#the hair and makeup on this episode was also particularly good

[pinchinschlimbah]

The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Episode 3

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

getting intense joy from painting my nails wasn’t an expected outcome of my day but it is definitely a welcome one!

[galaxygermdraws]

Finally designing the Sonic cast. or. at least. Some of them. There are too many characters in this franchise these are just the ones I think about the most often. So uh. Ya. I will leave any notes under the cut since I have a lot, although not every character will have notes because we haven't explored every character (and share them with @shadesofvermillionvoid)

(reblogs with tags/comments are appreciated. Thankyu)

Sonic

Sonic's earring is Chip's bracelet. I don't think Sonic particularly likes having anything on his wrists, and Sonic Forces made that worse

The regulators are based directly on Sonic Prime, as I love the regulators in that show and think the idea of giving Sonic something similar to Shadow's Inhibitor Rings makes a lot of sense

He got those little markings due to accidentally absorbing some of Chaos' DNA

Tails

Tails has goggles like in Sonic Boom, because I like Boom Tails' design

He still has his robotic bits from Sonic Lost World, he still managed to keep his free will, but what happened was Zavok used his ability to control robots to force Tails to fight Sonic. Since then, Tails has updated his cybernetics so he can filter out any suspicious frequencies that could take his free will.

The cannon arm from Lost World is now basically like the guns from Mario and Rabbids, where you hold it in your hand and it like covers your arm. It's like that

Tails is a skeptic. This is the funniest bit but also thanks to Boom (the bad luck episode) it has some precedence

Knuckles

Knuckles in our lore is deeply spiritual (we are developing Mobian belief systems because we are Insane) , and the first time he saw Sonic he noticed he looked similar to the murals in Hidden Palace. So when Sonic turned out to be good, that made sense to him, as Sonic was common in a lot of prophetic murals around the island.

Knux actually thought Sonic was a god at first. Then he saw him choke on a Chili Dog.

He put beads around his spines after the events of Sonic Forces, since the war was over and he could relax for the first time in months.

Amy

Amy, like Knuckles, actually has a deep connection to her belief systems. We haven't figured out everything exactly, but she and Knuckles quickly bond over this aspect of their lives

I styled her quills differently because I kind of like giving her something that makes it obvious she is a hedgehog

Similarly, I gave her a back spine, and the hedgehog nose, since I had never realized she has the same kind of nose as Tails or Cream

Shadow

Shadow wears eye makeup. He puts it on every morning. For a while he had to have help with it (from both Rouge and Amy), but eventually figured out how to do it himself

He has yellow sclera due to the Black Arms blood. Similarly, he has a longer tail than most Mobian hedgehogs, and he cannot retract his fangs. His blood is green

He has some less favorable urges. Mostly related to the whole "Black Arms feed on living creatures" things, but they don't crop up often

He and Rouge have matching earrings

Rouge

I based her design off of Sonic Prime because I honestly prefer that design more. One because she looks like an actual spy, and two because it's based on her Sonic Heroes design. Similarly, she has Prim's hair tuft

Gave her the bat nose a lot of people do because I like the way it looks

I don't have a lot of thoughts about Rouge as of right now I am so sorry.

She and Shadow have matching earrings

Silver

Silver has a lot more scrapes and burns from his future, even though it's been fixed several times

He is displaced from time. He doesn't feel connected to his current future, especially since in our lore he is one of the few people to remember Sonic 06 (it's because in our lore, Timeline B Silver got his powers from Mephiles, in the sense that those time powers had to go SOMEWHERE after the timeline reset.)

I am going to be designing a weird messed up form for Silver (like Werehog or Doom Morph for Sonic and Shadow) based probably on Mephiles to some extent

Blaze

Like Silver, she has remnants of powers from the previous timeline. She already had fire powers in Timeline A, but she has much stronger ones now, as she still has Iblis inside of her, although the powers are no longer destructive, as they were never provoked

Her dimension is actually a result of Solaris ceasing to exist. That power still existed and had to go somewhere, so it ended up resulting in the Sol Dimension.

[saltpepperbeard]

Poison into Positivity: A List of What I Liked in OFMD S2

Hello hello everyone! Things have been a little rough around here. Even away from the more heated takes, I've still seen a few "down in the dumps" murmurs. To which, I'm giving y'all big hugs, but also offering up some little bits of warmth! I wanted to share quite a few bullets of the things I enjoyed about this season. Maybe it'll serve as a reminder, or maybe it'll just serve as a chaotic, silly little read as per usual PFFF.

But I invite you to read along, and even add some of your own points should you feel inclined! Also, this might not even be my full list; these are just the ones that came to me quickly/off the top of my head. Still, let's dive on down like a fantastical, dazzling goldfish, shall we?

All the callbacks/parallels. My goodness. When I tell you I'm a SLUT for metaphors/parallels/callbacks/etc etc. Seeing so many things and being able to just *Leonardo Dicaprio pointing meme.* I know people might not share that same opinion because some might view it to be excessive, but I personally LOVED being able to point at my screen and be like "oH EYYYYYYY!!!" Maybe because it makes for such immaculate gifset/meta material <3 SJKJDLHSK

The costuming and makeup. WHEN THEY TALKED AT ECCC ABOUT EVERYONE GETTING HOTTER, THEY WERE NOT KIDDING LMAO. EVERYONE LOOKED SO, SO GOOD. and listen, i am on my knees begging for them to give ed with his hair up back to us. i need Her back,,,ALSO, SOMETHING SOMETHING COMPLICATED EMOTIONS TOWARDS STEDE'S LATTER HALF LOOK, BUT ALSO...GOD DAMN, MR. DARBY,,,,,,

Speaking of Mr. Darby, the acting in this season. The ACTTTINNNGG. Everyone acted their ASSES off. Everyone put their entire piratussies into this season. Though, I'm PARTICULARLY impressed with Taika and Rhys, because again with their "oh we're comedians lol so idk drama can be Difficult Difficult Lemon Difficult." MMMM I THINK THE FUCK NOT, MY GUYS LMAO??? They both did SO well with all the drama and painful moments. The acting in episodes 2, 3, 6, and 7 in particular like...God. GOD!!!

I loved so many characters in this season, and I'll of course have to give two individual shoutouts to my two favorite new ladies, but man. LET'S GO FRENCHIE!!! ALWAYS A DELIGHT!!! FANG/KEVIN MY ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART. JIM SERVING ABSOLUTE FUCKING GENDER THIS SEASON. OLU OLU DARLING OLU. PETE NEVER MISSING WITH HIS ONELINERS. LUCIUS BEING SO THEATRICAL AHDJKSDK LIKE NATHAN PLEASE YOU KILL ME. ROACH MAKING ME LAUGH OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES AS HE DOES. WEE JOHN AND HIS KNITTING AND DRAG!!! AND THEN OF COURSE MY DEARLY BELOVEDS, ED AND STEDE. I JUST LOVE THEMMMMM!!! But okay okay okay-

Zheng my beloved. I just love this badass pirate queen with her sweet little pigtails and her IMMACULATE LINE DELIVERIES SDHJKSKL. A lot of my favorite deliveries from the entire season came from her quite honestly. Please see: "Girl, how ARE you?" and "Hiiiiiii. I KNOWWW it's been a day" and "I've killed mediocre men. I've killed exceptional men. But you're the worst kind: a mediocre man who thinks he's exceptional."

AND ARCHIE MY BELOVED. She kills me because I remember seeing like, those ~*~audition tape whispers~*~ WAY back in the day, and subsequently thinking she was going to be quite a different character. Only for this silly goofy bubbly energetic darling to pop up and snag my heart. HER deliveries kill me also, like when she goes "Like...STEDE Stede?" and the whole "I was IN the fuckin' snake!" also hhngngngngnershkfhslkds tattooed ladies Hot :(

Speaking of which, the comedy. THE DELIVERIES. THE WAY I LAUGHED OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT, EVEN WITH THE DEEP UNDERCURRENT OF DRAMA/ANGST. The whole bit where Stede is in hysterics over his cursed coat is just hsjkdhsklds; it will NEVER not make me wheeze. And then, like I said, almost EVERYTHING Pete says this season kills me; another thing that will never not make me laugh is "a doggie...?" weird little pirate show with weird little humor my beloved

The ROMANCE??? I genuinely was going into the season with the expectation of getting maybe like, one or two Gentlebeard kisses. Imagine my shock and utter delight when we ended up with FOUR, AS WELL AS AN INTIMATE SCENE, THE LETTER SCENES, AND THE LOVE PROFESSIONS. Like, one of them dropping a legitimate "I love you" felt like an unrealistic expectation--the HIGHEST dream tier really. And then wouldn't you know it. And that doesn't even account for all the rest of the couples either! The murder wives having their chaotic little moments of fucked up affection??? LUCIUS AND PETE GETTING ENGAGED AND THEN MARRIED??? HELLO??????

