great team as parents.”

He glances down, a hint of a blush dusting his cheeks, and there’s a shy look in his eyes when he looks back up at you. The gentle vulnerability in his expression makes your heart squeeze, and you can’t help but smile.

“So,” you say, voice small, “what do you think?”

He shifts a little closer, his hand sliding to the back of your knee, fingers tracing gentle patterns. “I’ve actually thought about it a lot lately,” he says, his voice steady, direct, like he’s sharing a part of himself he’s been holding onto for a while. He glances at you, his hand giving your thigh a soft squeeze.

There’s a quiet intensity in his eyes, an openness that makes your heart flutter. “I just… I can see it, you know?” he continues, a faint smile tugging at his lips as his eyes linger on yours. “Us, with a little one. And…” He chuckles, pausing, looking a bit shy, “I wouldn’t mind if that happened sooner rather than later.”

You feel a warmth rise in your cheeks, the blush creeping up as you take in his words, your heart skipping a beat. He’s watching you with such earnestness, a quiet hope in his gaze that matches the longing you’ve kept close to your own heart.

You say it softly, almost like a secret, “I’ve been thinking about it, too.”

The words settle into the quiet between you, filling the space with a warmth that’s been building, unspoken, for weeks. Neither of you rushes to say more, just letting the admission linger, letting it shape into something real and close.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

i wrote homeward a little while ago that sorta touches on this too if u wanna check that out too hehe

requests are open - let’s daydream!

[andy-wm]

Back to WHO : the MV

This is a continuation of the earlier post that discusses the song WHO, by Jimin. That post was a first impression focused on the lyrics - while this one looks more closely at the MV.

(Remember this is my interpretation, not an official statement by Hybe)

The more times I watched the music video, the more I wanted to yell, because look...

IT'S REALLY STARING US IN THE FACE.

And again, kudos to Jimin's team because it's the most obvious thing in the world ever but only if you ALREADY KNOW what's going on.

Here's a summary:

The music video loosely represents Jimin's attraction/sexuality/love life as a timeline.

New colours - a new spectrum shall we say - filter into his life even though he's trying so hard to 'keep to the program'.

He searches high and low for a girl to love, but alas, nobody makes the fireworks happen for him. Then Billboard Boy crashes into his life, threatening to destroy everything. Jimin has to weather the storm and figure out where his place is because Billboard Boy is a major disruptor - a tornado in fact. In the end, the fireworks are popping and the chaos is happening, and Jimin has to just go with it and finds his place again. His colours have been getting brighter and louder as he goes along and in the end he's prepared to walk away from everything in order to be the spectrum he is.

<<I'm not saying it's literally a count of how many girls or boys or enbys he's kissed. I hope his kissed all of them and then some, frankly, but that's none of my business.>>

A few things to pay special attention to:

Burning cars > cars = masculinity. fire = hot. 1+1=2.

Dancers > people he's interacting with

Rough weather, as represented by the wind-whipped papers and eventually even cars being tossed about the set > His attraction to men (and dare I say it, culminating in a focus on one man in particular)

Colour flares, machine text, and marks on the tape (horizontal lines etc)

Are you ready? Let's go...

Jimin enters the scene looking like sex on legs (no surprises) and strolls casually onto the road. Immediately our view of hm is blocked by a pop-art style poster blowing across the screen. It's immediately followed by a car coming around the corner onto the road. The car is on fire. Jimin watches it pass by and follows it.

He follows the burning car.... and so it begins.

The narrative starts from before BTS even exists. Jimin encounters several female dancers who he has brief and sexy interludes with. In fact i don't think there's a single woman in this MV who he doesn't at least look at. He really does try everything (and everyone) in his efforts to find HER.

BUT WAIT.... rewind...

Let's go back to the poster... it depicts a street scene much like the one we see here, with the words:

WHO IS!! TORNADO OF LOVE

Note: those are exclamation points not question marks.

It's not a question. This is telling us UP FRONT IN BIG LETTERS that 'WHO' is tornado of love.

I could probably stop here and just say 'ok go watch it again' but it's too much fun to go through all the details.

So let's continue...

Jimin has a little more steamy choreo with the female dancers before the lyrics tell us he has so many people to see and places to go, and he leaves them and joins 6 other men in what looks like a work environment....

Hello we are BTS!

Yes you guessed it... like Yoongi did in Haegum, Jimin has his members represented here. (Fan chant going off in my head...) and more delicious choreography follows.

Notice that while Jimin was dancing with the girls, the only signs of rough weather were a few glittery specs floating through the air, barely noticable. Those bits of glitter multiply when he joins the 6 men, and instead of a sprinkling of glitter, it starts looking like a light snowfall.

That's all about to change....

The first moment of reckonning:

At the end of this section of choreo, as Jimin sings 'who is my heart waiting for' and moves into the next phase we have a barely visible flash of light across the screen and rainbow colours bleed into the footage (at 1.14).

This is also the moment the significant rough weather starts. I'd say this is where Jimin starts noticing how he feels, and the turmoil begins, because this is also where he makes eye contact with the camera (1.23).

He sees us watching.

Fuck. I had a moment here. There's a look on his face as he walks past the camera and stares right into it.

AUTO CALLIBRATION...

As another millisecond flash of light and rainbow colours seep into the footage, The machine text 'AUTO CALLIBRATION' appear on the screen and flash there for a couple of seconds.

CALLIBRATE: To standardise... by determinning the deviation from a standard so as to ascertain the proper correction factors (Meriam-Webster definition).

"Get a hold of yourself, Jimin. Reset (your behaviour and desires) to correspond with expectations"

Jimin makes a very determined bee-line for the nearest girl and dances with her, ignoring the burning car in the foreground.

This brings us to the next phase of the narrative, and the next location - the performance space in front of the OASIS cinema.

(Do you see the doors of the cinema - BTS referenced again).

As he dances with this girl, the camera zooms out and we see that a crowd has gathered outside the cinema, watching them, but the crowd does not seem friendly and the dance seems performative - the movements are exagerated and obvious. The girl has Jimin in a headlock at one point and then she pushes him away and leaves. All in all it's an unpleasant event.

At this point the BTS members return (Although now there's one missing) and they dance with and around a number of female dancers. flashes go off in the crowd as the choreo is performed.

As they dance the wind picks up quickly and papers and cans are blown about. Even when Jimin is obviously interacting with female dancers the weather continues to pick up. Dancing with the girls isn't helping.

The camera pulls back and we see the same car as before, still on fire.

This is the moment when the penny (or billboard) drops.

All the other dancers scatter, dissapearing in a matter of seconds as the billboard comes crashing down. The billboard blocks his path. Wherever he had been planning to go - or whatever course of action he had planned to take - this man on the billboard forces a new decision. Jimin has to rethink his plans.

Jimin turns and goes in the opposite direction to everyone else. (A similar scene occured in Like Crazy, Jimin going the other way, rejecting the norm, going against the tide).

The machine text flashes "REWIND ... REWIND" on the screen and we see Jimin heading back to where all this started... where the original car on fire was seen.

He's travelling his own path now, but as he walks, alone in what seems to be the wrong direction, we see the store lights brighter, reflecting off cars and filling the space around him.

He's going through the motions with the girls he passes but the interactions are brief and in one case he actually dodges the girl completetly.

He retraces his steps amidst the chaos, and the weather really goes nuts. Now there are cars being thrown through the air, streetlamps exploding. The storm is almost upon him.

As Jimin steps into that original street again, the one with the neon letters spelling BLISS, the machine text reads PLAY. It's almost ike he's having a redo, where he accepts who he is from the start and allows the chaos to happen. And the chaos DOES happen, because the tornado has arrived.

THE TORNADO OF LOVE.

There's a flash and the whole screen is flooded with colours, blanking out the footage.

Jimin can no longer dance in step with everyone else at this point. He's doubled over, belting those high notes at the climax of the song while the chaos rages in the background. Without the music to give his actions context, it almost looks like hes in agony.

Sparks fly, lights flash, even the film itself is affected...

He eventually gets it together and rejoins the choreography, picking up his life so to speak. But his callibration is forever changed. the colours that bled into his life are there for good now, and and as he walks away after the music stops, we see that those colours are not just for the performance, they exist outside of that.

A note about the light flares we see throughout the MV:

It was really hard to catch these, some of them were literal milliseconds. I had to slow the MV down to play at .25 original speed and even then they were fleeting - well hidden.

Only the one at the very end was really visible.

In this one, the word PAUSE appears, as the MV ends. I wonder if that relates to their military service?

The flares of light and colour, those rainbow flashes, aren't always easy to find. Youvhave to be prepared to seek them out.

We will find them if we look for them, but i think Jimin won't show his true colours until after the lights go down and the performance is over.

I respect his decision (if that's what that is) and i will continue to meet him here his stands. I'll support everything he does knowing what I know and I'll continue to search for and uncover the hidden messages he sends us.

[ineffable-suffering]

INEFFABLE META MASTERPOST

Because I'm slowly losing count and need to organize. So, here's all my self-written metas or ones that I reblogged with my own added theories and commentary! In rainbow colours, naturally.

1 – Aziraphale, I love you. But you lied. And here's why. My most lengthy and proudest meta about the Final Fifteen and why I think Aziraphale lied on purpose. (Also: The absolute darling @esthermitchell-author bravely fought their way through it and wrote up some more interesting points and different takes on what I came up with. If you want to go down a S2 rabbit hole with us, go read it here.)

2 – Why Aziraphale is an unreliable narrator (links below) A three-part meta in which I try to analyse and explain that all of the minisodes in Season 2 are not objective narrations but actually Aziraphale's memories.

Part 1: The Story of Job

Part 2: The Story of wee Morag

Part 3: The Story of the Magic Show in 1941

3 – The Jane Austen Ball and why it was never about Nina and Maggie A meta in which I go into unnecessarily great detail about how the Whickber Street Meeting Cotillion Ball was meant to be Aziraphale's confession to Crowley.

4 – Crowley & Aziraphale were never free (reblog) A reblog of @baggvinshield's post in which I explain why miscommunication is the single biggest ineffable enemy in Season 2.

5 – In Defense of Aziraphale (double reblog) A double try at explaining why I think Aziraphale's POV in the Final Fifteen is just as horrible as Crowley's and why I don't think him "choosing" to go back to Heaven was the only point of his character journey.

6 – The Art of Miscommunication: Ineffable Edition A meta in which i once again explain why miscommunication is the single biggest ineffable enemy in Season 2.

7– Season 2 Bookshop Shot Meta A meta where I briefly loose my mind because of a single bookshop frame in Season 2.

8 – What if it wasn't Aziraphale and Crowley who performed the 25 Lazarii miracle? A mini-meta in which I propose the theory that Jimbriel helped with the miracle to hide himself away from Heaven & Hell.

9 – Things in Good Omens Season 2 I still find weird (reblog) A reblog of @ok-sims and many other great OPs' thoughts on the weird loose strings in Season 2 and what unanswered questions I still have myself.

10 – The Deleted Bookshop Scene (reblog) A reblog of @skirtdyke's video and @i-only-ever-asked-questions' smart thoughts on it, with my own overly-excited 'what that could have meant for the "It's too late" line'-theroy.

11 – The Bentley Handle Easter Egg A meta I can proudly say has been liked by none other than Mr. Neil Gaiman himself about Crowley's Bentley handle that might have existed before the Bentley ever did.

12 – The F*cking Eccles Cakes A meta where I briefly loose my mind because of a pastry. (Addendum: People said very smart things in the comments of the post!)

14 – Re: "You go too fast for me, Crowley" A meta in which I make myself sad by connecting that infamous line to Aziraphale assuming Crowley wanted the Holy Water as a suicide pill.

13 – Trauma-Dumping on your plants: The Anthony J. Crowley Chronicles A meta on why Crowley treats his plants the way that he does.

14 – Demonic Mental Health Awareness Post In which I talk about why I want to get Crowley a therapy voucher.

15 – The Curious Incident of The Flaming Sword in Good Omens A meta on why the Flaming Sword has no deeper meaning. Or does it? (Updated: here's a reblog from @queerfables who did a wonderfully exellent job at calmly explaining all the swordy questions I was yelling about! Consider this meta solved.)

16 – Ceci n'est pas une plume A meta in which I'm a bit of a nerd for language and also explain why learning French and magic the human way says so much about Aziraphale as a character.

17 – The meaning of "I forgive you" A meta in which I explain what both "I forgive you"s mean and why Aziraphale will always fight for what is right until he wins. Also, the lovely @sharksbeerr translated it to Chinese on Weibo!

18 – Memory, or the lack thereof, in Season 2 A little reblog on how memory is a big and unresolved, leaky-bucket theme in Season 2.

19 – „It‘s always too late.“ (ft. Crowley‘s watch)

A short meta about that lines from Season 2 that won‘t leave my brain (and also Crowley‘s mysterious watch).

Addendum:

The one non-spoiler-y ask I could come up with about S2 that was actually answered by Neil, yay!

Also, this wholesome little post I added to that Mr. Gaiman also reblogged. :‘)

*** This is a work in progress and will get updated every time I post a new meta! ***

[heedthetenofwands]

cw: mild physical violence, physical assault, murder, threat of kidnapping

Hear me out but an Aladdin slash Bridgerton König x reader fic where you are dreading the start of the season. As a woman who had been on the marriage mart for a few years now, you knew that pretty much everyone regarded you as expired milk, curdling further with every day that you weren’t married.

