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eyrieofsynapses · 1 year ago

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why Aurora's art is genius

It's break for me, and I've been meaning to sit down and read the Aurora webcomic (https://comicaurora.com/, @comicaurora on Tumblr) for quite a bit. So I did that over the last few days.

And… y'know. I can't actually say "I should've read this earlier," because otherwise I would've been up at 2:30-3am when I had responsibilities in the morning and I couldn't have properly enjoyed it, but. Holy shit guys THIS COMIC.

I intended to just do a generalized "hello this is all the things I love about this story," and I wrote a paragraph or two about art style. …and then another. And another. And I realized I needed to actually reference things so I would stop being too vague. I was reading the comic on my tablet or phone, because I wanted to stay curled up in my chair, but I type at a big monitor and so I saw more details… aaaaaand it turned into its own giant-ass post.

SO. Enjoy a few thousand words of me nerding out about this insanely cool art style and how fucking gorgeous this comic is? (There are screenshots, I promise it isn't just a wall of text.) In my defense, I just spent two semesters in graphic design classes focusing on the Adobe Suite, so… I get to be a nerd about pretty things…???

All positive feedback btw! No downers here. <3

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I cannot emphasize enough how much I love the beautiful, simple stylistic method of drawing characters and figures. It is absolutely stunning and effortless and utterly graceful—it is so hard to capture the sheer beauty and fluidity of the human form in such a fashion. Even a simple outline of a character feels dynamic! It's gorgeous!

Though I do have a love-hate relationship with this, because my artistic side looks at that lovely simplicity, goes "I CAN DO THAT!" and then I sit down and go to the paper and realize that no, in fact, I cannot do that yet, because that simplicity is born of a hell of a lot of practice and understanding of bodies and actually is really hard to do. It's a very developed style that only looks simple because the artist knows what they're doing. The human body is hard to pull off, and this comic does so beautifully and makes it look effortless.

Also: line weight line weight line weight. It's especially important in simplified shapes and figures like this, and hoo boy is it used excellently. It's especially apparent the newer the pages get—I love watching that improvement over time—but with simpler figures and lines, you get nice light lines to emphasize both smaller details, like in the draping of clothing and the curls of hair—which, hello, yes—and thicker lines to emphasize bigger and more important details and silhouettes. It's the sort of thing that's essential to most illustrations, but I wanted to make a note of it because it's so vital to this art style.

THE USE OF LAYER BLENDING MODES OH MY GODS. (...uhhh, apologies to the people who don't know what that means, it's a digital art program thing? This article explains it for beginners.)

Bear with me, I just finished my second Photoshop course, I spent months and months working on projects with this shit so I see the genius use of Screen and/or its siblings (of which there are many—if I say "Screen" here, assume I mean the entire umbrella of Screen blending modes and possibly Overlay) and go nuts, but seriously it's so clever and also fucking gorgeous:

Firstly: the use of screened-on sound effect words over an action? A "CRACK" written over a branch and then put on Screen in glowy green so that it's subtle enough that it doesn't disrupt the visual flow, but still sticks out enough to make itself heard? Little "scritches" that are transparent where they're laid on without outlines to emphasize the sound without disrupting the underlying image? FUCK YES. I haven't seen this done literally anywhere else—granted, I haven't read a massive amount of comics, but I've read enough—and it is so clever and I adore it. Examples:

Secondly: The beautiful lighting effects. The curling leaves, all the magic, the various glowing eyes, the fog, the way it's all so vividly colored but doesn't burn your eyeballs out—a balance that's way harder to achieve than you'd think—and the soft glows around them, eeeee it's so pretty so pretty SO PRETTY. Not sure if some of these are Outer/Inner Glow/Shadow layer effects or if it's entirely hand-drawn, but major kudos either way; I can see the beautiful use of blending modes and I SALUTE YOUR GENIUS.

I keep looking at some of this stuff and go "is that a layer effect or is it done by hand?" Because you can make some similar things with the Satin layer effect in Photoshop (I don't know if other programs have this? I'm gonna have to find out since I won't have access to PS for much longer ;-;) that resembles some of the swirly inner bits on some of the lit effects, but I'm not sure if it is that or not. Or you could mask over textures? There's... many ways to do it.

If done by hand: oh my gods the patience, how. If done with layer effects: really clever work that knows how to stop said effects from looking wonky, because ugh those things get temperamental. If done with a layer of texture that's been masked over: very, very good masking work. No matter the method, pretty shimmers and swirly bits inside the bigger pretty swirls!

Next: The way color contrast is used! I will never be over the glowy green-on-black Primordial Life vibes when Alinua gets dropped into that… unconscious space?? with Life, for example, and the sharp contrast of vines and crack and branches and leaves against pitch black is just visually stunning. The way the roots sink into the ground and the three-dimensional sensation of it is particularly badass here:

Friggin. How does this imply depth like that. HOW.��IT'S SO FREAKING COOL.

A huge point here is also color language and use! Everybody has their own particular shade, generally matching their eyes, magic, and personality, and I adore how this is used to make it clear who's talking or who's doing an action. That was especially apparent to me with Dainix and Falst in the caves—their colors are both fairly warm, but quite distinct, and I love how this clarifies who's doing what in panels with a lot of action from both of them. There is a particular bit that stuck out to me, so I dug up the panels (see this page and the following one https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-20-30/):

(Gods it looks even prettier now that I put it against a plain background. Also, appreciation to Falst for managing a bridal-carry midair, damn.)

The way that their colors MERGE here! And the immense attention to detail in doing so—Dainix is higher up than Falst is in the first panel, so Dainix's orange fades into Falst's orange at the base. The next panel has gold up top and orange on bottom; we can't really tell in that panel where each of them are, but that's carried over to the next panel—

—where we now see that Falst's position is raised above Dainix's due to the way he's carrying him. (Points for continuity!) And, of course, we see the little "huffs" flowing from orange to yellow over their heads (where Dainix's head is higher than Falst's) to merge the sound of their breathing, which is absurdly clever because it emphasizes to the viewer how we hear two sets of huffing overlaying each other, not one. Absolutely brilliant.

(A few other notes of appreciation to that panel: beautiful glows around them, the sparks, the jagged silhouette of the spider legs, the lovely colors that have no right to make the area around a spider corpse that pretty, the excellent texturing on the cave walls plus perspective, the way Falst's movements imply Dainix's hefty weight, the natural posing of the characters, their on-point expressions that convey exactly how fuckin terrifying everything is right now, the slight glows to their eyes, and also they're just handsome boys <3)

Next up: Rain!!!! So well done! It's subtle enough that it never ever disrupts the impact of the focal point, but evident enough you can tell! And more importantly: THE MIST OFF THE CHARACTERS. Rain does this irl, it has that little vapor that comes off you and makes that little misty effect that plays with lighting, it's so cool-looking and here it's used to such pretty effect!

One of the panel captions says something about it blurring out all the injuries on the characters but like THAT AIN'T TOO BIG OF A PROBLEM when it gets across the environmental vibes, and also that'd be how it would look in real life too so like… outside viewer's angle is the same as the characters', mostly? my point is: that's the environment!!! that's the vibes, that's the feel! It gets it across and it does so in the most pretty way possible!

And another thing re: rain, the use of it to establish perspective, particularly in panels like this—

—where we can tell we're looking down at Tynan due to the perspective on the rain and where it's pointing. Excellent. (Also, kudos for looking down and emphasizing how Tynan's losing his advantage—lovely use of visual storytelling.)

Additionally, the misting here:

We see it most heavily in the leftmost panel, where it's quite foggy as you would expect in a rainstorm, especially in an environment with a lot of heat, but it's also lightly powdered on in the following two panels and tends to follow light sources, which makes complete sense given how light bounces off particles in the air.

A major point of strength in these too is a thorough understanding of lighting, like rim lighting, the various hues and shades, and an intricate understanding of how light bounces off surfaces even when they're in shadow (we'll see a faint glow in spots where characters are half in shadow, but that's how it would work in real life, because of how light bounces around).