The sets! I know people have pointed out that the world felt a bit simplified this time around, due to budget restraints and what have you. But I still loved what they did with the world even with the various constraints. The market in episode 6 is a PARTICULAR favorite of mine; it's just so lush and colorful. I also love what they did with The Revenge during episode 6 too!

Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I really actually liked that they filmed on location. First of all, love that the Kiwis got to be right at home in Aotearoa. Love that they have an even more special connection to the show now. But second of all, I just like when scenery is...actually THERE? It feels way more TANGIBLE. Don't get me wrong; that hugeass wraparound screen that they use to film a lot of sets is a technological marvel. But I'm a sucker for practical.

The deeper and more complex dives into character motivations/trauma. Like, homie lol...When I tell you episodes 6 and 7 utterly set my brain alight in the best way possible. I was CHUGGING through thoughts. You know those gifs where someone is walking around and ranting/passionately talking,,, yeah. Yeah. Maybe because a lot of it "struck a chord" with me indeed, but I love love LOVE getting brain food like that.

Speaking of brain food, in PARTICULAR, the deeper dives into Ed's self-loathing and into Stede's troubles with confidence and masculinity. A lot of Stede's choices were fueled by those two things, and it was SO friggin fun to catch all of them, put them in a jar, and shake them around. I've seen a lot of people fearing his actions in the latter half were out of character, but to me, I don't see it that way. I just see a man who has been so spurned, so left behind, and SO deprived, a man who is stuck thinking he has to be someone else to mean something. And I think that plays a lot into even the EARLIEST developments we saw in season 1, so it was just so intriguing to watch everything messily play out.

THE INNKEEPER. THE INNKEEPER MY BELOVED. SO much about that episode absolutely has my heart. All the different developments, the stakes, the pacing, and the payoff at the end. Not to mention that I had a FEELING that mysterious figure in the trailers was Hornigold, so it was so SO validating to see him pop up PFFF. And also, all those dream/gravy basket sequences were so so good too. I don't know if it's the chemistry between Taika and Mark, or the deeper symbolism, or the lines that have become vocal stims for me SJKDLS (please see: ooOOoooO eddie eddie eddie...you're laying some heavy shit on me, bro), but man. MAN.

And this one gets its own bullet because of course it does: the fucking mermaid scene. Like, are we kidding. ARE WE KIDDING. THE ROMANCE OF IT ALL? THE FANTASTICAL-NESS INDEED?? THE WAY IT WAS ALL FUCKING PRACTICAL AND RHYS SWAM DOWN TO TAIKA AS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GOLDFISH AND THEY HAD TO THROW HEART EYES AT EACH OTHER UNDERWATER??? WHAT THE FUCK!!! And don't even get me started on Kate Bush lol. This Woman's Work might easily be one of my favorite songs, if not my FAVORITE song from the season. And man. Man. The whole meaning behind Ed seeing Stede as this beautiful, sparkly being, and not some hypermasculine/extraordinary thing. He fell in love with Stede for who Stede really is. And so I ADORE that acknowledgement.

Speaking of songs, the MUSIC!!! Absolute bangers all throughout. And I loved how there seemed to be even more intermixed within the episodes. Like God... "These are the kids..." 🗣️ HELLO MY LOVE I HEARD A KISS FROM YOU 🦗🦟🦗🦟🦗🦟 . And all the beautiful classic piano pieces and NINA SIMONE AND JUST HSJKDHSFJKLHSKD????

Okay, I've always had and STILL have complicated thoughts and opinions on Izzy, but man, seeing him interact with the Revenge Crew was really something. Seeing Stede's influence come over the lot of them like a warm blanket, extending its welcoming and familial hands...It was just lovely. I love seeing our little sea family care for each other so much. They've probably all hurt so so much in different ways, so to see them all being a collective heart is just so nice.

Speaking of which, the queerness of it all, the queer celebration of it all. The way the whole crew is just...a representation of queer people finding each other, and subsequently finding love and family in each other. Like, when the whole world wants to cast you out, you pull each other in. When no one else wants you, you take refuge in each other. And just...the joy, beauty, and wonder that can be found in that.

And speaking of which x2, the overall care that was put into the entire thing, the effort that was put into the entire thing. I know Max fucked us over with the budget, which subsequently fucked things like the intricacy, the amount of characters, and especially the pacing. But, I don't know; I personally could still tell everyone involved was trying so so hard to deliver for us. Based on the little details, the little callbacks, and the little moments that felt so catered to us, it just seemed so...gifted to us. Not to mention of course, the way they so deliberately chose to end on a hopeful note in case we never get a third season. They care about us. They've always cherished our excitement and passion, so it just...idk; it feels so special to have a bit more of an intimate connection like that. I've never been involved with a piece of media that so avidly SEES its audience, and celebrates along with us. So, despite everything, despite any sort of troubles, despite any sort of lows, that's a big part of what has me clutching all of this so closely to my chest. And I really hope they can still see that love, because I want nothing more than for them to see this beautiful story through.

Also, getting to enjoy this with everyone. Getting to ride the wave from the beginning of filming, all the way through the finale. Getting to see all the excitement, all the theories, all the art, all the fanfiction, all the gif sets, all the meta, and everything in between. It has carried me through some nastiness in my personal life, and has subsequently served as a very welcomed distraction. It's been such a pleasure getting to delight in this new content with you all, and I hope we get to do so into the future. <3

[randomfoggytiger]

The X-Files: A Day-in-the-Life On-Set

An extract from this (very long) 1995 Chris Carter post.

CRUSHING TIMELINES AND ULTIMATE FREEDOM

…The Los Angeles office, housed in its own bungalow, is nicely appointed but relatively spare. 

The [Los Angeles] office itself is bustling this particularly morning, as writers move in and out--- occasionally invading the space of researcher/officer manager Mary Astadourian, where various drawers full of research material are kept. In there, the scribes will find literature on the paranormal, diseases, viruses, and various monsters, with folders that carry labels like “Roswell” or “Loch Ness.” 

…Part of the morning is devoted to the regularly scheduled writers’ meeting, with the entire staff… assembling to go over that week’s script, blocking out the teaser and all four acts….

The other writers question each nuance, throwing out suggestions to refine the story and make sure it’s clear…. Despite the need for exposition, Carter also stresses not letting the pace drag, wanting to spread action within the hour (or more precisely, 44 minutes or so minus commercials) allotted them. “Make sure you keep it hoppin’,” he says. 

…Eventually, it’s suggested they shift some action from the second act into the first in order to achieve the proper sense of pacing. The move requires some reconfiguration of other plot elements, but once those are blocked out the producer and other writers seem content. “That works for me,” says Carter, sending the show’s writer off to do another rewrite. 

Carter’s daily schedule, however, is just beginning. The writers’ session is followed by what’s known as a concept meeting-- a teleconference with the staff in Vancouver to grapple with various production issues before the begin filming a new episode…. 

Other issues involve the number of extras they can use….

Because money is always an issue, and time a luxury the crew usually doesn’t have, compromise and ingenuity remain key….

The producers also pride themselves on finding means of scavenging resources, then developing different ways to capitalize upon them. A prime case involves the crew getting access to a Canadian Navy destroyer that was then used in three different episodes, including “Dod Kalm”... and “End Game”.... “It’s fun,” Carter says, “to make something out of nothing.” 

Episodes must be plotted down to the most minute details-- in part because Carter is a perfectionist, and in part because the show is under a microscope now, with fans picking and nitpicking every conceivable aspect. Issues raised include what sort of garb Native Americans depicted should wear, with an emphasis on being as faithful as possible to tribal customs. (A Navajo group has complained because a character wore his hair down, something the elders in that tribe wouldn’t normally do, in the episode entitled “Anasazi.” Carter subsequently visited a Navajo reservation and attended one of their ceremonies.) 

