#the shot and compositions are amazing i need to study them

[choccy-sippy]

More saltburn serennedy redraw for @blveherb love u clown

[kaijuparfait]

long ramble of me going through the venom trailer because i am insane totally normal about it

this isn't anything professional, just me spouting out random words as i run around in circles like an excited dog-

OK LET'S GO:

firstly... king please change your clothes its been years, why are you still wearing that exact same outfit???

BUT i am a sucker for the light going over and past Eddie as he walks, i just think it's so cool hehe,,

E: "You should probably know that I have a really dark and unpredictable side to me."

hmmm... i'll believe you. at first, it sounds like he's telling this to Venom, but I wouldn't be surprised if Eddie is telling this to someone else and this "dark and unpredictable side" is Venom.... Or he is telling this to Venom and Eddie just really wants to kill now which. I am ok with that, love that for them, they should be allowed to do what they want

cleanly punching off the lock via the ~ Power of Friendship ~ (or something like that)

not the dogs :( i'm assuming this is a place to hold dogs for like. dog fighting?? i think? which is terrible and those guys deserved to get their heads eaten!

E: "I'm giving you a chance, sweetie."

LET. EDDIE. KILL. everyone say thank you Tom Hardy for being Eddie cause WOAH i am. normal.

V: "Just say "when"." E: "...when."

WE'RE SO BACK its just like the "Mask!" "Copy." bit from the first movie omg we're so back, these two make me ill i love them sm

also Eddie not even flinching at the knife, most likely Venom turning off the pain (or something) but I like to think Eddie's just cool like that (these close ups of Eddie's face makes me wanna do a study on him, just draw him a million times for the fun of it, and i will! Tom Hardy is a beautiful man!)

either venom is fully acting as shoes or Eddie is wear the most busted up pair of crocs i have ever seen and both options are so great. either way- KICK! that guy is GONE you even see him slouched against the wall, surrounded by bricks in a later scene, Venom and Eddie are not messing around this movie!

I- hhhhh. ok. I'm ok. Yeah these two are NOT messing around, Eddie could not care less about these dudes, there is no hesitating, no guilt, no fear in this man's expression AND I LOVE IT <333 GET ANGRY! GET SCARY!!!

AND WE HAVE THE BOI. THERE HE IS!!! the roar sounds different too i think, it's very cool tho, feels like a shrill, higher pitch than i expected but i don't dislike it

let the dogs be free! they immediately start attacking those guys and i love it <3 doggy :3

AND EDDIE IS FIGHTING TOO WOOOOO i need to redraw all of these frame cause WHEW! making me blush with these shot compositions, so good. so much trust, Eddie knows Venom will keep him safe and jumps in! literally! i adore how Venom's head is following him too, it's so creepy, the way it just slithers through the air, I wish to send all my love to the teams who work on Venom, there are so many points from the trailer and the first 2 movies that I wanna dissect, just to point out all his little movements, very fun

speaking of his little movements- squinty eyes :3 and the half venom, half eddie face again! always a win, forever iconic <3

tearing apart this venom scene OK! the little tendrils by Eddie's face, the way they move around is so UGH its so weird and i adore it! This "pose" is also fun because we really get to see the inside of Venom's mouth, most importantly his teeeeeth, in a long, pretty still shot that isn't when his mouth is wide open, the artist in me is loving it

also the team always does an amazing job on just making Venom look alien- the thick veins, the shiny black skin, and the tendrils that are holding up the bad guy split apart, instead of being just one tentacle, very gross, but in a good way

E: "We.. are..-" V: "WE ARE VENOM!" E: "We.. are..-" V: "VENOM!!" E: "No.."

They share one braincell, holy fudge, I love symbrock fjdkslfjsdk

and Eddie just keeps trying! same tone, same level, and Venom is so excited

V: "Oh!"

(I also love these shots because we get a nice close up of how Venom's mouth moves when pronouncing words)

E: "Yeah.. We.." V: "We.." E + V: "are... Venom." E: "...We really need to work on that."

and they get there eventually lmao, the way they say it is so in sync, even the eye movements are the same, how they open wider, and THE VOICES hhhh the voices.,,.. Tom Hardy is such a good. voice actor? in this sense ig.. i am on the ground, pure joy with how Eddie and Venom's voices overlap here

and Venom goes to town! lovely meal <3 getting a meal with the bf <3

I am LOOKING oh my goodness his mouth can open WIDE... normal feelings rn, yup, mhm!

doggy :D dog friends :D also Eddie no shot you stole that guy's shoes lmao??? nice boots tho (as someone who wears cowboy boots often, i would love to see Eddie in a full outfit.. putting that in the drawing idea list...)

V: "DELICIOUS! You take me to all the finest places!"

see! dinner date! :3 I can just hear the smile on Venom, i love when he's happy

and the world's most pathetic wet cat of a man (I say with the upmost affection) is back!

more proof that Eddie is never NOT sweating and that Tom Hardy's Eddie voice has the most confusing accent- i think he's saying

E: "Honey, I don't know."

but he could very well just be stuttering, or maybe he stopped midway and instead said "I need- I don't know." but i'm hoping they're at the point of pet names, go full comic, let Eddie call Venom "love" and "dear" and "my darling"

[Edit- thank you @.bridoesotherjunk for pointing out that he says "I need a Tylenol." i need better listening comprehension i guess??? lol?]

i don't know 100% of the Venom lore, still have tons of comics to read, so i won't talk much about the potential storyline here but- 4 SYMBIOTES!! maybe maybe maybe the Life Foundation Symbiotes... these babies got some funky colors.. they already used the name Riot but these 4 could be Lasher, Phage, Scream and Agony if i pray hard enough, the colors don't match but i can dream!

totally not emotional over this little bit of Venom that was left behind from that one after credits scene trying to bond with a host gently. yup yeah my heart isn't hurting at all!

LET MY BOY GO, HE DID NO WRONG!!!

my favorite local cryptid, what a creature

and he changed! finally! nice shirt tho, buttoned up only part way? the HAIR??? good stuff

fire seems to be a known weakness now, looking at the background, and i can't guess what they're looking up at, Eddie does speed up for it tho. I'm gonna say either a helicopter or something else they're gonna try and jump up to? Venom does go-

V: "OH SHIT"

during this scene so maybe it's one of those Symbiotes from before? Who knows, I could guess a hundred things but idk

THE WATER SCENE!! FROM THAT ONE BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTO TOM HARDY POSTED!!!

Venom in the last bit and Eddie being just himself if the first portion of these clips show that these guys 100% know what they're doing and have some sort of device (shown in the right image) that is capable of doing some crazy damage to Venom! Which! Oh no!!! I enjoy fight scenes underwater tho (Looks at Godzilla), very hyped for this one, I really wanna see how Venom swims. Yeah that sounds a bit weird but like. no way he's swimming like a human, c'mon now

E: "We are living the dream, my friend V: "You mean it?!" E: "NO."

Can't get over Venom's delivery here, he sounds so genuinely, it made me laugh, especially to how exhausted Eddie sounds lmao

LAS VEGAS??? y'all guessed right, they really are gonna get married in vegas,,

Eddie in a suit, HELLO??? my guy is looking snazzy! really tho, he looks so nice a suit, the BLACK AND WHITE suit? perfect. I saw people saying that they hope that Venom is the suit and just. me too..

MRS. CHEN RETURNS omg this cast are all so <333 she is GORGEOUS that dress is beautiful on her AND HER HAIR Mrs. Chen my beloved

Mrs. Chen sounds so happy to see Eddie, and Venom also very excitedly say hi, my heart is going to burst, it is overflowing, this part of the trailer makes me smile so much AND THEN THEY DANCE WITH EACH OTHER!!! I know it's called The Last Dance but I was not expecting a dance with Mrs. Chen??? I am more than ok with this tho, Venom and Mrs. Chen, dancing on the stairs, they look so happy, they're having such a good time i can't, my heart can't take this <3

AND LOOK HOW THEY HOLD HER HANDS.. they... they care about each other so much i'm going to cry in the theaters- no i'm gonna cry NOW.

is that a xenophage i see??? that thing is HUGE HUH??? i fully understand Venom in this (side note, i ADORE how Venom goes "JESUS CHRIST" upon seeing this thing, the line delivery get's better every film, that was so genuine) this design is insane tho, i might spend some time doing a study on it

Toxin is here! YIPPEE!!! love the voice, thought it was Venom for a second the first time i watch this but its pretty good

I have no clue who the people are that are in this tower thing, I've seen a few theories but i ain't embarrassing myself by guessing wrong here lmao

(running out of image spaces sorry!)

in the clip of Venom walking into this lab (?) and then getting violently shot at, is it just me or does Venom seem small? I'm guessing the door is just really big but like. idk maybe i'm just mixing up my Venoms and thinking that he's not as big as I remember

really quick cut of what may be 2 more Symbiotes like the 4 from earlier? maybe they're the same and are just changing colors, maybe they're new, who knows! I love their colors tho, the one on the right (in the clip) looks like it's blue and pink and i think that's cute

Xenophage breaks into this lab, love that for her, she is still terrifying!

E: "We may not make it out of this alive, buddy."

haha what do you mean by that king?

V: "Eddie... the time has come..."

HAHA PAUSE. uhm. he said the same thing last time at the end of Let There Be Carnage and Eddie didn't let him go but, istg, IF THEY DIE AT THE END OF THIS MOVIE. i know its the last of the trilogy BUT THEY DON'T NEED TO DIE, SONY, MARVEL, DON'T DO THIS TO ME. i am going cry violently at the writers... i don't think i will ever stop crying if they die at the end

they're in this busted up helicopter, already intriguing, but when it zooms in on Eddie's face, he's tearing up??? this movie is checking off every emotion, i need to remember to stay hydrated before i go see it, i will cry so much

I don't even think i'll be able to handle just one of them dying, the end of the first movie made me tear up the first time i saw it, and that was before i was as insane about them as i am now, i will be UNWELL in the theater

And last but certainly not least. HORSE VENOM WOOOOOO

the design for this things is insane, i didn't think i'd ever wanna draw a horse in my life but like.. kinda changing my mind ngl (weird detail, Venom horse has hands and feet and not hooves!)

E: "Be honest with me, how fast do you think you can make that thing go, without killing it?" V: "..ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!"

Venom sounds a bit muffled in this clip which makes it a bit more funny to me, i won't lie. Eddie is hanging on FOR HIS LIFE THOUGH, geez i know he said "how fast" but Eddie gets LAUNCHED OFF VENOM when they go over that cliff. fun reference to the first movie, how Venom grabs onto Eddie as he flies up, like on the motorcycle <3

this horse scene has to be earlier on because Eddie is in The Outfit and is also not wearing shoes??? i refuse to believe he'd put it back on, and in the helicopter-"it is time" clip, Eddie is wearing that white shirt, which looks like the undershirt to the suit (maybe) so the Las Vegas scene happens before them running from the explosion/fire.

oh right, the song that's playing? Space Oddity by David Bowie? yeah it's about an astronaut dying along in space.... which... is not very comforting...

god this trailer makes me so hyped, October cannot come faster i need this movie NOW. please.

man the trailer is kinda confusing, i'm already making guesses on where things happen and what the context could be, but literally anything could happen in this film. there are so many things that just don't make sense yet and it's hurting my brain I JUST WANNA KNOW! are those new Symbiotes or not? What even is the plot? Will Eddie and Venom profess their love to each other? Will Sleeper be real? How many times will this movie make me cry? Only time will tell

...and it's only the first trailer! head so full of thoughts, heart so full of emotions!

[hannibal-film-school]

Welcome! The name of this blog is just for fun and not to be taken too seriously. I’m a current film student myself, and this is really just a space I’m creating to practice and deepen my own understanding of film studies while also indulging my Hannibal brainrot. Anyone who joins me, you can consider us learning together.

My project here is to rewatch and write about the series in depth, but always (I hope) in accessible terms that you don’t need a background in film studies to understand.

We'll look at everything from shot composition and editing to themes and symbolism and subtext. We'll try using different schools of thought in film theory to interpret the show. And just because I love an academic paper, I'm also going to be reading all the papers and books and journal articles on Hannibal (seriously there are a bunch of them and they’re amazing) and reporting back on the most interesting stuff I find.

Photo of me explaining NBC's Hannibal to yet another person who didn't ask

Some of my interests (so, what I'll probably write about the most): Cinematography and editing choices; how visuals create emotional impact; sexuality and queer theory; gender/masculinity; the depiction of violence and elements of horror and film noir; aestheticism; philosophy; and pretty much all things transgressive, subversive, and ambiguous.

[writingblock101]

Still Insufferable (Damian Wayne x Reader)

This is a part two to Insufferable! I had an anon request this a while back and found some prompts that gave some great inspiration! Hope y’all like it! You don’t need to read part one, but it does make the transition smoother. For reference, you and Damian are 17. 

Words: 2,800 

Tags: @idkmanicantenglish @mayahoelland2013

Warnings: None

“Do you ever follow directions?” A familiar, condescending voice asks you from the ground. 

You spot an annoyed Damian Wayne from your upside perch, staring up at you with crossed arms. You grin, a little too excited to see someone who looks so annoyed with you. 

“I’m creating an extensive target practice!” You claim, gesturing with your bow to the targets down range

“By hanging upside from the rafters?” Damian raises an unimpressed eyebrow. 

“You’re questioning my methods.” 

“I’m not questioning it,” Damian corrects. “I’m saying it’s stupid.” 

You gasp in mock offense then unhook your legs and flip to the floor. 

“Your words wound me!” 

“You’ll recover,” Damian says dryly. 

“I thought you would approve of me making a more comprehensive training.”

“You were hanging upside down from the rafters. How is that more comprehensive?” Damian questions.

“Because I don’t always get the pretty shot with the perfect set up in the field!” You argue. “Sometimes, I’m making the shot while hanging upside down with a broken toe!” 

Damian pauses, his eyes flickering to your feet. 

“Is your toe broken?” He asks.

He almost sounds concerned. It’s kind of sweet. 

“No,” You admit. “But what if it was?” 

He blinks. The concern is gone. 

“You spend too much time with Roy and Jason.” 

“Well, Roy is basically raising me at this point, so yeah, kind of,” You point out. 

Damian rolls his eyes. 

“Mission briefing.” 

“Aw, you came all the way here to tell me yourself,” You tease Damian, aware of the various intercoms around the Tower.

He scowls at you, but doesn’t dampen your good mood. 

“I was the closest to the range. It made the most sense for me to come tell you.” 

“No need to make excuses,” You shrug. “I get it, I’m amazing and you can’t resist being around me.” 

“You’re insufferable.” 

“You know, that line didn’t fool me when we were 12 and it’s still not fooling me now.” 

Damian’s scowl deepens. 

“Mission briefing, now.” Then he walks off before you can make another smart ass comment. 

Sometimes, Damian makes it too easy. You hit the switch to pull the targets back in, figuring you’ll get your arrows later. 

You’ve been an official Teen Titan for a few months now. After Roy talked you into tagging along with the team for a mission, you were hooked. The rest of the team agreed to extend an invite to you, which you happily accepted. You love the team, including Damian. Despite your constant bickering, you and Damian work well together in the field, enhancing each other’s skills. 

In all honesty, you really enjoy being around Damian. While he’s a bit uptight, when he relaxes, he’s fun to be around. You’ve enjoyed getting to see the more relaxed side of Damian. Besides, it's fun to have someone who keeps up with every sarcastic remark you make, even if it includes him calling you insufferable. It’s a bit of a long shot, but you know Damian likes you more than he makes it seem he does. 

