#using costume design to tell the story is always so beautiful

[truegodofthearena]

This wardrobe choice is so, so interesting to me because we always see Veer wear solid colors or bomber jackets - this is probably the first time there’s a print on his clothes and the choice is no coincidence - it’s so telling in terms of where his story is headed. The Manzoors may be trying to hide their identity as Kashmiris - something Veer found out about but kept it to himself (which, in itself is a HUGE deal, considering who he is at this point in the story) - but Veer’s new identity is forging around this Kashmiri girl he’s fallen in love with. Kind of in our face symbolism tbh but it’s so beautiful too? Something the Manzoors are so adamant to hide, he’s wearing it on his chest like a medal of honor. 

[judesmoonbeauty]

Jude Jazza Route Theories Pt. 4 - His Fated End ☾.

My theory posts include future major route spoilers for Ellis and Roger, please do not read if you don't wish to be spoiled.

This is my final theory post for Jude, and you know, for some reason I’m quite emotional about this. In any case, this is just for fun, and I'd love for you to share what you think his cursed fate is! ☾.

To be frank, I feel like his fated end could go several ways. Most of you know that most of my theories are formed around in-game lore, and more “realistic” approaches. And, yes I am going to do the same thing with this post of sorts, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have an imagination either.

For example, I’ve always thought (and still do think) it would be amazing if Jude’s fate was that he suffered not from immortality, but longevity. A sort of play off his Dark IF lore, and it's not something he could control himself. However, while a tiny part of hopes that this may still be the case, I feel like it won't be. So, onto the "realistic" theories??

What do we know? It seems that Jude can die. He almost dies all the time. Additionally, the prologue alludes to (as many other events do) that Jude wants to die, and he is potentially instigating his death by making enemies.

What could we base his demise on? While, I think the original fairytales are simply lovely, I don’t think they will be the basis. Still, they are what brought Jude to us by extension, so I feel like the following fates of the fairies, wise-woman, and other antagonists are worth an honorable mention. Very quickly, in the order they were written, their fates are:

Basile’s “Sun, Moon, & Talia”: The Queen is the antagonist and she ends up being cast into a fire that she had intend to cast Talia into.

Sentence: Death by immolation.

Perrault’s “The Sleeping Beauty In The Wood”: There are in fact two antagonists in this story. The 8th old fairy who curses the princess, and the ogre queen mother of the prince whom married the princess.

Sentence: There is no outcome written about 8th old fairy, this means her fate is open for interpretation. However, the ogress offs herself by jumping into a tub of vipers and toads.

Grimm Bro’s “Little Brier-Rose”: The shortest of the tales, in which the 13th wise woman (or fairy) curses the princess as well. It is implied that the old spinner the princess meets when she pricks her finger is the 13th fairy.

Sentence: There is no outcome written for the 13th fairy, this means her fate is left open for interpretation.

See why I don’t think they are going to be inspiration for Jude’s fate? I doubt that Jude will be thrown into a large cauldron to be eaten by serpents and toads. Although, it wouldn’t be too difficult for them to implement a death by fire of sorts. All in all, one of the good things about the obscurity regarding the fates of the other faeries is that it allows you for your own interpretation as to what happened to them.

Which leads me to Disney…..

For all intents and purposes, Disney did not create Sleeping Beauty as we’ve discussed, but Cybird has taken a lot of inspiration from it’s adaptions, and that’s because Disney has fleshed out the the villain Maleficent unlike majority of the fairytales. For example, even with Jude’s costume color design: Purple, black, and green are all odes to the 1959 Disney adaption. Even Dark If, where it’s mentioned that the humans and the faeries fought with one another, is a nod towards the 2014 Maleficent adaption.

So, what do I think Jude’s fate will be?

Main Theory: Jude is destined to die by the “sword of truth,”. It’s highly possible that Cybird may opt to use Disney’s destruction of Maleficent in the 1959 movie as inspiration for Jude’s fate. Why? Because they did the same thing for Ellis.

In his BLE Chapter 22, Roger tells Kate that Ellis is fated to die at the hands of justice, just like the the prince who hacked away the briar hedge with his sword - which is Disney’s version. Ellis’ predecessor was gunned down by the police, and therefore died by the “hands of justice.” In a similar vein, I feel that Cybird will follow a similar path somehow.

Perhaps, if Crown no longer protects him (or betrays him) and his sins become public knowledge, or if his enemies were to find out the truth of how Jude got the best of them, I think “death” will await him. In his route, I feel like the Privy Council will try to do something to frame Jude related to the drug/human-trafficking industry, when they themselves are the ones to blame.

Any in game lore to support this? Jude gets stabbed all the time. And… Roger’s route alludes to the drug industry (medicinal from our current understanding), as being Jude’s territory, so the Privy Council trying to oust Jude by involving him with illegal drugs is on the table, I think.

My other theory: And this is just something that I’m throwing out there, but I feel like Jude may be destined to be abandoned, or for lack of a better word, betrayed by everyone he loves.

I think that if he’s had a hard life (a parent/s left him behind), or suffered a loss of a loved one in death, or perhaps experienced the pain of seeing someone he was in love with leave him for another, would be the pinnacle of angst.

It would explain why he doesn’t want to curse or be cursed, because in the end, Kate would abandon or leave him too. Not saying she’d maliciously do it, but something might happen where she feels he’s acting in his best interest, but isn’t. Well, it’s just a thought I had from a bunch of random little things I felt I noticed in game, but I won’t even try to explain that. You could say that this is a more emotional theory of mine, but I don't think it holds much weight.

Naturally, Cybird can do something completely different, and honestly, as much as it would be cool to say, “I called it!” It would be nice if they did something completely unexpected, and maybe they will? I’d love to say, “I didn’t see that coming,” and cry my eyes out.

Whatever his fate is, it will be heartbreaking I’m sure, but I look forward to finally peering into his heart and watch him as he let’s Kate into his so he doesn’t have to share his burdens on his own.

Thanks to everyone whose read my theories and shared their theories with me, it's been a lot of fun! In any case, I’d love to hear what you all think his fate is about!

[magicalhideoutengineer]

 “I was excited about the prospect of exploring fashion in Paris in the late '20s," Colleen says. "I pushed it into the early '30s because Paris is always ahead of the fashion curve; it’s [a] city known for its elegance and style and that was a great period for design.” 

Can you take us through your creative process for designing the costumes?

"The first part of the process was meeting with the director and reading the script where you get the idea of what the story is. The next step is meeting with the production designer so you see the world that he's creating. This particular movie is set in Paris and a little bit of New York. I start and go do my own research, and look for inspiration from that time period in Paris, which was a very rich and amazing time for design where so much was going on.

“Newt still has his beasts, but his shell is a little slicker. We put Eddie in clothes that are close to the same silhouette, just a bit better fit.”

"I took all the layers from the art world, to the carnivals, to Moulin Rouge, all the things in Paris that make it such a spectacular city, back into with the different levels of humanity that I'm creating for the film, for the real world, and for the wizarding world. [The wizards] are living not seperately from the muggle world, they have a double life. So they live amongst the regular folks but they have a little flare so I had fun with them with different shaped hats, and different things that were subtle so you could kind of tell it was them when they were mixed with the muggle world. But then when you separate them, I pushed reality a little bit more. They're more strange looking, with different kinds of color and things like that. In this case, because I know the main four from the previous film, I take each character and think about how they evolve and how they've grown from moving through a couple of years into their lives and breaking that down with each of them."

"[For Grindelwald] The name begged for an Alpine twist, and I’ve always loved Bavarian clothing. We made the lederhosen a little bit longer, coupled it with a tall boot, and ended up with a kind of Bavarian meets the New Romantic."

How would you describe the evolution of the costumes from the first movie to the second one?

"Since they went from America to Paris, they have a more European flavor in general. The principal characters are more sophisticated, they've evolved. Katherine Waterston's character Tina has moved back to her old vision as a higher up. Queenie has evolved and become a more grown up, less flippant character. She's in darker colors and a more grown up look. Slightly pushed into the '30s. For Eddie Redmayne's character, it was sort of similar in silhouette and shape as his previous costume, but with a more urban flavor, a more sophisticated fabric, and [with colors that are] a little less bright."