From a more practical standpoint, the Vancouver team wants to know whether they can wardrobe the actors in blue jeans because some postproduction special effects shots use blue-screen, which essentially eliminates that color. 

The L.A. staffers are also assured that a shoot-out sequence will be top-notch, with bullet hits and ricochets plus a movie-style car explosion. Can it be done? “The answer’s yes… with disclaimers,” quips Beck good-naturedly adding, “One big disclaimer: How much money you got?” 

…The crew clearly takes enormous pride in the series, which presents them with such challenges on almost a daily basis and allows them to put their skills to the fullest possible use. Some freely admit, in fact, that they’ve been spoiled by their involvement with "The X-Files" and would have a hard time working elsewhere. “They’d have to drag me kicking and screaming off this show,” Gauthier says. 

The same goes for makeup special effects supervisor Toby Lindala…. Still, Lindala has proven up to most any task, with the Flukeman-- a costume his crew created in 10 days that had to weather water and other shooting ordeals-- still his proudest accomplishment. “That was probably the most insane undertaking for a time period,” says Lindala, who worked a 28-and 28-hour day during that stretch to get the suit ready in time. Even so, Lindala grew up watching monster movies and isn’t complaining, relishing the opportunities the show has provided to fool around with such projects. “I love making ‘em,” he says. 

Goodwin, a veteran producer who has worked on such series as "Life Goes On" and "Mancuso FBI", now tries to provide more lead time to prepare such major undertakings, but in most instances Lindala and his team (four people, including Lindala, work full time in that area) have just seven days’ notice to put a makeup effect together, and his services are needed in virtually every episode. 

…Careful planning remains the main hedge against both cost and time crunches, with Goodwin pointing out that in television time essentially translates directly into money. “The quicker you have to do it, the more it costs,” he says, adding that while some in the industry are tempted to cut corners, “My motto is, ‘Quality, whether they want it or not.’” 

…Kim Manners, also one of the show’s pool of directors, lauds Carter for treating each installment like a mini-movie. The process gives the individual directors-- who in episodic television, which is dominated by executive producers, are often viewed as transient guns for hire-- the opportunity to truly ply their trade. “He insists that you go out and be a filmmaker,” Manners says. “He doesn’t want you just go out and be a traffic cop.” Because of that freedom, he adds, the show is “the zenith of my career.” 

…Unlike most television shows that shoot on location, on "The X-Files" whoever scripted that particular episode goes to Vancouver to scout out locations and do other preparatory work. “To make sure,” as story editor Frank Spotnitz puts it, “everything is in sync with what the writer had in mind,” from casting to production design. In the cryptic vernacular of the show, the process stems from commitment to “purity control.” 

…For the episode in question, that means co-executive producer Howard Gordon, the only member of the writing staff other than creator Chris Carter who has been with the show virtually since the beginning, has made the sojourn to Vancouver. “As a writer, you don’t get that experience on any other show,” says Gordon. 

…Other matters have also arisen, some remarkable in their degree of minutia. Gordon’s script for the episode being prepared, for example, contains a seemingly innocuous reference to being “in the mood for some Quarter Pounders,” and Fox’s legal department wants them to clear the wording with McDonald’s…. “That’s a great line,” says an only slightly exasperated Manners…. Hours later, it’s decided to change to a more generic term rather than hassle the legal issue. 

…A later shot involves disposing of the [dead] cow, and Gordon-- a city kid from New York-- has actually researched the matter…. …But in light of McDonald’s headache, Carter has another suggestion. “How ‘bout if we just have a truck with golden arches on the side?” he jokes, spurring laughs from everyone in the room. 

…The attention to detail, again, proves remarkable, driven by Carter’s commitment to perfection. 

The entire process involved in shooting an episode of "The X-Files", from the first day of preparation to the last day of postproduction, usually takes six to eight weeks, with the seven days of preparation key to ensuring that the eight days of production that follow go smoothly-- though even the enormous effort that goes into planning can never account for every detail that can delay filming and raise blood pressure rates all around. In the middle of the season, as time grows shorter, there’s occasionally been as little as five weeks from prep to air. 

Just two days before shooting is to begin, Manners, Gordon, Carter, and co-executive producer R.W. Goodwin cram into a small audition room, where they’re scheduled to see more than 20 actors in just over an hour….

Manners, Gordon, and about 15 crew members, including special effects ace Dave Gauthier, production designer Graeme Murray, and others from various departments, later embark on a technical survey. They pile into an air-conditioned bus to scout out all the locations that will be involved in the upcoming shoot, usually a six-to-eight hour pilgrimage. “And this is the easy part,” laughs set decorator Shirley Inget. 

Carter follows the group to the door but has too much work at the office to come along. “I’m gonna miss this one, you guys,” he tells them, which is met with a collective “Aw” from the bus. 

…The bunch straggles back to the studio around 7:30 P.M., almost eight hours after their departure. On a near-by soundstage, meanwhile, Bowman is directing stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, trying to keep the level of enthusiasm up with another long night of work to do. Shooting is frequently a tedious process, with long lapses between the action as shots are set up. The two stars carry out an emotional scene in front of an elevator that isn’t really an elevator, with a crew member behind the soundstage wall sliding a wooden door closed to approximate the effect. “I love it!” Bowman proclaims as the scene ends, watching the shot through a monitor and lauding his star as “One-take Duchovny.” 

Outside, Anderson’s baby, Piper… plays with various staff members as well as her father, assistant art director Clyde Klotz, who’s just returned from the technical survey. Piper shows off her mother’s piercing eyes and frolics later with Duchovny’s dog, Blue (his constant companion on the set), both seemingly fascinated with and a bit perplexed by the other. "The X-Files" is, indeed, a family affair, underscored when Goodwin brings his 10-year-old son and a friend into the production office the next morning, the latter collecting autographs from everyone on that week’s script. 

A short time later Duchovny and Anderson arrive, enjoying a few quiet moments while Piper plays nearby in a small red tub, watched carefully by her nanny. …Though he isn’t shooting that day, actor Mitch Pileggi (who seems to create quite a stir among the female office staff) also pops by to look over dailies, or raw footage, of a fight sequence featuring him shot earlier in the week.  

…Bowman has to deal with five actors (Anderson, Duchovny, and Gunmen Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, and Braidwood) in a relatively confined space, so the staging will be critical. After Bowman aligns them one way, Duchovny suggests an alternative in handling the shot, and various configurations are tried. As they begin rehearsing, everyone still seems a bit punchy, and the mood is light. Haglund keeps wanting to call a Nazi scientist “Kempler” instead of “Klemper”, and Duchovny has a hard time not laughing each time Braidwood (who comes up roughly to the actor’s chin) approaches him, with Frohike supposed to act relieved to see Mulder alive after the events that closed the second season. “Did you ever see the Star Trek where Spock thought that Kirk died?” Duchovny tells him with his trademark deadpan delivery. ‘That’s what you want to be doing.” 

Production ultimately won’t conclude until near 2 A.M. that morning…. 

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About Khun Chai

I did it, y’all. I watched my first lakorn, and let me tell you, I had a fucking fantastic time doing it. Now that’s not a blanket endorsement of the genre, because I understand Khun Chai aka To Sir, With Love is pretty unique, particularly in that it’s a period queer love story with a happy ending. But as a different kind of Thai drama than any I’d previously seen, it was truly a great watch.

It has some flaws, sure. It’s a soap opera, so melodrama, repetitive story beats, overdramatic acting, and slow pacing are par for the course. If you go in understanding that, you’ll be fine. And the episodes are long af but don’t be shy about increasing the playback speed - I watched a lot of it at 1.5x and it was perfectly smooth. Now that I’ve finished it, I think the time investment was totally worth it (@bengiyo my final rec - worth going back to finish! It worked better for me when I broke it up in chunks of 2-3 episodes at a time).

Without further ado, the top ten reasons I loved it:

1. TIAN MY BELOVED

Look at him. Just look at his beautiful traumatized face!! I hold that it’s impossible to watch this entire show and not come out absolutely loving this man. He is so believably flawed but at his core he is good. He is generous. He is loyal. He is brave. And he looks very good in a three piece suit.

Honestly I could do a whole top ten list just about Tian but let’s move on and give some love to the rest of the show.

