#poses and backgrounds taken directly from the show

[hufflesocks]

I guess this is like an AU where these three formed an alliance instead of the Vees

[finalvortex]

Completely overanalysing Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings Episode 1

The opening is a deliberate parallel to the scene leading into Maria's death (images taken here from Shadow '05, although this scene is also in SA2). If you're paying attention you can immediately tell it's a fakeout, though: there's no alarm blaring, the lighting is blue rather than red, and Maria is pulling Shadow along instead of the other way around.

It's the aurora borealis. You can only see them from certain latitudes down there, but up here, we can see the whole...

Maria's a nerd.

Shadow is immediately prepared to catch Maria when she collapses.

The low gravity here only keeps your condition in remission. You should know better than to exert yourself.

This is new information I think? I don't think this makes scientific sense but I guess it provides a justification for why Maria is up here aboard the ARK beyond 'that's where the research is being done'. Only, the ARK was a space colony, there were other civilians aboard it as well, like the future GUN commander.

I can't wait for the day when we can finally return. I was created here. I don't know if there's a place for me on Earth.

I just wanted to highlight this exchange as significant to Shadow's overall character arc across his history, being one where he has carved out a place for himself on earth.

Love the way Maria comforts shadow here.

You and grandfather are doing your best. I'm just as happy to spend time with you here, while you both research-

I think this is just awkward wording, but surely Shadow isn't doing any researching?

My boyyyy

Hull breach in the experimental weapons wing! Multiple subjects are free of containment!

Multiple subjects? Given the events of Lost Impact, things are just escaping from here all the time, huh.

Here's the entries on this incident from Gerald's journal in Sonic Battle:

The higher ups are threatening to shut down this research facility. I had no choice but to hand them the Gizoid to buy more time for my research. I tried to be careful and commanded it to never absorb any dangerous technologies. However, I have heard that other researchers have been making the Gizoid absorb weapons. Apparently, the way to cause the Gizoid to form a new "Link" is to show it power that surpasses that of its former master. While this poses immense danger, I cannot risk losing Maria.

My worst fears have come true. The Gizoid has absorbed enough weaponry and technology that it has started to go out of control. The resulting rampage resulted in the destruction of most of the "Ark." ... I have deciphered the rest of the stone tablet. It says, "When the Gizoid had learned all that it could, it became a god of wrath, and all was destroyed." The researchers somehow managed to subdue the Gizoid and sealed it away.

That robot was heading towards Grandfather's lab! Shadow, you have to save him!

Why was Emerl - uh, well, I guess Project Gizoid at this point - headed directly for Gerald? If he was overloaded with power, like at the end of Sonic Battle, he should just be destroying things indiscriminately, right? So... was this a deliberate ploy by GUN to get rid of Gerald?

Maria grabbing Shadow's hand breaks the illusion briefly and triggers a trauma-induced flashback (forward?) to the GUN soldier shooting her. Compare with the actual scene from Shadow '05:

Again, why is Emerl specifically targeting Gerald here?

Not much to say about the fight scene aside from the fact that it's really well animated, and it happens with no background music to emphasize the weight of the blows being thrown. It's also really cool how Emerl copies Shadow's spin attack - you don't need to know how the Gizoid functions for that to be a cool visual, but it's a nice nod if you do.

Ok this is really confusing me. Is there any mention of GUN having a space fleet anywhere? Where did these things come from? They don't even share the same aesthetic as other GUN vehicles, they look more like the Egg Fleet.

Nice look at Shadow's Air Shoes from below the glass floor.

Next Shadow lands into Gerald's cell on Prison Island, which raises the question: why is this in Shadow's memories? Is this just his memory of the recording from SA2? Or was Shadow not put on ice until after Gerald's execution? We know it wasn't immediately after the ARK was destroyed, since he was around long enough for Gerald to alter his memories.

There is a bit of static distortion here, with an analog effect that implies it might just be the video.

On the other hand, we actually get these very brief flashes of Gerald's execution here, which we don't see in SA2 itself.

The professor gets farther and farther away from Shadow. He can no longer reach him.

Shadow then falls into a red sky, with bits of debris floating all around him, reflecting the final battle against Devil Doom in Shadow '05.

Interestingly, this scene is mixing imagery from both Gerald and Maria's deaths. The image of the GUN soldiers is the firing line that killed Gerald, and the sound of the lightning turns into automatic gunfire, as opposed to the single pistol shot that killed Maria.

Finally, Shadow falls into the giant face and outstretched hands of Black Doom.

Waking up from his nightmare in a panic, Shadow uses that damn fourth chaos emerald* to Chaos Spear this unfortunate tree.

*Okay, the fourth chaos emerald was the white one.

The moon looks so good.

Shadow stands in a field surrounded by lilies, a flower which can be used to symbolise purity as well as death, and is a flower commonly used at funerals. In particular, they are often placed on the graves of children.

That was no mere nightmare. And it all began in view of the ARK. Could he have survived? No, that can't be. I need answers.

Shadow seems to think the sight of the ARK is what triggered this nightmare. I think the only 'he' that makes sense here is Black Doom, since Gerald and Emerl are both pretty definitively dead.

Based on the trailer, I think from here Shadow is going to collect Team Dark to raid an Eggman base so they can obtain a rocket to get up to the ARK.

The song that plays over the credits is a remix of Throw it All Away. I have no idea why it shows footage of the biolizard fight, beyond "this is the Sonic Adventure 2 focused episode".

[ateez-himari]

FASHION WEEK; HIDDEN SCHEDULES

Fashion Houses saw their offers declined by ATEEZ's Min Himari for health reasons

October 3, 2024 (11:36PM)

Invitation lists made available to the public lead to the interesting revelation that Versace's global ambassador was offered many more schedule opportunities with diverse fashion houses - such as Saint Laurent, Yohji Yamamoto and McQueen - which were unfortunately turned down by health concerns. While this does raise questions in regards to the beloved vocalist's condition that had been proven quite fragile on several occasions, the high demand for her presence reflects the impact of ATEEZ in the scope of American media ever since their unforgettable Coachella performance.

In response to the influx of concerns, Himari revealed that due to the severity of her hearing loss, events such as fashion shows tend to be very difficult to navigate as picking out voices from loud background noise or locating the interviewers calling out to her becomes nearly impossible, resulting in heavy fatigue. This disability affects concerts as well especially seeing that the group has begun touring through larger venues hence her in-ear monitors are rarely taken out during performances since they act as noise cancellation, reducing the otherwise overwhelming auditory input.

While the hearing aid helps with things such as; amplification of audio to balance auditory input, enhanced directionality and speech understanding, it fails to provide accurate localization, does not overcome the challenge of background noise completely and can lead to confusion due to remaining complications distinguishing sound sources. With the vocalist having lost roughly ninety percent of her audition, these things affect daily life no matter the environment which is why some 'unusual' mannerisms are used by members to get her attention (touching her instead of calling out to her, speaking directly into her ear in noisy environment, standing on her left when speaking to her, etc.) in order to avoid overstimulation. Some have even been seen communicating with simple sign language when positioned too far from her.

Should the maknae have taken those numerous schedules in such high volume environments, she would have likely suffered from things such as; heightened stress levels, impaired balance, avoidant behavior along with mental and physical fatigue. Since this condition was not passed down through genetics there is little to no chance of it deteriorating or spreading to the side remaining intact, but Himari and KQ Entertainment are taking preventive measures to assure that her health remains at this stable point.

The brands rejected managed to find some way of associating this ever growing producer to their houses through photoshoots and even showed off the easy synergy she creates with other artists like Cha Eunwoo - who posed with her for Saint Laurent. Thankfully after five years of ignorance about this disability the industry seems to be finding ways to make idol life easier, proving the care the group's company truly holds for their artists.

Share This Post

[tenderjock]

a thousand words

OR, eight photographs Director Carter has in her office.

ONE | Steve.

TWO | A group shot of the Howling Commandos, with a scrawl across the top corner in red pen that reads Howlies in [CROSSED OUT], Feb 1944. There's not much background to speak of; the gaggle of armed, muddy men take up the entire photograph. Captain America is standing dead center, smiling with just the corners of his mouth, Sgt. Barnes to his right hand with a cavalier angle to his head. A row of men kneels in a line in front of him, and more line up on each side.

One of the men kneeling is visibly smaller, less muscular, than the rest, and suspiciously clean-shaven although no less covered in mud. She's grinning with all her teeth at the camera and holding a MP40 with casual grace.

THREE | A gilt-framed photograph of her brother, Michael, in his military uniform, taken before his first death.

FOUR | Technically a clipping from a newspaper: Angie at the opening night curtain call of her first real on-Broadway show, holding a bouquet of dark roses and smiling ear to ear.

FIVE | It's a candid, really, taken in the booth of a bar somewhere in Manhattan near SHIELD's original New York headquarters. They're all outrageously drunk. Jack's slouching in his seat, an arm thrown around the back of the booth and bracketing Peggy's shoulders. He's giving someone behind the camera the what-for, and Daniel is laughing, open-mouthed and crinkle-eyed, at whatever he's saying.

Peggy is staring directly into the camera's lens, drawn up with her spine perfectly straight and a stern expression on her face. It's somewhat marred by the fact that she's wearing a man's hat that is too big for her and has tipped down over one ear.

SIX | A Miss Carter in her mid-forties, gray streaking her dark hair and a fashionably appropriate evening gown adorning her body. Miss Carter is posing for the camera, tipping her glass in a toast to Ana Jarvis, who is winking gayly at her. Half a dozen familiar faces litter the background of the shot, all invitees to Howard Stark's wedding - which happens to be both his first wedding and his last.

SEVEN | A color photograph, this one, taken for LIFE magazine, of Barbara Thompson and Director Carter pouring over a map of the United States. Nothing of the documents they're looking at is visible, but Mrs. Thompson is gesturing, one hip leaned against the table. Carter is looking up at her, red lips slightly pursed. To Carter's right, slightly out of focus, Agent Fury is standing with his hands on his hips, listening as well.