Bringing some of these points together: the fluidity of the lines in magic, and the way simple glowing lines are used to emphasize motion and the magic itself, is deeply clever. I'm basically pulling at random from panels and there's definitely even better examples, but here's one (see this page https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-16-33/):

First panel, listed in numbers because these build on each other:

The tension of the lines in Tess's magic here. This works on a couple levels: first, the way she's holding her fists, as if she's pulling a rope taut.

The way there's one primary line, emphasizing the rope feeling, accompanied by smaller ones.

The additional lines starbursting around her hands, to indicate the energy crackling in her hands and how she's doing a good bit more than just holding it. (That combined with the fists suggests some tension to the magic, too.) Also the variations in brightness, a feature you'll find in actual lightning. :D Additional kudos for how the lightning sparks and breaks off the metal of the sword.

A handful of miscellaneous notes on the second panel:

The reflection of the flames in Erin's typically dark blue eyes (which bears a remarkable resemblance to Dainix, incidentally—almost a thematic sort of parallel given Erin's using the same magic Dainix specializes in?)

The flowing of fabric in the wind and associated variation in the lineart

The way Erin's tattoos interact with the fire he's pulling to his hand

The way the rain overlays some of the fainter areas of fire (attention! to! detail! hell yeah!)

I could go on. I won't because this is a lot of writing already.

Third panel gets paragraphs, not bullets:

Erin's giant-ass "FWOOM" of fire there, and the way the outline of the word is puffy-edged and gradated to feel almost three-dimensional, plus once again using Screen or a variation on it so that the stars show up in the background. All this against that stunning plume of fire, which ripples and sparks so gorgeously, and the ending "om" of the onomatopoeia is emphasized incredibly brightly against that, adding to the punch of it and making the plume feel even brighter.

Also, once again, rain helping establish perspective, especially in how it's very angular in the left side of the panel and then slowly becomes more like a point to the right to indicate it's falling directly down on the viewer. Add in the bright, beautiful glow effects, fainter but no less important black lines beneath them to emphasize the sky and smoke and the like, and the stunningly beautiful lighting and gradated glows surrounding Erin plus the lightning jagging up at him from below, and you get one hell of an impactful panel right there. (And there is definitely more in there I could break down, this is just a lot already.)

And in general: The colors in this? Incredible. The blues and purples and oranges and golds compliment so well, and it's all so rich.

Like, seriously, just throughout the whole comic, the use of gradients, blending modes, color balance and hues, all the things, all the things, it makes for the most beautiful effects and glows and such a rich environment. There's a very distinct style to this comic in its simplified backgrounds (which I recognize are done partly because it's way easier and also backgrounds are so time-consuming dear gods but lemme say this) and vivid, smoothly drawn characters; the simplicity lets them come to the front and gives room for those beautiful, richly saturated focal points, letting the stylized designs of the magic and characters shine. The use of distinct silhouettes is insanely good. Honestly, complex backgrounds might run the risk of making everything too visually busy in this case. It's just, augh, so GORGEOUS.

Another bit, take a look at this page (https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-15-28/):

It's not quite as evident here as it is in the next page, but this one does some other fun things so I'm grabbing it. Points:

Once again, using different colors to represent different character actions. The "WHAM" of Kendal hitting the ground is caused by Dainix's force, so it's orange (and kudos for doubling the word over to add a shake effect). But we see blue layered underneath, which could be an environmental choice, but might also be because it's Kendal, whose color is blue.

And speaking off, take a look at the right-most panel on top, where Kendal grabs the spear: his motion is, again, illustrated in bright blue, versus the atmospheric screened-on orange lines that point toward him around the whole panel (I'm sure these have a name, I think they might be more of a manga thing though and the only experience I have in manga is reading a bit of Fullmetal Alchemist). Those lines emphasize the weight of the spear being shoved at him, and their color tells us Dainix is responsible for it.

One of my all-time favorite effects in this comic is the way cracks manifest across Dainix's body to represent when he starts to lose control; it is utterly gorgeous and wonderfully thematic. These are more evident in the page before and after this one, but you get a decent idea here. I love the way they glow softly, the way the fire juuuust flickers through at the start and then becomes more evident over time, and the cracks feel so realistic, like his skin is made of pottery. Additional points for how fire begins to creep into his hair.

A small detail that's generally consistent across the comic, but which I want to make note of here because you can see it pretty well: Kendal's eyes glow about the same as the jewel in his sword, mirroring his connection to said sword and calling back to how the jewel became Vash's eye temporarily and thus was once Kendal's eye. You can always see this connection (though there might be some spots where this also changes in a symbolic manner; I went through it quickly on the first time around, so I'll pay more attention when I inevitably reread this), where Kendal's always got that little shine of blue in his eyes the same as the jewel. It's a beautiful visual parallel that encourages the reader to subconsciously link them together, especially since the lines used to illustrate character movements typically mirror their eye color. It's an extension of Kendal.

Did I mention how ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL the colors in this are?

Also, the mythological/legend-type scenes are illustrated in familiar style often used for that type of story, a simple and heavily symbolic two-dimensional cave-painting-like look. They are absolutely beautiful on many levels, employing simple, lovely gradients, slightly rougher and thicker lineart that is nonetheless smoothly beautiful, and working with clear silhouettes (a major strength of this art style, but also a strength in the comic overall). But in particular, I wanted to call attention to a particular thing (see this page https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-12-4/):

The flowing symbolic lineart surrounding each character. This is actually quite consistent across characters—see also Life's typical lines and how they curl:

What's particularly interesting here is how these symbols are often similar, but not the same. Vash's lines are always smooth, clean curls, often playing off each other and echoing one another like ripples in a pond. You'd think they'd look too similar to Life's—but they don't. Life's curl like vines, and they remain connected; where one curve might echo another but exist entirely detached from each other in Vash's, Life's lines still remain wound together, because vines are continuous and don't float around. :P

Tahraim's are less continuous, often breaking up with significantly smaller bits and pieces floating around like—of course—sparks, and come to sharper points. These are also constants: we see the vines repeated over and over in Alinua's dreams of Life, and the echoing ripples of Vash are consistent wherever we encounter him. Kendal's dream of the ghost citizens of the city of Vash in the last few chapters is filled with these rippling, echoing patterns, to beautiful effect (https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-20-14/):

They ripple and spiral, often in long, sinuous curves, with smooth elegance. It reminds me a great deal of images of space and sine waves and the like. This establishes a definite feel to these different characters and their magic. And the thing is, that's not something that had to be done—the colors are good at emphasizing who's who. But it was done, and it adds a whole other dimension to the story. Whenever you're in a deity's domain, you know whose it is no matter the color.

Regarding that shape language, I wanted to make another note, too—Vash is sometimes described as chaotic and doing what he likes, which is interesting to me, because smooth, elegant curves and the color blue aren't generally associated with chaos. So while Vash might behave like that on the surface, I'm guessing he's got a lot more going on underneath; he's probably much more intentional in his actions than you'd think at a glance, and he is certainly quite caring with his city. The other thing is that this suits Kendal perfectly. He's a paragon character; he is kind, virtuous, and self-sacrificing, and often we see him aiming to calm others and keep them safe. Blue is such a good color for him. There is… probably more to this, but I'm not deep enough in yet to say.

And here's the thing: I'm only scratching the surface. There is so much more here I'm not covering (color palettes! outfits! character design! environment! the deities! so much more!) and a lot more I can't cover, because I don't have the experience; this is me as a hobbyist artist who happened to take a couple design classes because I wanted to. The art style to this comic is so clever and creative and beautiful, though, I just had to go off about it. <3

...brownie points for getting all the way down here? Have a cookie.

