#they are... a love letter to the artists and original posters... but also a love letter to my past selves and who i was and what i enjoyed

[crescentfool]

the tags you leave on art are always so kind and insightful!

anon!! i've gotten messages like this in the past before and it always makes me smile, so thank you! 🥺💗 i simply have... much love and appreciation for artists that i can't help but write stuff for them...! so it makes me happy that the people who follow me enjoy seeing it too even if i sometimes repeat myself a lot 😂

i hope you have a great day anon! and that you continue to enjoy my tags, but also other wonderful things in ur life!! (sends good vibes to u!! ✨)

[tothisemptiness]

The base IOMT post

EDIT: Hello! If you found this post before my newer ones please know that I have started a series of analysis regarding Golden Hour: Part 2 that explain everything more neatly and in detail.

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part I: The Diaries

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part II: The "Ice On My Teeth" MV

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part III: The Chess Piece Theory

Golden Hour: Part 2 Bonus Analysis: Character Studies

This is not the fully fleshed theory post on iomt but more of a starting point. I am just extracting my google doc on here so that 1) i can remember to edit it and 2) maybe people will see it and talk to me about it. so here we start with some bullet points about my scattered thoughts:

atp the falling chandeliers must mean something. not only are they in the mvs, they are also part of the actual stage now

the recurring theme of making money in the songs/mvs and the need to make money winning over their desire to follow their dreams in the diaries. it's just that while "work" caricaturizes it "iomt" goes with a darker criticism

the chandeliers, dust and ashes, broken piano and dinner tables decorated with candles draw parallels to answer and halazia

other halazia parallels: the tendency for arson, destruction of art, a seemingly more in control yunho and hongjoong more removed from the group

the broken mirror: a crooked version of themselves, the greed for money at the expense of passion and art is the opposite of the original ateez. the mirror appears on the d-day poster and also in hongjoong's first part

The white towel turning black: we first await the good, usual ateez we know and love. The towel turning black might mean that this is not the case and now we are face to face with the crooked version in this MV.

return of the ruby, which is probably badly handled by wooyoung (may be the cause of this crooked mirroring): we don't know the exact functioning of the ruby, now named Sopro, and all foreshadowing shows that things won't go well when wooyoung hastily and drunkenly uses it

tic-tac-toe: in the MV we see a tic-tac-toe game in tie in the room Jongho is in, previously mentioned in seonghwa's mini-rap (speaking of which, someone help me with the meaning of the "engrave the 3 letters of my name in this game" lyric). in the mini-verse created since gh1 it may symbolize the battle between passion and money: without money they won’t be able to live and realize their dream but without chasing their passions there will be no meaning to their survival. the black/gray cat walking around may symbolize woo who is trying to find a way out

the mansion well matching the description of yeosangs mansion

there are also parallels drawn between ateez and z with the mention of mingi’s ads

overall, feels like a new, older version of ateez trying to destroy their old image

also reinforced by jongho not being able to listen to their first song and the chaos that comes after they finally listen to it as a group: bitterness towards the past and the failure of their lives

golden hour is not about appreciating the moment they are in anymore: they are nostalgically reminiscing about the golden hour that passed them by and carry more or less some bitterness about not having been able to utilize it. they could not treat the trauma within the 60 minutes they had (make it as artists after having returned to world a before money ran out) and now have to lead imperfectly put together lives

The MV probably takes place in the aftermath of the diary. In the diary, Yeosang is the only one to explicitly go against Woo when the matter of trying again comes up, all the others either play along with woo or don’t say anything. In the MV, yeosang is shut up by Yunho and San chimes in with the “little bird over there has a lot to say”. By creating an alternate reality using Sopro, Woo may be making everything fit “as he would like” (things don’t seem to go in that direction) and Yeo may be trying to speak up but is pressed down by Sopro/other members under the influence of Sopro.

at the end of crazy form we see the cromer broken and sopro taken away by the blue bird. we see both of these in yeosang’s mansion since he took them in when nobody cared. in halazia, it is yeosang who sings about the little blue bird. again, in iomt mv he has parallels to a little bird. throughout the lore, yeosang has already been likened to a bird but at this point i don’t think it is crazy to say that the blue bird directly symbolizes yeo.

(from the crazy form reaction video)

San: “Now we found freedom”

Hongjoong: “That’s going to be…it’ll be connected to the next one.”

BRO WANTED TO SPEAK SO BAD ON THAT REMARK THEY IN FACT DID NOT FIND FREEDOM

who tf even is the doctor

what was supposed to happen in strange mansion before we died like fucking idiots

WHERE ARE WE IN THE LORE

parallel to second half of fever first diaries, crisis happens, shit goes to shit, new artifact appears and we are left at the cliffhanger right before the adventure

after this: crisis unfolds, probably back to a world seen before (very likely halazia since it is left little discovered and with many mysteries), crisis ends along with the entire plot (probs another 5-6 years to go if we don't count military service)

on a personal note: i feel like we are being a little stalled. the "work" mv seemingly doesn't enhance the plot at all unless we take it as a dream sequence of the members' in world a and a lot of time is put into explaining the members' lives than actually creating action in both golden hour diaries. even when given the chance in the Sopro room Yunho still doesn't mention his archeological finding in gh1 and further the plot in that direction.

CHESS PIECE THEORY EXTENSION

For the people that don't know, there is a theory on twitter that suggests the members each symbolize chess pieces. I think it is a very smart theory and is reinforced in the MV with Mingi playing with bedazzled chess pieces. To sum it up, the Ateez in the MV are the black pieces and we get this idea from the concept photo where each member mirrors their counterpart except for HJ and SH, who are the king and the queen. I have taken the theory and kinda did a bit of research to make more sense of it.

(PS: I got most info from here: https://www.chessstrategyonline.com/ so a big thank you to the admin of this website)

YUNHO AND MINGI (ROOKS)

Rooks are strongest when they protect each other (even sitting next to each other on the plane may foreshadow something). The rooks protect each other by being positioned along the same line. In the rook doubling strategy, one of them charges ahead while the other stays one line behind for protection. For successful attacks, the rook must go far in enemy territory to either take pawns down or restrict movement

Usually not used in the early game, starting the mv off with Yunho is a bold move. It either means they have a unique strategy they are so sure of, or they are making a very bad choice very flashily

The rook pawn openings are considered to be one of the worst openings in chess

Rooks are defensive pieces, putting them at the forefront (letting them take leader roles) is not exactly smart

In the MV the leadership role belongs to our rooks (mafia leader Mingi and Yunho being seen in leader positions and shutting Yeosang up in front of the press)

Mingi and Yunho also take part in a lot of action (the middle of the board). Mingi goes around with a clique of “pawns” as their leader, sets the furniture on fire, and breaks the car window. Yunho also is seen with a lot of pawns and is the one who interacts with the doctor.

SAN AND JONGHO (KNIGHTS)

The knight is a master of surprise, and can hop in and out of the most unexpected locations. (i sure as hell was surprised with san in the mv)

Best positioned in the center

the knight is sometimes vulnerable to being trapped if it runs out of squares -> possibility of (very likely san) being trapped in enemy territory or in the middle of battle -> either miraculously and riskily gets saved or pulls a sacrifice

Very risky to move along the edge of the board (aka, isolate or distance from action)

WOOYOUNG AND YEOSANG (BISHOPS)

Many, many possibilities to use them, we are not yet privy to Woo and Yeo’s exact roles

Except… they are usually not held in the center for long. In the choreo Wooyoung takes the center position often

bros suck at this game

SEONGHWA (THE QUEEN)

Mostly offensive, weak in defense, must be protected by others

Especially vulnerable when brought out too soon

A lost queen is almost as bad as a check

In the MV, SH is mostly surrounded by pawns (the ballerinas), a fitting protection

HONGJOONG (THE KING)

Castles protect the king the best

In the MV we see him isolated. Except for group sequences and a quick shot (related to the group sequence), HJ is seen totally alone in obscure corners of the villa. This is good for the protection of the king, but also means there is no one protecting the king. We can take Wooyoung the bishop as his protector if we take the black and white photos flashing in the MV into consideration.

A side note: The Ateez in the MV are the black pieces, however a lot of the “pawns” we see are white with just black masks. This has to symbolize something. I don’t know what.

