#the dress itself is fairly light and flowy

[supermarine-silvally]

Yara, what would your wedding dress look like?

"Don't show Ace just yet; I want it to be a surprise for him. I'm very much looking forward to walking down the aisle and officially becoming his wife."

Ask Yara (or any of my OCs) anything!

[magicalgirlmascot]

May or may not have been inspired to create the KNPS Toa in Hero Forge. Probably also gonna do the Turaga. I’m def curious as to your thoughts on everyone’s appearances, wanna see how what I have so far compares.

I am in TEARS please please please show me when you're done!!!

I've been kind of deliberately vague about their appearances in the fic itself because last time I wrote a big long human!Bionicle fic where I was more specific about their appearances I. wound up hating it later lol. I will say though that my Bionicle Sports Anime designs aren't necessarily what I have in mind when writing! (Those are mostly just for drawing Bionicle fanart without having to draw robots and possible eventual comic reasons.)

I do have some stuff in mind, though! I'm putting it under a readmore because it wound up getting fairly long lol

Tahu: redhead, toned and fairly beefy on account of the MMA but not like dehydrated about it, jeans, t-shirts, and button-downs with the sleeves rolled up kinda guy

Kopaka: my brother thinks he should be albino but I'm on the fence there, either way he does have blue eyes and light hair cut pretty short, glasses, tall and thin

Gali: petite, curly hair usually pulled back from her face, wears a lot of long, flowy clothes (cardigans, skirts, etc.)

Onua: short af, fat, muscular, hairy, I've made Gimli jokes before but I honestly do picture him looking like Senshi DungeonMeshi with less beard, almost exclusively wears black jeans, glasses are not prescription but to help with his light sensitivity

Pohatu: tall, runner's build (muscular legs, kind of average weight distribution tbh), thick brown hair that he's been growing out, tends towards muted colours and earth tones

Lewa: fucking beanpole, tall, thin, and gangly, hair is a bird's nest 99% of the time and he has given up trying, wears green almost to the complete exclusion of other colours, loves himself some good cargo pants

Vakama: glasses and tidy beard, greying hair, middling height, wears a lot of old man sweaters/cardigans

Nokama: taller than Matau but shorter than Vakama, hair is going grey but she dyes it, carries herself with grace and poise, it's. I do picture Lucretia Adventurezone a little bit while writing her ngl

Matau: short!!! absolute manlet and either mad about it or chill with it depending on which is funnier in context, wears loud shirts

Onewa: was not a cane user at the start of the story but is one now on account of his bad back, growing his beard out, worst case of resting bitch face you've ever seen, decently tall

Whenua: tallest Turaga, thick glasses, has worn a dress shirt and tie to work every day for the last 20+ years and isn't going to stop now even if his husband makes fun of him for it >:(

Nuju: average height, long fingers, went white by age 35 (claims it's from stress but it just runs in the family, Kualus was also fully white by 35 and Matoro probably will be too), dresses nicely but not a full shirt and tie like some people

Also you didn't mention them but bonus characters bc I've been thinking about them:

Takua: built like Lewa (tall and gangling), dyes his hair blue, fashion choices are "the colours gave me a headache so I bought it immediately"

Jaller: short king, blonde, probably the most athletic kid in the class

Hahli: shorter than Takua but still pretty tall, wears jeans and sturdy clothes, solidly built

Krahka: I mean sometimes she's a fox and sometimes she's got six arms and tits the size of her head, she can look however she wants

Again please please show me when you're done!!!! I would like to see it

[varibean]

Would You, Could You, Say ‘I Do’?

here’s a fanfiction inspired by the wonderful artwork by @fluttytheflutt here! it’s wedding time! hope y’all enjoy!

In previous stages of his life, when Sam I-Am thought about his future, marriage was never part of it. He was a romantic, somewhat at least. Having never gotten to experience romance first hand he couldn’t really say for sure but he liked the idea. The notion that somewhere there was a person just for him who would vow to never leave him behind, to always stay by his side, was enticing to put it plainly. But he never thought it was an actuality. The thought had never crossed his mind that such a life could be for him.

His life was anything but consistent and marriage was the most steadfast constant of it all in addition to-as his elders always said-death and taxes. But he’d cheated death and he didn’t pay his taxes so that was already two down.

Everything was always moving; his jobs, his home, his identity. Never in his life was he one person for two long. It started to make him sick if he was. Every new persona was fun at first but in the back of his mind there was always the thought, the fear that if he stayed as one person too long he would find out a terrible truth: He didn’t like the person he had become.

So he jumped and switched from fake ID to fake ID, only staying for the fun part. Nothing more, nothing less.

And then there was Guy. His Guy. His wonderful, amazing, perfect Guy who could do so many amazing things and came up with the most incredible ideas. Suddenly, with Guy, he wasn’t scared of being the same person anymore. He didn’t have to fear who he would be because whoever he was, Guy was going to be there too.