You head to the main conference room of the tower and settle in for a long presentation. While the briefings are long, and rather boring, they’re in depth. You have to give Damian credit, even when things go wrong on missions, his extensive briefings prepare your team for almost every possibility and help make adaptations to the plan on the fly. 

You fiddle with a pen, unscrewing it, laying out the pieces then put it back together as Damian talks. As you get more fidgety the longer the meeting goes on, Damian wordlessly slides a new pen over to you with a slightly different composition. You smile at him and busy your hands with taking part the new pen. Damian’s cheeks darken slightly, but before anyone can notice, he’s back in leader mode. 

Damian pulls up the blueprint, running through everyone’s role and position for the mission.

“And Black Falcon, you’re with me, handling guards on the roof and additional security measures.”

“The dream team,” You grin with a wink.

Damian rolls his eyes and ignores your remark. Instead, he fields any questions then dismisses the team. You glance down at the file briefing in front of you then remember one last question for Damian. As a few Titans clear out, you wander to the front of the room where Damian is studying the blueprint from the presentation. 

“Hey, boss man,” You wave your file at him. “This building is using the Kingsley Security system. What are your thoughts about debuting the new hacking arrows?” 

Damian frowns, flipping to the page with the schematics concerning the security system. 

“How effective is the firewall on the arrows?” 

“If you’re worried about them tracking back to us, the arrows’ firewall should be strong enough to erase our trail.” 

“Should be?” Damian raised an eyebrow. 

“They’ll be fine, but I don’t like to make guarantees.” 

“And why is that?” 

“Because sometimes, shit happens.” 

“I don’t like variables.” 

“Well, Dames, I’ve got bad news for you about how life works.” 

You cross your arms, leaning your hip against the table. 

“I don’t like variables on my missions when lives are on the line,” Damian says, scanning over the Kingsley credentials. 

“We’re connected to a computer with the highest level of security to currently exist. Even if they manage to trace back the arrows, they won’t get far.” 

Jon and Colin watch you two bicker about arrows and security.

“He likes having someone to argue with way too much,” Colin mutters to Jon. 

Jon nods along. 

“You’re telling me. He’s not going to do anything about it though.” 

Colin cracks a grin. 

“He’s just gonna roll his eyes and tell her she’s insufferable.” 

Jon and Colin snicker, catching Damian’s attention. He narrows his eyes at the two who sit innocently. 

“Listen,” You bring Damian’s attention back to you. “It’s your mission and I’ll respect whatever you want to do, but the only way for me to improve the arrows design is to test them.” 

“I’ll consider it,” Damian says. 

His phone lights up with notification on the table. Your eyes dart toward the light and your eyebrows go up. Damian catches your eye and snatches his phone off the table with red cheeks.

“Am I your lock screen?” You ask with a small grin. 

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” Damian shoves his phone in his back pocket. 

“Really?” Your grin grows as your eyebrows move higher. 

Jon and Colin watch with shit eating grins. 

“Grayson set it,” Damian growls. “I haven’t bothered to change it.” 

“Sure, he did,” You nod. “It’s a cute picture.” 

The picture is after Damian and Bruce got into a huge argument, bad enough that Damian called Dick to get him out of the Manor. Dick figured it would be a good day to give Damian a childhood experience he missed out on and decided to take Damian to a theme park. Knowing you were in town with Jason while Roy was handling some business in Gotham, he talked Jason into bringing you. While at the park, Dick insisted you and Damian needed to try a funnel cake since neither of you had ever had one. 

You and Damian decided to split one since Dick warned you they were pretty sweet. When you and Damian tried your first bites, Damian’s face instantly scrunched up which made you laugh and Dick managed to catch the moment on camera. 

Damian scowls at you while you just grin. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone and ruin your reputation,” You laugh, leaving the room. 

Damian scowls at you as you leave and returns his attention to collecting his files. 

“Ah Dames, get that look off your face, we all know how you feel,” Jon teases. 

Damian turns, scowling at Jon. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Sure you don’t,” Colin rolls his eyes. “We can all tell you like Y/N.” 

“She’s--”

“Insufferable,” Jon finishes. “Yeah, we know. You know, just because you keep saying it, doesn’t mean it’s actually true.” 

“And you know, we get it, you’re a condensing, uptight dick--” Colin starts to rattle off. 

“Why does everyone assume the worst of me?” Damian scowls at Colin. 

“It saves time,” He grins at his friend. “But, despite those things, you can be charming when you want to be. And if you actually acted on that charm, Y/N would agree to a date with you.” 

Jon stares at Colin for a minute, looking unimpressed then turns to Damian. 

“My advice is much more subtle. Stop being an ass.” 

“I didn’t ask for advice,” Damian growls. 

“We are aware and we also are aware that you never will,” Colin nods. 

“Why not let yourself be happy, Dames?” Jon asks. 

“I am happy,” Damian glares at the two of them then walks out of the room, tired of hearing their advice. 

“Think he’ll listen?” Colin asks. 

Jon shrugs. 

“Who knows.” 

. . . 

Your back hits the ground but you roll to the balls of your feet, breathing hard. You tighten your grip on your bo staff, ready to lunge for another hit when you notice Damian walk into the training room. As he walks toward you, you straighten up and grab your water, figuring it’s time for a break. Damian raises his eyebrows at your bo staff. 

“That’s not your normal choice in weapons,” He observes. 

You shrug, taking a swing of water and ignoring your cheeks heating up. While you wanted to expand your training, you’ve seen Damian using a bo staff a lot. He seems to like them so you figured you’d give them a shot. Besides, Tim has given you a few pointers. 

“Decided to try something new,” You say casually. 

Damian quirks an eyebrow, but says nothing else. 

“I’ve been thinking--” He starts. 

“A dangerous pastime,” You nod solemnly. 

Damian glares at you but continues, as if he didn’t hear your sarcastic comment. 

“We have a strong enough firewall on the computer in the Tower that if your arrows malfunctioned, we could detect and fight a security breach.” 

“So, I can bring them on the mission?” You finish. 

“Yes.” 

“Sweet!” You grin, pumping your fist. 

Damian rolls his eyes again at your celebration, but you can see him trying not to smile. He turns to leave, but you look back at the bo staff you were training with. 

“Wait! Damian!” You call. 

He turns, looking at you with raised eyebrows. 

“You’re better with a bo staff than I am,” You admit. “Wanna help me out?” 

Damian’s eyes flicker between you and the bo staff. You see a small smile fighting its way onto his face. 

“I’ll change into something more suiting for training.” 

You grin, spinning the staff around you then go into a mock solute. 

“Yes, commander.” 

Damian rolls his eyes again, but leaves to change. 

. . . 

You swing your staff up hard, but Damian blocks it and swipes at your legs with a low kick. Grinning as he falls into the expected move, you flip your staff around and hit Damian’s side. He grunts and moves again, this time, landing a hard blow to your arm. You grimace at the force, but swing your staff around again and manage to knock Damian’s legs out from under him with a move he showed you. 

Damian hits the ground hard with a grunt, but instead of rolling to his feet for another hit, he lays on the ground, looking a little dazed. 

“I got it!” You cheered as Damian sits up, watching you with a small smile. 

“Drive your hips more so the power doesn’t come from your arms as much,” He instructs. 

“You know, with all the archery I do,” You flex a muscular arm. “I’m pretty sure my arms are stronger than my hips at this point.” 

Damian rolls his eyes as he pushes himself to his feet. You swear you sees his eyes lingering on your flexed arm. 

“Basic anatomy,” He claims. 

“Right, your definition of “basic” and a normal person’s is pretty different.” 

Damian raises an eyebrow at you. 

“How do you mean?” 

You narrow your eyes. 

“You know what I mean.” 

“I don’t,” But the slow start of a shit eating grin on his face tells you Damian knows how you meant that statement. 

You groan, throwing your hands up. 

“Okay, fine, Wayne. I’ll give it to you, you’re pretty smart.” 

“Am I now?” Damian full on grins, making your heart flutter. 

You roll your eyes again, despite your raised heart rate. 

“I’m not going to say it again.” 

“I didn’t think you would. It doesn’t change the truth.” 

You sigh, shaking your head. 

“Why do I still like you, knowing you’re a total asshole?” You question as you walk toward your water. 

Damian freezes for a moment, your words slowly mulling over in his head. Before he can say anything else, his watch beeps. Damian looks down at it with a scowl.

“Duty calls?” You ask, handing Damian his water. 

He looks up from the notification and nods. 

“Get dressed, we leave in ten minutes.”

. . . 

Following your normal post mission tradition, you relax on the roof with a few boxes of take out. You dig into your box of fried rice, enjoying the view as your legs dangle over the edge of the huge tower. The roof access door opens and someone sits next to you but you don’t have to turn to see who. Wordlessly, you hold out Damian’s vegetarian Lo Mein which you took the courtesy to grab while he showered after the mission. 

“Your arrows worked,” Damian comments, accepting the box from you and digging in with his own chopsticks. 

“Mmhm,” You hum with a smirk. “Told you.” 

Damian rolls his eyes. 

“Of course you wouldn’t be able to resist making a childish remark.” 

You grin, nudging Damian’s shoulder. 

“You knew I already knew the arrows worked. You just wanted to hear me say it.” 

“I absolutely did not.” 

“Sure you didn’t. I’m irresistible.” 

“You’re insufferable,” Damian corrects. 

“I still don’t believe that line.” 

“Your belief does not change the truth.” 

You laugh, leaning against Damian as you both continue eating, enjoying the view and each other’s company. After the first time Damian joined you on the roof, it became both of your traditions to enjoy your post mission meals together. Later, you would rejoin the team for game night or movie night, but for now, you two enjoy your quiet meals and unwind peacefully. 

Once your meals are finished and the boxes are discarded to the side, you scoot closer to Damian, resting your head on his shoulder. He slowly places a hand on your knee, seeming a bit uncertain. You smile to yourself and squeeze his arm, scooting a little closer to encourage him. He leans into you, seeming more relaxed by the affection. 

“You know,” You finally say after a few minutes of silently watching the sun set. “I turned out liking you a lot more than I originally planned.” 

“How much did you intend to like me?” Damian asks.

You feel him starting to go stiff. 

“Well, given you insulted me when I first met you,” You point out with a shrug. “I didn’t expect to like you very much.” 

“And now?” Damian asks hesitantly. 

You lift your head from Damian’s shoulder to look at him, your noses inches away.

“Now, you’re pretty alright,” You tease, admiring his pretty green eyes. 

Damian rolls his eyes with a small laugh. 

“Just alright?” He asks, squeezing your knee lightly. 

“Well,” You shrug again, feeling your heart pound. “Maybe a little more than alright.” 

You stare at each other for a long moment until Damian’s eyes flicker to your lips. Here goes nothing. Before you can bring yourself to regret, you close the small distance between each other and press your lips to his. He’s hesitant for a moment, stiff against you. Before you can pull away, Damian’s fingers sink into your hair, pulling you closer as he kisses you back. 

You melt into the kiss and grip his shirt tightly. As he shifts his head to deepen the kiss, a voice yells from behind you: 

“It’s about time!” 

You and Damian jump apart, still holding a hand on each other to see Jon standing by the roof access door. Damian scowls at him while Jon grins like he’s just won the lottery. 

“You have no idea how annoying it was so watch you two pretend like you don’t like each other,” Jon rolls his eyes. “Come on, we’re starting game night.” 

He disappears back through the door as you look back at Damian. 

“Well, duty calls,” You joke, sliding off the ledge. 

Damian turns, catches your wrist, and tugs you back to him.

“They can wait,” He mutters to you, kissing you again. 

You happily melt into the kiss, your hands on Damian’s chest as his hands slide to your hips. 

“Am I still insufferable?” You tease against Damian’s lips. 

He smirks, standing to his feet and pulling you close by your waist. 

“Yes,” He kisses you again. 

I’ve been writing things as I get inspiration. I think I’ll be compiling a prompt lists soon because I have some request... They are really big ideas and I don’t think I can take on any projects that big right now. I hope you enjoyed! 

[kiivg]

I could be misremembering, since your style has changed a lot, but I seem to recall you doing a fair amount of L4D art in the past too. Still super cool, I love your poses and your line-work, and the way you’ve gone about designing atmosphere is amazing. I love your art, glad to have found your stuff again king!

.I gotta stop drawing all the same shit I drew years ago lmaoooo. But I did draw a whole bunch which was maybe 2015/2016-ish but that's on my old laptop so I don't have a lot to drag myself with, sadly, but I can do a comparison because I like those and I have four L4D pictures on my external hard drive from 2017 haha.

.One major thing is the size of my pictures, like I knew that bigger canvases made for better pictures, apparently, and the stuff on the left is at 50% size, compared to what I draw now which is always 2000px x 1000px lately. But that might have been because I was going for a painterly style as opposed to what I’m doing now, because you can hide a lot in a painterly style imo.

.So the left is like, actual finished things, or at least what I would have considered to be good enough back then, and the right is a sketch from a week or so ago. And the sketch is a billion times better, easily. And I don’t mean this in the way of composition or the fact that I made a background because I didn’t do that in 2017…. Or… up until recently haha… but rather in the way of the lines being more accurate, it’s still sketchy on the right because it’s a sketch, but it’s so much cleaner and more confident because I actually studied anatomy in between these times. I think maybe I’d studied the human head because of the way I’m sketching ears on the left, but nothing heavy into body proportions and things.

.But there’s also more depth in facial analysis, all these guys have a square chin, protruding cheekbones, the same kind of necks too on the left. (I mean Bill’s old, where’s the neck sag?) Though lately I know more about singular features, and ways in which to define them. Like, Nick (or Taymour Ghazi, y’know) has a wide face with little cheekbone definition (unless fancy camera angles and general skinny-ness), and he’s got quite a fat uhh double chin (?) like the bit under your jaw that connects chin to neck despite not being actually chunky in the rest of his body. He’s got a cleft/dimple at the tip of his nose, very thin eyes, rounded ears that slightly stick out, and eyebrows that thin at either end that are kind of triangle-y, and I fancy him hahaha :)c. Point being, I wouldn’t have paid attention to any of this back then. The only singular definition I have in the left in Ellis’ bum-chin, which is nothing compared to how attentive to character features I try to be now.

.Then there’s attention to detail in clothing nowadays. I draw seams, like if you want to add defining shape to your pictures just draw the seams. And the folds, I actually understand how clothing folds now, on top of squidgy body rolls and things. Do I need to mention hands? I mean I still struggle because I have tiny baby hands and proportions are hard when you want to draw Big Man Hands and… don’t actually have them irl :(c. Regardless, I’m a lot better at drawing now.

.Also, on another note, I remember drawing a lot of Francis and Nick in prison suits and stuff, and like Nick with full body tattoos or something? I don’t know if I like that anymore, I do like Nick with body scars, atm I’ve drawn him with stabbing scars and on this right sketch there’s a gut shot surgery scar that I want to throw on him. (Premise of the right picture was Nick being stingy about wanting to sort himself out so nobody saw his big old surgery scars and Ellis is just like ‘y’know Keith got a hell’u’va lotta scars, Nick, ain’t nothing that’ll scare me off’ kind of thing.) But that’s another thing! My pictures, specifically the last L4D stuff, all have something of a story to them. Whether people can see the story is another thing, but I’m trying!

