#you could tell the set and costume design had a lot of love put into them

[lazycranberrydoodles]

portrait practice with SILO characters rahhhh (for each i tried to work from reference as much as i could and then switched to tracing so that they Looked Right.)

[mochatsin]

School Play

There’s another school play in which you act as the main lead because Simeon thought you’d be perfect for the role, there’s no need to cast anyone else (much to Asmo’s dismay). He’s seen your performances before, and you’re one of the easiest actors to work with compared to the brothers that constantly got their lines wrong during rehearsals. Simeon can get frustrated, and it seems that the brothers feel the same way, if not terrified of the angel’s sudden change in attitude as soon as he plays the director. You’re just relieved he’s not that way towards you.

Of course, who wouldn’t want to see a play written by Christopher Peugeot himself. The theme was a thrilling love story wherein the hero would have to go through a long journey to rescue the one they love, which was you. They would meet so many characters that would either support the hero or become an obstacle on his way to defeat the cruel lord that locked you up. 

You’re the main love interest, and you sat on the side watching as everyone else in the room debated and fought each other on why they should have the main lead role, why they should be the hero who would rescue you. Seeing as how the atmosphere in the room is starting to have murderous intent, Simeon finally thought of a solution that would be fair to everyone. Draw lots. 

That’s how you ended up with Solomon as your hero, and Barbatos acting as the main villain and the rest playing a support role. They either help Solomon with the journey or act as one of Barbatos’ minions to try to stop him from his advances. Everyone could only blame their luck, though to say that Solomon was happy about his part is an understatement. Meanwhile, Barbatos does adore the parts where he keeps you all to himself, however he does not enjoy the scene where he had to terrorize a town since Diavolo’s character, a commoner (which he loves to play), is one of the victims that the hero finds which eventually sets the tone of the play to move forward. It takes a lot for Barbatos not to run to his master’s side while he was acting out his death.

Solomon is always ready to rehearse his scenes with you, and when it’s about lines talking about you, Simeon is impressed at how quickly he can memorize them. But then again, if they’re all about how much he adores you then it’s not difficult to remember at all. Lucifer and the others hate playing supporting characters where they have to hear about how much Solomon loves you. It’s bad enough they had to play the role of helping him, but there are several minutes of dialogue with his character telling them how important you are to him and how he needs to find you quickly! It took several practice rehearsals for Mammon to say his lines without sounding so forced or annoyed at him when his role is to literally help Solomon through the journey. 

Levi is quite happy with his role as the costume designer because there’s no way his envy wouldn’t flare up if he had to stand there and listen to that. That would’ve flooded the stage if he lost all control, so he decides to use headphones and blast music when it’s Solomon’s scene and only take it off once it’s you.

Satan would play the role of the narrator, and while he normally enjoys the part he got, it’s quite irritating that he has to tell the love story between you two, even if it’s merely a work of fiction. His claws threatened to tear holes into the script, but he kept himself calm and collected. They decided to put a leather cover binding to avoid that happening, and Satan actually likes how his own personal script looks like a book now. 

Lucifer is questioning why Simeon would write such a piece, given how most lines are so sickening and romantic. The angel wanted to tell a tale of lovers that could overcome everything, though he omits the fact that he really did have you in mind when he was writing this. Maybe he projected a little too much of his feelings, but the play still had more elements regardless that a lot of the audience would be able to enjoy. The action, the drama, and the tension that could keep everyone at the edge of their seats. 

What Simeon did not expect is for the brother’s self control to snap. Maybe he should’ve thought about that when he wrote down that kiss scene. It’s a page he kept between you and Solomon, as he knew that rehearsals would’ve been a disaster if they knew how the story would actually end. Of course he did ask for your permission, if this is something you’re comfortable with and he would rewrite the part if he needed. You don’t mind, and you understand why this was kept private. 

So when the day of the play came, everything was going smoothly. At least according to Simeon’s high standards.

Solomon and Barbatos really do seem to play the perfect role. A good villain doesn't need to yell, it comes with the composure they bring in the story that sometimes people wonder if Barbatos is really acting. The fight scenes were also phenomenal whenever Solomon would use some sort of imagery magic to make it more realistic, sparkes and effects flying in the air as they fought until Barbatos eventually fled, claiming defeat but he will be back for you one day. 

What the brothers thought was a successful play became something they dreaded when you and Solomon continued the scene. These were lines they’ve never heard before, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess where this was heading. Satan is furiously flipping through the script trying to see where this was coming from, but this part was hidden from the Avatars on purpose. 

“Oh how I longed to hold you like this in my arms.” Solomon says as he pulls you in an embrace that lingered longer than the brothers would like while they watched from backstage. 

“Did you truly miss me that much?” You say, meant to be a half tease to the hero as you returned the hug. It’s a romantic reunion that the audience has been waiting for. 

“More than you could ever think.” Solomon sounds so convincing. He says his lines as if you two were truly apart for so long, that there’s disbelief in his voice like this was all a dream and he would wake up to find that his journey is not over, that you were still locked away. But he has you in his arms, and that’s all he needs to ground himself. “Each time I see the crescent moon, I’m reminded of the smile that graced your lips. It pains me whenever I turn to my side and realize that you’re weren’t with me.”

Solomon brushes the hair away from your face before cupping your cheek, looking at you so lovingly that you feel your heart skip a beat, almost forgetting that you’re acting out a scene. But to the sorcerer, he doesn’t need to act. “Tell me, will you grace me with those lips?” He asks, and that’s the cue for you to slowly lean forward to seal the deal. 

“HOLD IT!” 

Both if you freeze before turning back to see Mammon pointing the sword prop at Solomon. The sorcerer is confused, and perhaps a little irritated that his moment with you was ruined. It would’ve been a perfect way to end the play. “What are you doing?” Solomon asks with furrowed brows. 

“That’s my line! Get ya grimy hands off em!” Mammon growled, taking a few steps forward. 

“You’re not even supposed to be part of this narrative.” Solomon reminds the demon, warning him for ruining the scene. 

“You claim that as so,” Satan says as he appears by his brother’s side in a puff of green flames, looking quite pissed. “How dare you rewrite the ending to your liking, and then use the Narrative as your shield. You should be ashamed of yourself, filthy thief.” the demon hissed as he threw the script he fashioned into a book  across the stage. The brothers fully believed they were deceived with the script, and that Solomon had something to do with it.

The audience are now all captivated at the scene unfolding before their eyes as they watched the Narrator throw the book across. Perhaps the book told the whole scene, and that Solomon actually rewrote the ending according to his will since they assumed that script was an actual prop to keep the story going. “Was the hero actually manipulating the whole scene?” “What a crazy twist!” “Wait, so who's the real lover?” “Were they tricked to think that Solomon was the real love interest?!”. Whispers rang in the air as they were all made to believe this was still part of the play

That might be the only way for them to salvage what could’ve been a successful performance: to keep acting. Solomon reluctantly lets go of you before standing up to face the two demons. “I can’t believe you all would cause a scene, after all we’ve been through. After all they’ve been through.” Solomon says as he gestures to you, who is just as confused as the crowd. 

“Ah, so you acknowledge our efforts and yet you get to keep them for yourself?” Belphie steps in on the other side of the stage, with Beel following behind him. “Kinda greedy isn’t it? Even greedier than him.” Belphie says while pointing at Mammon. That somehow got the audience to laugh. 

“That’s pretty selfish too, and that’s coming from me!” Asmo finally chimes in, holding onto his tulle costume while he stomps into the stage. He wouldn’t let his brothers steal all the spotlight, and there was also no way he was going to let Solomon just kiss you like that on the stage. If it were him instead, you both would be the talk of the week! “Honestly dear, that’s quite a big low. Even for someone like you.” 

Simeon is just thankful that Lucifer and Levi didn’t even chime in on this monstrous mess of a show, he has their pride and anxiety (respectively) to thank for. Despite the sudden improv show, it seems that it captured the audience’s attention… just not in the way that he hoped.

Solomon is now putting you behind him with a magic spell flaring by the palm of his hand. Nothing harmful, just something that’s more flashy than anything. The other demons are closing in on you both, trying to make up lines on why you should choose them. Of course, a fight breaks out and everyone in the audience cheered for whoever they were rooting for to win while you stayed behind and watched the chaos unfold. 

It took one wrong spell after another for the boys to lay on the ground, groaning after Satan and Solomon’s stun lock spell collided into something bigger that it affected everyone in the stage except you since you stayed behind. You wondered what you could say or do to salvage this as the audience is watching intently on what happens next. 

Thankfully, Lucifer finally steps on the stage, calm and collected as ever while he tries to avoid the groaning actors. He played as one of the Barbatos’ henchmen that Solomon defeated, so seeing his reappearance was definitely a shock to the crowd. You prayed that Lucifer has a plan on getting you out of this mess without ruining the play you all worked so hard for. Luckily, Simeon told him a few lines that could salvage the play and save you from the embarrassment.