For a while it was just a promise of words. Nothing binding or set in stone, just the knowledge that Guy would always be there for him, that he liked him just the way he was. Sam thought that would be enough. They didn’t need to take the next steps forward because why risk the unknown when life was so comfortable as it was?

Then came the night that Guy took him on a small hometown cold air balloon. And there among the clouds just barely scraping above the roofs of the houses below them, Guy got down on one knee.

The ring wasn’t terribly special; just a silver band with the tiniest emerald in the middle, the green hue sparkling in the moonlight like a cosmos seen from a far off telescope. What could Sam do but say yes?

Up there, away from the world with just the two of them, the words seemed so easy to say. Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes! They spilled from his mouth like the crack of a perfectly runny yolk and he never thought anything in the world could taste as good as green eggs and ham but then Guy kissed him as the fog of the night drifted by him and he knew that some things just existed beyond compare or dispersion.

Everything was easier up in the air. But all things had to come back down to earth eventually.

The dressing room he stood in was lit up like a mall during the holiday season. On their own Sam and Guy couldn’t afford much but as there luck would have it the rest of the Am-I family wanted to pitch in for the youngest golden child. The bruckles poured in from Mr. and Mrs. Am-I and Guy’s brothers and no expense had been spared on setting everything up for the two. The venue, the flowers, the food; all if it five star and perfect in every way.

And of course, above all else, the dress.

The long and wide floor to ceiling mirror in the dressing room reflected the fabric back perfectly. If one were to spare it only a glance, it could be said that the dress was simple. The cut was a flower bud covered boat neck, showing off the slight dip of his collar before fading into a near sheer sleeve design. Crystals were sewn into the fabric, making his arms sparkle under the lights. The dress itself had a ribboned waist that showed off his slight form before fanning out as the rest of the dress poofed around him. It wasn’t overly fluffy, but it was well fitted and flowy. Plenty of room to move while still looking elegant.

Was he elegant?

Staring in the mirror, Sam wasn’t so sure. Elegant was never a word he thought of when he considered himself in a physical sense. Short, slender, rounded; those were words that described him. But beautiful? Radiant? Elegant? All the things he was told someone to marry should be? He wasn’t quite sure.

“Sam? It’s almost time. Do you have the veil on?” Michellee’s voice echoed in the near empty room.

For such a large and grand dressing room, there really wasn’t anyone else needed to get him into the dress. The lingering con-artist in him thought of money and how easy a wedding scam could go off. But he quickly shook his head at the thought before he ran his hands over his face.

“Yeah I’m-I mean no, I haven’t put it on yet I was just...uh-”

“Nervous?” Michellee offered with a smirk.

Sam opened his mouth to object but then realized it was useless to do so. He was trying not to lie as much, to be more honest with himself.

“Maybe, just an itty-bitty-teeny-weeny-itsy-bitsy smidgen of a smidge. Like, half a smidge. No, strike that, one twenty-seventh of a smidge.”

Michellee laughed and suddenly Sam felt a little bit better about everything.

“It’s ok Sam. I remember my wedding day. Of course, I didn’t have rich in-laws to pay for everything-”

“Hey come on, it’s not like we asked for it!”

“-But it was still the most important day of my life. Well, up until I had E.B.”

Sam chuckled and smoothed out the fabric of his dress even though it didn’t need it. As he did so, Michellee picked up the veil from its resting place and put it on his head.

“How’d you know?” Sam asked.

“Know what?”

“How’d you know that it wasn’t one big mistake? How’d you know that everything wasn’t going to fall apart?”

There was hardly a moment of silence before Michelle gently turned him around to face her, away from the mirror, away from all of his doubts reflected back at him.

“I didn’t. That’s the fun part isn’t it? Not knowing but still wanting to see. Going for it and knowing no matter where you land you’d be holding someone else’s hand. Trying something new.”

“Trying something new.” He repeated.

A smile formed on his lips and he reached for her arm to loop his around.

“Alright. Alright, here you go I-Am. Off to try something new.”

_______________

Guy’s Mother walked Sam down the aisle and the action only caused the slightest pang of sadness within him. But he was able to shake it off, kept his eyes forward and fixed on the altar.

The venue was a small park area just beside Guy’s home, everything rented out and decorated for an informal (but still, at the older Am-I’s insistence, fairly expensive) ceremony and party.  

The second he saw Guy he knew that he was ridiculous for ever having any doubts. The knox was dressed in a charming bowtie and a deep blue wreath of flowers topped of his head. He looked so much younger without the hat, without the scowl marks. Instead smile lines had taken their place as his husband to be positively beamed at him.

Sam hadn’t even realized he was at the stand until Guy reached over to take his hand.

“You look amazing, Sam.”

“Yeah, well, one of had to do a booty tooch down the catwalk.”

Sam smiled as he saw Guy’s cheeks puff up as he choked back a laugh. He wanted Guy to make that face every day and soon, that goal was going to be closer to a reality.