"[For Queenie,] it’s a bit more grown up and has a slightly darker edge than her dress in the last film, but at the same time, it’s feminine and has the whimsy of that big bow in the front. "

How would you describe your designs for the movie?

"In general, I think my designs defnitely have a flavor of movement and color, and a sort of trajectory into the '30s that was different from the first film. I think they're quite sexy in a quiet way, not in an obvious way. I have some amazing beautiful characters like Claudia Kim who is Nagini. She has a very amazing dress that  transforms into other things so I had a really magical times with  the costumes."

[For Nagini] “Throughout the film, she is wearing her performance costume from the magical circus, so I wanted to amplify the fantasy aspect.  For the material, I took lace and screened over it with metallic foil to give the look of snakeskin, and then added ruffles around the bottom and the sleeves to suggest the coils of the snake.”

Did you face any difficulties in designing the costumes?

"I think for a movie like that, the most difficult part is just the time you have to create a lot of ornate cotumes. Getting them ready and getting them aged and looking interesting takes just about enough time to get it done. For instance, Queenie's dress is a beautiful piece of fabric I found in Germany from the '30s, but in order to make it work for her costume, I needed enough to make 12 costumes. In order to do that sometimes I take the inspiration of that fabric and print it myself so I create the fabric for the characters before I make the costume in order to have the feeling of the period and the kind of fabric I want for that particular character. In doing that, everybody's costumes shouldn't look like it just came from a store, it should have a lived in quality. So the same people that do the printing and stuff make things look dirty, if there's a fight they tear it, they do dyeing of fabrics for making different colors and all kinds of things. It's a huge creative department painting, taking the leather coats—when I first get them they look very stiff— and breaking down things so they look like they're comfortably lived in."

“David Yates and I wanted Dumbledore to be the professor the kids all love, their go-to guy.  He needed to look professorial but at the same time approachable, so I used softer fabrics and textures in tones like heathery grays, which add to the approachability of the character. I also love corduroy, so I made a wide-wale corduroy coat for him and Jude just loved it.”

Would you say each character's costume says something about their personality?

"I think that each character's costume is part of their character, so for instance, the idea of Tina's leather coat gives immediate authority with its silhouette. I would consider how each character looks not only close up, but how they look far away, standing in a doorway or something like that. They don't have a lot of changes, but they have a look, and I think that's part of the design of the character that's the most important thing to find."

“Tina has more self-assurance since her reinstatement as an Auror.  She looks like a true detective in a great blue leather coat.  We were fond of everything about it…except how much it weighs.”

Did you have a favorite character to design for?

"That's a hard question! Not really, it was fun working with Zoe Kravitz on the film because she's so sylish and it's great to design things that are chic like that and more sophisticated. 

“Leta is from the manor born, so her clothes are all very elegant and rich in color.  Zoë looks fantastic in anything, so it was fun to dress her for the period.”

[whoslaurapalmer]

RSU: asoue netflix

there are, in fact, things i do like or appreciate about the show!!

-i genuinely do love seeing babybea!! actually having a scene where she interacts with lemony is really great and it's such a precious scene too. her lil beret is fucking adorable. -the henchperson's coroner van in reptile room saying CORNER -olaf smashing the lights in the hallway in hostile hospital is truly scary and i always liked that part -"it's been eight minutes, do you want some tea?" is incredibly iconic. something i could see book!jacques saying as well -I'D GIVE ANYTHING TO SIT AND TALK WITH HIM AGAIN -honestly lemony's physical placement in the scenes was overall done really really well. lemony is an undeniable part of this world and this story and we get to see him there -also his costumes were stellar -i really do like seeing the denouements, like physically seeing them move around and in and out of scenes was really, really cool, like visually seeing the hotel and the three of them pretending to be two people honestly was incredible. in my initial notes about season 3 i said tv was made to show the three chapters that happen simultaneously and i stand by it bc it was neat to finally see!!!!!!!!!! -the green hotel has grown on me, too. i must say. same with the denouements having mustaches. -you know, show!poe was hilarious, honestly. when i think of mr. poe, i do in fact think of show!poe now, without fail. -"i speak all of them hella fluently" -oh the reveal of jacques' vfd tattoo in ersatz elevator was great -i think the song references in the dialogue were really fun!! 'i can hit a blackbird flying in the dead of night', 'oh, i'll tell you what i want', 'what's that thing james brown said?' -oh, that murakami quote, too!! -they really crafted an atmosphere on the show, with the sets and the clothes and the colors, and there were a lot of little background details to zoom in on or catch, and although maybe it wasn't an, expected atmosphere? it makes the show feel like a solid, contained world -violet's outfits were super cute!! -jacquelyn kicking the payphone off the hook and dialing with her heel -although it could've been handled differently, i liked the scenes of vfd in the background in the first season. i liked seeing more of gustav!!!!! -"look, here's a picture of us." "there's no one in that photograph." "we're locked inside the piano." -lucy punch as esme really was inspired -i love the pattern on the sugar bowl!! -not to keep bringing up reptile room but just the room itself. monty's house itself. it's always SO beautiful. like there's actually a lot of heart and love in his house and i just love the big glass windows so much -just seeing the books get the opportunity to be adapted as a whole -- even if, yeah, i don't consider it an overwhelmingly successful adaptation -- was still great and a real highlight of my life! the anticipation of it, watching the trailers (watching the mysterious completely unrelated trailer...........), getting my tattoo which was based off a season one eye design, the idea of the show brought back a lot of interest and love for the series!! and i know it brought a lot of new fans to the books afterwards, or previous fans back to the books!! and that's nice.

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia Chapter 430 Spoiler Talk: The True End of an Era (Part 2):

Part 1 is here: https://www.tumblr.com/sarahjtv/757589380503306240/my-hero-academia-chapter-430-spoiler-talk-the?source=sharehttps://www.tumblr.com/sarahjtv/757589380503306240/my-hero-academia-chapter-430-spoiler-talk-the?source=share

Now, please, if you want to wait until the official translation releases on Sunday, PLEASE TURN AWAY NOW! Save this post and come back to it on Sunday when everyone has read the chapter. I will be using spoiler hashtags for this, so if you end up spoiling yourself because of my post, that's on you. THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING:

So, Deku decided that using his knowledge and experiences would be a cool way to help others even without a Quirk. Being a teacher specifically in UA was a good choice for him.

Izuku says he's barely seen his friends since graduation mainly because their schedules don't line up with each other. This is honestly sad to see, but it is realistic. A lot of people don't keep in touch with their high school friends. I know I don't except for maybe 1 or 2. We all just end up living our own lives and we rarely have any free time to hang out with each other. I hope they at least have a group chat for all of them to talk with each other and I pray that Izuku is in that group too.

He does see commercials and products of Kirishima and Tokoyami respectively! Even one of the kids passing by tries to play "Unbreakable!" It's so cool how famous everyone got. Them playing big parts in fighting the villains during their entire first year absolutely helped get them that recognition.

The kid playing stumbles and Deku tries to rush in and save him like he always has Quirk or not 🥹 And he does!

He also runs into Dai who recognizes Deku and asks him the famous question that started it all "Can I become a hero like All Might and you?" Man, talk about coming full circle. One of the most iconic scenes in the entire series comes back to Izuku Midoriya, the Quirkless boy who asked the same question to his hero, All Might.

And just like All Might before him, Izuku reassures Dai that despite everyone looking down on him, "You can become a hero." I'm honestly crying now, guys. It's such a beautiful and poignant thing Horikoshi has done here. This is what I mean by peak fiction 🥹.

Also, Izuku briefly mutters to himself when analyzing Dai's plate Quirk. Never change, Izuku. Never change 💚.

As Izuku concludes the story of My Hero Academia, an older looking All Might (he's in his early 60s now I think) comes in and crushes the "END" with his hand and meets up with Izuku. Turns out, Izuku's story isn't over just yet!

Because technology evolved since 8 years ago and the Iron Might suit opened many possibilities, Deku gets his own briefcase courtesy of a friend of his in the US (Either David or Melissa), Hatsume, and financed by his Class A friends, ESPECIALLY BAKUGO YOU LOVE TO SEE IT! 💚🧡 Clap your hands, BKDK nation! Also, does this means Bakugo makes a shit tone of money now or... 🤔

Deku takes the briefcase with happy tears and a smile! Later we see Bakugo yelling "Come on, Deku!" as he reaches out his hand to Izuku like Izuku did to him as kids 🥹 Oh, it's so late, but I am internally screaming, crying, throwing up.