EIGHT | Aunt Peggy, well into her seventies, with her hands on Sharon's shoulders. They're at a gun range; both of them have on protective headsets and goggles. Sharon's holding a loaded pistol and wearing an apprehensive expression. Peggy is smiling, sly and knowing.

[cookieeks-art]

I don't really go here (don't have a computer or console to play the game on), but I got curious about this man after seeing him on my dash, and now I can't stop thinking about him. So here's some art I've made of him in-between scrambling to find gameplay videos featuring him and reading everything I can find about him online. (Feat what I imagine my builder would look like if I had the game. Her name is Frida and she's so far only wearing the basic clothes, bcs I'm not sure if I can properly figure out how she would dress unless I played the game. Also, I projected a little of my own trepidations with marriage on her, mostly because I imagine that even with Pen not wanting to be married it might hurt his ego a little for someone to be so happy that marriage with him isn’t on the table.) The text in the first panel in the comic is taken directly from the wiki, (apparently it’s his response when accepting a romantic confession?), but I apologise if he’s ooc in the rest of the comic, I'm still getting a feel for him.

(ID in alt and under cut!)

[ID:

A digital drawing of Pen from My time at Sandrock. It’s shows him shoulder up, from a profile view, a serious expression of his face. He’d shaded in a warm orange with light blue highlights. The background is a greyish green. In the lower right corner is a doodle of a person with long hair, grasping the air infront of them with a comically feral expression and text reading “I’m so normal about him” ending with a smiley face above her head. In the corner is aslo a signature reading “Cookieek”.

The second image is a digitally coloured sketch of Pen from My time at Sandrock. He’s vivible from the hips and up, and from a 3/4 perspective, standing against a gradient background, and smiling at something off screen. He has one hand on his hip and his cape is flowing beside him. He’s cast in warm orange light, with blue shadows. In the bottom of the picture is a signature reading “Cookieek”.

A comic in greyscale, featuring Pen and my builder Frida, a skinny woman with a round face, a scar on the left side of her chin, and light hair pulled up into a messy high ponytail. She’s dressed in the default builder outfit.

The first panel shows Pen looking down at Frida, smiling smugly with his hand under his chin, two stars around his head, and saying: “Very well! I promise you I will not only be the Protector of Sandrock, but the protector of you. Though you must know, I am in strong opposition to this strange concept called "marriage."”. Frida is looking up at him, her back to the viewer.

The second panel shows Frida beaming up at Pen who’s now the one with his back towards the viewer, she’s giving him a thumbs up, while exclaiming: “Then we are on the same page!” with a smiley face at the end. Beside her head is a small “yay!” written above another smiley, but with an open mouth smile. Pen appears to almost freeze up.

The third panel shows Frida walking away from pen with a pep in her step, a big happy smile on her face alongside a blush. “Terrified of marriage” is written above her head, with an arrow pointing to her. Pen is still standing in the same pose as before, but with a baffled expression on his face, and question marks around his head.

The fourth panel focuses in on Pens face, as he lowers his hand, appearing now to be both confused and slightly miffed, question marks still around his head.

The final panel shows Pen striking another confident pose, looking to the side with his fingers grazing his forehead, sparkles around his head. He smiles, and says “Ha! Poor Skinny! So upset, but trying to have good humor about it! I can see through it easily! But good play, good play.” He’s sweating slightly.

In the right lower corner is a signature reading “Cookieek”.

End of ID]

[bathoarchives]

Exploring Mpho Sebina's Artistic Appreciation of her African and Setswana Roots

By Atang Moalosi and Tefo Kosie

Hailing from the Kgatleng District’s capital Mochudi is Mpho Sebina, a singer-songwriter who has immersed herself in producing and creating the continent's best jazz, soul, and afro-fusion music. A self-proclaimed Pan-Africanist, Mpho's music has been a true reflection of expressing her African and Tswana roots through cognizant use of local rhythmic instrumentation and vocal progressions, to say the least.

The love and use of indigenous elements prevailed notably in her 2015 debut single 'Loves Light' which she explains was inspired by the song Tselane by BLK JKS which is loosely based on a Tswana folktale 'Tselane'. The song, produced by local legendary beatmaker Favi includes elements of the staple beats and claps of traditional folk music production fused with soul. The music video features a cameo of traditional dancers and showcases the landscape of Botswana from the luscious water basins to the barren semi-desert land with the soundtrack playing behind the eye-catching visuals laying a foundation of Mpho’s start to dominance in the music scene.

stills from the 'Tjuele' music video directed by Thina Zibi

It would take a whole two years for Mpho to return and release two songs leading up to the release of her debut EP 'Neo' with very memorable moments such as the song ‘Tjuele’ which is a rendition of another famous setswana folktale with the same name. The song features ATI, another local music giant who sings the chorus repeatedly in the background. This music video in contrast only features Mpho (Tjuele's mother) and a young girl (Tjuele). In the first scene, Mpho is seen caressing the young girl’s hair, both draped in white dresses. Behind them is a famous portrait of a black woman and her son, which is beloved among the black community directly linking to the thematic affectionate scenery painted by the song and the visuals. The song has this continuous click-clack sound, reminiscent of the tune of clapping hands and matlhoa or traditional leg rattles used as a part of uniform for typical traditional dance. Remarkably Tjuele is the only song in the project sung in Setswana.

stills from the 'Slip Away' music video directed by Mpho Sebina and Motheo Moeng

‘Slip Away’ is another beautiful 5-minute song from the Neo EP of Mpho harmonizing over a midtempo beat, the song was also accompanied by a set of visuals that captures the hustle and bustle of the city of Accra in Ghana. The video includes many beautiful shots including Mpho having her hair plaited in the streets, women dressed in beautiful African attire and women carrying their belongings over their heads which is a very common practice amongst African women.

‘LORA’

'Lora' album cover designed by Tebogo Cranwell and Neo Rakgajane

‘Lora’ is Mpho Sebina's debut album, released in 2020 five years after introducing the world to her very enigmatic sound. The album cover itself is quite a striking piece. With its shade of blue background, it only highlights certain parts of Mpho's half-bodily features. The first thing noticeable is the pink highlighted corn rows, her lips and some African beads which include cowrie shells deemed very valuable in most African cultures. This album is easily Mpho's most definitive record, both sonically and visually as it sets her among the most highly decorated singers the continent boasts.

stills from the 'Pula' music video directed by Yannis Sainte-rose

The lead single 'Pula' is taken from the setswana song 'Pula Nkgodisa' which translates to ‘Rain, help me grow’ and the “Rain Rain Go Away” song. She uses rain as a metaphor for pain and shows struggle with the lyrics 'Rain Rain Go Away, I wanna go out and Play’. Later in the song she employs rain as a metaphor for growth posing a divergent perspective with lyrics 'Pula Nkgodise, Pula Mphodisa'. This song reflects on times of struggle and hope as it was released in 2020 when the world was heavily gripped by the coronavirus pandemic and a worldwide lockdown. The music video includes shots of Mpho wearing an African print headwrap and cardigan along with her Bantu knots. The conscious use of Setswana lyrics and visual nuances further displays Mpho's love for making music that centers her heritage as a Motswana.

stills from the Melodi music video directed by Yannis Sainte-rose

The song ‘Melodi's’ music video features Mpho Sebina in a few shots where she is covered by cloth and some other noteworthy scenes with her in front of the backdrop of the abstract painting which matches the colour of her African headwrap. The constant use of African clothing and artefacts in and around her visual presentations accompanying the already Afrocentric sonics just solidify the passion behind the endemic standard she has set for herself.

stills from the Dumelang music video directed by Mpho Sebina

‘Dumelang’ is a very warm and welcoming song that pretty much highlights a very important aspect of Botswana's culture-the standard gesture of greeting. The song hosts a confident Mpho giving the listeners a brief tour of the beautiful country and her own experiences within the context of the song. It also boasts visual excellence, a highly decorated facet of Mpho Sebina as an artist by showcasing parts of Botswana's culture, including scenes of her dressed in clothing sourced from local brands, also sweeping with a traditional broom/ ‘lefeelo la ditlhokwa’ close to a three-legged pot which is quite reminiscent of a traditional home in a village. Other shots include local art persons cameos including Dato Seiko, Nature Inger along with Mboko Basiami the founder of Glotto, a pan-African clothing brand from Botswana. Notably, Mpho is also seen wearing Zulu female head attire called “isicholo”, and the Basotho hat known as “lekorotlo”. Throughout the video, Mpho is dressed in clothing sourced from local brands.

‘Ntsha Nkgo’ is another rendition of a traditional song with the same title, which is often sung during ceremonies. The song touches on aspects of typical traditional celebratory ceremonies, including the culture of sharing traditional beer among family and friends especially older men hence the line ''Ntsha Nkgo re kgaritlheng le bannabagolo''. The sacred events normally include the slaughtering of an animal to be feasted during the ceremony ''Ko Boseja go tlhabilwe Kolobe hoki''

Renditions of traditional folk songs remain a constant theme in Mpho's music as she also reworks 'Sananapo' a song from a well-known folktale in 'Sananapo's Interlude'. Folktales and songs are essential in traditional culture as they are often used as a form of entertainment and an opportunity for the elderly to pass on and teach the younger generation about customs and values which are indigenous to us. Mpho's modern twist to these songs helps revive the connection between Batswana and their culture especially in modern times where most of the older generation believes that our culture is being eroded.

As we await the release of Mpho's sophomore album, It is well evident that Mpho will always centre her African heritage on her music. Alkebulan, which is the name of the next album, is quite an interesting name as it is believed to be the original name for Africa according to the oldest nubian and kinetic texts. In her interview with Drum Magazine, Mpho reveals that her album will feature female artists from different parts of Africa to celebrate the women and their africaness. She also stated that she was influenced by the various sounds of African music. 

[yumiblogs]

minho accompanies you to the gym, he warns you not to go with such a tight and revealing outfit, but you don't listen. while you use the treadmill, he sees how a guy stares at you pervertedly. He quickly takes you out of the gym and takes you to the car to fuck you roughly so you learn to listen to him.

