#okay this is super interpretative but i love the background colours

[trees-be-drawing]

Okay… so I started reading @annzy-bananzys-corner ‘s “Snettles” as I was scrolling through Snufmin fanfics to read on AO3 back in early December, and… holy cow is it good!!!

Not only did the art cover from one of my favorite artists drew me in, but the writing was just 👌✨ GORGEOUS!!

All the characters written had such good chemistry towards each other, and Snorkmaiden ended up being the funniest to me. I couldn’t stop laughing so hard at her trying to be the voice of reason to the two lovable idiots that are Moomin and Snufkin in the early chapters.

So as typical fashion, I felt a great need to draw it. Cuz honestly, long-haired Snufkin was not something I thought was going to make me go feral but hot damn does he look so pretty in long hair!

Okay so…

SPOILERS TO THE FIC!!!

It’s pretty blurry but 1. I don’t have the best camera quality, and 2. It’s a bit faded since it took me a whole month to do this. (Update: I got a clearer picture. Sorry, I was rushing to get this out for a whole month)

But anyway, I had absolute gender envy every time I drew Snufkin with long hair. And there was definitely a lot more I wanted to draw, and felt bad I didn’t draw Little My especially.

I’m actually glad for the cover art too, it acted as a perfect reference to use but unfortunately I’m not very good at drawing Moomin and I’m envious at how @hanekdrawsmoomins draws them! They’re so fluffy and pretty!!

I definitely had to draw Snorkmaiden calling Snufkin a twink. I couldn’t resist. What I didn’t intend was for it to be right next to Snufkin having a breakdown over the overpowering song in his ears 😅 I also decided in order to differentiate Moomin and Snorkmaiden, I gave Snorkmaiden more rounder and fluffier features like her tail and ears. It’s subtle but I was pretty happy with it.

I get giddy every time I drew Moomin and Snufkin, but Snorkmaiden and Alicia needed some love too. I wanted to try some perspective which… I’ll admit I’m not very good at, but I did my best. I normally don’t draw backgrounds but I wanted to give the scenes more character and it was pretty fun, even if it’s not perfect.

I also thought to myself “maybe the reason Moomin didn’t recognize Snufkin was because he’s never seen Snufkin’s hair deflate in the water” so I drew the comparison to Snufkin and “Snettles” for that one scene where Moomin realized how similar they were. I also imagined his hair gets longer in mermaid form.. hehe! :3

I was also very excited to do my interpretation of the Lady of the Sea but I’ll be honest… I did procrastinate on it for a while which is why it took so long. I know the description said “seaweed green hair” and not the fact it’s actual seaweed but… I hope you don’t mind but I gave her seaweed hair. Made of different types of seaweed too :3 I actually want to colour it at some point but if there’s any changes I should do to her design, you can let me know. I’ve loved to get an accurate idea on her :3 I also used the mermaids from the 90’s as reference to give her fins on her head, although Snufkin doesn’t have any but I’d argue it’s cuz he’s only half mermaid.

It’s a very scattered looking comic kind of page but man! There was so many moments that were genuinely so good I felt tempted to even draw a full comic book on this!!

But no… unfortunately I am very easy to lose motivation and I’ve been and will be pretty busy for the majority of my current life cuz of college and stuff so I’m afraid I can’t draw often.

Good thing I’m on break at the moment :3

But anyway, it was super duper fun drawing these!! I’m actually super duper proud of them :3

Actually…. You wanna know how much I loved my sketch of Moomin and Snufkin on their midnight swim?

I COLOURED IT!! GONE BACK TO MY DIGITAL ART ROOTS FOR THIS!!!

Honestly I don’t think I did that great but I did this on iBisPaint, and there was a version where he had brown hair… until I read a section saying he has red hair so I quickly changed it to how it looks currently.

I also realized too late that the scales on his cheeks weren’t actually scales but freckles… which…. You know what? Fuck it. His freckles turn to fish scales. And they’re shiny :3

I also decided to make his scales glow but then remembered that doesn’t happen till Chapter 13. But hey, I think it gave it a calm feeling with how warm it must feel to be snuggled up like that on the water. Heck even my sister agreed.

Overall, Moomin fanfics have really helped with my art block.

And sorry for the really long yapping session. I like talking about my thought process on these things, and I genuinely can’t wait for the next chapter whenever or if it ever comes. I understand you’re busy so I don’t blame you but… damn you really left it on a cliffhanger huh? Still love it though! :3

Also I’m not sure why the link for the fic isn’t working properly cuz normally it would be automatic but… I’ll see if I can fix it at some point (update, I fixed it!)

[felixantares]

15 Questions | 15 People

Rules: Answer these 15 Questions, then Tag 15 People 

omg okay so ignore the fact that it's been well over a week and pretend I didn't absolutely forget about this. but thank you for the tag @the-francakes 💚

1. Are you named after anyone? Well originally yes, but since we ignore that name and I'm gonna get it legally changed eventually I'm going to tell you something more interesting. I named myself after a star: Felix means lucky, and Antares is the brightest star in the Scorpius constellation and sometimes known as the "heart of the scorpion". So I loosely named myself after my birth sign and a combo that could be interpreted as "lucky star". (also I just really like the name Felix and have since I was like 15)

2. When was the last time you cried? I can't remember, honestly. probably something small and dumb when I was overly frustrated and the tears definitely weren't actually about the thing I was crying over haha

3. Do you have kids? Lmao absolutely not.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? No, not at all.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?  It really depends on the person? Typically clothes/hair but working as a security guard means that I notice a lot really quick just bc I'm trained to.

6. What’s your eye colour? Light brown!

7. Scary movies or happy ending? Oh happy endings for sure - not because I enjoy them more than anything else mind you (I love a good tragedy) but because I can't do scary movies, i'm a big baby - jump scares are a no go for me. I know not all scary movies have jump scares but they stress me out so bad the whole genre just kinda got ruined for me, not worth the risk.

8. Any special talents? Does art count? Idk if it counts as special since I went to uni for it. I also bake and decorate cakes and stuff, which not a lot of people know. I got paid for it a couple times in high school.

9. Where were you born? Canada :)

10. What are your hobbies? oh man, this question is always hard. Because art is my hobby, but also a job and also my education, so like ??? is it a hobby? but it's all I do lmao so I don't have any other answer.

11. Do you have any pets?  Yes!!! The fluffiest, stupidest little cat named coffee bean whom i adore with my whole heart. I would probably do anything for her 🥰

12. What sports do you play/have you played? I haven't played a sport since I was 14 and broke my wrist playing soccer in the rain (though I will say I played the rest of the game with it in a bandage and when I got to the doctor he was like "no it's like SUPER broken you should've come here immediately" and now my left wrist makes a funny little cracking noise every time i roll it in a circle).

13. How tall are you? 5'8″ or 5'9" (i forget)

14. Favourite subject at school? You know, you'd think with the everything about me it'd be something like english, history, or social studies, or maybe even theatre, but it's actually math. I did an AP Calc class just for fun even though I had enough credits to graduate without it.

15. Dream job? I have no dream job, I do not dream of labour. But more seriously, I really want to work in animation! I actually prefer drawing environments over characters (funny given I only draw characters these days) but ideally I'd like to do background/environment design for some type of children's animations like Hilda, Amphibia, and the Owl House.

oh god I definitely don't have 15 people to tag but uhhh @girl-with-goats @gloivy @venom0usbarbie @allalrightagain @soloorganaas (i hope it's okay I tagged you!!! i'm so sorry if not) and @vitaminpops

absolutely feel free to ignore if you've done it already or just don't want to!! 💚

[wonwooridul]

Hi this is Sher, I saw your ask about the the8 set earlier!! Let me first say that I am very shookt AHHAHA I am very honoured to know that you want to hear about my thoughts HAHA and also a disclaimer that I am quite a new art student, so my knowledge is still very limited HAHAH

uhhh *cracks knuckles* here we go I guess HAHA

I love love love how you made use of the umbrella in the first picture to create the leading lines down to the next pictures + I love the choice of red against the grayish background because red is very attention-grabbing and maybe I'm just biased about this because I LOVE RED.

For the second pic, I love the expensive vintage mood (it feels very gucci, very fashion and so true because the8 has impeccable fashion sense) created with the colours and the again, sharp lines!! It's also super interesting how the diagonal lines and the colours lead the eyes though not all the shapes are actually triangular such as second and third orange shapes.

Also, variation of type of shots of the8 used <3 <3

Typography goes really nicely because of the triangular feel of the font!!

The yellows in the boxes pair very nicely. There are also both overt and subtle circles here in the boxes which is a nice break away from all the sharp lines. (Also a guess but are u also trying to say that the flower symbolises the8 because on the leftmost box the subtle circle is surrounding the8 like a halo while in the next 2 boxes there is overt circle around the flower next to the8)

For the last pic, I like how you inverted the red. Now instead of using it to place emphasis on him, it's used to block out the background such that our focus is on The8. For me, red has always been something used to grab attention. okay, I'm not sure how to explain it further so I'll use an analogy for this. it. Let's say I saw this in public, the red would definitely grab my attention and lead me to come closer to look at it. When I finally come closer to look at it, the red actually helps me to direct my attention to the subject that is not in red instead. THAT IS SUPER COOL OKAY

The sharp lines are pretty consistent across the entire set, plus you added texture so there's that kind of mood created that I absolutely adore! The colours also all go very nicely with one another so <3

I apologise if I've overstepped or misinterpreted anything or if everything here is very "no shit sherlock". I'm just simply so in awe and thinking about how much time you might have spent to plan out not one but THREE different pictures that will work together. It's also super amazing to me how the 3 pictures generally flow so well from start to finish. Like this is the kind of stuff I've always wanted to do for my interests!!

I would love to hear more about how you ideated this and your thought processes as you did this, if you would like to share but no pressure! Or if you have thoughts on my interpretations, you can let me know too!! Thank you for blessing us with this wonderful set.

-Sher

henlo lovely sher <3333 thankyou sm for even responding to you my stupid ask ahhhhh. i have studied fine arts for a couple of years so i do have knowledge about colours and composition!!

i have loved that photoshoot of hao for a long time and always wanted to create sth with it,, because the umbrella gave me ideas hehe. one of the reasons why i used red is because as u said, to grab attention, make it stand out and it works well with the gray-blue opposite colours in the bg. AND it is one of the favourite colours and go-to colours for grfx. i was actually scared that i have been using a lot of red cause if u look at my graphics , it always has red.

leading lines yes,,, that was a point !! your whole interpretation of second panel truly put me in awe because i was literally blank minded when i did that. i just went what i think went with the whole “mood”. which is usually how i make graphics (with obv keeping in mind the alignment and the colour scheme). i was a little confused about the colours so my friends suggested i could go with the little gradient ,, thus the red orange and yellow.

as for the yellow part ,, i went with those pictures because they excluded cool vibes which was a bit contrasting from the mysterious vibes of the photos above it; but your interpretation of it wow,, truly made me look at it in such a new light, it’s beautiful. but you’re not wrong about me thinking about hao as flowers ,, i do associate him w flowers a lot. flowers, art and tea.

“everyone has a different interpretation of art in their own eyes”

the typography was thought after because it gave the expensive, grungy and futuristic look and suited the mysterious mood from the orange and b&w pictures.

the whole graphic was about making hao the main character and how he shines when he’s in the element.

for me, textures are the the oreo in the oreo mcflurry cause it just elevates and adds so much soul to the graphic.

i think i spend about 5 (?) hours over this whole set. i first didn’t like the last panel but then i felt that it was sort of a “concluding” panel to the first one so i let it be <3

i really appreciate you taking out your time and sending me this ask!! ♡ i would love to see if u ever try this kind of thing out !!

love, lee

[totallypathet]

Episode Seven

I am being very inconsistent with my breakdowns this season. Both with Drag Race and in general 😂

Anyway, the reading challenge! We love the reading challenge. Nearly everyone had at least 1 good roast, except for Miss Elliott. I dont know what she was trying to do, but none of it worked. On the plus side though, Gottmik was hilarious? I just wasn't expecting that from her, but I love it. Honestly though I think my favourite was Olivia Lux's "Kandy Ho...wait, I mean Kandy is a hoe" that was so funny! Rosé and Denali were also really funny, but I kind of loved everyone else's reads for Rosé, I feel like she brought out the best in people 😂

I wasn't super excited for Bossy Rossy to come back. I just think improv is *so* hard, and it's really easy to be tripped up. Having said that, I actually really enjoyed this episode. I felt like all the scenarios were just so ridiculous that actually it worked in everyone's favour.

1. Denali

Denali was so funny this week! I was not expecting physical comedy from her and Rosé, but they absolutely killed it. The outfits and the voices were properly giving me Jerry Springer, and omg PREGNANTE just killed me! They were actually genuinely funny!

And her look this week...I actually gasped when she turned the corner. It was such a beautiful look, and I really felt that like grand chandelier thing she was going for. I loved it, and I think Denali should have been top 3 this week instead of Kandy. The judges are sleeping on Denali and I don't get it. I think she's great!

2. Elliott with Two Ts

I barely even want to talk about Elliott this week. Nothing she did was funny. Nothing she did this week was enjoyable. She was bad in the sketch. The runway look was ugly and tacky. I'm bored. She wasn't even that good in the lipsync, I do not understand why she's still there.

I mean, I feel for her with her struggle with depression, that's really hard, and I know that it does isolate you from people, and I understand why she's been very detached from the rest of the cast. I feel for her, and I really hope she has a good support system around her; but her performance this week (and every other week) was still bad.

3. Gottmik

Gottmik was actually so funny this week. She really was that like soft spoken, condescending, hand gestures, "active listening" faux-psychologist; I loved it. I really bought the character, I thought she was funny, she worked really well with Olivia, and also that look? The pink suit? Amazing. Also she had so many little throwaway mime one liners that were so clever! She was kind of unfortunate in that Olivia was really the standout performer in that group, and that other groups also performed really well, because I think she was a real contender for top 3 this week.

I looooved Gottmik's runway. The big anal bead hair piece? Amazing. And the dress being all that one colour, but with the texture of the beads and the latex? Perfect. And the way she painted her face! I just loved it, it was beads in a really unconventional way, and I love that about Gottmik, she always brings her perspective. The only thing, and it is such a teeny tiny thing, is that I wish the shoes had had more of a "round" feeling? Like everything else felt like latex balls and then the shoes were just like red pumps. I wish they'd been more like those McQueen heels Gaga wore, that were really rounded? It's such a small thing though, like the look was perfect, I'm just being super picky!

4. Kandy Muse

I dont really understand why Kandy was top 3 this week. I do like that she tried something different, and I like that she was aiming for this very cold, Paris Hilton type thing, but I just don't think she went far enough with it. The sketch as a whole was funny, but for me the humour came from Symone.

The look this week though. Kandy Muse has never looked better. She looked amazing! That big hat, with the big fur stole, and the beads just dripping off everything, it was so perfect. I just loved it.