As Izuku and his friends are called by Hawks for a mission, Izuku sees Shigaraki's "ghost" and we get a final double-page spread of all the kids as Pro Hero adults in their new costumes including Izuku who can now be a hero thanks to his new support items. I can't describe all 21 of the kids (this includes Shinso), but they all look amazing and you'll have to see their new designs yourself. Honestly, I think they're all awesome! Horikoshi has rarely disappointed me with his designs and this is no exception! The only one who's hard to tell is Shoto sadly because he's blocked off quite a bit, but maybe his changes will be more clear in the official release. Hagakure too since she's just gloves again. I'm surprised Horikoshi didn't show us, oh you know, HER VISIBLE WITH A SUIT TO ACCOMMODATE THAT!

And that's it! That is My Hero Academia! What an ending. As a mini-epilogue arc, I do think this was a bit rushed overall and I'm hopeful Horikoshi can extend this in the volume release. As a final chapter, it was near perfect. I think this did everything that it needed to do to cap off the series well. I wish we got more content about everyone else's lives both during their last 2 years at UA and their lives as adults, but again, we could get that in the final volume. We could also get that in the new Fanbook (Releasing in January 2025) and ART BOOK (Releasing in April 2025) finally! Horikoshi can just have my wallet at this point LOL 😂💸.

Aside from that, I don't really have any complaints about this ending. I love that the story truly came full circle and that Izuku did become a hero like he dreamed of regardless of if he had a Quirk or not. And it's so cool to see him be a Pro Hero with his friends finally. I kinda wish he could've kept One For All, but this is a great consolation prize. I'm surprised we didn't get any confirmed ships in this honestly. Not that MHA was focused on romance to begin with, but it's still kind of a nice surprise since it leaves things open-ended for us.

I think I'll write more about the series as a whole after the final chapter is officially released on Sunday. But for now, it's late; my fingers hurt; and I need to go to sleep.

Thank you, Kohei Horikoshi for everything. Thank you for creating a wonderful story that will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life. Take a long break, sir. I can't wait for what you will do next.

[sweetlikehoneystingslikeabee]

Could I request the different riddlers with a s/o who collects just random ass trinkets? Pins, pendants, just little shiny trinkets and knick-knacks. Hopefully that makes sense

"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?" Riddler party x reader

I have a collection of kokeshi dolls and other random things like bones so.... I felt this ask while reading it. I also included stuff they might collect!

TW: None

Gotham

If any of the riddlers is going to understand collecting and the hyperfixations that can come attached to that, it's Gotham. Please show him your entire collection and tell him all the information you want about it. He will be listening with hearts in his eyes memorizing the standards of which you use to pick new items.

He actually has his own collections! Articulated skeletons, wet specimens, old fashioned medical textbooks- He'd love to tell you all about them! oh and puzzle boxes! He's even made some, do you want to see?

He has a checklist in his mind of the traits things in your collection share so he can find the perfect thing. You won't get a ton of stuff from him, but the things you do get are a-mazing and exactly to your taste. It has to be perfect! He spends a lot of time overthinking this kind of thing.

60s

How darling! Just where did you find all this? Whatever pieces are your favorites, he'd like to hear the story behind them at some point. Sometimes you'll catch him looking at them from time to time, admiring them. Thinking about how they suit you. Shiny treasures. Just like you are to him.

He will find you the cheesy, weird stuff that fits in with your collection. ESPECIALLY knick-knacks and pins. He insists he travels often enough and has enough friends that he just knows how to get this kind of thing. If nothing else, the pieces are always very unique.

Riddler has a collection of old movies and theatrical costumes. It's not the same but if you want him to share that with you, he'd be happy to! Make some silly home movies where batman gets owned (again).

Zero Year

This man's special interest is in mythology and folk tales (which I will go deeper into in another post). If any of your knick knacks, pins or the like reflects on those subjects, expect to have his full attention. He's already rattling off statistics and info dumping on the type of/cut of the jewels in your trinkets and pendants. Ah, but you showed him this because it's your interest, so perhaps you should tell him about it (once he's done talking, of course).

If you promise to be cool about it, he will show you his dice and dnd figurines. He hand-painted this one, it's one of his characters for a game, a gnome... and he's gone he's going to be rambling for like an hour about the mythos he created for this guy. The dice are all custom made and he has a set that all the ones are a golden question mark on green. You aren't surprised.

Oh, you've done it. You've basically told him outright what to get you as presents. Suffer, by which I mean be ready for him to use that to his advantage. He knows good quality and fine work when he sees it. These things combined means you are getting some very kick ass gifts whenever he pleases. Especially if you just happen to be mad at him for being a shit.

BTAS

Instantly zoning in on things that attract his eye. Whether it's the beauty of your pendants or a quirky design on a pin, he's going to tell you his opinion on these pieces. Yet you notice he's too polite to say which ones he doesn't like (if any) and just glosses over them...

Perhaps it'll seem too on the nose, but he likes collecting old game systems, obscure limited edition video games and arcade cabinets. He's repaired them and reworked bad coding and hardware issues in his spare time. You know, for fun. He used to do this since he was a child which coincidentally is where he learned a lot of it. Now he can afford expensive equipment and tools. If he's anywhere past the year 2006, he has a physical copy of Rule of Rose. If you know, you know.

You like pretty, shiny things? He is more than willing to get you pretty, shiny things. Let's be honest, he already liked stealing jewels of high caliber and the like, this just gives him more incentive. Then he can tell you all about his dashing and clever plan he used to do it which gives him such a little ego boost.

Telltale

He doesn't mean to be rude, cherub, (he is anyways) but what is the point of this? Is it just because it's pretty? Is there something specific you like about all of it? In his opinion, it's just there to collect dust if it doesn't have a use.

While he of course pretends he's above all that, BACK IN THE DAY, he used to collect Lord of the Rings stuff. He has a copy of the 1978 version that he still holds in high regard. Semi-related, if you coaxed him into it, he will speak Elvish in bed.

He isn't necessarily going to seek out things for you to add to your collection, that's not his bag. But once in a blue moon, you'll get a small box with something special in it that he says "reminded me of you." Even if he doesn't get it, he knows it's something you care about and so he will attempt to make an effort.

Arkham

Oh. Hm. His very initial reaction might be that it's a little immature. He doesn't outright say it, but you can get that impression from small, harsh comments. Over time though, he'll come to appreciate the emotional value they have for you. Then he stops making those comments and will try to dish out compliments.

If you got this man intricate ship-in-a-bottle kits or those ridiculously intricate lego sets, he'd have his greasy gremlin hands all over those. Working with machinery the way he does, his happy space is putting it all together and seeing it complete. Then it goes on a shelf somewhere.

He's not probably going to give you much for your collecting unless you like things he can make for you- But, tell you what, he's more than willing to make a display for your things. He's good with his hands and it's a way to show that he cares about your interests. If you do like things he can make, like his trophies and whatnot though, you'll occasionally find something tucked away for you to find behind a riddle or two.

2022/Nashton

Edward is glad you feel comfortable enough to share this with him. He never got to collect things when he was younger because the other children would have just torn it to pieces just for fun. To him this is a sign of trust and vulnerability on your part. Now he can look through this collection to see parts of you that you might hide for other people. Little things you might not have even known about yourself.

He likes collecting/recreating memorabilia from movies (usually horror) as well as those insanely difficult puzzle boxes. The ones he can afford, anyways. He has a whole stack of completed brainteaser and puzzle books. A lot of them are math and some quite difficult to understand unless you're good at that sort of thing. However, he doesn't consider those collecting because he only had them for stress-coping. The cheaper ones he likes tearing out the pages to use as additional layering for his rats cages.

See, he doesn't have a lot and knows you don't expect these grand expensive gestures from him. That being said, I think he'd turn to the online sphere to try and find something really rare that you can't find anywhere else. He's very good at slinking around to find things and he has connections through his alternate persona. He wonders if stream might have any good ideas...