#aurora comic #aurora webcomic #comicaurora #art analysis #...I hope those are the right tags???#new fandom new tagging practices to learn ig #much thanks for something to read while I try to rest my wrists. carpal tunnel BAD. (ignore that I wrote this I've got braces ok it's fine)#anyway! I HAVE. MANY MORE THOUGHTS. ON THE STORY ITSELF. THIS LOVELY STORY #also a collection of reactions to a chunk of the comic before I hit the point where I was too busy reading to write anything down #idk how to format those tho #...yeet them into one post...???#eh I usually don't go off this much these days but this seems like a smaller tight-knit fandom so... might as well help build it?#and I have a little more time thanks to break so #oh yes also shoutout to my insanely awesome professor for teaching me all the technical stuff from this he is LOVELY #made an incredibly complex program into something comprehensible <3 #synapse talks

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hers-underwraps · 2 months ago

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They are all literally just a little Desert family

(Because they're both from deserts (Australia and the Artic)

Look guys, they're all one big family and you can't convince me otherwise

Let me explain

First you've got the father-daughter relationship between Natquik and Dashi. They go on so many missions together and Natquik adores Dashi so much. He's even got a photo of her hanging up on the wall in his den!

She's always out there doing supply runs in risky weather, doing Artic research and they even set out on a lil mission with just the two of them to check out seismic activity! It really helps affirm the father-son relationship with Natquik and Barnacles. Look at how happy they are when dropping him off.

They're just like "Bye Dad!"

The way Dashi and Natquik always talk to each other out of genuine interest/concern as well! For example when Natquik's calling about the fox situation and Dashi says "What the Captain meant to say is how are you enjoying your vacation" or when Natquik calls them to check that dashi got home safely and had some hot coco. They are just the cutest!

Second, you've got the Koshi and Barnacles big brother-little sister relationship. These two are such a wholesome duo because I feel like these two are just on the same frequency. Also the fact that Koshi is always stealing Barnacles's mannerism (e.g. pose/catchphrase) very much reminds me of younger sibling behaviour.

The way Koshi is able to talk to Barnacles like they are equals and call him out on stuff makes their dynamic a lot more fluid.

Barnacles is definitely able to take off his "children serious" filter and can be a little bit more like himself around her. For example, in the raven's episode where he says "A conspiracy, you mean they're plotting against us?!?!" and Koshi says "Nah, you know that's what you call a group of raven's."

Also when they do their little bluff with the raven's it's so funny because two aren't naturally the best actors (ngl Barnacles's acting is abysmal have you seen the bald ibis episode).

These two have definitely got something wrong with them but they are also so obsessed with learning and understanding other behaviour and I think they have an unspoken bond over that which I think is really neat.

Third, we've also got this rarepair Tracker and Koshi duo! They lowkey give me “omg it’s my favourite cousin” vibes because they instantly click really well. These two get an entire episode together (the billabong mystery) and they are such a good combo. Between their shared excess knowledge and wits they work well together.

Koshi invited Tracker to go and study Australian birds (also I love that she knew that he loved birds) and they both end up causing a bit of chaos. Koshi also helps Tracker by showing him the ropes of Australia is great to see.

The "Home Run" moment for me in terms of their dynamic was when Koshi gave Tracker her mystery sister's notebook to write their adventure in. This book means a lot to Koshi, she takes it everywhere and she usually uses it to write about her adventures with Dashi. So for her to give it over to Tracker meant that they’d formed a pretty strong bond.

Tracker taking the time and care to write their adventure in her notepad shows that he really likes Koshi as well. These two are the duo I never knew I needed.

Fourth, speaking of Tracker admittedly, he and Dashi haven't had a great deal of interactions, most of them being computer calls. Their relationship is definitely one that's formed around mutual friends. If I were going to put a label on it I'd say they're giving off that "third cousin that I see once every few years but also happens to know everything about me" vibe.

Their most notable interaction was their first call in the deep freeze special. Tracker definitely takes a liking to Dashi (as to what type of liking that is based on his tone...) but generally, they seem to have positive interactions in the calls they do share.

Tracker said it was “really nice to meet you” and honestly it would be really nice if these two get an episode together in the next season of Above and Beyond.

Fifth, obviously we've got the Dashi and Barnacles power duo here. Their bond is probably the foundation of this little desert family. Ironically I also don’t want to put a label on it because theirs so many ways to go about interpreting it (I could go into a deeper dive for them but that’s for another post…).

These two have genuinely been in the trenches together. They were quite literally parenting the original squad in the original series and they now share major leadership roles in above and beyond. They’re got each others backs, they’re keeping everyone (including each other) alive and managed.

They express so much genuine concern for each other and are usually there as when the other is in strife. Barnacles is literally having a full on mini meltdown when Dashi first flying to Natquik, clearly they mean something to each other. Whether it’s a “trauma bond so strong we founded a family” or “Bestied so hard our families combined” situation these two are like this 🤞.

There are also other examples I could talk about like Koshi and the cubs hanging out and getting along nicely or characters that aren't probably going to get a chance to interact like Koshi and Natiquik since Natquik never leaves the Artic and I highly doubt Koshi has a reason to go there but my point still stands. These two "families" of characters have had several interactions and entire episodes dedicated to them to the point where it could almost be interpreted as a deliberate choice. Nearly all above-and-beyond episodes with Professor Natquik feature Dashi. Tracker and Koshi got an entire episode dedicated to them despite having limited interactions before. There are also several episodes that feature a 2 artic + 1 aus trio or 1 aus + 1 artic in them.

The nail on this coffin for me personally for the desert families was definitely the "Artic Blizzard" episode with "Billabong Mystery" further solidifying it.

For example, take this scene where Dashi's first priority is making sure that the cubs are ok once the wolves are scared away instead of running to see if Barnacles is ok. She understands that the cubs are vulnerable and highly protected members of the "Artic family" hence genuinely worries about them despite them not being her own "Blood" family, which is what most of them are more naturally inclined to do.

She's worried about their safety throughout the whole thing and has to entirely place her trust entirely in Natquik and Tracker as most other options are not viable due to the nature of the Artic.

(Also off topic, Dashi driving into the wolves honking at them and shouting on the speaker to get away from the polar bears was so in the character of her I genuinely giggled)

Thinking about this from a practical perspective, some octonauts/agents would be far better suited to handle missions in the Arctic, yet Dashi is chosen by the writers reoccurring in these adventures which I think is a great way to allude and represent the struggles of family. The trusting in them to show a new culture, to get you to safety, the fear surrounding unfamiliarity and anxieties surrounding acceptance when you are completely out of your depths is illustrated through the forming the "desert family"

This idea is then continued in the Billabong mystery episode where it's Tracker having to trust Koshi in an alien environment. Furthermore, the episode is told through a flashback, which gives Tracker the power of having the dominant narrative voice. His recalling of the events, despite being filled with mishaps and miscommunication leading to problems is generally positive. This episode can give insights into the importance of forming strong and positive connections with others when learning to adjust to the many complications and quirks that come with families. By being able to create a sense of belonging for others within the preexisting family structure in an organic way (e.g. by using commonalities and demonstrating both the highs and lows), the idea of the "desert family" being an intentional choice.

Also, I love how the stronger bonds with the "desert family" structure are upheld throughout the group interactions. They had all three of them lined up and proud of the cubs during the badge ceremony. They could've left them out and made it a personal thing with just the cubs and barnacles but they instead chose to celebrate family achievements with the whole (which we love to see). Furthermore, looking at the snowball fight, for example, they all instinctively split up into teams (Dashi+Natquik) vs (Tracker+Barnacles) vs (The Cubs) which I think is just stinking adorable and has also been repeatedly shown as a strong duo with "familiarly connotations" in previously episodes.

So that's why I think these guys are a "Desert family" and I think that this should be appreciated more.

I have a method to the madness. No this is not some delirious delusion, but I think an intentional choice in order to educate others on complex topics in accessible ways and further develop the characters.

Now, all thats left to do is hope for an episode of all of them together!

Peace out!