.I do still like the idea of Nick and Francis being in prison together because why not, but I got a few more HCs that I wouldn’t have had however many years ago. Like, Ellis cannot grow a beard to save his life, hillbilly bumfluff is the only thing he’s growing from that fabulous jawline of his. And the mullet, oh god why am I so sweaty over Ellis with a mullet, it’s embarrassing, but I’m not to blame, I didn’t introduce myself to backwater-curly-haired-mullet-men, no, someone else showed me that.

.HOWEVER! Thank you so much for liking my stuff back then, and recognising my Nellis-trash-ass and liking my stuff now :)c. It’s still super funky that people find me again and remember me, like, that’s crazy and I love it :)c.

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] Old Habits, New Reasons

Summary: Three times in which Namine shies away from social functions just to draw, and the one time someone joined her. [oneshot][character study][NamiXi if you really wanna squint][also Namiku if you squint a little less]

Rating: K

Word Count: 3,469 words

If you liked this story, please reblog!

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Their question had thrown Namine off slightly. She sheepishly looked down at her small sketchbook as if it could answer the question for her. The white page stared back at her in silence.

A part of Namine knew this would happen eventually. There was always that fear that someone would follow her, ask her what she was doing, and then tell her to rejoin the others. But that wasn't what they were asking, was it? They wanted to know why she was drawing. It was a simple question, and it was a bit odd that someone would have lugged a caboodle of art supplies with them to a banquet.

"Well?" the other girl asked. "Is there someone who would get mad you're drawing, even if you did it around your friends?"

"I don't think so." Namine decided, slowly. "But sometimes... it's just easier to draw without other people around you. And sometimes, when people find out that you're good at something, they make you do that something for them. It's not very fun."

"Do you always leave to draw, though?"

At first, Namine wanted to disagree with all her heart. But in introspection, it was more of a vice than she cared to admit. She loved drawing, but didn't like others watching her as she did it. When did that happen, she wondered. That didn't used to be the case...

"Sometimes." Namine finally said. She held her sketchbook a bit tighter before adding, "But only on certain occasions."

"Like?"

Namine looked over at the other girl with curiosity. She was greeted with a look just as inquisitive as her own. Maybe even more so. There was a genuine interest; that much was certain. Maybe there was a budding artist in their midst?

"Well..." she carefully said, moving her sketchbook a bit to flip through the earlier pages, "There was this one time..."

. . .

It was a small comfort that, while she wasn't a Keyblade wielder herself, the others considered her when they all got together. She still made sure that her presence didn't disturb anyone. Being quiet and observant was Namine's most reliable vice. That, and drawing. There wasn't much else she knew how to do. Her time as a Nobody barely ranged a year, and after that she was placed safely inside Kairi's heart until recently. Being a Somebody was... confusing, to say the least.

Being asked to join in on a slumber party with Kairi and Xion had been a surprise- perhaps even more so because Master Aqua herself gave her the invitation. Namine certainly didn't expect it to take place in the Land of Departure either. The world seemed far too grand to her -far too important in the history of Keyblade wielders- that it could be used for anything beyond a training arena. She was proven wrong after entering the Great Hall with Kairi. Aqua had given them a spot in front of the thrones, already decorated with sleeping bags for all four of them and a small assortment of snacks.

"I've never got to have a proper slumber party before, since it was me and Terra for most of our childhoods." Aqua admitted at some point. "Feels weird having one with you guys now. I feel like a mom."

It was Xion who, without skipping a beat, cheerfully declared, "And you're the best one I'll never have!"

"Xion!" both Aqua and Kairi declared, each with their own level of bewilderment. Namine only offered a stifled laugh. So proud at their reactions, Xion gave them all a smile so big, it almost rivaled Sora's.

After that, they started to talk about various things since they all met together. Apparently everyone's training was going rather well. Kairi was beginning to get a handle of second tier elemental magic, while Xion was working on personal techniques on and off for the past week. It was around this time that Namine politely excused herself from the others. They had been so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice.

Namine went to where she and Kairi had placed their personal things to find her caboodle. The caboodle was a neat little box with drawers that opened the same time she opened the lid. She was able to put all her art supplies in it. Most of them, anyway- her normal sketchbook was too large to fit. Instead, she used a smaller pad that was placed where the mirror in the caboodle was. Once Namine made sure she had everything, she carefully found a spot far enough away from the others so she could draw them. It honestly wasn't very far, but it was still far enough away that the other three didn't really notice her. That was fine. If anything, it was perfect.

The sounds of the others almost masked the sound of her pencil against paper. Spending most of her life locked away with nothing but drawing to distract her gave Namine a slight skill in speed drawing. However, she took her time when she started to work on her friends. She wanted as much detail as she could.

But she didn't bother to sketch her own sleeping bag. She tried to tell herself that it was because it ruined the composition. But deep down she knew it was because she didn't fit with the others, and so it didn't need to be included.

Namine finished her drawing without the others ever knowing she was gone. She placed everything back in her caboodle, then went back as Kairi went into a long story about Tidus and Wakka back on the islands. It was nice; the sounds of friendship. Namine had been the first to go to sleep that night.

. . .

At first, the only response she got was a quiet, "Oh..."

"It was a really fun time!" Namine quickly insisted. "And it really was a treat to be included."

"But you drew yourself out."

Namine flinched slightly. "It worked out better that way. From the angle I was at, it would have looked weird because I had the really light sleeping bag, and everything was so dark anyway..."

The other girl only looked more guilty.

"Do you still have the picture?" she wondered.

"I think so." Namine agreed. She adjusted herself so she could better go through her sketchbook before flipping through the earlier pages. "Here," she then offered as she handed it over.

There was a small hum as the other ran her fingers over the drawing. Namine had made deliberate choices in lighting around the three Keyblade wielders- light coming off of them as if they were lighting up the whole room. If you looked ever closer, you could see the detail of the castle's floor, and even make out the silhouettes of the three thrones in the background.

"Does anyone know that you go somewhere away from everyone to draw?" the other girl asked, handing the sketchbook back to Namine.

Namine gave a fond, almost bashful smile.

"There is someone..."

. . .

"There's a lot of people here." Namine noted as she tried to look over the crowd. Riku wasn't making the same amount of effort. Instead, he just casually looked on with a hand at his hip. Curse him being a full head taller than she was.

"Aqua said that Disney Town holds the Dream Festival every year." Riku agreed with a small nod. "Can't be that easy since Queen Minnie has almost been reigning the kingdom alone for the past few years. The effort is definitely amazing though."

Namine agreed with a nod and a small noise of affirmation. Disney Town looked absolutely splendid for the festival. All the colors, and the smells, and the energy was enough to put anyone in a good mood. The grip Namine had on her caboodle tightened slightly. A frown crossed her lips as she considered that there might have been too much commotion. There wasn't a good place to just sit and zone out without some kind of noise maker going off.

Riku must have noticed this. He looked over at her, and quickly saw her firm grip on the caboodle's handle.

"Are you sure you don't want to leave that in the Gummi Ship?" he asked. He even made a mild gesture to the box, which only made Namine hold it closer to her.

"No. I'm going to use it." Namine insisted. "I just... I just need someplace a bit more quiet..."

Riku nodded. He looked up again to see that Queen Minnie had taken the stage. The queen looked as beautiful as always in her formal pink and red ballgown. The jewels on her crown glittered under the multicolored overhead lights. Everyone cheered at seeing her- the love and admiration they had for their leader was enough to be felt from miles away. Minnie was a good queen, there was no contest about that.

As Minnie tried to settle the crowd down so she could speak, Riku bent down a bit to quietly tell Namine something.

"There's a sewage grate somewhere behind us. If you take it, there's a gizmo that will lead you up to one of the buildings overlooking the racetrack. Don't know about you, but a good aerial shot might be something to capture for later."

Namine grinned. "Thank you Riku." she said before giving him a small peck on his cheek. The young Keyblade master's face gleamed with a humble blush as he stood tall again, almost as if he had never moved at all. Namine laughed a bit at it before leaving.

Finding, and getting into, the grate had not been an issue. It did take her awhile to navigate the gizmo, though. But it was all worth it once she got to the top of a particular building. Namine let out a soft 'Oh...' of wonder as she sat down near the edge facing the racetrack. Riku was right- this was a good place to work. If only she was able to use larger sketch paper in her travelling kit.

When she was finished, Namine very quickly tried to find Riku again. She shouted his name after spotting him. He barely had time to turn around before she proudly displayed her new drawing to him.

"Do you think Queen Minnie will like it?" she asked, rather breathlessly.

Riku looked at her before looking down at the drawing. He put on a wide smile before telling her, "She's going to love it. It's perfect."

. . .

That story had brought about a rather brighter mood in the other girl.

"Did Queen Minnie like the drawing?" she asked. "You did give it to her after the festival, right?"

A sense of pride welled in Namine's heart, leading her to sit a bit straighter. "She loved it." she grinned. "She immediately had the brooms take it to the gallery to be expanded and mounted. You should have seen the look on Riku's face. He was as proud as I was, and probably more surprised!"

"I could only imagine." the other girl laughed. "Oh!" she then said, "Have you ever gone someplace with a view so nice that you just couldn't replicate it no matter how hard you tried? It's hard to recreate any atmosphere, in my opinion. I wanna know if you ever tried to as well."

Namine let out a soft hum as she thought about it. She let out a small noise of realization when it came to her.

"I did once before, yes." she agreed. "Since Kairi's parents don't mind me staying with them, I was able to join her, Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie to a beach party they had. It was still summer vacation, if I remember correctly. And Tidus really wanted to have a girls versus boys match..."

. . .

"Head's up!" Tidus shouted before serving the volleyball over the net.

"Cheater!" Selphie shouted back as Kairi managed to spike the ball back. Tidus only gave a rather sinister cackle back. However, at that point, no one was able to break their concentration just to smack talk each other.

Namine watched as Kairi and Selphie worked against Tidus and Riku in a rather well matched volleyball tourney. Wakka wasn't too far away- he had lost a bet earlier and had to make food for everyone. The smell of pineapples and fish hung in the air. It was the warmth of the midday sun that Namine loved the most. The feeling enveloped its way around her like a comforting hug. She let out a soft sigh as she got a bit more comfortable.

The sudden urge to draw made her fingers twitch.

This wasn't a good spot for it, though. She was too close to the others for anything but sand to get onto the paper than color. As much as she loved watching the volleyball match, it was still a bit too distracting. Namine started to get up and casually looked around for a better spot to draw. It didn't take long for her eyes to train to a crow's nest not far from the shore. It was part of a large treehouse that seemed to encompass the island. She looked back at her friends for a moment before quietly leaving them. If anyone noticed she was going, they certainly didn't question her about it.

After getting herself situated at the higher point, Namine found herself gaping at the scene below her. Her friends happily playing on the beach, the light reflections off the water, and even the island holding the paopu tree providing a view so beautiful, so rich, that she wasn't even aware that she was opening her caboodle at first. Seeing the Destiny Islands through Sora's heart was nothing compared to the real thing. Was it possible just to freeze time here and let everything else wash away? She smiled a bit to herself. She did have a way to freeze time, in a way.

The only unfortunate thing was that she wouldn't be able to capture it all. She couldn't encapsulate the smell of the sea, or the sounds of Tidus demanding the girls had leverage over him for some reason. She gave a small smile as she continued to work. Most of her effort was spent trying to reflect the sea around them. A certain impatience came over her as she carefully did each detail. You always had to start with the big stuff, then go down smaller. She was just so eager to capture this moment, anyway she could, that she was always picturing this drawing when it was done.

Namine had to force herself to stop after an hour. Her hands were starting to hurt, and her stomach was growling for food. She cracked her knuckles, barely relieving the tension in them, before putting her stuff away. There would always be time to clean the picture up later. For now, she needed to rejoin her friends.

. . .

And so, we were brought back to our initial setting- the banquet in Radiant Garden.

Namine had thought at first that this would be the perfect opportunity to work on drawing food. But the actual banquet itself had a lot more activity than she was anticipating. There were too many people at the tables to have space to stand at for a few minutes, and she had tried to get a plate for herself to take elsewhere- the allure of delectable aromas wouldn't let her go far without wolfing everything down. So she decided to get a higher view.

To her luck, there was a balcony overlooking the main area. It wasn't blocked off or anything, so Namine quietly crept her way to the top. She found a place to carefully overlook the area and found herself at awe. Even if she was aware that someone was behind her, she probably wouldn't have known it at first.

"Namine!" a voice suddenly said in surprise. Namine jumped a good foot before turning her attention to the newcomer. She relaxed a little when she found it was just Xion.

"Xion..." the blonde girl sighed. "It's just you."

"Am I interrupting you? I'm sorry. I'm not interested in food, and the boys are really going at it, so I really wanted to do this writing exercise where you describe an atmosphere, and..."

"No, no, no. You're fine." Namine insisted. She moved her stuff a bit before gesturing for Xion to sit down next to her. "Here," she offered, "Sit next to me. The view is nice from this area."

Xion smiled in thanks before carefully sitting down. She looked out over the balcony and gasped.

"You're right, this is a good view!" Xion marveled. Her eyes expanding in wonder. "This is the perfect place for Ebba to plant a listening device onto an enemy!"

"Ebba?" Namine wondered. "Who's Ebba?"

At Namine's confusion, Xion's face lit up in a deep scarlet.

"She's my... I think Pence called it 'self-insert.' It's a character that's based on me, but sometimes has a few differences. I've based most of the stories I write on stuff I did in the Organization. It's helped a lot with trying to cope with it. You know?"

Namine shrunk a little. "Yeah..." she agreed in a tiny voice.

"But it's real fun too!" Xion told her, trying to divert the heavy topic a bit. "I base everyone in story with someone in real life! You should see the guy I based on Xemnas... I do a lot of mean things to him."

Namine let out a small chuckle. But then a thought occurred to her.

"You based the characters in your story on us?"

"Of course I did!" she happily declared, her blush growing a bit, besides. "Roxas is Lucas, Master Aqua is head knight Meikai, I even have Pluto as the brave pup Mercury!"

"Do... Do you have someone based on me?"

Xion paused for a moment. Her face going still. However, just as quickly, her smile came back as wide as ever.

"Not yet, but I can!" she decided. She hummed a bit as she thought it over some more. "But I don't have to if you don't want to. I think I'll call her... Syrena."

"Syrena..." Namine hummed in thought. She then gave a bright smile in appreciation. "I like it."

"Great!" Xion beamed. She let out a rather contented sigh before asking, "What about you? Why did you come here?" She looked down at Namine's sketchpad and art supplies for a moment then added, "Did you come all this way just to draw?"

After some hesitation, Namine told her. Carefully, and in her own time. Xion listened intently- only asking questions when Namine was done relating a certain day. When the subject came back around to where they were, Xion seemed to understand much better.

"I get it now." she said.

"You do?" Namine wondered.

Xion gave a thoughtful little nod before explaining, "It's easier for you to draw when it's more quiet. That was how it was before. I think it's great that you're still drawing, even though you started because you were held hostage by the Organization. But the Organization didn't give you the skill you have, Namine. That’s all your own. Kinda like how writing is my special thing. We have ways to just... be ourselves, you know? It's comforting. It's like knowing that, even though we didn't start out in this world with our own goals or ideals, we can make them on our own now. We're free now, Namine. Free to do whatever we want."

Namine absently hugged her sketchbook. "I like that thought." she admitted. "I never really saw it that way before, either. Drawing is something that I know I can do. Something that won't harm others. But you are right- it's what makes me... me. Thank you."

