#shifting related ⭐

[xandershifts]

shifters: I'm so excited to see my s/o !!

also shifters: scripted a slow burn enemies to lovers / friends to lovers

[xandershifts]

" I could be shifting right now " 😭

[tofupixel]

I recently started learning to use rpg maker (vx ace!) and as a result have become increasingly interested in pixel art. I hadn't really done pixel work since my teens - I do more digital painting and vector art - so while I'm a little familiar and can do passable editing, there's a lot I don't know.

One thing that's kind of perplexing for me is understanding the differences in style between two creators of pixel art. I studied art history and I'm used to the differences being things like brush stroke length or degree of realism... I feel like I'm lacking in lexicon in this new frontier lol

What nuances of an artist do you think are most important to style in pixel art?

This kind of stuff is not really officially studied (yet) so it's all a bit of opinion from me.

Usually in pixel art the biggest differences in styles are which limitations the artists choose to impose on themselves; colour count, resolution, palette... Or more stylistic choices like hue shifting, anti-aliasing style or no, dithering or no, etc.

I personally think there are a huge variety of styles in pixel art, as it's literally just a medium, and I hope you'll agree by the end 8)

Also (imo) there is some seperation between the styles of art for art's sake, and art for videogames, where things have to be clear and readable to be actually playable.

🎮 Old school games:

Sometimes referred to as something like '8-bit' or '16-bit' (relating to the NES era / SNES era consoles), these artstyles usually follow the rules and limitations of the hardware at the time.

This all falls under retro art, most popular styles include: NES, SNES, GB, GBC, C64

Notable artists: Nickwoz, Sandy Gordon, Franken, Cisco

📚 Old school art:

There were also events called Demoscene (still are), where developers would go to a big convention and share their demos. A lot of pixel art competitions were held here, where artists would draw live.

Generally they used to favour a high realism/semirealism style, with lots of texture/dithering, fairly high resolution (if the hardware allowed for it), and adjacent pixels mostly being different from one another.

There are even older styles than this but they are fairly niche and I'm not that well educated. If interested look into some of the old PCs/consoles.

⭐ Modern pixel art:

Usually using more colours and higher resolution, larger clusters of pixels instead of individual ones. Strong use of art fundamentals.

Artists to look at: Adam Ferguson (yes it is pixel art), Snake, Slym, 6VCR, Yes I do Pixels, Gijotto, SovanJedi, JoeCreates, Franek, @8pxl

the rest below are "modern" pixel artists too but I think they have other things in their style that are a bit different!

🎨 Painterly:

Some artists choose to emulate the natural brushstrokes digitally, and keep their clusters large and loose. Usually don't focus on the minute details as much.

@makrustic, @hexh-pixel, Umbohr, Gawrone

🟦 Dithering

These artists all use dithering / texture in ways that make their styles totally unique.

Deceiver, Night, Reo,

💥 Experimental

These artists are always trying new things and honing in on their unique style.

AJ, hby, @ilta222, Alphons

I could really go on for ever, there are so many different styles, cute pixel art, horror pixel art, 1bit (2 colours only), and then adding animation takes it even further, but I think you get the idea

If you want to learn more, the Masters of Pixel Art books have works /interviews from pixel artists of different eras, including demoscene and contemporary.

😊👍

[spark-my-nature]

It Takes Three to Tango - DRW & SFK

Hello loves! This is gonna be a multi-part story, and I'm so excited to share this first part with you! 18+

Summary: After some revelations, you and your boyfriend Danny decide to invite Sam into the bedroom.

Chapter word count: 5.7K | Pairings: Danny x Sam x Reader (MFM threesome with slash)

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, language, graphic sexual content, use of degrading terms (but its good-natured teasing, all for jokes)

Possible TW: Coming-out scene. It's very wholesome and loving but I felt I should mention it.

-------- ⭐︎☽⭐︎☾⭐︎ --------

"Okay, okay,” Danny giggled after swallowing, wiping the small dribble of beer that had trickled down his chin from how you held it up for him to drink, “You can’t get mad at me though.” 

Taking his empty bottle and placing it on the side table to your right, you faced him fully, readjusting your seated position over his thighs. Cupping his cheek with your now free hand, you lovingly stroked the soft freckled skin with your thumb. 

“Never,” you gently assured. Pressing a kiss to his beer-chilled lips through your smile, you mumbled against his mouth coyly, “S’it somebody we know?”

This discussion of ‘hallpasses’ had come up organically during a tipsy binge-rewatch of Friends. You’d offhandedly remarked (for maybe the hundredth time) how beautiful Jennifer Anniston was, and this time, Danny snorted and rolled his head to look at you, a teasing glimmer in his eye. “I’m starting to relate to Ross, babe, I think my girlfriend’s a lesbian,” to which you’d jokingly retorted that you’d go gay for her any day of the week. 

And it wasn’t the first time the conversation of sexuality had rolled around between the two of you, either. Your boyfriend was the first person you’d trusted with your bisexuality, nearly a year ago now. No surprises, he was as wonderful and accepting of you as he’d ever been, talking with you and learning about this side of you that you’d shared with him. 

The trust you shared with each other, and perhaps your own willingness to open up about your sexuality helped Danny feel safe with you, safe enough that he hesitated only slightly before the next words came out of his mouth. 

“It’s Sam.”

Never in a hundred years would you be put off by his answer. But that didn’t mean it didn’t catch you a little off-guard, especially when you’d been operating on the assumption that your boyfriend was, for the most part at least, straight. You weren’t expecting his answer to be male, let alone his best friend. 

You weren’t expecting the rush of heat and exhilaration either, as his words processed. You pulled back enough to look into the sweet, hazel eyes you loved so much, glossy from the alcohol and peering up at you, patiently waiting for you to say something.

Tucking a long curly strand of hair behind his ear, you smiled encouragingly as he leaned into your touch. “Oh, wow baby…” you softly cooed, “Really?” 

He nodded, sucking his bottom lip. “Yeah, I… yeah. It’d be him.” You simply grinned wider, your heart beating quicker. His complete and utter trust in you made your chest ache with adoration alone, but add in his warm, vulnerable gaze and the rumble of his voice beneath your hand on his chest? 

You leaned in, slotting your lips against his in the most loving and affirming kiss you could muster. His low hum of contentment buzzed against your lips, and you smiled wide, unable to stop it stretching across your face. “God, I love you, Danny,” you whispered. 

He blinked rapidly, gaze losing focus. He inhaled slowly through his nose, sucking his lip once more. His whispered voice had an unmistakable quiver when he looked back up into your eyes. “I love you.” 

You grinned, brushing your nose adoringly against his freckled cheek before kissing the corner of his mouth. You shifted your weight over his thighs, enjoying the flex of the muscle beneath his sweats. Danny’s hooded eyes lazily tracked your movements, hands settling on your ass as you ground your pelvis teasingly against his. 

“Mmm…” A playful smirk teased at his lips, “Love you so much.” His flirty tone from earlier had returned, along with a noticeable stiffening beneath your center.

You looked down and giggled quietly. “Danny?” He looked up at you to continue, “Wanna know something?” 

Danny’s eyebrow quirked at your shy but breathless response. “Oh, always,” he smirked. 

Tucking your face down into the warm familiar cavern of your boyfriend’s neck, you parted your lips in a soft wet kiss on his skin. “I…” you swallowed, smoothing over your next words with a roll of your hips into his. “…I like the thought of you and Sam.”

Danny gasped, whether from your movements or your words was unclear, but he whispered, “Fuck… really?” His fingertips dug into your ass, guiding your hips into his again. 

You whimpered quietly, nodding against his shoulder, resting your forehead against it. “S’really hot,” you confessed quietly.

You felt the rumble of a groan deep in his chest, his head tipping back against the backrest of the couch. “I… I’m glad you think so,” he breathed. 

You nipped at his skin through an affirmative whine, your arms wrapping around his warm torso over the faded, soft tee. 

“You… you wanna hear what I thought about sometimes?” he continued carefully, “…W-with Sam?”

You pulled back to look over his face, pressing yourself against him more firmly in your growing desperation. “Oh god yes, please,” you breathed, succumbing further to the desire clouding your mind. 

His mischievous glimmer made your stomach flip. With a choked moan as your hips glided deeply over his bulged groin, he let his eyes flutter closed. “Imaged him-“ he inhaled a sharp hiss, fingers sinking into your hips, “fuck, imagined sucking his dick while he eats your pussy.”

When did it get so hot in this room? Your cheeks flushed nearly as bright as Danny’s as his confession settled in the air. Your heart thudded quickly, sinful images flashing behind your closed eyes like a pornographic slideshow. 

“Oh my fucking god, Danny,” you whimpered. 

His head tipped back slightly, smirking down his nose at you despite his blush. His hooded eyelids casted shadows over his already dark eyes, and he bit his lip, flicking his eyebrows up at you cockily. “Oh, honey… you do like that, huh…”

Slipping your hand between your bodies, you cupped his erection, your lips parting as his breath hitched. “More than I probably should,” you chuckled breathlessly, smirking.

He shook his head, bucking into your hand with a sharp inhale. “I love that you like it. I was kinda nervous you’d be put off.” You quickly went to reassure him, but he cut you off with a chuckle, “No no, not like that, I- I knew you’d be accepting, I didn’t mean it that way. Just… I-“ he let his head tip back with a choked moan as you squeezed him. “Fuck, I’m just happy you’re like, into this,” he smirked, his cheeks flushing. 

Unable to stand the ache between your legs anymore, you lifted yourself off his lap enough to shove his sweats down to his thighs. 

“Get these off-“ you groaned.

He let out an amused laugh at your desperation, lifting his hips for you, watching as you maneuvered his rock hard erection out of his boxers and wrapped your hand around him firmly. He inhaled sharply, eyes fluttering but keeping them trained on you. 

“Danny, honey, love of my life, my gorgeous, sweet, baby boy, if I was anymore turned on, I think my brain would melt,” you deadpanned, not exaggerating in the least as you pumped his girthy cock steadily. 

You leaned your face over his groin and let a string of saliva fall over his glossy head. His jaw fell open, panting now. “Oh my god,” he whined under his breath, brows furrowing. 

You chewed on your bottom lip, watching his tip slipping through your fist. “You’d look so fucking hot, you know… sucking dick,” you breathed, drawing closer to brush your lips over his. He let out a soft, jerky cry, deep in his throat.

“You think so, huh?” He whispered, a lazy, dirty smirk stretching his lips. 

You met his gaze, “No, I fucking know so.” 

He leaned into your face, giving you a deep kiss. 

Danny pulled back just enough to articulate under his breath, “Imagine, babe,” his gravelly voice raising goosebumps across your skin, “sitting on Sammy’s face, watching me take his cock in my mouth.”

“Fuck,” you whined pathetically. His cock twitched in your fist, tipping you off to the effect his own fantasies were having on him. You were right there with him, though. You  yanked your damp panties to the side and shifted forward, bringing his tip through your folds. 

Danny let out a shuddery sigh, his sinewy hands flexing, fingers gripping the flesh of your hips tightly as you lined him up, sheathing him slowly inside you. “Ohh, fffffffuuuuuck,” he muttered, letting his head fall forward onto your shoulder, muffling himself into your skin. “Yes, sweetheart, oh my god, yes.”

You whined, rocking forward and drawing his length along your walls, your clit grinding into his pubic bone. “You’re so hard, feels so fucking good,” you marveled through your panting breath. 

Pressing your lips to his sweat-glazed temple, you purred behind his ear, “Keep talking, babe. What else did you think about?”

He groaned softly, straightening back up to drink in your fucked-out expression as he rolled up into your hips. “You’re fucking dirty, baby,” he grinned darkly, pulling you down onto his cock harder as he fucked himself into you, picking up the pace. 

Shooting him a cheeky grin, you shrugged one shoulder. “I think you love it.” 

He nodded, “Yeah I fuckin’ do.” He smoothed his right hand from your hip, up your front, and grabbing your breast. He squeezed it, massaging as he casually proceeded to ruin your life. “I thought about Sam’s tight little ass squeezing my cock.” 