You already knew the chances of you getting a love match were the slimmest it's ever been. So, a week before the season started up again, when the candles had been blown and the moon was high, you changed into some servant’s clothing and ordered a ride to the common folks’ town.

Now, stepping out from the carriage and ignoring the footman’s worried face, a grin spreads across your face at the bright and bustling scene before you.

Your eyes dart excitedly to the decorations on the stalls that lined the usually quaint town, you find your mouth watering at the fresh food that was being served. But loud rambunctious cheers capture your attention that leads you to a fighting ring.

You're just in time for the next round and you cheer with the crowd at the first fighter's entrance. But it's the second contestant that falters you.

Your eyes linger first at the mask, the last nail of an already intimidating figure. Broad shoulders and arms hugged the top of his shirt; your eyes trail down to thick and strong legs filling his pants. When you make your way back to the dark mask, you're met with frosty-blue eyes.

You immediately avert your gaze to the ground, utterly mortified that you had been caught practically salivating over a stranger. You try to keep your mind pure when you bring your focus back to the match as the fight starts.

The fighters watch their other, and the crowd seems frozen in time in anticipation, you included. But in a blink of your eye, the two men begin, fists exchanging and the two ducking and weaving. It looks like a tight match but you watch the masked man's clever footwork unknowingly push his opponant in a corner. The poor guy didn't stand a chance with no escape from the taller man's blows. You jump to your feet in celebration as he is declared the victor.

Your eyes never leave his form when he leaves. And when you see him again outside of the tent, he seems lost in his own mind.

"Hi." You say hesitantly.

He turns to face you, a wash of softness painting his eyes when he takes you in.

"I just wanted to congratulate you once more. It's my first time attending such an event, and you were an incredible fighter." His silence leaves you nervous. "Truly." You add earnestly.

The corners of his blue eyes crinkle a little in what you hope is a small smile, "That is kind of you, miss."

His voice is more boy-ish that you expected, and with an Eastern-European accent you don't hear often. So gentle too. "It is not simply kindness." You assure him with a teasing smile. He chuckles at that and you are satisfied. "Thank you for your time, sir, I will let you be treated."

"No need, miss." He adds quickly when you turn to leave.

You turn back to him, "Do you not need ice for your bruises?" You inspect him some more, "And those bandages need replacing."

"Eh, it's OK." He waves off the comments but this only deepens your frown.

"Stay here." You tell the man.

"Where are you going?" He calls to you, a hint of amusement colouring his tone.

"I'll be back!" You reassure him.

You quickly return to your carriage, having the footman buy some ice from nearby stalls while you found the bandages and medical equipment you knew your father kept for work.

Swiftly, you return to him and get him to sit down. He follows your orders but attempts to halt your assistance.

"Miss, it's OK." He says, sitting down.

You hand him a pack of ice instead, "Use this for the swelling of those bruises."

He takes it, albeit with a sigh. "At least tell me the name of my healer?"

Your face warms at that, my healer, before reminding yourself he's being jovial. You tell him your name and then ask for his.

"König." He tells you.

"Well, König, is it OK if I replace these bandages." You gesture to his arm.

"Please." He says simply.

You sit next to him, setting up the equipment but also ignoring that you'll be touching a man's arm. You shudder to think what would happen if anyone from society saw you. But, you reasoned to yourself, you saw your father treat patients all the time and you weren't going to make this peculiar at all.

Though, you weren't able to look König in the eye while touching him so casually. Firm muscle laid the foundation for his scarred and healing skin. You try and not linger your touch any longer than appropriate. But it's difficult, in your peripheral you can see him watching you and his broad chest rising and falling with his breathing and-

"So, how did you become a boxer?" You ask, quickly. Realising that you were letting your thoughts consume you. You don't see the fond look König sends your way when he replies.

From there, the two of you fall into easy conversation; his warm voice easing your concentration. Before you know it, your work is done. The gratitude that König expresses leaves you warm all over as he praises your work and thanks you profusely.

"You didn't have to do this." He tells you. You shrug, giving him a small smile. "At least let me show you around, this is your first year attending, right?" He offers you his arm.

You accept with a grin but inside your minds ablaze. You had danced with gentlemen before but never had you been so close to a man unsupervised and so informal. But, before you knew it, linking your arm with König came naturally. He was a strong anchor in the rush of the people and you didn't even hesitate excitedly tapping his arm when you saw a food stall you wanted to stop by for dinner.

Where you were normally so stiff with dances and interacting with gentlemen in ballrooms and such, dinner with König was engaging; he asked you questions and seemed genuinely interested in who you were. While you did have to hide your identity, giving him some story about you visiting from the country side, staying a bit away from the town - you appreciated his intention nonetheless.

Your heart sank as you saw everyone packing up for the night. König held you closer, as if not wanting to say goodbye. You knew that you had to return, though.

"König, thank you for tonight." You say.

"No, thank you." He says your name, almost like a prayer.

"I should probably return home."

He nods, "Will you come back?"

You smile, "Of course! The festival is a week long right?"

His form slumps a little in relief and, before you can think, you take his hands and look him in the eye; promising to meet him once more.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Over the next week, you snuck out every evening to see König's match and then spend time together at the festival. It was another night where he was crowned the winner but he had caught an illegal punch to the face where you had to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"I'll turn around, you put the ice on your eye OK?" You say. He nods and you turn away.

"I'm sorry." He tells you.

"For what?"

"The mask."

"Don't apologise, König." You reassure him. But curiosity gnaws at you. "May I ask why you wear it? You don't have to if you don't want to though."

The silence sits comfortably between the two of you until König says, "I'm not worth looking at."

You're stunned by his words. This was a man who had won every match you'd seen him fight, who sought you first everytime in the crowd, sending you the cockiest grin after meeting your gaze. König was the last person you'd think was self-conscious.

"I highly doubt that, König.” You tell him. He doesn’t respond. You chew your mouth a little, wanting to alleviate his mood. So, you tell him, “I think I’m going to be married off soon.”

“What!?” He exclaims, as if he’s been punched.

You laugh a little, “No one from my village will marry me. My parents will have to arrange one.”

“They’re all idiots.” You smile as he curses something in German.

“I don’t know. I think there’s something wrong with me.”

“There isn’t.”

You hum dismissively. You’re too caught up in your own thoughts that you don’t hear König come up behind you until you’re enveloped in his arms. He hugs you as if protecting you from whatever your mind is saying. His body is a shield you happily let come around you. You give your thanks before whispering to him, “I’d love to see you one day, König.”

He whispers something gentle to you in german, you can't tell what it means but it sounds like a promise.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“I’m still confused.” König says the next evening.

“Of what?” You reply.

“Why must you be married off?”

“Oh.” You practically deflate in your seat, “My parents have always wanted a specific life for me. Get married to a wealthy man, have many children and take care of his estate.” You shrivel in your seat just thinking about it, "But I don't- I don't want that."

“What do you want?” He asks gently.

You have to pause, using your mouthful of food to think, until you reply, "I want to travel. See the world and all. And have a love match."

He smiles at you, at least you think from the uplift of his eyes, and you return it before changing the topic.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You're in trouble.

Sneaking out to the town was only meant to be a couple times for the festival week but now, a fortnight since your first escape as well as being a week after the festival had been wrapped up, here you were helping König pack up his shop.

And you didn't want to leave.

"So, you're a blacksmith?" You ask him as you watch him clean up around his shop. He nods and you smile, "That explains the arms." You chuckle at the bashful way he crosses them.

But your mood continues to dimmer as you think of the season ahead and how you won't have nights like this soon. You should tell him. Explain everything.

But you don't, you don't utter a single word as you and König walk out to the edge of the town; gazing together at the night sky and trying not to stare too long at the other.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You had been getting clumsy. You hadn't even realised that you were being followed. You must have only been a couple minutes away from reaching König's shop before you felt the overwhelming sense that something was wrong. Fear grips its talons into your back as you turn around, only to be grabbed with a large hand covering your mouth.

You're stock still for a moment, your brain trying to wrap around the horror of what's happening. It's when you're attacker tries to drag you away do you bite down on his hand with all you're might.

He swears harshly at you, letting you go to clutch at his bleeding hand. You turn to run but another man grabs you once more. You scream for help before he punches your face and you're left sobbing at the assault.

"Don't hurt me." You cry. They ignore you, the man you had bitten grabbing you again, this time keeping a knife to your throat while while the other raids your pockets.

"Don't know how you thought your prissy debutante self could come down here without getting hurt. Naive whore." He says slyly when he sees your wallet filled with coins. You're shaking when he grabs your face to meet his gaze, "But they're gonna love you."

You close your eyes at that, your mouth dry and breathing hard hearing him chuckle as if he's said something funny. But then you hear him groan and then, collapse? Opening your eyes, you see the man who had been taunting now you on the ground and bleeding heavily. The arms that were keeping you bound were suddenly shaking. You look up.

"König." You whisper.

"Let her go." König tells the man behind you, eerily calm. It's obvious your attacker is intimidated, his panicked breaths heating the back of your neck.

"If I let her go, you won't hurt me?" He asks. König nods.

You're shoved away and into König's arms. He catches you, holding onto you with such strong overwhelming relief and you let your body fold into his. It's only when he lets go of you to check your injuries that you see that the man who had let you go was just a bit away. Head to the ground, a knife sticking to the back of it. The sight unknots your stomach; your eyes looking fondly to König.

"König." You say, he pauses his quiet ramblings and fussing over you, "Thank you."

"Of course, meine Liebe." He says, brows furrowed as if there was no need and you're so endeared by this man and he's so close. You look at the edges of his mask and then to his eyes; you think he knows what you want to do. So you reach up.

But just as you do, you're pulled away. You start to protest but fall silent as you recognise the uniform; the queen's soldiers. König calls out to you but you see two soldiers sneak upon him and strike him so that he fell to the ground, allowing them to place handcuffs to his wrist.

You're enraged. "No! What are you doing? He's done nothing wrong!"

"I wouldn't call killing two civilians 'nothing'." The soldier tells you.

"They attacked me!" You shout. "Look." He ignores you pointing to your mark. "They robbed me and were going to hold me captive! And let go of me for God's sake." You pulled at his grip on your arm.

"Why? So you can try and protect your psycho boyfriend?" He mocks.

You see red at his comment, but looking at his grip on your arm reminds you that you're still wearing your servant's garb. You look over to where König is and can hear the soldiers taunting him, attempting to remove his mask. He may have seemed strong, still tall even while kneeling, but you could see the fear in his eyes.

"I don't think my family will be happy knowing I was treated this way." You tell him. Just from his raised brows you could tell he didn't believe you. Quickly, you raise your sleeve to reveal the bracelets you had forgotten to take off that evening. Bracelets clearly only upper class women could have. At the sight of them, the soldier finally looks at you, seemingly recognising your face and releasing your arm.

"My lady." He bowed slightly but you ignore him to run to König's side.

You stand between him and the soldiers, "Leave him be! He's done nothing wrong." You yell at them.

They seem annoyed before the head guard tells them, "She's a debutante. She needs to return home."

"What?"

You turn around, and see König looking at you; so confused. Your mouth twists in shame, "König, I'm so sorry. It was only meant to be a couple of nights. I never meant to deceive you."

His eyes reveal nothing. His pair of soldiers go around you to force König to his feet. You begin to protest but the head soldier steps in front of you.

He tells you sternly, "If he is innocent, he will be let go." So much more civilised and polite now that your class had been revealed, you note furiously.

You manoeuvre yourself around him and see König be placed at the back of the carriage you yell to him, "König! I'm so sorry, I promise I'll fix this." You can't help the sob that escapes your lips.

His bright blue eyes are filled with gentleness, you think he might be trying to comfort you, you hear him call out your name. But you're left with silence as he's led into the dark streets and you are taken home.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Your parents were furious. Though, you barely heard their rants over your stream of worry for König. You got the gist nonetheless: How could you do this to us? Your final chance for a match and this is how you prepare. This is why you never go to the town!

"You are to never see that man again." You come alive at that order.

"What? No! I have to make sure König's OK!"

"He is a murderer." They tell you coldly.

"He saved my life!"

"You wouldn't have been down there if not for him."

"No." You feel light-heated, "You can't do this, it's my fault he is to be put in prison. I have to set him free."

"You are not doing anything except finding a proper match this season."

You feel your hands twitch; for a noose or knife you can't decide.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

True to their word, you are locked in your room every spare minute you have. Night after night, you desperately try and escape back to König's side but you're intercepted by the elite force your parents had bought for. The best that money could buy. They called them the 141.

"Sir Garrick, Sir Mactavish, please." You beg them after they caught you in the halls once more.

"I apologise, Miss." Sir Garrick said.

"We 'ave orders." Sir Mactavish tells you.

"My friend is in danger!" You exclaim before they lock your bedroom door.

"The blacksmith?" You hear from the side, their leader, Sir Price. "Miss, I don't think they'll be putting away their only blacksmith in the town. The worse he could get is a fee, possible restrictions but that would be it."

It's reasonable, you think, Sir Price's voice and words have an authority that should put you at ease, but they don't.

Sir Riley notices the conflicted look on your face, "It's something else isn't it?"

You panic at his observation, "No, no."

Soap catches on, "Aye, you right Ghost, I mean, there's no way a woman of her standing would fall for a penniless fool."