Xion grinned. A wide, bright grin that could have lit up a room. It gave Namine an idea.

"What does Ebba look like?" she questioned, at the same time she pulled out one of her sketching pencils. "Does she look just like you, or are there a lot of differences?"

There was a moment of confusion on Xion's face, then a bright flicker of joy. Not a second after, she burst into a long babble about her character. She even used her arms to illustrate certain concepts and mannerisms. Namine laughed, and did her best to keep up. Xion was so passionate about her characters- it almost made Namine jealous. For the next few hours, Namine did a blend of Xion's idea for Ebba, while Xion herself got to writing about how Ebba got to meet a new acquaintance; a mysterious girl named Syrena, who -while mostly shy- was very well loved.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Super Green

The Green Knight s finally out and i can see it without having to wait a month and a half! I thank A24 for this rather quick turnaround because this thing has been on my radar fr what seems like forever! I’ve written about this before but A24 is my favorite studio releasing content. Neon is a close second and Netflix is making a real charge, but A24 releases classics. Some of my all-time favorite films are A24 products. Ex Machina, Hereditary, Under the Skin, The VVitch, Uncut Gems, Zola, Midsommar, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, The Lighthouse, High Life, The Monster, Enemy, Climax, Room, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Disaster Artist, and Under the Silver Lake have all impressed in one for or another, all of them A24 offerings. This studio is f*cking amazing and i cannot sing it’s praises enough. They’ve been around for less than a decade, A24 was founded in August of 2012, and they’re brought this level of quality consistently. The Green Knight has all of the workings to slide right into my all-time list, just like Ex Machina and Hereditary did before it. Let’s see if i really love it as much as i think i will.

The Exceptional

The first thing that hits you is how f*cking gorgeous this film is. Seriously, i was immediately captivated by that opening scene with Gawain rushing for Mass. It definitely opens up as the film progresses and you are treated to one of the most visually striking films of the year. This movie could give Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, or Robert Eggers a run for their money. Seriously, you can frame several shots in a museum and no one would know the difference between that and the Van Gophs on display.

I r0aely mention this but it’s absolutely necessary that i do in this particular review because it was just that memorable. The sound design made this film. I’m not talking about music choice or score, but the actual sound effects for specific scenes. That sh*t was some of the tightest I've ever hear on a film and it really added to the overall experience. Just the way the Green Knight creaked and popped as he moved was more than enough to get this mention but there is so much  ore than just that. I hate that i had to see this at home because, f*ck, this thing would have sounded like god in a proper theater.

I mentioned that you can frame these shots in a museum before and a lot of that shine belongs to the cinematography. The shots chosen for this film are breathtaking. I imagine a lot of that has to do with location but even the scenes filmed in dank castles and murky bogs popped with that same, meticulous, shot composition and it really gave those scenes life. The were ties when my jaw dropped at the majesty of a scene. The one with the giants immediately comes to mind. Like, f*ck, was that beautiful to witness.

In that same breath, you have to know when to pull back. Editing is just as important to a film as anything else and The Green Knight is cut with a precision I've rarely seen. This thing has no fat whatsoever. It presents to you exactly what you need and little else. I love that. I love that this film has a story to tell and it tells it with extreme prejudice. These cuts were made with intent. That’s rare nowadays.

I also have to give a nod to the use of color and lighting. Again, it’s not something i ever really focus on but goddamn is it necessary for this review. Light plays a very important role in how this story was told. Certain scenes absolutely need it and others are perfectly accentuated by it. It takes a deft hand to juggle such a nuanced aspect of film and The Green Knight has done that the best this year. So far.

This film has a very real, very potent, atmosphere. It’s not tension, not like Uncut Gems of Good Times, but there is this unrelenting sense of dread that runs through this entire film. It’s measured and restrained but it’s always there. I appreciate that. For a film to illicit such emotion out of me is testament to the mastery of it’s visionary.

All of the praise I've given to the technical aspects of this film would be for naught if i didn’t recognize the director, David Lowery. This dude is fast climbing the list of my favorite directors. I actually listed  bunch above but, after seeing what he’s gone with this film, dude is really making a case for himself. He did the Pete’s Dragon remake which i hear as pretty good, and A Ghost Story but i haven’t seen either. Not really my cup of tea. But if they’re as good as The Green Knight, i might have to revisit that thought because, holy sh*t, this dude can direct the f*ck out of a film.

The writing is on point. I legit hesitated to put this on here because it is the weakest aspect of  everything else in this film but that is misleading. The writing is exceptional. There is no way this film could be as good as it is, if the script was dog sh*t. The material given to these performers had to the top tier in order for them to give the performances they did and and they definitely f*cking did that!

This whole cast really f*cking delivered. Sarita Choudhury as Mother and Sean Harris as the King were easily the best of the supporting cast but everyone else brought that same energy. Joel Edgerton, Kate Dickie, and  Barry Keoghan, all deliver powerful performances. Hell, this is the best I've ever seen Erin Kellyman act and i have to give a lot of credit to the overall quality of this cast delivered. That said, there are three individuals who put everyone else to shame and i say that knowing exactly how much praise i just heaped upon them all.

Alicia Vikander comes in and delivers on two roles, Essel and the Lady. This isn’t surprising at all because she always delivers. I’m never disappointed by her performances. Admittedly, i haven’t seen many but that’s because she is very particular about the characters she signs on to portray. That said, it’s weird the two performances she’s done that immediately jump out to me, are both with A24 films. Her Eva in Ex Machina, and that film in general, is what made me even take notice of both her and A24 as a studio. Here we are, seven years later, and she’s still blowing my mind. F*cking exceptional.

Ralph Ineson is almost unrecognizable in the Green Knight make-up but the second he opens his mouth, you immediately recognize that gravitas. There is a weight to this character and you f*cking feel it with every move Ineson makes. Dude isn’t in it much but the scenes he does appear in are absolutely stolen by this big, green, maestro of his craft.

More than anyone, this is Dev Patel’s film. This dude is a great actor but it’s rare someone gets a part where they can really bite into the content but that is not the case with this role. No, sir, this sh*t was tailor made for Patel and he definitely digs right the f*ck in. His Sir Gawain is just as good as his Jamal Malik from Slumdog, if not better. Seriously, this film would be nothing without Patel. As outstanding as every other aspect that i gushed about in this brilliant goddamn film, the very best is Dev Patel’s performance. Seriously, that sh*t, alone, is worth the watch.

The Verdict

The Green Knight is f*cking exceptional and exceeded all of my expectations. This year long wait was more than worth. It's the best film of the year so far, leap-frogging into my top twenty all-time and I've seen thousands of films. This thing is a masterpiece on all levels. Narrative, plot, lighting, performances, sound design, composition, editing, score; It's the closest thing to a technically perfect film I've seen in quite some time. If Dev Patel doesn't get an Oscar nod for this, there is no justice in the world because he f*cking carries this movie. Patel is easily the strongest force driving this incredibly compelling watch, but Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Sarita Choudhury, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, and Barry Keoghan all match that energy with f*cking gusto. I was absolutely mesmerized by the way these absolute masters in their craft, embodied and gave their respective characters life, particularly Vikander. She never disappoints.

The only issue I see that would hinder someone actually getting into this film is the fact that it's a little long in the tooth. You never really feel it, as long as you buy into the fact it's a character study and not a high concept fantasy film filled with dragons and sh*t. If you think Michael Bay and Zack Snyder are the pinnacle of cinematic excellence, pass on this. You won't make past the first tn minutes. Also, make better life choices. No, this is about Gawain and it never deviates from that core drive. Weird sh*t happens, sure, but it's nothing as fantastical as Smaug or a Balrog. Even so, this f*cking movie kept me glued to the edge of my seat. I loved every second of it and cannot sing it's praises enough. My only regret is that I didn't get to see it in a proper theater. This f*cker would have been a real experience to see on a proper cinema screen, especially that shot with the giants. The Green Knight is outstanding and deserves all of the praise it's gotten and so much more.

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Animedia January 2021 Issue

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

I do apologize if some of the translations feel awkward. This one was slightly technical so I had to do some research on the side.

Animedia Education Lecture

You think you know but you surprisingly don’t

Working in Anime

— ­Editing Edition –

A corner where we delve into the work of anime production. This time, we ask Nii Kazuhiro of (share) IMAGICA Lab., who handles the editing for “Hanyō no Yashahime”, about editing!

The job of “editing” is vital not just in anime but also in live movies and tv dramas. People who like films may be able to vaguely imagine the burden of having the big role of organizing the scenes. However, exactly what sort of work do they do in anime production? This time, Mr. Nii Kazuhiro of (share) IMAGICA Lab., who oversees the editing of the action packed “Hanyō no Yashahime”, makes an appearance! We had him discuss editing and the special work process unique to “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

Tell us Nii-san! Let’s learn about “Editing”

Q: What kind of job is “Editing”?

It is a job that manages the flow of the whole film by connecting scenes or shots together. For example, how well a signature move in battle or sports is executed is dependent upon the tempo adjustment “editing”. Other things like scenes where shots are divided effectively by the placement of songs or music in an important work, will always have an editor’s hand (adjustment) involved. Even if the animation is created to flow exactly like the storyboard, a lot of times the timing of those scenes is fine-tuned with editing. Timing is just as important as properly moving images after all.

Q. During what phase of the anime production do you work?

Typically in anime, shots are edited at a phase where the color and sound have not yet been added and is completed as each phase in the production moves forward. Editing takes place before the audio work. Basically, it occurs twice: before voice recording and dubbing (translator’s note: Dubbing here does not mean voice over! Dubbing is the phase where they mix the voicing, sound effects, and music together to match the images). There are many works where color is added after dubbing has concluded, but in “Hanyō no Yashahime”, in order to allow for dubbing with the color, colored images are used as materials when editing. Since the images are colored, we can confirm the fine details with the director and production supervisor and then make adjustments.

Q. How does one become an “Editor”?

I entered a vocational school focused on film making and learned not just about editing but film making as a whole such as filming and lighting. There wasn’t any convenient editing software at the time, so I joined my current company that does film production thinking “Editing is something that can’t be self-taught so I want to learn on the job”. If you want to pursue editing, then you should watch as many different types of films as you can. You can’t notice things in production like direction and the camera angle of a shot if you don’t have interest in it, so I think it’s best to study it for the sake of knowledge.

Q. What abilities are needed for “Editing”?

Communication skills are an absolute must. Especially in animation which has a lot of detailed work itineraries and staff members creating it. To ensure that there are no mistakes, you must ask the director or production supervisor on anything you are unsure of. Of course, you can’t keep asking questions on every single shot so there are times where you will need to understand past productions and make decisions yourself. However, being able to muster up the courage and ask when necessary is important. You need communication skills for that purpose.

The “Hanyō no Yashahime” Production Site Packed with Fixations

— Please tell us the details on how you came to oversee the editing in “Hanyō no Yashahime”.

I had the opportunity to work with Director Satō (Teruo) on “Aikatsu Stars!” and he reached out to me. Since the story was connected to “Inuyasha”, which was broadcasted when I was a child, I felt a lot of pressure at first. While I was nervous when I heard the that main staff hadn’t changed much from “Inuyasha”, I felt “That’s all the more reason I have to work hard”.

— In regard to the editing work, did Director Satō make any demands?

I touched on this earlier in my response to “what phase we work” where I discussed how the director requested “Please have the images close to completion before the dubbing, where the music and voicing will be decided finalized, takes place. I would like to have editing done just before the dubbing as well.” This is what makes this so different from other works.

For example, in action scenes when the image is unfinished, it’s hard to understand the small movements or context. Hence, it’s difficult to take a “Maybe make the tempo like this” sort of editing approach. In typical animes, there are a lot of times where the final images solidify after the sound is completed. When that happens, there’s not much room to make edits for the most part.

However, in “Hanyō no Yashahime”, the images are mostly done before the dubbing so we can make adjustments with the director while matching the images with the voice actor’s lines. I thought it was a good idea. This is a trait unique to this work.

— Was there an aspect that you yourself focused on when editing this work?

While it’s a work with a lot of serious developments, what I focus on during those scenes is the “the interval between emotions”. In live film works, for thinking scenes, the actor’s “thinking act” is included so there’s an interval. However, in anime, the movement simply stops and there are no lines, so a lot of times you can’t measure the interval. Nevertheless, those serious scenes are important in “Hanyō no Yashahime” so I think it’s important to have “intervals” which is what I’m careful about. On the other hand, there are comical scenes, so I’m careful not to destroy the tempo. In anime, the tempo can change if it’s off by 6 frames*

*1 frame = 24 frames per second

The Feeling of Fun in Doing “Editing” Work

— In anime editing, does the work’s genre make a difference?

It does. Lately in action and sport (animes), materials included are not just from the storyboard but also from 3D CG as well, so we’re careful to make sure the connection between that and normal image (2D) scenes don’t feel out of place. When I first started, I couldn’t get the hang of it and was at a loss. The 3D CG portion is done by a different production team instead of the animation (drawing) team, so during my edits I couldn’t visualize the complete final form and fumbled as I worked.

In terms of idol anime, there’s “Aikatsu Stars!” that I worked with Director Satō on, but I was still a novice then… In work that’s geared towards children, I focused on making the tempo of the conversation scenes as steady as possible. If the tempo is too fast, it will end with everything being breezed through and a child will become unable to follow. I remember being careful of that.

— Are there times where you have to edit multiple episodes at the same time?

I mainly only work on one episode at a time. It’s just that periodically I have to confirm and make adjustments on a line-by-line basis in another episode at the same time.

— What part of “Editing” do you feel makes the jobs worthwhile?

In anime, images and CG shots that have been completed at each phase of the process are gathered individually as materials for editing. Updating those materials into one new episode and getting to see the finished product first is what “Editing” is. I think this is what makes the job of “Editing” fun the most. I get a sense of responsibility that I’m managing not only the shots but the entire work as a whole. Also, because I’ve seen the production process, I feel happy and simply moved like “That’s amazing” when all the phases are completed and the whole anime is finished. This is when I feel worthwhile as an editor. Also, I don’t think there’s much opportunity to take part in the production of the character movement and camera work in live filming, so I think this is what makes editing anime fun.

— After going through all the work, how do you feel when you watch the broadcasting of the finished version?

I end up watching it from different angles but when I watch it as a regular viewer, I become happy nonetheless. Of course, there are times where I personally think “I should’ve done this” at the little things. Now with social media, I know the viewers’ reactions in real time, so when there was a huge response to episode 1 with Inuyasha and the others, that put pressure on me going forward (laughs).

The Charm of “Hanyō no Yashahime” That You Personally Enjoy

— Of all the episodes that have been broadcasted thus far, which episode left the biggest impression on you?

Episode 3 where the three heroines (Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha) came together. I got to watch the (voice) recording for that episode and the battle scene was really cool. Also, I was able to properly draw the first conversation between the three so that left the biggest impression on me in that sense.

Then there’s episode 7. It’s the episode where you return to the scene of the three of them that at the very beginning of episode 1. The composition of back tracking up to episode 1 left an impression on me, so even as I was editing episode 7, I admired how it felt like the mystery was being revealed or rather feeling like “I see. This is where it connects”.

— By the way, who is your favorite character personally?

Moroha. She’s fundamentally an energetic character, her skills in action scenes are cool, and the way she seems to mimic the movements of her father, Inuyasha, is entertaining as well. While she behaves in a manner that makes you wonder if she had a tragic past, she’s a character whose emotions are easy to read so that’s why she’s my favorite.

