#tho the actual scene definitely helped with how easy i could colour this scene but nonetheless delicious

[luckycheesefoodie321]

Soooooo... Couples therapy didn’t go well for SamBucky... TFATWS THOUGHTS (long post + spoilers)

Ok. Ok some depth to dude in a suit.

Not a bad guy. But the good guy Erskine always hoped for???

Mmmmmm some parallels between Sam and dude in a suit. Nervous to fill that suit.

“You’re not Captain America”

Aww they referenced his song

“Punch your way out of problems” hmm

Well yknow this is very early Captain America when Erskine gets killed and all Steve could do was be a figurehead of the war and put on shows...so interesting parallels

Bucky finds outtttt and he’s probably gonna deck Sam for giving up the shield

Ahhhhhh I knew it. Boi believed in what Steve believed. And seeing the shield being touted by some other guy gotta hurt.

Wait. But how did Bucky know Sam was gonna be there. Is he even allowed on this base??? Who gave him access???

Bucky my love you can’t help but latch onto the only friend you have huh? Wanna protect the dude that Steve believed could take up the mantle.

Instant chemistry on screen I adore this.

Dear god the sexual tension

Awwww “DONT call me Buck. Only Steve can call me Buck” WHATS THE BET BY THE END HES CALLING HIM BUCK OR THERES A CALL BACK WHERE SAM CALLS HIM BUCK AND BUCKY SAYS STILL CANT CALL ME THAT

Ahahahhahha what happened to the cool guy who caught Caps shield??

Cant even jump out of plane with no parachute. No wonder you didn’t get chosen to be Captain America XD (I kid. Don’t come for me)

Yknow what glad they showed them putting in those ear pieces. Every time they do that, the nonsense of every single Avengers movie and Civil War gets whittled down a little bit more

Sam we need a brooding non blinking dude or else who else will be your comedy prop

That was a flirty smile. Stop flirting Sam you’re on a mission.

Also love that Bucky is kinda caught up in saying all the cheesy sort of “casual” mission banter lines

Wait is that his new hero name orrrr? Bc he’s trying not to be the Winter Soldier anymore..

Their ongoing banter is really refreshing when before in other MCU movies (and this is very back to classics) there was time for maybe one quirky line mid action and the rest is just serious on a mission mode unless Tony was around

Bucky running oh my god I forgot

We had the whole running scene in Civil War too XD

Oop she’s not a hostage

Bucky has to love redwing in future right? (Sike they kill Redwing)

Oooh Sam got the hero music playing!!!

I was wrong. Dude in a suit got CAPS MUSIC????

Oh damn roll through the grass guys take it easy XD

I’m sorry subtitler what are you doing. “Captain America”???

Ok but that tracking shot of them just walking and bantering is great

This is a fun shot oh my god

BIG THREE

Baby there is a bit of difference to Steve jumping on a grenade pre-serum no protective gear of any kind using HIMSELF as a shield and expecting to blow up but hoping to save everyone else in the process... vs you knowing you can get out of it unscathed despite intentions being similar

Not a bad guy but not the “good man” just yet. But hey am appreciating his character depth.

Wow love that they’ve pointed out Bucky’s staring XD

But also this guy was raised up by the government. Steve was the embodiment of freedom.

“Battlestar??? Fuck yo nickname!” Hahahahaha

Oof John really just said they were his wingmen huh

Sam was right tho. I can get behind what dude in a suit is going for but he just has to end it poorly

So Super Soldiers came back as a plot point after the tease that was Civil War huh?

Wait wait so Sharon is still an enemy of state???

Nice. (I don’t remember what this was for)

Wow. And now we see the reality. Bucky, albeit pardoned, was considered a war criminal.

But they still think Sam is the aggressor in a situation where, I think, he would be justifiably upset. A hero, a black hero, was erased from the history books, effectively.

Racial profiling doesn’t stop. They see colour first and person second. And it was only after they realised who Sam was that they apologised. Actually even worse, it took Bucky reminding him to realise who they were.

How goddamn messed up.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmn ok dude in a suit you are overstepping boundaries here.

Bucky definitely needs the therapy, and while I would like him to have more freedom, it should not be on your authority????

Oooh tell em Doctor Raynor.

COUPLES THERAPY TIME

Ooooooh gazing hell yeah time to fall in love lads

Hahahhahahah their legs oh my god

Bucky’s “ha I won” look

Awww no Bucky really believed in Sam because it meant hope for him too I cant

I was rooting for this guy but he is getting on my nerves SNATCH THAT SHIELD OFFA HIS BACK

Yo but I feel bad for the Flag Smashers a lil? Their cause isn’t bad. Their target is governments, corruption etc. but idk we’ll see how things play out.

Jfc Zeno chill out. This music tf.

SHUT THE FUCK UP HOE THATS IT

—-

So we finally have some Falcon and The Winter Soldier bonding action, we love to see it.

Clearly they’re not best of pals, nor do they have Steve as their mediator... gotta navigate their relationship together, and once they nab a bad guy together for the first time, they’ll have better bond and it’ll be nice.

That said, gotta appreciate Bucky was actually more honest with Sam present. So that was some progress.

I am still neutral about Dude in a Suit... he’s not Captain America but idk if he’s earned me calling him just John and he’s not the USAgent yet?? Is that his name??

