#the ie is cuter imo

[loverdude]

It's kind of terrible for me that I kind of want a different main name sometimes bc I can't even think of a new URL for on here that I like, let alone a new name that I like

[crystalbehindthescenes]

Sailor Moon Crystal has generally been a messy experience with being faithful to Naoko Takeuchi's original design. Sakou didn't deserve as much criticism though her design was flawed by design execution. Takahashi is generally ugly art with smooth animation. Tadano is barely close to resembling Takeuchi's art style and even then Crystal didn't need to look like the manga at that being the point in which Sailor Moon Crystal should've had its own distinct art style.

I agree with most except for distinct style. You could argue s3 is a distinct style (it doesnt follow the manga at all and its takashi's style at its most basic imo) and like you said it's ugly as hell.

Tadano's style is just the 90s style (which in s1 and R's case is pretty close to the manga, just with early 90s elements. thats what the 90s anime style is.) but way more cuter but like modern standard cute, so snub dot noses flatter colors ect.

I think Naokos style does deserve to be animated. Her style started this in the 1st place, and people do like it. Sailor Moon wouldnt be the same with a new distinct style as we saw with S3. The 90s anime is also in its own right close, just with style trends in 90s anime. Tadano took that old design (itohs specifically imo) and gave it modern ekemnts ie the snub noses and flatter textures.

There's just now like 40 styles under Naoko now compared to back in the 90s that you cant just Pick one and expect it to be accurate to a single page or art book. Also Naoko's style would be very unique against other cuter, snub nose, styles. why shouldn't it be animated?

the trick is striking a balance between her styles, choosing the right colors, and time in the industry. ..and maybe a dfferent studio but that wouldn't change much imo.

[plushie-lovey]

My jellycat finally arrived! He's super duper cute. I'm still not sure if the price was worth it though. The fabric is lusciously soft, the embroidery is beautiful, and he has a good balance of huggability, weight, and floppiness. His horns seem to be made of a semi faux leather which I think is neat, and his tail, ears, and snout have a bit of tinsel embroidery thread sewn in. However he's very lopsided. As you can see one of his ears is floppy (which I don't mind, imo it makes him way cuter) but his wings are crooked which pulls him towards one side and throws off his balance. And it doesn't help that his body also leans in that direction. So he has a hard time sitting upright unless I manually readjust his wings. But that's alright he's still a good boi!

I've decided to name him Wander, in honor of the long journey he took to get here (ie: getting lost in the mail and taking longer than expected to arrive). He's a astronomer, but he has a terrible sense of direction and is a klutz. He has an assistant who helps him handle delicate instruments and takes notes while he talks about the sky above. He's a chatterbox and often goes off on long tangents which usually deviate from the original point of the conversation. He's friends with the other 2 dragons in the room, and is part of their book club. Despite all his flaws, Wander is a very kind, generous soul who'd go out of his way to do a good deed for someone else, even if the outcome accidentally turns out less than ideal. He tries, and that's all anyone can ask of him.

[swannkings]

@boimgfrog - idk anything about BLACKPINK or any of the members other than they’re a popular K-Pop group. Genuinely, no disrespect.

What I did learn in a brief search is Rosé is a brand ambassador for Yves Saint Laurent — ie this dress. #1 is the original from an Elle shoot (cuter and better styled imo), #2 the Met Gala dress, #3 what my brain thought would make the dress better: bringing the flower motif to the skirt, adding silver/black beading and white/black/silver fringe, getting rid of the white bow altogether while keeping the dress’s silhouette. Gotta click that 3rd one to see the beading 😆

I really don’t know what to do about that bow.

Unfortunately, this year’s theme can be so broadly interpreted and I’d have a better time coming up with something entirely different if I knew more about Rosé. This one is just for work rather than having fun, so I’m at a loss. Personally, I think she should have had her old rose gold hair for this one though.

[gffa]

Hey! Long time reader, first time asker but I read your post yesterday about supplementary material enriching experience. I’ve seen all the movies, I’m loving The Clone Wars and I enjoy playing Swtor but that’s all I have experienced. Do you have any recommendations as to where to start with supplementary material? Are the graphic novels you reference on that marvel comic subscription do you know? Thank you for your posts, they are always so interesting!