5. Lala Ri

I actually don't think Lala was that bad this week! Was she utterly hilarious in her performance? No, but improv is hard, and she gave it her absolute best. I actually thought she was pretty funny, I loved the pregnancy belly being totally the wrong skin colour, I thought the trust fall thing was a really funny idea, I dont think she did too badly! Also, there was a moment right before the trust fall where she was counting Rosé in, and she just went "one, FALL", and that was so much funnier than they gave it credit for. For me, it was a safe performance.

I also really liked her look! It immediately gave me beads, I loved the kind of carnivale presentation she gave, I enjoyed it! Okay, the body suit had a rip in it, but sometimes shit happens when you're putting on a garment okay? I forgive the rip. I do get that, okay, it's a body suit with basically a beaded bikini, I see that. But honestly, I just don't think anything Lala did this week was THAT bad. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I just felt safe to me.

Lala didn't deserve to go this week. She was better than Elliott in the challenge, her runway look was better than Eliott's, and she beat Elliott in the lipsync. I do not understand the judging on this show. Bottom 2 should have been Utica and Elliott, and Elliott should have gone.

6. Olivia Lux

Olivia made me so happy this week. I mean, she makes me happy every week, I am fully an Olivia Stan, but oh my god. She killed it this week! She said like 3 words the whole time, but I could barely take my eyes off her! When they were talking through parts in the work room, I was ao worried about her, and I was so concerned that she'd fade into the background because she couldn't talk, but holy shit she was so funny! She had the energy, she went so over the top with her actions, I was not at all expecting that slapstick type funny from her but she delivered. Olivia's performance was absolutely my favourite this week, I was just so blown away by her.

Also, that runway look was amazing! I loved her interpretation of beads, it was so cute, and so fun, and she really embodied that kind of pre-teen joy and care-free spirit. I just loved it. It seems like she's worked a lot with Mondo Guerra on her runway looks this season, which I live, because I adore Mondo, and every week I can't wait to see what she's wearing!

7. Rosé

I was really impressed with Rosé! Her and Denali were so funny together, and Rosé in particular was really funny with "Jared", like she never forgot that there was meant to be an invisible boyfriend next to her; she was holding his hand, she looked at him like he was really there, it was amazing. I was genuinely really impressed with Rosé this week.

Where I felt like she fell down a little bit was with her runway. Was it cute? Absolutely. Was it amazing? No. It just didn't give me anything, I didn't get a story, or a character, or a feeling, it was just "oh, that looks good". Which is fine, but it doesn't win challenges, you know?

8. Symone

Deboooorah! I loved Symone this week. I actually loved that their sketch wasn't massive high energy and screaming and yelling, because that wasn't the characters they were given. They did such an amazing job of being the child stars crying on Oprah's sofa type characters, and I actually loved it. Also, the candle thing was hysterical, Symone holding a candle that says "desperation" and crying was just so funny to me. She absolutely sold me the character, I was really getting a Real Housewives moment where they're like "I'm starting my own business where I'm going to make my own candles!" And then they get really emotional about it. I loved it so much, she was hilarious this week.

And Symone's look! My flatmate and I were literally applauding in our front room. It was perfect. It was beautifully made, all the proportions were perfect, the colour palette was gorgeous, the attention to detail was everything, I loved it so much. AND SHE HAD HER NAME IN HER HAIR! The beads in her hair spelled out SYMONE. Everything about it was perfect.

I really couldn't pick this week whether Symone or Olivia was going to win, and honestly I didn't mind either way. They were both just so incredible.

9. Tina Burner

You guys. I am bored of Tina Burner. I can't believe I'm saying it either. But she walked in being really like campy and fun, and then just sort of flatlined. I didn't think she was that funny this week. Even next to Elliott, the least funny queen in the whole line up, she didn't seem like the funny one. I am disappointed. The only bit of their sketch that was funny was them fighting with the huge ass and tits. That was just so ridiculous that it was funny.

I'll tell you what else, I've already forgotten what she wore on the runway. I watched this episode less than 24 hours ago, and yet I've got to go back and watch it again so I remember Tina. And then I remembered why it didn't stick in my mind. I don't know what she was thinking but...she's lucky the judges liked her challenge performance. Also, it looked like a worse version of Crystal Methyd's entrance look with some beads stuck on. Didn't get it, didnt like it, still waiting for Tina to wear something good on the runway.

The one thing I will say about Tina this week is that we really saw her be a human with Elliott, and I really loved that. That was the first time this season that I've really liked Tina. I appreciate that she gave Elliott that pep talk, and that she said that thing in her confessional about being a bit judgmental and feeling guilty about it, I really appreciated that, and I feel like we saw a real person. I want more of that!

10. Utica

Utica... I don't think she's long for this competition, I'm afraid. She literally started this week saying she's a scene stealer, and she does improv regularly, and she was really excited for this challenge...what happened? I was lost, during her whole performance. First of all, she was supposed to be Olivia's mum, hadn't seen her for 20 years, but she came out looking like a 19 year old? I think she was aiming for that like "mutton dressed as lamb" type look, those mom's who are like "me and my daughter always get confused for sisters!" thing, but she didn't go far enough with it. It just didn't work. And then the Starbucks thing? Didn't get that either. The one thing I will give her is I loved that she shushed Olivia when Olivia was like copying the hand gestures in a really mocking way, I thought that was so funny. But other than that... Utica should have been lipsyncing this week, honestly. She wasn't funny. Where were the jokes??

The only things that saved her this week was the look. It was stunning. I dont really know what else to say about it, because it was just gorgeous. It was beautiful, but a bit twisted and freaky, and tragic all in one. Stunning.

The other thing I want to say about this week is that moment when they were doing makeup, and Kandy was being Maury, and Lala was running around the workroom having just been told Tina was not the father of her children, followed by Mik the camera operator and Elliott the sound tech? Hilarious. That was the funniest bit of the whole episode, I was creasing 👌👌

For me, the top 2 of the season are Olivia and Symone. I've thought that since the very first episode, and honestly, the others are great (mostly), but to me they just aren't on the same level as Olivia and Symone. They're just both amazing, they're so funny, and so talented, and incredible performers, and absolute Stars on the runway.

[ur-jinji]

Could you maybe share your angsty playlist 🥺

okay okay i’m not gonna make my playlist public but i will tell you a bunch of my favorite songs off of my “feel something” angst playlist & explain the way they make me feel. i know you did not ask for that but i need to vocalize it. maybe in the future i can make spotify playlists if anyone’s interested? mine are unorganized so eh don’t wanna share lmao but anyway, here you go 😘 sorry this post is long i just love music

asleep // the smiths

literally if you hear me listening to this, i’m having a depressive episode. it’s about wanting to pass away and telling people not to feel bad lmao beautiful song tho

the background // third eye blind

amazing. heart wrenching. about being alone after someone leaves you. VERY good song. tears.

bloodstream // stateless

amazing music. love the chorus. i interpret it as being so in love with someone that theyre a part of you

brain damage // pink floyd

amazing. about going crazy. love dark side of the moon. best song on that album is “any colour you like” it’s entirely instrumental and gives me chills. it’s a feel something song for me but maybe not for others

breaking down // florence + the machine

please listen to the mtv unplugged version. ABOUT BREAKING DOWN. amazing.

bubble gum // clairo

i think it’s about regretting not reciprocating feelings for someone. chills. love. puts me in a mood instantly.

chamber of my reflection // mac demarco

BEAUTIFUL. dislike him but his music is really good. about being alone

come back to earth // mac miller

“i just need a way out of my head” god gives me chills. i love mac miller. i miss him everyday.

demolition lovers // my chemical romance

beautiful music. amazing. about two lovers who would die for each other. huge, super emotional build up, then the most beautiful music ever.

a different age // current joys

just good. good angst.

early sunsets over monroeville // mcr

AMAZING. HUGE EMOTIONAL BUILD UP AT THE END. END SO HAUNTINGLY

edition // rex orange county

BEAUTIFUL. about a couple going through some shit

free as a bird // the beatles

AMAZING. one of the best songs on this planet. it’s about a couple and the guy doesn’t really know where it all went wrong

friends // vacations

about drifting away from someone. so beautiful. CHILLS.

goodbye // the vines

fuckinv beautiful. about longing for someone and saying goodbye to them. first song i learned by myself to play on guitar

good news // mac miller

about being hella depressed and how people only want to hear the good stuff. they ain’t like ya when you’re down. gr8

halah // mazzy star

it’s about missin someone. chills. love it.

i cant handle change // roar

about not being good enough. beautiful fucking song like holy shit. but if you hear me listening to this god ask if i’m okay bc i’m not. best build up for any song in the world

i love you so // the walters

god amazing. about loving someone but you’re not good for each other

jesus christ // brand new

it’s haunting. amazing. i think it’s about dying.

life // the walters

it’s about life movin real slow. it’s a really beautiful song. love it.

married with children // oasis

god i love this song. it’s about being annoyed with your partner but at the end of the day, you love them so much you always come back. makes me cry bc relatable

moonlight on the river // mac demarco

love. it’s about dying i think lmao or maybe a relationship dying?

necromancer // joy again

literally such a pretty, chill song. feels really raw. it’s about loving someone so much but i don’t know if she feels the same way

numb // men i trust

fucking beautiful shit. so chill. about being numb lol

show me how // men i trust

gr8. it’s about wanting to be shown that the person you like cares about you but it ain’t workin

sullen girl // fiona apple

beautiful. raw. about being a sad bitch

under control // the strokes

fav strokes song. amazing. i think it’s about wanting to change someone but knowing you shouldn’t

waiting room // red orange county

fucking beautiful. it’s about someone you love dying :( it’s really sad honestly

where is my mind // the pixies

GREAT. about doing drugs & your mental state aint good

wish you were here // pink floyd

it about wishin someone was there duh it’s a really good song tho

worldstar money // joji

feels really raw. it’s about battling with your issues and wanting someone to be there for you still

now

for the final song. the one that is so fucking emotional for me.

young // vacations

i don’t know what it is about this song but it sucks any remaining serotonin out of my body instantly. the music is so beautiful. it’s about struggling with mental health i think. just wonderful.

that’s just some of my angst music 🙂 i have a lot more. these were the ones i felt like were worth noting lmao

[thebigladjake]

AX3001: Oddyssey - TV Show Research and Development: Giygas and the Intrigue of having an unexplainable villain

When it came to making a TV Show, I always had an idea for an Earthbound spiritual successor since 2018 and over this last Summer when we were briefed to make three TV Shows. I had to really think about what ideas I wanted to do. However, during my downtime, I suddenly remembered one specific thing about my Earthbound experience...

Giygas

The Embodiment of Evil, the Universal Cosmic Destroyer or the Almighty Idiot according to who you ask, Giygas is the main antagonist of Earthbound and appropriately serves as the game’s final boss before your adventure comes to a close. Granted, him being the very last thing you fight leads to you leaving with that boss fresh on your mind. But, I hadn’t played Earthbound for a few years... And Giygas just suddenly popped into my head. And a lot of the questions were “Why is he like this? This cute and friendly game has a boss that looks like a nightmare?” I was absolutely fascinated by this boss and it led to my second playthrough of the game.

Onett, the start of the Adventure

This is the hometown of our main character, Ness and effectively our window into the world of this game. We see the town he lives in, it’s so bright and colourful with all the town essentials! A burger shop, a town hall, an arcade, hospital, police station and library, it’s familiar to us as our hometowns most likely have similar locations. The vibrant colours of all the buildings is eye-catching and welcoming! 

The music is also worth noting as it’s very peppy and upbeat, it feels like the theme of a small town with a nice community. Most of the music follows this formula.

Most of the towns in the game follow this design and it does feel like you’re exploring more and more of the world, like you’ve ventured further than you have ever gone before and you’re not going to stop because this world is so interesting and welcoming!

Some towns deviate from the formula, but the good people in the towns help to established the same welcoming energy that we’re used to.

Now, let’s take a look at the final map before Giygas’ lair...

The Cave of the Past, the end of the Adventure

Complete contrast to what has been established this entire game. There are absolutely no colours, there are no buildings, no operations of Giygas’ in the background. It’s just a path to the end of the journey and it’s so simple... But, it’s super effective! The lack of colour helps to make it feel otherworldly, makes it feel alien to the world that you’re used to and that’s exactly what Giygas is, he’s not from the world. 

Even our main cast of heroes could not be transported back in time without being transferred into robot bodies, all of their colour is gone too. All except Ness’ hat, showing a small bit of colour almost as if it’s that one bit of hope of beating Giygas.

At the end of games, usually going to the final boss’ lair will be some huge event where you see all of their plans, what they’ve built over time and will be accompanied by some epic score. Earthbound does things differently.

Just give that a listen, it’s a eerie, droning piece that doesn’t sound like a great confrontation theme. It sounds like ambience more than a score to me and I think that makes it scarier, like you are in the positions of the kids who are probably incredibly scared of what they are going to have to face once inside that cave. It’s so incredible and it’s a sample of the Beach Boys song, ‘Deirdre’.

It’s the opening note and I find it amazing how a single sample can do so much! There is another Earthbound track that I will link here which features a sample of the trumpet in the intro of the Beatles song, ‘All you need is Love’ and again, it sets up so much with just a tiny little sample.

This is used just before going to the Cave of the Past, instead being the Cave of the Present. It’s technically just two notes with a reverb, but the sample adds so much and it just feels uncomfortable. However, we don’t need to talk about this for long, let’s go right to Giygas’ lair!

Giygas Lair, the true contrast to Earthbound’s style!

I apologise for the size of the image, but it’s pretty much a straight path but LOOK AT THIS! A trail of organs and entrails twisting and turning through this dark void until you find this uncanny monstrosity of a machine made of the same organic material you were walking on. This. This is what made me come back, it’s such a disturbing idea. 

This is open to interpretation, but the way caves are represented in Earthbound is to only make sprites of the ground and walls. All the stuff you can’t see is black, just like how a cave should be. Giygas’ lair has this same motif, but there doesn’t really appear to be any walls around. So depending on your view, they’re either walking through a tunnel or entrails or walking through the void as previously stated. Personally, I think both are terrifically terrifying but I definitely see the void more.

The organs pulse as you walk up them, the only noise complimenting the atmosphere is the clanking of robo-feet and the breathing of Giygas which is what I feel gives it the whole void feeling. It’s so unnerving that this is the final confrontation, but the fact that it is actually puts us in Ness and his friends shoes.

Getting to the Machine causes everything to stop, the ambience vanishes. Giygas’ intro music plays as the Machine changes to show the robots a picture of Ness’ face. Ness was prophesied to be the one who brings down Giygas and the first thing we see from the Machine is Ness, already suggesting to us that Giygas knows that we’re here...

Pokey, Ness’ childhood friend and eventual enemy over the course of the game, descends in a Spider Mech and just like that the Final Battle is about to begin!

The Final Fight

Of course, the final boss begins with Pokey standing before you with Giygas’ number one thought right now... Ness is here and he’s come to defeat me. This is a pretty standard affair for a boss, only Pokey can be harmed and he is much more a threat in this Spider Mech than he was previously in battle. 