Wrong View // Lee Know

You like going to the gym especially at night time since it’s usually mostly empty. “How about this one?” Lee Know hands you an oversized white t-shirt with black sweatpants that were obviously Lee knows since you had to tie the laces tight enough for them to not fall down. “Lee Know… you know these are your clothes, right?” You walk in the bathroom “I like seeing you in my clothes” Lee know says as he drawing his attention to his phone. “Yeah but for the gym?” You both grow quiet as the only thing that could be heard was the TV in the background.

“You need to be comfortable for the gym” Lee know stands up to check on you. “How do I look? I bought these last week while you were in the recording studio” you pose in front of the mirror. “Now THIS is what im talking about” wearing a 2 piece that showed your stomach, the shorts that stopped above your knees with slits on the sides of your thighs so when you work out it’ll prevent them from rolling up.

“Take it off” Lee Know leans on the door frame, “what? No, im gonna be sweating and the clothes you gave me will make me sweat more” you huff, grabbing the hair tie from the drawer and start tying your hair in a ponytail. Looking over, you see Lee Know running his hand through his hair. “I don’t want people staring at you” you chuckle “nobody’s gonna look at me” Lee know just glares at you with a “really” type of look. You roll your eyes annoyed “fine I’ll wear a sweater on top, happy?” You say putting on a sweater but not zipping it up. “Lets go” you walk towards him as you try to leave the bathroom but he places his hand across the exit to stop you “please..” Lee know whispers as he looks away trying to avoid your eyes. “What was that?” You tease knowing he isn’t the type to beg but actually the one making you beg (if you know what I mean) “y/n” Lee know turns to look at you unintentionally starting a staring competition. “Fine, you win” you say throwing your hands in the air in defeat. “I’ll get our drinks and protein bars” Lee know heads to the kitchen letting you change.

You walk out if the room towards the entrance where Lee know is standing waiting for you with a little cooler and towels for both of you “ready?” Fuck how is this man so fine just standing there doing the bare minimum… you walk up to him and stare straight into his eyes, leaning in to give him a kiss but then a thought came in mind. You grab your towel from his shoulder and walk out the front door towards the car. Taken aback, Lee know stands there a little shocked at your sudden action.

Following you unlocking the car so you could get in as he placed the cooler in the back seat then he got in the car. He looks over at you waiting for you to say something but you grab your phone and ignore him. Lee know looks to the side and you sense him tense up a little then sighing as he turns the car on.

.

“Not talking?” You look over and stare at Lee know then back at your phone. “Please talk to me” Lee know turns the music down “it’s so hot outside and you make me wear clothes that are for the winter” you look back at him gesturing to your outfit. “I don’t want guys staring at you I already told you that” Lee know pulls into a parking space “and I could care less if they stare, you’re the only one that can touch” you grab his face so he stares directly at you “lets go” you open the cars door and get out with Lee know following your lead as you both walk into the gym.

“I’ll be back, need to use the bathroom” you wave at Lee know and he waves back as he goes over to the pull-down machine. Walking into the stall, you start taking off the clothes Lee Know told you to wear to reveal the original outfit that was underneath “nobody tells me what to wear” you smirk knowing how Lee know will have a mini heart attack once he lays his eyes on you later.

You walk out of the bathroom confidently walking past Lee know that was facing towards the mirror with one earphone in one ear and the other hanging down his chest. You side eye him to see if he noticed and see his head turn to look at you through the mirror. You throw a kiss at him and head to the treadmill to warm up. Lee know shakes his head scoffing and smiles lightly as he diverts his attention towards his work out.

Turning the speed of the treadmill on the low setting to adjust your playlist, you look at the mirror behind you and notice the area you were in get more and more lonely as only you and a couple of people were left doing their workout routine. Noticing a guy get up and sit on a bench with dumbbells right behind you, not thinking anything of it you look down at the buttons and turn the speed to 5 mph as you finally chose a good song to start with.

A couple of minutes goes buy and you see Lee know get up in the middle of his workout and walk towards you, suddenly stopping in front of the guy and looking straight at him. You don’t know what he’s saying since you have your earphones in, you see the guy throw his hands up then gets up and leaves the gym not putting any of the equipment in its place.

You take off your earphones and turn the treadmill off looking over at Lee know “hey what ha-” you get caught off as Lee Know throws his towel on your arms gabbing your hand and pulling you away out of the gym. “I haven’t even started my workout, where are we going?”

Lee Know drags you to the car that was across the parking lot, shoving you on the back seat causing you to fall on your back as he sits next to you. “Fuck if only you knew how crazy that outfit has been driving me” You smile “oh yeah, what else?” You say leaning on your arm trying to look him in the eyes “I also noticed how that guy was jerking off while you were in the treadmill” your jaw dropped at the confession “you never listen to me” Lee know pushes you back on the seat as he takes off your shorts and panties with one hand and the other taking off his sweatpants. “Guess i have to teach you a lesson” Lee know grabs your waist and drags you closer to him as he sits up with one knee on the floor of the car and the other resting on the seat.

“Tell me how fast the guy was jerking off to me” you tease Lee know as he shoots you a glare “I wanna imagi-” Lee know shuts you up shoving himself inside of you without any warning “you really know how to push my buttons” you throw your head back trying to adjust to his sudden length that’s now thrusting inside of you. “First you insist on wearing that outfit, then now you’re talking about that other guy… fuck you’re tight” you grab onto his arm “it’s fu-n” you manage to say as he leans down towards you and kissed you as he speeds up. “I’ll show you fun” Lee Know grabs your leg and wraps it around his waist, letting go of your waist as he places it on your neck holding you in place

You clench around him as you feel your stomach twist in place “ughh cum until I tell you to” you felt Lee knows cock throb inside of you as he as he thrusts harder and harder making the sound of sloppy skin-to-skin contact with the moans and huffs coming out of both of you the only noise. “Lee Know ughhh please im about to c-“ the car copying the rhythm of the thrusts he was making “do it, I want to see what’s mine cum for me” lee know says in your ear and thrusts deep which causes you to cum from the sudden sensation.

You let out a loud moan as you hold onto Lee Know that ends up cumming inside of you, pulling out of you he slaps the inside of your thigh as he watches how you throb at the sudden loss of contact, looking at the cum drip out of you he leans in over and kisses your forehead “wear whatever you want, you’re perfect in my eyes” then kisses your lips “we’ll good cuz honestly I felt uncomfortable on that outfit, I just wanted to tease you” you chuckle as Lee know lays and shakes his head on your shoulder “god I love you, always keeping me in my toes for no reason” you lift his head so you both can look at each other then place a long kiss on his lips “i know” you say as Lee know smiles and hugs you holding you close.

============================================

Masterlist

[monochromefilms]

Do you want my body?

Stand user!reader x Azul ( ish)

This is my first post so it’s kinda bad.

Romantic , SFW, sensual themes/vibes but nothing happens, ooc Azul, mentions of mafia, Gender Neutral reader

Yuu profile: Yuu is from the Golden Experience. They have a few mix ins with Vento Aureo so they know of the mafia. They just work as an info person that takes notes and passes stuff to people.

Yuu is described as : A more social Emilio Murkmere./ ghost eyes. Or a social stalker that writes down notes on people but isn’t creepy. Their also a slight flirt.

—————-

I kinda hate this so there will be a rewrite… soon. This unedited and coming from a person who has knowledge of this scene from fanfics.

—————————————————-

When you got transported from a stand battle to this place, you did not expect for another mafia made by mermaids.

Meeting Azul was like meeting a younger and slightly over looked version of Buciarti.

Since you were in a new world with new beginnings, you wanted to get away from the mafia life style for a bit. Stop taking notes and live the 16 year old life you were meant to live.

The second one died hard. You still made files and deep notes on people. Every person that passed you actually.

But honestly, if you didn’t get involved with anymore shady business you were fine.

That’s until your friends got dragged into shady business and you Almost went with them.

Keyword: Almost. But that word became nearly.

“ So you want me to sign this contract for Ace and Deuce to be free or whatever.” You overlooked the paper, examining every detail with your hands from the gold color to the ink the words were written with.

“ Yes, within three days ; you will get the portrait from the museum and in return I will free them from the anemones.” He spoke in a polite and seemingly professional manor. “ If you don’t, I will have Ramshackle dorm given to me.”

He was an amateur to this, you could tell. You’ve seen your members do better even people under your capo could do better. But he had the right words and characteristics chosen to persuade such a contract.

“ Why would you just ask for Ramshackle? I could give you more?” Your friends looked at you like you were stupid as did the trio that stood/sat before you.

“ Oi human! You’re just going to give away all my tuna too!?” Grim shook from his seat.

“ No, tuna like that practically costs nothing to them. “ Yuu rested their head upon their hands,” It’s simply… how do I put it? Is it because I’m magicless?”

Yuu never showed any signs of using magic. This was information given directly and personally noted by Azul and Jade himself. They always walked and never got a broom up. There were no signs of magic nor blot. The mirror also had said it sensed none! Other than that, what else could Yuu possibly have? They were broke and live in a rundown building.

“ Well, do you have magic?” Azul asked the person seated so calmly in front of him.

“ Do you like my body?” Yuu calmly asked back switching the hand they were leaning on. They posed like a model on Vogue or an ad on Magicam for felicity cosmetics.

The people in the room were taken back at this.

Jade and Floyd were amused, Ace and deuce was horrified at the sight assuming they were trying to flirt with the cypholo mer, Azul was flustered and baffled trying to remain professional and calm, Grim was confused seeing his servant say such a thing at this time.

“ I’m sorry?” Azul coughed at the question made by the Ramshackle prefect.

“ Do you like my body?” This time something happened. A change on the prefect. Or was it something else?

The background changed colors and everything seemed to be moving in swirls to Azul. The only clear thing being Yuu who sat calmly in the middle of it all. Everything else was blurred. He began to feel dizzy. Albeit drunk.