He grabs your hand and kisses the back of it, a small smirk appearing on his face before he continues. “I’m here to collect you, under my master’s orders. It seems that he was right, that none of these heroes were ever deserving of your heart.” Lucifer says while he stares at his idiotic brothers with discontent, managing to stay in character just like you hoped. “Luckily, we don’t need to rely on cheap tricks and underhanded tactics.” 

Solomon groans, rubbing his eyes profusely but his vision won’t focus yet due to the spell. “Don’t listen to them…” He says, desperately trying to reach out to you. Lucifer only lets out a low chuckle as he watches how pathetic the hero has become.

“Come with us, and we’ll be sure to prove them wrong.” His line is full of confidence with a slight mischief, and the crowd cheers as the lights go dark and the curtains drop, signaling the end of the play. 

What should’ve ended in a happy love story became some sort of twist. People now assume the hero might’ve manipulated the scene which they find amusing if the good guy of the story was not who they pictured to be, and the villains may actually have a shot of winning your heart. It’s the talk of the school, and people are praising Simeon for writing such a crazy plot twist, which he finds a little frustrating since it’s the only part he didn’t actually plan. He’s not sure if he wants to thank the brother’s recklessness or not. 

Even after Simeon explained the hidden parts that were reserved just for you and Solomon since he expected something like this could happen at the rehearsals, he never really anticipated that they would jump in the scene like that on the actual performance itself. Now he has to write another play in the future as many expressed their wish to see what happens between you and the dark lord Barbatos. 

Needless to say, many of the brothers were strung upside down by their feet after the show.

[cursedcupcakemaster]

Can I request Cupcakes with Spider Cider (x reader) , I'm genuinely confused how to request ngl

It's quite alright and you're more than welcome to have cupcakes with spider cider

Since this event isn't available on the English server I'm going off what I have here as for how you request, if youre requesting with drinks on the menu you ask for a glass/cup depending on if it's tea,coffee or soda or in skullys case cider and if it's additional with something like fluff or yandere you can ask for it say it was an order of cupcakes with a glass of spider cider

I'll fix that eventually

If this order is for an oc you can say their name, give some details about them and i will work with it

Anyways enjoy 🧁

Order; Fluffy cupcakes with a glass of spider cider

Notes; I do not own twisted wonderland, Skully or the reader,Skully and Twst belong to Disney as well as the brilliant mind of Yana Toboso, reader belongs to themselves this is just my interpretation of how this would go with the character, it's implied here that Skully came to visit and that you've met before, reader isn't neccesarily Yuu but if you want to imagine they are you're welcome to, y/n, reader is you

Warnings;fluff, not much else

🎃 Halloween carnival: Skully. J x reader🎃

It was finally time for your favorite time of year

As always Crowley requested your help, and this time it was setting up the Halloween carnival, he put you in charge of decorating which thankfully you could do since you happened to love designing things

There was a lot to do but little did you know you'd get a little help in the form of a handsome boy who was just crazy about the holiday

Skully found you carving pumpkins and was rather impressed with your handiwork

You were happy to see him again after last years event

Grinning he asked if all of the pumpkins were yours and you replied yes before telling him what you were doing this for

This made his eyes light up asking if he could help you in your endeavor so you agreed

After carving many pumpkins you had enough Jack O Lanterns

Next was the tents, it wasn't hard when you had friends in your corner to help with their magic granted you had to stop a certain duo(cough Ace and Deuce cough) that shares a brain cell from destroying each other

Once all that was set it was time for costumes, Vil had been giving you lessons in sewing and it was the perfect time to put those skills to use

Skully too was having fun stitching together your guises

When it was done and you dressed in the costume, you saw Skully had a massive blush upon his face clearing his throat Skully offered his arm which you linked with your own

Crowley thanked you for your hard work but of course bragged of how he is so gracious to allow his student to practice their skills making everyone roll their eyes

While everyone enjoyed the carnival Skully led you to one of the areas where guests could dance and danced with you in a slow waltz

"There's something I'd like to ask you y/n" he spoke

"What is it?" You asked

"I'd like you to...be my partner, if that's what you want to"

You felt your face heat up but brought yourself to tell him "I'd love to"

With that he pressed his lips to your own in a kiss while the moonlight illuminated the two of you

[libraryspectre]

I wanted to talk about the Black Parade uniforms and it kind of turned into an entire essay. My ideas on the intention behind each costume and their cohesion as a group really evolved over the course of writing this, and I think it brought into focus a lot of things I knew subconsciously but hadn't articulated. I also noticed a lot of details I had never seen before. This has futher convinced me that 1) costume design and what you can say with it is really fascinating and 2) this is S-tier costume design of all time. And it's really long so I'm putting the rest under the cut.

What I would have loved is a Weezer-style picture of the five of them standing side by side, full bodies visible, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to exist. They're either covering each other up, or posed in such a way that details aren't visible or cut is hard to compare, so I'll have to provide a variety of visuals. This weirdly blurry poster is the closest thing I could find to a Weezer picture, so take them in as a group and refer back as necessary. I want to start by saying, obviously, that they look amazing both individually and as a set. "Dark marching band of death" is a really fun concept that is very well executed. But this isn't their first time doing a look as a group - think back to Revenge for a minute, when they really started to think about their costuming as a band. Gerard has talked about how then, they were kind of closing ranks against the vitriol coming their way. They needed to feel like a team, a gang, and dressed like one. I think some of this mentality has carried over into the Black Parade uniforms - they're less defensive, (there's no bulletproof vests), but in taking on new, nameless identities they have removed themselves as individuals from the equation, which is protective in its own way. What's left are stage personas, and the more you look the more you see that these were designed by someone who is very familiar with the history of the band and how each member presents themselves on stage. It's absolutely genius costume design, because when everyone is in uniform, the little differences are more noticable and tell you so much about the intention behind each variation.

Before we really start, I have to confess that I have no history in costuming or even a lot of familiarity with marching or military bands. I can only say I find costuming interesting, so I've read a little about it, and I went to high school in America and almost all my friends were in marching band. Someone who is more educated in these things could probably give more specific insights and have a better vocabulary to talk about it, but do not underestimate me. I am deeply obsessed with MCR and got A's in English, so let's find some meaning in symbolism! But please remember that with all art, there is no one interpretation. And remember going forward that these costumes were designed by Colleen Atwood, based on sketches she was given by Gerard, so there's no telling what elements were brought in by her and what elements Gerard had planned originally. If anyone has sources on that, PLEASE let me know because I'm very curious about the design process.

Also, I'll be using the uniforms as they appear in the WTTBP video as the standard, with acknowledgements toward variations seen in posters and the FLW video. It's worth noting that in many live performances they wore different, less unique jackets, and often forewent the pants for black jeans. This is almost certainly because they were easier to perform in and they didn't want to subject the originals to the sweat and rowdiness of regular shows. Ok, here we go! Here are some pics to refer back to throughout.

Starting with the band as a whole, I want to point out two things: first, marching bands evolved from military bands. The individual costumes vary in how "military" they look, but you can definitely see the influence when you look at them as a set. I imagine they leaned into that a bit because of the military elements on the record - the suggestion in Mama that the patient was a soldier, maybe even a war criminal. We also know they've done military aesthetics before, in The Ghost of You music video, and that the band was formed in response to 9/11. Suffice to say, the military is on the mind, and this is a continuation of that.

They also look a bit like skeletons. Obviously they would occasionally do the face paint, but the uniforms themselves suggest a ribcage with the horizontal silver lines, and at some angles the stripes on the pants also really contribute to the image. I know most people have already realized this, but I wanted to point it out explicitly because it took me an embarassingly long time to see it.

Alright, I'm gonna talk about them individually now, going from my personal least to most favorite. Taste aside, they're all individually really interesting.

5. Bob

(I can't find another good Bob picture, just scroll up to the blurry one)

It's not just because I don't like Bob, I genuinely like this one much less than all the others. It might be because it's less tailored - the others look much sharper, he looks almost rumpled in comparison. The lose fit might be because as a drummer, he needed better range of movement, but I'm not a drummer so I don't know. The cut of his jacket looks kind of naval to me, which is interesting. His stripes are also very minimal compared to the others. Overall, his looks the least like it's part of a set. I don't necessarily think they meant to set him apart, but maybe they did, considering he's the only non-original member (I'm counting Frank as an original member) and the only one not from New Jersey (which, I only point out because they ALWAYS point that out to people who mention they're a Jersey band. We're from Jersey, Bob is from Chicago.) Maybe it was a subconscious thing, or maybe as the drummer his costume was designed to make the most of what would be visible sitting and partially obscured by the drum kit. It does have a very dramatic collar. That's probably also part of the reason they gave him a more distinctive haircut for this - I'm not gonna talk about hair much, but it's worth mentioning. Overall, I don't have a ton to say about Bob because I don't think of him much (sorry, but not really).