A shocked whimper burst from your lips, and Danny grunted, gently rolling your nipple between his fingers. You clenched around him as your pelvises slammed together, just to watch his eyes roll back. “Uhh, God, just like that, babe-“

Losing yourself for a moment as your pleasure built, you whimpered loudly. Your jaw hung open until Danny’s broad hand suddenly gripped your jaw. “Maybe I’d even let Sam fuck this pretty mouth while I do it,” he grit. 

Your eyes squeezed shut as you imagined the weight of Sam on your tongue, moaning out at the image of Danny watching your mouth getting used by his best friend. “Don’t st- FUCK Danny, don’t stop baby,” you pleaded, riding him faster, harder, your climax building steadily. 

He groaned, fucking into you desperately, chasing his own orgasm. “Or maybe I won’t… have to see how well he earns it, yeah?” Danny goaded, out of breath, his thumb finding your clit. “Your mouth is so fucking good,” he grit, “I’d make him prove he deserves to fuck it. Make him take my cock like a good boy, first.”

Your desperate moans of Danny’s name babbled out of you, incoherently strung together between swears as you came. Clenching tight around his cock, your eyes squeezed shut, seeing stars as you faintly heard Danny crying out through his own peak. Wave after wave of debilitating pleasure wracked through your body as you rode your boyfriend through it. 

Slowly, you both came out of the fog, ears ringing and vision clearing. Your heaving, slick chests pressed together as you held each other tight. 

“Holy… shit…” Danny panted, and you blinked at him, smiling slowly and lazily. “Holy shit,” you repeated, giggling. 

He grinned, letting his eyes close as he fell back into the couch. 

Following his warmth, you rested your head over his heart, listening to it slowly returning to its resting rate as your arms snaked weakly around his broad shoulders. He wrapped you in a warm hug, holding you close.

After a few minutes, you blinked your eyes open, smiling to yourself. “Baby?” 

His voice tickled your ear against his chest as he rumbled out, “Yeah?”

Sighing contentedly as his hand began stroking your back, you quietly asked, “Can I ask you something?”

His abdomen tensed slightly, but he nodded, “Yeah, ‘course honey.”

“…I… If you-“ You swallowed, feeling your heart race a bit, “If you wanted to have a threesome with Sam, I’d be into that.”

His whole body tensed up at that, and you lifted your head, hurrying to back pedal. “But if you don’t, I don’t- it’s fine, I just wanted to let you know, we cou- only if you want, I-“ 

Danny grabbed your face, shutting you up by kissing you deeply. He smiled against your lips at your surprised coo, pulling back slowly. 

“Relax, sweetheart,” he softly assured, “It’s okay, s’all good.” Nodding, you sucked on your lip, watching him shyly. 

His face shifted subtly, glimmer in his eye. “Are you serious? Is that something you wanna try?” 

His thumb stroked your cheek, comforting you enough to admit softly, “Yeah… you?” 

He inhaled slowly, then nodded. “Yeah… I-I’d be down for that.”

You smiled softly, “Hey… I love you.” Danny brightened, smiling warmly and trailing his eyes over your face. “I love you, too.”

Grinning, you pitched forward, whispering playfully. “You gonna ask him, or me?”

-------- ⭐︎☽⭐︎☾⭐︎ --------

The morning after, even through the squint of your eyes due to the hangover headache, you’d rolled over to look at Danny in the soft sunlight of the dawn and felt an overwhelming surge of love wash over you. His angular features seemed softened in the muted glow filtered through the curtains, his brow scrunching as he began to wake. 

“W’time s’it?” He mumbled, draping his arm over his face. As your head tilted in admiration, you brought up a hand to smooth down the centre of his chest soothingly. 

“Early…” you softly replied, watching him take a deep breath and sigh, his arm lifting above his head. His muscles flexed with the movement, and finally you were graced with those mossy amber eyes as they fluttered open. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart,” you whispered with a smile, running your hand up his chest, through that cute, sexy dusting of hair between his pecks and up to cup his cheek. He trailed his gaze lazily across your face, a soft, almost vulnerable expression tinting his features. 

“Hey…” he started, trailing off as he looked away. He licked his bottom lip, rubbing at his eye sleepily. “You… did you, uh…” 

Feeling his body tensing slightly, you rubbed your thumb encouragingly over his jawline, quietly letting him gather his thoughts. 

“Last night,” he began again, a little smirk playing at his lips at the memory, “I know we discussed… some things.” 

A quiet giggle bubbled out of you. “Yes, love. I remember.” 

He nodded once, biting back a chuckle. “Yeah… I just… we’d had a lot to drink, y’know, and… I, um…” He huffed softly, “well, I guess I’m…” 

Smiling wide, you playfully tickled at his neck, giggling as he scrunched up his shoulder reflexively and laughed. “Danny, out with it.”

“Okay, okay,” he snickered, taking your hand in his, lacing his long fingers with yours, his eyes watching them tangle. “Two things, I guess. One, I wanna make sure that I didn’t… upset you, y’know with everything last night,” he put his finger up to your lips as you went to protest, “Yeah, okay, let me finish, and also… well, do you really want to try… bringing Sam into this?” He swallowed, staring at your hands as he ran his thumb over your knuckles. 

You nodded, cocking your head with a crooked smile. “Okay, well first of all,” you blushed, ducking your head shyly, “you sure as hell didn’t upset me.” 

A callused finger tilted your chin up, and you met his eyes as a smirk spread across his handsome face. “No?” he confirmed. 

Giggling bashfully, you shook your head. “I know we were tipsy, but I meant what I said, babe. The, um… the things you said…” you let your eyes trail down his chest, smirking and shaking your head slowly, “Fuck.” 

Danny let out an excited breath through his nose, coyly confirming, “about… Sam?” 

You nodded. “Yeah. Sam, you and him, what you thought about…” you couldn’t stop your shy giggle, “Honestly, I never considered anything like that before, it never even occurred to me. I don’t know what’s so hot about it, but… god…”

Danny’s lips parted in a shallow breath, and he stretched his free arm around your torso, rolling to his side and bringing you into his body. He hovered his lips close to your own as he whispered lowly, “You’re fucking amazing, you know.” 

Tilting up your chin to try and close the distance, he teasingly leaned away. Through a barely contained pout, you answered, “How’s that?”

Dropping your hand to grab your face lovingly, he brushed his nose against yours. “I don’t know how many girlfriends are not only… you know, accepting of their boyfriends like, suddenly coming out as bisexual, but also indulge their fantasies too?” he smiled playfully, a touch of wonder in his tone. 

You leaned into his gentle touch. “Baby,” you smiled wide, tenderly pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth before continuing softly, “I love everything about you. Everything. The things you’ve told me, the things you haven’t, the things that you don’t even know yet. I’m so in love with you it hurts.”

Danny’s brow furrowed, nuzzling against your cheek as you spoke. 

Swallowing down your rising emotions, you tenderly kissed his cheek. “I love that you’re bi, and I love that you trusted me with that part of you. I’m so proud of you, too, I-” You sucked your bottom lip under your teeth and brought your hand down to rest over his heart, feeling it beating harder at your words. “You’re my guy, Dan. I love you.” 

Danny’s eyes squeezed shut, and he held his breath tight in his throat for a moment. Leaning his forehead against yours, he placed his broad, warm hand over yours, squeezing tight. He let out a slow shaky breath, nodding ever so slightly. “I love you more,” he whispered. 

“Can I kiss you?” you quietly asked. 

He opened his eyes, and as he grinned, a little wobbly, they crinkled at the edges endearingly. “God, yes. Please.”

Smiling wide, you eagerly met his expectant lips in a loving kiss. He hummed contentedly, his fingers curling around your hand and running it up his neck and into his curls, a not so subtle hint. Grinning into the kiss, you indulged his affinity for having his hair played with, sinking your fingers into the silky tresses appreciatively.

Danny groaned happily, pulling you on top of him playfully with a chuckle. Your bare chest pressed to his, and you deepened the kiss with a teasing slip of your tongue along his lip. His hand smoothed its way down the curve of your back, descending until his fingers gripped the plush of your ass, his enthusiastic squeeze tipping your body forward into his kiss. 

Giggling against his lips, you coyly teased, “Didn’t get enough last night?” 

He let his head lay back against the pillows, his heavily lidded eyes indulging in the view of your cleavage against his chest. His voice rumbled against your breasts as he replied, “Never get enough of you, you should know this by now.” Finally meeting your eyes, he winked, a devilish smirk swiftly following. 

Feeling weak in the knees at his flirting, even after all the time you spent together, you bit your lip and lowered your naked lower half to his. 

His brows furrowed as his lips parted, inhaling sharply at the sensation of his semi hard length blanketed by your wet folds against his stomach. “You have the gall to tease me when you’re this wet already?” He giggled breathily, lifting himself up on his elbows to watch. 

Joining his laughter, you retaliated his sass by centering your knees at either side of him and sliding yourself up and down slowly. He groaned under his breath, jaw clenching. “Fuck,“ he grit. He watched his swollen pink tip peeked out rhythmically between your lips, slick wet noises mixing with Danny’s strained breathing. 

You smirked, cocking your head. “Sorry, what was that?” you teased. 

Eyes still trained on your hips as they stilled over him, a tiny smirk played at his lips. His tongue swiped along his top teeth, as his eyes met yours through his lashes with a devilish gleam.

In a flurry of movement, you found yourself pinned on your back, pinned between your devastatingly hot boyfriend’s arms, opening your eyes to a cocky smirk hovering over your face. 

“You need me to fuck that attitude out of your smart mouth?” he goaded, playfully challenging you with a quirk of one dark brow. 

Taking him up on his challenges was a specialty of yours. 

“Do you need me to suck the attitude out of you, Daniel?” 

-------- ⭐︎☽⭐︎☾⭐︎ --------

After the longest week that, frankly, anyone had experienced ever, the weekend came, and weekends went hand in hand with drinks. 

And drinks went hand in hand with a certain bassist friend of yours. 

You and Danny sat at either side of a buzzed, boisterous Sam Kiszka, squished into a round booth at some dive near the edge of town. It was humid, bordering on stuffy in the dark corner one of the boys had chosen. You suspected the pick was Danny’s, with the looming conversation in his foresight, he would want some semblance of privacy. You shifted in place, grimacing as your thighs peeled off the sticky vinyl.

Zoning back into the conversation, you took your eyes off the droplet of condensation that trailed down the side of Danny’s beer. 

Your boyfriend was chuckling behind his fingers as Sam narrated the conversation of a nearby couple. 

“Beeb-uh,” he whined through his nose, his imitation of the young blonde, “I said I wanted organic water, this has chloreeeen!” 

You snorted into a giggle, playfully shoving Sam’s shoulder. He turned his face to you, sporting a proud grin from making you laugh. You bit your lip, still grinning, and let your hand rest on his bicep flirtatiously. 

Danny’s eyes tracked you, moving from your face to your arm, and then finally glancing at Sam for his reaction. 

Sam barely glanced to your hand, but he kept his gaze on you curiously. His smile remained, but you could see his intelligent mind working to catch up. 

“You liked that, didya?” he nudged your knee with his. “People like that are hilarious to listen to. And make fun of.”

With a lingering squeeze you released him. “You’ve never dated anyone like that, though, of course,” you replied sarcastically. 

Sam laughed, picking up his glass. “Shhhh, always digging up the past, you are,” he poked your nose as he took a sip. 

With a giggle, you scrunched your nose, swatting him. Catching Danny’s eye across the table, he smirked over the rim of his tall glass, and you returned it with a subtle eye-gesture to Sam. 

Wordlessly asking him, ‘now?’

He took a sip, nodding once subtly as he swallowed. 

His hesitance was evident, even across from him. You realized that Danny had more invested in this than you, more to lose if anything went south, but having known Sam as long as you had, and having witnessed the “bromance” between the two of them (and the shameless flirting with you), you weren’t worried about Sam reacting poorly. 

You figured worst case scenario, he politely declines and you all move on as if nothing happened. No harm done. 

Best case scenario though? Well, you figured you’d best not get ahead of yourselves. 

Danny set his glass down, keeping his eyes trained on it as he cleared his throat. 

“Hey Sam, I uh… I actually wanna ask you something.”