Another side note: I think the white pieces they are playing against are the "normal" ateez we've known from the start. The real black pawns are all dressed in suits, which is a very classic symbol for capitalism, while the white pawns that have black masks are all artists or sports players (the tennis army). the white towel turning into black (expectation of seeing the "normal" ateez refuted by being met by the "crooked" ateez) may also be a nod to this. A very big stretch, i know, but in some occasions in halazia world mvs we see an overpowering theme of white on the members' costumes

in halazia mv, woo and san are shown in all white for their dance sequence. parting from theirs and mingi's costumes i take this entire look, which is predominantly white, as a canonical part of halazia

in "it's you" and "matz", the trapped versions of the members also wear predominantly white/light colors

this is all for now, i will be thinking solely of this comeback and how it ties into the general lore for the next weeks to come. if you have read until here, thank you so much and if you have anything to say plz do! <3

[warmaidensrevenge]

It's not a never.

Pairings: Eddie x fem!best friend Plus size reader

A/N: Happy Sunday loves. Here I present the final part in this series. It's a bit steamy if you ask me. So ready your naughty bits. As always thanks for reading. Please feel free to share and comment your thoughts. It really gives me a boost of dopamine that I crave. So anything is awesome. Kay love ya. Byyyyyeeee.

I do not give permission for my work to be posted anywhere else. Please respect all creators. Also, all pictures and songs are from a Google search and found on Spotify. A huge thank you and credit to the original posters and artists.

Word count: 3,824

Warnings: 18+ No minors please. Angst, language, sexual implications, sexual situations, p&v, oral (both receiving), unprotected sex and mentions of alcohol use. Not proof read

Part 4: Right now

Summary: Time goes by. But feelings still remain.

The farewell was in fact unbearable. It hurt Eddie like hell. But what hurt the most was a year after. College life became hectic for you. Which caused letters and phone calls to lessen. 

Then the guys got a big break. It was a small record label with very little rapport. But it was one he had a good feeling about. They made a deal for one full album and a few shows to promote it. 

It was a very busy year that turned into two. Then three.

Before any of them knew it, they were playing sold out shows. 

Things were working out. His dreams were coming true. But he never forgot about that girl with the sweet little smile. Though it has been some time since he saw it. He was fortunate enough to see it again one summer night in that third year.

The band was performing at one of their favorite places one hot night. They loved it because it was on a rooftop. Where they could see most of the city.

Tonight though, Eddie could only focus on the pretty girl with the small smile he almost forgot if it weren't for the prom picture he kept in his wallet.

The second the set was over, he jumped off the stage and ran to you. Obviously dodging the groupies and fans asking for autographs.

You yelped when he embraced you. Surprised when he picked you up a little.

“ Oh shit! I can't believe this!” He said when he planted you back down. 

You giggled. “Hi Eddie.”

He leaned back a little and grinned like crazy. “ When did-” He was cut off by the rest of his buddies.

He took a few steps back to let everyone have their turn with you. To be honest he needed the minute to get over the shock of seeing you. 

One thing led to another and you guys went out for drinks then ended up back at their apartment.

The whole night you guys were hanging off each other. Loving glances were shared and every word you said sounded like a love spell to him. And that didn't end when it was just you two.

Everyone else went to bed and he wasn't tired at all. So why end the night? Who knows when he was gonna see you again.

“ Ehem. So Eddie?” You said, putting your half empty glass on the coffee table. “ How many times do I have to squeeze your thigh to get you to kiss me?”

He laughed nervously.

You gave him a sexy sly grin. “ Common I've been flirting with you all night.”

He cleared his throat and smirked while you moved closer to him. It was true. You were flirting. He was too. And he shouldn't have. 

You reached up to move his bangs to the side. After you rested your hand much closer to his genitals. 

He quickly put a hand on yours. Just in case you decided to touch him further. “ Ummm…” he mumbled and met your beautiful eyes.

If things were different, he wouldn't question a damn thing and take you right here and now. Maybe even on the floor and the kitchen counter. Definitely fuck you in the shower and again on his bed. But he couldn't.

He exhaled. “ I'm kinda seeing someone.”

You practically jumped back. Pulling your hand away in the process. He could see how red you were getting from embarrassment.

“ Crap! Ed- I'm…uhhhh I'm sorry. I should go.”

You stood up and without thinking he grabbed your arm and stood up too.

“ No! I mean. Please don't go.”

You looked at him and shook your head. “ No I should. I've embarrassed myself enough for a lifetime.”

You tried to go but he gently pulled you back and cupped the sides of your face. 

“ Common kid. Don't be embarrassed. I was flirting too.” He hung his head a little. “ I shouldn't have but…it's you.”

He felt your warm soft hands on his. Making him meet your eyes. 

“ Eddie I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come and -”

“ No. You did nothing wrong. It was me. I should've said I was seeing someone sooner…but seriously, don't go. I-I've missed you…So fuckin much.”

You bit your lip and nodded. “ Okay. But you have to sit on the other side of the couch.”

He dropped his hands and held onto yours. “ Yeah, or I'm gonna have to make a phone call and become single.”

Your eyes widened. “ I'm flattered, but probably don't do that.”

You both grinned at one another before returning to the couch. Talking until the sun came up.

For Eddie it was heartbreaking saying goodbye to you that next morning. You were still that funny, sweet, affectionate girl from highschool. You were still the person he could talk to for hours without a care in the world. And he remembered the love that he still had for you. 

What he learned last night was that you were so busy with school that you didn't have time to date. He also found out that college was much harder than you thought it was gonna be. So hard that you changed your major twice.

Eventually, you found something you really saw yourself doing. Career wise that is. And he was happy for you. Just like how you were happy for him and the guys. 

Still, there was still something between you two. Something he wished he could explore. Something that just flowed with you. It was as if you guys picked up from where you left off.

It irked him. It bothered him so much that he actually opened up to his girlfriend about it. 

At first she was quiet, then she got pissed. Eventually, she calmed down and broke up with him. And to be honest it didn't really affect him that much. Sure he liked her. She was fun to be around. But after talking to you, he realized he never had a decent conversation with her. It was just partying and sex mostly. 

It wasn't her fault though. It was him. He never cared to open up to anyone besides his friends. Maybe it was because he thought no one would understand or get him. Get his quirks or quips. They probably wouldn't get his music tastes or like his nerdy side. Or maybe he didn't want anyone to. Perhaps it was because he still had hope for you. Hope that was instilled in him over the best pancakes in the world.

Either way it would be another 4 years until he would see you again.

…

Jeff was getting married. To Connie, in Hawkins. Everyone was invited and Eddie, Gareth and Grant were his groomsmen. They were all his best men cuz he couldn't choose one. 

Which was such a grueling task. Helping with the wedding and planning a bachelor party took up a lot of time. 

But besides all that, Eddie was looking forward to seeing one guest. One very important guest. The pretty girl he's been corresponding to for the past four years. 

He got in touch after you left New York. And kept up contact. He didn't want to disconnect again. Lose you again.

Though nothing was ever said about getting together, he anticipated that after the wedding he was gonna leave with you. Finally getting to that right now you had mentioned seven years ago.

-

He was near the entrance of the church, saying his hellos with the rest of the wedding party when he saw you. 

Everything around him seemed to slow down as you exited the car and fixed your royal blue dress. You looked around and smiled at the people you knew. Then you went to help your mom out of the car. 

He absolutely could not look away. You were a knockout. Absolutely gorgeous. 

What were the chances he could sneak you out of the party and make love somewhere? Maybe he could convince you to leave early. 

He suddenly felt a jab in the ribs. 

“ Ouch! What the fu-” he groaned as he looked at Gareth who was nodding towards Jeff's grandma. “ Oh right!” He uttered, holding out his elbow for her. “ Hello there young lady, I am to escort you to your VIP spot.”

She hit him with an ohh you and took his arm. He looked back to see if he could catch your eye. But it wasn't until the ceremony that he did. 

With a big smile you lifted your hand. Giving him a little wave. He smirked and looked down. Continuing down the aisle. 

Damn! He thought. He really wanted you to be a part of the wedding party.

Originally you were, but you had just started a new job and couldn't get away for rehearsals or any planning. So you opted to only be a guest. Which sucked for him because now he had to look at the happy couple instead of staring at you.

Once he got to the altar he met your gaze again. He knew he must look crazy grinning the way he was. But he didn't care. The girl he was in love with was in the same town, at the same place he was. And he was gonna make sure he left with you.

-

The vows and I do’s were said and the pastor gave the bride and groom the go ahead for a kiss. 

Eddie looked over at you and you had tears of joy falling from your eyes. He pulled out his  handkerchief and took a few steps towards you. Asking for the person sitting in front of you to hand it off. 

You blushed and wiped the tears away while he went back to his spot. Gareth nudged him, but he didn't care. He had to make sure you were good. 

At this point he would do anything for you. He would give anything to be with you. He'd say anything and everything he could just to see you smile. And for a second he pictured what his life would be like with you.

Applause broke out and he clapped along as Jeff and Connie walked back down the aisle together. Once they were at the end, the guys and bridesmaids followed. 