#octonauts #desert family #oh geez that was alot #fair dinkum literally 1600 words #Look I'm just really passionate about this and it's NOT a “polictical” subject within the octonauts community #so I just wanted to explain my perspective and reasoning #I guess for future things I'd like to bring up and explain #octonauts dashi #octonauts barnacles #octonauts tracker #octonauts koshi #octonauts natquik #octonauts ursa #octonauts orson #But yeah guys did we enjoy this please let me know #cause that was a lot of effort and this isn't even that artciualte #the real reason I take english advanced #I didn't wanna generally say this and sound like a schizo #LIVE LAUGH LOVE DESERT FAMILY

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meraki-yao · 11 months ago

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RWRB Thoughts: Height Difference

Today on Meraki's rwrb thoughts because this movie and book are implanted in my brain now, we're talking about the movie size difference

Don't get me wrong, book height firstprince is adorable, but there's just something about the movie height difference that just feels so special.

The thing is, the height difference between movie firstprince, or in other words Taylor and Nick's height difference isn't that big (ok I tried to search online for the precise number but there are a bunch of different fucking answers in different units but my point still stands you can see it)

But somehow, it's so prominent when you put them two together, especially when they're holding each other.

And think about it from Henry's perspective: Henry's not small. He's taller than both his siblings and his best friend Percy. he's about the exact same height as Shaan and as much as I know they care deeply about each other, at the end of the day, that's his equerry, his employee. His grandfather is taller than him, but that's the King, so that comes with this sense of authority and intimidation. So in most cases, he's the taller one, the bigger one. The one that has to be the support, the one that has to stand on his own. (so essentially my "oldest daughter/sister" rant but when it comes to height)

But when with Alex, suddenly he's the smaller one. To the man who would fight the whole world to protect him, to make him happy, the man who he loves and who loves him more than anyone in the world. Look at how Alex holds Henry: he curls around him, almost like a shield.

"You don't need your armour anymore, I'll be here to protect you and your heart from now on."

Actually, it's not just Henry, to a less emotionally intense extent, it's Nick too: In M&G, when it comes to the guys George/Nick has physically intimate scenes with: Tony (King James) is shorter than him, Dylan (Peter Carr) is shorter than him, Laurie (Robert Carr) is about the same height, the various other men we see in montages later in the show, all shorter. He's also taller than all the girls he's played opposite of, including Anne.

If I'm correct, up till now, Taylor is Nick's only on-screen partner that's taller than him. And that affects the physical intimacy, like where hands go and how the boys are positioned. Personally, I call it a "lead/follow" pair (like in partnered dances) or a "protector/protected" pair.

(Also please note that I know that this is kind of stereotyping, people don't always follow this fixed dynamic, and these labels only apply when they do follow a fixed dynamic. And I'm also just referring to the physical dynamic, not the actual relationship dynamic)

It's something new for him: for the entirety of his career, he was the bigger one in whatever relationship he was in: the big spoon, the one who lifts his partner, the one who's holding the other's waist; the "lead/protector". So what was it like for him to be the "follow"/"protected" for once?

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #taylor zakhar perez #alex claremont diaz #nicholas galitzine #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry hanover stuart fox #firstprince #rwrb thoughts #this was supposed to be short why did this turn into an essay again #meraki essay #rwrb analysis #does this count as analysis #idk whatever

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kaycapo · 2 months ago

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AvA 11 spoilers

That

That was so

Holy shit?? That was AMAZING!!

The beginning was just- my jaw was on the ground. Victim wasn't just unsaved, he was reincarnated constantly into new bodies, over and over for almost an entire year.

That would've been absolute hell. More than just hell. I don't know how I could describe it. He was brutally tortured in varies ways. Killed with so much horrible pain. He was literally slowly erased from existence at some point. That pain must've been excruciating.

Only for him to be revived again and again. Back to the torturous hell he was forced in.

And when he escaped? He was left with so much trauma. He would've been totally terrified. Probably terrified that Alan would come back, and he'd be trapped in that PC again. Tortured over and over with no escape. Alan and his team did an amazing execution of that. Because even years after his escape, it still affected him, for obvious reasons. Yeah, he slowly started overcome that trauma, but it never truly went away.

And Mitsi? Oh, I love her! She's amazing!! There's something about her that just makes her so loveable! Although, personally, I'm quite disappointed she had been reduced to the love interest that was killed. Perfect for angst - disappointing for her as a character. I would've prefered it if she wasn't a love interest for Victim honestly. I think a best friends or sibling dynamic for them would've been better. But regardless, I still love their dynamic! They're adorable!!

Too bad she fucking died.

Another thing I'm disappointed about is the fact that Chosen was the one to kill her. I didn't like the thought of Cho being the one responsible for his torture, but, whatever. I am also very disappointed to not have seen more of Dark, but again whatever.

What Cho and Dark did, however, is perfect for Victim's trauma and angst. Bringing up all those horrible memories again. Sending him spiralling into a depressive, angry, revengeful state. And looking at those pictures on the walls, (where Vic is sitting on a chair in the scene) it seems like his mental state took a total dive to insanity.

Mitsi's death took a massive hit on him. No wonder he was so sadistic towards Chosen. Everything he had built, years of creating to give himself a happy life after so much despair and torture - destroyed within minutes.

Man, poor Victim.

Alan was fucking evil back then.

#alan becker #ava11 #alan was so evil and I'm living for it #I adore victim's angst so much #I LOVE THIS EPISODE #ava #animation vs animator #animation vs minecraft #avm #ava victim #ava chosen #ava dark #ava alan

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erenfox · 2 months ago

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RANKING SBG SHIPS BECAUSE LOKI GAVE US ALL FREE WILL 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

Aidlyn/Ashden: good lord the chemistry. the 'he fell first but she fell harder' trope. the lil gestures by aiden. him annoying tf out of her but also becoming very caring when she's hurt. I'M SO CALM RN GUYS. and the fact that them ending up together is inevitable lmfao XD 9/10

Benlor: FUCKKK IM SERIOUSLY NOT OK THESE TWO ARE JUST SO PURE AND SWEET TO EACH OTHER. ESPECIALLY TAYLOR TOWARDS HIM, cuz he kinda suppresses his feelings and is a sad boi :( dw ben taylor's gonna make you feel happy again fosho lmao 😭 the lil blushing ben always does around taylor! her supporting his ideas even tho they flop! her helping him calm down from barron through music! her always cheering him up whenever he's gloomy! her being the first to thank him for opening up! THEY'RE LITERALLY THE DEFINITION OF SHE FELL FIRST BUT HE FELL HARDER! GOD IM SO NORMAL ABOUT THEM 😭😭😭 10/10

Tylenol/Tylo: i never thought of the prospect of them together, but post tumblr i must say its interesting. not just them being the single ones in the team, but i like the way tyler defended logan against barron, and his general protective aura around logan. but then again tyler was kinda rude to logan in the start. idk it just gives me the ick 4/10

Tyden: LMAO the continuous saga of them pissing tf out of each other. it would be fuckin hilarious if they somehow end up together. but apart from the general hilarious bickering, there's not too much to it 5/10

Tayden: goddamn their friendship is so precious!! her painting his nails? her carrying him on his shoulders in dat one artwork?PURE BESTIE VIBES they just match each other's freak lmfao. 8/10

Logden: meh there are not any significant moments between these two. 1/10

Loglor/Taygan: no but why can i actually see this happening lol. the way theyre both so gentle around each other! then the way she was the first to help him when he got slashed by the phantom? and also the way she stood up for him when tyler was being rude? AND the lil hugs they give each other which none of the duos in the gang give? Cute af! 7/10

Benlyn: ooh the two quiet people of the gang! they could work out really well bcoz they definitely understand each other's struggles with muteness and phantom hearing respectively. plus that panel of ben braiding ashlyn's hair was so cute lmao :> 7/10

Loglyn: AAA they have sm potential!!! before the events of yk the whole ✨sAvAnNaH✨ mess, i feel like they wouldve been each other's only existing acquaintance they may call friends (ik it's not canon but it's very plausible lol) 6/10

Benlo/Logben: theyd definitely be good together, it's just that my sbg memory is failing to recall any significant moments b/w them ;-; if y'all remember pls do tell 2/10

Tyben: what is with the hernandez siblings always ending up being bens biggest supporters lmao XD it's a cute dynamic honestly 4/10

Taylyn: now this is one freakin adorable ship TvT. the way taylor always had a slight pang of concern for a friendless lonely ashlyn when they were kids? and the way they quite frankly became besties after enduring all the phantom world shit? very sweet, both platonic and romantic lmao 6/10

Tylyn/Ashler: i have been usurped into the tylyn propaganda by @tragedry honestly I DO NOT COMPLAIN. like holy fuck they're so enemies to lovers! them "loathing" each other, fighting for leadership, but then immediately becoming possibly the biggest protectors of each other in times of danger??? extremely wholesome lmao i love them smmm 9/10

SO THE TOP SHIPS ARE:

4. tie b/w TAYGAN and BENLYN (the rarepairs that just make sense) 😌👌

3. TAYDEN (the crack ship) 😈🔥🥉

2. tie b/w TYLYN and AIDLYN (the wholesome ships) 😍❗🥈

1. BENLOR (THE PUREST SWEETEST MOST ADORABLE GOOFS EVERR I-) 🥺❤🥇

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lilvoidcreature13 · 2 months ago

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Why I enjoy the Ships I put Severus in / ships featuring Severus from fanfics that I've read and enjoyed.