4. Frank

Frank's is really interesting. His is the least traditional-looking, which is why it's here in the ranking, but I like it and I think there's a good reason for that. Those stripes on the sleeve are a really strong look, and the material of the silver has kind of a tarnished/dappled look you can see better in other photos. I've seen people say it's a subtle camo pattern, but I'm honestly not sure - I think he's supposed to look a little less new and shiny. The blockiness of it widens him and gives him a lot of presence that might be lost if he was dressed more like the others, and it compliments his performance style well. That's particularly important in the WTTBP video - on that float, he simply doesn't have room to be as wild and energetic as his standard performance was at the time, so this uniform helps him stand out and draw attention to what thrashing he is able to do. As far as bucking tradition, he also is the only one without shoulder tabs (those little loops). There's something funny about that - those tabs are meant to hold loops and eupalletes that would signify rank, placement, or achievement, which apparently you could not give to Frank if you tried. I think this lack of traditionality is reflective of Frank's more punk sensibilities, having come up in the Jersey scene. His playing style evolved over time as he and Ray influenced each other, but at the start he was very much their punk guitarist and coming up in that scene continued to influence how he conducted himself as a musician. I think this uniform marks him as a non-conformist even within the group.

He also has that patch with a red cross on the sleeve, the only bit of color on any of them. I don't know what to make of that, maybe it's just for the Catholic vibes.

Honestly, Frank's feels the most like what people would expect from an "emo" marching band uniform. Especially considering the poster, where he's found a hole to stick his thumb through. I don't think he's wearing it in the video, but in that poster he has this belt with some kind of weapon?? Maybe?? We get it, he's a dangerous little man.

3. Mikey

Mikey's uniform is by far the most military - it's not just the medal, it's also the cut of the jacket. And he's the only one with a fun little belt, which helps keep the silhouette look nice and tailored even though the jacket flares a little at the waist. We all know the medal is a reference to his death in The Ghost of You video (there's no way they didn't know we would make that connection) and it wouldn't surprise me if the rest of his uniform looks more military because it was built around that idea. But also consider Mikey's stage presence at the time - due to his discomfort on stage, he used to be really stoic, standing in the back, getting the job done with little showmanship. I think that presentation lends itself well to a classic military figure. Mikey is also pretty thin, and the long jacket and it's strong, solid construction keeps him from looking too Victorian-orphan waifish (especially with how pale they all are), and more like a dead soldier boy.

Additionally, Mikey's costume leaning so hard into the military side helps them look more military as a group. It keeps the association in your mind when you look at the others. Also, he's wearing a little necklace here, which I've never noticed before, is he wearing that in the videos?? I think it's an anchor, which is fun considering he died on a beach.

2. Gerard

Yes, Gerard's is #2 in my ranking. I'm sorry, I might have a slight bias knocking it down from #1. But maybe not, let me defend myself when I get there. Anyway, Gerard's is the most classically marching band, which makes sense considering he's the frontperson. In fact, he has one of those braided loops on his shoulder we talked about earlier, demonstrating.....something, it seems to vary a lot, but we're probably meant to think leadership. He's not wearing it the WTTBP video, but it's there in Famous Last Words. He also has that fancy little star thing on the shoulder, which definitely seems to suggest rank. Otherwise, his uniform is very basic. He's the template that the others' uniforms are variations of. And it's a great look! He's also got nice big buttons compared to the others, three whole rows of them, which is a nice touch to make it look a liiiiittle more feminine. Because, of course, the back of the jacket is corseted, in a genious stroke of gender that puts the entire outfit in a new context. I think this is a good example of how Gerard likes to play with androgony by balancing masc and femme elements. The cut of his jacket makes his shoulders look wide and his waist narrow, but not so narrow it looks terribly feminine (just a little, taken on its own). A lot of this is achieved by the piping - notice how on Bob, Mikey, and Frank, the top row of piping (I might be using that word wrong but let's go with it. I'm talking about the silver stuff across the chest) is pretty much the same length as the bottom row? On Gerard, they start out wide way up on his shoulders and get progressively narrower at the waist. It's still a mostly masculine silhouette, but then you have the counter balance of the big buttons and his little white pixie cut, both of which lean just a little further toward femme than masc. It's an androgynous look that leans toward masc as a whole, until he turns around and, boom, corseted back. Showstopping. He also had those black leather gloves that give some nice formality, and maybe a touch of impersonality. They make it so that when he's in full uniform, the only skin you can see is that of his face. They're like an edgier version of the usual plain white marching band gloves.

1. Ray

Going purely by aesthetics, Ray's is my favorite. It's the fancy one, most obviously distinct by the flourishes around the buttons on his jacket. He Mikey are the only ones with pure silver shoulder loops, and Ray has more silver piping on his jacket than the others. In some pictures he's wearing this really ornate knotted tassle thing? You can see it in one of the group pictures above. He isn't wearing it in any of the videos, which makes sense as it could be really annoying while playing. The cut of his jacket at the bottom also looks formal to me, but I'm not sure why. Overall, the ornanamentation could be a reflection of his playing style - the same caveat here applies to Frank, in that they influenced each other through their parnership as guitarists, (and Ray has a lot of influences from different genres), but at the start he was their metal guitarist, and the guitars in metal are often complicated and showy. And he's their soloist, they need to show him off a little.

Additionally, the construction here is giving him an absolutely wild silohette. Like Gerard, the piping on his jacket gets progressively narrower to suggest a smaller waist, but without the really long stripes at the top to make the shoulders look broader. Those vertical lines across the front add to the effect because they're curved inward - which is interesting, because everyone else's uniforms are composed of entirely straight lines and sharp angles. And his jacket is cut REALLY high on the side. I can't tell if Ray's pants are more high-waisted than the others, or if it just looks that way because of the cut of the jacket. You see the stripe of the pants go all the way up his hip, and since he's already tall with long legs, it really accentuates that. It's hard to tell, but I think his pants are even a little more form-fitting than the others. The other day I saw people commenting on a gif of Ray in the WTTBP video about how they never noticed how long his legs are - this is why!

We talk about how part of what makes Ray such a compelling performer is how he moves, and I think this costume was designed to compliment fluid motion. The tailoring and curves of the piping avoid making him look too rigid or blocky, as a marching band uniform could easily do, and the high cut of the jacket lets the line of his legs continue uninterrupted. Honestly, this is a favorite look for Raygirls (gender neutral) for a reason - I think they knew exactly what they were doing putting him in a pretty, well-tailored uniform that accentuates his movement. (Caveat here that I'm a Raygirl (gn) so I'm definitely biased, and they all look great in their uniforms, but I do think Ray's is.....uniquely flattering, and I don't think it was an accident).

Conclusions

So now that we've talked about all of them, I think we have some interesting contrasts to make. Gerard and Mikey both have very classic looks, but Gerard's is more marching band and Mikey's is more military. Mikey and Bob both have very military looks, but Mikey's has a much more solid construction. Gerard and Ray are both on the marching band side of the spectrum, but Gerard's is classic while Ray's is ornate. My favorite contrast is between the guitarists - Frank's is blocky and rigid and tarnished, Ray's is curved and fluid and shiny.

The interplay between similarity and contrast is what makes this so compelling as a group costume - just by looking you can tell who's the leader, who's the tragic figure, who's the outcast, who's the rebel, who's being spotlit.

In closing, thank you Colleen Atwood and Gerard Way for designing these and the rest of the band for wearing them, I will never get tired of looking at them.

[agatharkn3ss]

I'll see you at the end.

I can't believe we are here already. I'm excited and sad in equal measure.

This show has been such a delightful surprise. I went into it without expecting anything in particular - I loved Wandavision and I loved Kathryn Hahn and that was that. I didn't expect to be literally bewitched by the magic I saw on the screen.

Put simply, the power of AAA is that it is clearly a product of love - from Jac Schaeffer, the actors, the writers, the directors, the set and costume designers, the composers (and THE GODDAMN LOPEZES!), the producers... I could go on.

That level of dedication shines despite (or maybe BECAUSE) the low budget, and it has two massive effects: 1) it creates a truly compelling and stunning story; 2) it sends a very loud, clear message that representation not only matters, but is NEEDED.

Of course it's not the first show that does this, but I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to me to watch something in mainstream media that is centred around sapphic women where their sexuality is NOT the plot of a show. It is not something anyone ever needs to ask about or question. They don't pretend to be younger characters either, they are all 38+ and proud of it, as they should. Instead they focus on what actually matters - their rich, complex stories.