[yurayura-kurage]

A3! Troupe Event: MY WORST WEDDING | Event Story Translation (8/11)

Neither Japanese nor English is my first language so please forgive me if I made mistake. However, feel free to point me out, I’d love to hear your feedbacks on the translation ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

Translation under the cut

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Sakyo’s mother: ––Oh my, so this is what the bride’s makeup room looks like. It’s princess-like.

Azami: I’m sorry for being selfish. The one who stirred Sakyo up is me.

Sakyo’s mother: It’s alright. Because there is no doubt that you guys will never be able to persuade me unless doing this way, Sakyo said this just then, right.

Sakyo is also a stubborn child, isn’t he? He really inherited my personality traits well.

…I’m sorry. Now that you guys have had things done for me, maybe I should just honestly and happily receive it…

Azami: I know. Look at this first.

Sakyo’s mother: ––

Azami: This dress was made by Yuki-san, our theater troupe’s costume designer after asking Sakyo’s younger sister to check your size. 

Sakyo’s mother: Eh, you guys went out of your way just to do this for me…?

Azami: When I asked, he was excited to prepare the dress.

Sakyo is always stingy to pay for the fabric for our theater troupe’s costume, but when he asked Yuki-san to make the dress with the highest quality clothing materials, Yuki-san was pumped up. 

Sakyo was the one who paid for all the materials to make the dress. He also said that he’d pay for the designing and tailoring cost too, but Yuki-san told him he enjoyed making the dress, and it was for Sakyo’s mother so he’s gonna make it for free.

Sakyo’s mother: So that’s it… This dress is so beautiful.

Azami: Sakyo also said “If she doesn’t want to wear it, then that’s fine. It’s just the same as the hair tie I gave her back then.”

Sakyo’s mother: That child… He still remembers that story.

Azami: This is the dress that Yuki-san made only for you, so it’ll definitely look good on you. And I’ll make sure that you can wear it with confidence after I do the makeup and style your hair.

So why don't you give it a try and then decide what to do? Please, I beg you.

Sakyo’s mother: …If you insist, then I guess I can’t say no anymore. I’m counting on you.

But why does Azami-kun have to go this far?

Azami: It’s gonna be a quite long story, so I’ll tell you ‘bout it while putting on the makeup.

*Short timeskip*

Azami: I grew interested in makeup when helping my sick mother with her makeup.

Sakyo’s mother: Your mother is…

Azami: She passed away when I was still a kid.

Sakyo’s mother: I see…

Azami: After my mother passed away, Sakyo came to my house. My dad was busy, so Sakyo has been taking care of me for a long time…

*Flashback*

Dad brought Sakyo to my house when I was 6 years old.

“Sakyo?” “Right. From now on, this guy will take care of you.”

Ever since I was a baby, there were lots of young folks (*) coming in and out of my house frequently, so it’s not strange to see newcomers in my house, but among them, Sakyo was very young.

Until then, it was the young folks taking turns to pick me up and drop me off at the nursery school. But since that day, Sakyo has been in charge of all those duties.

“Oi, Sakyo. I’m thirsty." “What did you just call me… Here, drink some water.”  “I want orange juice.”  “If you only drink sweet things, you’ll get cavities in your teeth.”  “Orange juice!”  “You can drink it only when you eat snacks.”

“Then, I’ll have some snacks.” “Only after you’re done learning how to use the abacus.” “Annoying.” “It’s gonna be useful if you can memorize it.” “No one does that.”

“Then what are your pals doing?" “Don’t know. I’ve never hung out with them.” “...Do you want to play with bubble wrap.” “That’s boring!”

He’s naggy, and looked like a cold person at first, but he kept following me because it was his responsibility to watch over me.

I even spent more time together with him than with my dad, we started to open up with each other gradually, and it slowly became more fun playing with him.

When my mom passed away, I pretended to look fine in front of my dad, but deep down in my heart, that was a huge shock to me.

It was undoubtedly thanks to Sakyo that I was able to truly get over my mom’s death at that time. 

*Back to present*

Azami: Our relationship is different now, but we used to be close in the past. Thanks to Sakyo, I was able to pull myself together and regain my energy, even when I was in elementary school––.

That’s right. Actually I wanted to say thanks to you for this when we met last time.

Sakyo’s mother: These cards are…

Azami: When my dad banned me from playing the popular card game when I was in elementary school, Sakyo made these cards for me and played with me.

You’re the one who originally created this right?

Sakyo’s mother: That’s right… So that’s it… Sakyo gave them to you… 

Fufu. How nostalgic.

When I was making these cards while waiting for Sakyo to return home, I was disappointed with myself that I couldn’t buy him a popular toy. 

But that child looked really happy playing my handmade cards, and I was saved by that. It was hard to make a living back then, but thanks to his presence, I was able to overcome many hardships.

He has grown up now, but he’s still a little shy and cute, isn’t he.

Fufu. This is nostalgic. I wish I could hug that small child again… There’s no way he will let me hug him now.

Azami: Speaking of hugs… People seem to do wedding hugs these days.

The thing you do after taking the oath, t-that’s too shameless but… it’s okay if it’s just a hug right?

Sakyo’s mother: That’s right… Then maybe I wouldn’t feel embarrassed even in front of my children.

…But that child and Azami-kun are pretty similar. His father also passed away because of illness when he was little…

Azami: Perhaps Sakyo is doing his best to support my dad because he can’t show filial piety to his father anymore.

I’m also the same. I want to do something for you, and for the part I couldn’t do for my mom. It’s completely my own self-satisfaction though…

Here, it’s done.

Sakyo’s mother: It’s not your self-satisfaction. I’m pleased, too.

…I don’t look like myself. It’s like Cinderella’s magic, isn’t it.

It would be a waste if I don’t take photos when putting on this wonderful makeup and wearing this special dress that you guys prepared for me. 

If I don’t keep this as a commemoration, I may regret it for the rest of my life.

Azami: That means––.

Sakyo’s mother: I wonder if I can fit into this dress though.

Azami: It seems that it was made to be easy to adjust the waist and so on.

Sakyo’s mother: As expected of costume designer-san.

Azami: I’ll call someone to help you change costumes.

Sakyo’s mother: Ah, wait a minute––

Azami-kun, thank you for always taking care of that child.

Azami: ––No, as I told you earlier, it was me who has been taken care of for a long time…

Sakyo’s mother: Even this time too, I now understand Sakyo’s recent place to belong is–– I realize how important and precious the theater troupe and your house are to Sakyo.

He sometimes told me that he was looking after you when you were a kid… That child, he seemed to be having a lot of fun while complaining all the time, didn’t he.

Ever since he became your caretaker, the atmosphere around Sakyo has changed, he even became softer.

He worried about you so much that he couldn’t put his mind at ease as if he had a child of his own.

…That’s why you are like a grandchild to me.

From now on, please continue taking care of that child.

Azami: …Yeah.

Translator’s note:

(*) He was using the word “若い連中” here, which literally means young folks, and as far as I understand, this also refers to the young people who don’t have a certain rank in a yakuza group.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Previous || Next

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Rook Hunt Dorm Uniform Personal Story: Part 3

"The true culprit... is you!"

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

Rook: This is a tragic case of profound devotion.

Rook: The true culprit is… You!

[Courtyard]

Film Club Member B/Epel: Eh…

Film Club Member C/D: No way…

Film Club Member A: …

Film Club Member B: There's no way he's the culprit, Rook-senpai! He's one of the costume designers, and a member of the film club!

Film Club Member A: …That's right. You saw it too, did you not? That horrifyingly offensive smear of "Inadequate beauty"!!

Rook: Why yes, I saw it. That is the reason everything seemed out of place.

Rook: Those Savanaclaw students disavowed all aspects of "beauty," not just a facet of it.

Rook: And yet, did I truly believe that they would use such a nebulous word like "inadequate"?

Rook: Once that thought crossed my mind, I carefully inspected the claw-torn costume… And I concluded that you were at fault.

Film Club Member A: Why… did you think it was me?

Rook: Because of the claw marks that sliced through the costume. They were intentionally cut in the shape of claw slashes by scissors.

Rook: After examining the remains, I was able to conclude that the culprit's height and dominant hand matches yours.