"You shut your goddamn mouth." You hiss at the man, realising your mistake far too late.

Sir Garrick remarks, "Left things rocky?"

"You could say that." You reply quietly.

"Listen." Sir Price approaches, palms up as if offering you a peace offering, "Attend the first ball of the season peacefully, no tricks no attempts to leave. Make your folks think you've moved past all of this. Then they'll probably let us go."

"We're expensive." Sir Garrick points out, "And no offence but our missions are usually more life-treatening material." He says in jest.

You roll your eyes but laugh, finally feeling hopeful, "So, play nice for tomorrow evening. And then I can see him?" Price nods and you sigh, finally conceding, "OK. No more from me then, good night." They all bid their goodnights and you close your bedroom door.

You get ready for bed with a lightness in your chest, that flows through you, right to the balls of your feet. With a smile that wouldn't dimmer under the hope of seeing König again.

˚₊‧꒰ა . ——— ˗ˏˋ ✮ ˎˊ˗ ——— ˖ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

The first ball was business as usual. No matter how extravagant or elegant you looked and dressed, your reputation proceeded you - along with your age.

That's what you thought anyway, but as you descended the staircase towards the dance floor there was one man whose eyes would never leave your figure.

You had never seen him before, a tall man with auburn hair, blue eyes and a crooked nose. A striking figure, certainly, but it was the way he looked at you that made you pause. It was as if you had captured his every attention; it was clear others were trying to talk to him but he ignored their attempts to follow your descent.

When you reached the main floor. You heard fellow debutantes talk about the mysterious newcomer.

"A prince!" One exclaimed excitedly.

"Seeking a match this season." Another whispered.

"He's so tall, and his figure too." One chimes in.

Eventually, you block it out, you doubted that he had anything on the only man your mind would think about.

You went to your usual place, by the food table, where you would not be disturbed. You didn't care about dancing anyway. You just had to get through tonight, unnoticed and all will be OK-

"Pardon me, Miss." You hear an unfamiliar, and yet so fond, voice disturb your racing mind. You turn to the man and find yourself face to face with the talk of the evening.

For a prince he seems, almost nervous? You don't blame him, nearly everyone is baffled by his decision to approach you. Calm down people, you think to yourself, he just wants some food.

"Your highness," you bow to him, this only seems to spook him though, "I apologise, I'll move-"

"Wait! Please." He interrupts you. Now it's your turn to be confused. Your stunned silence is soon filled with the sound of the orchestra starting their piece for the first dance of the evening. Now he will finally leave, you think, likely to ask the Diamond this season for this dance; the first is always imperative for courting.

But, he's not going at all. In fact, he bows slightly to you and your breath catches in your throat as he offers you a hand. The murmurs that spread around the room are enough to rival the strings. But they are nothing to the soft pleading words that leave the prince's mouth.

Starting with your name, said as if it was just the two of you, and then, "I would be honoured if you gave me the privilege of this dance."

[randomyuu]

the way it follows you home, the stories i never told

My guy Vox once again graced us with lovely Goyuu fanfics, and the way it follows you home, the stories i never told, made me go FERAL.

Time travel? Two Gojou Satorus? Double affection for our sunshine Yuuji? Yuuji sandwich? What feels like possible continuation of (you'll whisper, serpent tongue) what you fear you have become???

FUCK.

I need to stop indulging my imagination too much. I should’ve been content with writing long-ass comments but noooooo, my brain goes “you gotta draw it”. DAMMIT VOX, YOU AND YOUR DELICIOUS WRITINGS HHHHHH

So… usually I should’ve picked a favourite scene that is within my drawing capability, but I just… love all three chapters??? So I made a questionable time investment? I can’t stop??? Help???

This is probably the most ambitious fanart project I’ve ever done so far. Fair enough, considering I might combust if I keep these welled-up emotions inside from reading Vox’s Goyuu fics. Fuck.

Fic info:

Title: the way it follows you home, the stories i never told

Author: @voxofthevoid

Pairing: YuuGoGo. Future!Yuuji, Future!Gojou, Teen!Gojou

(idk why I laugh writing YuuGoGo. I’m beyond help)

Currently, it is 3 chapters out of 8. And it’s gonna be NSFW chapter 4 onwards, so don’t forget to read the tags first, folks!

The drawings are under Read More, because I have lots of thoughts surrounding each chapter and drawings. It’ll be hella long if I didn’t hide it here. It was a mess down there. A combination of hours before, during, and after I read said fic. I’d say good luck finding the art among the sea of jumbled words but… you’ll find them easily. Don’t worry about it haha

SPOILERS FOR ALL 3 CHAPTERS! I highly recommend reading those first before diving into these drawings!

Also for the comics, read from right to left please!

From here on, I will be referring to the Future!Gojou as Gojou and the teenage one as Satoru.

Overall, drawing all these is fun! Really fun! This project pushed me quite hard, forcing me to test my limit (because I rarely draw this much back to back). Since this is a combination of drawings and comics, the coloring style will not be consistent. In a way, I want to try some brushes I never get to use, as well as try out my new graphic tablet. Drawing these got me giggling because I was finally able to let loose during line art. It's much easier to do so, and sometimes I just get to reread the fic and giggle to myself for the nth time.

CHAPTER 1:

Whooo. Whooooooooo—

Ok, ok, the premise is just that good. It intrigued me, fascinated me, and I just… oomph. I cannot refuse a Time Travel Yuuji Sandwich. Sign me up.

Honestly, there are two scenes that are just… a bit too clear in my mind when reading this chapter. That would be the one I drew above, and the other is when Yaga called Gojou to come outside of the class. I love, loooove how Vox wrote Satoru’s POV. And when Yuuji fucking giggles?

I lost it.

Can you imagine, drawing Yuuji grins, with shiny stuff, maybe some sunlight, just purely happy and indulging Gojou?

Help me, for I am drowning in my love and adoration for Yuuji.

Page 2 is an experiment on using harsh black as shading (kind of?). I really enjoyed colouring Yuuji, and drawing those buffalo skulls! I wish I can grasp the concept of contrast a bit better tho :v

CHAPTER 2:

This is probably the only chapter where I picture still images instead of comic panels. A bit like those cool chapter covers in mangas. The one I really, really want to draw is the scene with Satoru on the table. Can’t pass the opportunity to highlight Satoru being a brat, albeit a really cool brat.

Cool idea drawing always proves to be a challenge, because of course my artistic skill just so happens to be below the requirement. Thank you, Sketchfab, for the chair and desk’s perspective otherwise I’m screwed lmao

The second scene that I want to draw the most is this:

Gojou is one step away from climbing Yuuji. Also, I have a bit of a problem picturing a man pouting that makes him look crazy instead, so please have Gojou pouting adorably instead. Because, as Yuuji said (with love), Gojou is (also) a brat.

This is possibly my favorite art in this project, after Yuuji's in Chapter 1 page 2. It's clean because I don't have to draw background, and I was having a fun time drawing Yuuji. And Gojou's squishy cheek as well.

Oh, actually, there is a “manga” scene in this chapter. It’s when Yuuji said, “I love Satoru.”

I just—

AAAAAHHHHH YUUJIIIIIII YOU AND VOX ARE GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME. That secure relationship between Yuuji and Gojou? Satoru’s description of how Yuuji’s smile could blot out the sun??? Not me screaming 💀 I also see bits of hints of possible co-dependency, though I could be reading those wrong, but either way I’m good. Secure and possessive relationships are fun to consume hhhhhh

But yeah. There are too many wholesome Yuuji smiles in this fic, and I… I am not confident enough to draw genuine happiness. It’s too much for me ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

For this chapter, another reason why I chose these two scenes is just because I want to try and draw cover-worthy pictures of Yuuji and Satoru, and Yuuji and Gojou (cough)

CHAPTER 3:

We start the chapter with Nanamin. Ah, Nanamin. I forgot what his teen self looked like and was surprised to see his design again lmao

I want to draw Yuuji and Nanami scene because… I just want to, I guess. I have never drawn him before (Yaga as well) so that's an interesting challenge. I got two ideas on how I want to draw it. One is a bit painting-esque, and the other one is like another chapter cover. In the end, I chose the cover one because I want to emphasise the difference between teen!Nanami and the Nanami from Yuuji’s original timeline, and how the watch feels like a connection between the same (yet not) person. It’s a bittersweet feeling? In a way?

I’m not really good at explaining my intention ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

I love Yuuji’s answer to Nanami's question.

AND FINALLY.

A Yuuji SandwichTM scene.

And oh B O I do I love it. Have I told you I like every chapter? I probably have. But this one? Satoru’s curiosity, Yuuji’s on-brand self-deprecation, and Gojou come strolling down to show more of Yuuji to his mini-self. I want to draw this whole scene, from Gojou finding them, feeding Yuuji snacks, bitch-slapping Satoru into the backroom, to Yuuji growling. Them trying to hide a boner from Yuuji’s growl got me cackling so hard I LOVE IT 😭

I love it all. Please love Yuuji in my stead, Satoru and Satonyan :3

Oh! Also! 40-finger Yuuji sounds really, really cool! I’ll be happy with whatever Vox will give us in future chapters, but 40-finger Yuuji… possible scene with this timeline’s Sukuna… my god. The action! The drama! The bloodshed! One can only hope.

However, as much as I love that whole scene, it’s still too much for me :”) I’m still not yet confident in delivering the humour and action. Also my already-long drawing plan had my brain groaning in protest so I can’t push my luck :'D

When Gojou said "He looks sweet, but he's a bit of a beast", I kept picturing Yuuji staring innocently, but there was an edge to his look. As if the moment Satoru looks away, he will pounce. But in the end I just stick with innocent-looking Yuuji because I accidentally drew his eyes that way and I want to keep it in lol

Since Satoru points out how soft and cuddly Yuuji is, I also want to draw soft Yuuji :v

And the last one… is the last scene. For some reason, I read that both Gojou and Satoru share Yuuji’s lap and was having a frustrating yet fun time figuring out how it’s… physically possible, without having their butts on the ground because they both are not small at all. As I lined the art, I reread it again and… perhaps I read it wrong? Satoru is beside Yuuji, and not on his lap? So yeah, this one might be the least accurate, but hey, at least you can view it as a crack drawing or something :v

AAAANNNDDD I HAVE EXCEEDED TODAY’S BRAIN CAPACITY OF FORMING WORDS

Have I told you I love this fic?

…I probably have.

Have an amazing week (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ*

[abstractfrog]

HI I JUST SAW YOUR INCREDIBLE SHERLOCK AND CO COMIC YOU MADE AND I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS AND THE SYMBOLISM AND INTRICACIES AND EVERYTHING PLEASE ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

GOD THANK U ok if i actually talked about EVERYTHING i would be here forever and ever, there were things about the process where it kept surprising me and i kept adding stuff.

I talk about my general comic process here , it started out mostly the same for this one. Analysis of the script, sketches, panel and colour blocking

The scene from Mr Sherlock Holmes presented me with a unique challenge (for me) because...usually I pick scenes from the podcast that are instantly visually stimulating. This scene is NOT that. It's sort of unclear and confusing and even the emotive narrative is sort of hard to pick out. Those things I had to sort of decide for myself. It's hard to draw a whole scene like this without first deciding what the scene is about, what its purpose is. If you go back and listen to the episode along with the comic you'll notice all sorts of changes and tonal shifts - that's because of me and my decision making.

I decided that the direction I wanted to go in was to show John having his realization about himself, his podcast, and Sherlock, showing him getting pulled into, yes, Sherlock's world, but also the world of the podcast as an adaptation. I knew i could do this just with colour, but if you've seen my other comics, you know i almost always use colour to show shifts. I guess I had some insecurity about doing the same thing over and over again so I pushed myself to think of other ways I could accomplish it visual. Enter: rendering technique

I will say I didn't expect this effect to make John seem so SAD and MISERABLE, i only wanted to show him getting pulled in, but its effective for his emotions in this scene as well. Scanning drawings into the computer sort of flattens the paper texture, so I started adding photos of the pages of A Study in Scarlet to make him feel more paper-y. And then, of course, realised i could use that to further elaborate on John's inner thoughts, backgrounds, and motivations. People are welcome to interpreted that how they like and i've seen a number of variations, but to me it operates on sort of a meta level, showing the inevitability of what John is going through. He's a Watson, he's always going to follow Holmes, he's going to try and figure him out, and that's why you sort of see a back and forth between acd and pod Watson, highlighting the ways in which they are similar, and then, John breaks off and becomes his own character, still with those foundations but also entirely different.

there's one piece of text that i haven't seen anyone pick up on or mention and I'm starting to think it's gone unnoticed because it's in an unexpected spot. I won't mention what or where because it is, for now, a very indulgent little secret.

I notice a lot of people are getting a kick out of Sherlock playing with the speech bubbles, which I am so pleased by because I almost didn't do it! I thought i was maybe breaking something in the comic but it was so fun that i didn't care and I'm so glad it came across well. It operates on a lot of levels, it shows his thought process, it plays into that fourth-wall medium play i've got going on, and it feeds into the web metaphor as well as visually showing him roping John in.

on the topic of Sherlock, I feel a lot of people are rather focused on John, which is understandable (he's the main event) but Sherlock has a lot of details I love too.

For instance, him pushing his hair back and putting on a coat when the officer arrives, almost like he's shifted modes, and then his hair falling back down when he gets excited and John starts to understand.