Giygas has a shield that is impervious to any kind of physical or psychic attacks and cannot be destroyed or disabled. He attacks using the special power that only Ness knows ‘PSI Rockin’’. His shield will always reflect your shots back at the character who attacks him and even when they have shield themselves, they will get hit regardless. The Machine is what keeps Giygas stable and alive, making him completely invincible...

However... He has one big idiot on his side...

Pokey can be damaged and the strategy of the fight is to focus on him and avoid any attacks that hit the both of them. Pokey, like the main cast, is a kid and he’s incredibly immature. So as soon as his mech is defeated, he taunts the main gang and turns off the Devil’s Machine... The one thing preventing Giygas’ defeat...

Giygas Released

Once released, Pokey explains that Giygas isn’t even himself anymore. He became so powerful that his body was destroyed and had to be contained into a machine in order to maintain some sort of grasp on his thoughts. Without that machine, the four heroes are taken into a dimension of Giygas’ thoughts and since we play as Ness we hear his thoughts directed towards us the player.

He reaches out with such thoughts as repeating Ness’ (The player’s) name, saying “I feel... Sad.” or “It feels good.” and added upon these thoughts Giygas’ attacks cannot be comprehended by our characters. It really helps to add a sense of hopelessness because we have no idea what is truly going on and we can’t fight what we don’t know. 

An Unconventional Resolution

Attacks don’t work, defending won’t work either, you can’t heal or save yourself. All hopes seem lost until you notice a certain act that Paula can do. Pray.

When Paula prays, she reaches out to the world she left behind and the folks that are waiting for their return get the feeling that something bad is happening. So, they too pray from the bottom of their hearts...

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=320&end=374

If you watch the small clip above, once he feels the support from the Earth. The sound cue to signify that Giygas has been damaged and that Giygas is not okay.

Onward to his next form.

Now I would like you to take a close look at this image, I’ve asked a few people about this and sometimes they get it without me saying anything and others don’t. So, just take a moment to find an image amongst the Giygas’.

Got it or have you given up? In the realm of Giygas, here in the black void is a pretty damn distinct shape of a baby. And this is what fascinated me about Giygas, there is a theory that this is symbolism for abortion as you go back in time to kill Giygas but that theory has been disproven by Shigesato Itoi, the game’s creator. There’s evidence that goes against this theory anyway, but this fetus imagery always stuck out to me. 

It’s said to be a coincidence that the Super Nintendo generated these sprites and in this pattern. But, it’s such a definite shape of a baby and I find it absolutely mental that it’s just a coincidence. And that curiosity is what brought me back to Earthbound, just this happy go lucky game where you make friends with a little monkey that chews bubblegum, make friends with a man who converts himself into a huge dungeon man and at the very end, you’re faced with this. 

It’s not only impactful imagewise, but storywise it’s just as impactful for the opposite reasons. As Giygas can now be damaged by feeling the love and support coming from the friends Ness has made across the world. Each time Giygas is hit, it gets worse, but the moment he really breaks down is when Ness’ Mother wakes up in the middle of the night and rushes downstairs with Ness’ little sister and their dog. They all feel uneasy and begin to pray for the safety of Ness and his friends.

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=702&end=738

This is the moment Giygas truly breaks down, feeling the support of a loving Mother looking out for her son is a feeling he had long since buried. It’s about time I talk about the backstory of Giygas, while it’s not touched upon in Earthbound/Mother 2, in Earthbound Beginnings/Mother we see Giygas as an alien and we learn about how he came to be.

Giygas and Trauma

Giygas was an alien that was raised by Maria and George, a couple that was abducted by the other members of Giygas’ race. Maria adopted Giygas and looked after him while George studied their powers without their approval and eventually escaped with this knowledge, never being seen again. Once Giygas grows up, he was instructed to ensure that no human is capable of using PSI powers and not wanting to betray the people who raised him, he forcefully detached himself from Maria to prepare for the invasion.

Maria was sent back to Earth, but with amnesia and once the Eight Melodies are obtained, she regains her memory and explains that it was a song she used to sing to Giygas when he was young. This is very important.

Giygas’ first attempt to take over the world. He comes down, looking upon the gang and the battle begins. Starting the trend of Mother/Earthbound games having a unusual way of defeating the final boss. This time, the group begins to sing the Eight Melodies which brings up emotions in Giygas that he thought he had long since repressed or even got over. Giygas has a complete mental breakdown and recalls his forces, swearing revenge on the planet and that he will return.

In Earthbound, Giygas has worked on himself and made sure that what brought him down before cannot bring him down again. However, he didn’t do enough since the feeling of a loving Mother reaching out to her son in his time of need still hurts him severely and it’s at this point where Giygas can hardly do anything. His sprite starts contorting, the colours shift and the audio turns into a droning whirring noise.

Ness’ Mothers love is one thing, but it’s not enough. Giygas is wounded, but he is still fighting. Paula keeps praying for one more person and with a few more attempts, that person is you. There’s a moment in the game where the fourth wall is broken and asks you to enter your name. It can even be your full name, my name is pretty long and my name fits into it perfectly. It’s emotionally engaging since it includes you and you feel like in a way you are defeating him rather than Giygas being defeated by the world of the game. 

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=838&end=938

After this Giygas loses control, the whirring increases, his sprite distorts further to the point where he is unrecognisable, the visuals cutting in with static occassionally. Static that appears at the very beginning of the game, suggesting the approach of Giygas and showing pictures of the invasion, and at the end of the game it suggest that he’s retreating, he’s getting out of reach and eventually he is gone.

And after all of that craziness, the robots are outside of Giygas’ lair. Everything is quiet, “The War against Giygas is over.”

What was Shigesato Itoi thinking?

Shigesato Itoi drew inspiration from an event of his childhood, where he had walked into the wrong screen at the theatre. He walked in on a murder scene which as a kid he mistook for a rape scene which had such a potent effect on him. He drew inspiration from it for Giygas’ final battle and some of the things Giygas says. 

In an interview, Itoi claims that there was a scene where a guy grabbed a woman’s breast which distorted it into a ball shape. He said “It all hit me really hard. It was a direct attack on my brain.” despite the fact that this doesn’t actually happen in the movie, which Itoi admits that his memories are a little fuzzy. It’s probably because it all happened so fast and his child brain may have created false memories or just failed to understand it. Itoi also goes onto say, "this sense of terror having atrocity and eroticism side-by-side, and that’s what Giygas's lines at the end are. During the end, he says, “It hurts,” right? That's... her breast. It’s like, how do I put it, a “living-being” sensation." and the purpose of the scene is to get the player’s mind working.

Another interesting part of this interview is when Itoi talks about typical villains and says this, “Well, you know, having a villain there who simply goes, “Wahahaha!” and the like would clearly be bad. But, actually, when I think about it, having villains go, “Wahahaha!” is a really intriguing pattern. But there’s no point in wondering all by yourself for days on end what it means for a bad guy to go, “Wahahaha!” at the climax of a game, you know? I get the feeling that there aren’t many people in the game industry who would do that sort of thing, though.” Which is something important to consider, Earthbound is such a colourful game bursting with personality, so having it end with just a standard final boss affair probably wouldn’t feel satisfying.

What the Earthbound/Mother series taught me about final confrontations?

Giygas’ character and what it taught me that even “Universal Cosmic Destroyers” can have trauma that they are trying to avoid and bury. It humanises them in a way and it can make the final confrontation that more powerful as it’s a problem we can all relate to. They’re not all evil for the sake of being evil, sometimes they don’t have a choice. 

I think this is a good thing to take on board and I have already begun planning on my main antagonist’s motivations on Oddyssey. It might be changed since it’s a sensitive topic for me right now, but these motivations won’t be brought up in Season 1 anyway

[danganronpedits-archived]

Hello! Could I please have a kin matchup with characters from DR1, SDR2, DRV3 and BNHA? Thank you! I am a very mixed person. When I'm out talking to people in public it's very obvious that I have nothing to say and that I don't want to be there. I'm a complete hopeless romantic and can catch romantic feelings quite easily. I'm a lot more talkative when I talk to people online and I always laugh at the dumbest things. I love the color pink and lovecore in general. I'm also quite insecure- haha

you can absolutely have a matchup!! hehe,, you sound really neat, i’d like to talk with you myself anon... only if you’re okay with that of course!! your kin matchup can be found under the cut, thank you for requesting!! i’m sorry that it took a bit for me to write this one,,

oh, also... i want to clarify something before we start. i was originally going to make peko pekoyama your second dr kin assignment, and i still agree with that. it’s just that writing out the explanation was rather energy sapping,,, it’s not your fault at all, but i hope you understand!!! i can definitely add it on if you’d like though, anon!

-mod tsu (mikan shift)

first off, from danganronpa: goodbye despair, i match you with...

hajime hinata!

this matchup contains spoilers for super danganronpa 2! please proceed with caution, if it’s not too much trouble! i was kind of torn between him and himiko, actually...! but i think you’re a bit closer to hajime! i think that hajime is... very mixed. there are times when he can come off as cynical or even cold, and times when he’s very genuine and determined. these sides of him don’t clash together, but rather make up him as a whole... and i think you’re a little similar, anon! maybe you have traits that don’t really seem like they fit together... but you make them work! i think that unless hajime is close to others, he can struggle to fit into the conversation at times. this is especially clear at the beginning of sdr2, when everyone is just relaxing on the beach, not really seeing them randomly being there as a big deal- but hajime is more hesitant and concerned about their circumstances... plus, this is especially clear in despair arc around the ultimates. he’s very much taken aback by the main course students as well as staff, and... during those scenes it doesn’t exactly seem like he dislikes the interaction. however, it does seem like he’s uncomfortable,, maybe you can relate to that haha. you also seem a little serious, anon! not to assume that you don’t have a sense of humour... but there may be times when you take a joke too seriously. um, if that’s true,, there’s no shame in that haha.. in general... your typing just had a really similar vibe to him, though it may be closer with the hajime at the end of sdr2! i know that’s a bit of a weird, intuition-based point, but... the two of you seem a little awkward, but you have good intentions and it seems like both of you are... rather motivated people. at least, when it comes to the things you really want,, i admire that !! in hajime’s specific case, you may feel a little jealous of people who can do things outside of your comfort zone really easily,, for example i don’t think hajime is very insecure in his ability to study- but people like peko or fuyuhiko, who have talents that are rather niche, i think he would kind of be in awe of how... not normal they are. and you just kind of... strike me in a similar way! sorry if this doesn’t make much sense haha.

while we’re not super sure on how much hajime gets crushes on other people... we can speculate in a way? other characters like monokuma and nagito have compared him to a tsundere, and he’s specifically said to be romantically inexperienced. i don’t think this inherently means he doesn’t have crushes on other people,, it’s implied that he’s interested in chiaki, as well as komahina being... um, a popular ship. a lot of hajime’s feelings about the sdr2 cast are left up to interpretation, and he can technically have feelings for all of them in the bonus mode. at least, that’s how i interpret it,, point is i think that he can have many crushes.. depending on how you see him, haha. sorry that it’s not too conclusive but, in general, i think that while he may be a little uncomfortable with it, hajime may also be a sort of ‘hopeless romantic’ in that... if he sees it as being the best for his friends, he’d also be willing to play a matchmaker !! i think that hajime, without the border of being face-to-face, would be a lot more willing to talk online. in a chatroom, i think he would be more prone to rambling on about something. hehe.. i kind of see him as someone who can accidentally send essays when he texts. i’m just guessing.. but maybe you do that too. hehe, it’s um... maybe a little too literal of me, but i think hajime does laugh at... absurd situations. it’s nice how in a lighter conversation with fuyuhiko, the two are able to just... laugh and have a good time together. i bring this up because... it’s because those smiles are from fuyuhiko suggesting that hajime’s the ultimate counselor. i like their banter a lot, and maybe there are silly inside jokes like this between you and your friends too !! um, lastly.. while i don’t know exactly what your insecurities are, i think that hajime is rather insecure..! he’s visibly upset about the fact that he doesn’t have a talent, and i’d say his seriousness partially comes from this. he does strongly dream of talent, and he puts a strong emphasis on being busy and studying ingame- i’d say that this can make up his seriousness in a way? like, he takes things very seriously in order to learn from them the most. ah, but back to insecurities!! hajime does see himself as inferior to main course students like chiaki and even chisa,, and whenever other people point out his talentless-ness, it is a very sore spot for him. he gets somewhat defensive, and mostly doesn’t know how to react... you may kind of short-circuit like this too, whenever someone hits a sore spot for you..!

and lastly, from boku no hero academia, i match you with...

mashirao ojiro!

okay, so...! i realise that he’s kind of a minor character, so we don’t know much about him. however, from what we do know, i think he suits you well! like always, you had a similar kind of vibe to him in your ask. he would definitely be the type to use proper grammar in my eyes... and the two of you just have similar word choice imo!! second off, mashirao is kind of... mixed or in the middle, in terms of personality. he seems to get along with denki, a guy who’s definitely up there in eccentricity. maybe your friend group is rather versatile... like hajime, the two seem to be able to get along with many kinds of people. more specifically, they’re able to handle the oddities and ‘quirks’(haha. funny bnha joke) of their other classmates/friends. ah, but that’s off topic! so sorry .. i think that mashirao does kind of struggle in conversation, as he tends to not really like the spotlight, and other students describe him as sheepish or bashful. i think that despite his calm demeanor, he would shy away from conversations, especially ones where he has to play a large part- and i think that’s the most important part of him not really ‘liking’ to have in-person talks with other people. the two of you may be able to hold up something one-on-one, with one of your friends... but with a group of people, you’d just blend into the background. maybe that ‘mixed’-ness can make you feel like you don’t have much to say, too... i don’t think he really tries to hide this/can hide this either, like you. i think that the two of you are generally friendly and trustworthy, and maybe you both have plenty of loose acquaintances, the way that mashirao is on generally good terms with all of his classmates. i think that it’s easy for people to have a high view of you, but maybe not know you too closely or deeply. you seem generally nice!!!

...please excuse this second half being really short. like hajime, we don’t really know his status on crushes,, but i honestly headcanon him as bi due to him having... ‘softer’ friendships with other people, if that makes sense? not that that inherently means attraction... i just think that he could be very interested in and enjoy other people, leading to crushing of varying intensity. he kind of has a pink... vibe to him if that makes sense? ghgghgh we’re not sure about what colours he likes, but he seems to have a lot of lighter ones in his overall design and outfits... maybe a baby pink would fall under that! i think he would also be a lot more talkative online. um, my explanation for this is very similar to hajime’s. he may not feel such a strong need to be polite or accommodating through a screen! though i think he still would be out of respect. mashirao also seems like the type to find the more strange antics of his classmates funny... once again, he seems rather close to denki, and is described as a “straight man”(like, composed or deadpan in contrast to their more eccentric partner). maybe you’re also the type to go along, but have a more level head as things get ~weird~. lastly, like hajime, mashirao does seem rather insecure. he doesn’t really get why he got into UA with a quirk “like his”. he’s rather humble and doesn’t like to accept results he feels like he doesn’t deserve. in fact, he even dropped out of the sports festival because he felt as though he didn’t properly earn his placement in it. maybe you’d be more or less active in voicing this than he is, but the two of you generally have underestimating your own abilities in common. at least, that’s what i gathered, haha.