Rook: However, I have more evidence.

Rook: This swatch that I am holding right now is from the destroyed costume… Why don't you take a look at the lining here?

Epel: The lining? What's wrong with it?

Rook: The stitching here is sloppy.

Rook: Even if this were a costume that would only appear once on screen, and regardless of whether or not this part would be visible on camera...

Rook: From the fabric's material to its stitching, he will always strive to have the utmost perfect quality for his costumes. That is who Vil is.

Rook: He would never allow for such half-hearted stitching.

Epel: Umm, so basically, someone cut up one of the film club's costumes. But it wasn't a real costume, it was a fake…?

Epel: M-My head's starting to hurt.

Rook: I believe that as they were on the brink of committing this crime, they could not bring themself to damage Vil's costume, so they swapped it with a fake.

Rook: The key point here is that, even though it was a fake, it was replicated perfectly, down to Vil's measurements.

Rook: There are only two people on campus who have memorized Vil's measurements to heart.

Rook: The first is me. And the other is…

Epel: The… costume designer in charge of making the measurements?

Film Club Member A: Urk…

Rook: I would ask you refrain from trying to evade me with your excused any further. Could you tell me why you did this?

Film Club Member A: Th-That is… Because I was jealous!

Film Club Member A: Jealous of how Rook-senpai and Epel-kun were so close and friendly with Vil-san!

Epel: Eh!? F-Friendly? But all he does it scold me…

Film Club Member A: That's enough! I've been working so hard in this film club trying to research what my most admired Vil-san likes so that he'll take a liking to me too!

Film Club Member A: …And yet! I haven't gotten any closer to him ever since joining this club!

Film Club Member A: That's why I tried to get the two of you to fight someone from a different dorm…

Film Club Member A: I tried to make it so Vil-san would kick both of you out of the film club.

Epel: You… What kinda crazed git are ya?

Film Club Member A: …I also apologize for all the troubles I caused the other club members. I'll take responsibility and quit the club.

Rook: You'll quit? Non!! You can't do that, Mr. Costume Designer!

Everybody: Eh!?

Film Club Member A: Wh-Why…?

Rook: This incident was concocted out of love for Vil, and it unraveled due to love. Also…

Rook: There is no way anyone would be able to create an almost perfect replica of a costume like you did if they had such lukewarm feelings.

Rook: The needle and thread that dance between your fingertips is truly the most beautiful.

Rook: I think even Vil would be displeased to lose your talent if you left the film club. Your continued contributions to the club will be your penance.

Film Club Member B: He's right, it's just as Rook-senpai says. You're the best costume designer here, and it's be bad if we lost you.

Film Club Member B: Come on, let's go back to the club room. We can fix up the costume before Vil-senpai gets back from work!

Film Club Member A: ! A-Alright!!

Rook: Wonderful! And with that, it seems the case has been solved.

Epel: Rook-san! That was amazing. Your observational skills are astounding, being able to tell something was fake just from its stitching.

Rook: Ah, yes. You see, that was a lie!

Rook: Nowadays, no one sews by hand, but instead, uses machines. There's no way for us to tell just by looking, right? I simply tricked them to confess.

Epel: Eh… Eeehh!? Then, how did you know it was fake?

Rook: Fufufu, the truth is much simpler. ―It was its smell.

Rook: The fake costume had none of Vil's rich and sublime scent at all, so I knew right away.

Epel: Huh!? That kind of examination method is… a little weird, I think.

Rook: Understand me, Epel-kun. The reason why I trust in the information I gather from my sense of smell, is because it is a key tool while hunting.

Rook: Certain smells can identify certain people, like we saw in this case, and it can also tell me where someone has been.

Rook: For example… Sniff, sniff. Today, your lunch was―

Epel: Ack!? P-Please don't!

Rook: Hahahah! I kid. I don't think even my senses would be able to discern that much.

Epel: Man, earlier I thought he was so cool, like a detective… But I think he's actually just a weirdo.

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

[writella]

Thoughts on Saltburn:

cc: E and Murda (@dustbunniess + @celtic-crossbow , who asked me to share once I did ♡)

Before I start, I want to say I’m only making guessing about what I think is being said so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Anyways, I already really enjoy the work on Emerald Fennell because I loved her film Promising Young Woman so I assumed I would like this one and I did! On one hand, I think I enjoyed pyw more from Fennell and from films that came out this/last year that are absurd and lust filled and make social commentary I feel like I enjoyed Poor Things more but at the same time I feel like these films are trying to do different things so you can’t compare. I was very interested in the commentary it was making about social class and capitalism, so I think that makes it intriguing on its own.

I think the most interesting part about it is that it seems that no matter how much you have, you always want more. And when that’s the case, you’re willing to give up so much of yourself or what you could be to get it. It’s sad and also shows you how vial us humans can be.

So many beautiful shots and of course I loved looking at the costumes and character designs! I was fascinated by the shots that showed multiple versions or reflected versions of Oliver. Light spoiler: there is that part near the beginning of the film when Oliver has his first breakfast at Saltburn or something where Venetia tells that story of a doppelgänger and I was wondering if that’s why Fennell decided to do shots like that because Oliver is the doppelgänger. Especially since even though he’s not like the Catton’s, in some ways he already is— greedy, prejudice, hypocritical— and he wants to be anyway and is willing to do absolutely anything to get there.

I could go on but I just have three more points for now; direct spoilers under the cut:

- Okay, now why was I more surprised about the ending then about the grave scene?? 😭 I did not except to see Barry Keoghan’s dick so many times lmao. It was creepily hilarious though and I’m happy I finally know why everyone has been dancing to this song.

- I knew he was going to do something bad and that we would be lying about something but I can’t believe he planned EVERYTHING. Like even the bike?? Omg. Also the scene at his parents house was so hard to watch plsss.

- And overall, basically everyone in this film is bad. I truly hated and felt disgusted by everyone. Maybe not Felix and Venetia… I feel so terrible that they died. They definitely deserved it the least but at the same time I also noticed that they didn’t mind their place society, knew they benefited from it, and weren’t trying to change anything. They just got lucky to be born into this kind of family where they could always fit in and not worry about wanting. I don’t know… I still feel bad for them though. Also for Farleigh. He was a fucking asshole and so terrible to Oliver even before the plot twist reveal, but ofc we cannot forget about how it’s awful the parents were so quick to throw him out. The stealing was bad but they do not understand what it’s like to not be white and rich and therefore they don’t understand the struggles Farleigh has to deal with when he’s not at Saltburn, how annoying it is to always ask for help, etc. Things like that and when Venetia said that Farleigh is more spoiled than she and Felix were was obviously dumb and crazy to say.

[ashadhahaha]

Priscilla (2023) - A Review

Heya folks! Here's a new blog dedicated to films + TV that I'm watching.

I made a very hasty decision to see Priscilla (dir. Sofia Coppola) in theaters today. I knew a little bit about it, that it was Priscilla Presley's biopic and that it would be based on her own autobiography, "Elvis and Me".

I have many good things to say about this film. Perhaps the most stunning things are the mise-en-scene and the editing. As always, Coppola has a very compelling way of telling stories.

The montages!!! I love how Coppola and her frequent collaborator Sarah Flack cut together Priscilla. I can see Lost In Translation here a bit with the clunky, slightly off-beat cuts. It's intriguing, a little unsettling, yet rhythmic at the same time. My favorite is when Priscilla waits on Elvis the first time. The way she's suspended in her own girlhood while Elvis floods her brain and her life. What a way to watch the time pass. You get all the information you need, all the details, and in an interesting way that fits the film well.

Some of the montages feel a little too romantic, like I'm watching a teen drama, which I think is excellent. There were so many points in the movie I start to fall for the romance and have to remind myself how this began in the first place and the young girl at the center of it.

THE COSTUMES. Coppola very much has an eye for production design!!! I noted in an interview she tends to spend her time there more than most directors. You can certainly tell. Elvis and Priscilla and honestly the whole world feels so believable and immersive because of the amount of detail. Priscilla's hair being our visual marker as we move through time is a great device and it really allows us to see this progression as she grows up and tries to fit more and more into this world she didn't choose.