The officiant nodded to Guy after the happy murmurs of the crowd died down to start.  

“Sam I-Am, the first days after I met you, you took my briefcase, dragged me along on the craziest job in the entire world, nearly got me killed more times than I could count, and stole my wallet three times. Those were the best days of my life and every day since then has just kept getting better. You’re a weird little adult and I can’t find any room in the refrigerator for any of the groceries because all you keep in there is ham and eggs. The amount of luck you possess is almost infuriating and you are, by far, the biggest dope I’ve ever met. But...you’re my hope man and I always know that I have you in my corner. You gave me a reason to keep on trying and, Sam, every day...every day for the rest of our lives I want to keep trying new things with you. I think your luck really did rub off on me at some point, because otherwise I can’t imagine how I ended up so yipping lucky-sorry I know I’m not supposed to curse during these things but it’s true. So, if you’ll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you...um, the end? It’s-It’s been a while since I’ve been to a wedding I didn’t really think of a closer.”

There was a small chuckle that passed throughout the audience at Guy’s fumble and Sam could see in his eyes that he meant every word of his vows.

“Wow. You see, I had this whole spoken word musical number that I was gonna try to pull off in a dress but that just made me forget about ninety percent of it. So I guess I’ll just say that no one has ever really wanted me to stay the same person before. No one’s ever hung around long enough to decide if I was worth it. But you did. And that was the first time I thought that maybe I didn’t have to run away from myself anymore. I still don’t know who I want to be in this world, what kind of a difference I want to make, but I know I want to do it all with you. And, this is embarrassing, I don’t really have a closer either.”

Both men turned to the officiant with a questioning look, only to have the other shrug at them.

“I always thought weddings were supposed to be way longer and more boring,” Sam started, “But I think we’re good? Can say the Big Final Words and do the kissing thing now? I wanna skip to that part.”

Sam and Guy took out their rings and slipped them onto each other’s fingers with another nod of approval from the officiant.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous. I do.” Guy said.

“I do!”

And with that, Guy lifted him up bridal style and dipped him, a small nuzzle passing between them before they finally sealed it all together with a kiss.

The small crowd of friends and family cheered for the two as their grins became so wide that it seemed like their faces would crack.

Guy sat Sam down gently and before they began to walk into the crowd, he leaned over and chuckled.

“I was really excited to see you in your wedding attire. And as always, you didn’t disappoint.”

Sam giggled before standing on the tips of his toes and whispering something into Guy’s ear.

As the cheering and talking started to commence all around them, the knox’s face turned a bright red.

“Can’t say I don’t feel the same with you Wedding Buddy!” Sam chirped before heading out to the sea of smiling faces ready to congratulate him and get the party started.

Guy stood there for a moment, his face beating red as his brothers came and slapped him on the back for a job well done.

It was going to be an interesting honeymoon.

[wildefiction]

Elysian

Pairing: Rob x Reader

Word Count: 1,723

Chapter: 2/?

Chapter Summary: Rob invites reader over to his place to continue their movie marathon, but something seems...off...with Rob.

Chapter Warnings: Anxiety, Slight class-ism (minor characters)

A/N: That writers block tho! Seriously, it’s good to be back. 

TWO

The following morning, as you pulled open the front doors of a very large, very sterile-looking office building set into the heart of downtown, you were glad you'd agreed to only one movie. Black, strappy heels clicked against reflective slate tiles beneath your feet; portfolios held securely beneath one arm.

"Right this way, Ms. [Y/F/N]." "Can I get you anything to drink?"

The receptionist was a bright, young intern. Bold, coppery hair fell nearly to his shoulders, his striking blue eyes lit with an eager kind of excitement as he showed you to the conference room.

"If you've got any tea, I'd love some." 

Smiling as the man nodded and bustled away, you took a moment to glance around your surroundings. As conference rooms went, it was fairly ordinary - a long, glass-topped table was set in the middle of the space, surrounded by about twenty leather office chairs. One wall was constructed entirely of crystal clear glass, though the only view was more of the same tall, lifeless buildings. 

Turning as the door shushed open behind you, a woman approached, a grand smile on her face; one hand extended in your direction.

"Ms. [Y/F/N], it's so good to finally meet you. My husband and I have heard good things."

The woman's grip was firm, confident, and immediately you got the inclination she was going to be the one you'd need to impress.

The man from earlier had returned, a selection of teas, creams and sugar arrayed on a dark serving tray.

"Thank you Dylan, that will be all." 

Glancing to the woman whose hand you still held after smiling in appreciation at Dylan, you wondered if this woman was as dismissive with everyone else as she appeared to be with him. His own smile faltered, quickly replaced with a wary expression of disinterest as he turned and left the two of you alone.

The next two hours were spent presenting your work to the owners of Caliber Entertainment. 

By the time you'd been shown to the door by Dylan, you were exhausted. While confident in your abilities and your work, your struggle had always been selling yourself.