I can see where his motivations are coming from but he is really buying into this government mandated position that was only possible because Sam gave up the shield, when we’ve looked at him by himself wanting to live up to expectations... but dude is just coming off as a leech??? And I do hope he has a moment where he realises that, despite being the perfect soldier, there is someone who is more of a “good man” that Steve was, that Erskine wanted to take on the power...

And yknow the meeting with Isaiah does set up the very real concept that POC figures of significance are forced to remain in the shadows, or are straight up erased by a white-dominant society that wants to present a specific type of person as a hero for the masses to look up to...

Which is why I found the convo with that kid calling Sam “Black Falcon” interesting. The dad, who told the kid to call him that, might’ve wanted that distinction. In a society that continues to vilify and destroy their “racial minorities”, having a black hero like Falcon (and Black Panther and War Marchine) is important... and that idea leads into Sam’s outrage about Isaiah being unknown for so long... (as a non-American, non-black but POC woman, these are just some thoughts I have)

But yeah. Behind this very MCU veneer, we have some real character-led drama coming through and I’m all for it!

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

👀

send me a 👀 and i’ll post a snippet of art/writing that i never got around to finishing this year (r.i.p)

okay so here’s the tea on all the things that didn’t get finished in 2019!

2019 was the year of abandoning short stories lol oops! Here’s the hit list: :’(

1. Growing Season

This is such a hard hit because who doesn’t want to read a story about a woman replacing her boyfriend with a cactus, narrated BY the cactus?? I’d love to revisit this story because a) it’s told in my fave POV (first person directed to “you”) and b) “you” is an apathetic college dropout who goes for the hard dRAG after a bad breakup with her boyfriend, and c) because a cactus NARRATES it.

I’m at a little over 800 words in this story (it def gives me Sea Life by Eliza Robertson vibes).

2. Phantom Limbs in D Minor

Biggest hit! I’ve been working on this story since March, made good progress in the beginning, and slowly began drifting from it. I’ve chipped away at it sporadically over the last few months, and I’ve made it my goal to finish it over break! I don’t see myself hitting this goal, but I do hope to actually finish this story because I feel like it contains some of the best prose I’ve written and I love the vibe! I’m at over 2k words with a scene of about 1k floating around. I’ve actually toyed with making this story a novel because the scope seems quite large, but I definitely want to finish the short story before I think about that more! We follow chaotic Linda as she stress renovates her childhood home (a past! commune!) after her mother’s death. Linda is so precious to me, and I’d love to give her a story! If New York by Ex:Re was a person, it would be Linda lol. 

3. Anatomy of a Swinging Door

I’m making a statement, and my statement is that this is my designated cult story which means it must happen in the future. This was originally my “test out first person retrospective” story, though I think the point of view isn’t working super well here, but we’ll see! I conveniently wrote a logline for this story when I was trying to narrow down the scope, so here you go: A young woman visits her childhood home on the one-year anniversary of her brother’s disappearance and meets the new (and strange) family who lives there. 

(cult!)

So the second round of tragedies goes toward novels, AKA Houses With Teeth (which I can share excerpts from!). 

4. Houses With Teeth

I really struggled with this book this year, because it came to be in a time where my writing was getting an overhaul (though I didn’t realize it at the time)! I’ve learned a lot about intention in writing over the last year, something the Fostered series has lacked (oops). This led to me being very unsure about where I wanted to go with this book in particular--the same route as all the others (weird contemporary with dystopian elements that haven’t fully gone away yet) orrrr plan out something a bit more literary! I’ve fought with myself over this since April, and still don’t know where I’m going, but I’m missing my chaotic diva narrator Reeve and would love to get back into her head! 

This book has gone through about 3 openings, and I haven’t fully landed on any yet. I’m rethinking how I want to start this book, but taking my time with Moth Work to work me up to the timeline in HWT (which takes place about 8 months after the end of Rewired). I think I’ve shared most of this!

Some excerpts of first person retrospective Reeve (AKA Rachel trying to be Emma Cline looool):

Though the church was only a fifteen minute walk from the apartment, I packed a picnic basket of cha siu bao and a bottle of red wine and wore heels so they would know I wasn’t Christian. The basket wasn’t mine and neither were the bao—these were both things I’d taken from Liu. This wasn’t the first time I’d stolen from her. I’d once taken her fifty-dollar jar of saffron from the pantry because I’d heard it was the most expensive spice and wanted to feel rich. I took her jade Buddha necklace because she’d left it in the back and I wanted to feel cultured in her city, I wanted to become her history. The saffron jar was replaced. She didn’t comment when I wore the necklace at my next shift. This was why Liu and I worked well together. She pitied me so would never fire me, even when I skipped shifts and cussed at the customers. I felt entitled to her things because she was kind to me. I felt entitled to her kindness. 

lol I haven’t read this in months and it made me laugh #valid:

I crossed the street before the streetlight changed because this is how I lived in New York City. The world was unfair and lightless and I was an atheist who believed in God, walking in five inch heels on a busted road in the ghetto so I could get enough holy water to drown the ghost out of my apartment. 

When all else fails, add a dash of mother:

The air that summer was always the same: dense and wet, even on the good days. It clung to my arms and threatened to erode the skin there, even when it wasn’t sunny. I remembered my mother’s insistence of sunscreen when I was a child; before the pool, in the pool, out of the pool, when we weren’t even at the pool. Her hands were always cold and the sunscreen was always liquid—Izzy was never good at temperature or putting things in the right places. She’d put the instant coffee in the fridge and the cream on the counter. She’d cook the eggs too long and the ice too little. My father would criticize her as a joke and she’d threaten a divorce. This was the only thing I knew was true about my mother. Sunscreen was expensive, so I never bought it. 