Jesus, every single frame in this movie is beautiful. The way Priscilla is LIT. OH MY GOD. From the very beginning, with Priscilla's feet walking into the frame over the pink carpet. Every shot is composed with intention and meaning and create a strong aesthetic language that we feel consistently throughout the story.

Coppola doesn't shoot a lot of coverage, so her scenes consist mainly of a static camera, a well-decorated set, and her actors moving and talking to each other. Some moments feel incredibly long, other feels short and sweet. The rhythm is pervasive and concise.

She also tends to shoot at a lower budget. The most expensive scenes were likely the huge montages! There's a particular montage of Elvis performing that's used to show passage of time and it's shot very simply. You can do a lot with a little. Just a single spotlight in front of him to cast a long shadow, one camera on a dolly, a couple silhouettes to represent the crowd. Elvis is dark, powerful, and stepping more and more into the role of superstar. The lower the budget, the more creative control one has and I think Coppola thrives with these kinds of monetary restrictions.

Even the way scenes start seemingly right in the middle of things. Priscilla's life is moving at a pace she can't really control. She's completely at the mercy of Elvis and his wants and desires. And it's so observational. We're just watching these people exist. It gets unbearable the more Priscilla is barred from living her own life. She's trapped behind the gates of Graceland. Alone.

I love that first scene when she first moves in with Elvis and she's kind of wandering around this huge home. She sits in the chair, then she scoots back and crosses her legs. Then she looks out the window. Then she's playing with the piano. She's trying to imagine herself there, feel herself growing into it. It's foreign and she's so out of place. Still, she tries to force her own belonging. What a great use of negative space!

The world always feels like it's going to choke the life out of Priscilla. Like it's against her and swallowing her up at the same time. Coppola proves again how well she portrays isolated, lonely characters.

I also think Elvis was portrayed pretty fairly. He's sensitive, but troubled. There is love between them, but it's complicated and a little sinister and Priscilla spends much of the movie convincing herself it's worth sticking around for. I think this biopic is a step in the right direction of highlighting a more unseen perspective. Again, Coppola was a great choice.

& those are my thoughts! :3

ashadhahaha

[shewholovestoread]

My Journey To You - Thoughts and Impressions Part 1 of 2

I realise that I've been missing these past few months, i've been on a consumption binge but with little to no bandwidth to write about any show/film irrespective of how much I may have loved them. (depression is an ass) But I can, once again, feel thoughts tingling in my brain and I've decided to get back to writing, something that I deeply enjoy. Anyway, enough about me, let's get started.

To keep the post from getting obscenely long, I'm going to split it into two. This post will be about the technical aspects of the show. Part 2 will focus on the characters.

My Journey To You is a 2023 fantasy, Wuxia show (shows/films that are based in ancient China with martial arts warriors being capable of superhuman feats, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). It was highly anticipated owing to the amazing trailer (one of the best I've seen)

Plot: The series tells the story of Yun Wei Shan, a spy longing for freedom, who infiltrates the Gong residence to complete a mission. In the eerie and treacherous Gong residence, she encounters love and friendship, embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and finds the determination to move forward. Together with the rebellious nobleman Gong Zi Yu, they grow and mature through their shared experiences. (via mydramalist)

It stars: Yu Shu Xin (Yun Wei Shan), Zhang Ling He(Gong Zi Yu), Ryan Cheng (Gong Shang Jue) and Lu Yu Xiao (Shangguan Qian), Tian Jia Rui (Gong Yuan Zhi), Jolin Jin (Gong Zi Shang) and Sun Chen Jun (Jin Fan)

Written by: Edward Guo.

Series directed by: Edward Guo & Luo Luo

I'll talk about everything I liked before I get into the stuff that I didn't.

Right off the bat, this show has some of the most gorgeous characters you'll come across and this applies to both the men and the women. The costume and make-up departments do an amazing job making already attractive people look ridiculously attractive. They also help the actors really inhabit the world seamlessly. The costumes are especially incredibly detailed and intricate, you can see the care that went into crafting the look for each of these characters. Shout-out to Huang Wei (costume designer) and Shi Hui (Make-up)

One of the best aspects of the show is the cinematography by Wei Hong. This show is aesthetically beautiful, so many absolutely stunning shots. Chinese shows (and Korean shows) love slow-motion shots, and while at times, it can be a bit much, this show makes great use of them, especially during the fight scenes.

The cinematography is helped to a great extent by the excellent production design, courtesy Jiyao Zhang. Like the costumes, the production design too is detailed and intricate. The world feels fully realised and yet also lived in. Each of the different clan mansions, the Front Hill and Back Hill are so incredibly different and distinct that you can immediately tell where you are. An insane amount of hard work went into the show and it shows in every frame.

You can tell that they had a good budget to work with and every bit of it was spent on making the show look as stylized as possible, there is not an ounce of realism to be found here, cue slow-motion beautiful hair flying shots. (Every day I bemoan my inability to make gifs) But the screencaps below illustrate the beauty of the show, it's so gorgeous that you could literally use screencaps as wallpapers.

The fight scenes in the show are some of the best I've seen. They are intense and thrilling and always coherent, you can always tell who's fighting who. The fight scenes are also so aesthetically pleasing, like an exceptionally deadly dance.

Now, we come to the not-so-great stuff.

First off, the marketing. The show was marketed and advertised as an action fantasy show and while there is action and it is excellent, it's not an "action" show. The main focus of the show is on the characters and the internal power struggle of the Gong family. There are also whole scenes, sometimes making up the bulk of an entire episode which are just conversations. I've seen a lot of viewers disappointed and it makes sense. they thought they were coming for action and instead they got verbose conversations.

The pacing also comes to a near-halt in some of these scenes and instead we're treated to lengthy expositions which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it becomes tedious when it happens repetitively.

Now, let's come to the worst thing about the show, it's ending, specifically the last 5 minutes. This end is ridiculously mindbogglingly bad when you consider that there is almost no confirmation on a 2nd season. It's just such a bad idea to end on a cliffhanger like this. If they wanted to leave things open for a potential 2nd season, they could have ended with the Wufeng elders coming together at that character's home, possibly to hold them ransom or something, like literally anything else.

if you're planning on watching this show and I do recommend it, keep in mind that it does get slow and don't watch the last 5 mins of the show. Trust me, you'll like the show a whole lot more if you follow that approach.

Part 2 HERE

[dajaregambler]

HeliosR - Sing in the darkness - Chapter 2 - Part 20

Translation of Sing in the darkness from ‘Helios Rising Heroes’, a new side arc alongside the current main story arc Like the dawning light.

---Several days later.

Robin: …….

Nico: …………

Robin: Nico? What’s the matter?

Nico: Keeping my distance so Bianchi doesn’t find me

Robin: Aaah, he’s in high spirits about the costumes, isn’t he

Nico: I don’t want to be turned into a dress-up doll again today

Nico: ….Can’t you hide me with your powers? 

Robin: You can run away using yours when push comes to shove, no? 

Robin: Whatever you may say, you do end up accompanying him. 

Nico: ……The aftermath is a pain. Bianchi’s persistent

Robin: Is he now

-

Bianchi: Hmm~ …..Maybe I did lean too far into that trend? 

Bianchi: It’d feel stereotypical if you don’t do it well, so I tried out special effects makeup but it’s still…  

Sage: U-um, it’s all up to you to make the decisions on these things. However if I had to give any personal input, maybe the zombie make up is a little bit terrifying…?

Bianchi: Right. Those cuties from North got so scared they ran away, didn’t they?

Sage: Yeah… Nico-kun left the make-up on and went into the hallway, and by chance bumped into them… 

Sage: Even that Marion-kun got startled. Then he got furious about how he dared to go out looking like that.

Bianchi: It requires a certain amount of skill to recreate something of that level, you know? People who understand will see all the beauty that was poured into it…  

Bianchi: Still, the citizens are the ones that have to enjoy it. I’ll try thinking of a different direction. If I make it pop just a tiny bit more it will come together nicely. 

Sage: Phew, that’s good…

Bianchi: In other words, Sei-chan. Come keep me company again tonight. I’ll ask Nico-chan too later���

Sage: Ah, haha…. I’m looking forward to it.

Jude: Nothing compares to how bright Bianchi shines whenever he’s thinking about design.