-

you all know what time it is, hehe... from dr, you also remind me very strongly of peko pekoyama, and somewhat of mukuro ikusaba, himiko yumeno, mahiru koizumi, toko fukawa, and kazuichi souda. from bnha you also remind me somewhat strongly of fumikage tokoyami, ibara shiozaki, and kyoka jirou, as well as lightly of toru hagakure and shoto todoroki !!

i hope this helped you out anon!! thank you again for requesting,, if you need anything about this changed or edited please let me know!! i’m happy to edit this, it’s not a bother at all... getting requests kind of makes my day, hehe..

[ladyadalicialove]

Akumanettes ~ Part 1

So I’ve decided as a reward for finishing my exams to indulge in Akumatied Marinettes!! I love seeing people’s takes on what her form would be and so I decided to do a small series on some of those interpretations. 

This first part will be my own versions, one of which I’ve shown before. The next few parts will be a mix of my own and fanart of other akumanettes. 

These posts will show a song that I think fits with the akuma, the actual design with a quote, small explanation of the design/outfit, the story behind akumatisation and powers.

so go ahead read these first two and tell me what you think!!

.: Marionette :.

Song: The Puppet Song - SailorUrLove

The design/outfit is inspired by the puppet from the FNAF series. Personally I love the fact that many puppets have no expression or just a single expression. They are also symbolic of manipulation/control. Because of this I think that its a perfect base for an akumatised Marinette. 

I wanted to have a look that departed from everything that is her. Mainly the lack of colour with the obvious duo-chromatic palette. 

The long white hair is very ghostly, and so is the floating black coat. Along with her single expression, it makes her appear vacant. Which is what I want, because of my head canon that follows the story.

Story:

This is set in their last year of High-school, both of our favourite super heroes have been doing it for 4 years. Marinette has especially become good at stopping akumas reaching victims. She has thwarted Hawkmoth’s akumas from reaching their victims several times, enough that it has caused a severe decrease in his super villains. Since she actively seeks his victims and talks to them about their problems, thus preventing akumas it angers him. 

Hawkmoth has been waiting for the opportunity to akumatise Marinette for some time. He wants this girl to suffer, he wants his revenge against her. And he finally gets his chance when she graduates. 

The akumatised object is the red button on her coat. The button was Adrien’s. he gave it to her during their graduation. Why? Well Kagami told Adrien about how during graduation in Japan, certain buttons of a guys shirt mean things. She told him that the first button represents oneself, the second represents one’s most beloved person, the third one’s best friends and so on. She told him this in hopes that he give his second button to her, the one meant for a love confession.

Adrien however mixes the meanings of the buttons up and decides to give the second button to Marinette thinking it’s him telling her about them being best friends forever. 

He gives her his second button, the one meant for a love confession and he tells her all about how he wants to stay in touch after graduations. Marinette aware of the Japanese button tradition, thinks he confessing to her and she proceeds to confess her feelings. Marinette wants no regrets after graduation!!

Adrien however, realises his mistake and corrects himself, and rejects her.  Marinette of course says it okay and that she obviously got too excited. Adrien naively understands, but before he can get the button back she runs.

She takes her earrings off and instructs Tikki to go to Master Fu, believing she won’t have the will to fight Hawkmoth. Tikki tries to convince her otherwise but a purple butterfly entering the button interrupts them. Hawkmoth uses to opportunity to attempt to akumatise her, convincing her that Adrien manipulated her into her confession. He tells her she can control everyone she wants and never has to be manipulated by those she trust again (the irony lol). Thus Marionette is born.

Throughout the akumatisation, Marinette remains inside herself, aware of what is happening. Watching her akuma form create a web of white strings over Paris. Hawkmoth wants her to suffer from the damage and pain she will inflict onto Paris, since she has caused his mission to be extended and he is a bit salty.

I will leave the story there. 

Powers:

Marionette can control millions of the strings from her web that is strung across  Paris. Like a spider she can feel where her victims are and can snatch them. She cocoons them in her strings and they transform into horrifying little puppets that follow her command aka they just transform others into puppets. The puppet army is coming~

Marionette however remains in a giant ball of strings at the top of the Eiffel tower. Just imagine a giant white yarn ball on the tower. She sits there, limp and lifeless in the ball fighting Hawkmoth in her mind. 

The strings she makes are uncuttable but can be destroyed by Chat Noir’s Cataclysm. But he would have to Cataclysm a lot of her strings to untangle Paris, and I don’t Plagg is up for that. 

.: Ring Mistress :.

Song: Scooby doo! Big top - When the Circus Comes to Town 

So I have actually discussed this akumatised form in another post. But there was still loads of stuff I didn’t finalise til now. 

Her design is meant to be reminiscent of Circus Ring Leaders, with the red coat, top hat and cane. Her eyes are green because they look great in green and it implies her powers aka ability to change. They were purple before but I change it :p

I wanted her to look mature but not too sexy, hence why I changed her from the original concept. I had to scrap the whip it was too much lol. But the more simple design is more appropriate for her and she certainly looks evil now.

Story:

Another day, another lie from Lila. Marinette’s reputation had been crumbling since Lila had stepped into their classroom claiming she had Tinnitus in her left ear. Or was it the right ear? 

The final straw was not Lila cornering her in the bathroom for the third time that week. But Lila had told all her classmates that she had found a diary written by Marinette, it apparently detailed all the things she hated about her classmates.

Lila had ever so graciously read it out to her class, and they were furious. Alya wanted revenge and since Marinette had left to go to the bathroom. Alya grabbed Marinette’s school bag and proceeded to shred its contents with the help of the class. They laughed as they ripped apart her sketchbook and assignments. They cackled when they destroy her stuff.  

Marinette came back to see it unfold before her. Her heart sunk as she stood frozen in the doorway, fat streams of tears had come. Her sniffle caused the class to look at her. Alya thought when Marinette discovered their doings she would have yelled out them, pull a Chloe or something. Not a confused, scared and hurt pig-tailed girl. 

Marinette ran to the bathrooms. Passing Adrien who had finally arrived from a photoshoot. (sunshine boy has no clue)

Bursting through the doors, she crashed into the tiled wall. Marinette choked a sob.

Within a few minutes Tikki had taken the earrings, she couldn’t calm Marinette down.

- intermission~ I have written a good chunk of a fanficition based on this so I won’t give the whole story away I guess -

The akumatised object is a photo of her friends, it’s placed in her hat alongside a random card. Being a hero meant she knew how to prepare against Chat. By having a decoys such as fake earrings and the car, she has possibly increased her akuma longetivity especially if Chat grabs the wrong one to cataclysm. 

sis aint playing games

Powers

Ring Mistress of course has increased speed and agility, and that cane can do some damage. However her main ability is to turn people into circus performers based on that person’s sin. She transforms the whole class excluding Adrien (he gotta be a leather boi) into circus acts. So far this is list I’ve created based on the class:

Nino + Alya - Knife Throwing = How can these two trust each other not to hurt each other when they hurt Marinete? Ring Mistress would love to know.

Lila - Corntortionist = Lying means to twist words, might as well bend along with them, eh Lila? 

Sabrina + Chloe - Lion Tamer = Abusive and an exploitative relationship. I kinda want Chloe to be the Lion? I drew it up and its funny as. Uno reverse card biotch!

Kim - Strong Man = My dude is pretty vain when it comes to his athleticism, so gotta make him a strong man!! I imagine he is the only one having a good time during this akuma attack. 

Alix - Human Comet = A risk-taker or over confident? This cocky daredevil will give you an explosive time at this circus!

Rose + Juleka - Trapeze Act = This absolutely cute duo is terrified of losing each other! Ring Mistress hopes they don’t slip, after all there isn't a net to catch them~

Max - Juggler = So many projects, so little time! How does a human calculator calculate that? Juggle those robots Max! 

Nathaniel, Mylene and Ivan, are the ones I don’t know about. Maybe background clowns?? I need help to decide what is best for them.

Ring Mistress is desperately looking for Adrien to turn him into a clown though. After all only a clown would rather maintain complacency than help a friend in need. 

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That’s it for this akumanette post! I would love to hear your thoughts on these head canons of mine!! I hope to write stories on them and add some illustrations of the puppets and the class as a circus over the next couple of days. 

Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Next part might be La Justice fanart >o<

[earlgraytay]

Earl, since you seem to have a good idea on your own personal style of fashion and everything, what advice do you have on finding your style and all of that? (*background noise of a disgruntled transmasc who is stuck in hoodies and wants to do More but also still wrap up in hoodies*)

So like... half the time I’m in a giant flannel shirt and jeans; I generally only post pics when I’m dressed up a little bit. There’s a reason most of the people in the world who aren’t trying to be ‘professional’ wear some combination of hoodies, jeans, t-shirts, and/or shorts- they’re comfy. You don’t gotta feel guilty for not doing More. 

That being said: there is some stuff you can do if you do want to do more for its own sake.

1) For me one of the biggest things that helped was looking at fictional characters whose fashion sense I enjoy and figuring out how I can incorporate it into my own wardrobe. When I was just coming into my own, this included England from Hetalia, Eridan from Homestuck ,and the 10th and 11th Doctors. (...I was Very Tumblr in 2011, okay.) 

Don’t just look at their canon incarnations, though-- look at how people dress them in the Human/Modern/Boring AUs. The Coffee Shop AU. The Florist/Tattoo Artist AU. Look at their colour schemes and the cut of their clothes. If something they’re dressed in seems OOC (Aziraphale in a wife-beater, say) figure out why. 

If you’re at all into Disney, you could look into Disneybounding to see how other guys interpret Disney characters into modern fashion... however, be advised that since a) Disneybounding is largely a hobby for women and b) it’s also largely a hobby for rich people, you get.... not very many men doing it, and those who do coming off as wealthy and/or metrosexual. So if that’s not the look you’re going for...  

2) There was a resource called “The FTM’s Guide To Looking Like a (Hot) Dude” that I used a lot when I’d just come out. It’s very, very dated, as you can tell from the title- it has advice like “don’t wear The Flannel Shirt Of Plausible Deniability and avoid skinny jeans” because it was written before the rise of Hipster Fashion, and now everyone of any gender wears The Flannel Shirt Of Plausible Deniability. The author actually updated it a couple times admitting this and saying “you know, passing is bullshit, I take back what I said” before taking it down. But some of the advice is still really good. I have it archived and I think there’s still a copy on The Wayback Machine if you want it.

3) Get a couple of Statement Pieces you love. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or super expensive. I’d recommend “go to thrift stores/charity shops and see what you can find” but if I remember rightly you live in France and it looks like those don’t really exist in France outside of major cities? :o So I’m not sure what to recommend in terms of secondhand or discount clothing, but that’s how I did it. Honestly I have enough Statement Pieces that I can’t name them all but they include Various Waistcoats (including a stripey satin-ish one I got for like $10 at Comic-Con and an embroidered Halloween vest that looks like it once belonged to a children’s librarian), Various Hats (including a battered ladies’ bowler hat from a thrift store), Sundry Blazers (they’re all a bit too big- I need to fix that), a grey suede trenchcoat, a cashmere coat with a massive fur collar (that I think is real lol) , a number of awful dad sweaters, some ties/bow ties... 

Start off with one fun thing that you think you can wear regularly and then find some stuff to go with it. It can be simple stuff.  If you’ve got a LOUD JACKET that you love very much you can wear a black t-shirt and jeans with it and all people will see is the Loud Jacket.

4) Find people whose style you admire and try to imitate them. Some of my style icons on Tumblr are @thebigsartorialist​ , @vinceaddams​ , @theunholyboy-blog​ (defunct as of right now, and mainly LARP outfits anyway), @a-british-guardsman​ , @prudencepaccard​ and @funereal-disease​ - those last two dress femme, but they incorporate vintage and historical fashion into their everyday wardrobe in clever ways. 

5) Embrace eccentricity. I can’t speak for people who are in the closet, for people who have terrible anxiety about being stared at,��or for transfemme people who might need to keep their identities quieter-- but if you’re a trans guy and you’re any degree of out, it really really helps to dress Visibly Weird. 

Most people have an idea of what a person in a hoodie and jeans is ‘supposed’ to look like. They are used to clocking the genders of people in hoodies and jeans. They can instinctively go “oh, this person in a hoodie and jeans looks like a woman, I will treat them like a woman” without even thinking about it.  

Most people do not have an idea of what a person in a cape, a waistcoat, two-inch-high platform sneakers, and a bowler hat is “supposed” to look like. It takes them a second to adjust their expectations and makes it a little harder for them to clock you. 

[ask-art-student-prussia]

You’re one of the only Hetalia art blogs still active that I absolutely love! Do you know any more of them?

Actually!!! I spent the past week sitting on this question, but im finally able to compile (most of) i have a bad memory and theres just so many, you see) the hetalia artists ive admired. ill write up a little blurb on each so you can know what to expect

warning, this is super long

I’m going to list my fav Prussia focused artists first:

@theknoflook is SO SO SO good at capturing the worn/rough-round-the-edges Prussia and they’re 100% the BEST at drawing the aged feel of him. They draw a lot of characters with human imperfections, it’s just such a RAW emotion I feel from each drawing.

@maplevogel I’ve admired since I was like,,, 13. You have no idea how much I want to be able to draw like them. Their watercolour illustrations are KICKASS!! They have such a sense of mystical-ness to each piece, everything is so unreal in what they draw it gives me such a sense of calm-ness. Constantly they’re using watercolour to it’s full extent, im EXTREMELY floored and always have been.

@mieudiary is another person ive admired since i was a absolute baby. Their art teeters on anime-realism and their use of lighting, shading and blending is SOOOO GOOD. They’re able to make their characters so real yet overly gorgeous lol. They’ve got the best damn detail in form/muscles (flesh) ive ever seen.

@kisamesfacioplegia is LITERALLY DRAWING RENAISSANCE PAINTINGS OKAY. Their art is always refined and carries the same aura as those huge paintings you find in museums, with extremely good storytelling and illustrations. Best historical prussia and germany on this site imo.

@carnagekiid (i dont know if they do aph anymore but their recent work is JUST AS GOOD) has the cutest modern interpretation of gil and is my fav. i personally am not a fan of like,,, the “ideal” canon prussia, and the way they draw emotion/use of colours (for all their work) with prussia has that like,,, UMMF of character, yknow what i mean??? they focus on ruspru i think but idk lol

Okay those are just the best prussia’s ive seen, heres some more general hetalia artists that focus on other characters

@payadraws is quite possibly my FAVOURITE HETALIA ARTIST???? IF NOT AT LEAST IN THE TOP 3 BC THEIR STUFF IS SO GOOD AND STYLIZED PERFECTLY. their linework is stunning, and colouring has that tone over all of it that harmonizes the whole piece. The way their utilize their style in everything is PERFECt, idk how to use words for it, just take a look. Their austria/switzerland is deadass on-the-money.