Regardless, you were happy to be out of there. While meetings like those were a necessary evil, you really wanted nothing more than to go home, take off these damned heels and relax.

Pulling your phone from the pocket of your blazer, you typed in the lock-screen password and found several messages waiting.

[Rob]: Hey, finished at the studio a little early today. How was your meeting?

[Rob]: Thought I might stop by the store, pick up a couple steaks...you hungry?

The rumbling of your stomach as you read the words was answer enough.

Noticing the last text had come through only a few minutes prior, you hurried to type out a response.

[Y/F/N]: Starving. I didn't know you could cook.

Almost immediately, the device in your hand chirped with an answer.

Rob: One of many things, I'm sure. Movie at my place tonight? Should be home in twenty.

Trying to remember if you'd ever actually been inside his house, it took only a moment to realize you hadn't.

Sending off a message to let him know you'd bring the beer before dropping the phone on the passenger seat of your car, you couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of spending another evening with Rob.

Pulling into your driveway a short time later, you were surprised to see him sitting on the front porch. The ridiculous grin that spread across your face was hard to hide, so you decided not to bother.

"Well look at you, all dressed up...heels and everything eh?" His teasing tone matched the mirth in his expression.

"Don't get used to it." The phrase was clipped, but accompanied by your smile, still firmly in place.

Reaching out to grip his arm while you kicked off the footwear, the blazer quickly joined the abandoned semblance of professionalism. 

Crouching to pick up both items, you proceeded through the front door, calling out an invitation for Rob to follow. 

"Let me just change real fast, no way am I doing movie night in jeans."

Nodding, Rob headed for the kitchen "I'll grab the beer."

Disappearing down the hallway to your room, the closet stretching along the north wall held more clothes than you knew what to do with. Unfastening the buttons of the dark-washed denim clinging to your thighs, you reached a steadying hand out to balance against the dresser as you peeled them from your body, abandoning them in the wicker hamper set in a corner.

"Hey, [Y/F/N] - have you got any pepper? I think I'm out."

Nodding to yourself, you quickly realized that he couldn't hear you. Grabbing a pair of cutoffs, you turned, stepping into the bottoms and pulling them up as Rob paused in your doorway.

Peeling the flowy chiffon fabric of your business shirt off over your head, you answered his question without missing a beat; completely unfazed at your state of undress.

"Yeah, I think so - one sec." 

Pulling open the second drawer of your dresser and selecting a solid-white tank top, you pulled it over your head while heading for the door.

Walking past the man into the hallway with the shirt still covering your head, you missed the flustered look on his face.

Closing his eyes, the back of his head fell against the doorjamb. The initial attraction he'd felt towards his neighbor had started to blossom a few months prior, but he'd never said anything to her about it. He liked the way things were between them, but her obvious nonchalance for being half-naked around him was going to change that.

Pushing a breath between his pursed lips, he stepped away from the wall, scrubbing a hand over his face as he joined [Y/F/N] back in the kitchen.

"Here's that pepper you needed." "Ready to go?"

Dropping the pepper mill into his outstretched hand, you made for the front door, flipping light switches as you went.

Following you from the house, Rob pulled the door shut behind him, watching with a small smile as you skipped barefoot down the sidewalk.

The sun-kissed warmth of his deck seeped into the bottom of your feet; the smell of the grill wrapping you in the savory flavors of summer.

Twisting the caps off of two amber bottles pulled from the cooler, you handed one across to Rob. Closing the lid on a large stainless steel grill, the man turned, accepting the drink with gratitude.

"So, how was your day?" Flopping down on one of the adirondak chairs situated around the wrought-iron grate of his fire pit, Rob turned his eyes up to yours, the light blue-grey hue fixed in place. Raising the bottle to his lips, he took a long swallow, awaiting your answer.

"As good as can be expected I suppose. I despise having to suck up to rich assholes though." 

After a pause, you laughed. 

"No offense." Tilting your bottle towards him in apology, the lopsided grin on your face made him chuckle. 

"None taken." "Hey, how do you like your steak?"

Rob stood from his seat, wandering over to check the grill.

"Medium rare, please." 

Shielding your eyes from the late-afternoon sun, you peered out across the expanse of chillingly still water, ripples of light dancing across the surface of his pool.

"So...do you ever actually use your pool or is it just for sheer decorative purposes?"

"Oh, uh, well..no real point when you live alone right? Sometimes I swim laps I guess." 

Shrugging nonchalantly, Rob turned back to the grill, transferring the food onto a serving platter.

"Can I help with anything?" Placing a hand against his back, you peered over one shoulder. 

"That looks amazing, I could eat a goat right now."

Rob chuckled again. Pointing towards his kitchen, the tongs still in one hand, he shook his head.

"Could you grab the salad please?"

Over dinner, which was even better than it had smelled, the conversation revolved around work and the increasingly fleeting amount of free time both of you found yourselves with.