— Including upcoming highlights, please give a message to our readers.

Going forward there will be more episodes regarding the three heroine’s past which I think is a highlight. As I was editing a future episode, I felt “We’re approaching the true nature of the story”. Please look forward to the cool action scenes and the episode where the three’s past will become clear.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Dune (2021)

First and foremost I have not read the book that film is based upon. I find that book to film adaptations are often disappointing in many ways. That being said, even if I've never read the book, the film should be strong enough on its own and not require me to do research by reading the source material after. For the longest time, I have heard nothing but praise and admiration for the titular book and of course there have been many adaptations, but nothing like this. It is very hard to introduce a new world to an audience these days and not have them compare it to others that exist. The magical thing about this story is that it works in the reverse. I saw where many other franchises, one in particular, were influenced by Dune. The first hour is so rich and thick with information and world building that it felt at times like I needed to join a study group to understand everything. I would be lying if I said I wasn't lost at first, but I shortly caught up and started to understand the political, economical and spiritual themes that were laid upon me. I have to say that this was a great epic that does take its sweet time explaining and showing, but it has many flaws that make it seem almost incomplete and not focusing on some of the characters long enough to make an impact. This was an example of focusing on visuals instead of the actual story.

This is a stacked cast of almost all of the best actors in show business today and they don't disappoint.  Timothee Chalamet was excellent and strong as Paul Atreides. The boy is destined for greatness and I liked the growth of him understanding his powers. You feel the weight of his burdened mind as he witnesses the future and is tormented by a constant visual of a girl. Timothee does tend to be very emo in some scenes and I found that he underplayed some of the more scenes that require more. Oscar Issac was perfect as his father Leto and he carries himself with such regalness and strength. I loved that he was a devoted man to the mission that was given to him and he was also a wonderful father. Jason Mamoa was cool as Duncan and I wanted to explore more of the friendship between him and Paul. The chemistry between them was there, but there wasn't enough time to fully engage their bond. Mamoa does what he is great at in the awesome fight scenes, but I feel he got the shortest end of the stick. Josh Brolin was perfectly commanding and intense as Paul's mentor Gurney Halleck. I would trust that man with my personal security forces any day. Rebecca Ferguson was excellent as Paul's mother and Leto's wife, Lady Jessica. I love that she was so loving and yet there were so many secrets about her that I found intriguing and I can't wait to find out more. Stellan Skarsgård was eerie and menacing as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. He was so cold even though you can feel the joy he feels in being responsible for a number of characters' death. Javier Bardem was great as the leader of the Fremen, Stiglar. He carries such gravitas and commands the respect in which ever location he is in. I want to know more about him and the Fremen that are native to their home planet of Arrakis. Zendaya was good as Chani. Now you don't really get that much time with her outside her being in Paul's angelic visions of her, but once she is on screen, she fascinates me.

The score was truly amazing and definitely one of the best I will hear all year. Hans Zimmer's composition for this film was thunderous, pulse pounding, epic and truly out of this world. The scope of film and story is truly vast and you feel it in every single shot. This film is GORGEOUS to behold on the big screen. From the costumes, the different planets, ships and creatures, you truly feel like you've been introduced to fresh landscapes to explore and you want know everything. The themes of economic growth, duty and spiritual enlightenment are all encompassing in this film. The score mixes together with the visuals in a perfectly synced melody that cannot be understated. My major problems with the film were with the sound design and plot points that seemed to be not fully explored. Christopher Nolan has a tendency to prioritize sound fx and music over being able to crisply understand the dialogue. That same mistake was made by this filmmaker and it was beyond frustrating to have to strain my ears past the ambience to hear story points and exposition. That was a major contributor to me losing the story. A perfect example was when Jessica was talking to Paul about his future, she's at least 15 paces away from him and she is whispering while he is speaking at full volume! That is a major pet peeve of mine in cinema and I’m glad the movie “Shazam!” poked fun at it. Another example is where Jessica is saying her "fear is the mind killer" montra and the score is blaring over every word! The sound in the film is amazing, but not for dialogue purposes. I know that this film is only part 1, but man there were moments where I felt I needed to pause and think about whose who in the grand scheme of things. Its a build up for sure, but lacked the amount of storytelling needed to get me fully excited for the sequel. Overall, Director Denis Villeneuve made an amazing piece of art that has many flaws, but should not be missed in anyway. Definitely see this on an IMAX screen. This much epicness shouldn't be viewed on a television no matter how big your set is. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: Feelings Astray

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Words: ~1.5k Rating: G Time Frame: Something like their 4th or 5th week of college Story Arc: Stand Alone

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Author’s Note: Some practice drama as well as setup for future stuff.

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“Ne, Ayumu, Setsuna-chan.” Yuu said, turning around on her piano bench. “Would you mind listening to this for me?”

“Of course.” Ayumu and Setsuna replied, practically in unison.

Yuu smiled, stood, and walked over to Ayumu to hand her a set of headphones before giving a set to Setsuna and returning to the keyboard.

The three girls had spent the bulk of the afternoon in Yuu’s room, a bit of a change from their established habit of gathering in Ayumu’s room. This was actually their third day here, as Yuu was working on composing a new piece and needed to use her keyboard. There wasn’t space to move the device to Ayumu’s room so Ayumu and Setsuna mutually decided to keep her company. As Yuu lacked a kotatsu for her guests to gather around, she let Setsuna use her desk to study and Ayumu was sitting on the couch taking a break from her own studies to play a game with Rina on her phone.

Ayumu sent a message to her gaming companion and closed the app before donning the headset. She nodded to Yuu to indicate that she was ready. The twintailed girl smiled again and turned on her bench.

After a deep breath, Yuu positioned her fingers above the keys and began to play. Music poured out of the tiny speakers into Ayumu’s ears as she leaned back and let the experience wash over her. By the gods, she loved listening to Yuu play. Ever since her childhood friend had changed her class course to music back in high school, getting to be part of the audience for small, private concerts had become one of Ayumu’s favorite pastimes. Even if the song was still a work in progress, like today.

Movement off to Yuu’s side caught Ayumu’s attention. Setsuna had sat up straighter, closed her eyes and lifted her chin. Was she…? Ayumu slid one side of her headphones off. Yes, Setsuna was indeed humming along, adding a melody atop Yuu’s piece. Did she already know the tune?

“La la la… Lalala laaa~…” Setsuna apparently was not content to merely hum and began vocalizing instead. No actual lyrics, just the sound of her voice.

And it was beautiful. The harmony was perfect. Ayumu wanted to simply sit and bear witness, but she found herself wondering if Yuu could hear Setsuna as well. She was about to stand and either try to get Yuu’s attention or discreetly move one side of her headphones off like she had done herself. But then Yuu’s hand shot up and quickly did exactly that, barely missing a note. Oh, good. Ayumu relaxed and continued to enjoy the performance.

Then, all too soon, it came to an end.

Setsuna opened her eyes as though coming out of a trance. She blinked and stiffened as she noticed that Yuu’s headphones were half off and it was obvious she had heard her. Pink began to dust her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Yuu-san!” Setsuna blurted out. “I didn’t mean to interfere! I just couldn’t help…”

“That was amazing, Setsuna-chan!” Yuu interrupted excitedly.

“Eh?”

“I hadn’t even considered adding another melody like that, but it was perfect!”

“It really was amazing.” Ayumu agreed, earning a toothy grin from Yuu and a more bashful smile from Setsuna.

“Do you think maybe you could write lyrics to this?” Yuu continued.

“Me? Lyrics?” Setsuna asked.

“Well you just came up with that lovely melody. Surely you could put some words to it, right?”

“Maybe.”

“Obviously I would be happy to help. But, hey, if we do that, maybe you could even use it as a single!”

“Oh, uhm…” Setsuna’s blush deepened. “I wouldn’t want to interfere with your schoolwork.”

“It’s fine.” Yuu assured. “The assignment is just to compose an original work, there’s nothing against turning around and letting a professional idol add lyrics and use it herself.”

“You’d really be alright with that?”

“Of course!” Yuu was practically bouncing in her seat. “It’d be like old times back in the idol club, except now Setsuna-chan is a professional idol.”

Like old times…

“I’d like that.” Setsuna’s smile became more natural as her blush began to fade. “It really is a wonderful work and it would be an honor to sing to it. Thank you, Yuu-san.”

As the two started talking about potential themes for the lyrics, Ayumu found her own thoughts drifting.

There was no doubt in Ayumu’s mind as to Setsuna’s musical prowess, specifically when it came to utilizing her voice. But still, to predict and adjust on the fly like she had just done also implied an implicit trust in Yuu and incredible knowledge about her style of composition. And that was a bond Ayumu simply did not share with Yuu. Or Setsuna for that matter.

Sure, back in high school, Ayumu had done well enough as a school idol, when it came to performing. But she was nowhere near as active as either Yuu or Setsuna when it came the creation of the songs they would sing or the choreography they would use.

Ayumu’s contributions to the club were more of general support. She helped the costume club occasionally with outfit design and creation. She often helped the baking club make snacks for the other idols. And of course, she very much enjoyed being the go-to individual for help with styling her friends’ hair before Live performances or photoshoots, particularly for those with longer hair, like Kanata, Shizuku and Setsuna.

But that often meant that she was doing something for the club other than either Yuu or Setsuna. And they were often doing something together, like when they were spearheading the efforts to organize the School Idol Festival. So, of course they would develop that sort of bond.

And nowadays, they had bonded over many other things as well. They geeked out over idols and anime, often to the point of seeming to forget Ayumu’s presence; not unlike right now. And sure, Yuu had taken to snuggling into Ayumu in bed, but Setsuna seemed to cling to Yuu with a desperation that neither did with her. Even their morning meeting on the balcony, they were more often next to one another. Who knows, the next thing they’ll bond over might end up being cooking.

Was Ayumu getting in their way?

No. That couldn’t be the case.

Both actively sought her out for drying their hair whenever they washed it. Yuu was very open about that fact that she had no desire to go to any hairstylist other than her, for cuts, dyeing or anything else. And while Setsuna hadn’t said as such out loud, her actions seemed to imply that she felt similar.

Both girls were also vocal in their gratitude for all of the cooking Ayumu did for them. And knowing how much they enjoyed her food was something in which Ayumu did take some pride. Not too much, as she knew there were far better cooks than her out in the world. But if the two people she loved most were happy with it, then that was enough to make her happy.

And then there was the fact that Yuu was quite insistent on walking to class with Ayumu, despite having a later schedule. And Setsuna always greeted her enthusiastically when she arrived home. Although she greeted Yuu the same way. And Yuu greeted Setsuna the same way as well… Perhaps that wasn’t the best example.

Even the private piano performances had started out only being for Ayumu. But then Setsuna started to join in regularly. And while Ayumu was certainly happy when the three of them were together, there started to be more and more times like now. More and more times that the other two seemed to forget Ayumu was present.

Maybe I should just move out and let them be a happy cou…

Wait, where did that thought come from?

Ayumu physically shook her head as though it might help rid herself of that thought.

“Ayumu?”

“Mm?” Ayumu blinked to find Yuu had turned her attention to her.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine. I just…”

Ayumu was interrupted by the sound of Setsuna’s stomach growling. Loudly. Yuu immediately started laughing while Setsuna’s face flushed adorably.

Ayumu held back a laugh of her own. “I suppose it is about that time.” She said, checking her phone. “I’ll go make dinner.”

“I’ll come with.” Yuu said, bouncing up from her bench.

“Oh, I’ll be fine.” Ayumu assured. “Please continue to work here if you want.”

“I’m good here for now.” Yuu shook her head. “And I need to do a few things on my laptop anyway.”

Ayumu noticed Setsuna close her own laptop and stand as well. “I’ll come as well.” The raven-haired girl said with a smile.

“Mm.” Ayumu agreed with a nod and headed for the door.

So, Ayumu and Setsuna had decided to keep Yuu company in her room. And now Yuu and Setsuna wanted to keep Ayumu company in hers. That meant they all wanted to stay together, right?

Yes. That had to be the case.

Ayumu thought to herself as she led the way back to her room. It was fine. That strange thought from before should just be forgotten.

Everything was fine.

Right…?

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Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post

[peachandmark]

Day6 Jae as your college senior (Political Science major since he’s one)

Jae is the senior who’s in charge in freshmen orientation and head of poli sci association, a very charismatic leader. He’s a sophomore. His tall figure, fair skin and cute eyes under those glasses caught you off guard.

Super friendly and jokes a round to make the juniors comfortable, always asks “Do you have any question?” with a cheeky smile.

Most girls in your batch probably having crush on him because you too. He’s even famous in the entire faculty. Super respectful towards everyone.

But you’re competitive so you’re a step ahead, asking for his number in case you have any question without anyone noticing even your new friends. At random times you will chat him first tru katalk

Though he would gladly answer but instead he suggest to meet you face to face to explain further. He always chooses library as a place to meet you.

He’ll explain all about the course and the subjects in every semester, a little bit introduction of the lecturers and some tips to excel the subjects of your first final. He’ll also tell his experience during first year over coffee, in which he treats you

Sometimes you’ll came across him on your way to the class and you’ll greet him first and he replies as friendly to you that Brian, his closest friend and also your fellow senior, teases him over his over friendliness to you. And Jae will hit him and shut his mouth after that. You chuckles and yes your day has been made just by looking at that handsome figure

Would try hard to explain why Nicollo Machiavelli’s thought is not as evil as you think and is necessary in modern politics because you’re such a softie and more likely into Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy in which govern the nation with “love”

He would suggest some helpful tips and inspirational books/movies in politics to help you understand the whole field better

He would hit you up to ask how you’re doing on midterm quiz and if you’re doing bad he’ll cheer you up and continue supporting you. “Actually there’s formula in understanding World Politics, it’s heavily based on realism theory with three key points; Identity, Geography and Power. Anyway, let’s have a tutor lesson on Saturday. I will explain later. For now let’s grab a lunch, are you free now?” he says

Whenever it’s just the two of you, Jae becomes flirty but not too much that it makes you uncomfortable. He’a really keep it slow and not too much. Complimenting you has becomes one of his die-hard habits. Some of your female seniors (his fans) are annoyed with you. But you brush them off, because who cares? Whenever Jae see some of them trying to bully you, he becomes more protective of you

You will go supporting him for every debate competition he participates in. He’ll teach you the right way to debate too and make sure you’ll go practice with him whenever there’s time. He does that because he saw potential in you to replace him next year in the debate team. But stop the lesson if you’re too worn out in which you feel thankful for. He can be persuasive at times but knows too well about the limits. Anyway he’ll make sure you will do your best at it.

You and Jae will be in the same party in your campus. Besides, he would also run for campus elections and you’ll accompany him when he’s campaigning here and there even though it gets dark. He’s so thankful for it and always checks you up to make sure you’re okay. He would aslo asks your opinions on his manifesto and how he deliver his speeches

Whenever there’s issues regarding the university administration and national politics, he would lead the protest with all the students. Students and leaders from other universities also joining him. He and his friends will help solving the issues and if they’re successful, both of you will go out celebrating first then he’ll meet up with his friends later because you’re with him through thick and thin, giving ideas and supports, becoming his source of energy to go through it all

All of his friends know you even the political activist outside the campus because he won’t stop talking about you in front of them. You’ll be so shy but later on and change the subjects. You’re super comfortable and friendly with most of his friends and sometimes he’ll get jealous over it. “I shouldn’t tag you along!” He says with a cute pout while driving to your dorm

Jae will send you random memes and ugly pictures of himself when he gets bored in class and you will do the same. At the end you can’t concentrate in the class because it’s too funny. Your lecturer noticed that your mind is elsewhere and warns you. So whether you want it or not you have to keep your phone in your bag but still can’t stop laughing because of him.