Lily X Sev (Snilly): I absolutely adored it when it's done right. Especially when it's from Lily's point of view since she rarely gets expanded on in the canon as fell as in the fandom. I also really love it when it has some elements of queerness. I've read fics where 1. Sev is a girl who still loves Lily; 2. Lily or Sev has some queer feeling about their gender and/or sexuality (either are portrayed as gender-nonconforming/non binary and/or bisexual/ace spectrum) or 3. They genuinely having feeling for each other and just not working out. These elements that I can find in some Snilly Fanfics are absolutely divine, I feel like these fics aren't afraid to look at the reality of queerness in the 1970s, and the complexity of their relationship to one another.

Sirius X Severus (Snirius, Snack, HoundPrince?): there's fics tend to be toxic, sometimes even violent, which isnt everyones cup of tea and I myself have to be in the right mood for it, but I enjoy seeing how these two man mirror each other and also bring out the worst in each other. I, with all my heart, believe that Sirius sees his mom in Severus and Severus sees his dad in Sirius, and it drives them both crazy because neither of them wanted to end up like their parents but cant stop themselves from seeking out what is familiar to them. I also like how a lot of Snack fics explore their experiences with abuse, their lives seem so different yet also similar. There are also some fics where they actually grow to understand one another and start a healthy relationship too, but I don't think they're as prominent as the more toxic versions. I still very much ship them, though!

James X Severus (Jeverus, PrinceChaser): can be just as toxic as SevXSirius but there are more wholesome fics out there of them. I have a love /hate relationship with this particular ship. Like, I like fics where James unknowingly had a crush on Sev the whole time and tries to win him over, but I always end up rooting for Sev to reject him and make him realize his actions have consequences. I've also stopping shipping it as much because of Snape's Worst Memory. I only returned to the fandom this year, before that I was still a high schooler obsessed with shipping, and now that I've matured I see SWM in a new light and can't stand fics between James and Sev when they take place after SWM. There's still plenty of good fics of these two, but I'm not as into the pairing as I use to be. Also James Stan's are really annoying and if I look for content featuring James, I inevitably run into them, so that kind of hinders my enjoyment of the ship.

Remus X Severus (Snupin, MoonPrince? WolfPrince?): again, I have a love hate relationship with this ship. I love how theyre both considered quite, introverted, and nerdy. They also have similar social standing: Remus is a halfblood whose life in constantly in shambles, who finally finds a place where he feels excepted with people who don't hate him for his condition, who then has to sit back and be quite when his friends act up because he's too scared of loosing what he has. Severus was in a similar boat to Remus, except he probably didn't have genuine friendship with the people he spent time with. This is a pretty interesting dynamic to explore, but I can't always enjoy the ship,especially in fics where the impact of Remus' non-action is handwaved. I don't know about you guys, but having a partner who doesn't acknowledge the ways they may have hurt you, even if it's only through inaction, is not a green flag for a partner.

Licius X Narcissa X Severus

I'm just gonna combine the LuciusXSev, NarcissaXSev, & LuciusXNarcissaXSeverus ships into on section, I don't read enough of this ship to have any really strong opinions,but I absolutely adored it when it's platonic. I just love the idea of Narcissa & Lucius acting as Severus' big siblings / parental figures, lord knows he needs people like that in his life. I also don't mind when this ship is more romantic/sexual, but I'm really picky when it comes to those depictions because if Sev is gonna be their third, they gotta treat him right.

Mulciber X Sev:

I adore this ship, it wasn't around when I was first in the fandom but I like how much Bruce is portrayed as a guy who actually loves Severus from the beginning. They very rarely any animosity between the two, which make it easy to consume fluff fics with them because I can buy into the fluff very easily. (Ps. I love it when Bruce calls Sev 'Potions' it's such a jock thing to do, and is also a unique term of endearment.)

Xenophilius Lovegood X Sev:

This stems purely from TikTok and the handful of fics I could find of this pair. Idk where it came from but I love the idea of Luna's oddball dad having a strange relationship with Severus. We've all see that post where the HP characters are matched up with characters from the first war (Harry-James, Ron-Sirius, Remus-Hermione, Neville-Peter, Ginny-Lily, Luna-Severus) and I fully believe that Luna does partially mirror Sev, what with them both being outcasts. Xenophillius, as we saw, also had some strange ideas and had his head in the sky, which I think would clash with Severus personality at first, until Sev eventually learns to tolerate Xenophilius. This ship is pure Crack and I am an addicted for it.

Kingsley Shacklebolt X Severus:

I have no idea why I like this ship, I'm not even a big Kingsley enjoyed but the fanfics are so good. There's one where they get into an arranged marriage and Kingsley is such a good husband!!

Fic is called Come What May by ShadowAceSeverus https://archiveofourown.org/works/48388618

It's what got me addicted to this ship.

#severus snape #bruce mulciber #pro snape #snupin #jeverus #snirius #snulciber #Snilly #snucius #n #snarcissa #Xenophillius Lovegood X Severus Snape #kingsley Shacklebolt X Severus Snape

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thegreenthepeacetheorange · 1 year ago

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Everlark (Catching Fire, Ch. 24-25)

katniss being angry that peeta hasn't come to help her before she realises he literally can't

peeta putting his hand up against the wall and her putting hers up to meet him. these two are so angsty romance-coded

"i just stare at his face, doing my best to hang onto my sanity"

peeta holding and rocking katniss on his lap, lifting her chin so she looks at him. husband. he loves her so much.

(as an aside, johanna and finnick basically being katniss's and peeta's older siblings is so adorable. what a cute fun brokem damaged little family)

when katniss finds out that finnick loves a "poor, mad girl back home", i can't not think of the parallels being set up between annie/finnick and peeta/katniss in the next book

ah the beach scene

"everything. that's what peeta wants me to take from him"

"i realize only one person will be damaged beyond repair if peeta dies. me"

"i do. i need you"

i'm dead at this point. how can people say katniss didn't love peeta. i got the evidence right here!

So before he can talk, I stop his lips with a kiss. I feel that thing again. The thing I only felt once before. In the cave last year, when I was trying to get Haymitch to send us food. I kissed Peeta about a thousand times during those Games and after. But there was only one kiss that made me feel something stir deep inside. Only one that made me want more. But my head wound started bleeding and he made me lie down. This time, there is nothing but us to interrupt us. And after a few attempts, Peeta gives up on talking. The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind.

the idea of peeta trying to talk despite katniss kissing him and then just giving up is too much

the warmth that grows inside of her exclusively due to peeta

the line about a new kind of hunger. bars

she's so down bad for him, and i think she truly realises here, even if she doesn't let herself think about it too much.

finnick waking up and realising the way they're wrapped around eachother and being like... "um get a room? if you want?" is hilarious too

i truly wonder how far they would've gone if they hadn't been interrupted by the lightning bolt. judging by katniss saying there's nothing to stop them this time but them, i think she might've not stopped at all. and the wrapping around each other. i know they were about to cut away in the capitol feeds.

peeta again being husband and making katniss lie down and leading her to bed. "i let him lead me over to where the others are." the "i let him." this books is just a masterpiece in showing the change in their dynamics.

lol at katniss being like "fuck no" at the suggestion of having kids with gale. "for one thing, that's never been part of my plan." like how much clearer has she got to make it. contrasting this to when peeta dropped the baby bomb and she was like: it could be true by now if it wasn't for the games, right? she's so shameless

i honestly feel like crying every time katniss says she thinks of peeta's child safe in the meadows. the fact that it's just peeta's child makes me think that the unnamed, unidentified unspoken of mother, is her. like that's who she's picturing in this fantasy, in this dream.