Hi!  Thank you for the kind words, I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog!  And I love doing “where to start” posts!  Keep in mind that a lot depends on what you happen to like (if you’re more of an OT fan or a PT fan or an ST fan, if you like certain characters more than others, etc.) but I think the basic places to start when moving on from the movies are:- The Clone Wars TV show.  As you’ve said, you’re already watching this one but it’s still my #1 recommendation, because it sets up so much of the galaxy and the way things operate in the Republic and is just really good.  Finish this one first, as it introduces you to so much you’ll need down the road–a lot of the Jedi characters that will then break your heart when you watch Order 66 happening in Revenge of the Sith, getting invested in Ahsoka Tano and her role in Anakin’s life, getting more time spent with characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala, some trippy arcs like the Mortis arc that are fascinating for Force Woo, and a lot of stuff will come up in other shows, comics, and books!- Star Wars Rebels TV show.  While it’s about an entirely new group of characters, it has a lot of recurring familiar characters–like James Earl Jones reprises his role in voicing Darth Vader, you learn the fate of Ahsoka Tano here, you get to see some of the clones again, you get a look at what it’s like for Jedi under the thumb of the Empire, you’re introduced to the Inquisitors, you get to see the politics of the Rebellion as the show goes along, you get a better look at Mandalore, etc.  This is another show that will help form the foundations of other stuff.- Star Wars Battlefront II game.  You can play it or just watch a movie version of it on YouTube.  Yeah, the game got a lot of crap for the shit EA tried to pull with it, but it’s turned into a really great piece of media and the story itself is absolutely fantastic and will only take about 2 hours to get through, but a) it’s a great story with great characters (I LOVE IDEN VERSIO SO MUCH) and b) it does a great job at showing a lot of what happened after Return of the Jedi but before the Empire truly gave up.  This establishes a lot of the final fight stuff, like the Battle of Jakku and its importance (aka, that’s all those ships that Rey is scavenging at the beginning of The Force Awakens) and what Operation Cinder is and the epilogue helps lead into what the First Order is.- The Star Wars titular comic + Darth Vader volume 1 (by Kieron Gillen) comics.  These two are meant to be read concurrently, so I recommend them together, and they do an absolutely incredible job of filling out the space between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.  They’re telling fantastic stories (including some really powerful stuff about Vader finding out the name of the Death Star pilot is Skywalker) while also giving some really great insights into the characters, adding depth to the story of the movies, and made me fall in love with the characters all over again.  This Vader tends to be a little more mysterious, Gillen liked keeping the mystique to him (which appeals more to some, so if that’s your jam, read these first!), the feeling is very much in tune with the original trilogy in that sense.  Same for the heroes, they feel very OT!- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith by Charles Soule comics.  You can read the Vader comics in either order, but I generally like suggesting this one to go second (release order is always good, imo) despite that this is my favorite of the comics.  Set not long after Revenge of the Sith, this is a comic about Darth Vader adjusting to his new life and about the bigger, overarching story of the psychological look at a character who cannot admit what he’s done wrong.  On the surface, it’s about him hunting down Jedi and trying to raise his wife from the dead, but in the macro sense, it’s about this guy who cannot admit that he had other choices, even when the Force is literally throwing those other paths in his face.  Great Vader content for him being powerful and terrifying, while also being an absolute human disaster garbage bag.- Age of the Republic comics by Jodie Houser.  If you like the prequels at all, these comics are stellar.  There are eight of them, four for the main heroes, four for the main villains, and they’re a single issue each, where there’s a short look into their lives at various points, all which illustrate really thoughtful things about the characters, whether through their actions or even sometimes comparisons with other issues in the series.  (ie, reading the Obi-Wan one and Jango Fett one really highlighted how each of them dealt with this young person they were taking care of.)  They were just REALLY GOOD STORIES, too.- Star Wars Adventures by IDW Comics.  These are cuter stories and set all across various eras, from the PT to the OT to the ST to occasionally other areas, but they’re always just absolutely CHARMING.  They’re pure delight to read, they tend to focus on moments that are just really fun, so it’s easy to think of it as a kids’ comic, but instead I think they work best at showing some of the more hopeful moments of Star Wars without being too fluffy.- Poe Dameron by Charles Soule comics.  These are SO GOOD, they really add so much to Poe’s character and they also do a great job of fleshing out that time between the New Republic still working to stabilize itself and when we know the First Order is coming.  But mostly it just really makes you like Poe as a character, it captures his sense of charm and swagger while giving him an actual character arc, as he learns to be a leader.- Kanan: The Last Padawan comics.  You need to see Rebels first (or at least the first two seasons, enough to make you care about Kanan as a character) but then this is a gorgeous, beautifully told story.  It’s half about the current days with his new found family the Ghost crew (the cast of Rebels) and half about his history as a Padawan in the Jedi Order, how he was apprenticed to Depa Billaba, how he watched her die, how he had to live in the galaxy that wanted him dead just for being born the way he was, how he was being hunted for it, and how he survived.  It’s really, really good!- Forces of Destiny animated shorts.  You can find them all on Disney’s YouTube channel, they’re these 2-3 minute long stories about the women of the galaxy far, far away (with occasional appearances by others) and they’re pretty light-hearted fare, they’re meant to impart messages to kids or just be bite-sized content, but they’re pretty wonderful and it’s nice to see the women of SW get some attention.- From a Certain Point of View book.  For the 40th Anniversary of A New Hope they put out an anthology of short stories, telling the various points of view of different side characters and adding depth to everything that was going on.  Not all of them are super great, you can feel free to skip ones if you’re getting bored, but there are some MUST READ ones, especially the Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Obi-Wan ones.  And the Admiral Motti story had me in absolute tears from cry-laughing while reading it.- Bloodline by Claudia Gray book.  It’s a really good Leia story, but it’s also a book that does a lot to cover what’s going on with the New Republic still struggling to establish itself, why Leia isn’t part of it by TFA, and more on how the First Order came to be and why people stuck their heads in the sand about it.- Thrawn by Timothy Zahn book.  While there’s some dissonance between Zahn’s version of the character and the character from Rebels, I think you can make them fit together, and this book really is one of the best of canon material.  It’s fun and zips right along and introduces some new characters and sets up some really interesting backstories and just fleshes out the Imperial stuff and gives us Eli Vanto.  ALL THINGS I LOVED.FINALLY:  The above is aimed at a general list of things that I thin pretty much anyone would enjoy, it’s meant to cover most of the bases as best I can, but if you have a favorite era or a favorite character, feel free to run straight to anything that involves them.  There’s a lot of good Legends stuff (as always it’s hard not to recommend the Revenge of the Sith novelization or Wild Space, but that’d just muddle the line between canon and Legends), but I’m sticking with canon right now because it’s easier and there’s so much good stuff and it’s less confusing that way.All the comics are available on Comixology (and there’s never been a comic I hated by any means, though, admittedly some of the mini series can be kind of bland, anything that ran for at least 20 issues is a good bet, and most of the comics are THE BEST of the supplementary material), and if you don’t mind waiting a couple of months for Disney+ (or Googling for streaming sites) the animated properties are all really worth watching.  Sometimes they take a bit to get going, but I’ve fallen in love with every single one.These might not end up being your favorites (some of my favorites–like the Aftermath books or the Join the Resistance books–are ones that I wouldn’t put on a list for new-to-supplementary-material fans, because they’re a little too distanced from established characters) but they’re great places to start getting a feel for whether or not you like this kind of thing!  :D