@tomato-bird Literally how does one even manage to do this. theyre professional and it fucking SHOWS. Each composition, each stroke of their pen, it shows dude. Their art has like,,, the emotions, the feeling, is really well executed and they have so much attention to detail it blows my fucking mind. like ,,, this gives of hard renaissance level mastery vibes

@paperdrawsshit is SO GOOD at using that like,,,, the form/silhouette of characters. like,, the shapes they use, the flow of each pose, the hands, ALL OF IT SCREAMS PERFECTION. Each drawing has such flow and structure at the same time, and each character has such a pretty fashion sense. Excellent use of lighting and i strive to be as good as them in drawing people

@jackce THIS ARTIST HAS LIKE.,, SUCH A CLEAN CUT ART STYLE ITS GORGEOUS. Each drawing has the smoothest lines and the characters have distinct features. Their prussia, italy and germany styles stand out so much because of the way they draw the noses, jaw, features etc. Like they look like screenshots out of a professional 2d animated feature. Seriously.

@starstray (not sure if they draw hetalia anymore but i need to tell yall about them anyway) has such gorgeous like,,, composition. like if you dug through a collection of paintings from the renaissance you’ll find a few of theirs scattered in their. The use of like,,, linework paired with the way they colour is so perfectly executed. its so balanced im shaking

@amazing-prussia has the cutest, quirkiest style with what they draw. the hair/clothes are so stylized and fluid and i love them so much!! Each drawing looks so quick and perfected, every time I see one of their pruaus doodles i fucking DIE.

@glass-soda has such gorgeous illustrative style. It’s so unique and the way they colour and draw people have this wonderful POP to it. The colours are so balanced and bright, its so SO!!!!!! LOVELY. LIKE,, IDK HOW TO KEEP FROM RAMBLING ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM JUST LOOK.

@ask-risorgimento-italy (ack, dont know their main sorry) Their illustrations are so well done, you can see the thought and practice in each character!! and i love the “realistic” feel to it. I say that about characters who dont have like,,, idk “anime hair”?? but not only the hair, the clothes, the form, the ENVIRONMENT. THIS ARTIST KICKS ASS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT BUILDING. LOTS OF DEPTH. ABSOLUTE LEGEND.

@hetapolis !!!!! THEIR ART IS SO CLEAN AND SKETCHY AND BEAUTIFUL. OKAY. Shading/colouring is GORGEOUS. and the way they draw each character to be distinct and have unique features ITS SUPER PROFESH AND LOOKS AMAZIGN!! I admire their style so much yall got no idea

@thedisappointedidealist12 has REALLY GOOD LINEWORK/STORYTELLING. LIKE WOW. Every time i see something theyve drawn im shaking bc the pacing and execution is AMAZING. Everything about the way their art looks is super balanced and you can see the exact emotion each character is expressing.

@captainjellyroll OKAY. THIS PERSON. LEMME TELL U BOUT THIS. FIRST OF ALL. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAV ANIMATORS. THEYVE BEEN MY IDOL SINCE I WAS 11. Their work has so much energy, colour, and you can see the thought in each composition. I love them so much,,, each drawing has its own burst of energy!!! i want to be able to be like them when im older and live with like 5 cats.

@tea-artblog (they dont draw hetalia much anymore but their recent art is 100% worth looking at) OKAY. YALL. This is one of the people who’s art i looked at constantly when i first joined!! Their art is so like,,,, balanced and has just enough contrast and the colours???? EVERYTHING WORKS SO WELL. The eyes/expressions are SUPER CUTE.

@sully-s ANOTHER ARTIST WHOS STYLE IS ONE OF MY FAVS. It’s super fluid and the colours are perfect!! Each character has their own uniqueness I cant express my love of how perfect their lighting/colouring is. Their illustrations are straight out of a movie art book, its so GORGEOUS. and the environment REALLY has depth!!

@ask-victorian-austrian (dont know their main ack sorry!!), THE LINEWORK IS SO DETAILED AND CLEAN. I love the way they draw clothes/fashion, its all so detailed and gorgeous and you can feel the weight of the cloth and the lace and everything okay???? Seriously I love all their blogs, they have a bunch, and you should check out all of them!

@amoxesyoew HAS SUCH CUTE DRAWINGS!! The style in their characters’ hair is so flowy and the way they draw faces and eyes have this adorable quality to it!! the pureness of the emotions they draw are really prominent and i constantly just DIE because of it! I love love LOVE the gercan they draw too

@arschbiene THE WAY THEY DRAW FACES??? SPOT ON. The colours are SO spot on and i love the POP they give. The shading?/? SPECTACULAR. And each doodle is super cute and like,,,, when people say each drawing has a story behind it?? I FEEL THAT WITH THEIR ART OKAY. HIGHKEY.

@ekinoksin ???? HELLO??? THIS RENAISSANCE VAN GOGH MICHAELANGELO MASTERMIND OF AN ARTIST IS LIKE THE SAME AGE AS ME>????? I just foudn that out. BUT the way their art has so much depth!!!! THE BACKGROUNDS??? THE ENVIRONMENT?? ITs ALL EXTREMELY WELL DONE. And they have this texture to their art that makes it look just like historical paintings its so good!!! Im SHOOK.

@alfredtalia WORM. THeir characters all have structure and expression and everything about it has such like!!! UMFF. The way they draw certain things,, theres minor details!! and you may not notice them!! but they ADD SO MUCH!! Everything feels like it has attention to it, and it is so well balanced!!

@avlerie (again, not sure if they still draw hetalia but their art is really pretty) the way they add texture/detail to their art is SPECTACULAR. The hair???? the bodies??? It seems so structured and well drawn!! THE EYES THO. THE WAY THEY DRAW EYES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL I CANT GET ENOUGH

@elhuesoardiente DUDE IDK HOW THEY COLOUR/DO THEIR SHADING. BUT ITS SO UNIQUE AND GIVES THEIR ART THIS EXTRA LAYER OF DEPTH. The art is so gorgeous with the way they do their lighting, and everything about it has balance and harmony im just shook

@ask-2p-uk no idea how someone can even pull off art like they do. the lines/colours ARE REALLY WELL INCORPORATED to EACH DRAWING. The way they draw expressions?? is so unique??? like i love the hair too, it has this flowy-ness to it!! EVERYTHING about their style is so colourful and pretty and unique i just ghhghghg dont know how to explain it, just LOOK AT IT.

@lucerna-lunam the way their shading is,,, the “mystical”-ness of their art??? ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. IDK How they manage to draw stuff with such like,,,, sparkle to it. But their lighting is really well done, the EYES are so gorgeous! even the way each drawing is textured!! It comes together so perfectly!!

@suckmyicelandick THE WAY THEIR HAIR IS DRAWN??? SUPER SHINY AND GORGEOUS. I love the way their draw their characters, the hands/face/hair is so stylized the second you see their art you just KNOW its drawn by them. The eyes are super detailed and its so pretty im just sobbing i love their style

@aph-lithuania OKAY one of the first hetalia artists ive ever seen when i was new. THEIR ART IS SUPER PRETTY. The colours are really smooth and THE WAY???THEY DRAW BODIES?? THE FIGURES ARE SO WELL PROPORTIONED????!!! Everything about it is so cute!!!

@ask-mr-luxembourg BRUH??? HELLO?? COLOURING, LINEWORK, PROPORTIONS, EVERYTHING IS 10/10. Seriously they way they draw hair has such texture, and the way the bodies are drawn are so good. everything about them!! and the eyes?? DEADASS KILLED ME. Their art has seriously so much detail and i just DIE every time

@ellmovy HOW DOES ONE EVEN MANAGE TO DRAW CHARACTERS AS WELL AS THEM?? Each character has distinct features and like,,, the hair is always stylized and it looks SO GOOD????!!! The amount of detail they put into drawing small things like eyebrows and freckles add so much to the overall piece like WOW

@haeko9page THIS ARTIST. HAS THE CUTEST ART EVER. Their comic strips are seriously so adorable and has really good pacing! Each time they draw comic strips, the frames are so varied and it comes together SUPER WELL. Idk how to explain this, but like,,, the “camera angles” and the way they draw expressions/character interactions go together like peanut butter and jelly!

@kyotemeru-arts (they dont draw hetalia much but i love their art so much) dude the flow?? of the poses their characters have?? the flow of the characters themselves?? SUPER WELL DONE LIKE WOW. Also the way they shade and highlight things  ?? like using more than one colour?? THAT REALLY MAKES THEIR ART POP. I LOVE THE WAY THEY CAN PERFECTLY DRAW FLUIDITY IN THEIR ART.

@frukmerunning GOLLY GEE DO I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY BOUT THEM. Just the way they draw faces, eyes and like,,,, bodies in general,, ITS ALL SO PERFECTLY BALANCED. The way they manage to make sketches look incredibly refined and capture the movement in each drawing???? LIKE IVE ADMIRED THEIR ART FOR SUCH A LONG TIME ITS BEEN 300 YEARS

@miss-ostrich-art BRUH how does one manage to draw ???? like them??? the way their characters’ forms and muscles can be seen but like not overly detailed??? they have the PERFECT amount of detail in each drawing, and the expressions!! the way they draw noses and facial structure and *italian hand gesture* PERFECT.

@maryluis THEIR EXPRESSIONS ARE SUPER DYNAMIC!!! AND THE POSES HAVE SUCH FLOW. Also did i mention the amount of detail they put into minor things?? like WOW. Seriously i think out of this list i like the way they draw expressions the best. Also this might be a weird thing to focus on, but the way theyre able to draw the interior/background/angles of things are INCREDIBLE.

@cioccolatodorima YOOOOOOO THIS IS LIKE THE FIRST ARTIST I SAW WHEN GETTING INTO THE FANDOM. ONE OF THEM AT LEAST. Their non-hetalia work is actually my fav and i want to do just what they do when im older! I love their illustrations, and their way of drawing characters/character design (ginjinka of mr.kitkat are my favs). The way their lighting looks, is SO pretty and the linework is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. their art blog (not just hetalia) is @rainbow-taishi

@ask-badlydrawnseborga lemme tell yall about a thing. i love how funny their art is, and like,,,,, i know its “badly drawn seborga” but the way the hair flows and the proportions,, everything about it is SO nffhhklahjdj polished. LIKE IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT BC THEYRE SUCH A MEMELORD BUT I GENUINELY HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR THEIR SKILLL

@sabrow3 NOT ONLY IS THEIR ILLUSTRATIONS SUPER CUTE, IT HAS GREAT PROPORTIONS AND DEPTH. I love their attention to detail in clothing and historical things, and like,, the line work is AMAZING. Seriously, I want to be able to draw as well as them, its incredible how the amount of work and effort is shown in each drawing.

@buruzaitama !! The way they draw characters has like,,, this level of realism and the way they do their lighting just pushes that to the next level. I don’t know how people can pull off drawing realism yet still make it so unique that i can instantly tell that a piece is drawn by them, but this artist IS SO GOOD AT THAT. LIKE WOW

@inkodoodles Okay their “1 hour drawing challenges”? IM FLOORED ANYONE CAN DRAW THAT IN ONE HOUR. The have such detail and flow and movement in each drawing! And the lighting they have is so soft and calming, it lends itself to each piece REALLY WELL. Whatever emotion each drawing is supposed to give is conveyed to a tee

@heyheyartman BRO the style??? is so fucking UNIQUE AND ICONIC?? And the way they manage to pace comics and storytell is sO GOOD. Like,,, the way they can use shapes for each of their characters is so refined and stylized i love it. Their use of colour seriously KICKS ASS and im floored every time i see their work.

@merasgar their art is so detailed!! and the backgrounds/environments are so soft and gorgeous to look at! I have like,,,, no idea how you can pull off such beautiful hair and eyes in each drawing!! They draw a lot of rochu and like,, the features look so PERFECT for the characters ghhghghg

@yosb ALRIGHT LISTEN UP THIS ARTIST SERIOUSLY HAS ONE OF MY FAV STYLES. It’s so refined and you can see the distinct features of each character. The style isnt realism but the characters FEEL REAL. They have such a perfect way of paying attention to details and putting in proportions/facial features to each character im so amazed and love their work so much

and of course i want to include @paachubelle though theyre working on their own project ( @the-otwya-project ) now, they’re one of my like,,,, friends that i made on this blog through hetalia ask blogs and i figured id like to include them on this list. Idk how people can draw in pencil with such detail and everything but they do it EXPERTLY. The line work is always so clean and the shading is always so well done!!

of course, im very clumsy and forgetful so i know i forgot some names but i cant remember things!! Either way, these are some of my all time favourite iconic hetalia (and non-hetalia) artists!! I want to be able to draw as well as them one day!

[geekybiologist]

Okay let me make a more coherent post about the Massara CM

First of all, Enta’s the one who we see the most of in it. I think that’s really interesting and at the same time I’m super happy seeing him in an active role. I like seeing all those expressions on him and I love that he doesn’t seem to be as happy go lucky naive as the Tsunagaru PV made him seem. Not that there’s anything wrong with that type of character, or that it would have been his only personality trait (I think everyone’s guess was that he’d be carrying some dark secrets and worries in typical Ikuhara fashion), but I definitely think I’ll enjoy this character more. I wasn’t super interested in him before so this is definitely a highlight for me.

Now let’s proceed chronologically. 

First we see the three boys as kappa. They make weird poses that I don’t recognize, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were taken from somewhere. They sparkle because that’s an important part of any Ikuhara anime. The backgrounds have traditional Japanese motifs, which I think suit both the setting that’s Asakusa and the kappa mythology. The traditional Japanese vibe was present in the key visual as well, it’s something Sarazanmai wants to play up. 

Since these are the only appearances of the kappa forms and the rest of the CM shows us the boys looking human, I once again wonder how this whole “got turned into kappa” thing will work out. Can they transform at will or under certain circumstances? Are all these shots from before they get transformed? Do they transform back quickly, or at least regain their human form while still being partly kappa?

Next up Kazuki makes some interesting fashion choices and Enta’s wearing a soccer shirt with the ア logo, because of course it has to be everywhere. The background art seems really colourful and pretty! This is so nice to look at and although I loved the innovative use of live action footage in the Tsunagaru PV I enjoy getting a better idea of how the actual anime will look like here. 

Then we get our first animated closeup of Sara who’s adorable! Then some more Enta running. Then we have Keppi doze off and not come across as the antagonist at all. I don’t know what to think anymore. Is he on the boys’ side or not? Is he a silly comic relief character who sometimes kinda helps them out? Despite also stealing their shirikodama in a kinda painful kinda pleasurable way?? Why aren’t the zombies shown? I get the feeling that they’re not really that relevant/present after all... 

Then one of the highlights is the introduction of a new character, Tooi’s brother Chikai. The resemblance is definitely there as he draws a blade the same way Tooi did in the Tsunagaru PV. I wonder what their relationship is like? Apparently they don’t live together, and Chikai seems to be working some shady jobs. Despite that I get the feeling that Tooi might be looking up to him? Or maybe it’s just that they have the same tough background that gives both of them the same mannerisms.