Reeve bringing out the drag:

“Grab me a pack of cigarettes?” I shifted the picnic basket so it rested in the crook of my elbow.

“ID?”

“You don’t need my ID.”

“I ID every customer. You’re nothing special, baby.”

The man’s mustache wilted in the tungsten light of the variety store, spindly like loose threads. My father had grown a mustache like that once, and it took only two nights before my mother cut it off in his sleep. Izzy was brash like that, and I wanted that too; to find a pair of scissors in one of the aisles and chip at that flaccid mustache. There was nothing special about this man, either. All men in New York City tried to look like that; facial hair like coiled up leeches, a gut they pretended wasn’t a gut, but the fault of an unflattering polo from their wives. I imagined the snip of the kitchen scissors on my father’s upper lip, the same snip I heard the next day when he clipped the evergreens lining the walkup. There was something coarse about how similar it all was—pruning trees, grooming facial hair. I had turned twenty that spring—it would’ve taken only a minute for him to pass me a pack, but this was too easy. I wasn’t biological in New York City; I shouldn’t have been. 

5. Fostered But It’s Magic

So this was never meant to be a full project, though I had hoped to write a bit of it just for fun and never got around to it! FBIM (obvi working title lol) is exactly what it sounds like: the Fostered series but with a magical twist! I don’t write very much genre fiction, nor have I ever written fantasy, but a few months ago, felt drawn to the idea of putting Fostered in a magical world (my comp titles are SHREK 4 meets HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE). 

I don’t have any of this written, but I do have a few notes which I can share! 

I didn’t realize I’d made a tag yourself writing these notes but (I’m Lonan):

Reeve is a magical con artist who runs her own business selling bootleg magic. 

Lonan is absent and part bird

Harrison *believes* he is #magic free but has been recently getting hot flashes during nightmares.

Foster has an in-home herbalism business where he helps mostly the elderly and children. He has a cart that he wheels monthly into town. Kind of a failing business.

The gist is that Harrison (who we’d be following) can’t sleep due to hot flashes and nightmares of his ex (@ Lonan) and is referred to a small business run by a clairvoyant who promises to make all psychological problems disappear—relationship issues, sleep issues, life issues. This clairvoyant is actually Reeve who is telikinetic of some sorts, and doesn’t actually provide magic, but manipulates (usually weak) brains, AKA tricks people into paying her large sums of money when she gives them no magical help in return. We ALSO have a “past” plotline, and this is the very loose logline I’d written down (tho if I ever write any of this, is subject to change):

After being tormented by nightmares of his ex lover resulting in violent hot flashes and an inability to keep up employment, Harrison seeks a magical intervention. When the clairvoyant he hopes will cure his strange ailment turns out to be a con woman—and his old friend—he is thrown back into the past and forced to rekindle relationships he thought he’d left behind.  

Some dialogue I wrote down ft. clairvoyant Reeve being Reeve:

H: Why are you doing this? 

R (reapplying lip colour): Is my lipstick distracting you? The colour is dazzling.

H: It’s bullshit. 

R (abruptly stops drawing on lip colour): The lipstick? 

H: Your work.

My fave interaction tho has to be this bit I’d noted down with pure Foster comforting Harrison after a nightmare:

Foster *reading on couch when Harrison wakes up in #panique*: What happened? Harrison? Do you need some eucalyptus? 

*do u need some eucalyptus*

That’s basically all the writing related things I didn’t finish in 2019! I’d love to explore them all in 2020 though! Thanks for asking. :)

--Rachel

[laureninastone02]

Final Animation and Evaluation-

What informed and motivated my design decisions? (e.g. the breadth of my research)

During my research I looked into various title sequences to see what I could create and how I could take that inspiration forward. The title sequences weren't all the same which is why I think my ideas were quite broad at the start, some were just photogrpahy and movie based, some were illustrations and some were graphics. When starting research I saw it as important to get an understanding of what I could take from each piece of research, what's important and whats most relevant. That’s why in my research I could see in each title sequence how I could make my own and what is important about each one. The colour scheme, graphics, movement, transitions and type of film. 

All of this research into looking at each detail gave a range of idea but also how to bring together a story board, that not only what to include but also it doesn't need to be complicated to have such an effect on a story. Hints and subtlety is better than showing it all.

What changes and developments has my project gone through?

The main developments my project has gone through is the illustrations as the drawings weren't easy to create, they took a lot time and layers because I needed to focus on the background before I even got to the minor details on top. Not just that but outlines and shadows also need to be considered in the process. When I first started my drawings, minotaur horn, the outlines were thicker and didn't look smooth because I wanted the drawings to look rough and simpler. The outlines before I developed it had thicker lines and didn't have enough detail. So when I developed it, I made sure I built up the outlines than just a few thick lines, this had a stronger effect and looked way more interesting. This was applied through my other illustrations. 

Another change I made was colour of background and font. They needed to be contrasting and eye-catching. Originally they were both darker colours and could hardly see the text, but by having a dark green and white font was great combination because it fitted well with the imagery and transitions in each scene.

Did I manage my time well throughout the unit?

The time I have taken through this unit I think wasn't the best because I could of used a bit more on research into different aspects than just the title sequences even tho they had those elements, I wish I took my time and went into more depth and explored more. I managed my time the most on my actual animation which is why I am so pleased with it, as I kept it simple it was quite easy to construct and place the illustrations in. Even the transitions and effects I didn't complicate, which is why I think my time was managed well.