Bianchi: Hold it. Don’t just suddenly act like you’re part of the conversation?

Jude: But I’m always part of it? I don’t say anything but I thoroughly listen to everything. 

Bianchi: That gave me shivers…

Sage: Ahaha. Nice to see Jude-kun and Bianchi-san getting along as they always do.

Bianchi: Sei-chan?

Jude: Haha, Sage’s got a keen eye when it comes to people

Jude: You entrusted the designing part to Bianchi, and assigning the costumes to him as a whole was a good call too. It’s a choice coming from how you closely pay attention to who you’re talking to.    

Sage: Eh… really? Jude-kun praising me is making me somewhat embarrassed. 

Bianchi: Jude. Try telling us what the theme for the costumes are.

Jude: Huh? It’s rich and poor people, yeah?

Bianchi: Wrong, it’s angels and devils! How could you say that with such confidence…

Sage: Ah, hahaha….

Sage: ……

Jude: The weather has been off since earlier. It’s even thundering. 

Sage: Yeah….

Robin: Sage, are you okay?

[natlacentral]

STYLISED EXTREMES

RARE IS IT TO FIND A YOUNG ACTOR WHO ALIGNS SO PERFECTLY WITH THE ROLE HE’S BEEN CAST TO PLAY, THOUGH SUCH IS THE CASE WITH IAN OUSLEY. THE YOUNG TALENT, KNOWN TO FANS OF THE NEW LIVE-ACTION VERSION OF AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER AS MASTER STRATEGIST SOKKA, HAS TURNED HIS CHILDHOOD FANTASIES INTO ADULTHOOD ACTING DREAMS. HE TALKS TO US ABOUT HOW MARTIAL ARTS SHOWCASED HIS ACTING TALENTS AND FINDING LOVE WITHIN.

You’re playing the character of Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe in this new Live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender and you’re trying to restore peace and save the world with Katara and Aang. How was it to play such an iconic character?

 It was such a blessing to play the role of Sokka. I grew up on the show and it was one of my main inspirations for starting to do martial arts, so it was surreal to get the opportunity to join this project. Sokka to me has always been the voice to the audience in a way and was obviously so funny in the animated show that trying to capture the essence of the character is something I took very seriously… by not taking myself too seriously. It was a balance of being free in that space while still making it fit the live-action tone of our show. 

 

How has being Cherokee played into how you shaped Sokka and approached portraying the character?

 Building the world of the water tribe, which is based on indigenous culture, is something that was obviously crucial for us to capture accurately. Sokka is a proud member and leader of the Southern Water tribe and as a show, everything from the set designers, costume department, to props team created the physical world for us to live in, which made it easy to melt into the story we’re telling. I’m incredibly grateful to be on Team Water tribe with such a beautiful cast of amazing indigenous actors and actresses.

 It’s never easy to come into a well-established franchise. How does this live-action version remain true to the original spirit of the animated series, will there be any easter eggs in this show that fans of the original series will recognise?

 There are more than a handful of easter eggs in our show that the fans will be excited to see. They’ve already found so many of them just in the teaser, which is so fun to watch. Part of what makes this project so special is that everyone working on it has such a deep emotional connection to the show and wants to make it as good as possible, which means keeping that same breath from the show we’re basing ours on. Everyone was working their hardest to bring to life their side of the world whether that be an actor with the character they were playing or the writers' room bringing the scripts to life. For me, that meant trying to fight for as much comedy as I could every day, which is such an important part of the original show. 

 

Did you have to learn any new skills for the role and what were they?

 We did a six-week boot camp before we started shooting, which included stunt training every day, with all four of us together for most of it. That meant that I learned how to bend all four elements, and as we all know, my character can’t bend any of the four elements. In fact, when we meet him, he really doesn’t like bending at all because it was the main cause of his trauma in the past. Most of my stunt training consisted of learning how to look “untrained” as a fighter. We worked on throwing wide punches and improper hand placements for the forms with Suki and stuff like that. 

Talk to me about the costumes. Do you remember when you did your first fitting, how did it feel transforming into Sokka?

 It was one of my favourite parts of our show, getting to put on such intricate, detailed costumes daily, the costume designers really did such a fantastic job. The first time at the fitting with my wolf tail freshly cut and everything, was the first time any of it truly felt real. When I put on those clothes, especially my “warrior” look, it felt like I was living the real-life version of playing pretend in my room as a kid! Of course, when I was a kid, I was pretending to be Zuko, but still. 

 

So, how did acting come about for you?

 I got into acting through my martial arts competitions and being in the local paper for winning a state or district title. A talent scout from my hometown reached out to my mom to invite me to come audition, and being 13 years old, I’m sure I was terrible, but I was shameless. I think she saw something in me because she invited me into the class, and then I moved to Los Angeles when I was 14, (where I’m still based), and took acting classes out here. 

 You’re still working on learning your craft being so young and ready for what’s to come. Do you see yourself becoming more of a transformational or character actor? What are the dream roles for you?

 What a fun question! You’re right, I’m still working on my craft, and as an actor I don’t think you ever stop getting to do that honestly. What excites me right now is material that is going to stretch me equally as an actor and as a person. I love the research part of taking on a character, so a role where I could totally transform sounds really intriguing to me. I have always been drawn to extremes, so I love stylised films and then also, very realistic films. Tim Burton and Yorgos Lanthimos have been such inspirations to me on the stylised end of things, so the opportunity to jump into something otherworldly would be very enticing. A dream role for me right now would be to do something completely different from Sokka and play the villain of a story whether that be in a superhero context or otherwise.

 

Would you be open to playing romantic leads too, given your Instagram bio: ‘I was made for love’?

 That’s so awesome. Yes, I totally would be open to playing a romantic lead, but as for my bio, it’s meant to be more of a mission statement in a way. I think we were all made to love and truly be loved. I’ve found that sense of identity in loving God with my heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

Speaking of love, fashion is a passion of yours I see. There must be plenty of designers falling over themselves to dress you and make you their muse. Any favourites?

 Some of the brands that are really catching my attention right now are Maison Margiela and Acne Studios, but my personal favourite has been Hedi Slimane’s Celine as you can probably tell!

 

You have a clothing line called KALÓ SOIL. Tell us about that and how it came to be as well as your passion for repurposing clothing and vintage items.

 Kaló Soil is a project I joined in on with a couple of my friends. We were selling a collection of curated vintage items from the 1940s-1990s. We eventually added our own in-house collection to our brand to learn how to cut, sew, pattern, and creatively direct a brand. Some of our styles include taking patterns from our favourite vintage pieces such as a fencing jacket from the 1940s made with brand new materials with our own twist on the detailing. 

What are you wearing right now just in case your style icon is reading this? 

 Well, Denis Rodman, if you're reading this right now, I’m wearing some Hedi-era YSL boots, baggy raw denim Kaló Soil jeans that have some real gnarly heel drag on them, an old 3/4 sleeve French chore jacket and a Tiffany chain from the ‘70s that used to be my grandma’s. 

 

What about music, a fash-influencer must pay homage to the tunes too. What’s your ear porn?

 I really love music. I had a scary number of minutes racked up on my Spotify wrapped this year honestly. I’ve been listening to a lot of Blaze Foley these days. I grew up in a very musical family, so I’ve played drums my whole life. I sing every day, everywhere I go, and my friends wanna kill me for it, I’m sure!

 

Ok, choose one song that sums up your wish for the future.

 Let It Be by The Beatles

[zorkaya-moved]

ZARINA'S BUSINESS IN FONTAINE: THE SUMMARY.

MISTRESS SEREBRO: The woman who owes Zarina her life, the current owner of Fontaine's most successful theater and art gallery under the same names. True full name as of now is "Marianna de Beausoleil" and it's the name known within Fontaine. Her birth name was "Marianna Belobogova." Currently, she's referred to as 'Mistress Serebro.'

A woman from Snezhnaya who married a Fontanian noble and the owner of the theater within the land of Justice. It's commonly known as "Aurora Borealis" Theater. It's well known that the previous Count de Beausoleil was a crude man who was only successful because of his wife's artistic talents. She was married off quite young, but suffered greatly from her husband's wish to never have her beauty belong to anyone but him. Thus, she stopped showing her face and expose any of her skin to the public in fear that it would bring jealousy and possessiveness of her husband. No one knows how Mistress Serebro looks but many whisper about her possibly now hiding her aging face. Oh how wrong they are.