To make sure that Sarazanmai with all it’s (forgotten) zombies and shirikodama stealing business doesn’t get too dark, we have a shot of Tooi and Kazuki kinda chill and silly looking, although I have to add that the knife cutting vegetables and moving over Tooi when it does so might symbolize something I don’t want to think about right now. Then we get some more Enta, this time being aggressive with Tooi, who I have to say comes across more passive in this video than in the last.

Then it’s time for another of my highlights, which is of course a split second of Mabu and Reo. They don’t really do anything we haven’t seen them do before and remain as mysterious as ever. That close-up of Mabu’s eye is alarming though, so sinister. Then we get even more Enta! This time he’s rushing somewhere, grabbing a shirt that could be his, or maybe Kazuki’s since they used to play soccer together. 

In true Ikuhara fashion the character animation portion ends with hands trying to grab on to each other but failing. This time around we have three hands, one boy trying to hold on to the other two, I presume. 

Then the CM gets interesting. 

There’s the ア logo again, pink, black and white like in the Tsunagaru PV announcements, with the same “ 欲望 /CHARGE” border that we saw in the teaser PV’s. The background has been changed to purple. It’s not quite Sara’s image colour as hers is more pink, so I think I’ll associate it with the zombies instead. Some weird red contours of what looks like technical imagery flashes on the screen. Also slightly reminiscent of the red that’s used for the zombie design. Maybe.

The next image is of the otter symbol, turquoise and black, rather than a solid colour like we’ve seen before. It also has the “ 欲望 /CHARGE” border around it on top of a pale greenish grey background that doesn’t match with any of the characters. The image colour they’ve given Chikai is golden brown, so it’s not his even though he was introduced here. There are also turquoise flashes of the same kind of technical imagery as with the ア symbol, that can be barely seen as they’re so quick and faint.

The next shots show us pictograms with humans flashing on screen faster than what can be perceived by the mere eye. I had to slow down the video and then quickly pause it to be able to catch them all. The first one is a ghost, then we have what I think slightly resembles a police officer. It’s a man with a uniform and hat. The third person is a man with a cane. All three people are facing left. Next there’s a woman dressed in pink traditional clothes facing straight ahead. Then a woman in white facing left and a nurse who’s part way facing left. Then there’s a man in what looks like regular clothes, a shirt and a hat and the last pictogram is of a man in blue traditional clothes facing straight ahead. It’s worth noting that all the hairstyles are traditional and not really what you see in today’s Japan, even though you still see traditional clothing and art etc. I wonder if this is to lead us to the past? Also all the pictograms are inside white circles and when you put them together they form a loop, like in the Sarazanmai logo which I think is pretty cool/might be what it’s alluding to! It’s all about connections after all... 

After the slideshow there one slightly terrifying image of different meters and gauges, surrounded by pipes and the 吸 kanji which stand for “suck” or “inhale”. There are a few different ways we can interpret this. Something seems to be getting absorbed, but what? Also, there’s a heart. Is this some kind of “living” machinery?

The final images of the CM show us a circle with an aerial shot of Asakusa in it. There’s a huge growing hole right in the centre of it. The hole is covered by the otter symbol, this time in red and white. A second white circle is getting drawn around the otter symbol, like a timer, also very reminiscent of the teaser PV. While that happens there are some red flashes over the destroyed Asakusa area. The otters are destroying Asakusa? Or is it the zombies, since this red colour and technological imagery is reminding me of them. Are they the same or do they work together? The zombies seem like henchmen to me, but who’s orchestrating all of this? Is this happening on its own/due to specific circumstances or due to someone’s efforts?

As usual the last shot shows us the Sarazanmai logo. This time with the red bridge in the background. We can see some pictogram people on it as well as Kazuki who’s carrying the kappazon box in his hands.

Overall I love the energy and all the information this CM gives us. The song doesn’t stand out too much, but fits really well with all the action that’s shown on screen. I like the combination of funny and silly and bizarre and sinister. It looks super promising and it’s getting me even more excited for Sarazanmai!!

I also have to express my excitement for how they brought back several things from the teaser PVs, it gives me more hope that everything really is connected and relevant.

[incagewetrust]

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

In this remake of the Pang Brothers’ own Thai film of the same name, Joe (Nicolas Cage) is a killer for hire with 4 simple rules:  

1. Don’t ask questions.   2. Don’t take an interest in people outside of work.   3. Erase every trace.   4. Know when to get out.

On his latest job in Bangkok however, his heart begins to warm for Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), his hired local help, and a pharmacy worker named Fon (Charlie Yeung). As he completes his contracts, he also must struggle with this newfound conflict between his feelings, and his code.

»»————- ★ ————-««

Hi. I’m sorry I wrote so much but I just have so much to say again OTL.

Okay to be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to watching this. I’d only read poor reviews, and from the description, his look, and because Saturn Films movies are really hit or miss, I just wasn’t interested. But! I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and it changed how I felt about and enjoyed the film a lot, although it was really rough going most of the time.

-my one brain cell: ghost rider.

Frankly I found every character pretty boring, and it took way too long for things to get interesting. The whole point of the movie is that Joe breaks his code of not getting involved emotionally with others, which does happen over the course of the story, but it’s really not executed well and I struggled to really care about Joe. The transition from unfeeling assassin to Joe caring for Kong in particular feels too sudden, and there isn’t really any build up to it. The viewer isn’t shown Joe struggling at all really with his emotions vs. His code, so it feels like a very random decision for him to take on Kong as an apprentice, rather than because he cares for him. It also doesn’t help that Kong is a snarky asshole for most of the film, and I kind of hated him lol. All he did was annoy Joe, and not in a loveable way. Why Joe would come to care for him I’m not really sure, and it’s not like the film shows us why at all.  

I rolled my eyes at Joe’s romance with Fon because I was a bit scared their language barrier would make the relationship super cringey, but I have to admit they were cute. All of their scenes together had barely any dialogue, and it really allowed their chemistry to shine. I think they really sold that they liked each other a lot and it was sweet. It was much easier to see why he was breaking his code for Fon than Kong. However, like I said I found both of them pretty boring as we got so little information about who they were aside from how they were connected to Joe, so I didn’t really get to come to like them like Joe was.

Back to Joe’s emotional struggles being super unfulfilling, I found Nic’s performance to be really lacking. Now because we weren’t given any scenes in the movie to actually see Joe being at conflict with himself, I’m inclined to believe it was more because of the direction he was given rather than his own acting choices, but man was he wooden. Until Joe met Fon I thought this movie was just another instance of Cage deciding to act terribly for whatever reason, but then the scenes with Fon were really nice. I know he’s supposed to be an unfeeling assassin, but the whole point of the movie is that he gives in to his feelings!!!! How is the viewer supposed to believe he comes to care for these people when we’re given the impression that he has no capacity for feelings at all??? I think the way they handled all that really did a disservice to the ending, which I'm gunna go more into under a spoiler cut at the end because this review isn’t long enough already.

So! Things I really enjoyed: the view. All of the nighttime shots of the city and more rural areas were beautiful. The daytime scenes at the end of the film were just as nice as well. Every outdoor shot was so colourful and saturated and really gave the feeling of a lively city, and I loved the contrast of that to the soft lighting and muted colours of Joe’s place.  

The assassination scenes were already really cool! Joe used a different methods for each target that were all really fun to watch, and they were set up really well I my opinion.

Also I just have to say it..... this movie was lowkey ASMR??? Idk how many of you like ASMR but I do, and this movie had a weird amount of instances where I was like, is this.... on purpose?? Is this happening?? Folley team A+. Nic spoke so softly, there was tons of ambient city/outdoor noises, quiet scenes where objects with classic ASMR triggers were being handled and had audio to match...... it created a weirdly calming mood sometimes for an assassin movie lmao.

Because I’m crazy and have a problem, I made a video compilation of a lot of the ASMR-y parts??? Some of the sounds also had action movie background music so I didn’t include them all but....

Enjoy this Nicolas Cage ASMR?

Overall this movie was better than I was anticipating. The kills were really cool, the action scenes were fun, and it was beautiful to look it. But the characters were all rather boring, and I found it difficult to care about what was happening to them when we were given so little about them to care for. I actually think a second watch after interpreting the ending how I did would make the movie more enjoyable.

Rating:

Spoiler cut for me talking about the ending!!! I think the ending is cool enough I don’t wanna spoil it if you don’t want to read it. ^^

Alright so now on to how I thought the ending could have been better lol. I feel like too many of my reviews where I have issues like this turn into essays but I just have to explain my thinking so I’m sorry this is super long again.

So like I said, Joe coming across as an unfeeling assassin who discovers he can feel I think really did a disservice to the ending. I’m probably going waaaaay too deep into what purpose the ending was supposed to serve, but this is art and this is my interpretation! Lol. After seeing the ending and sitting on it for a bit, what it told me was that Joe wasn’t unfeeling, but actually a guy with a lot of feelings, and that the code was there to help him avoid hurting himself and others. Killing himself at the end painted quite the tragic picture of Joe hating what breaking his code had done to the people he had come to care for so much, he would rather die than deal with how it would effect his life thereafter. It was a really great instance of the movie finally showing Joe’s struggles, and I dearly wish we got more of that throughout the movie. Because we never saw Joe’s inner conflicts, it made the ending not shocking because we now see how deeply Joe’s feelings and decisions affected him after a bunch of emotional build up, but shocking because it didn’t really seem to fit with the character we were shown the whole film.

Ahhh it was just frustrating that I spent all the movie finding Joe such a boring character when we could have had a build up to the ending that would have made it a lot more impactful, and Joe more interesting. Apparently there is an alternate ending which from reading the Wiki summary, idk if it would have made the movie better or worse if I had seen that ending first instead.

[akysi]

Finished this late last night but waited to upload it until now.  I wasn’t actually going to shade it in this way at all but then I remembered the idea I had with Snowy and another character’s complimentary colour schemes, hence the blue and orange. I also found my textured brush again so I went to town with it here lol.

My main idea for my Feather Knights story is having Snowy grow up over time, so he’s older here. He progresses through the story learning more about the realities of becoming a knight, more specifically about morality and, in this case, loss. My sad owl son fjhsdkfhjsd

Now I’m going to dump a heckton of story stuff that I really want to write down below the cut because I’m super excited about them but it’s going to be really long and ANYWAY HOPE YOU LIKE <3

Okay STORY TIME KIDS (technically spoilers but I won’t have this story out anywhere for a loooong time yet so idc)

Alright so as I mentioned I want this story to progress with enough time for Snowy to grow up during it, both physically and mentally. You don’t become a knight quickly anyway so it makes sense in context. I’ve honestly wanted to do a story like this for eons because it’s really fun to draw aged up characters, and I’m glad I could fit that idea here.

I’m still working out the logistics of the world this story, but the general idea is that the royalty of this world have spiritual connections that grant them the abilities of other non-human creatures (wings, multiple limbs, heightened senses, etc.). It’s essentially split into air, land and sea for this reason, but the physical changes vary depending on how in favour one is with the spirits. Different kingdoms and such, but even within the sections there is still hierarchy as a result. The most coveted of these are the rulers of the skies (i.e. people with wings), specifically the Feather Knight Order, led by Prince Arvais. Though this story is told from Snowy’s perspective, the Feather Knights as a whole are a main driving force for the plot outside of Snowy’s perspective, namely in the conflict between the Feather Knights and the Leatherback Guild (main antags).

Prince Arvais’s initial interest in Snowy (and at first the only reason he keeps him around) is because Snowy is the first person without royal blood to be given wings by the spirits. And no, he’s not revealed to be of royal blood later in the story either. I wanted to avoid that trope as much as possible as his lack of royal blood would actually serve as the catalyst to instigate the conflict further, but also resolve it in the end. Though the prince starts out to be pretty self-centered, he develops an attachment to Snowy and becomes a bit of a father figure for him.

On their travels Snowy meets Kira, who later joins the Feather Knights as the Butterfly Knight, and is an axe wielder rather than the traditional sword fighter. As you might be able to interpret from the art she is killed in battle, but not before Snowy gets to know her and later develops an affection for her too. She’s with the troop for a long time and I want her death to be powerful, acting as a turning point for Snowy’s character. Quite literally the death of his innocence, as prior to this both he and Kira still had that child-like drive to be a hero and help the innocent, while not understanding what that truly entails. Snowy isn’t your typical excitable hero, but he’s still young enough to have that kind of naivety.

This does steel Snowy’s resolve to confront the one that murdered her, but not in the same way that most revenge stories go. I’ve always pictured Snowy as a character that, while he still does outwardly express emotion, is level-headed, direct, and can verbally communicate with ease and tact. Therefore it is not likely for him to have his emotions overwhelm him and feed his desire for revenge in a cloud of rage, losing sight of what’s important. Snowy had to deal with the loss of his father at an early age, and thus had to take on his responsibilities on the farm with his mother. He has a strong sense of duty to the mission at hand, and Prince Arvais sees this potential when his order visits Snowy’s village at the beginning of the story.

I pictured a moment where Snowy meets other nobles from inside and outside the kingdom, and his unique situation makes them question or downright mock Snowy for his background as a farm boy. One particularly boisterous noble brings up the recent loss of Kira and how that reflected poorly on Snowy’s order’s skills in keeping their team alive. A ridiculously low blow to be sure, but Snowy simply turns around and politely challenges the noble to a duel to see if his claims are correct. The noble puts up a good fight, but Snowy’s agility and skill far surpasses his, and I’ll likely have this scene parallel with an earlier one to show Snowy’s progression.

I have another scene lined up where it’s actually the main antagonist, Dragon Knight, who gives Snowy a suddenly wider perspective on the whole conflict, making him realize he’s been strung along quite a bit up to this point. Dragon Knight’s points are valid, mind you, as I wanted this underlying conflict to have a two-sided argument to it. While his actions and mentalities are ultimately not good ones, you understand the other side of the conflict and there are more grey areas than black and white. If anyone reading this is a Transformers fan, I was inspired by the dynamic between the Autobots and Decepticons that, if done right, shows the differing ideologies of both groups without necessarily painting one as “good” and one as “evil”, but rather a difficulty in co-existing. Not all iterations of the Transformers IP do this, but the good ones do.

Aside from dragons, the snowy owl and monarch butterfly are two of the most significant creatures from my childhood, so incorporating that into a story with themes of innocence really gives me a strong personal connection to it. I also plan to have characters for the red fox, domestic cat, dragonfly and northern cardinal for the same reason, though so far I’ve only designed Dee as the Dragonfly Knight. I also have Arack as my Spider Knight, though spiders are significant to me for different reasons, aha. xD (I love my spider boy though he’s really fun to draw). They’ll all be a part of Snowy’s clan as he strikes out on his own for a bit, due to the underlying conflict mentioned earlier. I’ll probably talk more about that later but this is getting long enough as it is, lol.