[amphtaminedreams]

Tommy Hilfiger x Zendaya Inspired Outfits: Lookbook no.6

Hi to anyone reading,

This post is part a Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman appreaciation post (yes, we getting back into that 2013 stan twitter lingo of always unnecessarily stating full names) and part me trying my hand at her interpretation of probably my all time favourite decade for fashion inspiration, the 70s. 

As much as I’m in love with her portrayal of Rue Bennett on Euphoria and her and Labrinth’s All for Love and could also probably write a whole post about that alone *deep breath*, I’m here to talk about what originally drew me to Zendaya (aside from her Oscar-worthy performance as Rocky Blue on Shake it Up where she had to act like she and Bella Thorne liked each other) : HER STYLE. Her looks a collaborative effort between her and stylist, Law Roach, I have never once seen any photo of Zendaya where she’s anything less than exquisitely put together, thus it should’ve come as no surprise when she teamed up with Tommy Hilfiger to put on one of the coolest shows of Paris Fashion Week in February this year. 

-ZENDAYA’S BEST STREET STYLE/RED CARPET MOMENTS-

Whilst the collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger haven’t necessarily been the most visually groundbreaking or daring, for me personally they really hit the sweet spot between the bohemian aesthetic and a rock and roll edge, especially in the latest collection. For a celebrity collaboration, the line feels unusually authentic and the clear direction and overall cohesiveness showcases Zendaya’s ability to convey a distinctive mood. Also, it’s WEARABLE. So many of the outfits you see go down the runway only appear to cater to that tall, washed out, willowy type, who are gorgeous too, don’t get me wrong, but...well, they’ve had their time, haven’t they? These are the kinds of clothes everyone can feel beautiful in and that’s so, so important.