But the diversity is also within the creators - of the producers, half of them were women, headed by superb Mary Livanos (a queer woman herself), costume designer Daniel Selon (also queer), all of the directors were women and there is also of course a diversity of ethnicities. I am a big believer of the power of diversity as it allows you to go places you wouldn't normally consider, and really round the story. And I love this quote from Jac Schaeffer who states "My prerequisites for writers who work with me are first, they have to be kind, respectful humans."

And what stories the writers tell! In the limited time they had, they managed to create these seven multidimensional characters that were all different, yet similar in a lot of ways. My only criticism would be that we really could do with longer episodes to actually allow some more meaningful conversations and connections. All beautifully complemented by the visuals - the practical sets as well as the costumes. I love how the costume designer took his time to consult with the actors for their interpretations, before even starting to create every single design.

And on top of the great character stories and visual , we then have an engaging plot with mysteries to solve on the way. I cannot emphasise enough how fantastic it felt to follow the breadcrumbs. To spot all those little details that would foreshadow what's to come. The different ways they appeared - through dialogue, visual clues, music themes, lore symbolism and so so many art and literature references. The knowledge and confidence that they were left there on purpose too, because the creators took the show seriously - it literally felt like finding little personal messages!

This is why I've decided I need to pick them up and then try to piece them all together - just to see if I could make my sense of it, since the creators clearly put so much love and effort. No other show has ever made me do it to this extent. And it's been so much fun! I loved I wasn't alone with this and that I could discuss and read others' theories too. It's like we've formed this awesome coven.

So in my post-AAA blues, I don't think I will have it in me to just take my "murder board" down. I feel there is still so much to explore so I will probably keep looking for any more cool details to cheer me up.

I've not been actually particularly precious about whether or not my theories could be right or wrong. If some of them are - great, bonus! If not, also great, I am looking forward to being surprised!

Although we haven't seen the ending yet, I have ultimate trust in Jac. After all, she once said:

"I believe so strongly in sticking the landing and it's always up to the audience whether or not you truly stick the landing. But I believe that you have to put all your energy toward that. It's your job to try the best you absolutely can to stick the landing. You have to plot your mysteries, figure out what they are. It’s like a good murder mystery. The feeling that you want at the end of a murder mystery is you want to be surprised, but not. It still needs to feel within the realm of possibility, right? It needs to make sense and still surprise you." 

So I trust we will have a solid ending, wherever it lands. And afterwards - I will always remember the time when a show has made me feel this way. Thank you!

[ileftmysoulinnorway]

We all had a tough end of the week, so I thought I would put together something about my IWTV set lurking experience in Prague, hopefully to cheer someone up and show you that the people working on our little show are incredible, everything is well thought out, and we have a lot to look forward to.

Locations

I am confident that Prague will be a good substitute for Paris. I love this post comparing Prague's Théâtre des Vampires location with a real Le Grand Guignol in Paris. But similar care is given to other locations as well.

I like to joke that I enjoyed a month-long tour of Prague's most famous landmarks, only to have the actual filming take place in nondescript alleyways right next to them. But it makes perfect sense. They want to capture the nicer and older parts of the city that suit them, but not anything that would tell you it's Prague.

Production design, costumes

I saw them build everything from scratch on several sets. And I'm in awe. From putting up posters that will probably only appear in the background of a single shot, to street names that fit the exact topography of Paris and make sense in the context of the scenes that take place on them, to storefronts that they really didn't have to pay that much attention to, or a menu at Le Dakar Café that you could only read up close, but someone took the trouble to make it anyway?

And maybe this attention to detail is normal, I don't know, but I still think Mara and her team deserve all the praise they get.

S1 showed us how much attention is paid to the costumes. I can assure you that has not changed. All the hats, coats, capes and dresses. I can't tell you how many times I've been pleasantly surprised. By the choice of colors for Lestat. By how beautifully all of Armand's black clothes come to life with little details.

People

There are so many people (and I mean SO many) working on the show and they all know exactly what is expected of them, everything runs like a well-oiled machine. I haven't seen any problems, any conflicts, any excesses.

I'm not under any illusion that everything was trouble-free, but really the only complaints I heard were about the horrendously hellish schedule (I guess that's normal) and then the occasional person wishing they had finished earlier (they never finished earlier).

They are all heroes to me.

Directors

Levan is the only one I saw. He seems so focused and professional. His "rolling...and action" is unforgettable.

Actors

After six locations and about fifteen scenes (and countless rehearsals and takes), I think I managed to get at least some idea of them, and yes, they really seem to be such nice people.

- Jacob, I don't envy him at all the emotional strain of playing Louis, but at the same time I love his portrait of Louis so much.

- Sam's transformation into Lestat is something to behold.

- Assad was the only one present on every set. I don't think we've fully realized how big a role he's going to have (at least in S2).

- Delainey, Ben, Roxane and everyone else 💜

Scenes

They were far from finished when the strike started, but at least (in my opinion) they got to the last block of episodes. 

I'm not going to pretend to have a concrete idea of what to expect from S2 based on what little I saw. But I do have a few guesses, and I'm insanely excited and thrilled. And, in the case of the 1700s flashbacks, totally confused. I can't believe they're going to do so many unexpected things, or other things so soon.

I truly believe that S2 will not disappoint any of us. We just have to wait a little longer. But if this strike means that everyone gets a better deal and the studios are forced to change their ways, it will be worth the wait.

[onebatch2batch]

Kastle prompt: Karen and Frank in the kitchen, an old sheet, and a set of clippers

Thank you for the prompt! @zushigirl also requested: "Frank hates costumes but dresses up for Halloween because Karen asks him to 🎃 Extra points if he scares Foggy in the process!"

There's no Foggy in this one, but I loved the first part. :)

[ao3 link]

--

“Uh uh,” Frank says dryly. 

“Please,” Karen begs, eyes wide and glittering, her scissors held aloft.

“No way, Karen.”

“Frank,” she whines. 

“I love you,” he says in a way that tells her he’s sorry this conversation even began, but he’s hoping to get out with the least amount of casualties, “but I ain’t wearin’ that.”

She frowns at him, then looks down at the items in her hands. The scissors make a forlorn little snip sound as she thumbs at one of the holes cut into the white sheet in her other hand. “But the party is in an hour and you don’t have a costume.”

The party refers to the Lieberman’s annual Halloween bash, one that Frank threatens to skip every year (and hasn’t once). This is Karen’s second year in attendance and she’s been talking about it all October, planning her outfit to the smallest detail and occasionally checking in about his own costume. Which he’s said, week after week, that he doesn’t have and doesn’t plan to have, mostly to annoy David. But it’s true. He didn’t dress up the previous years and he’s not planning to this year. 

But now there’s Karen, and a determined Karen, cutting holes in one of her old sheets to turn it into a ghost costume for him. He caught her too late to stop it, and now she stands there sullenly with one crooked hole in the fabric. And he won’t wear it no matter how much she begs because the only thing worse than the jackass not wearing a costume at the Halloween party he’s known about for a year, is the jackass wearing a clearly last minute costume at the Halloween party he’s known about for a year. And that he simply won’t live down. 

“I’m goin’ just like this. Doesn’t mean you can’t dress up, you put a lot of work into yours.”

“Hm.” Karen eyes his flannel and jeans thoughtfully, then sets about cutting the second eyehole into the sheet, despite his aborted and exasperated protest. “I want you to dress up too. And look–with this costume there’s no chance anyone will recognize you.”

That’s the absolute least of his worries. Not only will most of the party-goers in attendance be too hammered to recognize him as Frank Castle, but those who do know of his real identity know that he had a hand in bringing David home. So. Not worried. 

He is especially worried, however, about the look in Karen’s eye as she holds up the sheet in front of him as if judging the length. 

“Karen,” he pleads. “You can’t make me wear that. I’ll look like an asshole.”

She lowers the ‘costume’ and peers at him, attention piqued. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

He shrugs, realizing that in the face of Karen Page, his planning could have been better. If he’d have just planned his own damn costume she wouldn't be threatening with this one. And he knows–as much as he tells himself otherwise–that she’ll win this argument. Because he loves her more than he cares about his pride, and in the end he’ll wear a damn bed sheet if it makes her happy. “Guess so.”

She smiles, scheming and mischievous. “I have an idea.”

–

The party is in full swing by the time they arrive. This is by design–neither one of them cares for sober small talk, and by showing up later they enter into a cheer from a mildly drunk crowd who gives them an amused once over and then returns to their conversations. They trail into the kitchen in search of their hosts and find them standing at the counter, chatting with another couple. David and Sarah are dressed as the two main characters from that Grease movie, Frank realizes, but can’t remember the names. It’s been years since he’s seen it, and he wasn’t all that interested in it at the time.