He looked at you again and you were talking to your dad. However, you met his eyes as he passed and mouthed a thank you. 

He nodded and planned on circling back around so that he could get to you. Unfortunately, he had to go in the limo as soon as they walked out. 

Apparently word mysteriously got out that Jeff was getting married. So there were paparazzi and a handful of fans waiting outside the chapel. 

It was a good thing that they had security on standby just in case this happened. 

Everyone was escorted into the car and rushed off.

Jeff was pissed but Connie calmed him down. Saying that to not let it ruin their day. 

Eddie smiled to himself. He was happy for his friend. Jeff had found the girl he was meant to be with. Even with the band getting bigger and the crazy schedules. One of his best friends got to spend the rest of his life with someone who calmed him. Who accepted him for all that he is and truly made him happy. 

Eddie was a little envious of it. Still, he was completely overjoyed for his buddy. 

He wanted that. More than anything, he wanted you. So it was his prerogative to be with you.

-

Everyone had to show their invitations to get into the dance hall. But once in, the music was going and drinks were being served. 

Eddie waited patiently by the door. Nearly jumping up and down. Excited to finally get to talk to you. 

While giving security your invitation you locked eyes with him and smiled from ear to ear. 

You looked away for a second then followed your parents in. 

He said hello to everyone as they made their way down the line to the newly Weds. Finally it was your dad's turn. They shook hands and your mom was next.

“ Why hello there, gorgeous. You are a vision.”

Victoria blushed and gave him a playful smack. “ Stop it.”

He laughed and gave her a hug. 

At last, it was your turn. 

“ Hi Eddie.”

He stood there with his lips together and an eyebrow raised. Giving you his flirtatious smile. “ Hi baby.”

You tilted your head to the side and raised both brows. “ Baby?”

He beamed at you and grabbed your hand. Pulling you closer to him. “ Yeah. You're my baby girl now.” 

Before you could say anything, he pulled you into a long warm hug. Rocking you from side to side. Making you laugh.

Grant cleared his throat. “ Alright Munson, you're holding up the line.”

You pulled away but he didn't want to let you go. He gave your hand one last squeeze before releasing it. His eyes never left you as you finally made it down to Jeff and Connie. 

He smiled as you took Connie's hand and twirled her around. Clearly admiring how beautiful she looked in her gown. Then you gave her hug. Moving on to the groom. He chuckled seeing you and Jeff do your nerdy handshake before hugging.

Afterwards, everyone sat down to eat. Eddie of course didn't want to sit with the rest of the party. Not while you were just a few feet away. He grabbed his plate and his beer and went to sit next to you. 

“ Eddie…Connie's is gonna kill you.” You warned.

He looked up at the head table and saw Jeff and Connie just enamored with each other. Not really paying attention to anything or anyone else but each other for that matter.

He put a hand on the back of your chair and scooted closer. “ I don't think they care.”

He watched you as you glanced at your friends and smiled.

“ Awww I love them.”

He reached up and moved your hair behind your shoulder. Causing you to look at him. “ Want to get out of here?”

You jerked your head back. “ Dude! It's our best friend's wedding.”

-

As the night progressed you guys were practically inseparable. You danced, drank, and talked. It was as if nothing had changed between you two. He made you laugh and you made him nervous. 

It felt right.

Even the approving nods he got from his friends and family assured him this was it. He could do this with you. 

Your parents were about ready to leave a couple hours later and you along with them. What could he do to get you to stay?

“ I-I can get you a ride home later if you want.” He offered.

You shook your head. “ No, I have some work to do so I better get going.”

He frowned. “ But we hardly got to hang out.”

You looked down, clearly to him, trying to think of something. When he came up with something first.

“ I uhh I should probably try and find a hotel for tonight.”

You met his eyes with yours. “ Why?”

He nudged his head towards the door. Where there were paparazzi hanging out with cameras at the ready. “ I was gonna stay with my uncle, but I don't want those guys to bother him.”

“O-oh… ummm well you know my parents still have the pull out in the basement. I could...if you want, I could sneak you out? But what about everyone else?”

He shrugged. To hell with them for the night. “ They're adults, they can figure out something I'm sure.”

You softly laughed. “ Alright. How about you go out the service entrance and we’ll circle around for you?”

He smirked. “ Let's go.”

-

He was laying there in his boxers trying to figure out how to sneak past your parents room and get into your bedroom. Sure it was probably a stupid idea to try and have sex while your parents were across the hall. However he needed you. He craved your lips, and your warmth. He wanted your body next to his.

So he decided to grab something to drink, then see if your parents had gone to bed.

What he found was even better. 

You were in the kitchen grabbing a Popsicle. Wearing nothing but a long shirt and tube socks.

When you turned around you jumped. “ Eddie!” You half whispered. 

He grinned. “ Sorry baby. Was thirsty.”

He went for a glass to pour himself some tap water. Paying attention to your movements. You had gone to sit at the table and started sucking on the ice cream. All the while reading a manuscript. 

He gulped down his drink and went to sit next to you. Pulling the chair as close to you as possible. 

You did your best to ignore him and his advances. But the way he played with your hair made you shift closer to him. 

You had gotten so overcome by his light touch on your thigh that you squeezed your legs shut. You then flipped the page you were working on and licked the Popsicle that was melting all over your hand. Some of the sweet syrup dripped down your chin. And before you could wipe it away he grabbed your hand with one arm and lightly held your chin between his index finger and thumb with the other. He then licked a fat strip from the underside of your chin up to your bottom lip.

He smirked to himself hearing your breath hitch. He had you right where he wanted. 

He stood up and grabbed your hand. Stealing your sweet treat and finishing it off before leading you down to the basement. Of course locking the door behind you. 

When he got you on the bed, he finally took that kiss he'd been dying for all day and everyday for the past seven years

Wet and needy. Tongues dancing together. Exploring tenaciously. With hands doing the same.

He started needing your breast and was surprised by something hard. Curious, he went under the shirt and felt two small metal balls on either side of your hardened nipple. 

He groaned against your lips. “ Fuck baby. I like this.”

You laughed softly and whispered. “ I knew you would.”

He grinned while he played with your piercing. After a bit he kissed his way down your body until he reached your underwear. But instead of taking them off. He moved the damp cloth to the side and spread you a part. 

He was addicted as soon as his tongue touched you. The sweet, sweet nectar that poured from you drove him mindless. But even more so feeling your hand get lost in his curls as the other covered your mouth. Trying to conceal your pleasure.

He stared up at you, enjoying your contorted face as he sucked and licked and swallowed like there was no tomorrow. 

Then he added fingers. Doing a come hither motion. Wasn't long after that. Your body trembled as an orgasm hit. Your pussy throbbed around his fingers. Coating them generously with your wetness.

He waited patiently for you to come down before climbing back up your body and crashing his lips into yours. And when he did you sucked in his bottom lip. Causing him to push his hardened length against your soaked undergarments.

You pushed him up off of you and got on your knees before him. He watched in awe as you wrapped your hair up and freed his cock from its cotton prison.

You teased him at first. Giving his head little kitten licks and kisses. It was maddening. Feeling your slick tongue swirl around the tip before retreating back into your mouth. 

“ Baby please!” He begged.

You looked up with darkened eyes and a less than angelic smile. “ Shhh. You have to be quiet.”

He pouted. Pleading you with his eyes. 

Then you did it. You took the whole damn thing. Making him reach for the back of your head and lifting his hips to go deeper. 

The hum in your throat had his eyes rolling back and toes curled until they hurt. 

A few seconds passed by and he felt your throat close around him as you started to choke. He loosened his grip and let you back off. 

He opened his eyes and focused on you. Watching you catch your breath before taking him in again. This time not so deep. Adding your hand into the mix. 

It was fucking amazing. Every slurp, every gag, every teasing lick around his balls nearly had him cumming. Even more so when you forced him in every once every other stroke. Building up his confidence and his orgasm.

“ Sh-shit baby…got-gotta stop.” 

You let him go with a small pop and had a concerned look in your eyes.“ Everything okay?”

He licked his lips and swallowed. “ Yeah. Fuckin perfect. Just don't wanna cum yet.”

He leaned forward and pulled you into a kiss while helping you up. 

You stood before him and used his shoulders for balance as he peeled off your panties. 

Once they were at your feet you kicked them off and straddled him. Slowly lowering yourself on his shaft. 

Your mouth fell open and your eyes screwed shut and his tip pushed through. 

“ OH MY GOD!” He moaned. 

Your warm tight pussy clinged to him. Hugging him like no other has before. Feeling you flutter around him as you rocked back and forth had him focusing on not cumming. 

He buried his face in your bosom and concentrated on his target. That one special spot that made you cry out his name. That spot that not only drove you over the edge but made him see heaven.