How did I respond to feedback?

When it came to feedback I think that I considerate every part to the animation that didn't look right or needed improving. There wasn't much to improve on as they agreed with what I wanted to improve on as well, I noticed my mistakes and what I want to add in next time. I think the feedback on colours and effects I took well because I knew there wasn’t something quite right but I knew that the feedback I would get would help me in the direction I wanted to be in. 

Are there areas of my design process that need more practice?

I think for my design process I would say that I need more practice on after effects as I wish I added more effects to make some illustrations more realistic with the movements. Some transitions are rough and I wish some movements related more to the imagery to really capture the hints that will happen or will be in the story. But overall I think that my design process is good because I got used to creating the drawings on illustrator and adjusted what I need to make simply and easily. 

What have I learnt from this unit of study? (e.g. skills, theoretical knowledge, etc.)

From this unit of study I have learnt a lot about after effects and the design process that is needed in making a title sequence. I see it as important that I now understand after effects and the basics that are needed into creating a title sequence. I think there are so many elements that needs to be taken into consideration and to make a smooth transition into each scene is one of them and making sure you change some effects just by that one second can really affect the whole video. I think thats what I've learnt the most from this unit is the finer details and what changing simple colour editing an area of your illustration is so important.

On reflection, are there any improvements that I would make to my final outcome?

Looking back on my final outcome I am overall pleased with what I have created as I stuck to my plan and made sure that I followed through withy ideas. I didn't want to overcomplicate my title sequence and I don't think I have as I gave hints in each without giving away too much, the colours weren't too strong everything was subtle, and everything was slow paced so you could still capture the details I have created from illustrator. the music definitely brings the whole video together as it relates so much to the tension and some of the main themes in the story. It draws the audience in to encourage to carry on watching but also questioning what it could be about. 

If I had to choose something to improve on though it would have to be my chosen font, it was good option as it wasn’t overwhelming the key elements but I wish I did more trials to see what other options might be better. Also a more old fashioned font to show how this story is old and mythical. But apart from that I am pleased with process I have made with animation and the final outcome is exactly how I wanted it to be.

[aspaceformyself]

Upside down; Chapter 5

Note: I didn’t really think I was going to continue writing this anytime soon. I fell into a bad slump and was also too much of a coward to keep going. I somehow picked up enough courage tho. To continue writing, to continue this. Probably because, this series entangles with a lot of my own personal struggles and I really want to find a way to help myself through this. I hope this courage stays long enough to finish writing this. 

Chapter 4 - Chapter 6

His first date with Yuuri involved sneaking out at 3 AM in the early hours to get an ice cream. She called it an adventure and threw a wink along his way. Namjoon blushed so hard he prayed the pink was not visible on his face. Wait, wait, wait, did he just call this a date? Well, at least, that’s what he told himself in his head. After an exhausting day of rehearsals and practice sessions, sneaking out in the dead of the night for an ice cream was not how Namjoon expected his day to end. But hey, it was Yuuri who offered, and he found no reason to say no. More than offered, she just dragged him along with her impromptu plan.

“Man! This feels so good!” She exclaimed throwing her arms around. It was a windy early hours of dawn. The sky is still a blanket of thick dark blue velvet with occasional stars decorated here and there. Namjoon pulled his hoodie further around him as he felt the chill in the air prickle his skin.

“Aren’t you cold Yuuri?” He called out to the girl gleefully skipping in front of him.

“Hm? No”, She said simply, now bouncing, “I can’t tolerate hot weathers, but I can, any amount of cold”.

Namjoon giggled, “I don’t like hot weathers too but then again I’m not a huge fan of cold either”.

“You like it neutral then?”

“Maybe, but I like it when it’s windy, you know, like the atmosphere right before it’s about to rain?”

“Oh! I love that weather too! I actually have a special kind of romantic pining for it!”

“A romantic pining huh?”

“Yes! Especially the smell of soil when it starts to drizzle!”

“I feel you girl, I feel you”.

They fell into a comfortable silence after this into the quiet of the streets around them. Namjoon liked this. He liked how easy his conversations flowed with her now. Not that they didn’t before but he could really feel something change between them. Perhaps it was their conversation a few days ago or perhaps it was the fact that they exchanged numbers now, Namjoon could feel Yuuri’s demeanour around him slightly change. He felt like she opened a small peephole in the barrier she usually surrounds herself with. But a peephole is all it is and Namjoon was still grateful, sizing every opportunity to completely crack her open, figure her out, figure out what about her has him so enthralled that he’s impulsively treading on a path whose end he can’t see.

“I doubt any store would be open at this hour Yuuri”, He sighed almost after 15 minutes of aimless walking.

“Wait and watch”, was all Yuuri said and threw another wink at him. Namjoon lost himself for a moment again but jolted right out of his dreams when he felt her slender fingers circle around one of his wrists and within seconds she was tugging him away into a narrow lane, up a slope. It took awhile for Namjoon to process the change in his surroundings. They were no longer in the posh/ urban cut of the city but a sort of small townish lane. He certainly didn’t expect a place like this to exist in the area he lives. It was a surprise. After treading along the slope, Yuuri stopped in front of a small parlour.

“Wow….” Namjoon awed as he took a bite of his chocolate flavoured ice cream.

“It’s good right!” Yuuri exclaimed, her eyes twinkling as she dug into her own coffee and chocolate mix of ice cream.