It took you longer than you cared to admit to notice towards the end of the meal that Rob was acting a bit strangely. Pushing what was left of his food around the edges of the plate and offering little in the way of conversation or eye-contact when he did speak, the sudden shift in his behavior concerned you.

When he began to stutter and it took visible effort for him to form complete sentences, you reached across the table, tentatively covering his hand with your own. The touch startled him enough that you nearly pulled back. 

"Hey man, you okay?"

While the question remained friendly and open-ended, the idea that he might not want to share what he was thinking only occurred to you after the fact. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m okay.” The smile he offered was anything but convincing; wilting quickly, it didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. Rather than push the issue however, you reflected that same uneasy smile, drawing your hand back and rubbing the suddenly clammy skin against your bare thigh. 

"Ready for movie number two?" Standing suddenly, Rob reached forward, grabbing your empty plate before hurrying inside.

A seed of doubt wedged itself in your chest, tendrils of unease taking root when your brain began to throw every possible scenario around as to why his behavior had so suddenly changed.

Slow to follow, by the time you'd walked back through the patio doors and crossed the house, Rob was kneeling in front of the entertainment center, elbow deep in Lily's toy box, muttering under his breath about something.

In one fluid movement, he stood, clutching the remote he'd apparently been searching for in one hand.

Perching on the edge of the sofa, eyes shifting between Rob and the screen in front of you, the worry that flitted around your consciousness continuing to grow. Where earlier in the afternoon, he’d been all smiles and carefree laughter - his rigid posture and the awkward silence blanketing the room in a thick fog allowed only one valid conclusion to form in your mind: Rob was angry, and somehow, somewhere - you’d messed up.

TAGS: @jamielea81 @wings-of-a-raven @natasha-cole

[etheralisi]

Miraculous: welcome to the miraculverse

Thought I might as well cross-post over here too?

AU: Kickstarting this one off with a Jumanji AU. Kinda based of of this post: http://miiiraculous.tumblr.com/post/171394972347/a-jumanji-au-that-sorta-got-away-from-me-in-the

Brief desc: 5 teens. One mysterious video game... Detention has never been quite so weird.

“So… what brings you to detention?”

It had been five minutes since Mr. Damocles had locked the group of teenagers in the school’s basement, explaining before he’d left that he wanted the place to be tidied so it could be refurbished (something about a secret underground base of operation for the owl? Whatever that was) and since they were meant to be in detention, this would be far more productive than to just have them sit around.

The boy with the red cap, Nino if Adrien remembered right, looked up from the dusty shelves he’d been staring at, no doubt lost in mind numbing thought. He was pretty sure he’d seen this guy before (maybe in the cafeteria?) though they had never so much as spoken to one another. Come to think of it, Adrien barely had the chance to speak to anyone who attended the school, Chloe always attached to him at the hip like a limpet, tugging him along with her before he could ever get a word in.

Oh yeah, she was there in detention too, currently sulking in the corner of the room about how ‘unfair it was that she had to do physical education when sweat clearly didn’t look good on her’.

“Hmm? Oh, I was caught listening to music on the headphones. Dude, I was so sure that a supply wouldn’t mind me doing that… but nah,” He sighed, fingers trailing his neckline, “You?”

“Too many school days spent absent,” because his father pulled him out of school way too often, wanting him to model for him all the freakin’ time.

“Oh, I see,” He trailed off, an uncomfortable silence encompassing the pair yet again.

“Err, do you-”

“Ahem!” A loud cough drew the pair’s attention to a girl standing a few feet away from the pair, a feather duster held firmly in her hands. She waved it at them, scowl on her face as she continued, “How about you put that mothers meeting on hold? Me and my friend Marinette can’t just clean this place ourselves, you know?” Her gaze shifted over to the sulking teen in the corner, “Goes to you too, Queen Bee. Or are you too scared that you might get your precious jacket your daddy bought for you dirty?”

Chloe glared in her direction, dusting off the jacket in question, as if daring the dust particles to come any closer to her designer clothes, “You’re just jealous that your taste in fashion isn’t up to par with moi.”

“Pfft, whatever makes you sleep at night, I’d hate to ruin your ever so needed beauty sleep as well-”

“We’ll help!” Adrien spoke up abruptly, hoping to split up the argument before it developed into something more. If they were going to be stuck here with each other for the next few hours (and not to mention the weekend), then he didn’t want to be stuck with two seething girls, casting death glares at one another when they thought no one was looking. Or maybe they wouldn’t even care if others looked on.

“Adrikins?! You’re seriously going to get your hands dirty? Why don’t you leave the work to them? I’m pretty sure they live in this kind of mess anyway.”

The girl ignored Chloe’s outburst, instead handing him a feather duster to match hers, “Well here you go,” She leaned in towards his ear, though she hardly spoke any quieter than before, “No need to let that blonde haired brat tell you what to do.”

The indignant shriek from across the room was duly ignored by the girl, though Adrien found himself wincing, even just a bit.