The other people in the room were in confusion since they could not see what Azul could.

“ I could offer you this?” They echoed tilting their head the other way.” Or would you like something else?” They made their voice slightly velvety.

———————— “ So,” you started outside Octavanilles mirror, “ We have two days now.”

“ Your being stupid.”

Yuu knew he was going to make it as hard as can be just to get a portrait, the contract was so obviously rigged.

“ Atleast I get to stab him with an arrow in the end.”

“ WHAT!”

Azul was an interesting person to you. You hope to learn more of him in the passing days.

[beyonddarkness]

This is going to take a while to unravel, so bear with me. Everything is so intertwined, it is difficult to split into sections. This sequence will be in two or more parts.

Galadriel’s arc in season one revolves around her task.

"[Sauron] sees Galadriel, and knows that what she needs more than anything else is to find the evil that has plagued her for so long, and save Middle-earth." JD Payne, The Rings of Power Podcast 1×08

Remember that according to Patrick, “character after character in the show” tells Galadriel that her obsession is not a good thing. One thing we know with certainty: Vengeance cannot satisfy it.

Her task is directly associated with two things: 1) the dagger, and 2) the mark that Sauron carved into Finrod’s flesh.

While it makes sense on the surface (or to someone like me, who had not read the books before watching the show), there is much more than meets the eye. From Galadriel’s perspective, the dagger is special because it was Finrod’s, and (it is assumed) she views it as a symbol of his task—now hers. However, on The Boat, we see a peculiar attachment as she struggles to let go.

The reason behind this is simple. “The most important truths often are,” says Finrod, but we must learn to discern them for ourselves; JD and Patrick will not always be there to speak them to us.

First, we trace this back to the source.

In response to this, Sauron poses excellent questions, with which we may begin. He most certainly knows the answers to every single one by this point, which means each question is rhetorical. It would not be the first time he interrogates in this manner. But what is he trying to accomplish in the workshop conversation, specifically?

He is trying to make her think.

Referring to the season finale, Charlie Vickers reveals that Sauron wanted Galadriel to figure out who he was.

Do you think he wanted Galadriel to figure it out? "Yes. He’s ready for her to see him for who he is, and he thinks she’s ready to know it." Charlie Vickers, The New York Times

We will return to this idea later. Now that we have established that every question is rhetorical, let us thoroughly answer each one:

“What do you know of darkness?”

Galadriel first touched the darkness as she mourned over her dead brother; but for her, ‘touching the darkness’ was more than figurative.

Yes, Sauron could have seen (or perceived) this memory as it flashes through her mind, but he somehow knew about this moment before. He triggered this memory for a purpose: to make her stop galloping, and give herself a moment to think.

He is trying to tell her something, while giving her room to figure it out, herself.

“And there, in the darkness … “

” … his vow … “

” … became mine.”

Next question. It is no wonder that Sauron knows who the dagger belonged to, but to mention it as a follow-up seems like an answer, in and of itself. It is as if to say: “This is what you know of darkness.”

“Whose dagger was it, Galadriel? Who is it you lost?”

Answer: Her brother, Finrod Felagund, who was the High King of the Elves at the time of his death.

“What happened to him?”

Wow. We have suddenly been asked an extremely loaded question. Galadriel gives the short answer:

“He was killed in a place of darkness and despair, by servants of Sauron.”

This is a wonderful summary, but even Galadriel asks, “Is that enough for you?” She knows (as well as we), how long it would take to explain.

… But Sauron asked for it.

We must make an attempt. This is one of the most crucial pieces of information. A gander in The Silmarillion answers this question more fully; (and oh boy, is it a long one). We shall delve deeper into the story of Beren and Lúthien.

WHAT HAPPENED TO FINROD?

There is so much to cover, but we will dissect as much as we possibly can. Let us begin a bit before Beren’s arrival in Nargothrond, for a little background (taken from The Silmarillion: Of Beren and Lúthien).

King Thingol loved and cherished his daughter, Lúthien, above all things. When she brought Beren before him, he said “in scorn and anger”:

‘Who are you, that come hither as a thief, and unbidden dare to approach my throne?’

Insults were exchanged, lives were threatened, and at length, Thingol said to Beren:

‘Bring to me in your hand a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown; and then, if she will, Lúthien may set her hand in yours. Then you shall have my jewel; and though the fate of Arda lie within the Silmarils, yet you shall hold me generous.‘

To which Beren laughed and responded:

‘For little price do Elven-kings sell their daughters: for gems, and things made by craft. But if this be your will, Thingol, I will perform it. And when we meet again my hand shall hold a Silmaril from the Iron Crown; for you have not looked the last upon Beren son of Barahir.‘

Thus, Beren undertook a daunting task, indeed. A while after his departure, he saw Nargothrond afar off, and “being destitute, without hope or counsel, he turned his feet thither.” The Elves of Nargothrond were aware of Beren as he traveled through.

But knowing his danger he held ever aloft the ring of Felagund; and though he saw no living thing, because of the stealth of the hunters, he felt that he was watched, and cried often aloud: ‘I am Beren son of Barahir, friend of Felagund. Take me to the King!’

The Elves surrounded him, but spared his life, and bowed to him upon seeing this ring. They led him by night “lest their paths should be revealed […] to the dark gates of their hidden halls.”

The stage has been set, and we switch gears momentarily. Galadriel explains what she thinks is Finrod’s vow in the beginning of episode one:

“My brother vowed to seek [Sauron] out and destroy him.” Galadriel

Considering that Galadriel has a habit of assuming things, and jumping to conclusions in the first half of season one, it is understandable that this is not Finrod’s true vow. [Sauron also has a habit relevant to this, which will be discussed later.]

Finrod did make a vow, though, and it came “upon him for his death”; just not for the reason that Galadriel thought. She had to have gotten her belief from somewhere (there are some possibilities, but let us not get sidetracked). This part of the story was not changed for the show; there is a purpose for this. [I do not believe the Tolkien Estate would have allowed something like this for no reason. You will see why.]

First, we must go back to Dagor Bragollach: The Battle of Sudden Flame.

[…] King Finrod Felagund, hastening from the south, was cut off from his people and surrounded with small company in the Fen of Serech; and he would have been slain or taken […]

[…] but Barahir came up with the bravest of his men and rescued him, and made a wall of spears about him; and they cut their way out of the battle with great loss. Thus Felagund escaped, and returned to his deep fortress of Nargothrond; but he swore an oath of abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin, and in token of his vow he gave to Barahir his ring.

The Silmarillion: Of the Ruin of Beleriand

What was Finrod’s true oath? It was one of “abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin.” What is the token of his oath? Not the dagger. It is his ring, which he gives to Barahir. It is eventually passed down to Aragorn.

Knowing Finrod’s true oath, let us return to Beren’s arrival in Nargothrond (again, taken from Of Beren and Lúthien).

Thus Beren came before King Finrod Felagund; and Felagund knew him, needing no ring to remind him of the kin of Bëor and of Barahir. Behind closed doors they sat, and Beren told of the death of Barahir, and of all that had befallen him in Doriath; and he wept, recalling Lúthien and their joy together. But Felagund heard his tale in wonder and disquiet; and he knew that the oath he had sworn was come upon him for his death, as long before he had foretold to Galadriel.

“But you must learn to discern them for yourself. I won’t always be here to speak them to you.”

“You won’t?”

Ow.

“Behind closed doors they sat,” it says. A crucial detail. Finrod’s conversation with Beren was in secret.

Beren, being the son of Barahir, fell under the ‘kin’ category in Finrod’s oath. Finrod had to help Beren with this task (which was to retrieve a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth, and bring it to Thingol), and knew that it would spell his own death.

He spoke then to Beren in heaviness of heart. ‘It is plain that Thingol desires your death; but it seems that this doom goes beyond his purpose, and that the Oath of Fëanor is again at work. For the Silmarils are cursed with an oath of hatred, and he that even names them in desire moves a great power from slumber; and the sons of Fëanor would lay all the Elf-kingdoms in ruin rather than suffer any other than themselves to win or possess a Silmaril, for the Oath drives them. And now Celegorm and Curufin are dwelling in my halls; and though I, Finarfin’s son, am King, they have won a strong power in the realm, and lead many of their own people.’

This next statement is the key.

‘They have shown friendship to me in every need, but I fear that they will show neither love nor mercy to you, if your quest be told. Yet my own oath holds; and thus we are all ensnared.’

Finrod basically said: “If we tell anyone about your task, your life is in jeopardy. If your life is in jeopardy, I must protect you. Thus, revealing the details of your quest would start a war.”

It is interesting that this scene cuts from Finrod’s statement straight to this:

Then King Felagund spoke before his people, recalling the deeds of Barahir, and his vow; and he declared that it was laid upon him to aid the son of Barahir in his need, and he sought the help of his chieftains.

Finrod did not say what Beren’s specific need was. Yet, Celegorm still repeats the oath of his father (because a ‘great power’ was moved ‘from slumber,’ by Thingol simply mentioning the Silmarils in desire). The following statement shows that if the details of their mission were revealed, the outcome of Finrod’s announcement would have been far worse.

Then Celegorm arose amid the throng, and drawing his sword he cried: ‘Be he friend or foe, whether demon of Morgoth, or Elf, or child of Men, or any other living thing in Arda, neither law, nor love, nor league of hell, nor might of the Valar, nor any power of wizardry, shall defend him from the pursuing hate of Fëanor’s sons, if he take or find a Silmaril and keep it. For the Silmarils we alone claim, until the world ends.’

Proof of the threat of war:

And after Celegorm Curufin spoke, more softly but with no less power, conjuring in the minds of the Elves a vision of war and the ruin of Nargothrond.

Then, their land was darkened, and the sons of Fëanor (having their hearts darkened) wanted to usurp the throne from Finrod.

What does all of this entail? It means that there was room for rumors to be spread, and assumptions to be made, as to why Finrod helped Beren, and what the task was. Finrod’s was an oath of friendship; why did Galadriel say something that was rooted in vengeance?