“It is!” Namjoon said taking another spoonful into his mouth.

“How did you know about this place?” He asked, still delighted over his ice cream.

“Well”, Yuuri just shrugged, “I found this place about a week ago”.

“Oh”, Namjoon took her answer and didn’t think more of it before he caught her eyeing at him, her expression, a mixture of both mischief and guilt.

“Waaiittt”, He stopped, looking up at her with narrow, accusing eyes, “don’t tell me you’ve been sneaking around by yourself late at nights like this!”

“I’m so sorry Jooooooooon!” Yuuri whined, pressing her hands together and bowing down to him, the nickname escaping her lips very easily, once again making Namjoon all flustered. She never called him that. Heck she never even said his name. This was a first. But Yuuri didn’t seem to notice it, neither the nickname nor how flushed Namjoon looked, she continued, “But I was desperate you know! I was just working and working and working all day long. And, and it was suffocating, just sitting, all holed up in the studio without having the time or space to breathe and whenever I felt the urge, I used to sneak away like this”.

Namjoon sighed. What can he say to that? He understands that all too well.

“I understand that Yuuri”, He said, a bit curtly. Yuuri winced.

“But, do you realize how dangerous this is? It’s one thing when it's crowded but you do know how deserted this area gets after dark right? And it’s not safe at all! Anything could’ve happened to you!”

Yuuri gave a whimper of protest under his stern gaze, guilt smeared over her face. And then she groaned.

“Yuuri!”

Namjoon sighed again. There’s definitely no chance of getting through to this girl. She’s so reckless, fearless and independant all the time that she won’t even give a thought to the consequences she has to face later on.  And she’s unstoppable. So Namjoon did the only thing he could think of then, at that moment.

“Look, I do understand that you get suffocated and you want to get out”, He said and looked at Yuuri who still looked like she’s ready to protest if he objects, “I feel like that a lot of times too. But!”

She groaned again and began to say something but Namjoon beat her to it.

“If you feel like that next time and you really want to get out”, He paused eyeing her carefully, “Drop by my studio or just give me a call or a text or anything. I’ll tag along. But I’m not letting you go alone!”

Yuuri’s face lit up like a thousand bulbs at his offer.

“For real?!” She gaped at him.

“Yes, for real”, Namjoon agreed, without lifting his head up to look at her, his gaze fixed on his ice cream. He was kind of surprised at himself at how quickly he offered himself. He was worried if it looked desperate or came across as something similar. But the expression on Yuuri’s face set aside all his worries. Now he was glad he offered.

“Why are you so kind Kim Namjoooooon?” Yuuri cooed dramatically clutching her heart, “You move me”.

Namjoon just giggled at her.

“Oh, you’re always so extra”, he teased, with a similarly dramatic roll of his eyes, “Such drama queen”.

“What are you talking about?” She feigned an offended look while dramatically falling over the backrest of her chair, “Meeeeee? A drama queen?”

“I definitely do not see anyone else who fits that description in this room”.

“I’m offended”.

“No, you like it”.

“How do you know me so well already?”

“A spiritual sixth sense I guess”.

“Wow, you have magical powers”.

“Girl, you don’t know a lot about me”.

“Can you apparate?”

“Wanna try?”

They left the parlour after more bickering and fits of giggles among each other, once again hitting the dry and deserted road. They walked in silence now. Not the usual awkward one but a more comfortable one. Namjoon couldn’t help but smile thinking back to the time they spent and one look through the corner of his eye told him Yuuri was smiling to herself too. And the smile on his face widened at that, exposing his dimples even more.

“Cute”, he heard Yuuri whisper.

“Huh?” He turned to her, unsure if he heard her right.

Yuuri looked at him, her expression that of a thief who got caught in the act, her cheeks covered in a soft pink blush. It made Namjoon blush too, but in his head, he wasn’t sure if she looked like that because of the cold weather or him.

“I just thought you looked cute with all those dimples”, Yuuri said, chuckling, laying her thoughts out loud now and skipped ahead in front of him.

Namjoon blushed so hard, he was sure his face turned as red as a tomato. He felt like time stopped ticking and he halted where he was walking. Was he hearing things? Did Yuuri just call him cute? Does that mean he has a slight chance of hope? Hope that she might like him too?

“Kim Namjoon!” Yuuri called out, cutting him out of his thoughts, gleefully waving at him from where she was walking, “You’re gonna get left behind if you keep daydreaming in the middle of the road!”

Shaking his head, he jogged up to her.

“You’re so unfair”, he breathed out stopping in front of her. Yuuri just stared at him quizzically. And when he looked at her face, into her eyes, the whole universe came stumbling down around him. Shattering, screaming, wailing and breaking. Yuuri was there, standing right in front of him, with barely any distance in between them. Her face, illuminated by the pale moonlight filtering through the thick cover of clouds in the sky. Her eyes twinkling as they reflected the countless stars, sparkling and glittering.  They were so close, he could just lean in and kiss her but he stands still, swept away by the scene in front of him.

He probably thought this a lot and he was thinking about it again.

“You’re beautiful”, He says, a mere whisper. But Yuuri caught it, the blush colouring her face confirmed it for him. And she looked away breaking their contact. He held his hand up instinctively and placed it on her cheeks, turning her head to face him. They were soft. So, so soft, like velvet and silk. A few bangs of her dark hair sprawled across her face blown by the wind. Namjoon smoothened them and tucked them behind her ear with his other hand. Would it be too early if he kissed her? The silver of a doubt that loomed within his chest held him back from initiating it. He didn’t want to scare her away. Hell, he couldn’t even fathom what’s going on in her mind now.