“Uh,” David says ineloquently, squinting at them when they set down a plate of chocolate dipped pretzels. “Hello….ghost couple? That we probably know?”

Frank sighs and prays for patience, his breath ruffling the bedsheet in front of his mouth. Karen giggles at his side, her own laughter ruffling her matching bed sheet costume. The moment she realized he was worried about how he would look in a half-assed costume next to her pre-planned one (a pink jumpsuit and glittering jewelry, which she claimed was Saving Barbieland Barbie, and when that comes out online we can watch it together, it was amazing) she had cut holes in a matching sheet and pulled it on. His protests went unheard as she threw the first sheet over his head and adjusted it so that he could see. 

(“We’re a couple,” she’d told him with a smile in her voice when he tried to tell her to wear her original costume, “I like the idea of a couples costume. And this is more comfortable, anyways. Come on, we’re going to be late to being late.”)      

“It’s us,” Karen says, laughing.

“Oooh.” David grins, leaning closer. “You under there, Frank? Very spooky.”

“Watch it, Lieberman,” he grumbles, grateful for the sheet. He’s sure his ears are burning pink. He knew there would be jokes, but he’s less upset about them considering Karen is wearing the same thing. Regardless…David will go on all night if Frank doesn’t stop it now.  

Sarah sends Karen an amused look, one of those secret ones they usually exchange in his presence. He gathers their wordless conversation to mean something along the lines of You got him in a costume? and Just barely.

“Danny and Sandy right?” Karen asks them, pulling two beers from the open cooler and handing one to Frank. He fights the draped sheet off his arm to take it from her, eliciting another round of snickers from David as Sarah nods. 

“Yes! We watched it on our first date.” Sarah elbows her husband. “Quit laughing, David. I’m sure he can still punch under a sheet.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” He doesn’t seem sorry in the least, but he quits with the laughter at least. “Hey, we’re glad you guys came. You’re always welcome, you know that. Go have a good time. And don’t forget the costume contest at 10pm!”

They wander off with promises to catch up later, taking a few turns around the house. There’s a few people they recognize from previous gatherings that they talk with, and then a disastrous game of flip cup that has Frank seriously questioning his hand-eye coordination, and after about an hour when Frank is uncomfortably warm under the sheet, Karen takes his hand and leads him into the backyard. The weather is beautiful–there’s a full moon shining brightly on the various couples milling around, and the breeze is cool and sweet, bringing along with it that dropping-leaves-smell of fall. There’s an unclaimed porch swing towards the corner of the patio that they commandeer, pulling off their respective sheets in relief. 

“Okay,” Karen concedes, shooting her sheet a sour look. Her cheeks are flushed. “Maybe the ghost idea wasn’t my greatest. They’re so hot.”

Her hair is flying about her head, the static from the sheet making it frizzy. He chuckles, reaching over to flatten the wayward strands. “It was a good idea. I’ll buy you new sheets.”

“They were old, don’t worry.” She leans back, her shoulder pressing into his as she looks across the yard. It’s so peaceful out of the warm, humid air in the house. Even the music playing from inside is muted, giving them a little bubble of quiet. They sit without feeling the need to talk, swinging in the breeze, until Karen speaks again. “Thank you for humoring me.”

And–hell. She shouldn’t have to thank him for his lack of planning, for ruining her own costume just so he wouldn’t feel bad. He wraps an arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her temple. “Nothin’ to thank me for. Next year we’ll dress up as somethin’ really good, yeah?”

She turns to look at him, her smile curved against the moonlight. “Really?”

“Promise. You pick it, and I’ll wear it.”

“And…it will be a couples costume?” she asks, drawing out the question in a way that makes him realize exactly what she’s asking. She’s asking whether they’ll still be here, doing this, as a couple. Together, a year from now. 

“Baby,” he smiles, “ain’t no other kind, with us.”

And then he pulls her into his lap, kissing the pleased laughter out of her mouth, until David opens the backdoor and hollers that the costume contest is about to begin. 

[dragon-ashes1485]

For the RoP ask game: 8, 10, 14 (again)

Hellooooo!

Thank you for these!

"What accessory would you like most to own? (sword, brooch, crown, etc.)"

Ok so we've learnt how indecisive I am with these things...in that spirit I have to say it's a tie between Elrond's s2 sword or Narsil.

I prefer the design of Elrond's, but I'd love to have Narsil just to swish it like Elendil (and Aragorn with Anduril) did! I quite like the curve of the Elvish weapons though.

I just want any sword to be honest😂

"Choose three characters. What jobs would they have if they lived in our time?"

Ooh I'm loving this one!

Galadriel - I'm going off of her sense of adventure and her kindness towards others, so I think she'd be travelling to different countries to set up conservation projects. There's lots of orangutan sanctuaries in Borneo and I can picture her rescuing them from markets and taking them to be looked after, much like she did with Elrond haha. If she takes a break from travelling, I think she'd be a brilliant karate teacher.

Arondir - he runs the activities at outdoor adventure centres, particularly excelling at archery. He doesn't tell the kids off for talking when they're supposed to be asleep, either. He needs somewhere to put his Arondad™ energy! He gives me volunteer vibes, so maybe he organises hikes to raise money for charities, especially ones dealing with sickness, as a result of Bronwyn's passing.

Gil-Galad - Hairdresser. You can pry this idea from my cold, dead hands😂that man's hair is immaculate and he'd be great at sensing if the person was chatty or not. Also the gossip would be unreal. If, in the real world, he had children, he'd also head up the Parent Teacher Association like a boss, organising bake sales and making school play costumes, because he needs somewhere to put his Gil-Gadad™ energy

"Do you have a song you associate with a favourite character?"

So I've done Elrond already, so methinks it's Galadriel's turn!

Again...I'm so sorry but I have two songs😅

First is "Falling" by Florence and the Machine (so many of her songs are TROP-character-coded, I swear) partially because of the link to her fall at the end of s2, but also "fallen out of favour, fallen out of grace" just remind me of her at the beginning of s1 when she was sent away to Valinor to heal. Also "it's only when I hit the ground it causes all the grief" again reminiscent of ✨️that scene✨️

Secondly, is "The Woods" by Daughter because of the line "we were trying to stop the winter, killing all it could" isn't that exactly s2 ep1 Galadriel, trying to stop the darkness, it fits her so well!

Thank you so much for these asks!

[lizzyscribbles]

So I watched Arcane for the first time the other day. I've had my eye on it for years, I just never set aside the time to watch, but I needed something to keep my mind off stuff and so I turned it on. And like...holy shit. Holy shit. Like I have so many thoughts, it was such a mind-bending, morality twisting adventure and I'm stoked to go watch the new season. I wanted to bring up something I've been cooking on for a bit for funzies because apparently this is what I do for fandoms I'm interested in.

I want to talk about Jinx's season one outfit, specifically the subtle genius in it and how it adds to her character. When I first saw older Jinx's outfit I had to do a full stop and stare for a second. My first thought was just "great, another sexy, impractical video game outfit". Like, don't get me wrong, it's a sick outfit and I think it looks really cool, but her abdomen - and thus a lot of her vital organs - is completely exposed. What's up with that?

We all know that Arcane is based on League of Legends (fun fact, I actually didn't know until I started watching it), which is a video game. "Lizzy, we know this," I know, but bear with me. Video games of this caliber aren't always known for having good, realistic female outfits that aren't solely designed to be eye candy. So, as much as I like the outfit in the show, it was kind of a turn off.

But, as I continued to watch the show, I came to a realization. You don't see that design among the rest of the female characters in the cast. I mean, look at Vi, Caitlyn, even the female members of the council. They all have far more functional clothing that doesn't expose their vital organs. Usually, when developers, show runners, animators, whatever you will, don't care much for practicality and do things for fan service, it's something that spreads to most, if not all, of the female characters. (Example, My Hero Academia. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this show, but take a look at the girls' hero costumes and then look at the boys and tell me you don't see a pattern).

This is when I realized something, I think her choice of outfit was intentional. Like, actually intentional and served a purpose.

Jinx is the embodiment of chaos, we know this and we love her for it. She's unpredictable, temperamental, and impulsive. Reckless, is really the word I'm looking for. She's reckless.

In that light, her outfit starts to make way more sense.

Going beyond that, she rarely, if ever, actually fights hand to hand. (At least in season one, like I said, haven't watched season two yet. I'm planning to start tonight). Unlike Violet, who needs that extra layer of protection wherever she can get it, Jinx never intends to let anyone close enough to take advantage of her lack of protective gear. So yeah, why is she going to care about covering her midriff and protecting it?

And I honestly think that's such an incredible piece of nonverbal storytelling. It drives home just how fucking unhinged she is and tells us, the viewer, more about her than they could've in other ways. It's subtle, but powerful, and was one of those things that made me pause and go "huh...oh, oh, that's genius" when I put the pieces together. I mean, look at how I managed to drag that one thought into an entire post.