Sam looked over at his best friend, grinning. “No, I didn’t blame Jake’s run-over bike on you in high school,” he said with faux guilt, then immediately moved as if to run away jokingly before settling back in his seat. 

Danny snorted, tossing his head back as he laughed. “I fucking KNEW it, Jake kept glaring at me for a week,” he snickered, shaking his head and punching Sam’s arm, “bastard.”

Sam groaned dramatically, rubbing his arm. “If it makes you feel better, Mom got it on the door camera and told him on me.”

You giggled, leaning your chin in your hands and crossing your legs. 

Danny forged on with a ironic smirk. “Listen, shut up, alright?” 

Sam snickered, “Yeah, yeah, go ahead, I’m listening.” He raised his glass to his lips, and Danny leaned forward on his elbows, voice soft. 

“We were both talking the other day…” Sam took a sip, nodding. “…and, we both expressed… interest, in uh…” 

Danny’s face was flushed pink, and you finished for him, deciding to shoulder the weight of the question for him. “We both wanna have a threesome with you.”

Sam choked, spitting up the brown liquor into his glass and coughing profusely. Danny slapped his back, and you shrunk back, watching Sam’s face widen with shock. 

He caught his breath, cleared his throat and his lips parted, but nothing came out. He open and shut his mouth a few times, growing gradually more flustered. You raised your eyebrows at him, waiting patiently, and a grin started poking at Danny’s face. 

“Wow, he’s never been quiet this long before,” Danny told you with mock seriousness. 

Sam shook his head, faintly smiling with a touch of bewilderement. “Uhhh… aha… I uh, I don’t- I wasn’t expecting that,” he chuckled, still staring at the table in front of him. 

Nodding, you began fiddling with your hands nonchalantly. “Its totally okay, Sammy, seriously, you can say no, there’s no pressure.” Danny nodded and chimed in, “Yeah, man, if you don’t… want to, just forget we mentioned it, its fi-“ 

“Will you both shut up for a second?” Sam cut him off, smirking. His eyes lifted to yours first, a playful glint present through the searching look he gave you. Softly, he prompted, “For real? You’re interested in that?” 

Blushing under his gaze, you nodded, smiling crookedly. Sam looked over at Danny with the same look, confirming the earlier sentiments. You watched the two men lock eyes, and you swore you saw Sam’s eyes dip to Danny’s lips for a brief moment. 

Danny was flushed, but visibly relaxing by the minute as Sam reacted without discomfort. His own brown eyes trailed over Sam’s beautiful features curiously, locking on the brunette’s lips as Sam quietly asked, “you too? You want that?”

Danny nodded, smiling lightly. “I do, yeah,” he softly returned. 

Sam’s smile grew, returning to you. “With me?” 

You giggled, blushing and looking down. “Mhmm.”

Sam paused for a moment, looking contemplatively bemused and flattered. 

“You two are sluts,” he declared, and you and Danny burst out laughing, all tension broken.

“What can I say Sammy… you’re so pretty, we just wanna take you home,” you giggled. 

Sam straightened up proudly. “I am, aren’t I?” he smirked.

Danny dramatically stretched his arm around Sam’s shoulders like in the movies, leaning into him and drawling, “Me and my girlfriend saw you across the bar, and we-“ 

He was cut off by Sam loudly laughing, even as he leaned into Danny’s side under his arm. You watched your boys easily relaxing into each other, like the most natural thing in the world, and maybe it was. It certainly didn’t feel strange or forced, and if anything, your desire to share the pretty bassist with your boyfriend had only grown hotter in the past few minutes. 

The thing about Sam, though, that you and Daniel were well aware of, is that he used humor and boisterous confidence as a sort of safety net, in situations where, in truth, he wasn’t as sure of himself as he acted. Which is why you enjoyed watching (and helping) Danny breaking through that wall of bravado brick by brick all the more. 

Danny chuckled, venturing a hand up to brush his silky hair behind his ear. “You really are, you know.” You watched Sam stiffen slightly and blush at the tender gesture. “So pretty Sam,” he purred. 

Sam’s breathing changed, his eyes shooting downwards at the sensation of Danny’s knee nudging at his own. 

Wanting in on the flirting, you leaned closer, your bare thigh pressing against Sam’s now. The boy’s eyes darted from Danny, to your leg, to your face, and then your hand as you rested it on his arm. 

You cooed near his ear quietly, “The prettiest, Sammy.” You made eye contact with Danny, steadily plastering himself to the other side of Sam’s body, exchanging an excited grin before turning your gaze back to meet Sammy’s eyes. 

Once your eyes locked, you spoke before your nerves prevented the words from leaving your mouth. 

“I bet you’re pretty everywhere.” 

Both boys made strained, breathy noises, Sam’s face flushing wildly as Danny’s lips parted in shock. You held down a giggle at the look on your boyfriends face, intent on Sam’s reaction. 

Sammy’s brows turned up in the middle slightly, biting his bottom lip. 

“You wanna find out for yourself?” he breathed slowly, tentative in his words. 

Danny lowered his hand, its width spanning across Sam’s thigh, beginning to smooth so slowly up his leg that even you felt antsy. “Is that a yes?” he confirmed lowly.

Sam swallowed, strands of his hair falling alongside his face as he let his head fall forward, watching Danny’s fingertips encroaching into his subtly tenting groin. “Christ… yeah,” he nodded after a moment. “That’s a fuck yes.” 

You smiled wide with a pleased hum of excitement, the sound turning Sammy to face you. His cocky grin returned as he gave you a smug once-over.

“Somebody’s excited,” he teased, and you bit your lip as his own hand finally did some exploring, resting at the hem of your skirt midway up your thigh. His lightly callused fingers gripped at the flesh, the quiver in his hands nearly undetectable. He seemed to be feeling you out, testing the limits, pushing the boundaries he wasn’t sure of yet. His boldness was undeniably sexy.

You both glanced at Danny after he let out a quiet growl, deep in his throat. His eyes were zeroed into Sam’s touch on your bare thigh with a dark, hungry look. Not jealousy, quite the opposite, it seemed.

“I don’t blame her,” he rumbled near Sam’s ear, and you felt the shiver it elicited from the grip on your thigh. Then Sam let out a whimpery little gasp, squeezing you tightly all of a sudden. A glance down at his lap had you forgetting how to breath. Danny’s hand rested over the bulge in Sam’s pants. He squeezed gently, palming over him just once before pulling his hand away and straightening up.

Like somebody flipped a switch, he took a sip of his beer casually, looking between the two of you. A smirk curled his lips as he swallowed. Sam blinked at him, speechless and… needy. He let out the breath he was holding, relaxing and retracting his hand. 

You grinned wildly, following suit and downing the last of your drink. Turning to Sam, you winked. “He’s a fucking tease, isn��t he?” 

Sam snorted, nodding without taking his eyes off Danny. His gaze shifted into a heated, almost appraising look, as though analyzing his best friend through new eyes. “Apparently.”

Danny shrugged coyly, “I know you were distracted, Sammy, but we are in public, we gotta keep it PG.”

This earned a petulant snort from Sam, “Right, right, and uh, grabbing-“ he quickly hushed his voice, quickly checking his surroundings before continuing, “… grabbing my dick in a bar is a family friendly activity to you, Daniel?” 

Danny laughed, cheeks tinting at Sam’s incessant ability to speak bluntly about anything. “You didn’t exactly stop me, Samuel,” he retorted, raising a smug eyebrow. “You couldn’t have had that much of a problem with it.”

Sam scoffed without a hint of animosity, mumbling, “Not liking it wasn’t the problem.”

Danny bit his lip, eyeing him. “Bad boy,” he flirted.

Sam did a poor job of pretending he was unaffected by Danny’s taunt. He turned back to you, hesitating for a second as he shifted his hips in place stiffly, but then pushing through and speaking his thoughts in his usual, bratty fashion. “Good thing he’s so hot, huh?” 

There was that familiar rush of heat again. Nodding at Sam, you furrowed your brow with a smirk for emphasis. “So hot.” Looking over at your boyfriend, you bit your lip, shamelessly eye-fucking him for show. You led him to lean into each other conspiratorially, and you whispered, “You think he’s hot now? Wait til you see his face when he cums.” 

Sam let out an affronted groan, the noise jarring in the thickness of the intimate booth. Closing his eyes, he bit his lip. “Now, why would you say that to me,” he whined with a pained smile, and Danny smiled wide, leaning forward over the table. 

“What? What did you tell him?” he pried, looking between you both, left out but thoroughly enjoying the flustered state of his friend. 

Inhaling Sam’s floral cologne, you raised your voice only enough to be heard from the crook of his jawline, “Don’t worry about it, nosypants.” You felt Sam smirk, and enjoying the swarming butterflies that being so close gave you, you pushed further, pressing your lips to his soft neck. Danny squinted at the two of you, and Sam bit his lip through a dazed smile, sighing through his nose as his eyelids fluttered under your attention. 

You felt a pair of eyes burning into you as you nipped the soft skin between your teeth. Sam let out a tiny, surprised cry in his throat. “Oh- god,” he breathed. Taking it as your cue to pull away, you kissed over the spot and straightened out. Your cheeks felt warm, bashful in the best way as both boys eyed you hungrily.

Clearing his throat and leaning back, Danny pulled out his wallet, slipping a wad of cash onto the table. 

“Shall we?”

Sam swallowed harshly, shaking his head of the trance you’d put him under. He shifted uncomfortably again, adjusting his shorts. “Uh… you’re gonna have to give me a sec.”

Chapter two

-------- ⭐︎☽⭐︎☾⭐︎ --------

Join the Taglist! | Masterlist

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[cycleoffates]

Just found you here after searching Pumpkin Panic (again). You see, I found that demo back in 2014-2016 and I feel like it made a huge impact on what my art aesthetic preferences are because your artsyle is super colorful and the game really gave me candy and Halloween vibes! So once I a while I search official art you have posted about it. Whether you come back to making games or not I wanted to thank you for creating that demo and showing your spooky ocs. Hope you have a nice day!

hello!!! thank you so much for sending me this message. apologies if my response has been somewhat late, Tumblr's a place I hardly check and free time isn't something I have as much as I used to. 🥲 sorry if this is gonna be a long response too! i didn't intend it to be but I'm feeling somewhat sentimental.

even if i've pretty much been radio silent all over the place, this message has been something I've been constantly thinking about for a while. well, this one and a few that have been left on one of my videos. 🥹 (I'm posting them rq bc they bring me joy)

Pumpkin⭐Panic (yeah, with the star bc i found out there's another game called that now) has always been very near and dear to my heart. i made that demo when I was still a kid in high-school w/ a lot of ambitions. the idea for it was very impulsive, bc it started out as me making a gift for my followers on Halloween. i have no idea how I managed to create a demo for it in under a month (I have no clue how I was able to do it back then 💀).

talking about and posting OC stuff has always made me shy bc I wasn't sure how people would perceive it (or rather, my original, non-fandom creations), but it warms my heart to know it's been (and is still) loved by a lot of ppl who remember it to this day, even if it's very old. not to mention, it's very outdated, littered with bugs and was made on a (now defunct) laptop with a broken audio jack (hence why the audio is so loud (LOL)). making a game by yourself is harder than it looks!!!

it's been......... maybe 10+ years now? i think since it's initial creation. wow. typing that out makes me feel OLD. during all that, I put out another game demo and tried to write visual novels, but none of them were finished/saw the light, either. I'm somewhat ashamed of that too. i wanted to make more stories, but I just found myself lacking the time and the motivation (Tumblr was dying, I started working towards a college degree, you get the gist).

at that point, i stopped posting OC content as much (bc you know, social media engagement with fandoms and commissions gets you clicks!). i kept all those to myself (granted I didn't have a lot to begin with LOL) and only shared them with close friends. sometimes i'd post something on the bird-app, but it wasn't constant.

and then few years ago, a couple things happened to me (for the worse?). it opened my eyes and made me realize how impacted I (as a person) and my creations (as extensions of me) were by others who I shared personal connections with (through relating w/my characters). those things changed my life and made me anxious about talking about them again with others. i got scared. it was bad.