I really love this moment of Sherlock seeing John's potential for interest in mysteries when he's trying to solve the matter of what Sherlock Does, and being surprised and flattered for a moment (until John messes it up again)

John copying Sherlock's pose <3

There's deliberate things in the character design as well, things like the fact that once John comes into colour, it reveals that he's actually wearing more colour than anyone else in the scene, and the fact that the grey in John's hair only appears post-greyscale. Things you are welcome to read into. And there are, of course, the socks, which I've seen people pick up on.

Those are the main things for now so i might leave it there, but thank you so much for your ask and i'd be pleased to elaborate further on absolutely anything!

[54625]

With the upcoming Fit lore later today, I figured it may be useful to transcribe his earlier lore drops for those of you who may not have been there, or want a refresher. These were attempts to contact the contractor to relay information, and happened before the dreams.

-First attempt-

(Text appears on screen.

CONNECTING...

BYPASSING FEDERATION FIREWALL

ATTEMPT FAILED

ERROR)

Fit- Hello, it's me.

Fit- Sorry I've been taking my sweet time.

Fit- I've been busy...

Fit- We need to pivot from our original plan.

Fit- I've adopted a son, and I've been caring for him.

Fit- I've grown attached to him, so he's been my priority.

Fit- Being a single dad is a challenge at times.

Fit- But it's much easier than the nomadic lifestyle.

Fit- Life here is very different from the wasteland.

Fit- But I haven't forgotten our agreement.

Fit- I will fullfil my contractual obligations.

Fit- They're still falling for the whole "vacation" thing.

Fit- I ask that you be patient though, as we have a problem.

Fit- Something called "The Federation" controls this entire island.

Fit- They've been keeping us here.

Fit- As long as they are in the way, I can't access what you are looking for.

Fit- And the anti-cheat on the island is strong.

Fit- I haven't been able to use my abilities.

Fit- The Federation must be eliminated for this to succeed.

Fit- I've gained everyone's trust and made friends...

Fit- I've been helping their fight against the Federation in order to advance our plan.

Fit- Still... It hurts me to see everyone suffering...

Fit- Some have lost things they cared about...

Fit- But this struggle is an unfortunate necessity...

Fit- The conflict is increasing the value of what you seek...

Fit- I know you're paying me...

Fit- But have you considered......

...the true cost?

Fit- regardless of my personal feelings, I'll slowly move the plan forward.

Fit- I hope you find what you're looking for.*

Fit- It's getting late...*

MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND

Disconnecting....

*(it is worth noting that these are messages Fit had previously sent in the Minecraft global chat in that odd font.)

-Second attempt-

(Text appears on screen.

CONNECTING...

BYPASSING FEDERATION FIREWALL)

Fit- Checking in.

Fit- I am messaging you again to keep you updated on my progress.

Fit- The Federation still has full control of the island.

Fit- They've been putting on some strange election....

Fit- I'm assuming to keep everyone occupied.

Fit- However, it seems they've let a vulnerability slip.

Fit- Player data and statistics are being tracked.

Fit- The Federation must have this data stored somewhere on the island.

Fit- If I had to guess, it's likely the computer system of the Federation offices.

Fit- If I tried to break in and access the data, they would likely capture me...

Fit- It would not end well.

Fit- However, whoever wins this election will likely have open access.

Fit- Perhaps they could be persuaded... Or tricked into giving us access.

Fit- I will fullfil the contract.

Fit- And yet... I'm starting to wonder....

Fit- What are you actually trying to achieve?

Fit- Even if I can access the data, what good would it do?

Fit- I'm skeptical, but I hope to hear from you soon........

(This island...... Is worse than I thought....)

(Text appears on screen.

Windows XP

Task failed successfully.

[OK] )

(A cinematic showing various scenes from QSMP and 2B2T play. All the images from the former are in full colour, while all the images from the latter are in black and white. A video of a capybara eating grass plays. It is in black and white.)

If I left anything particularly important out, let me know!

[smilingangel582]

Many many fics for this anime are going wiiild! Heeey guys sooo thanks for the likes and follows . Ik I'm a selfish one to not let yall ask me stuff but I appreciate u all keeping up with my selfishness.

Teeheee, so enjoy another tickle fic from me if ya like!

Warning spoilers for Windbreaker ep 10

Something simple as "love"

Umemiya is the top of Bofurin. Sakura can't even think about competing with him. Even if he often retorted that, he would take the top dog spot someday.

But will he though? What will he achieve then? Will he be someone like Toyama from Shishitoren?

"Sakura-kun~?" A poke to his ribs made him jump a foot and whirled around with his fists like a defence mechanism. His eyes were wide and alert like a cat.

The boy with the eye patch grins at him. Next to him is Nirei, who looks as bright as always.

"Sakura-San, are you OK? You look so deep in thought?" Nirei tilts his head now looking at Sakura, who has been by the window. Lowering his fists with a sigh, he rolls his eyes. "Nothing..."

Suo being the perceptive one, hums under his breath, smirking with adornment, "Are you still hung up on your feelings for Togame-san?"

There it is... the flustered tomato face Sakura-kun they all love.

"Huuuh? Y-you -I am not! I don't like t-that guy!"

His little growl deepened when they both grinned and exchanged fond glances. Sakura grits his teeth with a low grumble, looking sideways.

Suo closes towards him, patting his head as if he's a bashful puppy, "Aww, Sakura-kun, dont very shy... liking someone is very sweet. After all, we like you too"

"Hey!" Sakura slapped his hand, which made Suo poke his side, causing the younger of the two to let out a yelp.

Nirei laughs, gently tugging at his arm, "Sakura-san, are you still embarrassed, I thought Umemiya-san told u about those stuff already?"

Conflicted with reacting to Suo's poke and Nirei's persistence, he just clenched his fists with an inward grumble.

Getting this to his advantage, Suo quickly got behind Sakura to prod his sides again but this time gently and non stop.

"H-hey! N-not that... s-stop it!" Sakura shifted away from him, hopping from one foot to the other, but Nirei hook his arm under Sakura to keep him in place.

"Oh! Ticklish? Sakura-san that's so cute!" The blond's eyes glistened as he mentally noted Sakura cute when he's tickled.

"I Am nohot!" A giggle slips when Suo used his fingers to crawl up his sides. Ah, ribs it is...

"Hmm~ Sakura-kun do you really like your friends?"

Again with this like question?! Sakura groaned as he felt their predatory fingers capture every sensitive spot. Honestly, the last thing he wanted was being tickled. He never felt this before... its not really bad-

"AHHH! SHIHIHIT Thahahahats, ehehehenough!"

Ok, Suo needs to stop tormenting his hips.

Wait? Why are they even tickling him in the first place?

As if Nirei could read his mind he points out, "Sakura-san you need to accept that you love your friends. It's nothing to be embarassed about... you are cool guy even if you say you love us..."

Sakura blushes furiously. The won't even let him revert back to his original colour. He couldn't help but shriek when Suo tackles him to the ground. Instantly causing a scene when the rest of the classmates began to laugh at his predicament.

"OHOHOHOI! SUHUHUO DOHOHONT EVEN TRY!"

"Aww you called my name... does that mean you love me?"

"Eeeh??" Sakura wheezes in embarassment, his throat croaking awkwardly without even saying anything.

"Hey Suo, see if the tough guy is ticklish somewhere else?"

"Dohohohont ehehehencourage hihihim!" Sakura struggled to grab Suo's hands which were miraculously flying around poking his ribs and torso without care. At least his hips are not targeted.

"Oh, what about this spot~?" Nirei from behind whispers in his ear which made him scrunch his shoulder with a shrilled cry, "No!"

Suo's eyes widened with amusement, "Nice Nirei-kun, that has to be one of his worst spots..."

Unable to expose his midriff as his hands are still fight for dear life to protect any spot on his belly but now his shoulders raised up to avoid Nirei's curiois timid fingers around tracing his ears.

"W-wow Sakura-san your ears are even redder whenever I touch them."

"Aw man, Sakura-kun looks cute... its giving me diabetics now"

They laughed at the joke and also Sakura's shrieks of giggly protests that raised and cackled giddily.

His legs kicked and slammed against the floor but they didn't help at all.

"AHAHAHA MEHEHERCY! EHEHEHE IHIHI CANT! EHEHEE"

Nirei stopped but Suo lingered a bit longer now gently tracing patterns over Sakura's sides.

"Admit one thing Sakura..."

"W-Whahahat is ihihit dahahamn it?"

Suo grins, "Say you love your friends"

Silence, Sakura looks pale and his already flsuehd face got brighter like a cherry. The other classmates whooped and hooted playfully, "Sakuraaa~ sayyy you love your friends..."

"Lets hold a wedding for him too~"

Amongst the chatters and laughter. Sakura grumbles but still giggling as Suo just continued his little teasing touches on his stomach, "U-ugh... I dont... wanna... -ack!"

"Hmm~?" Suo scribbled his fingers tips over the one spot across the side of his belly, "Don't wanna or can't do it?"

Nirei chuckles uneasily, "Sakura-san you don't have to force yoursel-"

"No I wanna hear it," Kiryu the pink haired guy with piercings finally removed his airport, with his tilted smile he gestures, "It's not bad to love your friends... its so simple... unless you're afraid..."

Sakura groans, both from that sentence and Suo's merciless taunts. He sigh, "F-Fine just... just let me up..."

Suo stops now, helping Sakura up to his feet. Despite the initial wobble, he straightens up and mumbles, "I don't hate... you guys..."

"Ah ah ah... say it properly Sakura-kun" Suo sways towards him, closely leaning on his shoulder, making Sakura squeak when he felt a hand on his waist, "A-ah alright alright... geez..."

He blushes furiously, now looking sideways tenaciously but with surrender. "I like you g-guys... ok?"

"Louderrrrr~?" Someone from the back teases.

"PUNK! I SAID I LIKE YALL! NOW LEAVE ME BE!" Sakura snaps, raising his arms to ruffle his hair in frustration before he storms away attempting to go outside of the classroom. However as he made it to the door he bumps into Sugishita, who menacingly looks down at him.

"Watch it brat..."

"AAAH? YOU WANNA FIGHT GREASE BALL?" Sakura raised his fists with a growl. Yup, just like a cat. An angry tsundere kitten...

Suo laughs at his own similie before pointing out, "Without Sakura, what will we do? He's so fun..."

Kiryu chuckles along with him. "Indeed, we all need a Sakura-chan to satisfy our lives."

Nirei, being the concerned mother of the group, steps towards Sakura to grab him and hold him back from violence. "S-sakura-san pleaaase don't fight..."

Sakura just hissed at Sugishita, who continues to glare, not really doing anything since he doesn't want to fight behind Umemiya's back. He just gave grimaces and irritated glances further triggering Sakura to anger. Sakura wheezes like a provoked cat... Nirei is strong enough to hold him back luckily.

One of the classmates laughed and gestured with amusement, "Someone tickle Sakura so he'll stop picking unnecessary fights..."

"Oh, right? Now we know his weakness..."

Suo smirks at the suggestion and looks at Kiryu, "Round 2?"

Kiryu winks, with a similar calculative beaming smile. "Ready when you are Suo-chan..." He advances forward where Sakura is, while adding towards the heterocrhomic boy, wiggling his fingers, "Ohhh Sakuraaaa-chaan....~?"

Suo steps forward as well, looking through the spectacle as he waits for his turn.

Freshmen classes aren't always this enthusiastic... but this year... it is very lively. Because they have a Sakura-kun.

[chippedshake]

prompt request: cherry and bob on their first date WALK WITH ME ON THIS ONE

okay okay so I will definitely be writing this in the near future but for now here's the skeleton of my idea because I'm impatient ok (i've never written either of these characters so bear with me):

we open with a Marcia and Cherry scene

Cherry's getting ready to go on her date with Bob and she's kinda not all that excited because she's gone out with guys before and she always thought they were sweet and smart and nice and whatever but they turned out to just be assholes who were into her because she was pretty and popular

so even though she likes Bob, she can't convince herself that he's different from everyone else

I have developed a whole strategy for how she'll pick out her clothes

I love Marcia so even though she isn't in these bullet points you better believe she's gonna be in the fic

Then Bob appears

Cherry describes like an archetype of what first dates are usually like and Bob will subvert. every. single. point.

like 1st one is the guy always shows up with flowers that are always a pain because they die quickly and Cherry doesn't even like flowers all that much but lo and behold Bob shows up with a chocolate chip cookie from her favourite place

when she asks he says she mentioned once that she doesn't like flowers and finds them depressing and that they ran into each other in the bakery a couple months ago and she said it was her favourite place

Bob is down bad okay

1.5th point because I'm adding this later and don't feel like editing everything: the guy will always say "you look pretty" the moment they see her and Cherry doesn't like it because it feel artificial, like it's just their obligation to say it

Bob trained with Bev (idk if you've seen/heard of the musical but she's a Soc girl they made up to be friends with Cherry and Marcia) about what to say to a girl and compliments her earrings in particular and the colour combination

then the 2nd point is that they always bring her to a way too fancy restaurant that neither of them really like

They go out for a picnic and it's actually a really pretty setting and Bob is a terrible cook so he brought like sandwiches or something that his mom had to help him make

also 3rd point. guaranteed awkward silence when they have nothing to talk about, followed by the guy rambling about himself.