"when i wake, i have a brief delicious feeling of happiness that is somehow connected with peeta" and she clings to it as long as she can

just something so beautiful that all this talk of love and family and peace and the future is linked with peeta and thus her own happiness. like my heart aches for her.

she can't look at peeta the next morning after their kissing the night before. i think a big part of it was because she just allowed herself to think all these thoughts involving peeta and then came back down to earth very quickly and realised that this wasn't possible for her because of the QQ

the pearl, their inside joke because of effie! the fact they remembered, the fact that they laugh together like this even with everything going on

katniss determining that peeta is her biggest enemy because their desires are the complete opposite when it comes to survival. "i promise myself i will defeat his plan." and even despite them both realising they're at odds, despite peeta not being able to look at her after, they sit together hand in hand.

the pearl and everything it comes to symbolise with these two kills me.

#everlark #peeta x katniss #katniss x peeta #katniss and peeta #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #the hunger games #catching fire #tgtpto everlark read

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cielwritings · 9 months ago

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What if Ciel, r!Ciel, Sebastian, Alois, Claude, Soma, Agni (and whoever else you wanna add) worked somehwere like ouran hshc? Like how would they be w each other and with a reader/customers n all that? 🥰

! Ouran HSHC AU !

OURAN HSHC MENTION WTF IS A SEASON TWO RAHHHHH

..also, imagine soma and agni being related

This took forever to think about.

Ciel as Haruhi, R!Ciel as Tamaki, Sebastian as Kyoya, Claude as Mori, Alois as Honey, Soma and Agni as the twins. Soma as Hikaru, Agni as Kaoru (it made most sense but my fujo brain wanted agni to be the seme...)

Despite Soma and Agni being the brocons, they aren't the most popular duo. That's Ciel and R!Ciel. A teasing older twin, and a shy younger twin.

Alois is more-so a mix of Shiro and Honey. He isn't the innocent type Honey is, but goes for the dynamic of Honey. For girls that wish for a cute boy to dote on. He has a naughtier, playboy personality like Shiro.. as shown at the end of that episode he's in.

This club is known for being quite.. taboo. Only the girls that were known for being naughty or improper went there, or the girls too shy to admit it. Sometimes, even boys or GNC people as well! Everyone gets treated the same though.

You'd be welcomed with a kiss to the hand from Sebastian, leading you to a table for you to sit at. Ciel will be the one to ask who you'd wish to schedule.

If you pick Ciel, he'll be quite sweet to you. He'll be kind, brushing his hand through your hair sweetly. He'll offer you his favorite candies, telling you that he doesn't share with just anyone. You're special! If you want, he'll let you have a taste of his favorite lollipop. Then, he'd like the exact same spot you did for an 'indirect kiss'.

If you pick R!Ciel, he's much more flirty. He'll always have a hand on you unless you explicitly say no. On your arm, holding your hand, in your hair, on your knee. He'll rest his head on your shoulder, taking in your scent. Whether it be your natural one or some perfume or cologne you put on, he doesn't care. He loves your smell, and will let you know that fact.

If you pick Sebastian, he'll act, unsurprisingly, like a butler for you. But a more daring one. He'll hold your tea cup as you drink, he'll wipe your mouth sensually, he'll feed you. He makes sure everything you have in your mouth is perfect, and the smallest complaint you have will leave him apologizing and treating you 10x better. His compliments are very unique, and always leave you flushed beyond belief.

Picking Alois will leave you almost as flustered as Sebastian. Perhaps it's the taboo, but the way he'd curl up in your lap and ask for pets is adorable. He treats you, of course, but his cute little face is irresistible. Twirling his soft hair while Claude watched in the distance, making sure everything was going okay. Alois called you his big sibling, or one of his parents. He loves seeing how flustered you get.

Picking Claude is practically a two for one deal. Alois is almost always at his side, clinging onto him, looking at you with a pout of jealousy. Claude is a much more professional butler role, his advances being more subtle. But you expect it, so every movement he makes always leaves you flustered. Whether it be the slightest graze of his hand on yours, or perhaps he breathed a little too hard on you. He knew how to tease, and he did it well.

Soma and Agni, however, are a 2 for 1. Without Agni, Soma is nothing. Without Soma, Agni is nothing. So you kind of have to get both... which Ciel and R!Ciel decided to price down to be the same cost as everyone else. They're more seductive, almost worshiping you, in a way. Soma will hug you from behind, Agni praising you, on his knees for you, stroking your legs. One time, the two bickered about who would do the worship. Agni begged to be the one, as the prince shouldn't be on such dirty floors.

Of course, it ended up in brocon fanservice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you like that, my prince.." Agni whispers, wiping a tear from Soma's eye. Crocodile, of course.

The other's merely watched in curiosity, confusion, or interest.

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #ciel phantomhive #! sfw #sebastian michaelis #ciel x reader #sebastian x reader #agni x reader #r!ciel x reader #soma x reader #claude x reader #alois x reader #alois trancy #claude faustus #r!ciel #r!ciel phantomhive #agni #prince soma #! au

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xenodile · 1 month ago

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Ideas about Phaethon/Agent relationship dynamics based on the characters I've seen.

Nicole: Initially tried flirting with Wise to get a discount on Proxy services, quickly realized flirting with Belle was more effective, then walked in on the Proxies while they were "bonding" and unsuccessfully tried to leverage it for a discount. Has since developed real feelings for both, but doesn't want to admit it because feelings are bad for business, and she worries they won't take seriously because of how she started their friendship.

Lycaon: One dog, two masters. Belle and Wise take turns trying to wear down his patience, Lycaon is fighting for his fucking life to remain courteous and professional when both of them are actively trying to seduce him with differing approaches. Wise leans more into the Master/Servant aspect, while Belle goes for the Feral Werewolf angle, and they're betting on which kink will be the one to push Lycaon over the edge.

Zhu Yuan: Initiated by Belle after the whole stolen evidence incident, then Qingyi tried to set her up with Wise, creating a unique situation where Zhu Yuan started dating both siblings independently. Obviously, Zhu Yuan is nervous as hell because not only did she not know the siblings were Proxies until recently, she still doesn't know they're together, and thinks she's eventually going to have to choose between them. Belle and Wise have made no attempt to correct her because seeing her get so flustered is cute.

Jane: Only woman immune to Belle's sales pitch for her lame ass brother, but he doesn't mind. Occasionally comes by the store to fuck Belle's brains out and then get coupons and movie recommendations from Wise.

Seth: Doesn't yet realize Wise is seducing him, but when it hits he'll be done for. One of the rare occasions where Wise is putting the moves on someone, because he's more confident talking to other men and something about Seth activates a sadistic streak in him he didn't know he had. Belle is cheering from the sidelines.

Burnice: Had both siblings pegged as freaks the instant they set foot in Blazewood. Got them wasted for a threesome during Caesar's celebration feast and now teases them by referring to them as a single entity.

Lighter: Seeing Belle defenseless and in need of rescue in a Hollow activated his protective instinct, inspiring him to try and shoot his shot, and then Wise showed up and revealed he was just as adorably pathetic and helpless as his sister, causing Lighter to realize he's bi. Trying very hard to look cool and competent for the both of them, but unsure of how to approach the situation due to lack of experience.

Harumasa: Started flirting with both Proxies as a means of getting additional sympathy and help with slacking off, felt very guilty when both of them leaned into it way more than he expected and is now sailing uncharted waters as he hadn't given much thought to a serious relationship before on account of his health, much less with two people at once.