“I’m Alya Césaire and I'm guessing that you're that model Adrien, right?” Adrien frowned, brain whirring as he tried to place where he’d seen Alya before, though nothing to mind came up. How did she-?

She chuckled, pushing up her glasses as they began to fall down the bridge of her nose, “Quit looking so surprised. You’re a model… and besides my girl here won’t quit chattering on about you,” The smug statement elicited an embarrassed squeak from the girl standing next to her. Adrien turned to the girl, who must’ve been the ‘Marinette’ Alya had spoken of earlier, and his eyes shot up in recognition.

“Hang on… you’re the girl I gave my umbrella to on the first day of school,” Marinette flushed at the recognition, shuffling awkwardly where she stood next to her friend.

“Am I! GAH- I mean, I am... actually! Yes! That’s I,” Her arms flailed about at her wording mistake, and Adrien could barely stifle a grin at her antics. He liked this girl.

“Well it’s really nice to- ACHOO!” His sneeze echoed across the basement, turning all eyes to him with a mixture of emotions ranging from concern to amusement.

“Uh, you okay dude?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” He rubbed his nose, now itchy and red from his allergic reaction, “Just forgot I was allergic to feathers,” Adrien suddenly realised, casting a look down at the duster held in his hand.

“Oh! Here!” Marinette rushed towards him, holding out a cleaning cloth, “No feathers!”

He took it graciously, charming grin, his father had taught him to use, stretched out on his face as he mumbled a thank you.

The detention group began the big cleanup, Marinette sweeping, Alya, Nino and Adrien scrubbing the dirt off of items that had been stacked in crates to be sent off to other rooms, and Chloe making a half assed attempt at bossing them around whenever she looked up from her phone. It proved impossible to get her to help, and they only stopped asking for (read: demanding) her assistance when they realised she’d face the consequences when Mr. Damocles came back to check upon them (that’s if her ‘daddy’ didn’t pay him to keep his mouth shut and lay off the consequences.)

By the half hour mark, they were already quite tired and sore from bending their backs over constantly, so Nino suggested a break.

“Come on, just for a little while!” He wheeled over a television set, hooked up to a fairly outdated games console.

“You seriously expect me to play on that old thing? With you lot, no less?” Chloe scoffed flicking her hand in a flippant manner as she got back to texting (“I thought our phones were confiscated?”)

Nino groaned, “No one said you had to. But is anyone else in?”

Alya shrugged her shoulders, “Sure why not. I’d love to have a go at,” She glanced at the game inserted, frowning as she glanced at the title, “... Miraculous? I’ve never heard of that one before. Marinette, you play games. Know it?”

“No, I don’t think so. And I’m really not that big on games, I mostly play Ultimate Mecha Strike,” She picked up a controller from the stack and plugged it in along with the other three, “That’s not to say I won’t play, though.”

The loading screen started up, displaying a single logo in the middle of an otherwise dark screen. It disappeared within seconds, replacing itself with a twirling symbol that was almost hypnotic if stared at for too long. All four of them waited in silence for it to change, each a little curious as to what the game ‘Miraculous’ entailed.

At long last, a title screen showed up, displaying the word ‘Miraculous’ in a bold but curvy font, red with a few black spots dotted here and there just like the those of a ladybird. In the back, it showed a steadily moving pixelated Parisian cityscape, the Eiffel tower being the main feature.

Then it switched to a character selection page, the generic caption ‘select your hero’ atop the screen. True to its words, there were multiple heroes to choose from, differing from some kind of girl in polka-dot spandex to a woman in a very flowy feather dress.

‘Mayura’ as she was called, was for some reason darker than the others, and when Alya tried to select the hero as an option, nothing seemed to happen. She sighed, resulting instead to choosing one called ‘Rena Rouge’, a girl clad in a fox themed suit.

Nino chose Carapace (“Duuude! I’m basically a Ninja Turtle!”), Marinette opted for the polka-dot one, who was apparently called ‘Ladybug’, whilst Adrien settled on a cat themed ‘Chat Noir’.

Alya snickered as she came across one called ‘Queen Bee’, “Hey Chloe, shame you’re not playing. This superhero would be perfect for you.”

The blonde looked up from where she was frustratingly tapping her thumbs against her phone screen, apparently perking up at the word ‘superheroes’. She bit her lip, before stashing her phone into her jacket pocket and headed over to where they all sat.

She glanced at the shocked stares the group gave her and rolled her eyes, grabbing the last controller from the pile, “Eh, It’s not like I have anything better to do. The signal down here was terrible. It’s impossible to get anything sent through.”

Adrien cast her a knowing smile at her as she selected her character, understanding all too well what he real motives were, but opted to remain silent. When she caught him staring, he averted his gaze, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

The screen faded back to an empty black, a loading icon once again swirling in the middle.

“Urgh, that’s the thing about these old games,” Alya huffed, crossing her arms in agitation, “They take forever to load. I can’t-”

BA-DUM!