Threat of treason did not sway Finrod from fulfilling his oath. “I must hold my bond,” he says. He and Beren, with ten (very) loyal companions set out. They came upon a company of Orcs, slew them, and by the arts of Finrod, thoroughly disguised themselves as Orcs. They came “far upon their northward road, and ventured into the western pass, between Ered Wethrin and the highlands of Taur-nu-Fuin.”

But Sauron in his tower was ware of them, and doubt took him; for they went in haste, and stayed not to report their deeds, as was commanded to all the servants of Morgoth that passed that way. Therefore he sent to waylay them, and bring them before him.

In other words, Sauron noticed some suspicious activity from these twelve supposed Orcs, and had them brought to him. Thus, the contest of the songs of power took place between Finrod and Sauron, and “the King was very great; but Sauron had the mastery.” Finrod lost, Sauron stripped them of their disguises, and “they stood before him naked and afraid.”

The question: ‘What happened to Finrod?’ will be answered in a few moments. As you read the following, ask yourself why he died.

But though their kinds were revealed, Sauron could not discover their names or their purposes.

He cast them therefore into a deep pit, dark and silent, and threatened to slay them cruelly, unless one would betray the truth to him. From time to time they saw two eyes kindled in the dark, and a werewolf devoured one of the companions; but none betrayed their lord.

Sauron obviously knew of the existence of Finrod. However, he clearly did not know that this particular Elf was the High King.

One might say that Finrod’s task is one of the most important things in the show, considering Sauron tortured and killed to know it (along with his identity). Even though he never found out, he still sees things, and therefore perceived something.

In the pits of Sauron Beren and Felagund lay, and all their companions were now dead; but Sauron purposed to keep Felagund to the last, for he perceived that he was a Noldo of great might and wisdom, and he deemed that in him lay the secret of their errand.

Unfortunately for Sauron, saving Finrod for last meant that Beren would have to go first. This brings us to Finrod’s end. Why did he die? Because his task (and identity) were kept secret, and he was bound by an oath.

In answer to your question, Sauron …

“What happened to him?”

Here is the long answer.

But when the wolf came for Beren, Felagund put forth all his power, and burst his bonds; and he wrestled with the werewolf, and slew it with his hands and teeth; yet he himself was wounded to the death. Then he spoke to Beren, saying: ‘I go now to my long rest in the timeless halls beyond the seas and the Mountains of Aman. It will be long ere I am seen among the Noldor again; and it may be that we shall not meet a second time in death or life, for the fates of our kindreds are apart. Farewell!’ He died then in the dark, in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, whose great tower he himself had built. Thus King Finrod Felagund, fairest and most beloved of the house of Finwë, redeemed his oath; but Beren mourned beside him in despair.

[To be continued … ]

[aonoexpat]

22-10-2023

All right, another night, another blog!

First and foremost, something I completely forgot to share before: during my stay in Wānaka I was lucky enough to go to a comedy show, and see David Correos and Taylor Ruddle! Definitely look them up for some good laughs 😆

Anyway, back to the present moment: after the sun had finally started shining down on Kumara again, my two new friends and I headed off into the same direction. I took a little detour to get a closer look at Lake Brunner, which was a calming sight:

The winding road took me back to the coast, and I now fully understand why people have described this as the most beautiful coastal road in Aotearoa. The rolling hills leading almost directly to stony beaches, with jagged rock formations jutting out of the glittering shallow waves, made for a magical background that I struggled to pull my eyes away from to attend to the road. With such beautiful weather and a trip like that, all seemed right with the world 😌

At one of the many viewpoints along the road, a Tūī was posing so perfectly in front of the beautiful scenery that I had to take 30+ pictures. Here's two:

My friends and I met up again in Punakaiki, because one of them had had the brilliant idea to go kayaking up the Paparoa river. Unfortunately I saw a very familiar van in the parking lot of the canoe place: as it turned out I had caught up with the (second) guy I had been hoping to never see again. And as bad luck would have it, he was just coming back from the river as I was putting on my life jacket. Luckily I wasn't alone anymore, and one of my friends shielded me from sight. When he was gone I explained the situation to the guy who ran the kayak rental place, who was very caring and understanding. I shook off the unsettling reunion and got into the water, ready for a day on the river with my friends. It didn't take long for me to get properly distracted, because the views were absolutely stunning! On both sides of the river, huge rock cliffs rose up into the sky. Believe me, the pictures do not do it justice. The kayaking itself was rather challenging, as we went upstream first. There were some strong rapids that took a lot of strength to kayak up. The water was freezing cold, and some parts of the river were too shallow for us to stay in the kayaks. We had to get out and drag them across the rocks until the water got deeper again. I was glad there didn't seem to be any sandflies on the water at all, and besides the many pūtangitangi we even saw a matuku moana, which was really cool! One of my friends had never kayaked before, so at some point she stayed behind on a rocky part of the river while we explored a little further. The river became harder to traverse pretty soon after that though, so we turned back and reunited before sitting back and letting the current bring us back to our starting point. What had taken us two hours to kayak up, took us 20 minutes to go back down!

Even though we were already feeling sore from the paddling, we went on one more little hike along the Truman track. The tide was just on its way out, so the ocean had retreated far enough off of the beach for us to walk along it. The limestone rock formations were still dripping as we walked under them, and we climbed some of them, and found a beautiful little waterfall that created a rainbow in the evening sun. I did try to touch the waterfall, and promptly fell on my butt because my foot found zero traction on the slippery rocks. Lesson learned, and sitting hurt for a day after that!

After we had found a nice spot to stay the night, we took one of our cars out to a beautiful beach, and watched the sunset together. We scavenged for pretty rocks and shells on the beach, took hundreds of pictures, and ran away from the waves like little kids. It felt so good to be with others again, and to get to play like that ❤️

While we were getting back to the car, the guy from the kayak rental place rode by on his bike. He invited us to jam night, which happened to be held right next to where we were parked up for the night! I got super excited, and we quickly drove back to our parking spot. I pulled out all the stops and got dressed up for the occasion before heading over there. We met some locals and some other travelers, all of which were some of the warmest people I have met this whole trip. They were welcoming, kind, generous, and they encouraged me to get up to the stage and sing a few songs. I was a little nervous, which only got worse when I sang my first notes, and could hear every single conversation in the place abruptly die down. All eyes were on me suddenly, and I sang my favourite songs for them, which they really seemed to like! After a couple of songs, a drummer joined me, and then somebody with an electric guitar, and then a pianist. It worked so well so organically, we played in sync together, and I felt so humbled and happy to be there ❤️ I did notice the guy from before had joined the crowd at some point, but he appeared to heed my wishes this time around, and didn't try to approach me all evening.

I soon vacated the stage again to let other people have their go, and I felt so honoured to get positive responses from a bunch of people. They told me a voice like mine was rare, that I should pursue a professional career in music (somebody suggested being a wedding singer and... I'm thinking about it?) and one woman who was going to leave the country the next day thanked me profusely for being there on her last night. Apparently I had looked very comfortable on stage, and I had truly felt that too. This, to me, was a most magical and inspiring night. I ended up staying by the campfire and talking with who had been complete strangers to me mere hours ago about all sorts of things until 02:00, feeling so at home. Truly, if I had to pick a place to live in Aotearoa, this one would be super high on my list. I was so glad to finally be surrounded by good people, and to be able to do my thing, and to be open and inviting without being punished for it, and even better, being rewarded for it. I was proud to see that setting a boundary with that guy had worked this time, and I could freely and safely move about the spaces I wanted to be in despite his presence there. I was cared for, I was looked after, and I felt celebrated ❤️

The highs didn't stop there, because the next day we headed into Punakaiki! First up was a hike along the Paparoa river (that we had kayaked on the day before):

Then, we went to take a proper look at the pancake rocks, the blow holes, and the Punakaiki cavern:

Resuming our way, the next morning we found ourselves craving a shower. While one of my friends went to the local swimming pool, I ticked off something that had been on my travel bucket list since I first started planning to travel in a van on my own: I walked into a hostel I wasn't staying at, and used their bathroom to take a shower. For a goody-two-shoes like me that was a terrifying experience, and I was absolutely sure they were going to see me on the cameras, and be waiting for me outside of the bathroom with the police in tow once I stepped outside. But no such thing happened. I had my shower, I gathered my things, and I just walked right out of there! I couldn't believe I had gotten away with it, and felt so empowered and proud all morning 🥳

I still have a lot more to tell, but I have reached my limit of 30 photos per post, and again I find myself at bed time. I hope to post again soon!

[thedalatribune]

© Paolo Dala

Klee, the Music Painter Paul Klee and Cutback Studio (2022) Infinity des Lumières (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Instagram And Art

Instagram has more than 500 million daily users, and its focus on images has made it especially popular among those who make and appreciate art. We are all just singular humans rooted in space and time, but Instagram gives us access to creative production all around the world, whenever we want it. Hooray! But what is it doing to us?  Is it changing the way we interact with and experience art?

The benefits of using Instagram became clear pretty soon after it launched in 2010, for institutions and individuals alike. For photographers and designers and artists of all kinds, Instagram is your own free gallery. Well, if you don't count the cost of giving away your data and attention to advertisements, but it does give power to artists who represent themselves outside of traditional systems. You don't have to wait to be taken on by a gallery or make the kind of work a gallery thinks they can sell. You hold the reigns and can show your art how you'd like it to be seen. You can share aspects of your process and demonstrate that you are a person outside of your work...

Art history has tended to provide us only a handful of iconic images of artists seriously engaged in their work or posed with a painting conveniently in the background, but Instagram gives us views into the daily lives of a multitude of artists, making visible the diversity of the individuals producing art today and allowing each the ability to represent themselves, and Instagram is an outstanding networking tool, allowing you to not only build and cultivate community among other artists, but also speak directly to followers, fans, and potential collectors.  

When most commercial galleries take 50% of a sale, the ability to connect to potential buyers without a middle person can be a real boon. As galleries are painfully aware, rent is high and employing people is expensive. While showing your work in person may be the ideal scenario, it's not always feasible, especially if you live in a place that isn't a cultural mecca, which is most places.  