Could it just be a fan service thing? Yeah, it could be, but I want to believe there was more thought put into it than that. Giving the designers the benefit of the doubt here.

Anyway, I think it's really cool and I salute whoever came up with it. 10/10, love it.

[zorilleerrant]

Bernard knows he’s muttering to himself the kind of monologue that would be annoying to watch in a movie, something incoherent with a lot of nos mixed in, something that wouldn’t be at all helpful if he actually had to communicate with Tim, but he doesn’t have to communicate with Tim, and that’s the problem. He could say whatever he wanted to right now, and Tim wouldn’t give a single fuck. He could confess his love, or break up, or tell him about fucking up the oven, or say his neighbors are spying on him, or claim Wendy wasn’t even that good of a show. He could he tell Tim he knew he was Robin and it wouldn’t make a difference.

Like, of course he knows Tim is Robin. He has to, in order to be having this breakdown with his boyfriend’s body limp in his arms, covered in blood. Bernard can’t find the source of the blood. And if he doesn’t know where it’s coming from, how is he going to be able to stop it?

He shouldn’t. He shouldn’t be doing this himself, not when the hospital is so close, and so – and so what? He can dress Tim in his own clothes, peel the costume away and say he found him like this, a mugging, the kind of thing that happens when someone steps out for fresh air at three in the morning in Gotham. They’d believe him. And what is he supposed to do, stitch Tim up right here? He has a normal first aid kit, he has over the counter painkillers. But he has Tim’s clothes, and he’s used to undressing and redressing unconscious people, that’s a skill he has.

But there are scars all over, scars that stood out at first, and then made sense, and then he didn’t even notice them unless he was looking, but he’s looking now, because what is a hospital going to say about that? But the doctors must know, right, because he’s been there before, he’s gotten – fuck, he got shot and they had to do surgery and now he’s going in again? They’re going to ask about his injuries, and about his scars, and about his history, and about Bernard, and who knows whether Tim wants all that?

He wishes he’d brought this up before. Bernard could take Tim… who knows where. Bruce must know where. Several of his kids are vigilantes, and it’s not like he could be totally uninvolved in that side of Tim’s life. Or, with Bernard’s luck, he is, and he’d be fucked either way. He thinks there was a doctor. There must be one, with all the shit they go through. He didn’t think to get the name, though, not before Tim came stumbling into his apartment, passing out cold in the fucking Robin suit, and Tim doesn’t know what to fucking do.

Tim’s phone is in his hand, and the weight is familiar, the scuff marks along the side, but the screen doesn’t show anything he’s used to, icons changed and names… fuck, these are all vigilantes. There’s no ICE number like there is on Tim’s phone when it’s not in whatever this mode is, but Bernard’s seen it, he remembers. It’s Dick’s number, because he always says he thinks they wouldn’t call Bruce Wayne, no matter how dire it was.

And Dick is Nightwing, he thinks. Pretty sure. Pretty sure because the timing works out, if you look at the timeline a little too hard, the way it doesn’t for any of the rest of them. Dick is either Nightwing or Red Hood, and it’s hard to tell because they’re the same size and they do the same kind of flip that Dick does when he’s showing off, but Bernard’s pretty sure he’s Nightwing because Nightwing’s been around longer. More attached to Gotham, probably.

He wishes he could wake Tim up and ask.

Instead he hits the logo and sets the phone on speaker, and at least that much of the shape of it is familiar, at least whatever system it’s operating on now is designed to be convenient to someone who was already using Wayne Tech. WayneTech. Of course. That’s how Bruce fits into all of this, and Bernard wishes he could disable the superhero mode somehow, because of course there’d have to be a way to do it, to put it back, but it probably requires Tim’s voiceprint or his eyes, and his eyes are too dilated and one is filling with blood and it’s not going to work for a scan even if Bernard could pry them open.

Bruce’s number might be on here, but it isn’t anywhere he can find, and he wishes it were, because he would be willing to call Bruce the way the hospital wouldn’t, because he knows Tim and he believes him, even when he says he isn’t Robin. He isn’t Robin when he’s with Bernard, he lets himself be Tim, so it isn’t even totally a lie. Nightwing is on speaker and Bernard is peeling off Tim’s suit and everything is covered in blood, even the new clean clothes he pulled out of his drawers and he can’t see because he’s starting to cry.

“Robin?” Nightwing says, again, for what might be the second time or the hundredth, but he’s clearly starting to get worried, and he should be, because Robin isn’t even here to answer, only Bernard, and fat lot of good that does.

“Tim’s hurt,” Bernard says, and thinks maybe he should’ve said Robin, or maybe he should’ve explained, or maybe he should say who he is, but he can’t get more than a few words out and even they sound choked, thick and full of spit and he has to clear his throat before he can say, “I’ve got him changed, but you can drive me to the hospital faster than the ambulance will get here.”

He’s guessing. Probably it’s true, because Dick has speeding tickets out the wazoo and he’s sort of known, in the tabloids, for loving reckless driving and showing off his far too expensive cars. The ones he crashes frequently, purportedly, even though Bernard notices more and more he's never seen pictures of the cars, only the injuries. So if he’s close enough, he can drive here, and then – Bernard doesn’t know what, then. All he knows is that he’s got to get Tim dressed before Dick gets here to pick him up, and then there’s a knock at the door.

He’s going to get up to get it. He plans to, at least, but by the time Bernard is standing, soaked through the entire leg in blood, both legs, both sleeves – the door is open and he has some distant memory of metal scrabbling, like Dick had a key, except Dick didn’t have a key, but he’s in here now, and worried, and carrying Tim like he weighs absolutely nothing, hurrying out to the car without even asking Bernard along.

Bernard follows. He follows quickly, because he needs to be there, and he slips into the back seat where Dick is laying out the bloody Robin, and Bernard takes Tim’s head in his lap and just holds him. They don’t talk. It’s a normal car and Dick’s in normal clothes, and it’s possible he wasn’t even patrolling at all because Nightwing patrols more at dusk than in the middle of the night, but he doesn’t even ask how Bernard knows, or what Bernard knows, or anything that might keep him from hyperventilating, which he is, which he does until Tim’s out of his hands and into the doctors’ and then Dick has him by the shoulders and is saying something to him over and over again.

He’s aware, sort of, that Dick picked Tim up, gently, cradling him in both arms, smearing blood over his arms and chest, and brought him inside, and that someone came by with a stretcher before they were even in the door, and that Bernard himself was trailing after them like a lost lamb and then Dick has him by the shoulders and he doesn’t know what he’s saying.

“Breathe, Bernard,” Dick says, again, again and again, “Tim’s fine. He’s going to be fine. They’re going to fix him up and it’s going to be fine.” It sounds like something Dick’s said a lot before. Bernard’s not sure whether to believe it. He’s not sure whether Dick even believes it.

“He’s hurt,” Bernard says, finally. Wails, really. He’s not sure his voice is at a pitch that can still be heard by human ears, and his words are definitely too gummed up to be intelligible, but still Dick pulls him into a hug, and repeats those stupid words he’s been saying all along, that he’s probably going to continue saying forever because he doesn’t know Bernard well enough to know what comforts him, and whatever it is isn’t crying into a shirt the scent of drying blood.

There’s so much blood on both of them. Tim shouldn’t have that much blood. Or he should, but it should still be inside him, where it keeps him whole, and Bernard’s saying this out loud, and Dick keeps shushing him, and for fuck’s sake how can it possibly be helpful that someone he barely even knows has arms around him, saying reassurances he probably says to every rando on the street. Bernard needs to get ahold of himself.

Tim is Robin, and Dick is Nightwing, and Bernard knows that because he called Nightwing and Dick showed up, and now Bernard is, he doesn’t know, some sort of resource. Some sort of support like whatever Oracle is, except Bernard is human and not a robotic alien consciousness, and actual fucking Nightwing is trying to tell him everything is going to be okay. Except it’s not as believable, when he’s not wearing his suit, because everything sounds more true when a superhero says it.

He’s still a superhero. Bernard has to tell himself that, because if Nightwing isn’t here to save Tim, then who’s here to save Tim? If a superhero is here, even if he’s wasting time trying to get Bernard to stop hiccupping, then there’s hope that everything can be fixed, all the terrible things fought off, and Bernard struggling to wash Tim’s blood off his hands in the tiny sink in this little room that he doesn’t even know what it’s for. It’s not a waiting room. There are chairs, but they’re too mismatched and rickety to be there for the patients or everyone waiting on the patients to come home. Someone’s juice box is sitting there, but there’s no one next to it. Dick is wearing scrubs. Bernard is wearing scrubs, too, but he barely remembers changing into them.