2. Did I mention this is a PERIOD ROMANCE??!! Something we get so precious little of in bl. I asked @absolutebl a while back if they knew of any other Thai period bls, and this was the entire list. So good thing it’s excellent!

The show is set in the 1930s and 40s in Japanese-occupied Thailand, and it centers on a powerful Thai-Chinese family (currently leading a cooperative partnership of five families) and the power struggle over who will be the heir (Succession, but make it Asian and queer). The show digs into really interesting family structure, politics, and class struggle stuff.

3. The brotherly bond is unmatched and undefeated. The plot centers on two brothers, Tian and Yang, who love each other so much, like I cannot emphasize enough how willing these brothers are to protect and die for each other. If someone was shooting at them they would both try to dive in front of the bullet. Their bond is so touching and provides an emotional through line when the plot gets wacky.

4. The classic soap opera plots are truly brilliant, all your favorite tropes are here. This show has everything - family secrets, nefarious schemes, murderous maids, mystical poisons, faen fatales, even sex pollen! As I believe @ginnymoonbeam put it at one point - everything is happening so much all the time. It’s truly a delightful romp, especially after the halfway point when the plot machinations really kick into high gear.

5. The queer love story is the main romance and emotional heart of the show. There are actually two romances in this show - each of the brothers gets a love interest. And both of them are lovely. But rather than the typical move where a het drama features a queer side pairing, here the entire story is driven by Tian’s sexual identity, the burden placed on him to keep it a secret, and how increasingly impossible that becomes once he meets Jiu. Over the course of this show, we get to watch Tian fall in love and finally live his truth and see how that changes him. It’s truly beautiful, and the romance between Tian and Jiu is so sweet (and a bit racier than I expected - the show does not shy away from the sexual aspect of this relationship). The romance between Yang and Pin is also very sweet - they are adorable tbh - but entirely secondary.

6. Every frame of this show is absolutely gorgeous. The scenery is lush, the costumes are beautiful, the tailoring is impeccable, the hair and makeup never misses. It’s truly a feast for the eyes.

7. There are so many good female characters in this show, y’all! Tian and Yang have not one but 4 or 5 different mother figures. They are all flawed, complex, and a little nuts. They get up to so much trouble and drive a lot of the plot with their scheming, hijinks, and prolific wielding of murderous sparkle dust (don’t ask, you have to see it to understand). Pin, Tian’s would be fiancé turned sister-in-law, is a total sweetheart, but she’s also smart and fierce with a steel core and not afraid to tell her man when he’s being stupid. There’s even a lady boss at the head of one of the five families.

8. Relatedly, there is so much complex family drama in this show, and so many interesting dysfunctional parental relationships. @waitmyturtles you will have a field day when you finally get to watch this. Both brothers have fraught relationships with their various parent figures, for very different reasons. The various relationships and resentments that form between the wives and the sons in a polygamous family unit (did I mention that yet? there are three wives in the mix here and the brothers have different biological moms) are absolutely fascinating.

9. The resolution to the succession plot and ultimate defeat of the Big Bad was so satisfying. I won’t get into spoiler territory, but let me just say that the characters went through a lot together and to see the way they ultimately had to come together and let go of their baggage to survive was very cool. It felt earned.

10. IT ENDS WITH A BIG OLD HEAP OF GAY DOMESTIC BLISS!!! I will get into spoiler territory here because you deserve to know that if you put in the time to watch this show you will be rewarded with a very happy couple forming a family unit and living peacefully on their own terms. I was so pleased with this ending, I can’t even tell you. The final scenes made me cry real tears, I was so touched. And they even put a literal rainbow in the sky at the end. A literal rainbow! Come on!

Watch it, friends! It’s worth your time.

[thegeminisage]

could it be...? a star trek update...? yes, after almost 3 weeks, we're BACK! fuck you, helene!! sunday night we watched ds9's "covenant" and "it's only a paper moon" and last night we watched voy's "timeless" and "infinite regress."

covenant (ds9):

oooh gul dukat back at it again and axe crazier than ever. i missed him

favorite part of the episode hands down was me joking about the baby coming out half cardassian and then the baby COMES OUT HALF CARDASSIAN

second favorite part was odo wanting to go to church with kira even though that's fucking insane

love that we addressed kira's mom stuff in this episode by the way. like the fact that dukat raped her mother is hanging right there in the air while he tries to worm his way into bed with kira

ALL HE WANTS IS TO BE WORSHIPPED. he had it great here. and if he hadn't brought kira in he could have continued to have it great here except he can't. stop. obsessing over her

like, the ONLY reason this went bad on him is because kira came in and almost literally blew it up in his face. he wouldn't have even had to pull a jonestown. he could have gone on being worshipped and having half-cardassian rape babies indefinitely. but he HAAAD to have kira. insane

it's only a paper moon (ds9):

NOG MY BELOVED

this confirms my belief that vic would have made a counselor than holodeck character and ccertainly a better counselor than ezri, who is awful at her job. "nog just walk without the cane it's only trauma!" have you TRIED not being a mutant?

i have some minor quibbles with the holodeck logistics in this episode (vic decides when he wants to be off even though when he's off he doesn't exist...?), but it's amazing how much less i mind when the episode is actually like. good.

also the reveal of why nog liked the song so much...i remembered before they told us but AGHGHGHG. i'll never forget quark standing over his bedside with the phaser. that episode was insane

nog's monologue at the end was SO good. i know it had to be difficult to pull off while doing the nog voice too but he fuckin nailed it. like it's so real and such a growing up moment and figuring out death is real and like. vic can't even be reassuring he has to straight up say "i don't know what's gonna happen to you"

as a final note, quark willing to keep that holosuite open on his own dime...he cares So Much AAAGHGHG

timeless (voy):

this fucked! hey, first of all, the tasteful +15yrs old person makeup is so much better than trying to make young hot actors look elderly. i barely even noticed the eye wrinkles but the dark circles and gray hair? hot. chakotay hot. harry kim? yes, it's true: HOT!!! he looked so fucking good in this episode. give him long hair and existential angst and self-loathing more often, please.

on the subject of harry - normally i'm very "eh" on him and 99% of the harry-centric episodes fucking suck ass, but this one kind of ruled. at first i was like damn couldn't you stick chakotay with someone more interesting but by the end i was kind of wishing HARRY had been with someone more interesting

not that i disliked chakotay or hot chakotay or his finding the frozen corpse of his wife and his wife's girlfriend, but he and harry have had so few scenes together - plus they randomly gave him a girlfriend?? what?? have him angst over janeway! have him be gay with harry! nobody cares about this lady.

like, i feel like b'elanna would have been a good match here - she had no family outside of voyager, and both she and harry would be particularly devastated over tom. harry has also had a few scenes with tuvok - old grieving tuvok would have been great. i know seven being dead was kind of essential to the plot but he's also had scenes with seven and she's also very invested in voyager as a home. chakotay just feels like a weird choice, especially if you aren't even gonna linger on the frozen janeway moment

the emh in this was also very good. the way he calmed harry down and the way he gladly sacrificed himself to the mission...god!!! i love him so much

infinite regress (voy):

THIS ONE BLEW MY TITS CLEAN OFF. HEY DID YOU GUYS KNOW SEVEN OF NINE IS FULL OF GHOSTS???

i only half-remembered the summary of this one after we got started and once i realized the little girl in the reflection was a little girl who had been assimilated by the borg (not unlike annika herself) my stomach kind of fell into my feet

this episode does like SUCH a good job portraying the true horror of the borg - if you say a planet of people got assimilated, that's bad, but to actually meet the terrified grieving mother and the lost little girl and the friendly fast-talking ferengi businessman puts it into so much perspective. i could not stop picturing what a ferengi borg might look like. could not stop wondering if that mother lost her son or if they joined the collective together. where that girl's parents were. like, the calm vulcan commander, the jokey manicurist, the temporal scientist - THEY ARE NOT DEAD. they are WORSE than dead. and then she's got dozens and hundreds of people inside her just as unique and varied and real. like that's as close to hell in real life as i can possibly image - all those voice screaming inside seven, that will be with her for the rest of her life, and she (and them) equally victims and aggressors. holy FUCKING shit

also a great episode for gay people. when janeway told seven her job was to hold on and fight even when she thought she couldn't anymore and COULD NOT look directly at her while she said it.

actually, all the people who love seven...the emh being so kind about her treatment and symptoms, and TUVOK!!!! tuvok being willing to mindmeld with seven and ready to attempt to pick her out of a literal sea of people and drag her back to safety. my main complaint about tng was that you could rarely tell how much they LOVED each other, but it oozed out of every second of this episode. i LOVE when tuvok and seven get to have a moment

and i cannot of course forget little naomi who is SO CUTE she is SO CUTE and her little borgspeak at the end vs how terrified she was of seven earlier...please. sometimes you just need to give characters a baby!!!!!!

edit: i actually did forget another favorite part of this episode which was seven doing the klingon mating ritual with b'elanna. FUN. "does that make this our second date" yeah i think it does actually.

anyway, great episodes to welcome me back to electricity with. TONIGHT: voy's "nothing human" and "thirty days."