Does Instagram favor particular kinds of work? Heck yes. Square!  Bright! Easily legible! Immersive!  Some artworks come across better in photos than others, but most can figure out a way around these problems if they want to, and plenty of artists have used the platform as a strategic aspect of their work, recruiting participants and fundraising for performances and events, and sharing documentation with those who can't be there in person. 

Some have used the images they find on Instagram to make actual works in real life. Ai Wei Wei has consistently shown us the power of social media to bear witness to his own experience of censorship and to injustice and suffering around the world, all of which are integral to the work he presents in museums and galleries, but Instagram can be a limiting influence for artists just as it's an empowering one. Like the rest of us, artists are susceptible to the dopamine rush that comes from likes and instant feedback. Artist Andrea Crespo admitted in a 2018 Vulture article, "Reward systems in social media were influencing my decisions while art making. I would think about what people would think based off of likes and comments."  

Artists have long sat out insight and criticism from friends and colleagues, but more often than not, the feedback offered on Instagram is superficial or purely congratulatory or when offered by anonymous strangers, unconstructively cruel. Exposing your work on Instagram can also make it vulnerable to copycats, other artists as well as companies just trying to decorate their stores. An artist doesn't have to have their own account for this to happen either. Anyone can snap a pic of your work and post it with your name associated, making you present on Instagram even if you don't want to be, and what about Instagram's effects on museums and galleries?  

Most not-for-profit institutions have missions that involve sharing their collections with the public, and their publics used to have pretty finite geographical boundaries...

Today, their conception of public can be much more expansive and inclusive. They can now try to create meaningful experiences with art for anyone with an internet connection and Instagram plays a big role in these efforts.  

Museums have the problem of only being in one place. You've got to take the bus or drive and pay for parking and do all the walking. Social media platforms give museums a way of reaching people where they are, sharing works from their collection, promoting special exhibitions, and luring people out of their hidey holes with glimpses of the cool things they can be doing out in the world, and the magical part is that it doesn't have to be one way communication anymore. For so long, museums were the authority, imparting knowledge upon the huddled masses, but with social media, the huddled masses can easily impart their knowledge on the authority, explaining what they value about their experiences and what they don't.  

If art museums are trying to show us the best of what's around, the peak moments in human creativity, do we want them heavily weighing Instagrammability when deciding what shows to devote money and scholarship to?

The answer doesn't have to be yes or no, and museums often navigate this by creating Insta-worthy moments within exhibitions, even if the art itself isn't so Insta-friendly...

For some, it might just be, art is cool. Me is cool, too, but I think there is more to it, or at least there can be. The research on this is just beginning, but a study of one exhibition in 2014 suggested that visitors use Instagram in meaningful ways to promote the exhibition, not replacing the in-person experience, but encouraging others to see it for themselves. The study found that visitors' use of Instagram was actually connected to their aesthetic experience. They captured mostly close-up images of the objects in the show and focused on their details. Only 9% of the images in the dataset included people.

Now, this was just one single exhibition in Sydney, Australia about the history of shoe design from the 1500s to the present. It was not a Kusama infinity room, where almost any photo is a selfie, but it's still showing, at least in one case, what I'd call real engagement with the objects. What we're really getting to here is how we construct meaning around art, right? Like, the old way was to just look at the thing, walk around it, observe it, and maybe read about it and talk about it with others.

Perhaps the camera and Instagram are tools we now use in this construction of meaning, revealing details we might not have noticed through our eyes alone, selecting and framing alternative views of the art. Does this add to the way we understand art or does it replace the traditional methods of direct observation and reflection?  If, on average, we only look at a work of art for seven seconds, does our photographing it extend our engagement or does it take the place of what might have been a more fulfilling experience? Is one way better than the other or in the wise words of the internet's favorite young lass, "Why don't we have both?"  

...One study published in 2017 found that taking photos with the intention to share them on social media actually undermines your enjoyment of the thing you're experiencing, increasing your feelings of anxiety. By worrying about presenting yourself in a positive light, you've lessened your engagement with the experience.

One of the co-authors of the study Alixandra Barasch, suggests you might take the pictures but wait until after the experience to share them, or you might even just take pictures for your own memories, which I think we can all agree is weird. I mean, who does that? But it's complicated. I really enjoy virtually visiting artworks and shows I can't get to by following artists and museums and galleries and curators on Instagram, and by exploring hashtags and geotags, I can find out about the ways other people experience the art I can get to. Like when I visited Prada Marfa in the middle of nowhere, Texas, I spent mediated as well as unmediated time at the site, but later, I found it really enriching to discover who else had been there, famous and not famous, years ago or just an hour before or after I did. This expanded my experience of it, extending the work beyond just an interaction between me and the art.

...Now, of course seeing an image of an artwork on a phone is not as good as being there, but social media gives us access to art and ideas that were previously off-limits for many of us due to geography or privilege and sharing art on Instagram is clearly something people want to be doing, at least right now. Museums would be foolish to ignore or resist our strong impulse to capture and share our experiences, but hopefully, we'll all evolve better, healthier ways of doing so, ways that deepen our engagement instead of making it more superficial.  

Instagram can't last forever. No platform does. Maybe one day, we'll just get tired of filtering our lives through screens and museums will still be there for us. Not as stage sets for our individual dramas, but as destinations in themselves, whole places filled with voices and visions, past and present, where we can come together and interact in real time and real space, or maybe we'll come to some sort of equilibrium between those poles. Until then, I'll see you on Instagram.

Sarah Urist Green Is Instagram Changing Art?

[vwk7121]

ARDN631 Saskia Norman Assignment 1

I made some small edits to all but one of these 8 photos in Photoshop, only adjusting the exposure, the contrast, the highlights, and the shadows.

For these two photos, I made small adjustments to the exposure and highlights. I made these edits to lessen the harshness of the sunlight, especially in the second photo where it hits my face and eyes more, and to try and lower the brightness of the white house in the background. I also slightly raised the contrast and darkness of the shadows to really bring them out more compared to the bright highlights.

The mood for these photos is meant to be natural and carefree, and I chose my back garden because I sometimes spend a lot of time there with my cats. When I realised that I was getting interesting shadows across my face and hoodie from the leaves, I wanted to try and incorporate it in different ways to see if I could get similar results with the face highlights like Laura Zalenga from my week 2 research. The first photo's mood is meant to show me in a more drawn-back way, as my face is turned away and there are more shadows. This is because I still find it hard to comfortably take photos of myself, and I always feel awkward when posing. In the second image, I have a more confident and certain pose, and I am looking directly at the camera, allowing the shadows and lights to create patterns across my face.

For this photo, I slightly adjusted all 4 editing features to try and emphasize the dullness and gloomy mood of the image. The lighting was already defused because of the clouded natural light, but I wanted the overall image to be slightly darker. I especially lowered the highlights because my face was too bright compared to everything else.

The mood for this photo is meant to be very plain and dull, and the pose is meant to resemble a somewhat candid image, where I wasn't fully prepared for the photo or was caught off guard when it was taken. I have a very neutral expression to try and express the blankness of this scene, where the lighting is very grey and boring, and I am not that interesting to look at. I chose to do this because that's how I often feel doing almost anything, no matter how much I actually am standing out or bringing attention to myself in any way. I just felt like taking a very plain, uninteresting image because that's how I mostly see myself and how I feel that I express myself around others.

For this photo, I made edits to the highlights and shadows to try and separate them and have a more dynamic contrast between them. I also brought the exposure up a bit and slightly adjusted the temperature to try and lose a bit of the yellow tint the lighting was creating.

The mood for this photo is meant to be a lot more intimate than the previous three, and this is because I wanted one that was taken inside because my house is where I feel the most comfortable. I chose this pose as I was experimenting with brushing my hair out of my face since I usually dislike having the sides of my face shown. Once again I wanted this image to have a very unexciting or uninteresting feeling to it because that is how I see myself and how I want to express and portray myself through these photos.

For this photo, I made similar edits as I did to the first two photos because they were taken in the same location with the same kind of natural lighting. For this one, I really wanted the shadows to be strong and vivid, especially the leaves' shadow on my brother's neck, so I slightly adjusted the contrast and shadows accordingly. I think I was definitely inspired by the David Uzochukwu photo from my week 2 research post because of the interesting mix of warm-toned highlights and cool-toned shadows.

The mood for this photo is meant to show my brother, Valerian, in a more interesting light than me because I feel that he is a lot more interesting than me, at least definitely just from his appearance and outward expression. He is a lot more outgoing and social than me, and in that aspect alone I think that he is more appealing and deserves a very appealing photo, with interesting shadows to add character to the image. I also wanted to make it seem more dramatic because of how strong the shadows were and tried to make the dynamic contrast more vivid and eye-catching with the editing.

For this photo, I didn't make any edits because I was happy with how everything looked. This is the only photo I didn't edit at all and it's also because I didn't want to mess with the softness of the lighting.

The mood for this photo is a lot more intimate than the others, similar to my fourth self-portrait, as it is inside the house and very close up, but also because I wanted to try and have a less interesting background to really focus on the highlights being created on my brother's face. I was really inspired by Laura Zalenga while taking this photo because I kept trying to make the dots of light come across more interestingly while positioning Valerian, but it was difficult since they weren't that big or strong.

For these two photos, similarly to the first two, I made a lot of edits to lessen the strength and glare of the sun. For the second photo, it was a lot harder to make these edits without affecting too much of the rest of the image, so even after editing the sun makes my brother Valerian's face very bright and over-exposed.

The mood for these two photos is meant to show that Valerian is a lot more comfortable and open than me, especially around a camera, and I think this is portrayed the best in the first of these two images. He was very willing to try any kind of pose for these photos and constantly wanted to smile for the camera, something I feel that I could never willingly do. In the second image, I was really trying to get my cat in the background because she had walked over to us on her own, and I thought of incorporating her into the shot as a close-up of my brother as she was helping my brother to stay in a happy, smiley mood. He was having a lot of fun trying to pose with his head next to her, so I wanted to show a more fun and happy mood and photo, especially compared to the moods shown in my self-portraits.