First question Bob asks: what do you wanna work as

and they talk about how Cherry wants to be a kindergarten teacher

then she asks the same question back and he says he wants to be a lawyer

when she asks why he just says his dad's a lawyer

maybe a cute moment where she says he’s his own person? idk

4th point: at some point the guy puts his hand on her thigh or something and she tries to wriggle out as subtly as possible

subverted, as usual

I'm sorry but Bob absolutely will earn the "stood out from the crowd" and "he was sweet" title, okay? In Ponyboy’s words: Cherry's smart. She wouldn't like him just 'cause he's good-looking

5th point: they're ridiculously smooth and are still flirting with her on the date, and it feels like they're trying to conquer her or something and it's incredibly uncomfortable

Bob stutters a bit and messes up and goes back on his words and will accidentally make like fifteen innuendos and apologise each time but Cherry likes it because it makes her feel like he actually likes her and is nervous (that's because it's true mijita)

finally, 6th point: they always try to kiss her goodnight even when she makes it abundantly clear they won't be seeing each other again

Bob actually fucking shakes her hand and goes to head back to his car

They end up hugging goodbye and make sure to coordinate a second date

the end

they're very cute and I love them. I hadn't ever thought about them really so thank you for the ask <3333

[aroacedm]

here’s 12 pictures of my art! context after each and my references at the end

tgcf spoilers!

12th

redrawing of the official art from tgcf volume 4! shi qingxuan is my favourite character and he xuan is a close second

this took me a while until i liked it but i wanted to recreate how the original created the ominous feeling and had so much detail and contrast while being in greyscale

11th

from the tgcf manhua, fengqing! i think their my favourite ship, and i hadn’t drawn them before so i tried to give it a go. not a big fan of the proportions but i think it turned out ok.

10th

@oceantherat (this is their favourite character from rain code) showed me the reference picture and i decided to try drawing it as perspective practice. it ended up a little bigger than i though so i couldn’t fit the whole reference, and the mask doesn’t feel rounded, but overall i like it

9th

same guy again! i wanted to try drawing him again but i think the shadows got a bit messed up. my cheap pens smudged a bit but overall i like it

8th

also from the tgcf manhua, this was from a meme that’s become an bit with me and ocean, just felt like drawing something and saw this in my photos

7th

after a dnd session with ocean and some other friends, i drew a scene from ocean’s character’s (also called ocean because that’s not their irl name) flashback! this guy killed her family! he’s one of her relatives! but i really wanted to focus on how dark the scene was, with almost everything being pitch black. i wanted to recreate the scene that left my players going D:

6th

here’s a younger ocean and her cousin that’s more like a brother! i hope nothing bad happens to him… i wanted to draw a picture that helped me as a reference for the backstory, to help build the character relationships and motivations

5th

it’s another character from that dnd campaign when they were younger with their brother figure! except this one is an NPC helping them out! i wanted to try and make the effect of torn paper but didn’t want to risk anything, so i left a bit of uncoloured paper to imitate a layer of partially torn paper. this was also to help when i was writing backstories

4th

this is the npc from the last picture in present time, i wanted to make canon designs for all the characters to help me visualise everything. i hid a few lore elements in this but because ocean is going to see this i can’t explain

3rd

i tried to redraw a picture of me and a friend on a ride together but in a more simple style (no eyes and mouth, ect) i haven’t shown the friend yet but i will soon. i’m the person looking at the camera. i really loved the photo and wanted to try drawing it

2nd

i drew this a while ago, but i still really like it. i used my own hand as reference (for some reason i used the hand i was drawing with) i’ve always been fairly good at drawing hands and when i sent this on an art group chat i’m in, i was quickly accused of being a witch. i can only draw to a level i like when i have a reference, and i always have my hands so it’s the thing i’ve drawn the most. i didn’t have the colour for my hands, but i think it turned out good

and finally,

i’m really proud of this one, i was sick and really bored when i drew it. this is from tgcf vol 6, but i’ve always been really impressed by the tgcf official art and how they look hand drawn but also digital. (you can see brush strokes but they look too perfect). i didn’t have all the different shades of grey, but i think i did well.

thanks for looking at all my art, here are the references i used and where they’re from

i don’t have the reference for number 9 but i’ll reblog with it when i find it

also i plan on showing more of my art but i need to find the original authors of the references

[stagefoureddiediaz]

RWRB costume/ colour meta!

Ok, lets do this!!

Man have I missed writing costume/colour meta, so its good to have something to write about again! This took me far far longer than it should have - I kept getting distracted by the film while I was working on this - I'd go looking for a clip or to grab a still and end up just watching the film again 😂😂😂 but I've finished it and I hope you all enjoy it! Grab a beverage of your choice because this thing is a beast coming in at over 7000 words - I totally understand if you want to skip, but I have ADHD and do not know how to be concise 😂😂😂

Red white and royal blue employs several fun and interesting costume and colour theories (also made use of in the set design) to help tell the story of Alex and Henry. I’m not going to write a detailed meta for each costume - I just don’t have the time - but I am going to look at some costume/ colour details in focus, especially for Henry and Alex as well as highlighting other interesting choices! I also do not have the picture limit (I need more than 30!!!) to include every image I would like to, so if you want to see what I'm talking about, you might have to go check out the relevant scenes (I'll try to give you timestamps where I can!) I’ve kind of tried to do things chronologically, but I’ve left Alex and Henry to the end so if I don’t talk about them very much in the rest of this meta - that is why! putting it under a cut because its so long!

The royal Wedding

There are a couple of key themes here, the wedding party (consisting Lady Martha, Bea and Henry) have a distinct colour palette - dusty blue, dusty pink and Ivory, with the exception of Prince Phillip who is in his red Dress uniform - they’ve used a red uniform to make him stand out, convey that he is more important than the bride (what with his being in line for the throne and all that jazz) and hint at power - red is a power colour. 

I’m not sure what royal orders the collar and riband that Henry is wearing are supposed to represent as they don’t belong to a specific British order - if I had to take a punt I’d say his red collar is meant to be a AU version of a Knight Grand Cross of the order of the bath but the one he’s wearing certainly isn’t a real order in the UK (it isn’t meant to be an order of the garter as that is the highest ranking order and Henry would then also be wearing the light blue riband we see on Prince Phillip) the royal blue riband with the red edging is more i line with the night grand cross of the order of Victoria, although in real life that riband should be for in the opposite direction. My feeling is that they wanted a red collar on Henry to play into the red as a symbol of power theme they’ve used on Prince Phillip, placing Henry as having the ‘power’ in his conversation with Alex (as he is on home turf) and the royal blue sash is a deliberate choice that I will talk about later when I focus in on Henry and I think its actually pretty significant as a choice. essentially the order insignia he is wearing are not real orders which is totally fine as this is essentially and au royal family!

We do have to talk about that wedding gown - not royal in the slightest - spaghetti straps and a low back would never be allowed for a royal bride, the dress is also too long on her (but that’s a different conversation about budgets and rental gowns so we’ll let it slide here!!) and her hair should also be fully up - not in the half up do she has going on! The colour is also wrong - she would have been tied to a very limited colour palette of white or ivory - no colour in a royal wedding gown, so the blush colour we see is a no go! I totally get why they did what they did with her gown in terms of colour and I’m fine with that choice (i’ll explain more in the next paragraph), I even get the fairytale princess look they were going for with that dress -  but when you’re trying to portray a family so stuck in tradition and history etc, I can’t help but feel that they missed a trick to show her as buttoned up, conforming to the crown etc, especially as we never see her again!

At the reception we see pretty much everyone in colour of some description, with the exception on Alex and Nora who are both in black - this is why Lady Martha’s wedding dress is a pale blush pink colour rather than white. The only reason that the men aren’t in colour (if they’re not in dress uniform) is because they are wearing white tie for the formality of a royal wedding, otherwise I think we would’ve seen coloured ties or some such on them. This is intentional because the room has a general (muted) wash of colour which serves to highlight Alex and Nora, making them stand out and look like they don’t really belong. 

Its a way of creating a them and us vibe and helps to establish the rivalry between Alex and Henry - we have a British scene, full of colourful clothing and the only identified foreigners are in black and white. We actually only see a black and white colour palette for the clothing of the Americans until Alex returns from his PR fix it trip to London after cakegate, while nearly all the Brits all were colour of some description - we can see this clearly in the hospital - all the children in colour, Henry in blues and - Henrys security in coloured ties while Amy is there totally in black.

Alex himself does wear navy blue but its a dark navy and that jacket is actually two tone - black and navy and its paired with black trousers in this scene - we see it again later - paired with taupe trousers which really helps to establish this idea of colour entering Alex's world once Henry is in it.

Sets

I’m going to pause on clothing here to quickly talk about the sets in the film and their colour palettes because they fall into three distinct categories;

We have the sage dusty greens, gold and bright reds of the British spaces - they have a regency and victorian air to them, all very traditional, opulent and royal in feel - they are the definition of a gilded cage and are ostentatious and Henry’s bedroom even fits into this mould (its very telling that we only see very limited physical intimacy between the two of them in this space - because its a space that neither of them truly fit or belong in) with its sagely green walls that echo the green walls of the state room the big royal family showdown occurs in. 

Then we have the creams, taupes and beiges (with a bit of minty green for the walls of oval office) of the America spaces combined with the very intentional colour choice of that rusty orange (there is also the red room but that is a whole other conversation - I’ll go into it later).

The Rusty orange is such a colour choice, its rich and eye-catching. All colours have meanings associated with them - these can vary wildly depending on where and how they are used and have both positive and negative connotations.

Generally speaking, orange is an attention grabber - its energetic and stimulating, but it also conveys transformation and endurance. This orange has brown undertones which means we should also reference brown colour meanings when thinking about what the colour means on screen - brown is a safe colour and it is also strong and reliable, but it can also portray a sense of loneliness - that is something I think is a really interesting concept - we see Henry in Alex’s world (through the text chats as well as in the first blowjob scene) on the rusty orange sofas and one of the underlying major parts of who Henry is, he is enduring like the orange (and his royal status make him an attention grabber without needing to try) but there is that underlying sense of loneliness - yes he might’ve had a crush on Alex since the climate conference, but as soon as the air had been cleared between them during the PR trip Henry reached out and pursued Alex because he was lonely and wanted a friend - not knowing if it could ever be more than a friendship.

Then, finally we have the spaces Henry and Alex occupy - spaces which are just theirs to occupy - spaces when they are themselves - these are predominately yellow and blue spaces, with some deep colours such as the teal we see on the walls of Alex’s room and the red room.

I’ll go into more detail about all the yellow and blue in this film a bit later on in this meta, but to provide a comment on the red room - red is a colour of passion and love, but this shade of red they’ve chosen maintains that orange undertone we see in the rest of the American spaces.

I wrote a post on the choice of red calla lilies and how they are both a symbol of love and commitment, as well as a phallic symbol of sexuality, and I know Alexander Hamilton was on the wall in the book, but he is there not only because he was very likely bi, but also because he was the subject of what is known as the first political sex scandal - something our boys are essentially also themselves going to end up becoming!

Once Alex does return stateside we start to see colour begin to fill his world. This is a really interesting thematic choice - think how the wizard of Oz (a film very much associated with gay culture - ‘a friend of Dorothy’ was a slang code used by gay men to identify one another and there is obviously the rainbow connotation) begins in black and white and then transitions to colour as soon as Dorothy wakes up in Oz. This film is playing on that same trope/ concept - this is a story essentially told from Alex’s perspective, so Henry and his world is already in colour - its only when Alex enters that world and becomes entwined with it that colour starts to seep into his life - its done in a much more subtle way, but it is there - even during the text bantering they have going one while he is watching a film with Nora - it is a black and white film (‘Some Like it Hot’ - its self a film that helped open conversations about queer identity and the queer community at a time when the Hays code was still in operation and when Sodomy laws still existed in the US, but that is a whole other conversation and lots has been written about it before, its one of my favourite films and if you want to know more then head to your search engine of choice or hit up my inbox! It’s also a film our director Matthew Lopez adapted for the stage which is possibly partly why it was chosen for this scene- as a nod to his other work!)and they are both wearing grey while Henry is in colour (cream and blue - playing into the queer coded yellow blue theming) and sits on the bright orange sofa.

I cannot tell you how much I am in love with the Koi carp on Alex’s dressing room wall because the symbolism - the symbolism!!!!! Koi are seen as a symbol of strength, patience, perseverance, love and bravery they symbolise success through courage. Koi are known to swim against the current and overcome great obstacles - there is a Japanese proverb ‘Koi no Takinobori’ which translates as 'koi swim up waterfalls' and as the word Koi in Japanese also translates to mean love the proverb therefore means that love can go against the current and overcome great obstacles and if that isn’t the perfect metaphor for Alex and Henry’s relationship then I don’t know what is!!

I am obsessed and I adore the set designer for including that wallpaper in general, but especially in their text banter flirty developing relationship - the writing is essentially on the wall for where their relationship is going and how its going to unfold - they are literally Koi swimming agains the current and overcoming great obstacles to be together!!

Back to the costuming!

As I said previously - when Alex returns from the PR trip we start to see increasing amounts of colour and it starts with blue - Oscar is wearing a blue shirt - a colour we only see him in for that scene and then again at the end of the film - during election night. Its an important choice - Henry's colour is blue - its the colour we nearly always see him in some form of blue so for this to essentially be the first colour that appears in the clothing in Alex's world is telling in its own way - it is the beginning of the slow saturation of Henry in the world of Alex. Oscar is always in tan colour-ways apart from those two scenes and generally speaking we see him wearing Mexican tribal and geometric prints/patterns and cowboy boots - playing into his Mexican heritage, but also establishing him as Texan.