from then on, i shifted my gear towards making a lot of money as I could from commissions. flash forward to the beginning of last year, I had my "icarus-flew-too-close-to-the-sun" moment.................... yeah, burnout is NOT fun.

but at the same time, during those years of making bank and struggling, I was able to connect with someone again who made me love talking about my OCs again. i started roleplaying w/OCs again, I started writing and drawing OCs again. granted, they're not the same ones as before, but they're still my characters, and I want to share their stories with the world (someday). yeah okay, this is veering away from Pumpkin⭐Panic so i'm pulling the reins back on it again.

thank you again (from the bottom of my heart) for sending me this ask. this probably wasn't??? the answer you were expecting, but it made me feel something so HAVE AT IT. 🥹 I have attempted to create some semblances of art for a Pumpkin⭐Panic "reboot" but never got far, so it's most likely I won't be picking the game demo project back up. maybe I'll post them here if I remember to?

i've been thinking about giving the main game some closure at least. an artist I follow did something where when they decided to quit their webcomic, they posted the scripts/concept art/etc of said webcomic so fans can look at it. i think that's something I might try and do, if people are interested.

i also had plans for a prequel game (visual novel written conceptual draft)......... that? that's something I'm still thinking of doing one day, mostly because I have a new OC project now (not PP! related) that I want to bring to life but have no idea on the direction I want to go with. a friend told me that maybe trying to do an experimental visual novel with the prequel (of PP!) might help me get a feel for where I want to go for said new story. it doesn't have a proper name that I'm happy with, but............

i just think these goobers deserve that finished, at least.

thank you one again for your ask, sorry if it was sooooo long-winded, and i hope you have a wonderful day as well! <3

[thekindisco]

ID PACK FOR A SHAPESHIFTING FAE OF STARS AND STORMS

NAMES:

Femme: Estelle, Lunar, Nebula, Skye, Miranda(Like from The Tempest), Astra, Nova, Stormy.

Masc: Orion(Related to the constellation), Astro, Comet, Stellan, Axy(from Galaxy), Raine.

Neutral: Spark, Gale, Cyclone, Hail, Storm, Cosmo.

PRONOUNS

Poly/morph/morphs

Rain/cloud/raincloudself

Star/stars/starself

Shift/shifts/shiftself

Mid/night/midnightself

Twi/twi/twiself

Hail/hails/hailself

Thun/der/thunderself

Drip/drop/dripdropself

Moon/moon/moonself

Voi/void/voidself

Sol/lar/solarself

Gust/gust/gustself

⭐/⭐/⭐self

🌠/🌠/🌠self

🌌/🌌/🌌self

🌃/🌃/🌃self

⛈️/⛈️/⛈️self

🌀/🌀/🌀self

⚡/⚡/⚡self

GENDERS

Stormgender - a non-binary xenogender where someone’s gender feels connected to storms and rainy weather.

Tempestdeusic - a xenogender related to rainstorms, harsh, gusty wind, rain, trees, and being a storm deity. It feels like the awesome power of storms and wind (https://www.tumblr.com/eccentric-kalki-talde/680371710950801408?source=share)

Astrumgender - a xenogender identity in which one's gender feels deeply connected to stars and constellations, like lights in a void, or like there is a light bursting within the user.

Caelgender - an aesthetically-centered gendered that is largely focused on space related things (such as stars, aliens, planets, galaxies, and black holes).

Eterigender - a xenogender that is connected to being in the stars, and feels ethereal, light, and soft.

Astranoirian - an aesthetically-centered gendered that is largely focused on space related things (such as stars, aliens, planets, galaxies, and black holes).

-mod fae

[xandershifts]

sometimes I see old shiftoks like " 10 reasons you aren't shifting " nd one of them is " stop being so obsessed with your dr! Seriously you're acting like a little kid! " WRONG! Be excited! It's your reality, & that won't stop you from shifting 🫶

[xandershifts]

omg babysitters club is an insanely good idea i love that

what drs do you guys shift to that you think nobody else heard about?? i want to hear yours 😌🫵

[theoxenfree]

cort!! hope you've been doing well <3

this is really random but i remember you posted somewhere on your old blog you were reading this thing between us by gus moreno and i just finished it recently and was wondering about your thoughts!

finally answering this, sen! literally just finished the book after slamming it out in like a day.

first and foremost:

overall rating ⭐⭐⭐.5/5

fucked up rating 💀💀💀.8/5

MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS

overall, I think it was an interesting read and a fascinating take on the whole "possession" trope while integrating the inescapability of technology, grief, and struggles with cultural identity. those themes came thru consistently and potently throughout the entire story and I'm glad for that.

interestingly, I'm actually really delighted to have a protagonist like Thiago bc he never really grows from his experiences—only dissolves deeper into his grief and struggles, still blames himself, and I think his story was really the exploration of the opposite side of grief. usually, we read novels where the protagonists overcome their grief or, at the very least, learn to accept their lives as they were by the end—thiago just sort of continually spirals throughout the entire thing and sort of relents to the fact that he's going to die no matter what he does

I don't have a lot to say in regards to the cultural identity stuff bc it isn't something I can relate to on any level—but, moreno made sure this was a pretty significant focal point throughout the story, albeit quite spotty, and other reviewers don't seem pleased with the route he went with it.

I've read some people think moreno just spent a whole lot of time trashing mexican culture than anything else, but I do think that his idea was to write about a character who came from a "hard" background, who grew up knowing nothing besides that, and never really was given the opportunity to fully escape that. sure, vera is there, and he loves her, but I feel like a big point moreno tried to make was not only the significance of having vera come from a "easy" background (both parents, never having to struggle), but to have them culturally similar to sort of... idk really drive home that Thiago holds some sort of internal resentment towards her for that, and that he could never view himself as anything other than less than.

I could be completely wrong, but that's just sort of how I ended up interpreting it. some reviewers definitely didn't approach it critically, but even tho it was done poorly in some places, moreno really tried to give the cultural identity stuff complexity and I can respect the attempt there.

uhhhh

man, I am too tired to try to theorize about what the fuck was happening half of the time in the novel, but I do think: 1) this was more than a demon, but an interdimensional entity trying to make itself "real". 2) why it was trapped in a itza I have no fucking clue 3) probably the scenes of the beach and the table were easily the creepiest scenes in the book

it's fascinating bc Thiago does a pretty good job doing everything "right". he resists. he avoids. he runs. he destroyed the itza. tried to destroy the wall. tried to do the rituals that diane suggested. he's a lot more mentally robust of a character than he was aware of it and it took MULTIPLE deaths and possessions to finally get him to fully surrender; whereas he spent the entire novel believing that he was the weak one compared to vera.

one thing I'm thinking about is that this is technically a psychological horror—there are numerous times throughout the story where reality shifts, you're not sure of your head or your ass, and what the hell is going on. I think that's partially bc moreno may not be too familiar writing those sorts of things, bc I was confused more times than not BUT

in the beginning when thiago first met the cook at that diner, he drank the milkshake and it seemed to me that the diner actually existed. just like the possessions of brimley and jacobson actually existed, but, like, idk it makes me wonder how much was actually hallucinated vs real idk

gore was plentiful, somewhat gratuitous, but not really detailed enough to make me squeamish so it's whatever. tho, not-brimley's zipper mouth of teeth and Jacobson's eel eyes definitely put unique images in my head that are gonna hang around for a while. I really digged how moreno described the cook's real body bc as being fibrous, viscous, like some sort of bug covered in something—i think. it sounds and feels like it'd be gross and unnatural.

moreno's descriptive language was quite good imo. his imagery never really fell flat and he had this way of creating very specific, saturated images in your head that I really respect and is probably one of the biggest things I took away from his writing style. that imagery definitely did most of the heavy lifting for the story bc w/o it, the writing would've kinda just... a pissed off, grieving man whining the entire time.

one thing I did find jarring was how direct he could be with some details e.g. the scene where Jacobson throws Thiago into the grave and, like, hits him with the shovel and basically scalps him—it's so point blank that I'm like ?????

like, cool. I get it, but ???????

as a writer, I understand not everything deserves a paragraph of description to make it effective, but some elements could've been expanded imo

hands on hips

the ending was pretty bleak and it was meant to be bc this is, ultimately, a man who's been chased down to the point of being physically, emotionally, and psychologically exhausted and has completely surrendered by the end with a dim smolder left to fuck with cook just as a final 🖕🏻. fitting.

I felt pretty neutral about it tbh. not particularly impressed. not really able to say it was awful. it was kinda just "eh, that works, I guess. nebulous as hell, but whatever"

and, yeah!!! it was an okay book that was pretty easy to read and shred thru. not really making any of my lists for outstanding literature, but worth the time if you wanna read something sort of gory, highly atmospheric

what are your thoughts?????

[tarpitbell]

10:30 (February 3rd) / *5:27 / *9:14 / *1:38 / *2:46

This is the journal(ish) I've talked about before. Or, I'm going to be treating it as a journal. This is just my vent account though.

My main blog ( @sotogalmo ) will only reblog the most important posts, while the rest is going to stay on this blog.

Very “semi-personal” entries are going to be under the “read more”. I do advise for you to not interact with those posts if the tags trigger something (but I cannot fully stop you from reading my posts). — all of my posts are (kinda) 'semi-personal' though. But some time I know I'll make some non-personal entries, some day.

I suggest you turn on the setting to see the day on my posts, since the time can be weird for others. But it's alright if you don't do that.

But do know, that my typing quirk is setting the time on top. If that bothers you, then I suggest you don't hang around here or my main blog(I do that there too).

I might already say that this is a vent blog for @sotogalmo , but this will also just be more exploring who I am, finding some terms that might fit and such. Almost a lot of my posts would be me wondering about my identity (as of now, I feel I might be a therian? Feline to be exact; maybe a domestic cat, probably a Maine Coon? — But I also might say I "kin id" with Satan from Obey Me! Shall We Date?, but I'll get more into his character to make sure I'm not making a mistake on what I said, but as a small overall of what I got from him from past interest in said fandom, I do heavily relate to him. Maybe even Itzusumi from Dungeon Meshi too, I'll get into that fandom to know if I do)

And just general rambles. (I'm also questioning therian; and my Theriotypes— Maine Coon cat, husky, bleeding heart dove, and probably more? (I feel like there's more due to some shifts with scales and such). Also with being a copinglinker too)

I might even think I have other mental illnesses. But I'll make sure of that with my therapist (I most definitely have some sort of derealization/depersonalization of sorts, maybe OCD? maybe BPD? depression of a weird kind, etc. but I'm just a weird girl)

Emojis: to explain why my posts are the way they are ↓

🕵️‍♂️🌂 -> Shuichi Saihara, DRV3

🌘🕵️‍♂️🕳️🧿 and 🟦🤖 -> Avoid/Detach Eye & Blue Robot.

⚡🔥 🐍🧶👾-> Raph, TMNT12/TMNT:MM, Needlem0use & Nemesis/Surge, Satan.

🔮🩹 -> Casey Jr, ROTTMNT: Movie

🫧🩺 -> Gaster mixed with rise Leo?

👁️‍🗨️⛳🧩 -> Tony Becker: GGY FNAF

🐕‍🦺🐕⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌕 -> Servant.

🕷️🌸🦚💞💞 -> Voice of the Smitten & Angel Dust(ish)

🍝🍊 -> THE GREAT PAPYRUS!

🧸🌀 -> CC

Shuichi: remembering, finding out, piano music & stars. Justice seeking and friendship.

Avoid/Robot: detachment, wanting to be detached from a situation/feeling detached from a situation. Feeling robotic or even sounding robotic/too formal. Only when talking about trauma(or just anything serious)

Raph/Needlem0use/Nemesis/Surge/Santan: my anger part. Quite obviously and is most present almost all of the time. Many faces for that part but you get the idea

Casey: family issues part. Finding comfort in ROTTMNT/how families are portrayed in ROTTMNT.