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Season 4 Rewatch Drabbles: 4x5 Breaking Glass

Summary:  A series of 100-1000 word drabbles to accompany my    rewatch of season 4 of Once Upon a Time.  There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season.  Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.

Word Count: 687

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (6) (7) (8)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Killian left the sheriff’s station and headed toward the harbor feeling an odd mixture of elation, self-loathing and dread.  The elation was easy enough to explain, after all, his first official date with Swan last night had been nothing short of magical.  For months–nearly for years at this point–he’d hoped for such an outing with her, an opportunity for fun, flirtation and general companionship.

It had been everything he’d hoped and more.  She’d looked positively stunning–not merely her dress, her carefully coiffed hair, the makeup that accentuated her lovely features, but her.  She’d been happy, happy to be with him, eager for what their relationship might become.  This morning, she’d sent a correspondence to him on his talking phone–what did she call it?  A text he believed–suggesting he take her lad out on the water.  It would seem the lad wished for sailing lessons.

Killian felt the salty sea breeze caress his face as the sea came into view.  He saw Henry standing beside a rather unremarkable boat, docked and ready to sail.  (How he missed the Roger!)

He was all too happy to oblige.  He cared for Swan, loved her even, but he knew if he were to have a lasting relationship with her, he must also have one with her son.  It was certainly no burden.  The boy was intelligent, curious, precocious.  He saw a lot of young Baelfire in the lad, and it gave him a bittersweet feeling.  Perhaps this time  he could be worthy of the lad.

And that brought him to the self-loathing and dread.  How had he been so stupid? So arrogant?  Why the hell had he believed blackmailing the Crocodile a good idea?  Ever since he’d met Swan–and particularly ever since he’d chosen to come back to her with the bean and assist her in saving her son from Neverland–he’d wanted to change, to become a good man.

For her, aye, but that was not all.  He wanted to become a man he could be proud of, and yesterday he’d failed out of a misguided desire to be whole for her.  It had been years since his disability had made him feel so very inadequate, but she was so perfect, so complete, and he was…well, as Pan had said, he was a one-handed pirate with a drinking problem.

A rush of love and wonder and gratitude rushed over him as he thought over last night.  She hadn’t even noticed his left hand at first.  Her parents had needed to bring it to her attention.  Once she did notice, she’d cared only about the cost Rumplestitlskin might have exacted. Similarly, this morning when he’d shown up at the sheriff’s station with his old, familiar hook, she’d merely asked what happened before shrugging it off.

She was truly amazing.  She cared for him, saw him.  She didn’t see a broken man, a man lacking.  She saw a man she believed to be good and worthy, whether he had two hands, one hand or none at all..

But he wasn’t a good man.  Because of his stupidity, he’d allowed Rumple to blackmail him, and now….now there was no telling what horrors the Crocodile had in store for him.  What would the bastard make him do?  What would happen when Swan inevitably learned the truth?  Now that he’d had a taste of what life with her was like, he couldn’t bear to lose her.

And so he lied to her.  Not with his words, but with his silence.  There had been many instances in his long life when Killian had hated himself, but he rather doubted there was ever a time he loathed himself more.  Somehow he had to get out of this.  Somehow he had to find the courage to tell her the truth.

Until then…he must soldier on.

Henry spotted him, and waved exuberantly. “Will this boat work, Killian?” he asked eagerly.  “You think you can teach me to sail it?”

Killian pushed down the uncomfortable feelings and smiled.  “This shall do quite nicely lad, and it’s a lovely day to be out on the water.  What say we set sail?”

NEXT CHAPTER->

[ladywynneoutlander]

Thoughts on 703 - Death Be Not Proud

Jumping right in to episode three. The story is flying along, but with so much to cover I can see why. It makes me glad to know there is one more season on the way.

What a thrill to see Jemmy's box arrive.

The 1980's look really great onscreen. Honestly I don't remember people in the US looking so nice and cozy. My parents forced us into loud geometric prints, but I digress. : ) This show must be a literal dream for the set designers, costume designers, hair, and makeup artists that get to recreate so many different eras.

I'm glad they expanded on the house fire scene. It needed it for clarity as to what exactly happened and as to who exactly died (i.e. all the bandits). The fire itself was a true spectacle, and very moving. It was fitting for the importance of the event in terms of character's lives, story moving forward, and the settling of the newspaper article plot that brought Bree to the 18th century way back in season 4. "Bloody newspapers. Never get anything right." Good job Brianna. Mission accomplished.

The aftermath of the fire is a visual that struck me. Love amidst ruin.

Mr. Bug speaks at last. I am glad that the Bugs were finally fleshed out as characters, and tie-ins to the Rising are always interesting. These connections past to present give the story so much depth. However, they did leave out some of Mr. Bug's personal vendetta against Jamie's family, and I was a little confused about why he thought he and Mrs. Bug deserved the gold.

The moment of Mrs. Bug encouraging and supporting Arch was simply lovely. It highlighted the complexity of the situation and was completely necessary for what comes next to have the impact it deserved.

Ian, poor lad. I'm not getting into the plot holes here. Ignoring "what ifs" for the sake of time and sanity.

The funeral. Caitriona Balfe really did sing the Ave Maria. She has such a beautiful voice!

Mr. Bug's face as he laid Murdina to rest was enough to break your heart; and then moments later, his face as he threatened Ian was enough to chill it. Wow.

It was a minor thing but I liked the slight drizzle throughout the episode, especially the funeral. So appropriate. I wonder if they created it or just went with the weather?

I love Jamie's dream. How special, and this one confirmed he truly has a connection with the future.

Adso, dearest, you represent the Ridge. This made me hate so much that Claire has to leave her home. As excited as I am for what is to come, I was almost angry at Jamie for making her go.

Finally, the little transitional pictures are perfect emotional cues. I know it is a really tiny detail, but I noticed them this episode particularly. They set the scenes, make everything flow, and reinforce the scenic beauty that has been part of Outlander from season one. And they weren't always used, sometimes transitions are fade outs, so very nice.

I like the little moments of domestic happiness woven throughout this episode, which give it kind of an even keel. Yes, there was tragedy, but there was also calm. There was love through mourning. We even see this in the future with Bree and Roger at Lallybroch, longing for their loved ones. It is very Outlander.

Enjoyed this episode. It felt like time with friends. : ) Wishing everyone the best and a very happy fourth to those in the US. 🧡

[josiesaltzmanstyle]

1.06 Mombie Dearest

It’s giving Sky (TM).

Josie starts off the episode in this Ted Baker London sky-blue ribbed sweater. It has a sewn-in white scalloped collar and white cuffs, and hanging white fabric at the bottom that gives off the illusion of being a full undershirt. It’s reminiscent of the Modcloth sweater she wore in 1.01, though the psuedo-undershirt and the keyhole at the back of the neck are distinct details that make it feel less mature. I’m biased, not being a fan of either of those details in general. The illusion of an undershirt is a detail I generally do not love in blouses; I think it looks a lot 'cheaper', for lack of a better term, than simply wearing an individual undershirt or having an undershirt sewn it. I think it could work for a different character, but something about it feels a little off for Josie to me. BUT, also, she tucks her shirt into her skirt here, so it's not too bothersome to me. It's not really visible.

Another fun Saltzman Twins Style Note: Lizzie is either wearing a blue twist-tie crop top or bra/bralette under her white netted tee, and the shade is very reminiscent of Josie’s sweater.