[sarahweeklyblog]

WEEK THREE_ARTIST RESEARCH_SHINYA ARIMOTO

all photo examples from the collection : Phantom Eiko (2003)

https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/85/shinya-arimoto

There is one light source, possibly the camera's flashlight. It seems bright enough, with the exposure and the background details lighting her full body. The juxtaposition of the model posing elegantly and gracefully in a broken office chair surrounded by junk in an abandoned building creates an interesting atmosphere for the photo.

The composition of the photos almost balances between the girl and the pile of trash on the other side. But the light directly shines on the girl, making her stand out naturally.

The photo has some blurryness or grainy texture. This seems natural from the camera movement or the flash, but it could also be from postproduction. I like the quality. It adds to the grunginess and fits the location and story the photo is trying to show.

The first things that stood out to me were the lighting, colours and the angle of the photo. The tilted line creates an interesting composition since you can clearly see the horizon line. The girl's pose as she holds her dress and looks up seems happy, maybe more content or hopeful.

The light is subtle and seems natural, coming from the almost set sun. It has this glowy quality since it's so defused. The colours of deep blues and purples give it a dreamy effect, changing the mood from what could be perceived as a more positive emotion to more solemn or content. the more I look at it I could see an emotion of mourning.

The composition is heavily one-sided. The left has many tones of grey from the light shining on the leaves, and the placement of the branch creates dimension, while the right side is mostly covered in shadows. There is a clear divide between the photos, but this balance may be because of the obvious light and dark comparison.

The light seems natural, like the sun shining from the left, and as the exposure is higher, it clears the background to be completely white in some areas. The high exposure adds to the high contrast since the photo is being taken in such a dark area. Her white dress makes her stand out from the dark grey background as light bounces off her arms and hair.

All-About-Photo.com. “Shinya Arimoto.” All About Photo, 23 Mar. 2024, www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/85/shinya-arimoto.

[alecatmew]

Reflections on Tableturf

This blog post goes through a few of my Tableturf inspired artworks from 2023, ending with a quick timelapse of this painting:

With the launch of Splatoon 3 came a new game mode, Tableturf! I got quite into the idea of Tableturf, even being a part of coordinating an art collab project – Arty Siege – which paid homage to the in-game cards. I did lots of work for that – creating various design elements, having fun data merging artwork in InDesign, thinking about how the physical game would really play out, coordinating artists and creating artwork!

The art that I worked on included assets for the card backgrounds, and I illustrated one of the cards.

These background images were ink paintings traced from game screenshots. After doing a little photography tour in the game I exported the screenshots and used the Find Edges filter in Photoshop. I printed these reference lines to carbon paper and transferred them to watercolour paper.

After scanning the ink paintings, I applied some gradient map adjustments to them to adapt them into the card background.

I chose to illustrate the Splattershot Jr. as my designated card for the project. I’ve drawn the newbie squid before and as a Junior player (I became a Junior main because of having to unlock kits on many, many systems) I just feel a certain connection to the default loadout.

During initial project advertising, I used this artwork. The pose is taken directly from the pose of the original Tableturf card. With this version of the artwork, I mocked up the first version of how the cards would appear, including tweaks to the card UI and creating a 3D view of the card.

My motivations for changing the UI were to make the Arty Siege cards distinct from the in-game works, but also to think about what would make sense for a real card game. The original cards put all their important information at their base, but I wanted to make all the pertinent information visible easily from a fanned out hand of cards. So I moved the grid and special costs to the left side.

I also straightened the alignment of the block grid. The angled grid was cool, and saved a little space, but I felt that when looking down at the game board and determining how to make a move, it was easier to visualise the move you wanted to play by having an aligned grid. Maybe that was just me, it’s not like things in the real world would be completely squared anyway.

Anyhow, relatively late into the project I started feeling a bit insecure about that version of the Junior being my entry into the project. I was surrounded by an incredibly talented pool of artists and felt like I needed to step up to the standards of my peers! I still like my original artwork but I also felt inspired by the work I’d done on the backgrounds to do a piece in ink and use gradient mapping to add colour.

This time, I based the pose on some promotional artwork from Splatoon 2 – I wanted to show off the square ink tank because while the flat ink pack of Splatoon 3 features in some of the cards, many of the other ones seem to take cues from Splatoon 2’s fashion options.

Here’s the final version of the Splattershot Jr. card. Please do check out the Arty Siege website for all of the other works!

One of the things I did at the end of this project was to print out all the cards, which was a lot of fun! I felt like I built a new connection with each of the artists and their artwork in the process of printing, cutting and sleeving the cards.

While wrapping up Arty Siege I had a vague idea of running a promotional Tableturf tournament – maybe something in a casual vein, or with a bit of a team gimmick to allow a mix of player skills among drafted teams. The team angle was influenced by my favourite anime – Chihayafuru – a show that features a competitive karuta game based on the Ogura hyakunin isshu.

Chihayafuru is beautiful, and the way it depicts friendly competition really hits home. And there’s just something so great about the earnest enthusiasm of the players – they’re engaging in a pretty niche hobby so having the opportunity to play is something they’re truly grateful for. Coming from a grassroots Splatoon scene, I feel the parallels between the competition depicted in the show and some of my favourite times being a member of the Australian (and broader) Splatoon community.

I wish competitive video gaming was filled with people as kind and grateful for the opportunity to play with others as the karuta players in Chihayafuru.

— David Michael Kinne (@Mewd462) May 18, 2019

This kinda sums it up!

Although I didn’t end up running a Tableturf tournament, the imagery and the idea for an art piece stuck with me.

As much as I adore Chihayafuru, I’ve never felt brave enough to try to tackle fan art for it. The gorgeous scenes, the sense of movement, the game that I only have the most superficial understanding of… it all felt quite intimidating.

But Splatoon, I feel comfortable in that universe…

(A universe which coincidentally seems to have a version of karuta already!)

However, my painting is not an attempt to retcon that karuta into Tableturf. In my headcanon, the two coexist. I just wanted to borrow the aesthetics of karuta for my Tableturf scene. I was inspired by the glowing sunset scenes of karuta which I associated with the characters practicing in the school clubroom, but also by the tournament games played while wearing kimono.

Before starting this painting I did two “mood studies” – just getting a feel for whether I could tame the contrast of yellows, oranges and purples before I started. Watercolour can be a tricky medium, and it’d be hubris to walk into this kind of endeavour without a plan.

That first image is sort of a Chihayafuru fanart, I guess – the scene is most likely Arata sitting alone with his cards – but that wasn’t the purpose of the sketch. I wanted to get a feel for how I’d depict the trees in the windows, and the light entering the room. The second sketch really sets up the composition that I’d ultimately use for the final piece.

After deciding on that sketch, I made simple 3D version of the scene in Blender.

A digital sketch then filled in the character details

Which was then printed out and transferred to stretched watercolour paper, then painted over the span of a few weeks.

I also wrote a poem to go with this painting. It’s based on poem 77 of the Ogura hyakunin isshu. Here’s one blogger’s translation and writeup about the poem (I chose to highlight this blogger because they also have a post about the Karuta that appears in Splatoon 2!)

The translation included in that post is credited to Joshua Mostow,

Because the current is swift, even though the rapids, blocked by a boulder, are divided, like them, in the end, we will surely meet, I know

Other translations summarise the scene as

Swift waters parted by the jagged rocks are joined at river's end.

The overall mood that I get from this poem, having only experienced it through translations, is a mix of urgency and yet steadfast certainty that comes from love. Apparently, the “swift currents” were not in the original poem, and were a later edit, but I think the imagery is certainly much stronger with the idea of rapid waters.

I felt the scenario could be mapped quite closely to the energy and movement of Turf War, and by extension, Tableturf. The rapid currents can be whirls of paint instead, and the boulder standing in the way of the lovers could well be a grey block, created in Tableturf when both players play their cards over the same squares.

I chose to write my poem following the rough syllabic rules of the original poetry, the lines having 5-7-5-7-7 syllables. But I put a western poetic spin on them as well, making use of rhyme throughout.

Our rapid advance, Blocked by chance or wit wherefore. Must we halt our dance? No - surge forth in this turf war! We'll unite our ink once more.

The rapid advance describes that rush to claim turf, as well as for the rivals/lovers to meet at the middle of the map. “Chance or wit wherefore” refers to how the grey block ended up in their way. Was it coincidence that they played in the same tile, or was it cunning strategising from one of the players? With this obstacle in place, the shape of their relationship (whether it be a rivalry or a romance) is affected.

The ending couplet describes the characters choosing to rise above (or work around) adversity – in-game the boulders would not be passable at all, so they must certainly have some grit! Like the swift waters in the original poem, they’ll be sure to meet again.

I love how this artwork and poem came together. Reflecting upon them I feel all those warm fuzzy feels from all the ways that Splatoon – and more recently Tableturf – have made their impact on me. I’m grateful to have had another great year of art, friends and community and I’m looking forward to more good times in the future.

"Reflections on Tableturf" was originally published on Proairesis

[zwoelffarben]

Thoughts from the artist:

Why the fuck doesn't progress engine have a character for h? I undertsand phyrexian not having an H character. I understand the concept of languages with different phonetic inventories and orthographies, especially in conlanging where you can just get fucky with it. But this is a font for humans to use when setting existing words. It should 'ave more Hs than an adult bookstore in London. This:

Remarkably unhelpful. The lettering you see in the image is actually the words, "Pþyrexian Miku, because for some reason, progress engine has a thorn. No shade for thorn, good letter, was in the first batch of letters I put on my auxilary keyboard. H should have a glyph before thorn tho.

2. I started with a traced pose from an existing hatsune cause I'm working with a mouse and keyboard here, and I don't typically do people, cut me some slack.