When he holds a visit to the parliament/UN building for the freshmen to expose themselves to, you’ll sit beside him in the bus. You lost your breath a bit at how dashing he looks in suits (usually he’s looks fine but at that moment he’s looks the finest!)

Well, later Wonpil spill the tea that Jae purposefully bought a new one just to tease you. But Jae also secretly likes you in suits too, he captures your new look in his mind.

Whenever Jae is sick, you’ll take care of him, makes sure he’ll take his medicine on time and make him rest. Sometimes you’ll ask Brian about his health because he’s his roomate. Brian will guide you at what to do, what he can eat, wht he cannot eat etc. Usually Jae won’t be open so much about his health condition beacuse he doesn’t want to worry you

Jae likes to frame you in his lyrics and composing songs with his acoustic guitars, you probably not knowing this except Brian and Sungjin, a Music major who would help him with the composition.

Your faculty holds an annual dinner. You dressed up because Jae will be your date. You kind of want to sweep him off his feet that night. “Wow y/n, you’re...beautiful tonight” he says breathily. Yup, your mission cleared. “Shut up, Jae sunbaenim” you reply shyly.

To you surprise, he performed with a guitar in his hands that night on the stage. The song he sings is so unfamiliar, something you never heard of.

Sungjin whispers to you “He wrote this song himself”. “Oh really? He’s so good at it. Just how perfect a human can be?”

From the way he keeps looking at you while letting his beautiful vocals charm everyone, you kind of have a hunch that he sings about you. But you just be silence about it, don’t want to be upset if it’s the otherwise. Maybe he sings for another girl in this hall, no one that she knows of. Everyone claps and whistles for his amazing performance. His circles and your friends especially being loud for it.

“Being oblivious is one of her talents, does she?” Said Brian to Wonpil and Wonpil just laugh it off. “Hey, let Jae suffer a bit dude. It’s fun to watch”

“Ah...ahh... Sungjin asked me to perform tonight. Hahaha...he said it will make my popularity rise among the students, so...it’s kind of important for the campus election, if you know what I mean hehe” , “But you’ve always been popular among the students what do you mean? I can see the girls almost...fainted” you pout and Jae captures this sight again in his mind

He shut you up as he takes your hand in his “Well don’t you know my name? ‘Jae’ means ‘fame’ in Greek. I born with it ya know. It’s the most natural thing to happen hahahah” He laughs out loud at his lame joke. You just laugh along with him since his laugh is that contagious. If he’a not Jae, you will slap this boy for sure with savage remark

“Hey you’re cute when you’re jealous, y/n.” Jae said while tapping his fingers on the steering. “Shut up, sunbaenim!”

After that you’ll bug him to make him sing again, so he had no other options but to send you several videos of him jamming or when he’s practicing

But when you’re having bad time, concerns or trouble sleeping, he’ll sing to you while face timing with you. At that time you never know you need a voice to put you to sleep since your busy parents never did that

Whenever Jae gives a speech at any events, because he won the elections and become one of the student leaders, you’ll take photos of him and once he recognises it, he looks at the camera with a smirk and you sequeled over it

Study week is approaching, apart from your own circles doing revision together, sometimes you’ll ask Jae for help. So you guys will go to library together and have a little library “date”. He would also share some of his old notes with you. After teaching you something, he would go ask you some questions to test your understanding. “What’s the differences between oligarchy and aristocracy? Which one is better in Aristotle philosophy?” He asks but then you failed to answer it to his liking so he pinch your cheeks as a punishment

The library date is so fun, apart from being serious when it has has to be, Jae is so damn playful. He would tell some jokes about his friends, mostly about Dowoon and Wonpil, and make a fool of himself whenever you’re stress. The librarian sometimes will warn you guys to keep it down a little

Your last paper has ended and Jae finished his first so he picked you and your friends up from the examination hall. Later he make excuses so that your friends get the fuck out of his car and that you’ll go on date with him peacefully. As usual, your friends kind of expected it and fake sulking about it but got out of the car nevertheless, warning him to take care of you and get you to the dorm safely that night

After both of you got the result, you asked him first. He doesn’t want to reveal it unless you reveal yours. So you sent him your cute selfie, he doesn’t have a choice but to let you the screen shot of it. His cgpa is higher than you but regardless both of you are in the dean list. He sincerely hapy for you and deliver a bouquet of flowers to your house. Roses and baby breath to be exact because it’s your favourite

As the new semester begins, both of you’re able to meet now. It’s not a secret anymore that you and Jae are a thing now. Though both of you want to keep it low but he lowkey want to let the world know. Event the lecturer noticed and smirked to him whenever he see you guys talking while walking to the class

Jae asks you out the first day of the semester and both of you going to his favourite lobster restaurant. Yup, after working so hard saving up for this moment. He’s a simple person and you like that a lot bout him. Since you’re new to eating lobster, he cracks the lobsters for you and feeds you

Nothing too fancy, as he damn sure about his feelings and the probability of you liking him back, he asks you to be his girlfriend on the way to grab coffees before sending you back to the dorm. You hide your face with the sleeves of your hoodie and turn your face away from him as you say yes.

“Do I have to call you oppa now?”, “You can when it’s just the two of us. But if it’s in front of other people, just use sunbaenim, will you be okay with it? Either way my heart flutters whenever you said both hehe” , “Aren’t we obvious enough to hides it anymore?” , “You’re right but let’s just keep it simple, okay?” , “Sure Jaehyung oppa” you smile while locking hands with his free hand

(Since I’m also a poli sci and ‘Jae’ major so why not?)

[myfalsedevotion]

good morning vicky!!! for the questions for authors i would love to hear about 5, 7, 12, 15, 18 and 25 for athob! (honestly debated just sending you 1-30 but i controlled myself) 😌💙

Hiii! Sorry this is coming so late in the day 😅😅 Thank you so so much for the questions Maya 🥺💙 Here we go!

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

5. What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

For All the Hues I’d say my room, cuppa tea, rain. Sometimes I lit lavender candles. If it’s not raining, I usually use MyNoise hahahaha I don’t know what it is about the sound of rain, but it always helps me write :3 Have a couple playlists on spotify too, but I usually just start singing the songs and thus I stop writing hahahah

I remember writing most of Hourglass on train rides or subway rides to class, though 🤔. I guess it depends on the fic hahahah

7. Which part of writing do you struggle with most?

I usually write dialogue pretty quickly (because I’m used to screenplays), so when it’s time to “fill in” the gaps between dialogue I procrastinate a lot. Like you wouldn’t believe 😅

Also, since I’m a very slow slow writer, (this is going to sound super fake deep probably) but I realise some actions the characters take that I planned at the start, I just don’t agree with them anymore? And they feel stupid, and childish and for some reason that puts me off of writing so much. I struggle a lot with writing feelings, decisions or even POVs that I can’t understand/relate to anymore. And I know that makes me the definition of a pretty bad writer, but I just can’t write something I don’t feel like it’s the best/right decision for the character. And of course, that only comes with perspective (after months/years), and I hate it, because I know the characters don’t have that perspective in that moment and that’s why they’re acting like they are, and that I shouldn’t change the planned storyline in any way. So yeah, I struggle writing through those moments because of that. That was probably not worded right and now I’ve confused you even more hahahah Sorry for the rant 😅

12. Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

I think I’ve said this before somewhere (maybe we’ve talked about it?) but even though I absolutely adore reading tropes, I never think I’d be able to pull any of them off? Like yeah, I’d love to write a fake dating AU cos drama and mutual pining, but I’ve just read so many amazing fake dating aus and I am fairly confident that I can’t do it hahahah Maybe in the future I’ll try, I don’t know hahaha

15. A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be?

Listen. I’m a Film Studies graduate. I’ve already thought about shots and colour theory and composition and scenes and everything I’d love to see for All The Hues of Blue like 1276351827635187264 times. I have a background writing scripts, I can assure you writing ATHOB was basically envisioning scenes and storyboards and then filling up the action and thoughts and inner monologues in between the dialogue hahahah. So if a producer told me they wanted to make it a film? You bet I’d be thrilled (and also demand I be part of the production hahahahaha) Never gonna happen though 🤣🤣🤣

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

Okay, I think I’ve talked to you about the last scene in All The Hues before, and how I think I will never be able to top that “You’re golden.” last line. I’m definitely proud of that one.

But there’s this bit from Calum on Chapter 7 from Rare as Gold, that starts with:

Calum had never thought he would meet someone that would know how to act around him when his mind was playing tricks. Michael knew how, but he had learnt with time. With Ashton, it seemed easy in a way that was almost scary. Like the older anticipated Calum’s needs even before he did. Or maybe it was just due to them being so honest and open with each other that Ashton knew how to read him. Or the fact that the few times he didn’t know, he asked what Calum needed.

and then he goes on an inner monologue about the metaphysics of the soul and soulmates and superdeterminism and the universe being alive that had me bursting with excitement once I finished writing it. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling I got once I finished writing that whole bit. Which wasn’t planned, I just had something like, “fill this with inner monologue before going back to Ash”. And I know this is the one that I’m most likely going to be called fake deep over, and I just don’t care because I love it so, so much.

I remember texting that whole chunk of text to friends and saying “is this like…too much? Is this too much for a fic where it doesn’t even advance plot?”. There were mixed opinions, my best friend said it was indeed too much, but she’s never read any of my writing in its entirety, and she didn’t understand how this could fit with the previous inner monologue I had established for Calum. Another friend did think it was perfect for Calum. I went over it for a couple of days, and I still loved it too much, so I decided to keep it in. So… idk. hahahah

25. Which idea came to you first in All The Hues of Blue?

Okay, this is a funny one. So, I think I’ve told you about how All The Hues was supposed to have been a one-shot? 😂😂 I still have the very first draft where I wrote down ideas, it’s titled:

I am cringing as I read it hahahha But basically years before, I had seen this one post on tumblr about a prompt featuring a Michael Bublé song and being in a retail shop? And I couldn’t for the life of me remember the exact prompt, and since Christmas season was close, I just took his Xmas album and run with it 😂 😂 This is a sad story but it’s true and I can’t never stop laughing when I think about how much ATHOB means to me and how stupid was it’s conception as a fic hahahha

Hope these answeres weren’t too boring 😅 Thank you so much for the ask!! 💙💙💙

[youhearstatic]

For the micro-prompts: 20, 16, or 47? (I like to give options in case one jumps out more than the others, so don't feel like you should combine them or something!)

20 - You probably thought I forgot, right? I didn’t! (And I haven’t forgotten the other two I have left, either!)

Surprise, surprise, this one went long. Hope you like it!

--------------------------

Alone, Finally

 Barry followed the rest of the crew down the backstage hallway, tugging at the unfamiliar robe they’d been given right before they went on stage. Well, that some of them had been given. Magnus was wearing a jacket he’d instantly pulled the sleeves off of. The captain had a longer version of the same jacket that was tailored immaculately to him with military severity. Merle hadn’t even worn his for the press conference. The twins had worn both jackets and robes, somehow making the IPRE uniform look like couture instead of standard issue. Lucretia was in the robe but she looked like a lost boarding school student, the crimson robe looked stylishly scholastic on her. He tugged at the neck of the robe again, even more self conscious than he’d been on stage. 

Ahead of him, the twins had their heads bowed together, whispering and laughing. For the first of many, many times, the echo of Lup’s comment on stage scraped across his thoughts like nails on a chalkboard. 

Nerd alert!

Just a few more minutes and the others would be heading to that bar they’d mentioned. And then - for one last time for a while - he’d be alone, finally. 

---

 Trailing his hand down the wall, Barry made his way by memory. After eleven years he could have done it with his eyes closed.

Which was essentially what he was doing. 

It was stupid, so fucking stupid. Okay, sure, that first year he hadn’t known to take his glasses off. Why would he? But by the third time they regenned he should have figured out that his glasses were going to be important and he should set them aside before … whatever it was that happened at the end of the cycle. That fourth year he’d died, that could be excused. The eighth year he’d had it ingrained in him not to even think of removing his mask. So that year could be excused, too. 

But that still left six regens. Six opportunities to set aside a pair of glasses in case of emergency. 

Well maybe next year he’d remember. But for the rest of this year he was practically blind. Anything beyond arm’s reach might as well not exist. He could make out colors and if he squinted really hard sometimes he could get a slight hint of shape to the faceless blurs around him. 

It’s fine, he told himself for probably the thousandth time that day.

It wasn’t fine. Sure, he could make his way around the ship, fumbling his way from room to room by memory and feel. But once he was there he didn’t have much to offer. He couldn’t work in the lab. Experiments were off the table - literally if he was trying to do them. Just trying to clean basic equipment in the lab had resulted in two broken beakers before Lup kindly, patiently, but insistently suggested he leave the job to her. He couldn’t help look for the light. He couldn’t take notes on their observations. He couldn’t even help with chores around the ship!

Pushing open the fifth door on the left, he was alone, finally. Dark blur straight ahead was his bed and beige-ish blur to the left was his desk. And then the blurs were watery and the tears of frustration and self pity that he’d held off all week caught up to him. He leaned against the door and let his facade drop.

He was so tired of being a drain on the crew. Not being able to help, having to be looked after, and maybe worst of all, pretending it didn’t kill him by inches, pretending it was all just a silly thing to be joked away. ‘Barold bumping into things for three more months,’ wasn’t it hilarious? ‘Barry fell of the rock jetty, lost his glasses, almost died, and now he’s talking to the coat rack because he thinks it’s Lucretia.’

“Barry?”

Fear shot hot and electric through his body, startling him into embarrassed silence. He swabbed his hand over his face, trying to disguise the fact he’d been leaning against his door crying because he…

“Oh, fuck,” he said. “I went in the fourth door, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” Lup answered. That one syllable was so patient and kind and understanding and honestly, it was just salt in his wounds. He didn’t want to be understanding about this whole thing and he really didn’t want Lup to be understanding about him bumbling into her room and having a breakdown.

“Sorry, I, just, um,” 

A blur separated itself from the bed-blur, straightened into a taller blur, and approached him. He could almost see the shape of her hair in her silhouette - it was loose, not braided was all he could make out - when she was close enough to take his hand. “C’mere,” she said, tugging him gently towards the bed-blur. “Hold on,” she said. The Lup-blur bent then straightened again. “Don’t want you tripping over my boots,” she explained. There was a clunk to his right and he assumed she’d tossed the shoes towards the wall to get them out of the way.

It was disconcerting, being pulled into a sitting position on Lup’s bed. Their rooms were arranged identically, looked identical to his unassisted vision, and sitting on her bed was, in theory, no different than sitting on his own.

Except it was. It wasn’t his bed, it wasn’t his room, and worse - oh so much worse - it was Lup’s bed in Lup’s room. His face was burning and his stomach was winding itself into furious little knots and dammit, he hadn’t thought he could feel worse than he did three minutes ago but, look at that!, here he was sunk lower than the freezing point of mercury. 

“I didn’t mean to bug you,” he mumbled, eyes aimed at the floor or where the floor was if he could at least be trusted to get that right.

“Hold still,” she tells him. Then she’s pushing the hair back from his forehead and there’s a weird sensation, like a pinching pull that doesn’t quite hurt but it’s just so odd he can’t figure out what’s going on.