One fun thing about this project is how much more I’m noticing these fun coordinating moments. I’m curious about whether they talk about coordinating like this, or if they have a siphon twin psychic sense that influences choices like these on occasion. I’d imagine a mix. Regardless, it’s fun to see common threads (🧵) between their relatively disparate styles—so far, Josie leans vintage/mod-influenced, and Lizzie trends modern but often more casual. It's noteworthy to me, too, that Josie is in her school uniform - we'll see a glimpse of that signature plaid skirt in just a minute, and the Salvatore S is pictured above, emblazoned onto her sweater - while Lizzie seems not to be dressed to be going to classes. Interesting to note, given Josie being presented as the one that's a little more 'studious' between the two of them.

No clear shot of her shoes, but Josie has a classic/adorable knee high socks thing going on, too.

She has also been experimenting stylistically a little the last few episodes, this color palette and generally studious look is (perhaps refreshingly?) a return to form.

Lots piercings, once again, but unfortunately hard to make out.That's an interesting styling choice to me, though, that even in some of her more traditional outfits, she tends to wear multiple earrings in one ear. It's a detail that somewhat contrasts the more studious persona she's often trying to present.

Later, we get a repeat of Josie’s pajamas from 1.02 as she’s helping Lizzie get ready for their sweet sixteen party, her hair pulled up in sensible ponytail. Not much new to say here, particularly because I still can't pin down the specific items for how generic they are. But it is interesting to note the contrast being made here - Lizzie complains that Josie's not even dressed for the night yet so that the narrative can highlight that Josie's been helping Lizzie get ready for their party at the expense of getting herself ready on time. It's also interesting that we don't know how this happened - is this a regular occurrence/something that they both just presume will happen? Did Josie start getting ready and pause when Lizzie needed help? (I actually feel pretty confident that she did - her makeup is done. Which, I mean, her makeup is always done, it's a CW show. But her hair is pulled back in a way that would be really efficient for doing her makeup, and she has different earrings than the ones from the day in.)

Obligatory talisman moment. I naively assumed that this necklace was custom-made for the show, but it's actually this necklace named "Adventure" from Pyrrah. According to the description, "The ship featured on this talisman represents adventure, while the anchors are symbolic of safety and security. Elephant trunks signify good luck. The caduceus is a symbol of Hermes, the patron saint of travelers." While not exactly what Hope describes (a charm to "make quiet things heard), it still seems appropriate for a character whose arc is so wrapped up in repression vs. expression, self-discovery, etc.) Particularly interested in the adventure/patron saint of travelers aspect, given when Josie makes her last appearance with it.

It costs a pretty penny, and there seem to be limited quantities left, as the item has been archived, but it's out there, for what it's worth out. (I'm on a grad student's stipend, sadly, otherwise I would be more seriously tempted. The details seem really intricate.)

She's also sporting what looks like a golden/bronze tie-on charm bracelet in this scene, but alas, I can't find it anywhere. Still, I find it interesting - I don't believe she wears it with her day outfit, but she is still wearing it when she approaches Jo in her dress. It's very pretty and feels a little more whimsical than her usual fare re: accessories.

What I love about Josie’s party dress—its timeless, classic, and elegant nature—also makes it hard to narrow down. I found a few options that it may be, but realistically, I’m not sure. (Am I mad at myself for being able to find so little this ep? Yes. Alas, if I keep letting that stop me, I will never finish this project.) If I had to guess, I would say I think they may have gotten this dress from a bridal shop and altered it somewhat.

I also usually try not to color correct quite so much, but this shot called for a little more, as Legacie's often skewed-green filtering was washing out the color, making it hard to tell the dress is pink.

Anyway, Josie is sporting a pale pink, gauzy dress with a sweetheart neckline. It's one of the looks that stands out to me most from season one (though maybe I just like formal wear), making me a bit said that we never get a particularly great shot of it. The one above is probably the clearest shot, but I wish we could have closed in on it to see some more detail, and seen it in better lighting. Alas, alack. The bottom is also cascading and a bit purposefully-torn looking (I don't know a better word for this, unfortunately), giving it almost the air of a dress from a fairytale.

She's also taken her hair down (though she seems to have perhaps curled it?) very specifically so she can ask Jo to braid it. It's very wholesome.

More readily visible here is that rhinestone belt Josie accessorizes with. (I didn't color correct as heavily again with this one, so you can see how much the lighting/color grading affects the look of the dress lmao.) It adds a bit of modernity to any otherwise very classic look. I'm also inclined to think it's either sewn into the dress itself, or is a cuff of some kind, because it doesn't extend to the back.

Instead, there's a white, silky looking bow on the back! It's simultaneously very classic and traditional while also coming off a bit young/juvenile, perhaps emphasizing the vulnerable position Josie finds herself in this episode.

Not pictured because we never get a great shot of them, but I would bet my life the white wedges she's wearing in this look are Aldos.

I know this is a series on Josie’s style and I keep bringing up Lizzie’s too, but I often find the comparison adds something interesting to the conversation! It’s fascinating to me (especially in an episode so focused on the differences in and unspoken but real tension between Josie and Lizzie’s wants and needs) that their different style preferences are SO on display in their birthday outfits. Josie’s dress is classically feminine and princess-like with a sweetheart neckline, whereas Lizzie’s bright blue fringe dress and white faux-fur shrug is reminiscent of old Hollywood with a modern it-girl twist. The differences in their personalities couldn’t be more on display here and given the content of the episode, I imagine that’s intentional. I also find it interesting/notable that Lizzie stays in-color theme with what both of the twins were wearing earlier, while Josie shifts away from it.

After getting buried alive, I think I'd probably feel the need for a shower, too. There was a LOT of dirt involved.

Her white tie robe looks fairly basic/standard. I think we may later see her in one that has the Salvatare 'S' emblazoned on, but this one doesn't seem to.

Not easily seen here, but if you pay close attention in this scene, she's still wearing the talisman Hope gave her underneath. <3

As Josie and Lizzie and Alaric say goodbye to Jo before the twins siphon the magic keeping her 'alive', they've both changed into much more casual clothes - Josie wearing grey sweats and a (very dark) blue sweatshirt, Lizzie in a red hoodie. VERY fair, considering the day they're having. It's interesting that they've switched color schemes, with Lizzie's red a deeper, warmer variation on the pink from Josie's dress earlier, and Josie's navy sweatshirt a similar callback to Lizzie's blue. Very ebb and flow of them. Also noteworthy, Josie's put her hair back up after her shower, whereas Lizzie has let hers back down.

Once again, if you look closely, the chain of the talisman is still visible underneath Josie's sweatshirt. I keep on noticing it because it seems like the type of thing she would normally take off for a shower or getting ready for bed, leading me to wonder if it's helping her feel safe, given what Hope said earlier about it helping them find her.

That's a wrap! I'm a bit disappointed I could only really find one item with this episode, but ah, well. You win and you lose some. As always, if anyone has any info on them, feel free to reach out so I can edit/update this post, and I'll be happy to credit you.

Favorite outfit:

Did you even have to ask?

[hardworkandguts]

Paradise Kiss

(Anime + Manga)

Josei romance by Ai Yazawa

Era: 1990s, 2000s

Rating: B

Plot: Yukari Hayasaka, a serious high school senior focused on her upcoming college admission exams is just minding her own business when she's approached by a punk, Arashi, who compliments her looks and height. She tries to escape, but runs into Isabella, a tall elegant woman with extravagant makeup and passes out. She regains consciousness and sees a cherubic girl with pink hair who introduces herself as Miwako, that they're fashion students from the infamous Yazawa Arts and she's in their atelier, and they find her perfect to model in their upcoming fashion show. While escaping, she drops her student ID, who is returned by George, the leader of the group with striking blue eyes and hair, who makes her reconsider not only her decision to model, but also what she wants from life.