Sure enough he found it. But at this angle he couldn't touch it as much and he wanted to. 

So he wrapped his arms around you and held on tightly as he flipped you over on your back. 

You giggled in the process and stole a kiss and he repositioned himself. When he looked at you, you were grinning up at him.

“ Oh Eddie. So serious.”

He narrowed his eyes at you and rammed himself in. Earning that yelp/ moan. He reached up to cover your mouth as he plowed into you.

“ This. Is. Serious.” He grunted. 

Your eyes got lost in the back of your head as he thrusted hard and steady. Your moans turning into whimpers and sighs as he fucks you into the bed.

And within moments your body and his reacted to the immense pleasure. 

The climax washed over you like a wave of ecstasy.

Once it passes, he rested his forehead on yours panting with you. Letting his hand fall away from your mouth. 

“ I've missed you so much.” He whispered.

You nodded in agreement that he was also missed. 

He kissed your forehead. “ I'll go find something to clean you up.”

He then pulled out slowly and put on his bottoms.

When he came back he had a warm washcloth with him. He gently cleaned between your legs then himself before pulling you to lay in his arms.

You had started tracing his tattoos. Making him smile.

That's when he found himself writing something on your arm.

‘Marry-me-yeah?’

You sighed lightly and snuggled closer to him. Tracing your answer on his chest.

‘Okay’

He raised his head to look at you. " Yeah?"

You nodded. " On one condition...You have to break the news to Grant."

Eddie threw his head back into the pillow and smacked his forehead. " Shit! He's gonna kill me."

You giggled. " Yup."

…

@salenorona23 @browneyes528 @ohmeg @eddiesguitarskills @trashywormeateroffics @eddie-is-a-god @crookedcrone

[cyclesprefectpress]

[image description: 8 photos of a letterpress broadside printed from handset type and a linoleum block illustration. the poem is titled The Interview, written by a young poet for the 2024 edition of Words of Courage. the poet answers questions like what musical instrument, or animal, or color would you like to be. they would be an Afuche Cabasa, a tarantula, and the sound of a bird being eaten by a tarantula. printed from lead type, handset in Motto and Neuland; illustrated in pink, red, and blue is a tarantula playing the Afuche Cabasa. there are motion lines embossed out of the sheet for the shaking effect of the percussion. full text under the cut. end description.]

behold my abominable contribution to this year's Words of Courage publication 🎉🎉

WoC is a yearly publication of poetry broadsides written by patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and designed, printed, and bound into portfolios by local letterpress & book artists. this year’s whole edition will be scanned and posted there in a couple weeks & previous years are always there to see!

knew that i wanted this one immediately; this kid is SO cool and funny. personally i am deeply arachnophobic and have been doing some spider illustrations as exposure therapy. so far no discernible effect!! still very afraid of em. don't like to see em. research phase is a horror. but i am getting better at drawing them.

the Neuland for the sound effect was a no-brainer to me, plus i knew i would be varying the size and we have the original hand-cut stuff so each size of the face has little differences in the letter forms that you can spot. that little change in angle on the Cs, i love it so so much.

i didn't want to make the spider a cartoon. this reach for the skies pose is a real thing tarantulas do as a defensive back-off posture, so i was aiming for more of a posterized-from-photograph feel on the linocuts. reduction cut for the pink and red passes, separate block for the blue. the little bit of wobbly registration between the red and blue blocks helps the posterization feel, and some people also said it reminded them of riso, which i thought was very neat.

thought about printing the motion lines from rule as well, but it's a lot of text and i wanted it to stay very readable. so i made an embossing jig out of masking tape and hand-scored each of the lines into the edition instead. easy! well. simple anyway. 100 of em does strain the wrist so i only did a few at a time over a couple days. i finished a little ahead of schedule and this felt less…stressfully complicated than some other projects I've done so I kept looking at it and worrying that it wasn't actually finished?? when i'm not looking at it i still worry about that. but i'm, hmm, when i see it i'm really pretty sure i was correct to stop here.

The Interview    Q:        Rio, if you could be an animal, what animal would you like to be? A:        I’d be a tarantula. They make beautiful webs. Some tarantulas eat birds!   Q:        If you could be a color, what color appeals to you?

A:        I’d be red velvet like the red velvet cupcakes at Cupcake Royale. I’d also be aqua blue, the color of hospital masks.   Q:        What loud noise would you like to be if you could be one? A:        Definitely the sound of a bird screeching while being eaten by a tarantula.   Q:        Suppose you could be a musical instrument? A:        I’d love that! And I’d love to be a Latin Afuche Cabasa. It’s a stick with tiny metal spheres around it. When you rotate it in your hand it makes the sound Chichichichichichichichi.   Q:        Rio, can you imagine having wheels?  A:        I can! I’d be a buggy. I ride the hospital buggies every day when I’m here. They make me feel happy and fast! And wanting to go! Go!

[sgokie2024]

This happens to be probably one of the most classic and iconic "Posters From The Past" from the 1960's.

This is Family Dog poster #14 entitled "Zig Zag Man"

(duh….what else!) and I've got a lot to say about it!

This image is from the cigarette rolling papers product logo along with the Zig Zag product logo lettering. At the time this poster was done, most of the Hippie community smoked weed and, of course, used rolling papers to roll their joints. Just as almost everyone in the wealthy upper classes is familiar with the "Winged Lady" product on the Rolls Royce, most every Hippie was familiar with the product logo of the Zig-Zag man and the response in the targeted community to it's appropriation for use on a rock concert poster was overwhelmingly favorable. EVERYONE just loved this poster. As cool as it was, other rock artists of the time said "Why didn't I think of that?" It was so obvious, but it took Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley working together for the very first time as Mouse Studios to come up with the idea and bring it to realization. There was however some fear that they would be sued for using this copyrighted image, but apparently the company saw it as free advertising and never bothered them. There is a certain irony to the quotation that they placed at the bottom of the poster. "What you don't know about coping and duplicating won't hurt you" This poster was so popular that it became the first poster to be pirated. When Chet Helms who was the head man of the Family Dog heard of the pirate posters he had a rubber stamp made up that read "Genuine Counterfeit" and with his posse went into the stores selling these posters and stamped as many copies before being ejected from the stores. It is part of the irony of their chosen form of Hippie Justice that both with and without the stamp these posters are also very collectable as well. The one seen here has a old both Mouse and Kelley's signature from when it was first circulated!

I only can imagine just how many “Zig-Zag” heads are tattooed on old hippie’s arms or legs! 🤫

And so it was……yeah 58 years ago on this day in June back in 1966, that Big Brother & the Holding Company and the Quicksilver Messenger Service played this historic concert at the Avalon Ballroom here in our beautiful City by the Bay. Knock-out Light show provided by Bill Ham & Company (of which I was a fledgling member at the time) This poster has been printed an amazing NINE times both authorized and UN-authorized. Just as a footnote and not that it really matters to anyone but me, but it was the first time I dropped acid at the Avalon and I'll never forget watching Janis as I sat on the floor right in front of the stage, singing her heart out. What a show it was ....especially for me!

I have a nice first printing poster and a Pristine Original handbill signed by Mouse…both are available, if anyone's looking 👀 for one! PM me! 👌🏽

Share the "Zig-Zag" man & a little puff with a friend!

Nostalgically Approved by

👉🏼Professor 🎩 Poster👈🏼

[trash-bats]

I don't often share messy art WIP's, but this is a bit of an ambitious piece I'm nervous about & could maybe use some input from my DF followers over here.

A couple weeks ago, I started what was supposed to be a simple "Trash Bat" illustration of Davey. Instead of just putting some generic trash can or dumpster in the scene, I got the idea to cover a landfill in a bunch of easter eggs. This ranges from old & new merch, references to music videos, old gig posters and ticket stubs, and more obscure things like a page of "Unearthed: The Unused Lyrics of Davey Havok" from the Under the Rose magazines & Jade's iPod (RIP) with titles of unreleased songs on the screen.

The idea is like...yeah, this stuff will one day end up in a landfill, and maybe some of it is things the band don't relate to anymore or don't see the value in. But from the perspective of a fan lovingly filling this scene with these totems, this pile of "garbage" is more like a shrine. Many of us fans will still see the value in everything they've done, even the things they toss aside or that won't see the light of day. He's our Trash Bat, and his trash is our treasure.

I know it looks like a literal damn mess right now -- I'm going to go in with lineart and mess with the contrast more to make certain things pop and make things as detailed as I reasonably can. I originally intended the piece to be b&w, but I'm considering adding some color to help certain things in the pile be more recognizable. I'm also gonna swap out the Death of the Party shirt for the more general AFI skull shirt Davey has also worn during recent performances & do a bit more work with lighting/shadow.