“Stop frowning!” she tells him, her voice colored with laughter. “I’m just clipping your hair back.”

“Why?” he asks before he can stop himself. He feels like he’s three steps behind what is happening.

“Because we’re doing face masks.”

“What?”

“Relax,” she tells him. 

And for some strange reason, he does.

 ---

 They’ve been alone. Over the years, in a dozen planar systems, across doomed worlds, in forgotten ruins, or just in the lab working silently, they’ve been alone.

They’ve been alone. Over the months of study and composition and practice. They’ve been alone, just the two of them and their music filling the empty room, no witness to the way the notes have been building and the music has been building and the way the tempo has somehow gotten slower. Here at the end, right next to each other, a pair of pathways that have wound ever closer over the years, the paths have almost joined and yet.

And yet.

They meander these last months. Dancing closer and closer but not touching, not mingling, not yet. 

Each step forward slower and slower until the momentum is crawling forward, making the distance of a few inches last and last.

They are alone together on stage. 

There are so many around. Instructors and audience and all the people that it takes to keep an infrastructure like this running: janitors and receptionists and the guy that refills the coffee machine in the fourth floor break room. Anyone in hearing distance that day notices. It’s like that sometimes. You can go weeks and months and nothing sticks, even the pieces that get rebroadcast, they run together at some point. It’s beautiful, amazing, but there’s filters to restock and inquiries to respond to. There’s a leaky water heater that needs tending to. But for a minute, you stop, lean on the broom and take notice.

But not Barry and Lup, alone, finally, despite the people surrounding them. Their music is still echoing around them when their hands find one another. 

Lup and Barry, alone on stage. Two paths that have run side by side, so close for so long, join at last.

There’s applause and then the song is sent out anew, reflected from deep within the mountain instead of from her violin and his piano. There’s applause and an empty stage.

Alone, finally.

 ---

 There’s a pillar of bone carved with arcane symbols. There on the hill, two people lean together, forehead to forehead. Further away another watches. But in this instant there’s no one else. Seven on this planet yes. Eight if you count their strange, duck loving new shipmate. 

But for now. On this hill. In this moment.

There are only two. 

Two liches.

Alone, finally, after years of study.

And then like so many times before, they pick up their responsibilities and work and pull it all back on like a costume they only ever drop for a little while.

In those moments they are alone.

 ---

 He’s alone.

This was the final place. It was supposed to be… 

His shoulders sag. It was supposed to be their happy ending, their settled-at-last, their no-more-running. 

But he woke up and she wasn’t there.

It felt different. He didn’t say it, but it did.

And then morning turned to day turned to week turned to months.

He’s alone.

 ---

 Exhaustion wears them down, hang like too-heavy cloaks on backs that can’t stand tall without her. 

He’d been alone.

But feeling the last of her disappear - the her that was only in his memories - he knows what alone really means. He can’t lose her that way, not again, not like this.

“Taako, k- kill me! Right now!”

 He’s falling.

Forgetting.

Forgotten.

Alone.

Final.

y

 ---

 He’s alone. There is so much that makes no sense. Three guys - one of them made of fucking wood if you could believe it - and him naked in a tank full of goo. 

Then he got in the one guy’s pocket? Somehow?

The details are fuzzy.

But dammit, he’s happy. Something feels right. After so long. (How long?)

He’s alone.

Alone, but -

Finally.

 ---

 Who’d have guessed this was a skill? The ultimate hangover and when you got that giant memory dump poured on you every time you did something stupid like fell off a cliff or didn’t bring enough water into the desert… well, you got better at it.

So while the others recovered, he was alone, the only one not under fire from a million contradicting thoughts.

Alone, Finally.

At the end.

And then… and then… his brain comes up empty at the thought. And then?

Alone?

 ---

 The pale green glow throws strange shadows across the cave. There was a ball of brilliant fire but, well, anchoring yourself in a body after a decade out of practice took some concentration. And he didn’t exactly have the concentration himself.

After so long. After everything. After endless nights in this very cave, planning and plotting and hoping.

Alone.

And then.

Finally.

Alone together.

[ichor-hunter]

Artemis

Artemis Blood Code Study- Mia Karnstein

"A blood code received from Mia. It holds a dauntless will to strive to overcome a cruel fate and liberate those who suffer. This code has high stamina and attack-type Gifts, but suffers from low endurance. It also features Gifts that boost drain abilities."

Introduction to Blood Codes and Mia

Blood Codes are the abilities imbued within a Revenant's Blood. Each Blood Code is unique to each Revenant that resides within the Gaol of the Mist. Once a Revenant has awakened from their slumber after the BOR parasite has been placed in them, the blood takes on a Code which I believe derives from the characteristics of that Revenant.

Mia is also a Third Generation Revenant. She awakened after the Queen was slain as seen from Nicola's memories. Mia is devoted to protecting her brother but as she meets MC and the others, she joins their cause to discover more about her brother's memories and helps to save the Successors.

Greek Mythology

Mia's Blood Code is based on the Greek Goddess Artemis.

Artemis is a Moon Goddess who is notably known for her being a huntress and a defender of purity. Most people know her for using a bow and arrow.

She plays a part in the Trojan War of Homer's Iliad and she was on the Trojan's side. Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae killed a sacred deer and dared to boast about his bloodthirst for war and also proclaimed that he bested Artemis herself. Now Artemis like the rest of the Gods and Goddesses was enraged and demanded the sacrifice of his first daughter Iphigenia would appease her. Agamemnon lied to his daughter that she would be married to Achilles but in reality, she was going to be sacrificed instead.

In the end as a protector of women, she took Iphigenia and transported her elsewhere. Artemis replaced Iphigenia with a Stag by the altar.

Artemis also relates to Heracles 12 labors.

In Heracles' third labor, he was tasked with capturing the Golden Hind (Stag) of Artemis. The main hope was for Artemis to be angered at Heracles for going after her sacred golden deer of hers, which is what ended up happening. Heracles begged her to forgive him and explained to Artemis why he needed to capture the stag. He was commanded to bring the stag to king Eurystheus to make the stag one of his pets. Artemis heard his pleas and forgave him. As long as he lets the stag go she won't harm him. Heracles brought the deer over to the king but knew if he gave the stag to the king, Artemis would harm him in some way. Quick on his feet, he told the king he'll give the deer to the king if the King comes out and gets the deer for himself. He agreed. Of course the minute the king walked to the stag, the stag ran back to Artemis.  

Similarities between Mia and Artemis

Artemis is a divine huntress, Mia is a Revenant that hunts the Lost. Artemis cares and protects wildlife, nature and women and children. Mia's brother Nicola is her life, and she was willing to steal blood beads from other Revenants to ensure his survival.

In Greek lore, Artemis and Hephaestus are in fact siblings. While there's not much interaction between them in mythology, it makes sense that Rin gets along with Mia so well since Rin holds the Hephaestus blood code. They're both close in age and this helps Mia transition better with the crew at home when she joins them.

A really intriguing point to mention is that Davis holds the Hermes blood code and Hermes in Greek Mythology is also Artemis' sibling. Sadly, they don't really interact in the game but it demonstrates how they would have a good friendship with each other. They both have a similar way of seeing things through so if these two were to interact, it would be in respectful terms.

"It holds a dauntless will to strive to overcome a cruel fate and liberate those who suffer." This connects with Artemis' compassion towards humans. Seeing how Artemis was willing to switch Iphigenia with a stag even though she demanded the sacrifice in the first place? Or she relented with Heracles pleas when he begged for Artemis not to slay him where he stood?.

Artemis is a Goddess who empathizes and shows pity and the same goes for Mia. Out of anything in the world, she would never want her brother to suffer. That's why she desperately incorporated Carmilla's teachings to her everyday survival. Artemis and Mia have a sense of stubbornness when it comes to the things they want to protect but they know when to do things fairly when they see things from both perspectives.

Mia’s weapon is a bayonet, Artemis' weapon is the bow and arrow. Both of them have long-ranged weapons that they use in their battles.

Mia was willing to hunt other Revenants down for their blood beads to save Nicola and Artemis has no hesitation to bring down punishments to those who cross her for a good reason. They always do things for the greater good. When Mia partied with MC and crew, her mission of saving the successors became a part of her journey and her character. Not only did she want to save Nicola, she wanted to help the other Successors that were suffering, just like Nicola. That humility also attributes to Artemis as well.

Interestingly enough, the two stories from Artemis' mythology both feature Stags. The first one being the story of the Trojan War. Artemis was enraged at the king of Mycenae when he killed one of her stags. Alternatively, in the beginning, Mia is enraged at Jack for killing Nicola. The difference as we know that Jack didn't 'kill' Nicola out of pure bloodthirst, it's aligned with his duty. However, the King of Mycenae just did it just to pacify his ego.

The second lore is when Heracles ends up saving the stag he tried to capture by letting it escape from the king and allowing it to go back to Artemis. Similarly, the MC saved Nicola from his frenzy and allowed Mia and Nicola to reunite.

The unique part is that just as Artemis closely cares for nature and Stags (and they’re usually symbolic to her), Mia cares a lot for her younger brother Nicola. If we take a closer look at Nicola's Successor design, he has two antlers as if he's a Stag.

Artemis’ Gifts

Focused Gift Speed-Increases the speed of your Gifts while you are focused.

Shock Web-Manipulates ichor to create a low-power trap at your feet that staggers any assailants.

Dexterity/Willpower Up-Increases dexterity and willpower.

These Gifts of Mia's involves the skillsets of Artemis'. Having a great amount of speed, a trick or trade to stall your prey (web) and having the dexterity and the willpower to keep up with an opponent would be similar to the features Artemis exhibits as a goddess.

-

Bloodsucking Blades-Temporarily increases the drain rating of weapon attacks for you and your partner.

In Greek Mythology, the only warrior that Artemis approved of and hunted with was Orion. For those who aren't aware of their story, Artemis and Orion were companions and possibly lovers. Their story ends in various ways with mainly Orion dying because either Artemis defending herself from him or the other gods who tried to protect Artemis' chastity and wanted to rid of Orion. Mia will not kill you of course, but this Gift could probably related to Artemis' relation with Orion and how they would hunt together and gave each other strength.

-

Fusillade Rondo-Fire a barrage of homing bullets. An offensive skill performed with Bayonet.

Bayonet Mastery-Increases attack power when equipped with a bayonet.

Blood Grab- Dodging enemy attacks drains their ichor according to your weapon's drain rating.

These Gifts are aligned with Artemis's proficiency as a Huntress. For Fusillade Rondo, Fusillade means "A series of shots fired in rapid succession" and Rondo is a musical term that's utilized in a concerto/sonata and instrument composition, it's used in a refrain four times. Bayonet Mastery is simple since Artemis is a master at using her weapon so it makes sense that Mia has this Mastery Gift. Blood grab could relate to Artemis' dexterity in general when facing her opponents.

-

Ice Armor-Temporarily creates a barrier around you and your partner that boosts ice resistance.

Freezing Roar-Fires a projectile of freezing ice at the target.

Guard of Honor-Generates a number of ice pillars that unrelentingly bombard the target.

In terms of affiliation with the element of ice, there isn't much correlation to go by asides from Artemis' (possible) personality since she is a goddess that only favors wildlife, nature, and women and can easily be enraged at injustice. The properties of Armor, the Roar and the Guard of Honor, each of them can relate to Artemis and how she protects herself. Ever Hunter/Huntress would require some form of Armor, the Roar could represent her ties with the animals and nature itself, and the Guard of Honor metaphorically displays Artemis' allegiance with the system of justice and how she would target those who would go against it.

Concluding Thoughts

Mia is a really strong character, and I think this Goddess is a perfect choice as her blood code. I'm not too sure about her alternate Astrea's Blood Code at this point, but with how everything fits in with the story Artemis is the way to go. I was excited to type Mia's blood code analysis, the ideas in my head just kept pouring in with how her lore mixes in so well with how they designed Nicola. This is brilliant. It's the little things in character designs that make me so amazed at times. Even when I first played CV I never thought of these details until I started looking back on it. I can understand why Mia is highlighted a lot and I honestly enjoy how her side of the story played out and her contribution to the crew back at home base. She's a very warm character that is always there to support MC and the others, and I hope she and Nicola can continue to be happy.

[studioserra]

10 Tips for Capturing Breathtaking Fine Art Landscape Photography

When we’re taking landscape photography, we get inspired by light, land or a fleeting moment. But what makes fine art landscape photography unique isn’t found in the scenery. Artistic photography is found within.

To me, fine art landscape photography is the quintessential way of showing who you are as a photographer.

What Is Fine Art Photography?

Teaching you what fine art landscape photography is and how you can take better pictures with that knowledge is important to me. I simply love to see new and interesting photography with a personal flair.

In this article, I invite you to embrace photography as a form of art. Instead of specific instructions on how to achieve a certain look, these 10 tips will show you how to be a better artist through fine art photography.

Guy Tal summarizes fine art brilliantly by saying that your photos should be about things, not of things.

Fine art landscape photography is the way you document the land. It’s about the connection between you as a photographer and the landscape you’re in. Therefore, your vision as an artist is fundamental to creating original photos.  It is important to note that creating art is a cognitive process.

10. Pre-visualization

Galen Rowell was one of the proponents of pre-visualizing an image before pressing the shutter. Apart from a vague, reverse image on the ground glass, this is the only way to know how your image will look with film photography. In the digital age, pre-visualization is very under-appreciated. We tend to look at our images after we shoot them and adjust accordingly. The goal of fine art landscape photography is to have an idea of what your images will look like in the end.

Ask yourself questions like: “What do I want to show in this image” and “How does this composition make me feel?” Then, dial in the camera settings that will add to your answers.

If you feel gloomy or sad, you could help the image by making it a bit darker. Add some negative exposure compensation in your camera’s Aperture Priority mode or shorten the shutter speed in Manual mode.

Creating darker images makes the viewer tap into darker emotions as well.

Colour and Processing

Another great tool for putting emotion in your fine art landscape photography is colour. Control the overall colour of the image with the white balance setting of your camera, and don’t be afraid of a bit of colour cast.

Photos don’t always have to be neutral. Bright and warm colours can really add energy and an overall positive feeling.

Keep in mind that pictures that warm colours demand attention, whereas cooler tones are easier on the brain.

Also keep post-processing in mind before you even press the shutter. Look through the viewfinder and think out loud about what you want to do to an image.

Do you want to darken the sky or lift the shadows? Are there distracting elements you would rather not have, but cannot omit by slightly altering the composition?

9. Story Telling

Fine art photography should be about things. A great tool for storytelling is to show relationships within your art. A small sapling tree in the foreground set against a dead tree in the background could tell a story.

My thoughts run to renewal, rebirth or the fact that nature will conquer all. It doesn’t always have to be a complex or far-fetched story. I can imagine that it is quite difficult to tell stories when you don’t have a background in either fine arts or photography. Start simple with these three tips:

A longer shutter speed can suggest movement in grass, waves and clouds.

A larger aperture can suggest depth because of the reduced depth-of-field.

A motionless subject against a rushing background can evoke chaos and solitude.

Once you get the hang of those, you could try your hand at telling a story through multiple landscape photographs. Show the development of a storm, a change of seasons, the same landscape with or without snow or what a forest fire has done to your local woodland.

8. Show the Unexpected

Oftentimes I wonder how the greatest photographers among us keep coming up with interesting subjects and compositions within fine art photography.