I couldn't for the life of me get the trace'd legs to look right, so I shortened them. Figure out now that I've posted that when designing her skirt, I made it start much lower than the canon example I was working from, which made her torso too long while leaving no room for the thigh gap that looked correct. Adjusted her leg sizes to look correct while maintain the thigh gap was the best I could figure out. I also moved her right hand up so that I could better show off the claws.

3. My idea behind her (lack of a) face is that phyrexians are all about utility taken to the most illogical extremes. Form follows function more in phyrexians than in animals because phyrexians are litterally designed. So, does a singer need eyes? No. They just need a mouth. Better make it a big one to be sure it can carry the voice well.

4. Also, according to source on the internet, Miku's greatest fear is her never being allowed to sing again. I attached her mic to her porcelin exoplating: Now that it's a part of her she'll never need to worry about that again. The Phyrexian Songstress won't ever stop singing.

5. Her hair is a mess of cables. I don't think they'r prehensile like Vraska Compleated is. I think their their for recognizability, like diagetically, I think Miku was compleated as a phyrexian propaganda target. "Here's your idol, turned against you, weep and submit to the great project" type stuff. They could be tho.

6. She got claws, the better to tear your throat out with, because of course she does. Her talon peaks are painted like finger nails because of course they are.

7. The white frills on her skirt were color-picked from miku's skin. I like to think that in so far as Miku 'has flesh' she got to keep a little on accessories, as a treat.

8. Replaced her shoulder tattoo with Phyrexia's symbol. It had to go somewhere on her design, and the tattoo provided the best location for it that would have something to say about her character. Her identity as 'the first vocaloid' is consumed and directly replaced by her new identity as the Phyrexian Songstress.

9. The black background help seporate her from the parchment, and was designed to look my idea of the glistening oil.

That's it, that's all my thoughts.

We're still doing hatsune miku, right?

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO NEFE COSMIA, DANTE. 🌓

ꕥ  — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: rose/sadhbh age: 27 pronouns: they/he ooc contact: @murdertart on twitter other characters in xc: kristoph gavin, caoilfhionn, michael/the distortion, iovita larkspur

ꕥ  — IC INFORMATION;

name: Dante age: 46 pronouns: he/him series: Devil May Cry canon point: post DMC5 app triggers: alcoholism, canon typical violence, self-harm (stabbing oneself), gambling

personality:

An incredibly flippant man, Dante often shows little regard for his opponents and even other people in what others might call a serious setting. This doesn't mean he is incapable of being serious, and often is when it's needed, but the care-free take he has on most things comes first and foremost. For a man of his age this might seem a little strange, but he's simply young at heart. Still, when it is required, Dante will drop the casualties and be serious. Things that he tends to value above anything else is family and friends, so this is largely when it comes into play. 

Despite that though, oddly enough, he is a fairly closed-off and distant person. He only has a handful of close friends, and kept his relation to Nero a secret for a good while despite having figured it out fairly quickly into knowing the other. This is also showcased in how he handles dealing with Vergil, where the two don't really speak of things and instead stick to fighting it out. Though he also tends to just really enjoy fighting, which adds to this activity with his brother.

When it comes to his own heritage, Dante has a large disdain for his own demon half. This is largely in part due to the fact he blames demons for taking everything good in his life (his mother, his brother) and is still struggling with coming to terms with it. However, he is more accepting of other demons that show to be good and wanting to embrace humanity, such as Trish.

With the amount of tragedies that tend to happen around him due to his own perceived bad luck, he has racked up a huge amount of guilt. This isn't immediately noticed due to how easy-going he is. But he remains in a mass amount of debt in part because he splits the money he earns from jobs (which are few and far between that he takes already as well as at times he will waive the fee) to either pay back his recurring debt to Lady, or send money to those that have been directly affected on jobs he's undertaken (such as sending money to Grue's remaining children.) The guilt has also lead him to a drinking problem, not helped by the fact he has a personal bar in his office.

something your muse struggles with: reconciliation with his demon heritage and his hate for demons and all they stand for

your muse’s greatest strength: genuinely a good person and aims to do what is considered "right"

history / background: 

Born to human mother Eva and demon father Sparda, Dante was the younger twin between himself and Vergil. The twins had a relatively normal childhood, being raised without knowledge of their father's demonhood. When he passed, mysteriously, Eva raised the two on her own before the three were attacked by a demon in their home. This was when Dante was about 8. In the attack, Eva managed to hide him away in a closet, and went to search for Vergil. She stated that if she did not come back, to run away and go by another name.

Neither Eva nor Vergil made it back, and Dante blamed himself for the loss of both. He took on the name of Tony Redgrave and moved to Morris Island where he was taken under care by a woman that posed as his mother. He was forced to leave the island, however, when a demon attacked and burned down the town he lived in. Adding another tally to demons taking from him. Another would be added in an attack years later to the underground bar that he took jobs from. This attack would kill Grue, whose children Dante then took care of, and Nell Goldstein, who he had commissioned for his twin guns Ebony & Ivory. They were her last creation, and his prized possession.

After this, he left behind the name Tony Redgrave.

Some years later, Dante is reunited with Vergil and while relieved to learn he is alive, the two remain at odds. This turn of events leads to him meeting Lady as well as losing Vergil again due to a fight between them for the Force Edge, as Vergil chooses to stay in the Netherworld when Dante wins. He once again blames himself for that loss.

Years later he becomes business partners with Trish, a demon who was created with the visage of his mother he meets on a mission to keep Mundus (a demon emperor) from returning. On this same mission the Force Edge takes it's true form of the Demon Sword Sparda, which Trish then is in charge of handling.

The next memorable set of events happens when he meets Nero, his nephew, for the first time on Fortuna Island. To confirm his suspicions about his heritage, he immediately starts fighting the other even though he went to the island for a separate reason. The people of Fortuna had taken to worshipping Sparda as a saint, and recently they began collecting devil arms and demons for something. As it turns out they were attempting to open the Hell Gate in Fortuna, using a weapon called The Saint. Working alongside Nero for this, he gives the other the Yamato, Vergil's former sword, and allows him to keep it when he sees how it reacts to Nero's demon arm thus confirming his suspicions about him. He then leaves with no confirmation on if they will meet again.

They do, of course, when a giant Qliphoth tree starts to grow in the city by his office by a demon known as Urizen. The demon is in actuality Vergil, who had stabbed himself with the Yamato (taken from Nero by removing the boy's arm) to separate his demon and human halves for more power. When initially fighting Urizen, Dante is knocked unconscious for a month and the Rebellion is shattered. When he is reawakened by V, Vergil's human half that hired him for this job, he sets off to finish things. This leads to V reforming with his demon half and Vergil coming back completely, and while the brothers fight and are stopped by Nero who tells them to reconcile in another way, the damage with the Qliphoth tree is already done. 

In order to stop demons from invading completely, Dante and Vergil both head to the Netherworld to close the opening from that side, locking them in there. That is where they remain now, in constant battle with one another and the demons around them.

powers / abilities:

Devil Trigger — Dante is able to release his demonic energy through use of Devil Trigger, which transforms him into a demon and enhances his already heightened abilities even more. While in this mode his health is also restored.

Sin Devil Trigger — after stabbing himself with the Rebellion sword, this form of DT was unlocked. When initially activated, it causes an explosion that deals damage to those around him. Unlike the base form of DT, it does not heal him while up, though his attacks cannot be interrupted and he takes far less damage than normal.

Regeneration — he has an insanely quick regeneration and healing factor, making him able to survive being stabbed through the chest (this has happened in canon. multiple times.) His regeneration is so powerful it's questionable if he is even able to be killed.

inherent abilities:

Superhuman Abilities — due to being half-demon, Dante has enhanced natural abilities. 

Strength: Dante is able to at a base lift and toss many demons that are much larger than himself with ease as well as break brick on impacts of people he has pushed aside.

Speed: his speed is fast enough that at times it seems he is teleporting, though he is simply moving. He is also fast on his reflexes, able to even dog bullets.

Durability: some of his feats would not be feasible without the added durability that comes with them. This aids with his regeneration factor as well as it helps from attacks that would otherwise kill him from doing so, instead simply shrugging them off.

Stamina: while his stamina does have limits, it is still above average. Dante is able to keep pushing forward despite many injuries and working long hours, far past what a normal human would be able to manage.

Agility: dude moves like a wild monkey, not gonna lie. He's able to jump great heights and balance on the stupidest things. He's wild.

items / weapons: 

Devil Sword Dante — a large broadsword that he is able to summon at will that Dante gained after the Devil Sword Sparda merged with his body

Ebony & Ivory — twin handguns made specifically for Dante by Nell Goldstein to accommodate for rapid fire

Cavaliere — a motorcycle that doubles as a heavy weapon as it is capable of splitting in half and being swung around to deal heavy damage as with the split the tires become two buzzsaws

Coyote-A — sawed-off double-barrel shotgun

Balrog — set of devil arms that take the form of fighting gauntlets, greaves, and shoulder pads

Dr. Faust — devil arm based off of a Faust and created by Nico, it utilizes the blood crystals collected from demons to attack

King Cerberus — a unique set of devil arms that takes three forms to mimic the demon he received them from: ice form (three-handled set of nunchaku with ice attacks imbued), lightning form (the handles separate and are connected by strings of lightning and use lightning based attacks), and fire form (the three handles combine to a staff and have fire on the tips)

Picture of Eva — just a picture of his mom he keeps on his desk in the DMC office back home

starting ability:

Devil Trigger (at base form, so unable to reach Sin Devil Trigger)

starting item:

Cavaliere

extra: 

at current i have not consumed anything outside of the main games in the series and have some second hand knowledge of the light novels/anime, so bear with me on this while i get through these at my own pace proper! if anything significant changes it'll be amended at a later date on his app

dmc2 was a fever dream, dante went to hell then somehow came back that was the only thing of note thanks

dante has EXTREMELY bad luck with gambling. if it doesn't involve demons, he WILL lose at gambling. he is in so much debt from this.

sorry this app is long i hate him

discord id: divine.comedy passcode: this app still said i was 25 that's scary