The hanging lights began to swing, barely noticeable to first, but then gained more momentum, swinging so violently that there was a chance that they could fall any second. Tables shook, and the television rolled back on its trolley, clashing into the wall behind it with an almighty thud. The group all got to their feet, dropping their controllers with shock as they stared at what appeared to be the effects of an earthquake in motion. Crates filled with dusty clutter slid across the floorboards with a groan as if they were not in a basement and had instead stepped foot on the lower deck of a ship.

BA-DUM!

If he hadn’t been fearing for his life so much, Adrien would have winced at the mess this freak of nature was causing, did the world not realise how much work they had put into tidying up?

BA-DUMB! BA-DUM!

“Anyone else hear that?!” Someone shrieked over the din, though Adrien couldn’t tell who, only just managing to catch the words that were almost lost to the world.

BA-DUMB! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!

It was then that Adrien realised that that sound hadn’t been the drumming of his own rapidly beating heart, rather, it was in the space around them, drawing out the air from his lungs, leaving him gasping.

BA-DUMB! BA-DUM! BA-DUM!

It was if the earth itself had gained a pulse, thunderous, and carrying that musty earthy feel that tugged at something deep within his soul. This sound held centuries of fiery anger and had poured fear into the hearts of many, many before them.

And just like that, it was over.

But the silence was deafening to his ears. Worse than a scream, just like-

Just like the way Chloe had just started to do at the sight of her hand. Or, well, lack of it. Particles drifted from it, sand blown by some unfelt wind that drew it towards…

The console?

The group stared, stricken at the sight of the girl who, while most would openly admit as not that nice of a person, definitely didn’t deserve such a horrific fate as this. Chloe… she was Adrien’s friend, and staring at her as she dissolved into a nothingness made him feel completely numb.

...Maybe that's because it was happening to him too. Fear swelled in his eyes as he stared, slack jawed as his hands began to disintegrate and drift off into a fine dust, just like what had happened to Chloe.

No no no no no! Nonononononononono-

But it was too late.

The game was already in motion.

AN: *Slams down the door*

Hey? I'm back again?

And I’m here to torture these characters with a Jumanji AU (welcome to the jungle), the scene where everyone gets thanosed because apparently that part in heroes day with Chat was not enough for my evil heart.

Might do another chapter on this? But I don't know. Gotta leave room for the others.

Also feel free to leave suggestions? I might choose one or two of them from time to time.

[trackmag]

Colour And Narrative

The Human Eye has the capacity to recognize, and tell apart over a million different colours, yet language has failed to capture more than a handful in comparison. In Film, one was so desperate to include colour from the start of its creation, that there were numerous filmmakers around 1895 and 1950 that hand coloured each individual frame, as seen in the famous example by the Lumière Brothers and their Serpentine Dance from 1899. There was also a technique called ‘tinting’ which would allow filmmakers to tint the entire roll of Film, or larger sections of it in a colour of their choosing to deliberately shift or exaggerate the narrative of their stories. 

With Digital Film a new world of opportunity opened for us as filmmakers and consumers. Every hue, luminance and saturation became available to us.

Directors like the Lumière Brothers were, or Wes Anderson is, have been fully aware of the fact that colour always produces a psychological reaction in us viewers. Historically we have gained knowledge of different associations to colour which, depending on the cultural background can vary, the sentimental knowledge however seems to be fairly accurate throughout all human beings. 

Red for instance is globally associated with Fire and Blood. Therefore, also a symbol of warmth, passion and love but also aggression and destruction. These associations can be a striking tool to further elevate, or shape the narrative of a film. 

Another great aspect or talent of colour and colour schemes is, that when used correctly, it results in cohesiveness. This is something we could all witness with the release of Lykke Li`s latest full length album called ‘So Sad So Sexy’. All three of the so far released Music Videos share a very similar colour scheme. This analysis deals with how the colours have been utilized in Lykke`s new releases, especially in the video for ‘Hard Rain’. 

What we have established before, is that certain colours are chosen to be read and understood in certain ways. However, these previously mentioned associations (red = fire, blood, love) are not to be read as a clear set of rules to follow. It is less important to think of these colours as fixed expressions synonymous to certain adjectives but nonetheless important to pay attention to them, in order to find their specific place and meaning in a film. There have been decisions made on why, and where what colour appears. This is reason enough for us as viewers to stay alert and find the subjects which are connected to the colours. If they are actual protagonists which keep and hold a certain colour, or maybe a feeling which is visually expressed through colour.

Hard Rain 

Hard Rain has many visually compelling tools. What I find impressive about this project SoSadSoSexy by Lykke Li, is the cohesiveness in the Sound AND Look of the Album. The Colours in all three in the following order released Music Videos: Utopia, Deep End and Hard Rain, are reoccurring in every single one. In the Case of Deep End, there were even previews of certain settings, and locations for Hard Rain. These seemingly small details connect all three Videos beautifully, without it feeling forced or contrived. 