I'm a very nervous artist who has often intimidated myself out of working on ambitious pieces, but this is a piece that has suddenly become important for me to get right. Words alone cannot capture how much this band means to me & for years I've wanted to do that passion justice through art, but feel like I haven't yet accomplished that. Last year was the first time I shared AFI fan art that I tagged Davey in on Insta, and getting a like from him - multiple times! - was pretty mind-blowing for me. I'm grateful for the support I received on those Havok Doll pieces, but I'm not particularly proud of them. While it was a fun concept for me, I feel like the doll idea was more successfully explored by people who can make actual real custom dolls, like Dolly Havok on Insta. I might still go back to it because I really did want to immortalize more of Davey's range of fashion over the years, but there's also so many other things I want to explore in art & with my love for AFI & related projects.

ANYWAYS, if you see this and have any recommendations for anything else that could be lovingly added to the trash pile or some constructive crit, please let me know! I want this piece to be a real love letter to the band's history, and I'm trying to represent as many eras as I can. I'm going to try taking my time with finishing this & bounce between this and other projects to try to avoid burnout (which I am QUITE prone to), but I'm excited to hopefully see this idea through & I hope others enjoy it.

[chibivesicle]

The Ranma 1/2 remake is giving me feelings

That's right. In this era of anime remakes, Ranma 1/2 is stepping up to the plate and will be animated by Studio Mappa! I do like me some works by Mappa. I just saw the new OP for it and so much of it refers directly back to the original OP, including keeping a few key animation sequences! I dunno - I don't want to be disappointed by it but at the same time I want to watch it.

Out of all of the remakes bouncing around this one pulls at me the most. Sure, I was all on board with Sailor Moon Crystal ten years ago but Ranma 1/2 was the first manga I ever bought! The nostalgia and continued love of the series is strong within me.

It is definitely hitting different seeing that this was my first manga series ever. I put a Shampoo sticker in my Ti-34 calculator which only recently went on the fritz at the ripe old age of twenty-eight and is still in my desk at work. I have a Ranma 1/2 poster still in my old closet at my parents' house (someday I should actually, you know, grab it), I bought fan art at Anime Expo in 2022 and even this summer I got a Ranma double sided charm from a local artist at an Asian food festival who also tables at local cons/art markets. I have to admit, I got all excited for the Trigun reboot and if you've been reading along you know I was incredibly disappointed. And you also have a rough estimate of my age based on when I watched it originally as a fan sub. Yet if there is any series that can be used to date me it is Ranma 1/2 since I bought all of my manga before university. I oddly kept telling myself I'd round out the collection when I got older and had more money to complete it. I never did and it has remained a mess of the original Viz editions. Behold! The first English edition of Ranma 1/2 in the left-to-right, hand lettered, and redrawn sound effects all in English.

Volume 1 cost $16.95 when I bought it which would have worked out to a whopping $33 adjusted for inflation, with a publication date of May 1993. Purchasing those early volumes from Viz was not for the faint of heart or those with shallow pockets. This is reminding me why I never back filled volumes 5-7 within my own collection, coming in at $15.95 each. I'm pretty sure that a few of them were likely Christmas presents as well . . .

These editions are what eventually came to match the size of the Viz Signature versions like Maison Ikkoku and Gokinjo Monogatari. These are hefty books and have held up pretty well over the years.

So I now find myself in the exact same position I was in before Trigun Stampede - do I reread the manga and finish it off since I likely only read the first third of it? And then do I take the time to review the new anime from Mappa?

Unlike Trigun which required me to start from scratch having only watched the anime, I've read up to volume 12 of the original manga and filled in the gaps by watching the original anime back in 2014/2015 to around where I'd read it - I think.

One of the issues is that I have the old format for it where there are no chapter numbers like it would have run in the weekly magazine to directly compare with. Viz did a really weird format since it started out as a comic with different arcs and parts and all mine have part 1-13/14 per volume. If I'm not mistaken, there were two subsequent editions of Ranma 1/2 in English; a right-to-left reprint of the original Japanese tankobon with the sequential chapter numbers from the magazine which then was later bundled into a 2 in 1 edition also in the right-to-left format.

Going by chapter names, I'm going to check out various volumes of the 2 in 1 edition from my local library and hope they line up to cover my gaps and then continue onward from chapter 142, The Mark of the Gods.

I also read the edition which really struggled to describe okonomiyaki to a non-Japanese reader. For several years, my young mind tried to square how they were like pizza when they were made on a griddle but had lots of toppings?!?!

I still don't know why the translators chose to localize it this way. They could have simply called it a savory pancake and it would have solved a lot of reader confusion.

It wasn't until university when I was hanging out with friends that I had the chance to make real okonomiyaki (a friend's roommate was Japanese) and the first thing I blurted out was something along the lines of "Like Ukyo from Ranma!" Granted, Ukyo was one of my fav characters at the time. Anyhoo, perhaps I'll do some meta posts as I read the manga and build up to watching the new anime. I don't think I'll have it in me to compare to the original anime since I read the manga long before watching the anime here in there for about fifteen years. I'm also curious to compare the later English editions with mine to see if there are some minor differences or not. I haven't seen the solid colored books like mine since I bought them in the first place.

[cloudcountry]

You should share your irl Van Gogh lore fr

(Only if you want to, of course. I'm just curious about him and his life ^^)