🩺🫧: mentality, “fascinating”, “oh! my apologies!”, old timey quotes(??), fancy talk part

Tony: Casey & Shuichi mix. Tony is all about how families work and how friendships work. Mainly will be talking about siblings and what I have left of them in my mind

Servant: how I act in school/me just following rules

Smitten & Angel Dust: love, desires, relationships(romantic), sexual & emotional intimacy part of myself. Also sin, since that connects very much to desires (for me). Validation as well

PAPYRUS: only(maybe?) in all caps. Bravery, autism autisming. General excitement!! Very expressive part of me

CC: little me/me feeling little. Mainly just gonna be emojis of plushies or talk of toys. Ig (if something so serious happens and I regress into them)

I separate a lot of my feelings to be their own characters. And then those characters would be then influenced by other characters. And then they just become different parts of me. That's why I use their names and such. — maybe this means, I'm probably a copinglinker !

[cookiecomics]

⭐⭐⭐ give me that directors infodump 👀

Hehehe I'll give my director's cut on Futaba's awakening!

So I am super in love with the day Persona 3 did their second awakenings. The idea that events in the characters' lives independent from the protagonist caused a shift in their psyche that caused them to develop as characters was appealing for me. Without Ren as the driving force behind the change, they had to change on their own which led me to try to brainstorm what events might push different characters to the brink.

For Makoto it was having everything about the police and justice stripped away with both her own actions, the actions of her sister and how it all culminated into getting a full view of what the justice system she craved to belong to can do to those with no power to do otherwise, it changed her in a way that she can't come. back from. That in my eyes, was the tamest of the bunch.

Then we had Akechi, someone who, at every turn, refused to free himself from his own mental shackles of the situation he's been in. How he viewed his mother and her complicated life. How he viewed himself in relation to his father and in relation to the world. He never really went after what HE wanted, only what he thought was what he was destined to do. To him, finding meaning in life meant finding some sort of balance that would be worth the cost of his mother's life. Bringing down Shido was that for him. A monster through and through and just like the stories and legends that Akechi is no doubt familiar with, that kind of karmic justice may not be "worth" his mother's life, but it's worth his. It's penance for what she had to go through. He wasn't living for himself, not really.

There's a saying in Naruto that really spoke to how I developed Ren and Goro in this fic. Sasuke said Naruto couldn't understand him because he's been alone from the very beginning vs Sasuke who lost everyone he loved. Those are two very different types of loneliness and two different sources of anger that feel like they should be the same, but they aren't. Fundamentally, they aren't, and that's why Ren was unable to reach him in that way.

From the very beginning, I knew Futaba and Cog Akechi were going to be the mechanism for Goro's second awakening. Goro's ultimate villain after all isn't fully Shido, it's always been himself. His perception of himself, his past, his inability to let himself have that love and adoration he craves now that he's found it. The person who could reach him was the only other person who would understand his very unique brand of pain in Futaba.

Being told it wasn't his fault his mom killed herself from someone that in his eyes, has every reason to despise him, to curse him, to see him fall, meant something to him. It reached him in a way that Ren couldn't in this side of the fic because Goro never tried to kill Ren. Not really, but he did ruin Futaba's life in the exact same way that his was ruined. That's why Futaba was the only one who could reach him.

She knows what it's like to believe and be told by others that your life was a burden on your mother, that self hatred, that hatred for the world at large, that need and desire for some sort of justice for your mother. Futaba gets all of that and she says as much in the game. She doesn't have to forgive him, but she can give him what he needs, and show him first hand, in action, that love is complicated.

As for Futaba's awakening, considering the deadly sin being explored in the palace was pride, neither Ren nor Goro was wholly equipped to deal with the palace at large.

They both wanted different things and were reluctant in their own ways to compromise the whole way through. It wasn't until both of them learned that they needed other people- that they could get saved by the person whose shown the most humility in the story thus far, Futaba.

Humility can be defined as having a realistic view of yourself and self-importance. Goro and Ren both put their goals above others, repeatedly.

Futaba is one of the few people in the story who never tries to sacrifice those around her for herself. When given the option to abandon Makoto to save herself when Goro takes everyone hostage, she rejects that. When given the choice to leave Goro to Cog Goro, she rejects that too. She stands up for Ren against the phantom thieves, and even against Sojiro. Time and time again, Futaba shows that humility when everyone else especially Ryuji, Ann and Makoto often fall to their own instances of pride or anger.

And most importantly, as much as Ren's whole life was turned upside down by Shido. The person who suffered the most at the hands of Shido were Akechi and Futaba and Futaba deserved to smack her dad (lol at my fav hc) in his stupid bald head as vengeance for her mom. I was disappointed the game didn't give her a moment like that, but alas, condense storytelling.

Throughout the story, Futaba constantly desires to have the power to save those around her. With her awakening and her turning the tide against the big bad, she does just that.

[buckevantommy]

Red, White & Royal Blue: comprehensive watchnotes + review

i want to start by saying we need more queer rep across all genres, especially romcoms because they're lighthearted and fun and depict (queer) relationships in a positive way and the world (especially america) is in dire need of that right now.

as someone who hasn't read the book, i've been enjoying the general hype for this movie. i'd love to know how much the movie differs from the book but for now i'm just going to judge the movie based on its own merits.

in this post i will share my thoughts for key moments (edit: actually it's a bit of a play-by-play and gets a little long, sorry!) as the narrative unfolds and progresses, and then end by highlighting the main hits and misses of the production.

runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

amazon prime content rating: mature 13+ (australia) [link]

plot score out of 6: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

production score out of 6: ⭐⭐⭐⭐   

overall score out of 6: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  

is it worth watching? yes. is it worth rewatching? yes.

note: please read all the way through my watchnotes; my opinion changes as the movie progresses. these are first-impressions so i'm at the whim of the narrative as it plays out and my closing thoughts differ from my opening thoughts.

here we go! screencaps + thoughts below the cut.. 

we start with a reporter voiceover; it's a nice easy way to set the scene and introduce us to each character, i really like this simple but effective storytelling technique.

full disclosure: i didn't love the scene in the car; it's the first time we hear alex speak and see him up close and it reads as a little too camp for the vibe that's been set so far.

i'm surprised the lighting/filters/editing is so muted; i expected more vibrance and richness of colour to the royal setting, it all feels a bit flat.

the line greeting is a fun little scene: we get a decent intro into alex's personality and learn that he and henry aren't strangers but don't like each other - a classic trope, a fun take on enemies to lovers.

we get a peek into henry's character too: his viewpoint on royal weddings being ostentatious - soon to be echoed by alex - reflects very real concerns in present-day uk, the wasteful and luxurious lifestyles of royals while their people struggle to put food on the table.

the cake scene could've been more fun but it seems to kick off a more upbeat narrative; bad reputation is the perfect song choice and the overlay of newspaper headlines and social media snapshots in the intro credits relates well to the modern era; i'm curious whether social media posts were a significant plot-driver in the book.

president uma therman?! with a southern accent?! what a treat.

zahra and alex's dynamic is fun; shahi is perfect in this role.

as alex is sent back to the uk we're now moving away from the almost stuffy introduction scenes with more lively characters and better pacing.

the frenemies setup between alex and henry is great: we start off with them being at odds and will likely see them slowly but surely get to know and like each other (probably with a few bumps along the way). it's like watching a fanfic come to life bc these tropes and characterisations are the bread and butter of fic (and honestly media with hetero pairings don't know how to use them properly). i'm excited to watch their dynamic shift and their relationship grow. 

the photo op handshake scene, the push-pull of it all, henry calling alex 'sweetheart' in jest: the snark between them is so much fun. and this kind of faux affectionate namecalling is actually quite common in hetero romcoms and i enjoy seeing moments like these bridge the gap between hetero and queer pairings; i think if people paid more attention to the common ground of characterisation and character development we would see less worry about showcasing queer relationships, or at least see less plots that focus too much on being queer instead of focusing more on fun plot.  

the underhanded swipes and passive aggressive smiles during the interview should've been more fun than they were; i enjoyed the scene but i'm having trouble attuning to the score music - it sounds like it should be backing a fast-paced kitchen scene, it just doesn't match the vibe of what the story and the actors are trying to do and it feels like stock music (which is what you get in made-for-tv and hallmark movies, bland and interchangeable, without identity).

the children's hospital scene starts out kinda cute then jumps into a minor tense situation quite suddenly without much breathing room; they're shoved into a closet (ha) and proceed to have a heart2heart and clear the air; alex brings a little levity to the moment with his pouting, henry's eloquence is a bit stilted in the dialogue but it's helping to highlight the difference in their education/upbringing; the vulnerability they both exhibit with each other for the first time signifies a turning point in their relationship from squabbling to allies perhaps.

their parting scene (for now) hints at what's to come: a NYE party in the usa. henry gets a little flustered as he shakes alex's hand (the second show of possible attraction after the closet scene; i know nothing of their sexuality at this stage but i'm going to guess henry knows he's gay) - it's a little hard to see, and feels letdown by lack of a closeup shot (the cinematography in this movie isn't great; we should be getting lots of close-ups to get a better sense of their mindsets and to capture the emotional nuances between them; some movies do well without close-ups but this one definitely needs more of them).

we're 20mins in and I'm going to make a guess based on pacing so far: we'll see them hookup soon, then move from friends to love, or friends with benefits to love. personally i prefer stretching out the will-they-won't-they a bit, but this is a movie and a romcom not a 100k fic or a several seasons-long tv show. i'm excited to see their dynamic shift and their relationship develop no matter which route they take, and i'm pleased with the plot so far; i can see so many of these scenes on the pages of a book and being excited to see them brought to life on the big screen, i just hope fans of the book aren't disappointed by the movie. i'm looking forward to delving into their backstories a little more.

miguel is definitely flirting with alex and even hints they have a history which makes alex a little nervous; when it comes to sexuality this makes me think alex has at least experimented with guys even if he hasn't accepted that he's queer - but i don't know what his deal is yet and i appreciate the narrative leaving things open for now bc too many movies and tv shows hit their audience over the head with the (specific) queerness of their characters and reveal it too soon so there's no room to wonder or anticipate.

it's montage time: the use of a text-chain is relevant and fun (graphics) as we follow their correspondence inc. commentary on each others lives as viewed by the public. their (flirty) banter is so cute. i'm not a fan of them voicing their texts as it's mixed with voiceovers and feels a bit busy, but it is engaging; the scene melds are a little confusing at first but i appreciate the visual storytelling meant to bridge the distance between them by putting them in the same room - it's clever and feels fresh in an otherwise stale directional effort, and it means we get more scenes of our boys together despite physically being worlds apart.

it's partytime: no matter what side characters surround them, alex and henry steal every scene, as they should since we haven't established any side pairing or even friendship yet (this could be good or bad depending on how the plot progresses, but i prefer the focus to be on our boys so no complaints here). get low being the song of alex's childhood is hilarious especially as henry points out the explicit lyrics; the visual slow-mo of the crowd getting low leaving henry and alex to stare at each other is a great direction and editing choice! it's little moments like these peppered throughout a good romcom that make it memorable and worthwhile because it's not just going through the motions it's inviting you to enjoy every scene, and i'm so happy to see that in a mlm love story.

here comes the first kiss: i wasn't expecting it in this moment, i thought henry was going to storm off but this works too - unfortunately both covered angles of the kiss are obscured and once again i'm grabbing a megaphone to yell 'we need a closeup!' at the director. it's pretty disappointing to not get a better view and see their facial journeys but at least i know we'll be getting many more kisses - which is maybe why this one wasn't given Thee Big Kiss screen moment, i just hope the camera catches the next ones better.