[firefistlaw]

hello how are you? hope you're fine and ready for me to spam your askbox! xD since we're getting closer to summer B/ *makes success fist* i was wondering how would our baes react to seeing their crush's very alluring figure in a swimsuit/bikini the first time? - maybe for ace, sabo, law, shanks ? idk if anyone else wants to add more into this request? headcanons are fine for me. thank you :3 *leaves a crepe here for you   

A/N: *eats the crepe happily* thank you! I’m great, I hope you’re fine too, also, I imagined all of them with no shirt.......... yeah.......... God bless. 💗

Ace

The whole Whitebeard crew had decided to just chill at the beach for today, the weather too good to waste it in other ways

Everyone was either having fun in the water, slurping on some drinks or if they couldn’t enjoy the waves, sitting on some towels and enjoying the sun

Ace was standing somewhere, searching for you with his eyes while he’s talking to someone, wondering why he hasn’t seen you yet

He’s about to ask Thatch where you are, when he sees you happily walking into their direction in a bikini, showing off your body just perfectly

Get ready for the nosebleeds

He forgets to breath for a few seconds and just stares at your body in pure amazement

His ears turn red and his eyes grow twice the size

“Ace, what are you staring at?- oh, oh my god...” Thatch would notice too and after a seconds he would glance back at his fellow member, only to see him practically drooling at your sight “Jeez, get a grip, what are you? 13?”

Let’s just say Ace wasn’t so sure about his age anymore, he wasn’t even sure about his own name, too focused on a certain someone

But then you walk up to both of them and smile in such a innocent way, the freckled man wants to cry and run away

“Hey guys!”, you happily say and Ace just... no

He can’t even bear to look at you so he just stares at the sky, sand- hell, he even stares into Thatch’s eyes in pure horror

You’re too close, but at the same time, someone in the back of his mind just whispers, you’re not close enough ;-)

You get confused at his reaction and ask him if he wants to drink something and he just...

“My favourite colour is red.”

He wants to smack himself in the face, but he just closes his eyes

Thatch starts to laugh and you just shake your head in amusement

After a few more failed conversation starters you decide to leave the poor man alone, so you turn around 

You’re about to walk away, when you turn around again and catch Ace staring right at your booty and... is he drooling?

Thatch is cracking up and smacks the back of his friends head and you can’t help but laugh too, all while Ace’s whole face turns bright red and apologies fly out of his mouth and he wants to cry and hide and hates thatch and oh my god

this kid is2g

Sabo

Okay, Sabo is such a cutie

When he first saw your body in a bikini/swimsuit, he couldn’t breath either

He was so amazed by your sight, he almost forgot to behave

But only almost, he knows how to handle this feeling, he’s a man

Instantly, he glances at the floor/sand and tries his best to get him under control again you interpret what I mean with that 

Turns out to be a bit harder then expected, because you just look too good  this sounds really wrong and I’m really sorry LMAO

You wouldn’t even notice his reaction and just go and talk to koala a few metres away from him 

Everything is fine for a while, but then you just feel like someone keeps staring at you

You turn around but never see someone and you’re just???

So you ask Koala if someone stares at you and she just glances behind you and then giggles uncontrollably

You get curious and ask what’s going on, so she comes closer and whispers into your ear:

“Sabo’s face is burning red! He keeps glancing at you, I’m sure his drink is already empty but he just doesn’t want- no wait, can’t get up!”

You turn around too and then you catch him

He starts to choke and turns his head around, suddenly getting panicked

You grin, walk up to him and sit down next to him, “Hi.”

ohmygod ohmygod what the- they noticed I stared I am so oh my god- 

“Hey.”

“It’s really hot today, don’t you think?”

“OH, yes, it sure is hot today, haha. So hot, so freaking... hot.”

He glances at your face and you just bite your lip at his face

He looks like he’s about to cry

“You look beautiful.” He whispers, even though he didn’t really wanted to say that out loud

You thank him laughing and playfully grab his arm and he just freezes

He feels it, it just got too hot and you’re too close and you look so beautiful and your smile is so adorable and oh, oh no-

He excuses himself and runs into the nearest hiding spot, blushing extremely

Koala is still laughing in the background

Law

Okay, now Law is different

He’s not reacting like Sabo or Ace, no

He actually doesn’t like to see you like this, because even though he has admitted that he likes you, no one else knows that he’s into you, so therefor others will stare at you in ways, he doesn’t want them to

He gets a bit pissy and his mood just drops a bit

And yet he can’t help but think how gorgeous your body looks in this light or how good your skin must feel under his fingertips

He notices you playing with Penguin in the water and gets so frustrated, because first, he can’t join you and second, Penguin is being too friendly for his taste

After a while you notice him being grumpy in the sand, so you turn to your friend and open your mouth, about to tell him that you’re leaving, when you suddenly feel a weird vibration around you and then everything is lighly blue?

“Room.”

A second later you’re next to Law in the sand and almost fall down from the sudden change of location

You stare at the dark haired man and just go ????

And he just glances at you, “I thought there was a shark.”

Yeah, no, there was no shark

“You should wear something else, Y/N.”, he then mumbles and you merely smirk

“Why? You don’t think I look good in this?”

And he just hides his face in his hat, but you know he turned red, you just know it 

“That’s not it.”

“Yeah,” You grin and then you say it, “I know. I saw the way you stared, Captain.”

He is speechless and you cover your mouth with your hand so you don’t start to laugh loudly

His brain works super fast, trying his best to find an excuse to why he was staring and then he just gulps,

“I wasn’t staring. I was just making sure you don’t get hurt.”

“Of course, how admirable.” you say and stand up, on your way to get something to drink, when you bend down and whisper:

“I don’t mind you staring, because I was staring at you too, Law.” and then you leave just like that

And he just swears, he will make sure everyone knows you belong to him, everyone 

Shanks

*laughs in shanks*

Okay, my beautiful, gorgeous, stupid, hilarious little daddy shanks

This man, oh my god

Secretly staring and drooling? Nah, he’s too old for this crap

The red haired man will simply walk up to you the second he sees you and flirt with you as much as he can

Get ready for a lot of compliments

“No wonder it suddenly got so hot, I mean look at you...” - “Everytime I look at you, you just seem to get more beautiful.” - “Y/N, Hancock has got nothing on you...”

If other people talked to you like this you’d probably smack them and leave, but it’s shanks and you’re crushing on him so you just thank him and giggle

Shanks just feels like you’re the perfect wifey for him; you’re smart, funny, strong minded, kind and so so beautiful

also he can’t help but wonder how your skin feels like against his ;-)

After a few more seconds of flirting talking to each other, someone calls for him, so he has to leave for a short while

You stand there in the sun and then, some random dude comes up to you and starts to flirt in such a weird way, you feel uncomfortable, you try to be polite and leave, but it’s not as easy as you thought and then, oh my god

Guess who notices

Yes, you know who

He is by your side in a few short heartbeats and suddenly, he’s not as playful as before anymore

“Is that how you talk to a woman?”, he asks and glares at the dude in such a scary way...

You actually feel a bit sorry for him, but then he sprints away and you don’t really care anymore

Shanks takes you to the other members and you all sit on the sand and have a nice chat

He doesn’t really care if other people stare at you, as long as you don’t feel uncomfortable or if they don’t get disrespectful, he feels like they’re complimenting you

He actually feels a bit proud, because yes, this beauty next to him is in his crew and yes, he knows you’re liking him as much as he likes you

Yeah, Shanks is just great I love him

also, shanks in no shirt *drools in ace- style*

[asntmc5recap]

EPISODE 3: The Girl Who Is a Crybaby (Part II - The Photoshoot)

For this week’s photoshoot, the contestants braved the elements - heat, sun, rain, humidity - for their first nature shoot. With a giant chair as their prop, and the beautiful lalang field as their background, this photoshoot is all about denim. The contestants are free to interpret denim in their own style - to either make it sexy and bold, or cool and grunge, as Yu Tsai put it.

Accompanying Yu Tsai were Malaysian top model, Ling Tan, and photographer Shavonne Wong.

Some girls really nailed the shoot. Cindy embraced the crazy poses Yu Tsai asked her to do.

And Tu’s new hair comes with a dramatic change in character and attitude.

There were also some who struggled. Yu Tsai complained of Layla’s lacks of energy and motivation.

While Maureen is still not comfortable with her body and seemed lost throughout the photoshoot.

During the judging panel, the girls were dressed up in all-denim. Poor Alicia looking like if Janis Joplin had dated Justin Timberlake back in the early 2000s instead of Britney Spears. She got the worst outfit of all the girls. Dorothy and Layla looked cute, but I think the best dressed title would have to go to Shikin. Girl’s lookin’ fierce as hell. And her strut is everything.

And now, on with the pictures!

MY 5 BEST

1) Tu, 2nd place, 27.5 points

Gurlfriend is seriously WERK-ing that new hair that the Universe had intended for her. She managed to look sexy without venturing into “cheap” territory. This does feel a little borderline-GQ, but she saved it by serving attitude. My only complaint is that I wish her left leg is more straighten up, to give it more length.

2) Nametha, 5th place, 24.0 points

I guess Yu Tsai is on to something, huh? I was so frustrated when she wasn’t eliminated last week, but boy, this picture surprises me. While her hair colour is still questionable at best, I love how it’s styled here. This was taken during the last minutes of her shoot, so it’s still doesn’t speak much about her strength as a model, but I love this. I’m getting sort of a bad girl Anita Mui vibe from this picture, for some reason.

3) Cindy, 1st place, 29.0 points

The judges were crazy about this picture, weren’t they? It would’ve been perfection had her facial expression not look like someone had just given her a lobotomy. Otherwise, great pic.

4) Shikin, 3rd place, 25.0 points

Yay, she finally SLAYED! I do wish her body pose is a bit... stronger? But I guess she’s the “stand still and fiercely stare at the camera” type of model. 

5) Alicia, 6th place, 24.0 points

I think I have the same problem with her and Shikin. If her pose is stronger, I think this would’ve been the best. The sunlight hit her at just the right spot, giving it a very dramatic feel, and I love how at the beginning of the photoshoot she was all sexy, unbuttoning her jeans and all. Sadly we don’t really get to see that sexy, badass chick in this picture.

MY 5 WORST

5) Layla, 7th place, 23.5 points

The pose is great, although I’d say her right leg is resting pretty awkwardly on the chair’s arm there. And that’s really not the best angle for her face. And can we talk about her photoshoot for a sec? That inspirational music is laughable. Now, I’m not mad at Layla. She has her own struggle, just like every other girl in this competition, but I bet the producer will be overplaying it to the max. I mean, are they going to turn every single one of her photoshoot into some sort of a personal battle?

6) Clara, 4th place, 24.5 points

I’m afraid Clara is going to be the Amanda (C3) of this cycle. She killed it during the first week, but her performance has been declining ever since. While this is not really a bad picture in itself, it’s super boring. I’m also pretty angry at Yu Tsai for giving her positive feedbacks throughout the shoot but then criticizing her for giving a bad performance. I thought she is going to be his target this cycle but then the score he gave her was okay (6.5. Cindy gave her 6.0.), so WTF is going on here?

3) Maureen, 11th place (bottom 2), 20.5 points

Yu Tsai asked Maureen to imagine herself as this badass chick at the gas station being all cool and chilled, but instead, she gave us the face that you’d see when you use the toilet at the gas station for too long.

2) Jennica, Eliminated, 19.5 points

Yeah, that turban is pretty stupid, but so is her pose.

1) Valerie, 10th place, 21.0 points

This is just... awful. I mean, contrary to what Jennica would probably like to believe, Valerie had the worst outfit to work with. I remember her getting up to that chair with her back facing the camera and my first thought was, “That’s some ugly-ass looking pair of jeans.” I guess when you have to wear jeans that make your butts non-existent, sexy really isn’t the way to go. And worse, her attempt at being sexy ended up looking... todler-ish? Ugh.

Goodbye, Jennica.

Nonetheless, I understand their decision to send Jennica home. She had been giving terrible performance since week 1. She likes to talk about the weaker models in the competition (and how they should go home next) without realizing she is one. And gurl, that’s just tragic.

And what a sore loser too. Her exit is one of the least graceful in the show’s history. Welp, adios, Jen. 

Excited for next week episode? They show a catfight going on between Clara and Tu, with Clara calling Tu a bitch and a slut (Damn gurl, you kiss your dad with that mouth?). What do you think the fight will be about? Will it be about food (like Gani vs Monika from C3) or the pressure of living with other girls (like Janice vs. everyone else in C2) or will it be because of misunderstanding due to language barrier (like Mai Ngo in C4)? 

Food. I bet it’s food.

[crossedbeams]

ROSE REVIEWS… THE X-FILES - S1.E8:  ICE

<< 1.6 The Ghost in the Machine ————————— 1.9 Space >>

What a week it has been! What a month in fact (because that’s how long ago I started this recap). Ice is one of my favourite early episodes which explains why this is longer than the combined beards of ZZ Top. Someone teach me self control? Please?

Go under the cut at your own peril, here there be worms.

The Plot

Some dudes playing with ice have gone radio silent and left a creepy message, Mulder and Scully get sent up to investigate with a ragtag team of socially inept scientists and then cut off by bad weather with some seriously suspect wormlike organisms, and more sexual tension than you can shake an oversized drillbit at.

My Stream of Semi-Consciousness

YAY! ICE!

I’m glad they start out with the dog just nommin on something spilled instead of one of the dead people. It makes it easier to root for him later which is good coz it’s a cute dog. Apparently it’s also Blue’s dad!

Then there’s what appears to be a disembodied limb in a box. Why I have no idea. but I am soon distracted by the entry of this dude who appears to have been scorched, stripped and then attacked in an incredibly symmetrical fashion by a pair of clawed ketchup bottles.

Like c'mon prop monkeys! Blood is NOT that colour and when did you last see someone with matching pectoral wounds (given it’s not sex related… probably). Also now I’ve been looking at it for too long and I feel like he has one nipple that is significantly bigger than the other and I’m having trouble moving past it.

And WHY is he shirtless. At what point in the whole fighting to the death in the ARCTIC was he like… wait mate… I need to take off this shirt off because #aesthetic.

Though to be fair I probably would.

Aaaaanyway

His radio makes more noises than the tardis.

We’re not who we are. Okay. We get it. But on a serious note do they ever actually discuss why he says this. Because I feel like grammatically it’s questionable and the space worms seem more into murdering each other than making dramatic speeches.

His assailant looks very heeeeere’s jack" and is wearing a shirt. I’m rooting  for him until they get into the worst duel ever. Don’t put your guns so close. This whole bit tbh. The worms seem to have very complicated motivations and choreography, Maybe they’re abstract prehistoric space worms. Am I making sense. I don’t think I’m making sense.

It’s okay though I can compose myself during the CREDITS.

This video from the dead science dudes is the dorkiest thing I have ever seen. There are quilted body warmers, pasted on smiles and overenthusiastic high fives. You can see why these guys are extras and not the series stars. But at least they were all having fun before they brutally killed one another.

Mulder and Scully are watching this video in a room with both a blackboard and a window. Where are they? Is the basement being cleaned? Is this Scully’s office? If so why does she have so many damn tables!