It all felt very intimate. Too intimate.

[wanna1things]

Private Investigator/Detective!Ren AU

Genre;; detective!au i guess and PI!au which are my absolute FAVE aus i love police shows +++ FLUFF??

Warnings;; none i mean not that i know of there's mention of a robbery & kidnapping so?

Pairing;; Choi Minki/Ren x reader

Summary;; Minki is an annoying PI who keeps solving the case before the police even find a single lead, that is, until you two meet…

Style;; bullet point because i am not in the MOOD TO WRITE FULLY -- gender neutral + stuff

Word Count; 3071

So;; this is my first AU that I’m posting and it’s one that i’ve wanted to write for a long time so!! I hope that it’s good and that yall enjoy it; i love minki so i really wanted to do this uhh watch when half on my aus on here are minki stuff lmao bye; idk;; uhhh lets goooo

there is not a single human on the police force that doesn’t despise the annoying PI choi Minki or,, ‘Ren’ as he likes to be called

dumb name right (not i love you Minki i’m sorry)

he somehow always manages to get to the scene of a crime before the police even know the crime has occurred like… how??

he's always rubbing it into their faces when they turn up as he’s leaving with bags of evidence like

‘oh you’re a bit late aren’t you??’

anyway

you’re a new detective on the police force straight out of police school or whatever;; specialised in profiling ooh go you!!

everyone kind of;; treats you badly because uhh newbie makes the tea and coffee that's their job??

but they still spill all the tea about Minki to you because he is CONSTANTLY aggravating them and refusing to work with the police;;

it takes 2 weeks for them to even invite you along to a case;;

a woman in her 90s who lived with her 20 year old granddaughter had her sapphire pendant stolen while she was in the house how sad :( poor granny

and when you get there,, guess who is there

you’re right, it's ‘private investigator Ren’ wow who’d’ve guessed??

you shuffle into the room following your colleagues and straight away you look at him and realise wow;; this guy is;;; beautiful how come they mentioned how annoying he is and not how beautiful this man is??

it doesn't take long for him to realise you’re staring at him mainly because all of your colleagues are scrambling to collect what’s left of the evidence while you’re just,, stood still like a rock (uhh medusa beauty much??)

so,, as he stuffs his notebook into his pocket he walks over to you and hands you… his business card

‘call me anytime’

he nods as he slips the card into your hand,,, WINKING, and then he leaves lol

CONTROL YOURSELF

you just give him a look like ;; what;; and get on with your work but… that darn beautiful man is on your mind gO AWAY Minki FFFFF

I mean that is until the next day when you wake up to an angry phone call because…

the uncooperative PI Ren has rang the police force and asked to speak to,, well what seems to be,, you??

I mean he described you as ‘that new detective that looked like a rabbit in the headlights and had no idea what they were doing but seemed to really enjoy staring at my face’ is he wrong tho i think not

So;; you rise out of bed because wow your co worker seemed mad and you do nOT WANT TO MISS OUT ON THIS OPPORTUNITY

Mainly because you wanted to find out how the hell he could solve things so fast but

Also because uhh he is a beautiful specimen who would turn that down??

as you turn up to work the whole office is just staring at you;;

you can hear people you’ve never spoken to just;; talking about you like

‘why does Ren want to speak to the newbie??? Out of all of us they’re the most useless;;’

like ouch;;

you don’t even know yourself why he picked you like?? nobody else in your department acknowledges you why is he ?? asking for you??

but you continue on your way to the conference room where hopefully Ren is waiting unless that's a whole ass hoax;; i mean nah he's not that mean

as soon as you enter the room he stands up and just straight up announces that he's solved the case

and you're just standing there shocked like what the hell nobody here even has a clue who’s done it there are no leads??

and he walks over to you,, grabs you by the hand and sits you down beside him where he has a file in front of him and just whispers

‘overwrite the cctv for this room when we’re done because i’m going to tell you exactly how i solved this.’

woAH THERE A SECOND

why is he revealing his secrets to you of all people???

is this some sort of game?? is he going to tell you incorrect details?? what is this???

while you're lost in your thoughts he just taps your shoulder and explains

‘your coworkers looked like they hate you;; and that's not nice… i’m going to help you to prove them wrong’

Hold up

The notoriously annoying and aggravating CHOI Minki is helping you out???? what

I mean you’re not going to argue this is the chance of a lifetime

‘But…’

Uh oh

‘There's one condition, you can't tell anyone i’m helping you out and i’ll only speak to you about a case. If you tell anyone else about this you won’t see the sun shine ever again’

Says that last bit with a smile like uh woah okay

Bit threatening there Minki

Of course you accept graciously, it’s not as though you actually speak to your colleagues except asking how they like their tea

And so the partnership ensues

he explains how he originally pursued the idea that it was an inside job, the granddaughter stole the pendant,, which makes sense because it all happened while the grandmother was in the house and she was in debt because of her student loan (ugh i feel you girl) but… it all seems a bit too convenient

so,, he decided to look into the granddaughter

and it turned out her recently dumped ex-boyfriend was in major debt from a gambling problem and needed to pay it off asap or some bad guys would be after him

and of course, an ex-boyfriend would know where spare keys are etc and maybe even where the pendant was

and his fingerprints wouldn't be out of place in the house because;; well he dated the granddaughter so

and so he went over to the ex-boyfriend's house and caught him with the darned pendant in his hands;; sneaky boy

and you are sat there like ?? this is so simple how dumb is the police force that they can't keep up with this??

obviously you express this to Minki who laughs and agrees with you wholeheartedly like lmao dumb colleagues am i right

and from that point onwards you two are like secret partners in crime;; you always work together on cases after everyone else has gone home in a little cafe in between his office and the police hq

and you keep solving crimes with his help and its!! Really fun!!