Length: 12 episodes, 48 chapters

Thoughts: If there's one thing we can rely on Ai Yazawa is to deliver are very stylish women and men into arts who make some messy decisions and have to learn to live with them. Not as much of a sequel as a follow-up sidestory to Neighborhood Story, we get a real nice story here as our assortment of ParaKiss eccentrics completely turn the life of their "Caroline" upside down. The main plot point is a coming of age story where Yukari must decide if continuing to suck academically trying to please her mother is worth it, particularly after meeting the ParaKiss crew who made her realise she might have spent a good part of her 18 years living in a "monochrome world" trying to be someone she's not even sure if that's really her, her goal being "entering any college" and nothing beyond that, which is even more striking when everyone she initially mocked on ParaKiss for just fooling around instead of studying "serious things" seems to have a plan where to go next, and how far she's willing to go to challenge that and change her mother's mind on becoming a model. George's plot mostly goes on the eternal question of "selling out" as an artist - are you willing to compromise your vision in the name of commercial appeal or even practical concessions? While George certainly *looks* very well-off, he is forced to consider sidelining a career in fashion in favor of becoming a make-up artist because he loves fashion design too much to compromise, but also understands he needs to take care of her very young mother (who gave birth to him out of wedlock still in her early 20s, abandoning her career as a model) in case something happens to his father, who has been bankrolling their life of confort. On the romance side, it does ask the question (both with Yukari + George and Miwako + Arashi) on what means to be "happy" with someone, or being "right" and if those things even mean the same. In between that, we also have trans woman Isabella, one of George's oldest closest friends which unfortunately seems to be a bit underutilized (we do get a bit of backstory on how he helped her discover herself) but is there to provide Yukari with help in his to navigate both her life with George and also helping her make sense of what she wants in the future, as well helping ParaKiss run smoothly and Hiroyuko, Yukari's link to the "normal" world but unknown to her also an old friend and source of tension between Miwako and Arawaki.

In comparison to the manga, the adaptation captures AI Yazawa's style generally well in the character design, also having a lot of fun in the clothing department, using at times real photography for establishing shots, to understanding when to deploy a funny or very expressive face (style and frequency are very different, however, and it does away with slapstick moments). On the negative side, it has a few too scenes where they settled with voice-over a still image, cheapening a bit what's for the most part a good looking show when it puts the effort. Narratively, It would be interesting if they also kept the fourth wall breaking the manga *thrives* having fun with, and it feels a bit rushed on bits and some tonal changes weren't exactly for the better, still the adaptation is still a good way of enjoying this story, but I've found the manga slightly superior.

Recommended to: Yazawa fans who like a complete story and romance fans.

Plus:

It's a great Ai Yazawa story, that's for sure.

Some incredible clothing on display

Franz Ferdinand as an ED? And the song the videoclip is them crashing an arts party? Perfect.

Minus:

Anime adaptation smooths out the story a bit, as expected.

Quite a few really cheap low-budget scenes.

[retourne-toi-eurydice]

Ghost Death Theory Time!

I have basically no proof for any of this, it’s just for fun and I’m sure there’s going to be a line or detail I’ve missed as most of my Ghosts knowledge comes from Tumblr because I’m English and episodes are hard to find here.

Note: Trying to work out the cause of death for any of the ghosts (in either series) is difficult because by nature of being family-friendly(ish) shows they can’t go overboard on the body horror and also whatever makeup they do has to be cheap and efficient enough to do every day exactly the same, particularly for our main cast. So it’s not surprising that most of these theories centre on the idea of internal injuries. All that being said, I believe Hetty and Sass are the only true mysteries left so let’s get into it!

~Hetty~

Pushed: Much like her BBC counterpart I think it’s possible Hetty was murdered by someone she knew. However, if she were pushed out of a window like Lady Button I don’t see why they wouldn’t also carry over the joke about noisily reenacting her death every day. For some reason, my brain latched onto the idea that she was pushed out of a moving carriage. There was just something about everyone’s reactions when she got exorcised out of the car, I don’t know. For many reasons (clothes and hair in perfect order, no broken bones, it wouldn’t really make sense) I don’t think this is it. But I like it so it’s on the list.

Hoity toitied to death: Maybe something stressed her out so much, something was so contemptuous, someone so impertinent, that she had an aneurysm. Obviously, if she had had a stroke or something they couldn’t keep giving half her face muscle relaxant for shooting (yeah I don’t like that image either), so it would make sense if they were choosing to exercise creative license and have all the damage be out of sight. All that cocaine she took in life probably wouldn’t have helped, either. Speaking of…

Drug overdose: I think this is a popular theory but not one I particularly like because that would bring our count of drug-induced deaths up to three, and given that a house full of dead people is the perfect opportunity to get creative why wouldn’t the writers take it? However, I do think that their mutual love of drugs has probably been the topic of a pillow talk or two between her and Trevor- and who knows, maybe dying from the same thing is one of the reasons they bonded in the first place?

There isn’t really any one cause of death I’d bet on with Hetty, although the fact that we got the beheading, lightning strike, and mass disease deaths carried over from the original show makes me think a Grey Lady-style end is a very real possibility.

~Sass~

It is possible that Sass has a fatal injury somewhere under all his layers, though I’m not sure what the most prominent offensive weapons were in his lifetime so I can’t say how likely that is. I’m not sure whether that would be something he’d have disclosed by now either, albeit everyone else who died by another’s hand doesn’t half go on about it. Two things we do know about him are that he is very defensive and hates being embarrassed, so this leads me to think that perhaps his life was cut short by something comparatively pedestrian (and dare I say Isaac-like?). How about these:

Foodie misadventure: This tracks, right? He saw an unfamiliar berry or type of plant during his travels, it looked/smelt good, he ate it without due diligence and died either immediately or a short while after. Explains no physical indications for his death, his love of food, and why he might not want to advertise that he got taken out by a berry he should have known better not to eat. My money’s on this one.

Illness: Boring, but effective. He got sick with something only antibiotics could cure and he died young and unfulfilled *sad face*.

The elements: To be honest if one of the ghosts had frozen to death I like to think they'd be our Mary equivalent but with icicles clinging to them instead of smoke. That would be cool. I don’t have a lot to say about this one but it’s a possibility so it’s on the list.

I think that’s pretty much it for Sass theories- unless he’s got a stab wound hidden somewhere I do think that given his lifestyle and times he died of literal natural causes.

So what do you think, anything you agree with/disagree with? I honestly loved considering all these theories and I’m dying to hear everyone else’s ideas!

[tinkerbell-and-tiaras]

I watched 2 episodes of my favourite show today: Lizzie McGuire! In the first episode Lizzie was worried about what her future career would be. She imagines her self in the future working in a fast food drive through, she looks less stylish and I’m not sure all of the pink makeup is a good look. 😂

Lizzie’s nails are painted with a pearly white effect which was cool and cute. 💅🏻 She also had a pink flower in her hair which was simple but so pretty! 🌸

The episode also referenced Ghostbusters and The Silence of the Lambs which was very cool!

The second episode was all about clothes and fashion, so obviously I loved it. 🎽👖

Lizzie wanted to win “most fashionable” in the year book and lied to go to the mall with her friends instead of shopping with her mum. Lizzie does end up looking really fashionable but doesn’t win. She wears some really cute tops in this episode, although I particularly like Miranda’s Fish & Chips T-shirt. 😂

Lizzie wears a really pretty pink lipgloss in this episode (the girls always seem to be wearing makeup in the later episodes, or maybe I just notice it more 🤔) and she also wears a cute pink bandana!

[mysteriawrites]

Can i get bnha matchup please ?

Appearance

I'm 150 cm tall and over weight with black hair and eyes. I got heart shape face and long hair . I'm not wearing any make up but if i have to do it i would like to make a cat eye make up !

Personality

I used to have ocd but now i have a depression and limerence so i get jealous very easily and i mean it. Like if my boyfriend talk with anybody alot i will get jealous. I want to be the first priority because I put them on top of everything too . I'm kind of yandere but at the same time im very romantic too. I would like to be with them all the time soooo clingy haha. I like to take care people i love and give them the word they want to hear. I can write song for them too. I sleep ALOT

Woah my first ask!!! :0 Thank you so much for the request I really appreciate it. Well then without further ado! DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

I MATCH YOU WITH:

KIRISHIMA EJIRO!!!

After reading your description and a little bit of mental consultation, I decided that our dear Red Riot would be a wonderful match for you.

He would love every bit of you from the bottom of his heart not despite your flaws, but because of them and how they make up who you are.

He will love whatever shape or size you are, but if it makes you happy, he will help you make positive changes for yourself. He would also think you're beautiful with or without makeup but if you wanted to wear some, he would ask to help put it on and if he could fix your hair for you.

He will help you through depressive episodes whether that means trying to cheer you up or just being there to sit in the dark with you, so you know he's always there for you.

He will try his absolute best to comfort you if your OCD ever rears its head, so you'll feel safe no matter how anxious it makes you feel.

He will love you just as much as you love him (maybe even more in his opinion you guys certainly have a who loves who more competition).