Miguel is clearly set out as the baddie to us all - head to toe  in black all the time expect at the PM dinner - when he has to wear a white shirt because its etiquette - but they do make sure to give him black buttons on that shirt - which separates him from everyone else in dinner dress very clearly and keeps the undertone of untrustworthiness going.

The other thing to note is the grey fuzzy jacket he wears when being interviewed on the news. I’ve spoken before in my 911 meta’s about how the use of the grey fuzzy patterning is symbolic of confusion or obfuscation and that holds true here - Miguel is called out as being the one who hacked and leaked the emails by the presenter and he tries to bluff his way out - to obfuscate the truth.

We see the idea of green and jealousy play out a couple of times in the film - the flirty girl that tries to commandeer Alex and kisses him at the NYE party is wearing a very blatantly iridescent green dress which sets her apart from the rest of the crowd and then when the crowd drops low we also get the green lights on the DJ desk - while the scene is a play on the I saw you across a crowded room idea, there is also that undercurrent of jealousy - Henry is Jealous of Alex’s ease and that he cannot have him loudly and in the way he wants - highlighting that jealousy helps to build into Henrys later actions when he throws caution to the wind and kisses him under the tree. 

Ellen Claremont has a narrow colour palette as well - we only see her in black in that first scene and in the ‘new Texas strategy’ arguement with Alex, after that her dominant colour is cream and we also see plenty of red which is a power choice - she wears it in scenes when she needs to convey power and status such as at the PM dinner or when she is shutting down his Texas strategy. The cream is the base colour for her - its a colour of elegance, sophistication, it is also a neutral colour - playing into her position as POTUS, but also when she wears it in one on one scenes with Alex, it is a sign of her being a mother rather than the POTUS.

Zahra tends to wear blacks with one blue/grey cashmere jumper and when we do get colour on her they are jewel tones - purple and teal. We also get some more grey fuzzy patterning - again playing into my previous statements - here it is very much about confusion rather than obfuscation - she only wears the fuzzy grey when she finds out about Alex and Henry and has her mind blown by the knowledge. Its a perfect costuming choice for this scene as it conveys so much about where her brain is - that her mind has been blown by this huge thing she as just become privy to and it helps make her facial expressions even louder!

Nora wears a full spectrum of colours, the stand ones are obviously the red bodice and trousers she wears for new years and the pink shirt she wears in the office when Alex is having a mini bi panic and figuring himself and his attraction to Henry out. Generally speaking a characters costumes are meant to be about them and their own character, however with a film like this, everything is a driving point for the two main characters and so, other characters costumes will, at key points be less about the character wearing them and more about driving the story of the mains forward - this is very much the case with Nora’s red outfit (and we have already talked about the green of the flirty girl at new years representing jealousy).The red is very very red, it is meant to stand out and is a nod to romance - for both herself with Pez and for Alex and Henry, but Red is also a colour associated with passion and sexuality as well as fire and heat - essentially it is a marker that things are about to kick into action on the romance scale - we are heading from friends to lovers.

The pink shirt plays into the same theme - its a continuation, but a cooling down - less about the heat and passion of a sexual encounter, and more about the concept of romance and relationships - because that is what the conversation is ultimately about in this scene. We have the bi flag background helping to visually tell us what the conversation is about, but we also need to have that subtle reminder that this is not about fire and passion it is about the potential for romance - for love - because if Alex is going to hook up with Henry, it isn’t going to be a hook up, it going to be real. We do of course see things heat back up in the red room (as they should), but ultimately that is the last of the fiery heat we see - from then on anything connected with Alex and Henrys relationship is much more steadfast - the blues and yellows I will talk about in a minute!

Lets talk signet rings!! We see them worn on the male members of the royal family - so King James, Phillip and Henry - as well as Alex when Henry gives him his ring. their use is telling and significant. James and Phillip both wear their signet ring on the little finger of the right hand, while Henry (and Alex) wears his on the little finger of the left hand. in a general sense one would usually wear a signet ring on the little ringer of the non dominant hand - so if you’re a lefty you wear it on the right hand and vice versa if your right handed. This is not what is being portrayed here - all three of them are naturally right handed (yes I did spend far too much time on google to find this out!!) which would in theory mean all of them should have their rings on the left little finger and yet only Henry does.

There is however another explanation -  a ring worn on the right hand is symbolic of tradition conformity and rigidity and royalty (traditionally the monarch would wear a ring on the right hand and this was offered to subjects to kiss), wearing it on the dominant hand as a sign of power/ dominance. Henry and then Alex wear Henry’s ring on the left hand - the traditional hand that wedding bands are worn - because of the concept of the main artery running from the heart down the left arm and into the left hand, it is a symbol of love and life and connection to another person and is where the concept of the red string of fate comes from (which ties in nicely with Alex referring to the rope in his chest pulling him towards Henry). This all gains greater significance when Henry gives his ring to Alex and that he choses to also wear it on the left hand, its essentially a symbol of engagement and eternity - it is a sort of pre engagement I guess - and is a low key statement from Henry he is giving Henry Fox to someone for eternity - to Alex. 

Right, shall we talk about the yellow and blue theming that I keep mentioning. This specific theming, tends to be seen more in sets and lighting than costumes - although we do see it used in costuming too (looking at you Bea!!). For those not aware, there is a tendency to use yellow and blue colour-ways for queer story arcs - if you look at Heartstopper (esp s1) they have been using it to great effect , and it can be seen in other shows and films with queer character arcs to such as 911 (and Lonestar), as well as plenty of other mainstream media if you’re looking for it. I don’t know when or how it became a colour way associated with queer relationships - especially mlm relationships - I’ve not had the time to deep dive into that particular research spiral - but suffice to say we see it put to very very great effect here in Red White and Royal Blue - we only ever see it used as a colour way when it is regarding Alex and Henry and their romantic relationshipI’ve included some of the blue and yellow we see (couldn’t fit it all in - 30 pictures is apparently not enough!!!) surrounding Alex and Henry and there is plenty of it. The first time we see this yellow/blue theming come into play is at the turning point - when Henry opens up the lines of communication with his text message. Alex is in his room - the first time we’re seeing into his room - a room painted dark blue and full of yellow accents - the lamp on his desk and the unit to the side of the sofa, as well as the very yellow and blue painting we see above his bed (which was commissioned for the film and so the colour choice was very much deliberate). Just to show how prolific the yellow/blue colour way is here is a list of most of the occurrences - I've tried to include as many of them in the pictures as I can as well.

The copy of People is yellow and blue, the Jacket Alex wears for new year has gold and blue embroidery. The PM’s dinner has blue lighting with gold curtains and there are a lot of blue and yellow dresses being worn in the crowd when Alex is watching Henry. The cushion on the sofa behind Alex is yellow and blue. Then we get to the French hotel room and the Eiffel Tower - it is literally all yellow and blue - everything - even down to the blue (extra safe) condom packets. the New York hotel room is dark blue and gold another is a blue bottle of lube on the side (the condoms and lube are very much a deliberate colour choice - there are a million different colours you can buy both in so if the colour wasn’t important they could’ve chosen any, esp as fuchsia and red is the most common colour for both in the durex brand in the UK).

In England - Henry mostly occupies green spaces - in keeping with the royal theme I wrote about earlier - however the room he is most himself and most comfortable in is the music room/ library which is yellow and any time we see him in that space, he is wearing blue. It is telling that when the emails between Henry and Alex are hacked, his sanctuary is full of ‘old white men in suits’ and Henry cannot go in there - symbolic that who he is - his true self - has been violated and he is being forced into ‘royal coded’ spaces - back into his box as it were!

Back to costumes and he two blue hoodies. I’m gonna get a bit of hate for this, but the blue hoodie is actually two different hoodies! - they are slightly different shades of pale blue - Alex’s is much more dusty blue, while Henry’s is much more baby blue, they are also different cuts - Alex’s a traditional sleeve cut while Henry’s has a raglan sleeve cut (think baseball tee). There is the idea with these two hoodies that they are at different points in their journeys, but still connected and i love that we see them in them at really key points of crisis - they are a comfort blanket in a way - Alex wears his during is bi crisis and again when he's watching Miguel on the news and figures out who the hack was, while Henry wears his when he lets Alex in - when he opens up and unspokenly confesses his love for Alex, when he agreed to take the step and be brave - both are wearing these hoodies in moments when they need/want comfort the fact that they are wearing such similar hoodies speaks to the fact that in it is the other they want that comfort from (even if Alex doesn't actually realise it during his min bi crisis).

And now to our two mains - lets start with Henry.

Henry

The bulk of Henry’s wardrobe is double breasted suits - a key theme for the members of the royal family - not one else where’s them - its a fun costuming choice, cease generally speaking the double breasted suit isn’t in fashion at the moment - the film fit single breasted suits we see on the rest of the characters is. It's a very clear choice to create a them and us concept in a visual and telling way. the other thing to note about these db suits is that only Henry wears plain fabric - the ones we see on Phillip and James are pinstripe or woven stripe. I want to quickly mention the tie King James is wearing because of its very obvious pattern. it is the only loudly patterned tie in the entire film - all others are either, plain , striped or spotted. In the book Henry says that patterned ties are considered too political (i'm paraphrasing and can't find the actual quote!!) and here we have a king playing with politics wearing a patterned tie - I love tiny nods like this to the original source material that only those of us who love the book will pick up on - its just a tie to the ga!

Henry himself wears pinstripes - when he is at his most royal - so for example when he is taking part in the PR exercise post cakegate. His ties also fit into this theming - he almost exclusively wears striped ties excepting at a couple of key moments - when he’s undertaking skulduggery and the yellow one he wears for the election. at all other times he has stripes on his tie. the stripes get wider or skinnier depending on the situation - the wide ones tend to be for royal events while the skinnier stripes tend to be connected to Alex.

Another thing to note with Henry is the lack of black he wears - the only time is at the most royal of occasions - the wedding - all the rest of his suits are varying shades of blue or grey (and cream) even the tux he wears to the PM dinner is a dark navy with black lapel rather than black - it differentiates him from everyone else in the room (esp Miguel) and shows him as the object of Alex’s gaze. I also want to mention the royal blue theme we see on him - something I love Keith Madden for doing - Henry nearly always has something blue on him and a lot of the time (especially connected to times when he is doing something connected to his status as a royal) we see him wearing something royal blue - its why his riband at the wedding is royal blue rather than the lighter blue of the order of the garter - but we also see it in the royal blue socks we see him in several times, the royal blue pyjamas when the hack/leak comes to light and the blue shorts in Texas when he’s lying on the bed before he leaves to return to England. We also see him in a lot of blue shirts keeping that blue theme connected to him.

Then there is my most beloved check theory - (its a theory connected to 911 for those who don’t know my costume metas already) Check is connected to foreshadowing of trouble - Henry wears a check/plaid pattern at a couple of very very key moments - at the bar in Texas - when we see Alex realise his love is the forever kind, when he is back in England having broken his own heart in a misguided attempt to save Alex (gingham shirts in pink and blue) and then the suit he wears when he choses himself over the crown and steps out onto the balcony with Alex to greet the crowds has a subtle check pattern (not sure if you can see it its the pictures but if you watch the scene you should be able to) all of these are moments which foreshadow the upcoming or current trouble in his life.

Yellow roses - symbol of Texas being flipped - from Mexican to independent (and eventually becoming part of US) - symbol of the fact Texas is about to flip blue from red. Yellow roses are also a symbol of good luck more generally and the yellow tie is a great choice to suggest neutrality in the election scenes (at this point in time Henry still has royal status). We see Henry in a grey suit with this yellow tie - this only further highlights his escape from royal life - when he is un the US we do not see him wearing the navy blue suits we see him in in England - the only exception is the dark navy dinner jacket he wears to the PM dinner . In the US he wears either a grey suit or the cream/light blue suit we see him in when he visits the lake house and the light blue linen jacket we see him on his light back to the UK is the only single breasted jacket we ever see him in - I would have loved to have seen the grey suit at the end also have been single breasted, but I'm guessing budget constraints prevented that from happening, as it really would've highlighted the difference between Henry George Edward James Hanover-Stuart Fox and Henry Fox!

At the lake house we get a piece of costuming that I love - the slightly differing short lengths we see on Henry and Alex - it Alex’s shorts are always shorter than Henry’s - it maintains that sense of Henry be more closeted and buttoned up - the overhead shot of them on the pontoon shows it really clearly - the two of them have similar leg lengths which serves me well here to show this point - the shorts Henry is wearing are at least 3 inches longer (possibly more) than Alex's - it isn't just that one pair of shorts - all 3 pairs of Henry's shorts are longer - its a costuming choice thats s perfectly in keeping with their respective characters.