-ZENDAYA WEARING THE COLLECTION-

The first collection, debuting in February of this year at Paris Fashion Week, went the disco route and was the best thing Tommy Hilfiger has done in a while. Everything from the set to the models to the music was so fucking FUN and you could tell how much love and passion went into planning the show. I had so many favourite looks:

And I honestly think I might have liked the recent collection even more. With a slightly biker chic element to it, the leather look pieces and the jewell tones, I think this one has a grungier feel to it that the previous collection lacked, in terms of catering to my personal preference, that is; yes, catering to me, random girl on the internet they’ve never met before was definitely Zendaya and Tommy’s intention. Why wouldn’t it be?

Again, it’s not something that’s never been done before but the collection is fresh in a different way, almost like the individual makes the clothes what they are and not vice versa. I doubt any fashion show is so laxly organised as to let the models style themselves backstage but that’s the feeling you get when you’re watching the runway. 

Like I said, this collection is definitely slightly darker and grungier than the first but in a way that it gives me Stevie Nicks joins a biker gang but then decides to leave that behind to become the editor of a fashion magazine vibes (that was a TRIP) and what’s not to like about that? I want all of it, from the waistcoats, to the wide brim hats, to the houndstooth, to the snake print, to the shearling. 

There’s just one problem in that at the time of first seeing the collection I was still in the middle of a self-enforced shopping dry spell, and also, more pressingly, broke af. To be fair, Tommy Hilfiger is one of the more affordable designer brands but still not affordable enough that I can afford to spend over £100 on a bodysuit, ya feel? So instead, I looked through what I already had and used the runway looks from the collection to try and put my own spin on things, incorporating the key shapes, colours, patterns and accessories that make the line, imo, so distinctive.

-KEY FEATURES OF THE TOMMY X ZENDAYA LINES-

1. Flares: If you really want your outfit to give off a 70s vibe, flares are probably the easiest way to do it. Even if you’re not feeling particularly adventurous with prints, plain ones are still super flattering, imo!

2. Wide Brim Hats: Not exactly a hard one for me to incorporate as they're probably my favourite way to tie together an outfit anyway, but the ultra wide brim, witchy-looking ones seen in the second collection are perfect for autumn and winter AND cost-efficient because they can double as part of a low-effort slutty witch Halloween costume. We love a multi-purpose accessory.

3. Psychedelic Prints: More of a staple of the first collaboration but bold, trippy prints are so easy to make into a look. It’s definitely easier to incorporate these kind of prints into your wardrobe in the summer (there’s nothing cuter than a wacky two piece with some subtle jewellery), but if you go for a piece with a richer, deeper colour palette you’ve got yourself a fab Christmas party outfit.

4. Turtlenecks: Showing why the turtleneck has so much style potential, Zendaya’s collections were a masterclass in how to layer. I can’t believe there was a time in my life when I thought turtle necks were the ugliest thing ever. I am ashamed. Though I blame this cursed face-swap image of Monica and Chandler from friends for putting me off:

I also found this haunting image in the process of searching for the one above:

Is this what they mean when they talk about the dark web? Truly scarring.

5. Snake Print: Not gonna lie, the animal print thing has kinda been done to death and I wasn’t super excited about seeing it on the runway but when it’s reworked through a more maximalist lens (ie. the matching snake print coat and trousers) it still works for me. I think they key in keeping it fresh is more luxurious, textured animal print paired with clothing you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see it with. Basically, animal print mini dress? Boring. Animal print flares? I’m down. 

6. Faux Leather: I say faux leather even though unfortunately it’s usually real leather that gets used on the runway (because nothing shows luxury like wearing a dead animal’s skin purely for vanity, right?), but regardless, some of my favourite pieces in both collections were the leather-look coats and blazers. The waistcoat-trouser combination in particular (far left on the bottom row) was probably my favourite look of both collections and though I relentlessly scoured my dad’s wardrobe to see if there was something I could work with to imitate the waistcoat, I came away empty handed:( sad times:(

7. Jewell Tones: The deep maroons of the second Zendaya x Tommy collaboration and the cobalt, emerald green and amethyst splashes in the dresses at the end of the first are, again, perfect Christmas party colours. I know, I know, I keep going on about Christmas parties but any excuse to drink, lol.