However, Marianna met Zarina - a fellow Snezhnayan - during those days just a late teen who was searching for someone... for her. Upon witnessing the truth of Marianna - the very reason that now she not only wears a mask and covers her body simply because of her husband's jealousy but because now she was harmed by him, for years even. Resilient and stubborn, Marianna was waiting for the day when she could take what she believed was always hers: the theater and her life.

After spending enough time with young Zarina, Marianna for the first time felt a surge of power. Her eyes would light up and her inner wish for revenge was flared up. It didn't take long for her husband to start getting sicker, but none would think about his wife. Marianna was well-beloved across Fontaine for her charitable work, for her support of those who enjoy magical arts, and for those who wish to work in the theater. While her husband had the name and the fame, she did all the work and it was well-known. Her husband passed away in Natlan where he was found with his mistress, the mistress was the one who killed him. Or so the story goes.

What people don't know is that her freedom was intoxicating to Marianna to the point where she would pledge her loyalty to Zarina, borderlining worship as she'd kiss the young girl's hand. But the only thing that was asked was this: Be my eyes and ears within Fontaine, Mistress Serebro, and give me everything that you are.

What did it mean? Oh, let us tell you that no one knows when it's Mistress Serebro who visits the theater or when it's Zarina Sokolova in her disguise. After all, it was all how it was supposed to be. Marianna would welcome actors and actresses, scriptwriters and costume designers, artists and more to her place from all across the world. To them, she is their savior. To Zarina, she's her prettiest doll.

ZARINA'S GENERAL BUSINESS IN FONTAINE: Zarina is someone who has her eyes and ears almost everywhere in Fontaine solely because of how many people from Fontaine visit the black market or wish to gain information from her about others. No one knows how the owner of A.S.H. looks like similarly to how it goes with Mistress Serebro and the theater. Many higher end people from merchants to owners to more exchange information for drugs, for tools, for other information, and for... other favors. Only the most loyal have the pleasure of seeing Zarina herself.

She is known under the name of Mademoiselle Celine Richelieu who is famous for her grand balls and her even grander... more indulgent events that happen after the dark hours. A closed club for those who love to enjoy themselves in more than just money and pretty pictures, but more of indulgence of the flesh, of the spirit, and of the darker sides. Nothing of... criminal activity, it's quite similar to casinos and many people who work in the government visit it to de-stress. Celine as an identity showcases herself being of bright and extravagant manner, indulging in lavishing events and letting others indulge in those as well... even if they are not of noble birth.

The only two rules of the Celine Richelieu's balls are: you must always wear masks and you must never say your name. It's all to prevent information from being given away.

In Fontaine, many political and rich figures see this as the 'necessary' evil. Without this indulgence, they wouldn't be able to live on like they always do. And, well, no one really knows until you receive an invitation yourself from Mademoiselle Richelieu. Fun fact is that Celine Richelieu is also a real person who Zarina uses to mas herself as when she arrives at Fontaine. However, she is - similarly to Mistress Serebro - is a woman who devoted herself to becoming Celine Richelieu to thank Zarina for giving her a new life. Who is the one behind Celine's mask if not Zarina? That woman's name and history has been erased fully, not even a single knowledge about her birthright can be found. What's known is that Celine is a blonde haired woman with eyes of gold.

[rikeijo]

Today's translation #325

Yuri!!! on Life, Chacott's Sagiri Yuko (costumes)

Part 10. [Short comments about costumes cont.]

Jean Jacques Leroy

SP: Theme of King JJ

JJ always looks like he's having a great time, and in the original design, a mint green color was used to give him a translucent vibe. [In Jp "transparent" or "translucent" is often used to describe how people look and the meaning is something like "beautiful and clear, without any impurities or imperfections".]

FS: Partizan Hope

The image is that of a king, so to give him a stately look, decoration that are normally not used very often, like fringe trims, for example, were added to the costume.

Michele Crispino

SP: L'homme Arme

The costume looks tough, but the used fabric is light and elastic. The boots are made of fabric, too, that he covers his skates with.

FS: Serenade for two

The lyrics tell a story about a sweet romantic love and the image is of somebody stylish going back home after a date, so the costume looks a bit like a everyday clothes.

Emil Nekola

FS: Anastasis

Because he's well-muscled and the theme is "I'm no longer human", the parts of the costume made with net was added to achieve a cold, artificial impression.

Minami Kenjirou

FS: Minami's Boogie

To compliment his hair, red accents were added to the costume. The combination of shirt and vest creates a costume that real-life junior competitor could easily choose for himself.

[sanversandfriends]

One way to spark a writer's enthusiasm about a WIP is the promise of accompanying fan art. Not only is it exciting to see your story brought to life, but to paraphrase @Morganastorm24, even a small shift in perspective can inspire you to take a wildly different approach. Today, she'll share some of her inspirations along with advice on how to get started or unstuck.

Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been creating fan art? What were some of your first subjects and what ships/characters in the SG universe have you illustrated?

I mentioned in my writing answers that I've been doing it for as long as I can remember, and the same applies with art. I'm generally a very creative person - writing, drawing, crafting - you name it, I'll happily do it. 

I inherited my creativity from my grandparents, or so I'm told. My grandfather used to drive buses back in the 50s and 60s and on his breaks he'd park up somewhere and sit and sketch his surroundings. For no reason other than he wanted to and liked doing it. He also enjoyed woodwork and crafting miniature models of things out of wood. He built me my very first dolls house and I helped him to decorate it and furnish it with miniature furniture.

My grandmother was a seamstress for the theatre and made all the costumes for various productions. She'd sketch the designs out first, and then sew all the costumes by hand. She was also a writer, though she kept her stuff very private, because it was a hobby for her but not one that she felt comfortable enough to share. Sometimes, I can understand why, because I feel the same. Growing up, I loved spending time with both of them because they shared their skills with me. 

What are your favorite mediums to work with?

Photoshop is a big favourite of mine, because you can do pretty much anything, so long as you can find the right images to merge together. I also love using pro-markers and other comic book markers.  What kinds of scenes do you enjoy illustrating? Do you have any favorite tropes or themes? Imagery that you like to work with?

I love to do anything, as long as I have a clear vision of it in my mind (when using photoshop), or I have an image I can use as a reference (when I'm drawing by hand). The only thing I can successfully draw freehand without any reference is a horse (my lifelong love of the animals showing through there). When I worked in a children's nursery, we often drew large images for the kids to decorate which would then be displayed on the walls. I was always the one who ended up drawing said images, and to be honest I loved it. When I left that job to start my current one, I was gifted two of the last things I'd drawn - the rose from Beauty and the Beast, and the Coca Cola Christmas Truck. I've kept them to this day, and they're in a protective folder in storage. 

Any advice for aspiring fan artists?

One thing I learned in art lessons when I was at school (and it has stuck with me to this day), is that if you're struggling to draw something, change the perspective. My art teacher told us the following story about a disabled man, and I've tried and tested this method myself. It really does work!

A young man in a wheelchair was asked to draw his wheelchair. He hated the thing, saw it as a hindrance that cut him off from everything that he'd been able to do before he was confined to it. It was a reminder of his past life and everything he had lost, so when he tried to draw it, he was full of anger and resentment, and eventually threw his pencil down in frustration, declaring that he couldn't do it.

Instead of giving up on him, his teacher took the wheelchair, turned it upside down and told him to try again, but don't draw it as a whole. See the individual shapes and draw those. Focus on one shape at a time. So the young man did. He drew what he could see - circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, cylinders - and when the teacher took his piece of paper and turned it round, he had drawn a wheelchair.  All because changing the perspective of the subject and breaking it down into basic shapes had made his brain approach the task differently.  So if you're ever stuck on something and you don't know how to move forward, or do what needs to be done, try looking at it from a different angle. It could be literal, like turning the chair upside down, or it could be figurative, like seeing a circle instead of a wheel, a tube instead of a handle, that sort of thing. Change the perspective and you might just surprise yourself.

Thanks for sharing with us, Morgana--and for making us continue to swoon over Alex!

And Maggie!

And Lena!

And...