The final thing to talk bout is Henry’s rainbow turtle swim shorts - a cute nod to his being gay - especially as Alex is is his purple bi swim shorts. But there is also the fact that they are turtles. Turtles are a symbol of steadfastness, longevity, perseverance and transformation. they can also be seen as a symbol of everlasting love. there is also the concept of carrying the weight of the world - which is seen in its most explicit way in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels - where a giant turtle carries the world on its back. All of these metaphors and symbols perfectly fit Henry and his relationship with Alex - it is a symbol of the enduring nature of their love for each other, the perseverance we will see for them to overcome the obstacles thrown at them, the steadfastness of their love, as well the transformation we are seeing Henry go through - from closeted gay thinking he has to conform to the very rigid and dated ideals of his family - to the freer Henry we see in the US - the real Henry and the version of himself he so desperately wants to be but thinks he can’t - he has the weight of the world on his shoulders at that moment a la the disc world turtle.

Alex

Alex, obviously has the largest number of costumes, as well as the largest colour palette, but even that is pretty limited. In the same way we see Henry’s wardrobe go through a subtle transformation, we also see the same for Alex, almost in the opposite direction - while Henry’s wardrobe becomes freer, Alex’s becomes more grown up - more mature and conveys his growth as a person - becoming more certain in who he is. I’ve already written a fair amount throughs this meta about Alex’s costumes, so this section is a little shorter than Henry’s for that reason! 

We get rebellious Alex to begin with - the leather jacket easily conveys this to us, its almost a universal symbol or rebellion in costuming speak at this point and one of the reasons I like its use here is that it very quickly sets him apart from everyone else in the film - yes its early on, but he is the most casually dressed character by a long way - and this jacket it the antithesis of the buttoned up penguin suit from the wedding - it emphasises how uncomfortable Alex was in that environment and as a result gives the heavy drinking we saw before the cake went flying purpose and visually sets him up as the lead and as a rule/ convention breaker. The same is true of the greyscale with leopard print Hawaiian shirt which is meant to contrast him dramatically with Henry, who is still stuck in that stuffy double breasted suit prison of convention and expectation to behave a certain way - the costuming does a big chunk of the work in giving us rebel v prince in those opening scenes. I actually like that they brought the leather jacket back for the drive to the lake house - it sets up Alex’s falling in love arc nicely - in that it allows the idea of rebellion to continue flowing through the story - Alex wanting to be outing proud in Austin and not grasping that that isn’t an option Henry at this moment in time and is a nod to his not really understanding the different places he and Henry are in when it comes to what being out means for them respectively.

I’ve already written about the black and white colour way we see him in until his PR stint when we start see colour appearing in his wardrobe. I’ve put the pictures roughly in chronological order because it helps to show his progression, but it also shows the increasing amount of blue in his wardrobe, especially in moments connected with Henry.

To pick out some of my favourites - the Mexican pattern shirt with the red cardigan is wonderful - we have the shirt hinting at Alex’s heritage - in blue with the chunky knit red cardigan - I’ve written above about the use offered as a colour of passion and how that passion ebbs and flows - this cardigan also plays into that idea - it is the first time their texting becomes flirty - even the text message is in a red bubble on screen. This idea carries on with the orange red tee he is wearing during the turkey conversation - I made a post about that outfit being the same colour way as the turkey in question and how to talk turkey means to talk honestly and openly with someone - the very thing we see in that scene. 

I adore the subtle yellow and blue jacquard embroidered New years jacket - the moment our boys connect and we move further into the lovers part of the enemies-friends-lovers trope and it keeps the yellow/blue theming an active part of the storyline. - the contrast with Henry’s orange tie is a choice - while there is a lot of colour at the NYE party Alex blends into the background while Henry is quite literally tied into the orange theme we’ve already seen in the furniture and sets - orange stands out and now we the audience are being drawn into unconsciously making the same connection that Alex is making - Henry is lonely, but he is an enduring and attention grabbing part of Alex’s life - it only further reenforces the direction of Alex’s gaze - green wearing flirty girl who??

We have a fair amount of Alex and the bi colour ways and we subtly see it coming into play from more or less the moment they start messaging - the light purple tee and purple message boxes, flowing through to the women sufferage wall and the fact he is wearing blue and purple in that scene with Nora in pink to round out the there colours. then we have the blue and purple colour ways he wears at the lake house - bolder and brighter - contrasting with the more muted shades from before - showing that he has recognised and accepted that part of who he is - he’ now out and proud and his parent know about him. I’ve used the old subtle a lot, but this is yet another example of transformation and growth for a character done subtly through colour. We also see him bathed in bi lighting at the bar when he has his 'OH I feel forever about him' moment at the Texas bar - he is the only one in that whole scene lit in that way - Henry is blue lit, while there is a more general lighting scheme that is blue/red dominant for the bar as a whole.

On to Alex’s suits and ties - he seems to have 5 suits and a jacket (not including the formal wear - tux and tails) a black one, 2 navy blue ones (one with a woven pinstripe that he wears in Paris) a bright bluish grey one and a grey one along with the black and blue waffle jacket we see him wear both on the PR trip and at the Polo match. I am obsessed with the fact that when he is in England he wears the navy suits and jackets whereas in the US he wears the other colour s suits - in the same way we see Henry less buttoned up and wearing grey and lighter blues in the US, here we see Alex fitting into Henry’s world and the navy blue suit uniform of the Royal family - its a wonderful piece of costuming that tells so much of how each of them are fitting into the others worlds, especially wen the black and navy waffle one is only worn early on - it is the cross over garment!

The ties have  a similar story to tell - we see him wearing 4 ties - a yellow one we see in the beginning in the news reel and never see him in again and then we get the lighter blue striped one at the polo match - the one most similar to the striped ones we see Henry wear - suggesting he is trying to fit into this new world - Henry’s world - that he’s been invited into - its somewhat jarring for his character and plays on the idea of trying too hard - its therefore telling we don’t see it happen again - we only see hi in a striped tie again at he end during election night and accompanied by the black suit we saw him in a couple of times on the campaign trail in Texas. the blue tie is the only other tie we see him wear and it nicely connects all the key moments he has while in his suit - key political moments - his speech at the DNC followed by his speech to the press after the email hack and when he is at Buckingham Palace facing up to the King.

The final ting to talk about is the khaki green shirt jacket - I cannot tell you how happy I was with this costuming choice (and not because it was screaming Eddie Diaz from 911 vibes) khaki is so associated with military - with the army - anti is the most perfect choice for this scene - army are about war - they go somewhere to fight - to storm the palace etc so to have Alex - who has never worn anything remotely like this before rock up to KP to fight for his relationship - for his love - is the perfect choice, its a subtle yet clever way of emphasising the Alex has chosen to fight for what he wants - for his relationship with Henry and what makes it more telling is that we only see him change out of it once Henry has explicitly stated that he will try to be brave and that he wants history to include his love for Alex. It is why we see Alex in the yellow and blue Mexican patterned jacket - he no longer needs fight for his love because he has won - this yellow/blue jacket is a piece of costume tied into pivotal moments - we see the jacket twice - when he wins his bid to get the Claremont campaign to focus on Texas and Ellen tells him he’s going to Texas, and again when he has won the day with Henry and they are back together - in some ways that makes this his victory jacket - victory in his own personal battles - battles that are central to who he is and his development and I think that’s petty neat!

Hopefully you've enjoyed this deep dive into the sets and costumes of the film - I've loved writing it and I can only hope its coherent! Feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments and likes and reblogs are love ❤️🤍💙 thank you for reading and until next time...

[themultifandomgal]

From 2010- FOUR Hangout

Part 45

2014

“Hello everyone we’re One Direction and this is our first Google livestream” Niall starts after we have the thumbs up to say we are now live. I sit with my legs crossed between Louis and Liam

“We wanted to do a live stream so we could answer your questions about the new album. To help us with our questions we have very good friend of our, this is Ben everyone” I introduce our friend who is sat on a single comfy chair while me and the boys are sitting on a long red sofa

“We’ve got loads of questions from the fans and we only have half an hour so let’s just get into them. So it’s been four years now that you’ve been in the band which is why I’m guessing the albums called four right?”

“Yeah and it’s also our fourth album” I reply

“So you guys are actually on the XFactor tonight. Do you get nervous when you go back there because that’s where it all started”

“It’s very like, you feel nostalgic walkin round the halls and stuff. I think we all felt under so much pressure when we were there it’s now fun because we can enjoy the environment more” Harry explains

“Do you miss the simplicity of the old days YN. Is there anything you sort of miss?” Ben asks me. The boys all turn to face me as I think

“There’s definitely aspects that I miss, like being able to go to Waitrose with greasy hair and no makeup just to pick up some food, without having to worry about photos being posted or comments made. I think that’s been the hardest part for me, just being able to I guess live my life without any cares. Don’t get me wrong I am so grateful for all of this and I love meeting fans, and I know that without this opportunity I wouldn’t have met the people I have, but yeah I think that’s what I miss the most, just not worrying so much. I think it’s calmed down now though. Like where my dad lives no one really takes any notice of me when I go around the town”

“Yeah and at the beginning it was very hectic, but things have more structure now so it’s not as chaotic I don’t think” Louis continues

“Do you find though you’re able to enjoy it more now though?” Ben asks looking at Zayn

“Yeah definitely. We get time now to go and sight see which is nice”

“Do you ever watch clips of you back in the day and look at pictures and see the change? Niall?”

“Weirdly enough the other day I was watching our old video diaries and the stuff we did on the xtra factor and me and YN were texting each other talking about how young we were, we still are but especially her and Harry are the youngest, so looking back now it’s like woah we were babies”

“Some of the outfits I wore were hideous” I laugh thinking back to our days on the xfactor “so many clashed with my hair. Why did I think bright red hair was cute?”

“I know a lot of your fans miss it”

“I don’t. The amount of times when we were on tour and the bed sheets looked like a murder scene because he went to sleep with wet hair” Liam laughs along with me

“I ruined a lot of bed sheets, towels, anything white became pink. It was a disaster”

“I liked your red hair” Harry shrugs “made you look like Ariel”

“I think the problem was you never had time to go to the hairdresser so you dyed it yourself with a box colour” Zayn says looking at me

“Yeah that’s why I’ve gone back to brown because it’s just easier”

“So you won’t be dying it again any time soon?”

“Nope” I shake my head at that question

“Did people tell you at the time what to wear and what you had to do and say or were you in control of your own decisions?”

“A little bit. I know sometimes someone would show YN a dress or whatever and she’d be adamant that she wouldn’t wear it”

“Yeah it was a bit of both really” Louis continues on from what Liam was saying

“If you could meet yourself 4 years ago is there any advice you’d give to your younger self?” Ben asks “Louis?”

“Just have a second glance in the mirror and say are you sure you want to wear this?”

“Is that really what you’d say?”

“No ok that’s just me trying to crack a joke”

“Trying being the word”

“Oi” Louis nudges me on the knee with his hand

“I think on a serious note I would have said have fun and enjoy yourself” Zayn says I nod my head agreeing with him

“We have spoken in the past and there's a lot of it in the movie about how I guess for you there was an explosion on the internet really. it was a massive part of you career, but YN you had to deal with a lot of negativity. Is it better now and how do or did you deal with that?”

“It wasn't great obviously and I did struggle with it, but I went to therapy, still do, and I just don't check comments on social media. I just try to remember that the only reason people are saying things like that is because they have something to hide behind. They are bored. Our real fans are incredible though and most of the time if there's one negative comment there will be l0 positive”

“Is there ever a time where you it's gone to far?” Ben asks

“Definitely. Theres been comments telling YN to hurt herself or worse. I think some people forget that we are actual people and we all have feelings. We’re all so young and we can all be a little self conscious at lines so we just make sure we’re all ok and check in with each other” Liam tells Ben

“ Lets talk about the album. What were the songs that your most proud of? Zany let’s start with you, what is your favourite song on the album?”

“Erm I really like Where Do Broken Hearts Go” all of the boys seem to agree

“ I think Liams going to agree with me, but we fell in love with fire proof” Louis says

“YN?”

“ I love Fools Gold and Stockholm Syndrome. I'm actually so excited to sing them on tour”

“ Ok this is a recurring question. What is Stockholm syndrome about and what does it mean?”

“YN since it’s on of your favourites do you want to explain?” Louis looks at me with a smile

“Well erm ok it’s… harry you explain”

“It’s kinda along the lines of what Stockholm Syndrome is so”

“What is it?” Ben asks

“YN?” Harry looks at me but I shake my head “well it’s when you develop a relationship or feelings towards your kidnapper”

“And how much experience do you have with being kidnapped”

“Well I mean a couple times to be honest” harry jokes with a straight face which makes me laugh

“Is there any tracks from your other albums that you don’t like now?”

“I think there’s songs maybe we individually don’t resonate with anymore, or we don’t particularly like to sing anymore, but to say we dislike any of our songs would be a stretch. We all have our own tastes and styles ya know so a song I love one of these boys may not enjoy as much” I say looking at Ben “I think it’s important to be proud of all of the songs. I’ll always look back at the songs with fondness. Certain ones I can pin point locations and memories so yeah I don’t think I could dislike any of them”

We wrap up the interview having been talking for like 40 minutes about our music.

[oneatlatime]

The Desert

Alternate title: Gimme Appa back.

"But I believe, Aang can save the world." no pressure kid.

I had completely forgotten about these two chuckleheads. For once the 'Previously On' segment is useful rather than spoilery.

Ok Aang is going to get the world's biggest pass this episode, because he's in the suckiest of all situations. But even so, how exactly was Toph supposed to come and get them, when she was both actually blind for once and the only reason the library hadn't drowned them yet?

Aang has something of a history of running away. Does going after Appa count as running away from his friends?