8. Scarfs: Skinny scarves with a load of gold jewellery are my favourite things at the moment. But we can’t forget the original style icon who did it first:

I love Emma Roberts and Wild Child is a great movie with a load of amazing style inspo, fuck you Rotten Tomatoes.

9. Heeled Boots: Kind of a basic winter staple anyway but it seems the more cowboy-y, the better. We’re talking about those leather look, mid-calf length boots that seem to be everywhere at the moment. Personally, I’m not quite sure if my legs are anywhere long enough to pull them off, but I do think they’re really cute, and very yeehaw. 

10. Bonus features that I forgot to include in my outfits: High Waisted Things! Waistcoats! Pussy-bow shirts! Spots! Velvet! Suits!

-PSA: Don’t ask me about the peace sign. I was trying to do a 70s thing. I failed. Let me flop at my attempts to be cute in peace.-

So, that’s it! Thank you to anybody that read this far! And if you enjoyed this post and you haven’t done already: GO AND WATCH EUPHORIA. It is honestly the best new show I’ve watched in ages and almost makes up for the overwhelming TV-related disappointment of season 8 of Game of Thrones. I mean, not really. I’m still mildly furious. But then again, D&D got cut from their Star Wars deal AND the Stark prequel was cancelled in favour of a Targaryen one so it seems the balance of nature is finally being restored. Clink clink bitch (es).

Lauren x

[crystalbehindthescenes]

I think all the little changes made to the characters, the planet symbols from circles to hearts; their character designs being closer to the 90's anime; Eternal Sailor Moon's brooch being the 90's gold brooch instead of the manga's pink brooch MIGHT have had something to do with all the people who complained that Crystal wasn't enough like the 90's anime (even though the wasn't the point), so Toei finally caved and was like, "Fine, you want it to be more like the 90's? Here you go!"

That, and I think Chiaki Kon, being the director and all, is also a huge 90s anime fan.

It's a slippery slope imo, fans of the series oughta work on Crystal/Eternal cus a fresh new eye could probably misinterpret things or miss the charm, however biases can get in the way of from the overall like, point of Crystal ie not to be in the 90s anime shadow and instead be it’s own thing.

Sakai I felt was able to balance a homage from blatant rip offs but he also didn't seem to put much care into the overall product and that charm was missing in some parts and can feel forced or rushed. can’t say for sure if due to Season 1/2 production schedule was or if he was kinda being a bad director

Same goes for Sakou, ontop of being a female character designer to avoid male gaze but also without being biased for a preference on designs, shes a fresh eye if you will. (Tho what fucked this up was she was a  EW character designer at the time and you can tell by her early settei's line work she was nervous af), but again she's missing that charm in some areas

Takahashi was this as well but then he just went way off in his direction, diving the fans even more imo. Partially Kon's fault here, she told him to make the designs cuter, but the reused stock footage was definitely all Kon, she storyboards them. (or is credited for them anyway) The charm was missing entirely for me not to mention I just thought Kons direction was just odd and strange during Season 3.It just didn't feel right.

Then we got Tadano whos the weird one, she said it was gonna be a more elegant style than what she used in the 90s but this style is way cuter than how the girls looked in the 90s. I can't say for sure if the charm is there since I haven't seen the movie yet, but some of the reused stock footages does feel incredibly forced than charming to me.... if that makes sense, like an obligation like you said.

Idk there needs to be a balance of some kind, but also fans working on Crystak/Eternal need to try not to be biased toward the 90s anime... New ppl oughta be put on to have a fresh eye cus 90s fan or not people wanna see something new but also not too new to the point its jarring, something familiar. Sdjvnsdjg  I'm talking in circles forgive me jednferjgn I hope I'm making sense

So yea like you said this could be big wigs interfering with the production as per usual cus the 90s sells so well cus fuck animation for the art of it all.

But it also could be Kon having a bias as well, cus she told Takahashi to make his designs cuter, who's to say she didn't say the same for Tadano? I'll check the credits when I find time, I notice a lot of big changes tend to happen  when the Producer changes

I'm also low-key convinced they chose Tadano cus they couldn't get Itou cus when it comes to the precious 90s anime thats all who anyone cares about (to the point many convinced themselves Itoh's style was the mainstream style for 90s animes when it really wasn't)

let's just hope they stick with Tadanos style cus I'm just kinda sick of the artstyle changing its so headache inducing this ain't Precure where every season is a soft reboot geez