OK I WILL GIVE U. A SMALL POSTER TOUR and give u some facts from what i learned from my research these past four days hehe

~~~

As a result of van Gogh being stuck in a creative rut after his time in Saint-Remy, he took artistic motivation from outside sources, like prints. Two posters I own are based off Jean Millet’s prints, First Steps and Sleeping Peasants.

The irises van Gogh painted were originally purple. The red pigments in the oil paint faded over time, as they’re sensitive to light. This left the irises blue instead.

The Almond Blossoms painting was precious to the whole van Gogh family, as it was painted in honor of van Gogh’s nephew, Vincent, being born. The flowering blossoms symbolize new life and hope.

Van Gogh’s paintings of sunflowers were meant to communicate gratitude to the people in his life. He painted five different sunflowers paintings.

Easily his most popular and most well-known painting, The Starry Night was considered a failure by van Gogh. The cypress tree in the forefront of the painting that, although rooted in the Earth, reaches for the heavens, represents immortality. Death is just another journey. (i LOVE analyzing this one OURGH it makes me cry)

What struck me about Irises is how chaotically the flowers are arranged. The painting portrays exactly how they grew, it doesn’t try to make them look more aesthetic. Van Gogh painted them as he saw them, clumsy and twisting and growing, but beautiful.

Van Gogh often used himself as a model to practice painting figures. Under some of his self-portraits, there’s another painting underneath, indicating that he reused canvases.

Bedroom in Arles has a flatter display to mimic the Japanese prints van Gogh appreciated so much. The walls and doors were previously violet, but because of the red pigment fading, are now blue.

I always loved how the light in Starry Night Over the Rhône shows life, and that even though it’s so far away, the reflections in the water still reach the viewer. To me, this painting says that no matter how dark it is or how far away you are, the light will still reach you.

His Shoes painting is very homey and domestic to me. It’s another one that displays beauty in simplistic, everyday things and I love that. Shoes were a common motif in van Gogh’s paintings, and this pair in particular is theorized to have belonged to Patience Escalier, who had previously posed for van Gogh.

Cafe Terrace at Night was a painting van Gogh described as a night painting without black. He was enraptured by the yellows, blues, and greens of the scene, and went right to painting even though it was nighttime.

In van Gogh’s letters to Theo about The Church at Auvers, he referenced Shakespeare’s representation of a church in Henry IV, which symbolized preaching that was lacking in spiritual understanding. “Their God is like the God of Shakespeare's drunken Falstaff, 'the inside of a church.’”

In Wheat Field with Cypresses, the most notable thing in this painting is the sky to me. I love how he painted the clouds as if they were moving within a still image. It’s like you can see the wind itself, not only against the sky but also in the plants.

In Green Wheat Field with Cypress, the way the plant life is painted reminds me of a river. It’s flowing in a horizontal direction without any clear path, growing clumsily and overlapping each other. It reminds me of Irises in a way, because it portrays nature exactly how it is without attempting to make it uniform.

[everydayoriginal]

Bounty by Dory Whynot

Watercolor on cold press paper, 8×10″.

I credit one of the most significant before-and-after moments in my development as an artist to Yoshitaka Amano. When I was fourteen I walked into a bookstore in my local middle-of-nowhere mall, and hanging from the ceiling was a scroll poster of the most beautiful pieces of artwork I’d ever seen in my life, a painting by Amano that I would come to learn was from a book series called “Vampire Hunter D,” which Amano also illustrated. I bought the poster, hung it in my bedroom, and spent about the next ten years staring at it, along with any of his works I could find.

Falling in love with and studying Amano’s work made me realize things that I wanted to learn to emulate in my own art pursuits; movement in composition. Economy of line. Contrast and balance – delicate focal points of clustered detail with bolder marks, neutral palettes with bursts of color, velvety darkness with glowing light tones.

I’ve had a long artist journey since then. I’ve gotten to know my own style, over the course of many directions and experimenting and inspirations. I still love Amano’s work. 

“Bounty” is an acknowledgement of that journey, with two dedications: one, a sincere thank you to Mr. Amano, for his incredible work that set my brain on fire. And secondly, a love letter to my fourteen year old self, who would be stunned and absolutely thrilled that at 32, I’m still drawing and painting, and finding so much joy in it, and still absolutely obsessed with vampires.

VIEW DETAILS brought to you by Every Day Original

[namelessokamiart]

Hello!!! Love your Slugcat pole plant OC!

It seemed like a very interesting concept to me and that

And well, the truth is that just today I found out that it is an OC because a friend sent me the image on discord and I really didn't pay much attention to the small letters :'⟨

And well, since I have Discord, I used your OC a little to create a bot and play with my friend and so on, I mean I'm sorry if it bothers you but I really loved it. You draw super beautifully, what I would give to draw like you 😭

The thing is, I just wanted to say love your OC qwq

(and sorry for making a bot without asking [how curious that I named it Nameless and that your name is nameless])

Aw, well first off I'm flattered! Also haha that IS a funny coincidence xD

I'm glad you decided to reach out to me, I really appreciate it that~ and yes, it's totally fine if you use my work like that, as long as you aren't claiming the art as your own and not making money off it, then I think it's cool :3

I suppose just word to the wise, not all artists are cool with that so make sure you get permission first next time. Personally I prefer if I am told first but hey, its really hard to find the original poster sometimes.

If you're curious, his/their name is Mimic~! I have some vague personality ideas but they're mostly a fun doodle design for now.

(Also I peeked at your blog, I like your stuff! Keep up the good work! :3)

[their80smichelle]

Don't worry about not replying, take your time!

Ticket prices for concerts are insane, especially the popular bands 😭 and that's without the trip to the venue and optional hotel stay

Listening to the same songs on repeat is a mood, considering what I listen to late at night my Wrapped makes sense now haha and I also wonder how some made it into the top artists when I felt like I listened to others a lot more

Girls, Girls, Girls is one of THE groupie songs, this and Pour Some Sugar On Me being on the playlist almost every night during my bartending days probably helped my tips 😂

Ooh I wish I had vinyls from my parents and grandparents!! I've been collecting for almost 6 years and own 312 in total, mainly second hand from record stores (which I get for the best prices because I've known the owner of my favorite store since I started buying records). I rarely order vinyls online because I had some broken ones delivered to me and had to send them back, otherwise I occasionally buy new vinyls at physical stores or concerts

I love that! I only got new remastered versions of Final Countdown and 1984 (my mom had the latter on tape as a teen but gave it away)! I haven't checked the serial numbers of all my vinyls yet, but I have a bunch of originals as well as a 1979 misprint of Cheap Trick At Budokan! My oldest must be a 1970 pressing of The Who Live at Leeds with all inserts except for the poster (it still has two photos and some copies of letters from EMI, the county court, the Woodstock contract etc)

I have no idea how many CDs I own because I've been collecting them since I was a kid and never counted haha but it's definitely more than my vinyls! And yes, physical music is the cheaper and better therapy 😌

- 🎄

Thank you but I take too much time sometimes😭

To defend myself I had exams this week and have exams next week 😔✋🏼

Talking about ticket prices... I'm happy I'm still living at my parent's cause damn the price for a Guns N' Roses ticket is HELLA EXPENSIVE HELP I still bought it cause I can't miss them😭 but aaaah and I hope that old friend who goes to the concert to can take me in her car so we go together and I don't have to pay a hotel 💀

Girls Girls Girls is THE song and it's my top 1 song in my wrapped cause I'm a groupie in my bathroom at 3 am😔

But these two songs.... that's understandable... add Cherry Pie and you'll be great🤣

Good music helps to get tips ig😭 so you're working in a bar ??

That's a BIG collection omg😻 second hand are the best 🤝🏼 and even better when you k ow the owner XD the vinyl store I go to a lot, well yhe guy who's working there is very sweet and he offered me some T-Rex "little vinyls" cause I'm buying a lot and often there 🩷

Also buying on internet items dangerous in a way like as you said you can receive them broken and you don't have that pleasure to look into all yhe vinyls and find good stuffs you were not expecting. There's just that little excitement to randomly find something you love !

Omg vinyls where there's still the papers and stuffs like photos inside I love it !! Especially old originals !

Actually I have moe CDs like Harry Styles and all but that's "side" stuffs I don't listen a lot to it but sometimes I like it :') (my 8 years old self is speaking)

But having so many CDs to the point you can't count them is already something XD I love it just "wow I have too many I don't even know how many, just too many"

Great collection i guess, it's easier to find CDs and it's less expensive too ^^

You prefer CDs or vinyls??

* not important but for the fun story about Europe vinyl :

I was always seeing it and I was like "omg finally!!" And then no. It was always a remastered one:( and last month I went to a vinyls store a bit in a rush and found the original I was so happy ahah ! "I'm not a clown anymore!🥳"

[c-mccormick-svad-2022-2025]

(ARTS345) Project #1 Completion, Project #2: AIGA DESIGN FOR DEMOCRACY POSTERS, & Skillshare Videos #1 and #2

Week Four

Project #1: Manifesto Poster Completion

This past week was quite busy with deadlines for projects and the start of new projects in both my visual and verbal design course and my interaction design course. In my visual and verbal design course, the Manifesto Poster project was due at the beginning of class on Monday. Students had to submit an 11"x17" poster and a 1080x1080 pixel social media post for the official SVAD design Instagram. We were told to trim the white edges of the poster for uniformity with bleed. While I was getting my poster trimmed at Gambrell (down the street from McMaster) downstairs in their computer lab, I had a close call with a car that ran through a red light before making it to Gambrell. Thankfully, no one got hurt. After trimming my Manifesto poster, I returned to McMaster, where Professor Valdes displayed everyone's posters in the hallway to showcase the graphic designers in the program. Although I was relieved to have completed Project #1, I wished I had spent more time on my poster and Instagram post. While I am satisfied with the final project, I wish I had come up with more ideas for posters before the project was due. It's frustrating that these ideas came to me only after turning in everything and not during the critique phase. I can always explore these ideas in the future, but it's unfortunate timing.

Here is a link to the social media post:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GD+I at SVAD (@uofsc_design)

Project #2: AIGA Design For Democracy Posters