He thinks they might be in an employee lounge, some kind of break room, except that doesn’t sound right because it’s so fucking small and claustrophobic, there are no windows anywhere and the lights are too dim. It’s so small that Dick is speaking softly now, trying not to scare him away, patting a raggedy couch that looks like it used to be a better color than that, and Bernard goes to sit next to him. To cry into his shoulder for real, and not just because he’s tearing up from the smell of blood. It’s softer now, warm and dry, and, because they’re sitting, Dick can tuck his chin against the top of Bernard’s head. It feels reflexively, like it’s something he does all the time to other people. To Tim, probably.

Tim’s going to be fine.

[theonevoice]

Hey! I saw your reblog of the tumblr ask culture so here I am :) your art is amazing. I love it. I particularly appreciate the fastidious (in the good sense of the word) way you research tiny details to add to your good omens fanart (like the clock from the Mir space station you put in that fanart of Crowley with the Hozier song). Since you do a lot of digital art and you mentioned you're an "amateur" fanartist: which is more comfortable for you, screenless drawing tablets or the ones with screens? And which one would you recommend as a "starter kit"? I'm trying to get more consistent with my drawing and I sketch a lot on paper, but find that having the color palette that a digital tool offers would probably motivate me slightly more, still I can't decide which would be best, at a beginner's level.

Hey!!! Yes, hello!

Thank you so much, I love reaserching those details, they are one of my favourite parts of the process: it makes me feel for a brief moment like I'm part of the amazing GO set/costume designers crew, sorting through all possible inspirations until I find the perfect one!

As for drawing tablets: I tried both, I had a screenless Wacom Bamboo (it was a million years ago, they don't even sell it anymore), then for almost ten years I didn't draw at all, and now I am using a Huion Kamvas 13, and I guess it's a different experience for every artist, but as far as I can tell, they are two totally different things. It's not like you start with a screenless tablet as a beginner and then "upgrade" to one with a screen as you get better: it's more a matter of what kind of art you are trying to do, and how your eye-brain-hand connection is wired. I struggled so much with the Bamboo that I ended up not using it, so even if it was cheaper (probably like 90 euros in 2005 or 2006), I wasted money on it. While the Kamvas was more expensive but it was such a gamechanger that the amount I paid (I think around 300 euros in 2018) almost feels like a steal now, compared to the enjoyment of using it and the improvement that is allowing me to make.

For me, personally, the possibility to sketch directly in colors was *the* big turning point: I struggle with lineart, my brain doesn't "see" an image until it has values and colors, so that changed everything for me.

(Fun/weird fact: when I got the Kamvas I didn't think I would ever use it for drawing, I bought it because at the time I was doing a lot of editorial proofreading and where I live proofreading is done with a very specific set of symbols and signs that you cannot "type", so you either print everything and do the thing by hand or you get a tablet of some sort that allows you to draw them directly on the pdf - and the rest is history)

I may be biased, but I think one of the Huion Kamvas series (there are several sizes) could be a great tool: they cost a fraction of what Wacom equivalents would cost you, they work great, and they also give you a lot of stuff (mine came with its own stand, a stand for the stylus with a dozen extra tips, and a glove - all things that other brands would sell you separately).

But regardless of the brand, the best advice I can give you is this: don't look for a "starter" tool, look for the tool that makes you want to use it. If you enjoy using it, you will spend more time drawing, and that inevitably will make you improve. Go to a store that allows you to test them, if you have the opportunity, or look for comparative reviews on YouTube (that's whay I did): it will help you find the thing that makes you think "oh, that one looks like a lot of fun". If you buy a tool that "sounds" entry-level just because you feel like you should get an entry-level tool you may end up with a thing that is frustrating and annoying to use, and that won't help you at all.

How on earth did I write so much?!? I hope there is something useful in there! Bye!!

[crescentfool]

hi! do you perhaps have more thoughts on your p3 actor au? cause I cannot for the life of me stop thinking about it

i hope you're having a wonderful day!! 💖

hi anon, i hope you didn't mind the wait for me to answer this ask! wanted to put some thought into it 🙏

for the p3 actor au i think these could be some fun thoughts. mostly blooper/cut-content oriented because i'm that kind of person:

elizabeth's actress is one of those people who literally lives their role (nearly identical to it), even when the cameras aren't rolling. i love thinking about SEES hanging out and they're like "you know we aren't filming, right?" (but they appreciate her quirky nature)

minato's actor sometimes brings his switch to set and may play it during his break times. i like to think that at some point his headphones accidentally unplug while he's playing and then whatever scene going on needs to be refilmed because there was a "WOOMY" noise in the background.

i think that aigis and ryoji's actors should be best friends, actually. as a treat. this is self-indulgent of me, really. unfortunately i can't elaborate.

re: aigis's costume design, i think that there won't be much green-screening needed (since cosplayers have managed to make the design before! which is really impressive!). compared to everyone else though, i think she'd have the longest make-up routine/prep-time... sorry to aigis's actress 😔

pharos would be played by a child actor and i think he should be friend's with ken's actor. i don't know how that would work but ken should have some more people his age on set tbh 🤧

ryoji's actor definitely got his scarf snagged on something during filming... maybe the escalator at port island station...? in a similar vein, i would not be surprised if chidori's headband or aigis's shoulder part fell off mid-filming and they had to take a temporary break afterwards.

on the show's social media, for halloween, the cast took a special featherman-inspired photo! but also i think it'd be cute if the actors went to a haunted house together and filmed their interactions.... not that it'd be much scarier than tartarus, LOL. i can see yukari just being fed up with junpei's attempt to make the visit even scarier than it needs to be.

i think if anything about the show/set would be leaked online... it would be through junpei's instagram live or something like that 😔 i am very sorry about this but also i think that junpei would be very happy and proud of the cast's work. he'd just be so happy and be like "HEY GUYS check out what the director sent-" and all the comments is everyone else telling him "NO"

i think shinjiro, fuuka, and hamuko would occasionally cook group meals for the set! nothing beats a good ol' home-made meal! 🥺 and really, i think shinjiro would make nice gestures and just help the others on cast a lot, even after october 4th is filmed.

also something that has vaguely crossed my mind: "the cast of persona 3 reads your tweets / posts." specifically akihiko and mitsuru... i just think that they'd both be fun yknow 🥴

this is silly but i think that during december 3rd when ryoji comes and gives his lil' info-dump on what SEES has to do- he should sneeze in the middle of it. ruin the immersion y'know 😎

also in general i think it's cute whenever there's cast interviews or "see how well the cast members know each other" (and those kind of things..?). other than the full-cast, i think i can see there being group interviews with the senpai trio™ (mitsuru, akihiko, shinjiro), ryominaigis + hamuko, the second years (fuuka + junpei + yukari), etc. etc. any grouping could make for some fun questions!

and lastly.. obligatory ryomina because this is me we're talking about... ryoji has absolutely gone off script during some scenes. i could see him either referencing that one evangelion thing (i was born to meet you) or just turning it into a confession scene... LMAO.

okay that was. a LOT more thoughts than i thought i had, oops!! admittedly i have not thought about this au in FOREVER so it was nice to think about it again!!! i tried to make it a bit more balanced in terms of giving more than one character spotlight

thank you for the nice wishes anon- and i hope you enjoy the thoughts on p3 actor au! have a lovely day and take care 💗

[lorz-ix]

Japanese nerd stuff

Shin Kamen Rider (2023)

Out of Hideaki Anno's recent projects, I had already seen Shin Godzilla and the last Evangelion movie, and I thought those were amazing, so my expectations for Kamen Rider were positively through the roof. I have now learned a lesson, because those expectations might have been unfairly high.

This is a gorgeous movie, first things first. Some of the computer-generated effects are pretty poor, a letdown for sure since they blemish what would otherwise be peak visuals, but the costume/character design is fantastic, the cinematography is certainly pretty, and the vibes of the Showa era are unmatched here. Really makes me wish they used a lot more practical effects to match the characters and the setting of the original show with just as much love and care.

A highlight that I really liked was the battle against Hiromi, the hornet lady. The special effects weren't bad and the choreography really sold the superpowered, high speed level these characters are fighting at. Easily my favorite fight, if that's what you're looking for.

As for the story itself, you really get the feeling that it's too complicated for its own good, mostly because there's a lot of villains to get through and a lot of exposition to be dumped, so everything feels very rushed and too fast-paced. It's kinda weird that they tried to cram what feels like a short TV series into a cinematic run time, because the structure doesn't entirely feel adequate. At least the second half of the movie has more proper pacing, since by then the main antagonist has already been introduced and the final stretch of the conflict is clearly underway, so it has more time to breathe.