If you think you're clingy then oh boy, you and Kirishima cling to each other as if your lives depended on it. He always wants to be around you whether that means hanging out, cuddling and playing with your hair, or just sitting in silence. Man just can't get enough of you!

Some cute dates I think you guys would go on would be the park, the aquarium, the movies, and cuddling at home. You guys would enjoy watching jellyfish at the aquarium, eat ice cream in the park, cuddle while watching rom-coms and scary movies at the theater, and snuggle at home after cooking dinner together and crashing on the couch after a day doing one or all of the above date ideas.

Kirishima is a perceptive person; he pays attention to those around to him especially those close to him to make sure they're happy. If there is ever a time where you're feeling particularly jealous (for example if he's hanging out with Mina and the other students of UA) he'll notice immediately and reassure you that you're the only one in his eyes, and you didn't hear it from me, but he may plan a little surprise to make it up to you.

As caring as we all know Kirishima is to those around him, it is also well known that Kirishima is particularly hard on himself sometimes. Tends to bag on himself if he can't help his friends, isn't a good enough hero, or just overall doesn't see himself as manly enough. As much as he cares about you, you care about him and do everything in your power to remind him that he is doing his best and that he is perfect just the way he is and a great hero.

You two are the perfect duo. Always there to lift each other up and make sure the other feels loved. You would move the sea, earth, and sky for each other if you had to just to make the other smile again.

Oh boy that was long I may have gotten a bit carried away lol. Well, I hope you like it (this is my first time doing this kind of thing so sorry if it sucks >_<).

Runners Up: Iida Tenya, Midoriya Izuku, Kaminari Denki, and Mirio Togata.

[kdrama-movies-more]

Yang Hong-ki: Moon Dong-hyeok Interview

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"I was very grateful and happy that many people loved 'Playing Woman' and 'Yang Hong-ki. I feel very sad that the drama is ending, but I will keep the happy memories I had while filming and hope to show good acting in my next work. We will do our best to make it happen. I would also like to thank the director, writer, all the staff, and actors who worked with me for making a good work, the manager who moved with the same heart, and the hair, makeup, and stylists who decorated it beautifully. I will become actor Moon Dong-hyuk who repays the love you gave me. Thank you for playing with Hongki so far.” - Actor Dong-Hyuk Moon, who played the role of ‘Yang Hong-ki’, the mood maker of ‘Deers’ 🦌🙌

Q&A

Below is the full Q&A with actor Moon Dong-hyuk. [link] Q. How do you feel about finishing 'Playful Woman'? A. I am so grateful and happy that so many people loved 'Playful Woman' and 'Yang Hong-ki'. I am sad that the drama is ending, but I will cherish the happy memories I had while filming and work hard to show good acting in my next work. I am also grateful to the director, writer, all the staff, and actors who made this a good work, the manager who moved with the same heart, and the hair, makeup, and stylists who made me look pretty.

Q. How was it working with the actors you worked with on set? A. When I act with senior Um Tae-goo, I get deeply immersed in the situation at that moment. I was able to have fun filming because I had good conversations with senior Han Sun-hwa. Also, I had good chemistry with seniors Yang Hyun-min and Lee Yoo-joon from 'Deerz' and actors Kim Hyun-jin and Jae-chan without having to say anything. Actress Song Seo-rin also has the ability to make others feel comfortable, so I was able to film happily thanks to that. If I may add a behind-the-scenes story, both actress Song Seo-rin and I did not expect it. The director and writer created the situation well, so I think the two people's story was completed naturally.

Q. You received a lot of love for your role as Yang Hong-gi. What was the most memorable reaction? A. I did a lot of ad-libs that weren't in the script, but I was proud that the viewers recognized them and liked them. I also remember the reactions like "I was hooked" and "I was thrilled" in the scene where I gave Yena sincere advice at the restaurant. But I think the words "You act well" made me feel the best.

Q. Is there a scene or line from 'Playful Woman' that you remember the most? A. In episode 5, the scene where Ji-hwan tells Hong-gi, "You value results more than order, but what you need most is order, not results," is particularly memorable. It's a line that left a deep impression on me.

Q. What meaning will 'The Woman Who Plays' have? A. There is no work that is not precious, but this is the first time I have taken on a character that is loved by so many people, so I am truly happy. It is a work that I am grateful for and will be remembered for a long time even after it ends.

Q. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to the viewers of 'Playful Woman'? A. I filmed it with the hope that viewers would laugh heartily while watching 'Playful Woman' and at some point feel warm in their hearts. I am truly grateful that so many people watched it that way. I will become an actor Moon Dong-hyuk who will repay the love that many people have given me. Thank you for playing with Hong-ki until now.

[chalkrevelations]

No, so. I was going to spend tonight grubbing through episodes of Pete with a gun (fuck me running, how did I forget Pete’s THING about guns until literally right this minute?) because I have some half-formed thoughts about his trigger discipline and ... just, ANYWAY, that’s what I had planned for my spare time tonight. I’ll get to that at some point.

But then I got caught up in re-watching Eps 12 and 13 kind of obsessively, and my poor brain - which doesn’t know enough about the technical aspects of filming - is stuck trying to parse out WHAT THEY’RE DOING to Bible and Build and the ways that it makes them look different in various shots at different times. Like. OK, lemme be specific about what I’m thinking about, here: I know I’ve talked about Build looking otherworldly, just flat out ethereal, in the pill scene and the sex scene. And frankly, I think that extends, to some extent, from the moment Vegas walks into Torture Dungeon Main in the minor family house and Pete’s tied to the pillar (GOD, that staredown at the end of Ep 10, I CANNOT), up until Pete shows up at the major family house again in Ep 13. Like, ok, sure, Pete’s a good looking guy, fine, but the ENTIRE TIME Pete is held captive is the point when Build looks the hottest and the most gorgeous of any point in the show. And I feel like this happens with Bible too? But Bible also slides in and out of it throughout the course of that same time period - along with points at the other end of the spectrum, points when the Beast is fronting, points when Vegas is being particularly cruel or enraged and it shows, like the mask made real, overshadowing him, diminishing him as he lashes out and uses Pete to do it, and I look at him and can barely believe it’s the same actor - but I notice it particularly in that alley scene behind Yok’s bar: Vegas looks the hottest and the most gorgeous in that alley that he’s looked in a while ... OK, no. That’s not completely true, either. BUT, it goes to this theory that I have ...

Pete never looks more beautiful than when he’s VEGAS’S Pete, and Vegas never looks more beautiful than when he’s PETE’S Vegas.

And we see less of that with Vegas in the safehouse, because he’s not Pete’s yet, not fully, but he absolutely is in that alley. Even if Pete doesn’t want him anymore, Vegas, at that point, is going to be Pete’s until the day he dies.

And we see Pete that way from the end of Ep 10 onward - at least until he makes a run for it - because he’s already Vegas’s Pete as early as Torture Dungeon Main because even then, even then, he’s already allowing Vegas to see him in a way that he doesn’t show to anyone else.

And it’s not just something about the way they see each other, it’s something ... not meta-textual, but maybe omniscient narrator-like? something that the narrative itself is pushing on us ... because one of the key places that this view of Vegas’s Pete and Pete’s Vegas intersect to give us both of them at their most gorgeous at the same time is when they’re both alone and crying into their dinners in Ep 13, because that’s the point when Pete is Vegas’s Pete and Vegas is Pete’s Vegas, in a way that they maybe haven’t been at the same time since Ep 12′s sex scene. It’s just that BOTH of my idiot beloved moron broken sons have been too busy beating up on Pete since the sex scene to be able to be together at that point.

ANYWAY. I just can’t figure out what they’re doing when they shoot these scenes to make this distinction. Lighting? Filters? Hair and makeup? (Honestly that last part is likely part of it, because Pete’s disheveled hair, pushed back off his face, in most of the safehouse scenes looks SO MUCH better than his Bodyguard Hair ...

ETA: OTOH, hmm, maybe not entirely, because there are two points in Ep 7 that I’d argue we maybe get ExtraBeautiful!Pete despite the Bodyguard Hair: when he gives Vegas the onceover after Vegas whips out the Torture Suitcase AND when he’s standing over Vegas’s right shoulder while Vegas threatens Hia Wang through the cell bars later.)

Or am I crazy and just looking at them through my own personal filter of love and blood and heartbreak and devotion?