30mins in and we're over with act 1: their dynamic has shifted.

with henry giving alex radio silence after their impromptu kiss at nye, alex confides in his friend nora - it's the first time we've seen them together in a conversation since the limo at the start and the first time we see them actually talk at length and get a sense of their dynamic and nora's personality; i like her, i want to see more of her and more of their friendship. i'd like to see more from the various supporting characters and i trust the plot can do that without taking focus off our boys, the question is: will it?

we also get more explicit talk, specifically reference to the dom/sub undertones of their kiss, and nora saying alex wants henry to 'dick him down' - outstanding; the same level of sexual chatter is seen often with hetero pairings but with queer pairings you seem to get either g-rated fluff or x-rated drama (that usually ends with them dying or breaking up). i wasn't expecting this kind of language and i'm so pleasantly surprised that they went there.

we get more info on alex's sexuality: he's cool with being 'low-level into guys' but is confounded by his apparent attraction to henry, and when nora enquires about how many male partners he's had the scene is conveniently interrupted - classic - but we get our answer: he's been with 2 guys including miguel. alex knows he's queer but is still hesitant about being with more guys and specifically what to do about henry. 

things start happening: another kiss at a fancy party, another member of their inner circle finding out, sexual banter, their first time together (bj) - a cut-scene, as is appropriate and expected. alex tells henry he's bisexual - it seems like this is the first time he's saying it out loud, perhaps even settling on the term in the moment, and while it might be nice to get a little more insight i'm glad they don't dwell on it - so many queer love stories fixate on the label thing and provide you with a sort of queer identity origin story, and while that's fine for a coming-of-age flik or something with less plot or more angst it's simply not necessary for every queer love story; every flavour of queer rep is yummy but it's a good thing to see media moving away from characters having to explain themselves instead of just being.

henry reciprocates by saying he's gay. it's nicely done, poignant but not stealing focus from the various other plot pieces at play; it's rare to see a coming out that doesn't get heavy so kudos to the writers and the boys here.

we get another insight into their private lives: alex wears the key to his austin home around his neck - texas ie. the state up for grabs in the president's reelection, which may recieve help from alex's proposal (this has been a recurring mention and i look forward to seeing what unfolds); henry has never owned a key which is so telling of a controlled life where he doesn't really own anything.

the bittersweet note of henry regrettably marking their dalliance as 'casual'; you can see they both want more but alex was not expecting nora's words of the closeted prince to thwart this thing between them; they both agree to friends with benefits but ofc they're falling for each other. the little addition of henry nervously fiddling with his ring is a nice character detail.

i like that whenever they make plans to see each other again the plot doesn't dither with B-plots - i don't think we've had a single scene where one or both of them weren't present and they've always been centre-stage. plans for another date are followed immediately by that date: the scene switches between a fast-paced polo match and a rendezvous in an equipment shed. we're getting as many stolen moments - sexy or sweet - as the runtime can fit and again that's so remeniscent of fanfic.

paris: 'prince henry belongs to britain. henry fox has to belong to himself or else he'll vanish' this tugs at my heartstrings and the light angst of it paired with denying alex the chance to comfort him in semi-public is the kind of understated writing that makes an angsty emotional impact without being loud about it.

there hasn't been many good cinematography shots but the europe settings are giving the directors (or b-roll archives?) something pretty to insert with parisian cafes and palace gardens.

henry @ alex: don't fall in love with me, we can't be together but we can have fun. also henry @ alex: 'we should make love tonight, here in paris'. the discussion of who will be doing what is handled with nuance instead of stuffed dialogue; you can do it either way depending on the story but they found the best way to touch on the topic without overdoing it. learning alex has never fully been with a guy is another moment of vulnerability and it should be said they both play these moments well, but even in intimate moments like this we see them being themselves in some measure of levity, reminding each other that they were friends first and remain friends still, that they can be themselves, that there's care and familiarity between them, they're safe. the direction improves during this sequence with close-ups of bare skin - but that intimacy is undercut by switching to mid-shots; the softness of the scene is handled well enough but the lingering mid-shots would be better as short close-ups.

one visual reminds me of that Kill Your Darlings sex scene: 

the sex scene is oddly slow, like the boys are moving in slow-motion, and the movements are a little awkward - an easy fix for this would've been to reduce the lighting in the room; it's very bright so we lose those intimate shadows and the mystery that goes with them.

the golden lit opulence is something that's been done before with gay sex scenes, notably Interview With The Vampire (2022) and True Blood. below you can see the similarities in composition and setting, and how rwrb could've used more shadow and less light for contrast to help heighten the intimacy (they could've still kept it bright if they took inspiration from the Cruel Intentions sex scene): 

as they lay together in the afterglow the wide camera angle catches two condom wrappers on the floor by the bed - a small but mighty detail in both depicting safe sex and stating in no uncertain terms that these two guys had penetrative intercourse.

it's inferred that henry doesn't want to be a royal, doesn't want to live in the spotlight. on the flipside alex loves the opportunity to help people and to be a role model for people like him to look up to.

unfortunately there's a lot of dead air in their d+m pillowtalk scene and it's not the first time this has happened; it comes down to 1 of 4 things: direction, editing, music, acting. the boys play the scene well but their emotion and vulnerability is lost in the wide angle shots - moments like this highlight how poor the direction is, but even bad direction can be helped along by editing and music, but in this scene (and many more) that's simply not what happened; the easiest post-production fix would be to add a musical score to drown out the too-long silence that just reads as awkward; adding some rainsounds and distant thunder would've also worked. but even without a soundtrack this scene could've been improved during filming: it's begging for close-ups and better contrast lighting (everything is still too bright, it looks overly lit like a soundstage not a hotel room).

we end on a hopeful but very dark scene of alex flying home: shots like this need color or light; if i saw this scene out of context i wouldn't guess it was from a happy moment in a romcom (alex's black-gray wardrobe also does nothing to highlight the hope and love he's feeling).

we're just about at the 1hr mark: i want to take a moment to highlight some important plot points about the boys' separate storylines which i'm loving not just for the depth it adds to their characters but for the important subject matter in the present-day: alex's family history, background and ethnicity and what it means both to him and to his country, as well as his passion for wanting to be more involved in politics in order to help people is uplifting. we haven't seen henry's passion explained just yet but the childrens hospital visits and condemning exorbitant royal spending show that he has a heart, conscience and sense. 

we're finally getting some politico plot: president uma, the sneaky flirty journalist miguel, alex's plan to help turn texan voters - yes this is a romcom but i've been hoping they would delve into political matters on both sides of the pond and now here we are; it doesn't come out of nowhere, these narrative threads have been woven in from the start, but it's taken an hour for us to get a dedicted scene (the partial scenes with miguel were overshadowed by his flirting and imho skeevy vibes so i'm glad we're getting other characters in on this plotline).

rather than draw out the drama of mother vs son the plot chooses to skip over the filler and go right to a resolution via mom believing in her son; alex is off to texas to implement his campaign strategy. adventures surely await.

1hr mark: we're halfway done and onto act 2 (3? we're in a new act).

points for the cinematography: the landscape shots are striking and gorgeous and they ground the visuals in a way that the fake snow (nye party), greenscreen DC skyline (white house balcony), and greenscreen paris skyline (through a hotel window) simply didn't. real locations, even pretty b-roll, have been lacking. the campaign office feels real not staged - it may seem like a small thing but it's actually crucial to aid believability, which is also helped along by a backing score and voiceovers from the boys reading their emails to each other (it's almost too busy but they forgo the graphic overlays so it works).

montage time: campaign office and real locations backed by a somewhat rousing musical score and email voiceovers - which seem to overlap towards the end but something is off with the sound layers because one is almost too soft to hear while the other one stays loud. we get a bunch more locations and scenes outside with real sky and sunshine which helps the believability; all the scenes in the white house feel fake so real locations are a win at every turn.

i don't like miguel. his first interaction with alex was kinda fun and intriguing but the more scenes he's in the more i wish screentime was being made for other characters; i don't know if it's the character or the actor or both but i'm just not digging his vibe. if he turns out to be a dbag then it works, but if the plot intends to turn him into a friend i hope his vibe is tweaked moving forward.

alex storms off and henry is suddenly there - the movie has so many shots that linger too long and feature dead air, but it also has a lot of these scenes that aren't given room to breathe; alex should've run into henry in an outer room instead of a prince walking into a crowded bar and claiming 'skullduggery' - it's poor planning and poor direction, but if it was like this in the book it definitely should've been altered slightly for believability, even if only to move them away from the main entrance and many prying eyes. alex basically whisper-shouts that he needs to get henry in his room 'right now' and whether it's sexually loaded or meant to conceal him it fails to be covert on both accounts.

another cut-off sex scene and more post-coital chatting; alex asks henry a bunch of personal things and we learn henry isn't allowed to vote - which relates to alex's campaigning and the fact he (somehow) got 1million voters to register (in an undetermined timeframe). their not-so-casual affair has reached the point of more people finding out: miguel obviously suspects, and now zahra finds herself in the know. we get a butt! and a frantic search by zahra for the 'rando girl'; fun subtext when she finds henry in the closet. there's mention of a percy and i have no idea who that is, and henry confesses he told his sister about them which gets an 'aww' from alex - which is at odds with the whole 'just casual' thing they agreed on earlier; ofc they're both developing feelings but to say them out loud (like in the emails as well) undercuts that nice little angsty moment of when the whole lust-not-love agreement was made after their first time together; did it play out this way in the book? bc right now their relationship reads like a secret romance instead of a secret fling which is fine but it contradicts what they said; pick a relationship and stick with it instead of saying one thing and doing the opposite.

oof, okay: while i love zahra's stresshead freakout i take issue with comments about who tops and bottoms - it's fine to discuss between the boys and anyone else who knows the specifics (maybe nora?) but to have a character with no proof state that she knows (by belittling alex, mind you) is not cool, not cool zahra. alex is quick to say he won't stop seeing henry and again it's playing like a romance not a fling - the least they could do here is focus on henry's reaction but we're not given the chance as the camera follows zahra as she leaves. kudos for zahra giving us 'little lord fuckleroy' and her witty rant but the scene misses several opportunities for close-ups once again.

the next scene takes place in the oval office: it feels like a scene or two are missing; alex comes out to his mom and ellen (literally just realised her name was ellen thanks to the subtitles; i thought the ellen on the posters in texas were for her representative since there were no visuals of her. she's not the only supporting character whose name i don't know) supporting alex. the couch cuddle is an awkward angle and looks more like a cougar cradling her boytoy but points for the president mentioning various queer identities as well as specific safe gay sex practice - has this ever been done? this feels groundbreaking.

it's getaway time: alex's dad, nora, henry, and henry's friend (who we met at nye and whose name i can't rememeber) make up the group. the roadtrip visuals are sad - the wideshot of the desert is drab and looks like greenscreen, there's no sunshine and no fun roadtrip vibes, then we get a road-level driving view of a dusty road with no car in sight (stock footage?) - it's mismatched especially with the greenery surrounding the modern minimalist house they arrive at. alex's email voiceovers are starting to annoy me: his tone is that of a highschool drama student or disney channel energy - it sounds fake. oh, percy is henry's friend from nye.

this is the first i'm hearing of ellen having published a book: fiction or non-fiction? autobiography? this is relevent since henry voiced wanting to be a writer so they may find some common ground when they get to know each other.

another montage: their first day inc. henry showing off his ball skills to alex's dad and them all playing volleyball - it's a pity the weather is drab because sunshine would help lift these scenes particularly bc the production crews haven't bothered adding any filters. we were robbed of alex talking henry through the family photos on display as he leans down to look and the scene cuts away - i wish we were give more of these moments. the club pop isn't what i would've chosen for the montage sequence; there's a difference between eclectic and giving a movie its own musical identity - rwrb doesn't have one, it's a bit of a mess. it is nice to see the boys sharing a hammock in their shorts with hairy legs on display - body hair is not common in young queer media.

the bar sequence has a few odd moments: their entrance vibes make them all look like vamps on the prowl and henry is the new baby vamp; alex's comment about henry being excited for karaoke has no reference point in the narrative so far - all we know is he named his dog after david bowie and now he proceeds to sing queen - and he can sing! and does alex catch a faux kiss from henry on stage? the audio fade as alex gets all mooney-eyed could do with more switches to henry, maybe with their eyes locking - there's just so many scenes that beg for better direction and editing. we get a bit of decent set dressing, blocking, lighting and symbolism - like the shot of henry singing onstage between an american flag and bull skull in blue [re:gay] lighting with shirt to match; bisexual lighting could also be argued with the pink-purple hue or it could be ascribed to love.

i like alex and his father's dynamic, i wish we'd seen more of them together before now. 'patron saint of gender-neutral bathrooms in austin' is another win for positive queer rep especially in america's political climate right now. i'm confused over his father's advice relating to his own relationship: alex hasn't told him about henry or his bisexuality yet(?) so the purpose of 'your mom and i were a stupid idea too' is unclear.