Miyabi: Painfully, obviously in love with Belle, but also painfully oblivious to her own feelings. Belle is at her wit's end just trying to flirt with her, while Wise is left wondering what a long term relationship would even look like when just courtship is this difficult.

#Abby plays ZZZ #Zenless Zone Zero

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itsmespicaa · 28 days ago

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Well I don't have any doodle ideas for you atm lol but I am curious as to what are your views or hcs on the twins relationship in general? Like do you seem as being close or do you think that they're distant with each other depending on the continuity?

omg thank you for asking me this bc i have sooo many thoughts about their relationship across the different continuities fhskjfds (i even made a gdoc filled with my analysis and summary of their different origins and relationship dynamics lmao 💀 i feel so unwell) so—!!!

I definitely think they can be either close or distant OR in-between depending on the continuity! I like it that way anyway bc it keeps things fresh and exciting. Plus who doesn't love the usual sibling angst? :D Like for example, they're clearly close in G1, and in IDW we all know they have a very rocky relationship and became distant at some point before eventually reconciling, meanwhile in Aligned they're a bit distant but still familiar with each other.

I just really love twin dynamics man, whether they're inseparable or are on opposing sides, or not getting along very well due to clashing personalities and ambitions or can't live without the other. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker happens to fall in various categories in both canon and fanon depending on where you look, but for me...I like them when they're close but don't always get along hehe. It adds so much to their dynamic because them having different views on things but still stubbornly care about each other because they're family is sooo so good omg

It's hard to specify the exact hc I have for them bc for me it's entirely dependent on their origin and the world they live in...for example in TF One they were (probably) constructed cold as miners and since we don't have enough canon info about them, we can make up our own :D

TF One

Like what if the twins came online at different times and only found out they were split sparks later on? How does this affect their dynamic? And imagine Sunstreaker who's only in Tier 3 struggling to get the resources he needed to survive so Sideswipe has to chip in? It would create such a delicious angst especially when you take into account Sunstreaker's ego in not wanting to need help even from his own brother, and Sideswipe feeling so run down and pissed bc his brother isn't making their lives any easier either by being an ass to everyone and himself. What if they were close when they were miners but grew distant as the war grew worse and they kept being stationed in different places? The war changing them until they couldn't recognize each other...

That's one example! But in general, I really love when there's tension between them sometimes but they still try to look out for one another bc they've been through so many things together and built that bond. I also love when they need each other but are also suffering from it and so they would need to either work it out or go on their separate ways, like siblings in real life. And I also adore when they're a package deal and are in sync, that they would kick other people's asses for messing with them, when the only one who truly understands them is each other—there's just sth so satisfying about this dynamic.

My heart's big enough to love different versions of them idk what else to say 😭💖

Anyways, I'll talk about my views/analysis of their relationship in each continuity one by one, so if any of you are interested feel free to keep on reading!

‼️Btw this post is NOT spoiler-free. In case you want to read the comics yourself ‼️

IDW

In this universe, the twins has a very imbalanced and unhealthy dynamic, where Sunstreaker has a much higher standing between them compared to Sideswipe because he was his Training Officer. They were clearly close at one point, bc Sideswipe cared enough to tag along to watch the gladiatorial fights to accompany Sunstreaker, but this dynamic of theirs as well as Sunny's strictness and dismissive attitude towards SIdes evidently put a massive crack in their relationship, filling Sides with contempt and an obsessive need to prove himself and his worth to his brother.

Megatron Origins #2 and #3

Their relationship was so broken, so much so that Sideswipe didn't even care to continue his "rescue mission" on Earth and left his missing brother there, because he never went because he was genuinely worried in the first place. (I'll come back to this later) He was finally at peace and saw his own worth, and had no more reason to stay on Earth. He was free.

Spotlight: Sideswipe

Obviously they do reconcile later on, and well- impending death does wonders to make you realize how much your sibling means to you :D I do wish we got to see more glimpses of their lives before the war and afterwards...it's one of my gripes with IDW but oh well 😞 at least we got a few amazing interpretations from fans as to what could've gone between them after Sunstreaker's "death" and resurrection.

I personally like to think that Sideswipe did feel guilty later on about abandoning Sunstreaker back then, especially after finding out what actually happened to him, hence his 180 attitude towards him after the mess the Autobots landed in due to Sunstreaker's betrayal (but he didn't know that yet lol):

All Hail Megatron #7

Look at him trying to get Sunstreaker to open up...so he does care :) but yknow. It's a little too late now.

He could feel the guilt eating him up inside and later on beat up Bombshell in anger now that he knew what had happened to his brother.

All Hail Megatron #12

Later on so many things happened--Sunstreaker's "death", resurrection, Bob acquisition, his PTSD and guilt from having betrayed the Autobots due to his fury and trauma, and we do see them reunited a couple times and reconciling, but we never got another scene dedicated to them until...

The Trasformers Vol. 2 #49, #50, #53

Here are my thoughts and observations on what happened:

1: Sunstreaker rushed to the site as soon as they landed and immediately began to search the rubble for his brother.

2: Sideswipe and Sunstreaker used to write or send videos to each other when they're apart, and they probably stopped doing that some time ago before picking it back up after they reconciled. Specifically some time after Sunstreaker's return to the Autobot ranks following his "resurrection" by Alpha Trion. It wasn't as if they instantly became close, but some kind of attempt was made by both of them to an extent.

3: Sunstreaker speaking in past-tense when referring to Sideswipe, and his expression in the second to last panel of the last image...is probably a sign that he was already trying to distance himself from Sideswipe, that he was forcing himself to accept the reality of their situation even though it was crushing him. *head in hands* Maybe he subconsciously thought it would lessen the pain. We all handle grief differently after all.

...And the time finally came to pull the plug.

Optimus Prime #9

4: The first thing Sideswipe noted when he woke up was that Sunstreaker wasn't there (unlike Arcee who was always there watching over him and made him feel less alone). He felt abandoned. When Arcee mentioned how Sunstreaker should've been there, he tramped down on his obvious disappointment and all his complicated emotions with a too-casual reply, and for the second time, we see him vehemently saying he didn't care if his brother lived or died, that he was sick of having to clean up after his mess, that he hated how he looked down on him, that he--

But Arcee's words were like a cold bucket of ice water thrown on his head. A reminder. It was enough to convince him. He didn't want to let Sunstreaker die, he didn't want to abandon him, not again. Not like he did the first time.

Optimus Prime #9-10

5: Sunstreaker's grief. Do you think he regretted not treating Sideswipe better? To me Sunstreaker sees himself as the best as thus expects the best out of others around him as well, and that's doubly so for his own twin. But that itself caused the rift between them, and I wonder if he regretted it after everything he's gone through.

I wonder if he regretted not staying by Sideswipe's side more, because in case you forgot, the only other person who kept Sides company during his stasis was Arcee and Sunstreaker only returned to perform the mnemopathic projection to ease Sideswipe's passing.

Do you think it was because Sunstreaker didn't want to keep seeing Sideswipe's lifeless form in the tube bc it was just a grim reminder of their hopeless situation? OTL

I know the twin bond doesn't exist in this continuity, but if it did...it would've crushed him even more to feel the other end of the bond die out. I'm actually glad it doesn't exist (but for those of you who hc it does, more power to you hehe) bc it makes things so much harder bc unless you communicate, you genuinely wouldn't be able to repair a relationship you broke. Yes they could have shut the other out of their end of the bond, but I like to think that IDW is a universe where the twins have been pitted against from the start by the narrative, the lack of a telepathic bond further ripping them apart, and it only took two deaths to finally get them to properly reconcile and accept each other.

In this universe, the two learned to be brothers again even if it was too late in the end.