That is until about 3 weeks into the agreement when there's a massive kidnapping case that even Minki can't solve,, people keep being kidnapped for 48 hours then returned with no memory of what happened??

It's even more odd because;; it seems to always be the people he's close to who are getting kidnapped;;

First it was his old school friend, Aron, then it was his first girlfriend, Areum,,

And he just can't find a single lead??

Funny fact is that the police actually have him as a suspect uhh

but after a hard day of;; trying to interview the public to work out the identity of the kidnapper he smoothly invites you out like

‘Hey its like 10pm and we’ve not eaten since like 12 do you want to grab a bite to eat on me??’

and he takes you to this little fancy bakery about 10 minutes from where you were

and it's adorable they have pastries shaped like pokemon and stuff bLESS

he recommends these cute little croissant-style things that are a peachy colour and are filled with peach jam (they have these in a bakery near me they're AMAZING)

he pays for you and you sit at the bar by the window looking out at the road and just eating in silence before Minki turns to you and speaks up

‘y/n there’s a little secret i have to tell you~’

‘uh okay go ahead??’

‘don’t you want to know why i chose to work only with you?’

well of course you reply ‘yes??!!’ because that has been confusing you for the past few weeks??

and he then explains he was in the same position as you;; he used to be a detective in the police force and was treated the same way;;

he always could work out who’d done the crime but nobody else listened to him and they always prosecuted the ‘’easy target’’ which is terrible omg how corrupt

but

‘You’re different, you remind me of myself and i want to give you the help you need to rise to the top and end this’

‘But won’t that mean you’d lose your job??’

‘Definitely not;; private investigator Ren will never go out of business!!’

He smiles that cute ass big smile and his eyes go like crescent moons and you swear you feel your heart jump a little and you realise oh my god the way his eyes light up and his cute lil cheeks are completely adorable oh my god has he always been this loveable and cute whats going on;;

You’re getting ahead of yourself this relationship is strictly professional… right??

You finish the lil pastry and you open your flask of hot chocolate and offer a little to Minki

‘i ;; only have one cup?? But do you want a little??’ and he smiles so wIDE and just grabs the cup out of your hands and downs it like a shot what the hell

You take it back off him and fill up your own because ok if you don't have some now he will probably finish your whole flask in one second lmao

Oo no you got a little bit of hot chocolate on your nossseeee wyd???

you suddenly just notice Minki is staring intently at your face like ??? is there something on my face??

yes there is

He leans in WAY TO CLOSE and you feel your heartbeat just speed up to supersonic speed like oh my god this beautiful face is getting closer and closer whAT IS HAPPENING

He just wipes the bit of hot chocolate of your nose with the tip of his finger and licks it off smiling at you the whole time

Oh my

Be still your beating heart

That hurt but woah okay what is this feeling

Excuse me but

I think you have a little crush on Minki ;)))))))))))))))))))))

Anyway so yall go home get some schleep and food and stuff

And you keep meeting up every day of the week and you gradually realise that yeah;; you definitely have feelings for this beautiful guy

But

that's awkward?? Yall are just working together and Minki’s been dropping hints that this case will probably be the last yall work together

and you can’t explain how much that hurts like if you could you’d want to keep this case going forever but you gotta solve it

That's until it's week 4 of solving the case,, week 7 of yall working together as partners

And suddenly, one of Minki’s best friends jonghyun just disappears

Like the others he returns after 48 hours with little to no memory of what happened but this time

He turns up at Minki’s apartment when you both are there

Yall are watching a film to relax after the long day of work and you're both sharing some cup ramen (goals)

And he just knocks loudly on the door

You get up to answer it but Minki waves you to sit back down so,, you do,, and you continue your lovely noodles

Jonghyun walks in oddly calm and passes a small folded note to Minki

And whatever the hell is in this note is bad news

Minki straight away drops the note saying only ‘i knew it’ and he speeds out of the door to god knows where, dropping the note on the floor in his rush

Jonghyun just mumbles a ‘hello y/n’ towards you and slips out of the front door behind Minki,, presumably to follow him but who knows

you completely miss the fact that despite you’ve never met this guy he,,, knows your name?? But ;) who told him and why eh??

and tbh you are confused out of your mind like what the hELL DOES THAT NOTE SAY

so despite the fact that it might be considered ‘nosy’ you walk over to the door and pick up the note and it reads only one sentence

‘Your love comes next, i won’t let them go.’