the shots of the wooden platform on the lake: reminds me of the queer coming of age movie jongens. i wonder if it's a nod:

the shot of henry escaping alex's love confession and finding solace in the lakewater is another rare, well done cinematography moment.

alex truly is smitten and it's adorable. henry is more reserved in his affections. we've seen a lot of alex's life and family and heard about his backstory and ambitions, meanwhile henry's side is all but unexplored: 'i can take you around to all the places i grew up and you can get to understand my life a little more' - two points here: 1) i think we've seen enough of alex's life and journey; i hope the narrative shifts to the uk for a bit so we can see henry's side of things but i get the feeling we're going to be focused on alex's journey and i'm worried bc atm the narrative feels unbalanced. 2) it's painfully clear that alex sees them as a couple and i think that's about to blow up in his face bc henry isn't ready for that (as he already stated).

henry cuts alex's love confession short and we finally get a moving backing score (even though it was a little late in the scene). i do love how the story has progressed: henry instigated things at nye, then told alex not to fall in love with him, and now alex is in love with henry and thinking henry loves him too. the next few scene progressions are odd bc we get henry sad alone in bed wallowing presumably about not being able to have a public relationship, then he's sneaking off with his bags in the night - alex's shirtless state suggests they were together one last time but that feels a little underhanded for alex's sake.

we're about 2/3 of the way through at 117mins: alex's personal story had a nice arc to it and now with the boys' separation we move onto henry's personal arc which will likely carry us through to the end of the movie or at least keep focus for a decent while.

we follow henry on the plane and to his home: he's trying to swallow down his pain and move on but still obviously pining for alex. i'm keen to see his side of things and his relationship with his family and royal duties. the soft bittersweet alt-folk lovesong playing in the background is a good choice for mood and lyrics and the plane is better lit than the earlier shot of alex - we even get a pretty sunset through the window; the two scenes stand in opposite: alex was in love but in the dark, and here henry is bathed in the light of riches and a setting sun and is miserable - if that was intentional then kudos bc i love visual meta, but it doesn't immediately read that way and alex's scene still deserves more lighting and colour.

more real locations and natural light: english gardens and sunshine as henry strolls and confides in his sister. alex is fun, but he's a very different vibe to henry and i prefer henry's emotional expression more. i'm glad we're finally getting henry's side, starting with not wanting to break alex's heart, not wanting the king to find out, and resenting the presence of royalty and doubting their need in the 21st century - again relating well to the times, and bringing things back to how alex has inspired him: henry doesn't believe the work royals do has meaningful impact on peoples' lives, whereas alex is out there making a real difference.

the bittersweet lovesong from before resumes over footage of henry playing the piano: missed opportunity to have henry's playing set the melancholy tone over the montage of royal meetings and tea while reading an online article about alex's bright future in politics.

we see nora comforting alex but not percy comforting henry despite mention of him; we didn't even get anything from percy during the getaway and i'm annoyed bc he's almost a non-character, a wasted supporting role.

alex flies to henry: instead of being a grand romantic gesture it's undercut by angst which is a nice change of mood - the storm outside and a rain-drenched alex are perfect.

the palace setting is opulent and looks real even if it isn't, so well done on the location scouts or set designers. the lighting is also really good here. the angsty emotional confrontation is well-scripted but again we lose so much visual impact as the camera just loiters on alex in a mid-shot instead of giving us close-ups of his face and switching over to henry's reception and back to alex. 'my life is the crown and yours is politics and i will not trade one prison for another' - this sounds like a book quote, i love it; we learn that not only does he not want to be a royal but he doesn't want to be with alex bc of the spotlight that he lives in. henry tells alex he doesn't know the real him - fitting for a narrative that has heavily favoured alex's story up til now, the audience doesn't really know henry either; we've seen glimpses but nothing substantial. this scene is a confession, confrontation, venting, resigned acceptance, and fight for love - once again a segment lifted right out of fanfic; it's a little cringey but it's heartfelt, delivered well, and for once the setting feels real - the colors are rich, the lighting contrast is spot-on, and there's a gentle hopeful musical score in the background. this is the sort of love confession scene usually reserved for near the end of movies but we have over 30mins left - i hope they fill that time with alex in henry's world.

sometimes a closeted prince sneaks off to a museum in the dead of night to take in all the naked male statues - am i the only one seeing this and trying not to laugh? it's supposed to be sombre and beautiful but they put two queer characters circling naked male statues and i can only take so much! also: does henry just have a key to the museum? they slowdance to a modern version of can't help falling in love with you - it should be melancholy and romantic but again the lighting fails the narrative, it's too well lit and lacks contrast. henry asks for patience and makes a promise to be brave - this feels like a goodbye (for now).

on the tarmac there's a trading of personal affects: we don't know what henry's ring means (maybe we'll learn?) but it's basically a promise ring in this moment and we've seen it be something of a comfort to his nerves, and we know alex's key is his home - which is where the heart is. 

1hr 30mins: we're onto the final act.

the fade to black after the boys part ways is a very odd choice considering it doesn't happen at any other point in the movie; fades are usually reserved for final scenes so it's a weird fit as we have almost 30mins left.

henry wakes to a scandal: their emails have been hacked and shared with the media, photos of their museum haunt have leaked too but are not shown. who is to blame? a montage of news segments referencing their relationship inc. an interview with miguel which insinuates his involvement - confirming suspicions of him being a dbag.

alex's press conference becomes voiceover to henry facing the music while a gentle piano music track plays - scenes like this out of context could fool viewers into thinking the production quality is better than it is. his speech is overlain with unseen moments of their romance and ends on a hopeful note despite the interspersed scenes of henry looking miserable; this is noteworthy bc while alex is allowed to speak his truth at a press conference henry is shown with people at a table speaking for him and his brother berating him, he has no chance to speak for himself, no freedom.

zahra is supportive but still a comically semi-dramatic stresshead; she's a gem that we haven't seen enough of - and is apparently in a sexual relationship with henry's not-butler; she helps put alex in contact with henry calling them 'lovesick homosexuals' (affectionate). at last we get henry playing the piano and it seems to match the score recently played, but i have a new theory of why his music wasn't used as the backing track: bc not doing so plays into his story of living a controlled life not being allowed any expression of self beit in word or song. alex calls henry 'baby' for the first time on the phone and i wish we'd gotten it sooner.

alex flies to henry to comfort him, support him: the stairwell hug is a little awkward but sweet and one of few good direction choices. henry plays piano for alex, expressing himself freely in his own home - they even play a few notes together of my country tis of thee, expressing their love freely.

king stephen fry as i live and breathe! they cast an iconic, out and proud gay man to play the king and he plays the role so well. in fact this entire scene is so well done not just in how the plot plays out but in the direction: the room is opulent and real and suits wide-shots but we also get close-ups, and switches between the various characters in ways we haven't seen for the majority of the movie; perhaps such a turnaround is a visual choice: to see people individually and up close as henry is freed - but it's a flimsy excuse for the otherwise poor direction we've been subject to. 

henry watches as alex fiddles nervously with henry's ring he now wears; it's a reminder of their shared promise and how close they are to being together no matter what happens. 

crowds gather in the streets: queer identities have gained a lot of ground on equality in the past few decades but they still experience backlash and hate both in the uk and america. to see thousands of people turn out in support of their queer prince, rainbow flags flying, as the king himself tries to bumble through the indefensible claim that only traditional values will be welcome by the people.. what a sight to behold. 'starting today the world will know me for who i am, not who you want me to be'.

back to usa: texas is the turning state that ends up winning ellen reelection. in her victory speech she talks of representing everyone from 'auto workers to transgender students', another win for queer rep. the entire election sequence is directed well and edited well - with inserts of news footage and ellen's voiceover with nothing getting muddied; production is stepping up their game for the home stretch.

alex and henry visit alex's austin home using the key henry now wears; the camera shot of the street is striking and more proof that the crew can give us decent visuals when they try. 'we won' is the shared sentiment as they enter the house - tbh i'm not clear on why: do they plan to live there? is it a matter of sharing more of alex's roots, or the simple symbolism of home is where the heart is? the key ties it together but the meaning is lost, it feels like an odd place to end. the shooting star above the house is cliche but perhaps it has a simple meaning too: wishes do come true. 

the end!

that's it for my watchnotes. below i'm going to talk a bit about plot and production highlights and drawbacks.

the trailer: i didn't watch the trailer before i watched the movie and i think doing so would've heightnened my expectations. it's really well made, sets the mood for a heartfelt romcom, and the song choice of lil nas x is perfect and the whole thing feels like a high quality fanvid - which honestly is what i want in queer trailers because it means the focus and tone is where we want it. but it does spoil a few key moments that i wish were omitted, so i'm glad they weren't ruined for me.

overall plot impressions: i've mentioned a few times that rwrb plays like a fanfic and i stand by that. i think most viewers will see the plot progression and know it's a book adaptation - it has a flow and a busyness that almost doesn't work but they handled the pacing really well. i enjoyed the story! the romance and cute humour balanced well and all the plot points were resolved. i particularly liked that the book didn't make alex a bitter politico baby but instead excited to use his platform to help people - and we see that wish reflected in henry's bitterness and misery over his royal standing bc he also wants to help people. their characterisations and relationship was engaging enough to want to know what happens next, and production failings aside, taking a step back from my messy scene-by scene commentary i think it's a story worth watching. it's not perfect (again, production issues) but it's worthwhile.

things i would change: i mention in my watchnotes that i like the focus being on the boys and not giving us filler scenes with other characters, but as the story progresses it feels like it's missing the inclusion of other characters to help round out the narrative; scenes like talking with friends and family - and not just about their relationship or sexuality but about their lives - i want to see more of the side characters bc they have potential for supportive and tangential plot and could've enriched the story a little more. 

we get barely a taste of other interpersonal relationships with alex helping with the presidential campaign, but next to nothing on henry's side; i was expecting a conversation with someone about the royals' role in modern society instead of just venting to his sister - it feels like a missed opportunity. i also would've liked to see more of henry's life. i'm glad the narrative shifted to give us his side towards the end but i would've liked to see more of his journey.

there's so many elements of henry's story we could've known more about: the hospital visit was so sweet and he usually goes without cameras so it's a personal investment - might he be interested in doing more nonprofit work? we know he can sing, play piano, loves Byron, and wants to be a writer - he's a creative boy, explore that! and what about his relationship with his mother, and when his father was alive? the plot could've switched between the boys during their correspondance showing henry's royal duties and mindset and given more insight into his character instead of focusing solely on alex. alex's story is nicely fleshed out but henry remains something of a mystery and it leaves the story feeling lopsided - time may be the issue so again, perhaps a mini series would've been better, but if it was a choice to keep henry's side unexplored compared to alex's i get it but i wanted more of him. 

i mentioned my confusion over alex's key and henry's ring. i would've liked them to be touched on a little more: is henry's ring of royal lineage significance or from his father? I think his brother was wearing the same one on his finger. on that note, i would've liked to learn more about henry's father: he was an actor, so why not tell us something about his films, have henry or alex rewatching one of his films together over the phone or at least show us a family photo.

for a minute i wished we'd gotten more international relations but that doesn't really suit for adolescent princes; if it was a king and a president or heir prince and president/senator it would've called for that. the political stuff we got was a nice enough amount and I'm glad it was part of the plot. 

more overlay graphics and social media inserts would've been fun - relatable for the modern era. i'm guessing they weren't prevalent in the book otherwise we might have gotten more, or it could've been a budget thing. they weren't necessary for the plot but the styling reminded you this movie is a romcom. 

the main characters: alex and henry are likeable in their respective senses, but it's interesting to note that while alex occupies the majority of screentime and plot, henry [nicholas] is the one who steals every scene; he's mysterious [re:reserved] and vulnerable leaving the viewer wanting to know more about him. alex is fun and charming and vibrant and he brings henry to life, while henry shines in the more tender intimate moments. the development of their relationship works for pacing and there's enough time spent together that the viewer can witness them falling in love.