Aligned

Meanwhile in the Aligned continuity, we actually get to see them interact later on in 'Retribution' (the third book of the series) and I found their dynamic there to be pretty fascinating. They didn't seem to be super close, but still close enough to know and tolerate each other. In this universe Sideswipe felt more mature, never letting himself get worked up over Sunstreaker's usual "I'm the best" bs and general arrogance and showing considerable patience (and weariness) faced with his nonchalance. That‘s probably bc in this universe they both were equals in many ways, each of them holding a significant role in the war effort (with Sideswipe being the Ark's best pilot and Sunstreaker a commander of a sizeable troop under him). I'm guessing this is why their relationship didn't deteriorate like in IDW haha

Here‘s their first interaction in chapter 29:

You can tell Sunstreaker also respected Sides enough to wait for his green light before charging off, even though he was clearly dying to go kick some asses, and you could also say that he was trying to alleviate Sideswipe‘s burden by making him trust his judgement. (Or maybe he just really wanted to fight lmao who knows with him)

Their bickering also shows how familiar they are with each other which is always nice to see :D It's not explored as much but from the few interactions we get we can already guess what kind of relationship they have here and I like the more mellow, mature dynamic they have in Aligned. Now if only we got Sunstreaker in WFC too...ha

WFC Trilogy

I mean we kinda did in the WFC Trilogy series I guess? (the animated show in case yall don't know) But that's like a whole nother continuity and we got even less there than in here 😭 but it makes you wonder...did Sunstreaker die and that's why Sideswipe hallucinated about him and was so happy to see him that he went in for a hug ??? LIKE BRO ?????? Let them be happy for once omfg

Here's the scene in S3 Ep 3 for those who haven't seen it:

youtube

I have so many questions like ????? WHATS THE STORY BEHIND THIS HASBRO. YOU CAN'T JUST- STICK THIS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EP WITHOUT CONTEXT AND EXPECT ME TO BE OKAY 😭😭😭 I hope it's just because they've been separated and Sides is happy to see Sunny again...yeah......

And how can I not mention G1!!! By this point, the twins have already created their own fanbase build by the fans' hcs and takes that I honestly don't know where to start...

Well, I might as well start with the popular hcs LOL everyone has their own hcs of the twins in G1 specifically but some things seem to have been agreed upon. And the consensus is that they are an absolute terror and wreck havoc in the base, hence the Bots redirects that destructive energy by unleashing them in the front lines against the Seekers specifically (esp considering a huge chunk of the cons is made up of them lmao).

They are glued to the hips most of the times in the series, Sunstreaker being a vain, egotistical and sociopathic bastard who doesn't get along well with others most definitely playing a factor into it. Sideswipe gets along better with others, but only Sunstreaker understood his need for violence and

We even see them arm wrestling to test who‘s stronger, and I headcanon that this is because they only have each other to truly test their battle prowess without holding back. They are highly dangerous and capable warriors who fight flawlessly together, having such well-oiled coordination and developed complex (and risky) maneuvers such as the "Jet Judo" that could fell Seekers from the sky.

In case it wasn't obvious, I'm a HUGE fan of the twins being so terrifying that that's why most of the Autobots avoid them on principle ahaha. But I also love Sideswipe being an absolute menace who can't sit still and needs sth to occupy his time outside of battle hence his need to wreck havoc and pull pranks on unsuspecting bots. Meanwhile Sunstreaker uses his time and energy for himself by taking care of his looks (self-care!) and of course, painting :D

(Fun fact: Sunstreaker was canonically a mural artist in the old Dreamwave comics in case any of you are wondering where Artist!Sunstreaker originated. And Sideswipe was a trader who likes to con his customers LOL that might be where his prankster persona came from)

That being said, they are so so silly in G1 and I wish Sunstreaker's original personality as written on his bio wasn't toned down but well- this IS a kid's show so 😭😭😭

And lastly: the 'twin bond'. I feel like them having the twin bond is sth as old as time itself and I really am not sure when or where it originated. In canon it was only mentioned twice: once in Bayverse (with Skids and Mudflap) and another in TFP (between Dreadwing and Skyquake), but we've sadly never seen it get mentioned anywhere in canon when it comes to Sunny and Sides...damn. But who cares LOL we decide how things work 🫵

I like how the twin bond plays a part in it as well, how they can feel when the other is alive, or how the other feels. I love how in many iterations they can communicate through the bond and bypass comm links, how they can shut the bond and cut the other off if they had a falling out...

Everyone has their own version of how the bond works and I find that to be so beautiful hahha

My headcanons:

I love when they only have each other to rely on, where they trust no one else and prioritizes the other, bc no one else had their backs. They have this kind of...codependent dynamic that I love to see in fictional twins bc it can go so wrong in so many ways.

(Although...I have seen some hcs where Sideswipe would put the Autobot cause above theirs while Sunstreaker wouldn't care less about the Autobots and would choose his brother first...man, I sure love the many flavors of sibling angst :D)

Another favorite headcanon of mine is how Sunstreaker is averse of physical affections even though he would literally die for Sideswipe lmao (he loves himself too much to die for anyone else except his brother), meanwhile Sides is an absolute "casual physical touch !!! :D" bot, so you can imagine how chaotic it would be. I also love when they have their own inside jokes and makes fun of other bots through their bond...Sunstreaker would smirk and creep others out because he's usually scowling, while Sideswipe—who does a good job of keeping his emotions from showing—would laugh out loud seeing the expressions of horror on the other's faces.

And there's just something so wonderful about Sunstreaker who struggles to empathize with others because he's so used to completely feeling the raw emotions from Sideswipe that he can't connect with others because it feels fake or surface level. Sideswipe who can't keep still and is jittery because he needs to move and punch something or someone and Sunstreaker always spars with him without complaint (and he enjoys going all out anyway)

Sideswipe who is the extrovert, managing to befriend a bunch of bots despite his reputation but feels at home at the presence of his brother. Sideswipe who is brash and loud and rough around the edges but hides it well behind a bright smile and a cackling face. Sunstreaker who is the introvert and keeps to himself but goes along with Sideswipe's shenanigans with a roll of his eyes. Sunstreaker who refuses physical touch from others but tolerates Sideswipe's because he was the closest thing to home. The twins being super protective of one another bc it was just them for the longest time.

Sideswipe who enjoys racing outdoors to blow off steam in quiet days in the Ark and forces Sunstreaker to actually go out and not get cooped up in his room all day. They're both competitive af and the race was high in adrenaline and both of them were dirty by the end of it (Sides was practically avoiding getting rammed to the side by his furious brother—it wasn't his fault he fell for one of his traps!), but their race eventually ended at a beautiful place where the sun's orange glow casted an ethereal blanket over the view below (sth he knew his brother would love to paint) and all is forgiven (more or less).

I get so incredibly happy when people bring up the fact that Sunstreaker was a gladiator in the Marvel comics, and even though Sideswipe wasn't mentioned, it makes sense that he was too since they were always meant to be twins. It adds to their terrifying dynamic because they used to be gladiators and I looove it omg

Like in Bayverse, Sideswipe exists but Sunstreaker was only mentioned in the Titans comics by Ironhide, but he does canonically exist! Fuck yeah man. A win is still a win 😭 Just imagine if we could've seen the twins in the big screen bickering and kicking ass together...but I guess that's too much to ask for :/ at least we know that Sides was literally created to fight in the war (a war-build!), and by extension Sunstreaker as well. I can see their dynamic mirroring their relationship in G1, and I know a lot of fans have the same thought as me

Man...I know I could basically make my own continuity like everyone else but...I'm terrible at that LOL and that would require me thinking about every other character too and that would take a lot of energy dhsjkfhs I'm quite content with simply exploring their possible dynamics in different canon universes haha

Er...this got a bit longer than intended HFJKDSKFK- I just kept adding more and more because I finally got a chance to talk about them in-depth...I hope you don't mind anon (if you actually reached the end lolol)

But yeah let me know about you guys' headcanons and interpretation of the twins!! I would love to hear about them and talk with yall :D Like I said, I'm pretty open to different interpretations even if I have my favs hahha

#sideswipe #sunstreaker #maccadam #transformers #lambo twins #spica talks #ask box #analysis #help this is suuuuper long holyshit HFJDKSHFKJA

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