Ok who is his love

Does Minki have a girlfriend or boyfriend?? Are they the next target?? Oh my gOD ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH A GUY THAT'S TAKEN

Wait what

In love

Now you realise you love Minki? Good one

You decide not to follow him and instead you just collect your stuff together and head home

The next morning Minki turns up at your door with some flowers to apologise for running off from the sleepover party;;

you just take them sheepishly, shoving them in a vase before leaving with him

the walk is awkward to say the least like uhh

Neither of you say a word and when Minki tries to start a conversation all you can think about is how jealous you are of this partner like;; they get Minki this beautiful man lucky asssssss

He basically doesn't leave your side the whole day

You visit jonghyun and ask him some questions about his kidnapper but;; of course he remembers nothing;; but he nudges Minki while you're making notes and whispers something in Minki’s ear

Sounded suspiciously like ‘is this your plan’

Minki nodded in response who knows what that means you certainly don't (yes you blind)

But it's getting a bit suffocating because;; every 5 seconds you're reminded of this person;; that Minki obviously cares about;; and it's sad y'know you love him and now it's unrequited

So you take a step outside with your lil water bottle not bothering to say anything to Minki or jonghyun who seem to be deep in conversation

As you’re sipping that nice, cool flavoured water (mmm i love flavoured water yes) something covers your nose and mouth and your vision starts to go

You can feel yourself being dragged somewhere,, into a van maybe?? 

And the last thing you hear before your consciousness fades is Minki shouting ‘why?!’ and then… nothing

When you wake up youre in a shifty ass warehouse

someone's tied you to a pole in a seated position but not very well because ha you can still move a little

someone walks out of the shadows and you immediately recognise them as one of the guys from the police force;;

Okay what??

He crouches down in front of you and laughs in your face

‘You and Ren had a wonderful act going didn't you? You love working with someone who disrupts the status quo. In fact, you love him don't you? Everyone can tell. But you two are a problem. If you actually solve a case, it takes too long. I only care about numbers, not who is innocent or guilty. You shouldn’t care either but… you and Ren are obviously the same. Both annoying little brats. You lovebirds should get a room, preferably as far away from the police force as possible.’

this guy is crazy

he is saying almost the exact thing Minki was talking about before? When he said about why he wanted to help you? Yikes

He leans forward to put  the rag over your mouth again to knock you out but before he can the door to the warehouse flies open

And guess who is there

It's your boy Mink

i‘Detective Chief Inspector Lee.. there is no need to get innocent people caught up in your stupid games.’

The DCI just scoffs and leans down again to your level, smirking as he places a knife against your neck

‘This so-called innocent idiot is only here because of you, why did you take such a liking to them? You’re lovestruck and it's obviously blinding your judgement. You know i’m right really…’

Minki looks straight into your eyes and wow okay he has definitely been crying look how red his eyes are and those bags under his beautiful eyes;; oh no

You smile at him and wink and you just see this confused look flash across the DCI’s face,, like lmao why you winking tf is your name park jihoon

Suddenly you lift up your legs and kick the DCI to the floor and Minki kicks away his knife, pulling his hands behind his back and putting on the handcuffs quickly;;

He subdues him fully and then comes over, untied the ropes around your wrists and quickly pulling you into his chest and hugging you hard

And all these emotions overcome both of you and you're just both there;; crying into each others shoulders aw

And you feel it's kind of the right moment to confess like now or never so uhh here goes

‘Hey Minki you know I-’

‘Dont worry, I know and I feel the same way’

hOOLD UP unless you misunderstood that Minki… likes you too okay that makes sense from what the DCI said lmao okay

WAIT YOU'RE HIS LOVE FROM THE LETTER HOLD ON

You feel his arms untangle themselves from you as he leans back and just looks into your eyes before softly pressing his lips against yours and your feelings are confirmed yes;

;It's like fireworks omg cheesy but yes it was meant to be you’re so happy you got dragged along to that case that one day;;

Anyway that DCI is pissed because of the PDA going on in front of him so yall have to s t o p and get this dude back to the police station uhhh

UH SO TIME SKIP

Yall are like couple goals;;

You get promoted to the DCI’s position mainly because Minki’s friend is this Police Chief Hwang;; and Minki agrees to cooperate fully with police investigations but only when its with you uhh bless up

Honestly everyone is jealous of you all of the newbies pray for another annoying PI to appear just so they can experience a love story as cute as yours god bless;;;

;And yall hold the record for most crimes solved!! You go guys!! Power couple alert!!

And yes thats all i have it's 2am i am going this is soft i love Minki thank appreciate my boy

lol i hope this wasn’t terrible i wrote it all so late at night i’ll proof read it tomorrow morning but enjoy;; its 3am nearly now

[bitchfromtheseventhhell]

Hi! I just wanna say that I love your edits and how you remember every detail of the books, it's really impressive. One thing I want to know is, do you do your own colourings? Because I am amazed at how lovely the colours are for such dark scenes. Could you share them or the psds? Thank you!

ahh thanks so much

colorings are tricky. i posted here the psds i usually use as base psds (some of them are no longer available unfortunately.  i know eliza took a bunch of hers down and i use hers a lot). i know how to adjust a lot of them to fit the scenes i’m working with, or which psds i think work best for scenes that have an original color that’s cooler/warmer/etc.  i definitely will adjust those psds to try and make a set look like it’s cohesive in terms of a color scheme.

for dark scenes--oof.  got’s dark scenes are really hard to color.  i recently did some coloring of a dark scene from a different show and was like “well this is easy” and i don’t know enough about film to know why that is.  i have a whole tag over on @celiasreferenceblog​ (this tutorial on the curves layer which can help a lot with that depending on the scene, or it can be useless depending on the scene.  

i wish i could say that i even have general advice for it, but i’m not sure i do because each time i actually have to color my own dark scenes i do it different ways each time.  if i ever feel like i have a consistent process, i’ll try and share that out tho.