After submitting everything for the first project on Monday, we were given the creative brief for Project #2. For this project, we need to create a poster and social media post design to submit to Queens University in October for the Design for Democracy Pop-Up Gallery. Design for Democracy is based on the idea that good design makes your choices clear. When I first heard about this project, I knew instantly that I wanted to focus on typography to convey the importance of voting. I came up with several sketches that all delivered the same message: "Get Out and Vote." Although I plan to experiment with more messages, I decided to start with a bold, direct approach for my initial sketches. On Wednesday, we were divided into groups of three to showcase our ideas and approaches to the project. For my sketches, I focused on mark-making and experimented with various styles of pens, markers, and pastels to create interesting textures and design directions. After showing my sketches to two other students, everyone seemed drawn to Idea #6, which featured the message "Go Out and Vote" in capital letters, bold, and various types of lines going in different directions. Given this feedback, I decided to further experiment with my typography and used this idea as inspiration for finding Skillshare videos for the week. I plan to continue experimenting with this concept as we move on to creating mood boards next week.

Skillshare Video #1: Hand Lettering Practice: 3 Easy Steps to Explore New Typography Styles by Illustrator and Letter Artist Vinitha Mammen

Here is a link to the original video:

While searching for inspiration for Project #2, I stumbled upon a hand lettering video tutorial by illustrator and letter artist Vinitha Mammen. Before watching the video, I decided to do some additional research on the artist. I found out that Vinitha is not only an illustrator but also has a background in Mechanical Engineering and Fashion Design. Her favorite subjects to create art around are feminism, women empowerment, gender equality, body-positivity, and self-love, and she has a bold use of colors and clean, precise aesthetics. What I find most inspiring about her is that she creates art for the sake of creation, something that I often struggle with and hope to overcome throughout the semester. Here is a link to her Instagram to learn more about her and her incredible artwork: https://www.instagram.com/vinithamammen?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

In her course, the main goal was to teach how to develop unique lettering styles by practicing and exploring different variations of each letter and number. Vinitha explained a 3-step process for building letters using nine variations of the letter "J" as an example. This process can be used to create variations of all uppercase letters (A-Z) and numerals (0-9). Vinitha emphasized the importance of practice, suggesting embracing the process and not being afraid of making mistakes or feeling frustrated when practicing.

What does "Lettering Style" mean? Lettering style refers to the typeface, angles, mood, line weight, and detail elements that collectively make up a specific style of lettering. The process of creating a lettering style involves three main steps. First, it's important to establish the proportions of characters by setting guidelines for drawing. Trying out different proportions helps to understand how this step can affect the overall typeface. Second, it's crucial to explore and understand the basic shape that forms each letter. Finally, adding unique touches such as serifs, flourishes, or weights gives personality and balance to each letter. The key takeaway from the video is that daily practice is essential for improving lettering skills and developing a library of styles. Understanding the three main steps (proportions, shapes, and details) is crucial when creating your own letters. By practicing, I'll be able to develop a personal library of lettering styles for future projects. The class encourages me to experiment more with typography and to be less afraid of making mistakes. Practice is key!

Skillshare Video #2: Matchbox Label Techniques: Typography, Vintage Fonts & Text Arrangement

Here is a link to the original video:

The second Skillshare video I decided to watch was a typography technique course taught by Di Ujdi, also known as Nina, an illustrator and surface pattern designer. Nina is an incredibly talented artist who loves floral and natural themes and enjoys depicting the world in a colorful, fun, and naive way. She is known for her stylized illustrations and bold floral patterns. Here is a link to her Instagram to learn more about her and her incredible artwork: https://www.instagram.com/diujdi?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

In this particular video, Nina discusses the specific style of matchbox label typography. While this video may not be directly related to my project #2, I found the topic intriguing and decided to give it a watch. Here are some of the main takeaways:

Sure, here's the rewritten text: This video is part of Nina's series on vintage design, focusing on matchbox label typography and design. The aim is to explore vintage typefaces, replicate vintage text arrangements, and introduce techniques to achieve a vintage look through errors, misprints, and textures. It starts with typography inspiration from various vintage font styles commonly used in matchbox labels, including old style, humanist, and traditional. These font styles are then arranged to replicate classic vintage layouts using Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. To enhance the vintage aesthetic and layout, common issues seen in old prints, such as misprints and imperfections, are replicated to create a more authentic look. Texture papers that replicate the old, antique look are also crucial for achieving the desired vintage aesthetic. Incorporating other details like ink smudges or faded areas gives the work a realistic vintage feel. In terms of tools, Adobe Illustrator is used for creating and arranging the core elements of the label, such as vector illustrations and text arrangements. Meanwhile, Photoshop is primarily used for adding textures and finishing effects to the design, along with techniques for replicating errors and adding imperfections to give the design an authentic, weathered look. While this video was a unique and interesting approach to vintage-inspired typography, I'm not entirely sure that this video will be helpful in completing my work for project #2. Nonetheless, it was a fun and informative watch, and I look forward to watching her other videos in my own time.

[albumwalloffame]

Album Cover Artist Spotlight -  Alex Steinweiss

Something I feel I’m not doing that good a job of is actually giving credit to the people behind the iconic album covers I showcase on this micro-blog. So I’m going to try something a little different. The Album Cover Artist Spotlight will be looking at the people responsible for the album covers we love so much, and what could possibly be a better place to start than with the inventor of the album cover, Alex Steinweiss.

Alex Steinweiss was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA on March 24th, 1917. As his surname would suggest, his parents were European, his father from Poland and his mother from Latvia. Alex studied at Abraham Lincoln High School and earned a scholarship to the Parsons School of Design.

He worked with an Austrian graphic designer named Joseph Binder, who pretty much made the art aesthetic of the 1930s.

This is Binder’s entry for a U.S. Army Poster Competition, and he also did a poster for the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

In 1938, Alex Steinweiss became the first Art Director for Colombia Records, apparently in 1939, he just grabbed a photographer and headed to the Imperial Theatre, where he got the owner to change the letters on the sign temporarily and art history was made.

Smash Song Hits By Rodgers & Hart, an album released in 1939 was quite possibly one of the earliest album covers that was seen by a general public, and he continued designing album covers until 1973, when he decided to do more painting than graphic design. Arguable one of his most famous works being the cover art for the original cast recording of the musical South Pacific.

In 1998 he was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, alongside Tom Geismar, Chuck Jones and Paula Scher.

In 2011, Alex Steinweiss would sadly pass away at the age of 94, leaving a legacy of amazing work behind, and a whole side of art that I like exploring.

Prior to Steinweiss, records would come in plain packaging, a brown paper bag, or a bag with the record store’s logo on it. Nowadays, we have made images that directly linked to the sounds on the record, we have band mascots and stories told though the images, he have albums that hide more unique covers behind their front covers. Album covers that have interactive elements, album covers that play with expectations, album covers that have become so iconic that they almost transcend just being an album cover and have become icons in pop culture.

I think this one is my favourite of Steinweiss, the minimalist Art Deco style and the colour palette give the image such an emotion that really defines what a large appeal behind the album cover became. You can almost see how images and designs like this would lead to the iconic album covers of the psychedelic era, and the rise of album designers like Hipgnosis, Jamie Reid and many others.

I’ve been wanting to talk about Alex Steinweiss and his contributions to the album cover for a little while, so if you enjoyed this... admittedly very shallow dive into one of the many artists in album design, feel free to let me know. If this goes over well, I may do some more. Now I am going to leave you with a small sample of his work, I hope you learned something new today.

[xenosagaepisodeone]

oh! I don't have the exact universally accepted answer for this, but I do have some information that may assist with contextualizing:

technically, publishers and ip-holders can theoretically complain about doujinshi. the legal framework exists in the event that they want to pursue individual creators, but I imagine most of them withhold such actions due to how thoroughly the self publishing and professional publishing industries are historically entwined.

The majority of modern (as in, 1980s-onward) creative figures within the anime and manga industry started off in doujinshi, and the groundwork for this was laid by people comitted to the circulation of alternative or avant-garde comics/media. CLAMP is the poster child for the doujinshi -> pro pipeline due to how unabashed they are in acknowledging their origins (especially for their JJBA doujin lol), but Kouta Hirano of Hellsing fame also notoriously reused characters/concepts from his original hentai doujin while developing the mainline series. Sunrise, Madhouse and SHAFT were founded by ex Mushi Production animators -- and while I cant confirm any of their doujin participation myself, I know that Mushi Production's founder Osamu Tezuka was a huge advocate for self published and adult oriented alt work (it was the basis of COM Magazine after all - whose discontinuation was the catalyst for the creation of Comiket!). Gainax was founded by Anno (whose long standing relationships with otaku culture go without saying) and his sci fi enjoying friends from university, and their earliest works (the DAICON animations) were a love letter to their inspirations. doujinshi is rarely an individual effort. authors and artists are recognized via their circles, which in turn are often connected to larger fan networks. It's difficult to condemn the community that helped build your success, especially since getting an official serialization or a studio offering to adapt your work doesn't suddenly disconnect you from their world.