What Hard Rain in particular works with, is the complementary colour scheme. Where you use two colours which are in direct opposition to their counterpart on the complementary scale. None of the pairs within complementary colours dominate the other. If mixed they would end up being a light to dark grey. They cancel each other out so to speak. 

By taking these opposites we already have a platform for narrative. We know these are two polar opposites, we know that none is stronger than the other. Naturally when Lykke is placed in the middle, in between two colours, we expect a border, or the fading of. 

The Video starts out with Lykke and her Lover kissing in a shower, a clear shower curtain between them, keeping them mechanically and synthetically apart. There is a strong red light projected onto Lykke’s back, whereas her lover on the other side of the curtain is lit in green. These two colours are complementary to each other. Therefore, the border between the two is hereby the shower curtain. We know that these colours are vibrant on their own, but fail to mix and blend to produce another vibrant colour. So, there is a sense of danger which feeds into the Idea of both of them (LykkeRed and LoverGreen) touching or engaging with one another, as this may result in them losing themselves without gaining a new. Before we move onto the next shot, which is the title screen of the video for hard rain, also completely drenched in red, we witness the Lover`s hand slide under the curtain and grab onto Lykke`s shoulder blade. A trespassing, musically underlined like we`re used to in horror films. The story has begun.

Her Lover now walks down a hall which again is lit in red. He is now moving freely in her space. Lykke in her red jumper moves in the opposite direction. The red getting paler with each step, halting in a still vibrant pink. We see pond lilies from above, a pair of frogs walking on them. Both in a similar direction, sharing the pool like Lykke and her Lover. Here we see again the red and green imagery. Above water is red whereas everything beneath the waterline is green. And again, as a result to these opposites we have a clear accentuated border (here the waterline) cutting the image in half. 

Still in the theme of water, we now arrive at a fish store with the couple. A sad trend in the pet-industry is to manipulate the lighting of fish tanks in order to let mainly tropical freshwater fish appear in a more toxic vibrant neon colour scheme, similar to the flashy colours of reef fish, rather than showing their natural colouration. This ‘fake’ light is flooding the entire room. Tinting the couple in their seemingly happy relaxed state. We see Lykke back in the pool alone, in a bright red dress creating gorgeous lavish shapes, followed by a ‘Match Cut’ through the Image of a red betta fish and it`s flowy fins, mimicking the dress we`ve just seen. Aligning these two images to one another, let’s us overlap Lykke`s and the fish’s experience in an elegant and obvious way. Her lover bought her the fish, trapped in a plastic bag. This could be read as an Omen to where Lykke is heading in the storyline, feeling trapped. 

After clinical and playful neon lights and a quick flickering of images, one of which is the couple sharing a bed, the covers being green while bedsheets and pillows are dark red, we arrive in the heart, and seemingly most authentic raw part of the video. A short break, natural lighting, a sunset in the background, the couple`s touching foreheads, mimicking each other’s movements. What potentially could have been an awkward moment in a music video, is a refreshing and genuine halt within the story, Lovers being oblivious to the rest of the world, only perceiving each other. 

This Lyric is very well applicable to the usage of the complementary colour scheme within the video. It focuses on the opposites between the two, sharing the same space yet always divided, if through curtain or waterline or just natural occurring border where one colour ends and the other starts. It also, of course, is heart of the song itself and where the couple in their relationship are heading towards. 

From here on the gap, or wall between the couple seems to manifest itself in growing impatience and frustration in Lykke. The colours mainly remain red and green or shift to orange and blue, which again are complementary. What is interesting when looking at the following Image, is the compositional aspect in addition to the colours. Whereas the blue on Lykke’s side claims more space than the orange, her lover does the same by occupying more space in the frame than her. The colours alone seem unbalanced, but once we add the associated bodies, it appears perfectly balanced. 

We arrive at an image reminiscent of the opening scene. Lykke and her love interacting through a physical and transparent separation. Contrary to the opening scene this divider isn’t flexible, nor is it as clear for her to see through, as the shower curtain. It appears decisions have been made on her side which have set, like the glass dividing the two. She no longer interacts or even looks at her former love interest, who is still trying to reach out through the wall.

Interestingly we see three dominant colours this time around. Lykke occupying the left corner in her red jumper, stands near green, whilst her Lover on the other side of the barrier occupies the larger portion of the image in a peachy orange. Is the addition of a third colour introducing something new to the story? A dynamic implementing where the story is headed, or simply suggesting that the conflict might be resolved here? Lykke leaving him in this orange space while she leaves the green empty, maybe for someone else to fill? 

Whichever way we choose to interpret these colours, there is an underlying theme and association with our subjects throughout the video which is undeniable. Let`s choose to see these colours and try to use language to expand on what we perceive as narrative. Colours can be a very reliable, unassuming and elegant way to further transport a story, as well as generate a sense of cohesiveness throughout a project, which relies on colour schemes, as a kind of by product.

Watch HARD RAIN