from a technical standpoint: the movie is lacking. my main issue is with the direction: the lack of close-up shots makes it seem like they didn't have the equipment - but this is fucking amazon! they can afford it! so either they didn't want to spend the money on a queer romcom - which is insane considering the times we live in and how queer rep in media is gaining traction and speed - or the director was so unskilled that they didn't think to utilise close-ups. sadly, the direction is lazy and uninspired for much of the movie with far too many mid-shots when the scenes call for close-ups; it also needs more switching between characters to capture reactions rather than just focus on one person while they monolgue (this could also be a script issue). 

note: when i was skimming through a second time for screencaps i didn't have any issue with the direction; from faraway or if you're not really paying attention the direction and soundtrack are fine. it's when you're hanging on every scene that you feel letdown by the repeated missteps. 

the script was a little clunky. there's a lot of monolgues - fine for a book but they come off a little cliche on-screen and often feel like a stage production. but these instances were made worse by the poor direction and editing teams. however the boys' banter and conversations are always good. 

the overlay of graphics, the scene meldings where they're in the same room, and inset scene segments, are all visually appealing - but aren't consistent throughout the movie. i was expecting more social media and correspondance visuals but they get replaced by voiceovers and montages which don't have as much impact (although the execution of this style is done well). 

the lighting needs work: most of the night scenes feel overlit and fake, lacking shadows for intimacy and just feel all around uncaring and drab. i swear some scenes look like they didn't see the editing room - lots of dead air, which can also be attributed to a directing issue ie. not getting enough shots. high budget romcoms are brighter and have more contrast, use better lighting and filters - and sometimes are too bright and feel too fake - but the overlighting and lack of richness in rwrb leaves it feeling drab; the plot and characters are begging for more colour, more contrast! giving the story what it needs wouldn't have adversely altered the vibe, it would have elevated it to what it deserved to be.

there was a problem with the soundtrack: the score was messy when present, but absent more than present. sometimes the score was too fast or too slow and had no discernible vibe - honestly it sounds like stock music, and while i do understand that romcoms don't need a signature sound they do deserve their musical needs met. there was a lack of musical score in many scenes which resulted in dead air between dialogue; it feels like the music track is missing, and without that atmospheric element the characters are left hanging and the vibe is awkward and unfinished. and the chosen licensed songs are fine on their own but when you cobble them together you get a lack of cohesion, no unified vibe or atmospheres that compliment one another, it feels mismatched rather than eclectic.

when these seemingly small issues pile up and are recurring it affects the quality of the movie and can lower the overall reception; people can tell that it wasn't given the care or money it deserved and then they start to ask why - and you better hope you have a good answer.

the runtime is considerably long: 2hrs is long for a romcom. it makes sense given that it's a streamer debut and not in theatres, and they make good use of the time in progressing the plot and letting love bloom, but while the focus on the boys and their relationship is what audiences are tuning in for there could've been more room for the supporting characters. you don't need side characters to make a good romcom but when the production quality is lacking like it is for rwrb side characters can help add dimension and believability - it's the actors that make up for the failings of production.

i think they could've done a 3-part mini series instead: flesh out their personal arcs more - especially henry - and give the side characters more screentime - nora, percy, henry's sister, zahra, the not-butler, alex's parents; the plot calls for more of them but they're not given the chance which results in the boys feeling somewhat isolated no matter how supportive their family and friends are.

content rating: american content ratings are strange because it skips from pg-13 to 17yo with a guardian? but here in australia rwrb is rated m13+ on the amazon prime app. teens and young adults are the target audience and going by the language used and lack of nudity it makes sense it wasn't given a more mature rating because the content doesn't call for it. basically there's nothing to be censored - which is good in a way, bc it proves you can depict a queer romance with sex without it coming off like a porno. hopefully rwrb will motivate more queer productions and invite audiences to read the book and to seek out more queer fiction.

as for the actors: it's nice to see some fresh faces - i didn't recognise anyone except uma and fry. the diverse casting is also a win with most of the side characters being poc, and a biracial poc in the queer main pairing is a double win.

alex aka. taylor, is the charmer, the enigmatic one of the pair and real easy on the eyes. at times it felt like he was falling back on his good looks, and other times his line delivery was almost farcical and reads as over the top or awkward - but this is something that should've been mitigated by better directing, better editing; it takes a village, as they say. but taylor also gives more than he gets from everyone around him - with the exceptions of henry and nora - which is a shame. i can't help but think taylor would've been better suited to a brighter more energetic vibe for rwrb - the production around him falls flat including most of the side characters (with a few exceptions) who did nothing to brighten the atmosphere let alone elevate it to a standard that shows how much love and care should've gone into creating rwrb.

henry aka. nicholas, may play the more reserved character but he doesn't shy away from taking us on an emotional journey. he has greater emotional range and knows how to use his face and body to convey those emotions whether they be small and private or an outburst of passion. imho nicholas was the shining star of this movie despite getting less screentime; he brought his a-game to almost every scene and i'm sad this was a romcom not a dramedy or drama bc from what he shows us he would do wonders in genres with more angst.

other characters: hilson was great - we didn't get anywhere near enough of her and her friendship with alex; i would've loved to see her own character fleshed out a little if rwrb were a mini series, and i was actually hoping for a friendship or fling/romance between her and henry's sister. shahi's character was a well-placed addition and she tried so hard to nail the comedic timing and tone despite letdowns from the director - and again, we didn't get enough of her. uma was perfect casting in a power postion but she was a little stiff in the motherly role, namely the physical aspects - maybe she's like that in the book but for on-screen it was a little awkward. as for the other side characters we barely saw - percy, shauun, alex's bodyguard and henry's redheaded sister whose roles were so minimal i don't even remember their name - they all held potential for relationships with our boys and their own storylines and are another vote in favor of rwrb being better suited to a mini series.

overall closing thoughts: this one is a winner. is it a masterpiece? no. the biggest letdown is the production quality, but the story and leading men perservere well enough and deliver a decent, fun queer romcom. it plays out like a book in the sense that the narrative is layered and the plot is full, which makes it different to the average romcom which barely has plot let alone good plot. rwrb might not seem like groundbreaking content but a feature-length queer-focused romcom is, even in 2023 - you'd think we'd have more by now but maybe this is the start, maybe rwrb will prove to producers and streamers that the viewership is here and hungry for more. i know there are always issues with adapting books for the screen but with so many quality queer books out there we might be in for an era of queer reads making it onto the big screen and i for one am here for that, across all genres.

[blueberryshelves]

Today I finished this wonderful book, and decided to have some fun on a trail of my own!

_______________________________________________

Book Review

Title: The Trail to You & Me Author: Mandi Lynn Bell

Book Series: Road Trip Snapshot, book #3 (stand-alone)

No. of Pages: 319

ISBN: 9781953388070

Synopsis:

What was supposed to be a summer fling fails epically when opposites attract and sparks fly.

Lori has her life planned out for the next five years. She’s intent on graduating college early, becoming a yoga instructor, and starting her own business. Her plans have already been de-railed for two years after helping a friend in crisis and now it’s time to buckle down and focus. However, a regular shift at work, ends with flirtatious banter and a promise to a memorable evening.

Even with the unexpected date, Lori is determined to keep him at a distance. While he’s free-spirited and ready to embrace the unexpected, Lori can’t afford to be sidetracked from her dreams again. Besides, this summer romance is doomed to fail since he’s on his own mission to hike the Appalachian Trail. No matter how hard she tries to get him off her mind, she can’t help but be both envious and curious of his simple approach to life. Struggling to let go of her hard-set ways, Lori finds herself agreeing to something she’d never thought she’d do: ditch work to go backpacking.

After summer ends, will their romance survive, or will their differences pull their lives in two different directions?

The Trail to You & Me is a standalone novel in the Road Trip Snapshot Series. If you like books with witty banter, adventure, and coming of age elements, Lori’s story is sure to claim your heart.

_______________________________________________

What did I think of the book?

The Trail to You & Me by Mandi Lynn Bell My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 of 5 stars I have never been more excited to start reading a book. This is such a sweet, feel-good story that has made me smile at almost every page. This is one of those books that have come into my life when I needed it most, and left me feeling absolutely euphoric, grinning from ear-to-ear, and wanting to immediately re-read it again. The story has many great life lessons, too, such as “it’s about the journey, not the destination”, and living your life. The characters were relatable, had good development, and the pacing of the story from chapter to chapter felt natural and real. It really feels like Mandi knew what she was doing when putting this book together. On release day, I didn’t hesitate to get this book with The Book Adventure Box from the author’s website. The gifts in the box took the reading experience to another level. It felt like I was part of the book, and going on the same adventures as the characters. Immersion is an important factor for me with reading, and The Book Adventure Box nailed that perfectly.

The hiking scenes were quite nostalgic, reminding me of when I used to go hiking and traveling with my family for a couple weeks over the school holidays every other year. The further I read, the more intensely I felt inspired to go hiking again myself. Favorite character/s: Caleb “Chip” - for the way he balances Lori out, and the life lessons he gives in the book. What drew me to this book? I was looking to read a romance and the Appalachian Trail was mentioned in the blurb of the book, so I was sold on the combination. Stars: 5/5 - it’s a wonderful Summer read, and I can’t wait to read the first two books in the Road Trip Snapshot series when they arrive in the mail.

*The Book Adventure Box View all my reviews

[xandershifts]

okay this is absolutely adorable. love it !!!

this is my main DR, tbh i don't rlly do much in it, it's just a peaceful little cottage type thing ^^

Attention Shiftblr Fam:

This picrew is so gender envy for me and I need to show all of you, like yes that IS me! That is how most of my DR selves dress fr fr because I am anything if not generally gender ambiguous

This is especially me in my NPMD DR ( Max Jägerman gets his shit rocked by a 5'4" nerd whose messenger bag is solely filled with snacks and fidgets /j )

Y'all should definitely use this picrew to make your DR selves or atleast use it for outfit inspo because it's SO CUTE! (and maybe reblog this n show me ur DR selves plus some info bout them 👉🏻👈🏻)

[mwebber]

excusé if i've come to the wrong place but. could you maybe point a weary traveler towards some fics where mark webber bottoms, to put it bluntly? sorry if not, you are appreciated regardless ⭐

hi! i can think of a couple fics beyond my own, but i have a policy not to direct traffic to archive of our own/the organization of transformative works (otw) until they adequately address their racism within the organization, their allowance of AI works on ao3, and their horrific in-organization bullying + mishandling of child sexual exploitation material attacks.

if you'll indulge me, here are some updates i've gleaned:

on june 12, they released a statement about how they're attempting to combat racism, but as the end-otw-racism (EOTWR) account put it eloquently, what matters is if the otw follows through on its promises. i'll come back to this at the end of the post!

as of today, they haven't commented further on their stance regarding AI, and i sincerely doubt they will until there's a major cultural shift in how society thinks about AI.

in mid-june (and related to the EOTWR movement), the last situation kind of went belly up with ~fandom elder~ rahaeli aka denise (founder of dreamwidth, referenced in otw's announcement posts, previously an outspoken critic of otw's bullying in defense of azarias) going on a rant about how she doesn't agree with end-otw-racism's end goals... because she believes the movement is calling for moderation of fics when it isn't. there's a whole fucking thing about stitch/stitchmediamix aka the black teen vogue writer cited in EOTWR's posts getting basically smear-campaigned by this middle aged white woman using the same methods she criticized and the ensuing dogpile on stitch, but it's heavy stuff. through it all, otw has still said NOTHING about azarias.

if you weren't here for the artifice ao3pocalypse (which by your ask i am assuming you missed or perhaps misunderstood my current stance) then i spell it all out here.

i understand that's all super duper depressing, but there's a little bit of hope! EOTWR has its second call to action which you can read about here. it's regarding otw's board elections in august. if you can, please do get involved ! if not, then at least stay informed.

i'll end this ridiculously long rejection of bottom!mark martian fic recs by saying that i KNOW nobody is asking anybody to leave ao3 or boycott it. but i, personally, à mon avis, cannot stomach the thought of supporting the org in any capacity atm.

so best of luck with your search, weary traveller! in the event that other bottom!mark writers post to tumblr or another platform, i'll do my best to get back to you in a separate post :)

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