Zuko's theatre kid tendencies are genetic.

The way Iroh said "What Now?" you know he was actually saying "fuck's sake."

Zuko's hair seems to grow very quickly. I thought that I could use his hair growth to measure time passing but this is not tracking. He barely had a buzz cut in The Chase and now he's fluffy.

Two things: a) this guy has eyes greyer than Aang this episode. b) He's cocking his hands like that ridiculous Henry Cavill scene from Mission Impossible where he cocks his biceps.

This guy's spear has piercings. And is coming out of a Dragon's mouth.

I don't know that I'd call these guys legendary. They're zero for two against an Avatar in Drag and two starving refugees with three functioning arms.

Doesn't Katara ever change out her water? Or even use it up and have to refill it?

I said it last episode, and I'll say it again: why did five people, a lemur, and a ten tonne sky bison travel into a desert famous for its desertiness with only a single water pouch between them? Admittedly, if they'd brought extra water and left it on Appa, they'd be having the same problem, but still...

Is a kids' show actually going to go there?

They actually went there!

Honestly if you're dying of dehydration in the desert, eating strange plants is absolutely the way to go. I'd rather trip my way into the afterlife than just shrivel up and die.

I love the way Aang's glider shadow moves over the dunes. Another one of those tiny details that the animators could have left out, but they didn't!

Sand benders must get crazy high speeds if Aang can't spot even a trace of Appa from up high. He wasn't Appa-napped very long ago.

Everyone go watch the scene where Aang blows up the mushroom cloud. Go right now I'll wait. And pay attention to Sokka's mouth. It does the wave.

His mouth does the wave and his arms do the worm. Someone really had fun this episode.

Zuko breaking the world record for highest number of Fire Nation wanted posters. Despite being the only person on that board who's unquestionably loyal to the Fire Nation. What a nice reward he got for his loyalty.

How is that one wrestler dude's hair so shiny?

Why, other than plot convenience, would Zuko and Iroh be at the Ice Spring?

I see now that the left hand shadow is Sokka with a Momo on his head. But for just a second I thought it was Ramona from Scott Pilgrim.

There are some really beautiful colour gradients in this desert.

"We won't survive without Appa." Well yes, but you have to try.

If this is a normal desert they're going to freeze their butts off overnight.

No comment. Just vibes.

Hey this is a Katara episode! Toph is blind, Sokka's zoinked, Aang's given up, so it's Katara time baby!

This episode has no business being this pretty.

"Sokka. I was there." I'd be very surprised if Katara's voice actress doesn't have an idiot older brother. That line was delivered a little too perfectly.

I'm not going to comment on every Sokka is high joke, but rest assured I'm finding them all hilarious.

Those drinks cost a gold piece each. Where did they get five gold pieces from?

Colour me shocked. The chuckleheads actually had a good idea for once.

Colour me shocked again! I vaguely predicted this!

Zuko. Honey. How are you this dim? He's so very good at missing exactly what's in front of him.

"Gold?"

Big muscles. No brains.

Very pretty. The sand texture is good too.

Well that was mean.

Passive aggressive glider deployment. Also how low is that cloud if Aang can reach it to bend it?

Aang is not shining this episode (understandably) but Katara is going from strength to strength. I NEVER would have thought that she was someone who could keep her cool under pressure like this. Happy to be wrong!

I have no idea if Sokka is going to remember or be aware of this epic trip he's on, but this is probably the best time he's had in months. Certainly since Yue died. He deserves this. Bad timing, but he needed a break.

"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate, and is dumb as shit and incapable of reading the room."

Why is there a flower shop in the middle of the desert? What clients do they have? Obviously it's a front for this pai sho secret society thing, but why did they pick such a nonsensical front?

Toph has so much personality that it's easy to forget how tiny she is. Like a little gargoyle.

Sokka talking like a Greaser was the thing I didn't know I needed.

Poor Katara. Now you know how your brother feels every time he has to save your bacon from your weekly prison break.

I am losing my mind over these colours. Especially after The Library.

"I have a natural curiosity." I'm going to start using that.

Oops they found the circle bird nest.

Hey showrunners, you're going to take Momo from me too? You sure you want to do that? After last episode? Don't give me a pretty sunset with a latte swirl. Give me back Appa, put down Momo, or I'll sic Toph on you.

I do like Toph as a piece of artillery.

Turns out a combined Appa and Momo -napping is what it takes to get Aang to break his no killing rule. I now know how to defeat the Fire Lord.

The Audacity. Going to Ba-Sing- however the hell that's spelled. The sheer audacity. But then what? What's the plan after they get there? Just live the rest of their lives?

Rejected Mortal Combat guy.

You ever have one of those days where you do only your top lip?

Whoever made that door, and that lock - good job!

Nothing to see here, just making a delivery of two giant planters in the middle of the desert. The Owl decided to spruce up his entryway.

Y'all are fucked. Y'all deserve it. Aang has completely lost control. He's spent the whole episode losing it more and more and now he's gone completely off the rails. Has he ever zipped into the Avatar state that fast before?

Never underestimate the power of a woman who's fed up with everyone's nonsense. Just so fed up.

Well that was sad.

Badass name of the day: Malachi Throne, voice of a character whose name I don't recognise.

Final Thoughts

This was Katara's episode. I'm not going to forgive not getting Appa back, but Katara actually keeping a level head for once was an unexpected delight.

This episode was pretty unrelentingly heavy in the A-plot, which is why I don't understand why Sokka and Momo tripping worked so well. It did work, and I very much enjoyed it, but it should have stuck out like a sore thumb and it didn't. The beat up Sokka quota fulfillled from within by chemicals was a nice creative touch.

I am very happy to see Iroh take the wheel, although I'm not convinced there's a long term plan here beyond get food and shelter. Which, fair enough, goals tend to be short term and immediate when you're in dire straits.

This episode really stomped all over Aang. And then stomped some more. I was surprised how negative and shouty he was at the beginning, but by the end I was surprised how long it took him to lose it. Apart from his staff and his clothes, Appa really is all he has left from before he got frozen. That sandbender punk was rotten to the core.

So I guess we're going to the earth kingdom capital regardless of the eclipse information. Is the rest of the season going to be getting there? I also can't help but notice that it's where Iroh and Zuko are headed as well. Zuko could actively run in the direction opposite to the Avatar and he'd still end up tripping over him. The earth Kingdom is ginormous. And yet, like every two episodes Zuko runs into the Avatar. Is it fate? Is it plot convenience?

I should dislike this episode. It's 24 minutes of our faves getting beat down and not finding Appa, with a b-plot of Zuko being more oblivious than usual. I should dislike it, but I don't. This is definitely going on the rewatch list. It was a very pretty episode, which helped. Beyond that I can't put into words why I liked it, but I did!

[nwjn-z]

main 4 with a scene s/o ^_^

South Park Main 4 with a scene s/o

⎯⎯⎯ ☆

Kyle ☆

-You being scene is actually what grabbed Kyle’s attention to you in the first place

-he thought you were really cool and admired you for dressing so differently from everyone else and not caring

-with that being said, because you dress differently from everyone else he down to fight anyone that tries to make fun of you

-Kyle also loves helping you touch up your hair, picking out your outfits, helping with your makeup etc.

-I hc that Kyle wanted to be scene in middle school but his parents wouldn’t let him💔

-he lives vicariously through you🫶

-will tell you to cut back on the energy drinks and candies if you’re like that tho 💀

Stan ☆

-He thinks you’re really fucking cool

-Stan has always had an interest is various different music genres, and scene music is one of them

-so when you first met, he knew he wanted you

-jamming out to scene music with Stan? Definitely.

-he absolutely adores watching you get ready, like watching you do your hair and makeup

-he would also like you to do his makeup and do it while he lays down on his back while you straddle him and do it 🤭🤭

-honestly Stan will sometimes dresses goth again just to see the contrast in your guy’s aesthetics, it makes him feel all giddy

-also seeing the look on everyone’s faces when they see Goth Stan and his Scene partner ?? comedy gold

Kenny ☆

-ok ok, Kenny has a thing for people with unique aesthetics like; Scene kids, Goths, Emos you name it

-so needless to say Kenny LOVES the fact that you’re scene

-He thinks you’re so fucking hot in anything that you wear he can’t get enough

-Always showing you off and bragging about how cool his s/o is to all his friends

-like Stan, Kenny loves scene music as well so he loves listening to music with you

-Kenny is also ready to throw hands at anyone who makes fun of you

Cartman ☆

-“Weak dude, weak.”

-he acts like he doesn’t like it at first (he’s a LIAR)

-but he secretly loves it just as much as Kenny even

-But Cartman is very unique in his admiration for your style so please just bare with him

-he’ll complain about how long you take to get ready and ends up doing you hair and makeup for you along with your outfit

-he’ll try and play it off by saying “if you’re going to dress like that then I have to make sure you look decent🙄”

-It’s cute how his face gets red when teasing and hair spraying your hair, he also insists on being the one to re-dye your hair for you (he likes picking the colours)

-also do I even need to say it?

-this man is IN LOVE with scene music (you are the only person he will ever admit it to tho)

[kiawren]

Heyy it's been a while I went off tumblr to focus on studying (although I barely am) but I was still plagued with kiawren thoughts..

Ugh I should have slept instead of writing this but I've been listening to pierce the veil and this AU is on my mind. I have like one post here tagged #suneater!kiawren for it but here's what it is basically: kiawe and wren as ace and yamato from one piece respectively. Wren has the Tiangou devil fruit and kiawe obviously has the flame flame fruit. Which for non one piece ppl means they have those powers. And if you've got a zoan fruit you're a furry basically (For mythical zoans like the Tiangou (a tiangou fruit is not in canon btw, but yamato has a similar mythical dog fruit) honestly have whatever the fuck powers you could just go ham with the lore to give them some op in universe power (idk this is from I've watched so far) so Wren can turn into a dog and also eat the sun or whatever I don't car I'm just writing that for kiawren don't care about the meta

Anyway so wren falls in love with kiawe in this AU. And in one piece I think yamato and ace only actually spent one night together? I think they loved each other though, maybe not necessarily romantic. And maybe it was more yamato. And I relate to that one sided desire to be near someone. Anywayyy Yamato is chained to an island and trapped, I didnt specify that wren is similarly chained but he also has certain ambitions he can't reach yet. And kiawe reminds him of those ambitions. And how it may be possible to reach them. And he wants to go with him. Obviously also reflecting irl me LOL ok. One piece spoilers here...

Ace dies so maybe kiawe does too iddk? I don't want him to die but just remove him from wren's life it's vague what happened to him but anyway that dog is gonna be so sad he's gone. And his hope and ambitions are crushed. And keep the vivre card scene (your vivre card burning means you're dying) I can be trusted to be normal about this scene and its composition and colours dont worryy also cuz burning. Is a motif here.

OKAY HERE'S THE WRITING I GOTTS SHUT UO

—————

When you first saw him, his form ablaze among those tiger-vermilion fires, did you not think it surreal, like seeing the sun, right in front of you. How alluring it was, how intimate. Merely recalling it feels like trying to remember a dream. Like trying to reach a sun, that taunts you with every sunset. You cannot reach what you want. All the colour in the world, and what are you? But he turned to you then. The flames grew gentler. He smiled. And it struck you. Less like a lightning bolt, more like sunlight after stepping out of shade. It made you lightheaded. In front of you was someone who could embody fire. But not in unbridled rage, or blind passion. He had all the strength of a sun's heat, but also a heart. He was not pure heat. He was warmth. And it drugged you. And you would spend the rest of your days chasing it, to bask in it. Not in it's whole. Just a sliver. You were just a like a dog. Dizzy, desperate. 

You are still a dog. It didn't take a fruit to make you a self-fulfilling prophecy. You were already a creature, but a smaller body housed grief perfectly next to pride. You would have done anything to see that sun again. That sweet, sweet fruit and its enlightenment. You could climb and climb. You could finally reach those skies, their blood red and bruise purple a naked mirror of your dying ambition. So you could only do one thing. Climb higher. Feel the heat. Is it just like an embrace? ...I've missed you so much. Higher still. It starts to burns. It only feeds a high. You start to cry. Higher, You're close. It's blinding. You see white. That's not death. It's life. You're right in front of it. Here you are. This is it. Widen your jaws. Wider. More. The flames kiss your mouth. It burns and bleeds. It almost feels like a communion. It will feel holy. Now place your mouth around it. This will be it.

It does not feel that big now that you have it. Where are you? Anguish boils like bile from your gut in your mouth. You close your jaws. You hope it brings catharsis. You hope he finds you. He doesn't. And there's no relief. It just stings. It just burns. That ugly grief you had culminates. You have him. So where is he. You have the sun in your mouth, and it burns. YOU HAVE THE SUN IN YOUR MOUTH AND. IT BURNS. WAS THIS THE RAPTURE YOU WANTED? IT BURNS. YOU HAVE THE SUN IN YOUR MOUTH AND YOU TASTE DEATH. THE TISSUE BLEEDS AND DRIPS RED, BLACK. IT ALL BURNS. WHERE IS HE, WHERE IS HE. EVERY SCAR BLISTERS LIKE LAVA AND YOUR LIPS DRIP LIKE BLOODY RAIN. YOUR MOUTH MELTS AND TEARS APART. 

THIS WAS NOT THE SUN YOU LOVED, YOU BLIND, DYING DOG.