Why do people insist on digging into old ice/trenches/under the sea. It always ends badly. EVERY DAMN TIME. Cthulu is down there people. Or godzilla or some shit. Just leave it alone and make nachos. Much better.

Not to be pedantic (okay who am I kidding) but pretty sure the background here doesn’t match what was behind him in the scene.

It’s only 1993 goddamn and Gillian Anderson is already learning how to ruin us all with her exquisite face. We were all screwed from the first time someone pointed a camera at her. All her tiny facial nuances remind me of the queens of old Hollywood and the things they could do with a quirk of the lip.

Then Mulder squats down and grins at her and though he’s basically implying they’re being sent as sacrificial lambs he doesn’t seem too sad about the concept of being trapped in an igloo full of corpses with his partner. He goes from amused to gleeful when he tells his teeny partner to bring her mittens and I’m thinking Scully seems excessively perturbed at this stage… is she having a moment of forboding? Or does she just really hate Alaska? I mean this is pre Palin so there’s no good reason to be quite so down on it…

And heeeeere’s Denny

Not content with really loving rocks (geologist) and being called Denny he also likes to do this in public places.

Denny is not getting any.

I do miss cassettes though.

Enter small winterwear troll AKA Dana Scully in a jacket so big she may be wider than she is tall. Mulder in contrast appears to be wearing jammies, jeans and a jacket, which are - incidentally - my three style essentials. Well those three and a resting bitch face.

Mulder makes awkward chat about San Diego while Scully pulls a face like she didn’t used to live there and then the other scientists arrive and they engage in a charade worth of the Chuckle Brothers with IDs, “It’s me! It’s You!” Mulder even checks Scully in case, one assumes, somebody else was hiding in her coat and has leaped out to replace her since he introduced her to Denny less than 30 seconds ago. Possibly he just uses it as an opportunity to sniff her. He’s only human and I would… I also feel like at this point  the writers were overly concerned with linking back to “we’re not who we are” from earlier. Every single combination of the words “we”, “who”  and “are” is well and truly thrust in. And we’re only at 7.12.

Also hello Felicity Huffman.

“Two federal agents, a geologist, a medical doctor and a toxicologist” sounds like the beginning of the worst walked into a bar joke ever. It would have some incredibly scientific punchline probably involving the word ampule. I’d try and write it but… we I can’t be bothered!

Everyone is so weird and cagey. The script must have been full of side-eye instructions. A word to the wise - if you’re ever asked to go on a business trip where people are behaving like this, don’t go. It’s the start of a horror film and you will die.

Especially if someone else there is called Bear.

Bear could be Steven Tyler’s brother. Or maybe they just have the same surgeon. His car is the only car in the universe dirtier than mine.

And after Scully standing weirdly close to Huffman (I forget her character name) for way too long (like seriously? SO strange), Mulder trying to reassert his Scully monopoly with some unnecessary touching (DRINK!) we see some stock footage which can only mean we’re up, up and away.

Icy Point and the power’s off. Of course. Do they ever investigate why the second they arrive anywhere the lights stop working? That’s a damn X-File.

For guys who blew their on brains out these dudes are artfully arranged. And pretty sure one of them is tensing. You’re dead man. Nobody cares about your abs anymore.

Scully says ‘flashing’.  She means the camera. Epileptics on set can thank her but I can’t help being disappointed. Imagine if she meant her boobs…

Mulder comforts Felicity Huffman with his intimate knowledge of arctic research generator noises. Who knew Oxford university offered so many eclectic courses. Unfortunately they didn’t offer one in dog combat because Mulder goes down. Pretty sure Huffman falls over too but only out of shock or being knocked off balance by her coat.

Poor Bear is bleeding ketchup so we know he’s fucked. It’s fine though, Scully is a medical doctor and she finds some super gross disease beans in the doggo’s armpit which means she will also save the day. Standard.

Worm under skin, WORM UNDER SKIN! Ths grosses me out every time so drink every time we see unnecessary subdermal wriggling. *drinks*

Scully has completed five autopsies before anyone else has done more than get their coat off and get infected with a space worm, but ruins the effect by brandishing a used and  uncovered needle with gusto whilst doing her jargon spiel. She may just be trying work out how to rescue her hair from it’s current anti-gravity state, her fringe is levitating at a sweet 120 degrees from her forehead which has got to be upsetting when you’re as put together as Scully is. Regardless,  

Mulder seems unperturbed but may just be distracted by Bear wigging out about his own personal armpit beans.

There are some high quality knitwear/ winter neutrals going on in this episode. Maybe they were sponsored by fruits of the loom or some shit.

Mulder and Denny get all excited about satellite pics, apparently Mulder’s interpreting skills around some sort of bizarre geological scanning are rusty. TRY NON-EXISTENT MULDER. YOU DON’T KNOW SCHIST ABOUT GEOLOGY! Sorry. For the pun and the yelling. But seriously. If I made a list of all the things Mulder and Scully know that they shouldn’t…

DINOSPERM! Dinosperm. Does whatever a dinosperm does.

The second Mr Bodywarmer (I can never remember anyone’s names so tis is what I’m calling him) disses Scully’s autopsy skills you know that Mulder’s gonna disagree with him. Contagion be damned, suggesting Sculy has missed something is a no no - even in Season 1 - and especially when she’s pouting like this.

Oh no! Mulder says they have to stay (my favourite trope), Scully pulls the doctor card to seal the deal and now there is no way they’re not having arctic sex right? Everyone gets some… well except Denny who kills the mood by opening up way too easily about his bowel movements. Poor Denny. High school can’t have been easy for you.

But it’s fine because Bear flips his shit, or more specifically flips out about a shit, and everyone has other things to worry about. After some arctic democracy which really draws a solid line between Mulder/Scully and Huffman/MrBodywarmer (in case you’d missed all the other clues) and emphasises the disposability of poor Denny, they pull a gun and shit gets real.

Down goes Mulder!

Down goes Scully!

Turns out big man Bear is no match for Macho Moose and Flying Squirrel. The others prove once again to be utterly useless, standing about and watching. Honestly, given how much Mulds and Sculls know about other science they should absolutely not know, the the rest of the cast seem kinda superfluous other than as human coathangers for knitted beige monstrosities.

WORM UNDER FLESH, DRINK.

Impromptu surgery always makes me squeamish so lets not talk about this. Suffice to say its gory and ends poorly for Bear. RIP buddy, you were kinda a douche and your hat was stupid but nobody likes a neck worm.

Just keep drinking till it’s over.

The woman on the radio is semi-peppy given she’s just told them they’re stuck. Maybe she’s drinking whatever Sarah Palin is on.

Sculy’s OCD hand washing is adorable and I want to pet her. And the others are all still just standing there though now with a corpse centrepiece. React people! Do something!

Top quality CGI right here! Wormeo is looking fine and definitely three dimensional.

The worm theory is all very plausible, except that the last bit makes no sense. The worm doesn’t want to kill it’s host, just the hosts with its pals in… so what is the worm’s end game? Last worm standing? Any thoughts?

I am all about the aesthetic of this next scene The half light the corrugated metal with shadows and the height difference all in silhouette. It’s even added to by Mulder’s signature monotone rant. But the problem is, I’m so MSR thirsty that when this happens…

I just want them to throw down and get it on on the floor. KISS! NOW! Corpses be damned. See, This is what this show has done to me. I used to have standards.

Denny is not down with all the tension so he retreats to baseball while Huffman and Bodywarmer, who bicker like Mulder and Scully but lack ANY sort of chemistry (this is the show we might have gotten if the Gillian/David alchemy  hadn’t happened) conspire like a pair of whiner babies. Bodywarmer is as paranoid as Muder, but he’s also an assclown.

Then Mulder and Scully take their coats off in a dramatic way and once again my mind is in the gutter. Which is actually appropriate as it’s naked spot check time and things are about to get a little homoerotic. Pretty sure Mulder lost some sort of bet when Scully was the one to suggest a naked group activity. Also pretty sure he was disappointed that it was just another spot check and that he wasn’t invited.

Leaving this here for science.

There are multiple documentations of the exceptionally sapphic encounter between Scully and Huffman, whoever decided to light them in red while the dudes got to strip off in a normally lit room was certainly only aided by the fact that Scully's jabby doctor hands from later series have not yet developed. 

My main takeaway other than this being basically the only scene in which Huffman doesn't irritate me (and I think I quite liked her in DH though I can't remember a damn thing that happened on that show), is that Gillian Anderson has more chemistry in a fraction of her lower lip than most people have in their whole body. I mean seriously: authority, vulnerability, comfort and a little sex all in one move. This little thing? 

She would probably have chemistry with a rock if she needed to. How is it so effective? How does one scene that lasts less than a minute have more relationship in it than all of Huffman and Bodywarmer's interactions combined? How is the entire world not worshipping at her tiny feet?

And the award for least comforting bedtime sendoff goes to Mulder, for both bringing up bugs biting (as if they're not already freaking over dinosperms getting all up in their spines) and then shooting down Scully's attempt to normalise things. "The spots on the dog went away". Really? She's lingering outside her room, and instead of being nice, or comforting, or taking her mind off things with some vigorous shagging you give her puppy eyes  and a shortcut to nightmare town?

Go to bed and think about what you've done Mulder. Leave Scully alone with your comforting words, ominous lighting and a dead man's half naked lady posters. 

Cue montage of nobody coping in different ways with Mark Snow blinky-blonkiness to up the tension.

As a an unapologetic Scully fangirl I do sometimes forget that at this stage, Duchovny was very much the star and focus. Scenes like this remind me, where we watch him get dressed (I am fine with lots of shirtless Mulder), wander about, do reacting, hang out a little with this cabinet that definitely looks like it has a face and could just have eaten Denny on it's own...

Anyway my point was that as much as Gillybean is growing as an actor and making herself felt in the episodes, studio intentions be damned, this is all DD, prowling about with drama and he does it well. Also you can see his nipples through his shirt. Clearly my priorities are straight. Well... mostly.

That said. Mulder is an idiot. When a cabinet is bleeding, what sensible person opens it while squatting in front of the spot where clearly a corpse is going to fall out. He didn't learn that brand of idiocy at the VCU.

Speaking of Scully asserting herself, Bodywarmer (I think his name is Hodge?) and Mulder get in to a sweaty macho shout off and teeny Sculls gets in the midde. Huffman just kinda floats about.

And we have a series first! Mulder and Scully hold each other at gunpoint! Loud noises! Angst! Betrayal! Delivery of the episodes motto which STILL makes no sense."You may not be who you are?"" Well no he is him, he just might have a worm in his brain But points for consistency. Shame it doesn't apply to the series overall plot arc!

Anyway, in the end it's fine because Mulder relents when it becomes exceptionally clear that for all that she's smol and mostly calm, Scully will shoot his ass, though she'll feel a bit bad about it. At this realisation Mulder goes full puppy and lets his owner put him in a pen. But he doesn't get shot. Yet. Little he knows...

So Mulder gets shut away. It's totes emosh. Like Celine Dion backing track emosh. Mark Snow step aside because this bish has spare time and windows moviemaker...

Moving on...

Pretty sure that fluffy!Scully striding in a plaid shirt with a gun is my spirit animal.

It's super convenient that both members of team non-MSR are sleeping in ridiculously uncomfortable positions, despite the recent excitement, so Scully can be forced to surrender her weapon. But hey - we only have 10 mins left and the plot must go on.

Bodywarmer decides the time has come for him to be alpha male but unfortunately, everyone still hates him, Scully doesn't want in on his shitty duet, especially when it's clear that he'd toss his partner in a second. Huffman finally grows enough balls to suggest Scully might have a point about not turning on each other and looking for treatment but his ego is out of control.

I really wish Bodywarmer had gotten eaten instead of Denny, Denny and Huffman could have been useless fuzzballs together and the only thing I ship Bodywarmer with is my booted foot making hard contact with his testicles after his misogynistic asshole moves in the lab. I'm starting to understand why Huffman has no personality. Scully starts to realise she got preeeety lucky that Mulder's just an alien obsessed puppy and not an utter fuckboy, before snapping back in to science mode for wormageddon.

I'm gonna take a moment here to shout out Lila (@startwreck for the following graphic). Theses two animated worms even have more tension than Bodywarmer and Huffman. So when we did the group rewatch we may have turned it into a fix that the worms were in love...

Me and the space worms have one thing in common. We do not like company.

WORM IN DOGGY EAR! DRINK!

Not sure how a stethoscope would prove the worms inside the dog were dead but I'm not a medical doctor. Either way, Mr Woofty is okay and lets be honest, aside from Mulder and Scully he's the only one I care about at this stage.

Tfw bae may have a brain worm but you wanna be sure and one of your companions is an asshole and the other one is actually the neck worm's host.

Poor Mulder isn't even allowed to accustom his poor little molerat eyes to the light before having to defend himself. Which got me thinking... the light switch is inside the room. We saw him turn it on earlier. So he's sitting in the dark of his own choice, just to make himself more tragic. Precious baby.

This face could have been avoided.

This scene though, this could not, There is now a section in the FBI handbook called, "Protocol for the investigation of possible parasitic space worms", this inspection is the example of how not to do it. Ably assisted by D'Angelo and my amazing video skills once again I give you - "this would be sexual harassment if they weren't both so into it - so don't try this in the workplace kids"

Scully comes out with Mulder in tow like the kid who came home from school with a friend who wasn't invited. "Mom I know you said no but look at him". After a quick round of, my partner is less infected than your partner, they get ambushed, Scully makes the squeakiest squeak of a no that is still audible to the human ear and finds herself in the sex cupboard.

Commence a struggle scene worthy of You've Been Framed, drink for Huffman's neck worms and also for this face.

In her struggle to escape a worming, Huffman pauses long enough to through some vials off a freezer shelf, that she has to open. Before she goes for the gun. Logical. And then they all have sex on the floor. I mean seriously. 

But it's all good coz she gets to gnaw on Mulder's pec while the worms do battle royale in her pituitary gland and everyone makes it. Well except Bear and Denny. Huzzah! Scully gives Huffman (whose name I have just discovered is Silver or Da Silva which I'm sure I knew when I started this but honestly that was weeks ago so...) a celebratory belly rub. 

I'd take it.

They finally escape, and Mulder of course wants another round trip to hell but hell has been torched. Scully does a good job of looking sympathetic in front of Bodywarmer, but as soon as they're alone she tells Mulder how she really feels. To paraphrase, no, she doesn't want to play with ice worms of death any more and yes she would rather be in Aruba. But she does wait for him. Maybe so they can finish what they started in the sex cupboard in the SUV. 

I hope,

And so it ends..

Quick Score (Full Deets in the top pic)

Story: Original, bold and pacy - 9/10

Mulder: Broody, ballsy, sexy - 8/10

Scully: Smart, sceptic foil to the crazy - 8/10

UST: The first suspense episode, creepy original goodness 5/5

Other Cast: Solid ensemble of misfits delivers - 8/10

Bonus Points: Hot damn sexy moments, extra gazing, partner doubting, memorable, my fave 5/5

TOTAL - 42/50 - Grade A and new topspot sitter!

Join us next time for more ridiculously overthought brain farts

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