Comiket was also instrumental in developing and maintaining the philosophy towards independently published work. Comiket is a grass roots, non-profit enterprise. Despite being The anime convention, the admission fee is free for guests. It's founder Yoshihiro Yonezawa participated in anarchist protests of US-Japan relations during the Vietnam war as a student and would throw molotov cocktails at cops. As implied with the previous paragraphs, he was an enjoyer of Tezuka's COM Magazine and began Comiket as a means to sustain the existence of independently published work after the magazine's discontinuation. I feel like it's also necessary to mention that "doujinshi" only started to expand to meaningfully refer to fan-made iterations of existing media in the 1980s (Comiket began in 1975), and was largely used to describe self-published work prior; I say "largely" because fan-made work of existing media has technically always existed(especially in the west)...but that's a different conversation. It's unfortunate that Yonezawa didn't do too many interviews before passing away, he likely would have been able to shed some interesting insight into how the doujin market has evolved over the years.

Lastly, well, Comiket generates a ton of money. Sooo much money. And free advertising via doujin and cosplay. A ridiculus amount for a 3 day event. It's existence is a testament to how much the anime/manga/jp gaming industry is sustained by embracing amateur creators instead of shunting them out. It would be silly to kneecap the event simply to appease copyright holders. Actually I think this is the answer to your question.

It's kind of funny that that post came across my dash because a week or so ago on Twitter there was a huge discourse about the ethics of reposting manga panels that came as a result of the mangaka behind sasaki to miyano making this

nothing about the image itself is too surprising. Japanese companies are generally stricter about copyright than the US, and because of how anime/manga is more readily available for consumption than overseas, the etiquette as to how to engage with them are a bit different as well. what was frustrating was that the conversation surrounding it was framed as a matter of respecting the creator's wishes, instead of acknowledging the larger framework that informs boilerplate requests like this.

It also reminds me of that one time I followed the artist behind Wolf Guy (the 70s manga not the 2000s one) and he qrt'd a tweet I made containing some scanalated panels with "it's so nostalgic to see this again. it's been so long since wolf guy was published ^o^"

[useless-catalanfacts]

Did you know that the original cover of the American novel The Great Gatsby was made by a Catalan artist?

His name was Francis Cugat (an anglicized version of his birth name Francesc Cugat), and he was brother to the famous musician Xavier Cugat. Francesc was born in 1893 in Barcelona (Catalonia), but when he was young his family migrated to Cuba and later to the USA.

He was a little-known illustrator who worked creating posters for American opera houses when he was found by F. Scott-Fitzgerald’s publisher while the author was still working on the book. The publisher sent Francis Cugat a summary of the novel and the working title “Among Ash Heaps and Millionaires”, and commissioned him to make a book cover. Francis Cugat made various sketches around the idea of a disembodied face of a flapper suspended over the New York cityscape. He sent this final version to the publisher, and both him and Fitzgerald loved it.

Fitzgerald was still working on the manuscript when he received the illustration. As his letters to the editor show, he was so pleased with the image that he intentionally edited his writing to tie it into the book. The letters don’t clearly state what parts of the book were influenced by the cover, but it's believed that the face at the cover inspired the description of the billboard of optometrist T. J. Eckleburg, and also a description of Daisy as the “girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs”.

For the rest of his life, Francis Cugat continued painting and making illustrations for films and theatre, and later became a Technicolor colour consultant for more than 60 Hollywood films and as a set designer. He died in 1981. His work is little known, but his Celestial Eyes remain one of the most famous book covers of all times.

[the-francakes]

Welcome to tumblr now what...

Hi, I wrote this up for my cousin because she’s never used any platform, but since a lot of twitter users are coming to tumblr, I thought I would share as someone that has been here... way too long. This blog might only be a year old, but i lived through tumblarity. both times. ugh. 

cause i will use this interchangeably and forget to clarify, tumblr dash (short for dashboard) is more or less the same as twitter feed. 

likes - these are a thumbs up. A nice little ‘hey this post is cool!’ or ‘i agree with this post.’ users can elect in settings to have their likes visibly on their page, meaning when you go to their actual tumblr, theres a link to liked posts. however, i have always disabled this in the same vein that none of you will ever see my ao3 history. if you get a like, you’ll get notified, but that’s all it really does in the grand scheme of things. 

reblogs - if theres a post you want to share, reblog it.  reblogging it puts it on the dash (feed) of anyone that follows you. tumblr does have a setting to see popular posts, ‘in your orbit,’ or ‘for you’ as in things it thinks you may like.  it has a setting for recommended posts into your feed. i, and mostly everyone i know, disable these features and rely solely on their dash.  so assume if you’re reblogging this post, you’re sharing it to make sure the people that follow you also see it. if no one reblogs this post, then only the 150 people that follow me will see it and it will die. which is totally cool. im rambling all over this shit and forgot what capital letters are. its probably half wrong anyways. 

some people will say always reblog instead of like. i think its give or take. it depends on what you like, what you want to share, you’re weird taste in shit you want people to know about and not know. if you reblog, you will make sure more people see something wonderful and its a really lovely and free way to help writers, artists, etc. spread their art.

commenting on a reblog - its not necessary.  I probably do it once in a blue moon these days.  adding a comment in your reblog is like jumping into the conversation. usually i reserve this for things that are important and want others to build on as well. or continue the shitpost cause i like to think im funny sometimes. if its something like my bullshit commentary that really does not apply to anything in the post or i dont want spread on everyone’s dash as they go on to reblog it, i write it in the tags. for example, please reblog this and add anything i missed that helps you navigate tumblr. write in the tag if you think its bullshit and i should delete. 

replies - replies were made because when they didn’t exist, people would have ‘dash conversations’ by reblogging one post over and over and over and over again.  it would be a post of 50+ posts of two people having a conversation and about things like is it red or blood orange.  this was especially awful in rp when sometimes posts would only be a few sentences asking ‘hey whats up how are you.’ so use a reply if you want to tell the original poster something, but youre not adding onto the post.  a good reply to this post would be a ‘thanks for posting this’ but a good reblog with a comment would be ‘i agree, but also you forgot this important bit!’ 

something different than twitter (i think???) - your replies do not just show up on someone’s dash. they have to click the little word bubble on the post to read them. 

tagging - tagging someone with an @ will give them a notification that you mentioned them in your post.  you can also tag in replies.  you don’t need to tag the original poster in a reply because they will get a notif that says ‘___ replied to your post.’ my brain is fuzzy here, but i believe if you put a reply on a post that is a reblog, both the current poster/reblogger and the original poster will get notifs. i only say this cause some people get annoyed by too much tagging, but as someone that doesnt give a shit, just always tag me. tumblr eats shit or doesnt work sometimes, so just blow up my notifs. 

asks/submit - some people enable you to ask or submit posts.  when they answer the ask or approve the submission, it will end up as a post on their dash.  if the ask is not anon, they can also reply privately. a lot of people do not allow anons these days because while tumblr is one of the better social medias ive encountered, there are still some assholes that like to send hate anons. and i will say this for the people skimming this - ASKS GET EATEN. aka they disappear from asks boxes or don’t even show up. if someone says they didn’t get it, there’s probably like an 80% chance they are not lying. there’s a 20% chance they are and don’t want to answer it but like that’s their choice too. 

messaging - for the new kids, this is DMing. for the cool kids in back, this feature was enabled cause aol took aim away from us. this caused a huge panic of how do we privately talk to our friends since while replies are okay for convos, anyone can see them and tbh can get cumbersome for longer communication.  i use this feature a lot to send my friends posts that i need to make sure they see.  maybe its not my sort of content id reblog, but i know for a sure thing they will love it, so im passing it along for them to reblog, laugh at, tell me im an asshole cause its a meme making fun of them, etc. 

ask games - sometimes people reblog posts that say SEND ME A NUMBER and theres a list of numbered questions.  as i grew up here in roleplay, i was taught it was good tumblr etiquette to always send numbers to the person you reblogged from. I was also taught just to send numbers if you see them cause you’re cultivating friendships here and maybe you don’t know the person, but TRUST ME, they will love and appreciate you took the time to get to know them just a little. its not hard to send 1-5 and then fuck off but it will give them something fun to do and maybe make their entire day so.. send the numbers. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO: who interacts with your posts a lot. do you see the same username liking your things? does the person reply a lot. FOLLOW THEM! reply to their posts! fangirl from afar and send a shy ask saying hi i love you. propose on the dash.  answer their questions. become FRIENDS. we’re all the weird kids here so don’t worry, we love you already. 

WHAT NOT TO DO: NEVER STEAL POSTS OR CONTENT. this means, you see a pretty piece of art- reblog it. do not right click, copy link to image, and make your own post.  love a passage someone wrote? see a HILARIOUS joke? do not copy and paste it into your own post.  If you feel in someway you NEED to do this, contact the original poster, ask permission and how they want to be credited.  you might have to link to their tumblr, you might have to link to their tumblr, ig, ao3, website, mom’s best friends snapchat, whatever... you listen to how they want to be credited and respect it. and if they say no? go reblog it and sit down. this is the same how you would never copy and paste someone’s tweet and say it as your own. or would you???? is that a thing??? maybe i shouldn’t be helping you come here... 

ALSO, JUST LIKE AO3, NOTES MEAN NOTHING. a lot of notes does not mean its a great post. Something can have 500 notes and its two friends shitposting ‘hi’ back and forth in the replies 250 times each.  and yes, this has happened before and will happen again because this is a hellscape. 

crabs/april fools/tumblarity/fonts and colors/xkit - you know how in YOU they have those like seven totems of living in LA? same concept except when you understand it all, you’re cursed to live here forever. you’re welcome. 

--- --- --- 

please expand, add to this, tell me im wrong, tell me to get off tiktok cause i need to stop yelling at children to let me love my favorite ships idc what canon says.  

the good news is, if you think you’re doing it wrong, then youre using tumblr right.  people might say don’t use it like a diary, but you bet ill write a long ass post venting about my depression and/or that my sock has a hole in the toe.  people say posts have to have content and length... brevity is the soul of wit or whatever and i love a good shitpost and i will reblog a post that is legit ‘wish i could pet a dog today.’