Originality is often closer than you think. Pull up a map of your local area. Look for a spot that’s interesting geographically. Preferably a spot with some elevation differences, a water feature or a small woodland.

Topographical maps help me when I’m entering unfamiliar territory. A great online tool that you can use is OpenTopoMap.

Venture to places where others haven’t been, or show subjects that other photographers have not. Original artwork can surprise and delight us because it activates a part of the brain that is specifically linked to novelty.

According to a 2006 study led by neurobiologists Bunzeck and Düzel, a central part of the brain called SN/VTA responds heavily to novel stimuli. The study shows that we tend to get more excited by unfamiliar beauty than beautiful pictures of well-known subjects.

It’s no wonder that it’s hard to win a landscape photography contest with the millionth image of Kirkjufell.

7. Practice With Telephoto Lenses

Because you’re zooming in on particular areas in an otherwise wide-open space, you’re essentially deciding what you want to show the viewer. Telephoto lenses are a great tool to help you look at the landscape differently. Patterns and shapes start to come alive when you have a more intimate view of the landscape.

Imagine having your telephoto lens attached and that your camera is on a tripod, pointing down towards a bed of leaves.

One trick that I suggest you try, is to very slightly move the camera around using a ball-head on your tripod. Even the tiniest adjustment in pan, tilt or rotation will have significant results in your composition.

Practicing with a telelens will teach you to pay close attention to composition and any distracting elements along the edges of a photograph.

But you don’t always have to be close to your subject to create fine-art landscape images.

Among my favourite subjects are those misty mountain shots. With a focal length of 300 mm or more, I love the way crevices and corries fill the frame. And with some birds, soft morning light and a flurry of clouds along the summit, it’s a recipe for great fine-art photography.

6. Never Be Afraid of Post-Processing Landscapes

I have a strong opinion that post-processing is an inextricable part of fine-art photography. Don’t think of post-processing like trickery or faking it. Treat post-processing like a tool for realizing your vision and amazing things will come from your photography.

If you struggle with the right amount of a particular effect, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the work of photographers you admire. Good post-processing is where taste and skill join together in harmony.

When you start out with photography, editing your images can be daunting. There are many settings, sliders and effects that you can choose from. I always start by asking myself: “What was I thinking about when I took this image?” and take it from there.

One of the most powerful tools that you can use are curves.

To get your feet wet with curves, experiment with two points along the curve. The two points that are already there are called the White Point (top right) and the Black Point (bottom left).

Those control how much white or black is allowed in the image. Right in the centre there’s the Midpoint. Click in the centre of the curve and drag it down to darken the mid-tones of the image.

Adding two points along the line, with the first one darkening the image and the second one brightening it, will add contrast to your shot and deepen the colours.

While this S-shaped curve is by far the most utilized curve in landscape photography, I generally stay away from it. Instead, I like to be a bit more creative and add multiple points along the curve to bring out detail where it’s needed.

5. Seascapes: Practice With Nothing Before Photographing Something

One subject that’s fantastic for training the laws of composition is the sea. And you don’t need fancy filters to start out with seascape photography. A sturdy tripod along with the photography equipment you already have will do.

It’s a good idea to wait for the sunset before shooting seascapes. Blue hour is the best time of day to learn to drag your shutter speed.

The natural low-light conditions at twilight also add to the atmosphere of the shot and you can teach yourself long exposure photography on a budget.

With long exposure seascape photography, pay close attention to the lines in the water, along with any more static objects such as the position of the horizon in the frame, rocks and seaweed.

It’s essential to practice this with as little subject matter as possible. Eliminate everything that’s not needed. A single, small stone might be enough to create a fine art photograph with impact.

4. Black and White Landscape Photography: It’s all About Luminosity

One overlooked sub genre of the modern day landscape photographer is monochrome or black and white landscape photography.

Because social media ratings seem to be more important than meaningful images these days, blazing sunsets are all the rage at the moment.

Remember that all photography started without colour. In fact, world-renowned landscape photographers kept shooting in black and white, even as colour photography started to become more readily available.

Minor White, Philip Hyde and Ansel Adams were all keen users of black and white film. And if you browse around their archives, certain things become very apparent in their images.

Using Gestalt Principles

Shape and form – With colour gone, it’s the shapes that keep us looking. Diagonals are suggestive of speed, while curves and wavy lines make us look longer at that spot.

Contrast – High contrast suggests harsh lighting and little distance between viewer and subject, whereas low contrast suggests that the subject is far away from us.

Proximity – Two subjects that are close suggest a relation to each other.

Similarity – That which is similar to something we know evokes a sense of recognition and association within us, aside from two subjects that look alike to show their connection.

Symmetry – A patch of snow on the ground and a cloud in the sky that share their inverse shape, strengthens both their bond and their separation.

Closure – One line that seemingly continues, can tie two separate subjects together. A dead tree that points at the edge of a mountain is a good example of this.

Within the realm of post-processing, you can make targeted adjustments based on how bright or how dark an image is. Tony Kuyper’s Actions are among the most utilized in landscape photography today.

With them, selecting the shadows without the darkest of blacks or any highlights is as simple as the press of a button.

With those selections, you could do all sorts of editing wizardry. Making shadows brighter or darker is just the tip of the iceberg.

3. Use Negative Space to Create Visual Breathing Room

Negative space will strengthen the positive space. In other words: empty parts of the photography will emphasise your subject.

Try it yourself by allowing a big part of your photo for the sky, or experiment with placing your subject further to the left or right.

Notice that the emptier the photo, the more abstract it becomes. You could potentially shoot an image of visual nothingness and make a single subject stand out.

A tree among endless snow is a bit of a tried and tested usage, but the subjects are endless.

2. Don’t Neglect the Small

One of the things that I’ve learned from personal experience is that most of us are on the hunt for those trophy shots. But even on your way to those once-in-a-lifetime locations, there are countless photographic opportunities that await.

The icons in landscape photography are those where entire busloads of expensive camera equipment get unloaded multiple times a day. Every day. When I visit these locations with a group, I instruct them to pay attention to things along the way that can offset your photography against a multitude of photos with exactly the same composition.

Whether it be a lone flower, a strange looking ice formation or even another photographer who is composing the usual shot. Such images invoke both recognition and novelty and are often quite powerful.

Originality is often closer than you think; even at these well photographed areas. So next time you’re at Horseshoe Bend in Arizona or Skógafoss in Iceland, try to look for foreground subject matter that’s different or temporary.

Composing the temporary versus the timeless is another great tool in your arsenal of photographic knowledge.

A couple of inspirational photographers of intimate landscapes are Bruce Omori, Alex Noriega and Guy Tal. Have a look around on their websites for photography inspiration on patterns in the landscape.

1. Return

For many, photography is a form of collection. However, building a catalog of visual memories isn’t what fine art photography is about. It is very much about the chase of perfection. Simon Baxter teaches about persisting in his insightful landscape photography videos.

Consider returning to the same subject in different conditions when the light or the season aren’t fitting the subject. If you’re out scouting with your camera, it takes both an intrinsic drive to come back later when the light is better. Even when it means getting up at 4 AM.

It’s not a bad idea to shoot a quick photo of a composition you have in mind, but don’t spend too much time doing so. Baxter regularly uses his phone to do these quick and dirty snapshots.

Conclusion

We’ve covered varying subjects that hopefully contribute to making you a more keen observer and a better photographer. But before I leave you to put all this in practice, I’ll take a quick moment to summarise the most important points.

Ask yourself questions. Out loud if you have to. Opening up an internal dialogue about your photos will make you critical and observant.

Pay attention to the smaller things around you. If you’ve found the mountain you want to photograph, think about how you want proceed and what foreground subject would best match your story.

Less really is more. Practice with negative space and gradually see that your images will become more powerful.

Practice with composition in black and white, because splitting brightness and color can make the rules of composition more easily digestible.

Don’t be afraid. Experiment, go to places where no-one has and spend time to learn the ropes of post-processing your images. And don’t be afraid to show as little as possible.

[ask-de-writer]

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 71 of 83 : World of Sea

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SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 71 of 83

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

copyright 2020

written 2007

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users   of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may   reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information   remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in   my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical   compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story?  Read from the beginning.  PART 1 is here

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Looking back, Sarfin could see the open fore-deck of the Dark Dragon and the monster catapult being readied.  Around him he could see the catapults of the Soaring Bird being unlimbered from their hunting locks and readied for combat.  The ammunition being stacked beside them was nothing that he would want to see aimed at any ship.  There were shot designed to rip sails and destroy rigging, and others designed to scatter many small, deadly darts to clear decks and rigging of opposing crews.  

Just seeing them made Sarfin shudder.  The sight of men and women matter of factly handling such devices and getting ready to use them brought home to him just what war was really about. Something that he had known intellectually became sickeningly real.  

It was to the credit of the Council’s representatives that they were also disturbed by the deadly preparations.  Captain Urson put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the decks.  “Is this,” she gestured widely at all the orderly preparations for destruction going on about them, “really necessary?”

Sula looked her straight in the eye and answered, “Because I have seen many times that it was, even more than you, I hope that it is not. There is no harm if we are ready and do not have to fight but many lives, even ships can be lost to unreadiness.”

Sarfin turned to Sula, who was now watching the Soaring Bird’s crew, without apparent emotion.  “How can you ever get used to this kind of thing?” he asked, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

“You don’t,” she replied stonily, turning to face Sarfin.  Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.  “You do what you have to do and pray to the Dragons that you don’t have to kill again.  The one thing that you can’t do is let your own folk be the ones who pay the price of unreadiness.”

In a lighter tone Sula went on, “Now, we are guests.  Let us pay our respects to our host, the Honored Huld.”

Crewmen guided Captains Urson and Farrol away to guest quarters.

Sula led Sarfin to a companionway amidships.  As Sarfin followed, he said, grateful for a way to change the topic, “Something has been nagging at me since we first met.  Why do you call Captain Huld ‘Honored’?”

Sula smiled at the thoughts and memories that the question brought up. “That’s a bit difficult to explain.  He is Honored because in his whole life, whatever the difficulty, he has never done anything unethical or dishonorable.  His decisions in matters of honor and ethics between others are considered to be absolute by the Council that meets on the Wind.”

“OK, now I’m just as curious as before but confused as well,” said Sarfin.  “The Council that meets on the ‘wind’?”

“You will have to take my word for this one.  The Barant fleet Council is in continuous session.  The Captains meet in a way that they call talking on the Wind.  It allows them to communicate without misunderstanding, no matter the distance between them.  Since I learned of them I have also been a part of that Council.  Not only can you not shut them out, you don’t want to.  It is possible to ignore them for a while sometimes, especially when you think that you are right — Even if you’re not.”  Sula pushed open a sliding door and escorted Sarfin into a cabin.

“Shouldn’t you have knocked first?” Sarfin asked as he entered.

“No need.  I told him that we were coming and he invited us to tea,” said Sula lightly.

“Tea?” said Sarfin curiously, “What is that?”

“It’s a Barant ceremony involving a hot water drink made with especially prepared seaweeds, dried and flaked.  He is doing this to give you honor before his crew,” Sula knitted her brows as she tried to explain.  “By Barant fleet standards you are not a Captain, and neither was I until a short while ago.  According to their rules you have to be able to talk on the Wind to be a Captain.  This ceremony will let his crew know that you are worthy to command in spite of your disability.  That is the same status that I had until recently.”

Sarfin looked around the chamber and realized that it was both of Spartan simplicity and one of the most harmoniously prefect cabins that he had ever seen.  The walls had tall scroll-like paintings of ships and boats on the sea with cloudscapes behind them.  They were done in monochrome gray inks on a material of startling whiteness.  Each ship was unmistakable, yet it had been artfully reduced to only a few lines and some shadows.  Among them, he recognized his own Dorton. It was hung just back of Huld where he sat cross-legged behind a low table.  The floor was covered with a soft matting that was made of long narrow strands of material tied together into bundles.

“Welcome are you, Council Master Sarfin, Sula – Captain and friend.”  He placed both hands palms together, fingers down and bent his head toward them.  Sula repeated the gesture and sat on the floor next to the table.  After the briefest of hesitations, Sarfin did the same.

Huld serenely said, “North we go as swiftly as sail will carry us.  Let us now the time spend to know each other.  Share tea, share self. Barant way it is.”  

He picked up a bow-drill kit and with only a few quick strokes of the bow, had smoke curling up from the tender of fluffy, dried brown seaweed.  A small puff of breath brought a tiny flame which Huld applied to the wick of an oil lamp.  He set the lamp under a small Hag skin pot of water to heat it.

Altogether, the ceremony and its attendant small talk took over an hour.  As they emerged from Huld’s cabin, Sarfin said to Sula, “That tea was amazing!  I’ve never tasted anything like it before.  Do you know how I might get some?”

“Certainly,” said Sula promptly.  “I have a few hundred pounds on the Dark Dragon that I’d be willing to sell.”  She smiled.  “Can’t sell too much or I’d have a mutiny — and I’d have to join the mutineers.  We count it as one of our basic stores.”

“I can see why.  We’ve never had flavored water in the Naral fleet. . . Um … Where are we going?”

“Visitor’s cabins.  We don’t need a guide because Huld and I have been working together for a long time.  We know each other’s ships well.” Soon they were settled into adjoining cabins.

At the pace that the Soaring Bird was making, they would be in the vicinity of 00 West, 800 North by what ought have been early to midmorning.  In those latitudes, at the present time of the year, the sun did not fully set at all.  It only got low in the sky.  Sarfin found it disturbing to have no nightfall.

Sarfin spent as much time as he could studying the Soaring Bird and the way that it was run.  This kind of vessel was truly new to him.  At first he thought that the big lobster claw sails were simply exotic looking.  A short talk with the Soaring Bird’s sail lofter taught him the error in that assumption.  They were, in fact, the most efficient sails to be found on all of Sea.

Aboard the Grandalor, Darkistry stood at the steering tackle, making small adjustments to keep the Longin approaching from directly downwind. She was so careful that it appeared to be completely accidental.

While the ships were closing to hailing drum range, Thunderhead came soaring up from the south directly over the Longin and plunged into the water between the ships.  Shortly, he surfaced in a splash of spray and made a take-off run.  He had a fish in his beak.  Now that he was back, his family had to be fed.

Skye leapt from the nest and swooped to greet her mate.  They did a short aerial ballet, sweeping past each other and spiraling tightly, so close that wings gently rubbed.  The dance ended above the nest and Thunderhead dropped into it, casually checking his fall at the last moment with widespread wings and tail.  He perched on the rail and began the process of dividing the fish, sharing it out among youngsters now ready to begin flying.  That done, he flipped off the side of the rail and dropped on a long angle to land solidly on Tanlin’s shoulder, where he rubbed his beak along her jaw in greeting.

“Glad t’ see ye, too, T’under’ead,” said Tanlin as she reached up and scratched him in his favorite spot under the wing.  “Ugh, ye’re all wet.  Let m’ get t’is ‘arness off.  Ye did good, ye ‘andsome ‘Awk, ye.”  She unbuckled the message harness and gave it to Arnat, who was standing near.

“‘Ere, Arnat.  Stow t’is in our cabin.  Ye know w’ere ‘t goes.”  As Arnat scampered off to put away the harness, the Longin began to signal with her Hailing Drum.

“Return the prisoner Kurin to us and surrender to Council Justice!” the drum demanded imperiously.

“That’s not Master Clard’s hand on the drum,” said Kurin worriedly.  “It sounds more like his apprentice Degan.  Now I’m sure something is wrong.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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