Speaking of said conflict, the morals at the core of this movie, they also let me down a little bit. I love seeing clear, optimistic messages, but coming from Evangelion and Godzilla, I felt that Kamen Rider's message fell flat, feeling a bit vapid, or perhaps rooted in story elements that are too fantastical, so it's a bit more detached from the audience. I'm not sure how to put it into words, I simply thought the other two movies did their stuff better.

In conclusion, it's a fun watch, but probably not as accessible, and not as impressive as other Anno productions.

Shin Godzilla (2016)

I immediately wanted to watch this one again, to sort out my feelings on Kamen Rider, to make sure that I really liked Godzilla as much as I did, and yeah, sure. I still adore it. It's still a very easy top 3 Godzilla flick.

Much more has been said about it much better than I ever could, so I'll be brief. Godzilla is perfectly reimagined as this Anno-esque religious symbol and as a brand new social metaphor that was very relevant for Japan at the time. The political commentary is wonderfully unsubtle, and the message is both clear and grounded. The monster is absolutely terrifying, at points feeling chillingly real. I felt the dread of these events like they could actually happen more than with any other kaiju production, not because I expect a fire-breathing dinosaur to appear anytime soon, but because in here, Godzilla is a very clear embodiment of things that already happen constantly, both because of war, and because of natural disasters, the latter of which being more relevant here.

The one thing that could make this movie "fall off" is that its appeal and commentary are very specific. The movie jumps straight into the action and doesn't tell as much of a dramatic story around people as much as it's trying to say something both critical and inspirational about humanity. Perhaps the fact that it was inspired by the Fukushima disaster will mean it will be less timeless than those inspired by the atomic bomb, but only time will tell.

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Boy am I overjoyed that I got to see this in cinemas before the end of the year. This was very unlike Shin Godzilla, but it's easily at least on the same level, in my humble opinion. Minus One, Shin, and the 1954 original are arguably equally strong contenders to the throne of the best entry in the longest running movie franchise.

Unlike Shin, this is a dramatic story very focused on specific people, while also mantaining an extremely strong message about humanity coming together to overcome adversity. Relatively simple on paper, but the execution has shining moments that had me even crying at times. In post-war Japan, a country humiliated by defeat, the worst has already passed, leaving behind broken people and the hope to rebuild what was lost. The collective trauma of war, loss, and survivor's guilt are all addressed, and then, a massive creature threatens to tear down any hopes for the future and make the country re-live the horrors of war.

As I grow older, I have come to adore media that's able to just speak the message out loud with very little subtlety. Interpretation is fun, I won't dismiss more complicated movies as pretentious, but I am aware of how many people miss, ignore or even misread the morals of many popular movies. So when something comes along with an openly positive message with very little room for interpretation, I kinda love it. The lack of restraint isn't necessarily bad.

That said, there was still some dumbass behind us at the cinema who was mad at the ending because he took the movie completely at face value and somehow still missed what it was trying to say. So leave it to that one smart loser we all know to look like the biggest fool, because they still got it wrong. I don't know.

[tasklinemgr]

✨ 🌺 🍀 🌂 for any of your ttcc guys

I'll answer these for Kit McCrane because I think they would be the most interesting with these particular questions

✨ - Honestly, I came up with Kit kinda on the spot because I liked how it sounded. And then I made up the surname McCrane because he's a construction worker and it sounded nice with Kit.

🌺 - Kit is dating my OC Terracotta, who is the father of my OCs Basil and Cilantro. Kit doesn't see any issue with herself, a cog, with a toon for a partner, because he feels he has more in common with toons than he does with the cogs at the top of the capitalist hierarchy. The two have only been dating for about three years, and Kit hasn't even met the kids yet. She hopes they'll like him. (Spoiler, they won't </3)

🍀 - Honestly, I'd started to conceptualize Kit a while after I'd already decided on Terracotta having a cog partner, which makes me feel a little bad because it reads like Kit was written to be a love interest and a love interest alone. (She has plenty of connections and relations separate from him, though.) They were written with a lot of traits that mirror Terracotta's.

🌂 - Cartridge, the city I made up in which Kit and Terracotta live (and Basil and Cilantro grew up in), is a bit of a gritty setting, especially compared to Toontown, so I could easily see Kit being the protagonist of some sort of dystopia.

And, just for fun, I'm gonna put the Kit lore I have written down under a cut in case anyone wants additional context for this or wants to learn more about my beloved goober. (Since I don't post much OC lore to tumblr)

This gentle construction worker is known by his peers as someone that gets easily distracted. They're a worrier, who can come up with about a million different ways any given situation can go wrong. She tries not to let this keep her from getting out and doing things, and actually has quite the adventurous side.

If Kit told you they have a criminal record, you'd probably think she was telling a weird unfunny joke. No, he hasn't been to jail or anything, but he's been slapped with fine after fine for the repeated offense of climbing skyscrapers in Cartridge. One might wonder why someone so anxious would do something so dangerous, but for Kit, it's the perfect outlet to calm their nerves. Her loved ones really want them to stop though, especially after seeing what happened when they fell down that one time. (If it weren't for a generous favor from a friend, she'd still be paying off that repair bill.) Honestly, Kit doesn't understand why everyone worries about him so much; he does more than enough of that already.

If he had a "dream job", it would be a costume designer; they're quite passionate about theater. But they're satisfied where they are, content to help her partner Terracotta make clothing as a mere hobby. (Their coat is actually a gift from him!) Kit loves asking his partner to sing for them; his voice is just so beautiful. They're also looking forward to being able to finally meet Terracotta's kids. She doesn't find it strange at all that they chose to date a Toon, after all, she has more in common with them than she does any of the wealthy Cogs of Cartridge. Strangely enough, one rich person, the mayor of Cartridge herself, has taken a liking to Kit; she even bought him and Terracotta live tickets to its favorite game show.

Sometimes, when Kit goes in for maintenance, people notice a strange file on their hard drive. Nobody's been able to decrypt it though, and Kit spends a lot of time worrying about what it is and why it's there.

[reversemoon255]

Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Series Review

Before going into the series proper, I want to quickly cover the Don Onitaijin Expansion Set. The new hips have a lot more posability, but only the hips; Don Robotaro has nothing else. I like the new hands, and I think the fan and chair are cool for display purposes, but the backdrop is just a cardboard screen; I really wish it had some small plastic clips for the edges to keep it at a good angle and weighed down. And the new hips don’t have the C-clips on the back, so you can’t put the shield there for Kiwamii, but you can form it otherwise. Overall, it’s neat, but probably not worth it, and if you really want to experience the hips, I’d suggest getting the Murasame version. Hard to go wrong with black and gold. Now, onto the show!

The Good: I think we could all tell from the first poster that this was going to be a very crazy series in many ways. Rather than having a plot, it runs a series of subplots, with almost every character having one that is slowly touched upon and wrapped up by the end of the show. They ranged in exposure and importance, but they did reward you for watching every episode.

There were so many characters... Tarou took to typical complaints you hear about Red Rangers and turned them on their head. He’s a total chosen one, perfect at everything, and higher than thou, but everyone hates him for it. He’s so perfect it’s annoying, and while everyone eventually warms up to him, his personality does rub people the wrong way through most of the show. It’s a great and hilarious interpretation of those tropes.

Before the series was fully announced, and knowing that the X1s and X6s are usually the oddballs, I was thinking this would be the perfect time for a female Red Ranger, and while of course that didn’t happen, we did end up getting a female lead O_O Haruka was pretty interesting, with her subplot revolving around being accused of plagiarism. And since she had the most internal monologues, a lot of screen time, and opened and closed the season, you could consider her the main character. While her subplot ended very abruptly, it also ended in a totally extreme and insane way befitting this series.

Saruhara didn’t have a subplot, but he was very involved in other characters’. He was a very unique character, but I really don’t have much to say about him apart from that?

I was totally expecting Inuzuka and Kijino to come to blows and kill each other over Natsumi early on and get replaced by people in normal costumes. Didn’t happen, happy it didn’t, and I do actually appreciate how weird their designs are and that they stuck with them for the entire show. Inuzuka and Kijino had parallel and intersecting subplots involving them being in love with a woman and her monster clone. I’m actually pretty happy with how this series of subplots ended. Yes, Inuzuka didn’t end up with Natsuki, but I feel like this was probably the happiest ending these characters could have gotten, with both of them ending up with someone who cares about them, even if it isn’t the person they started the series with.

Jiro’s an odd duck. He’s pretty important for the first 10 or so episodes after he shows up, then he just kinda shows up during fight scenes until the end of the show when he suddenly becomes relevant again. He is an interesting character, having two personalities with separate transformations, it’s mostly his later revelations feel unearned, like that may not have been his original direction.

Sonoi is one of my favorite types of comedic characters. The serious, stoic character that does silly things that don’t match his character. He might be my favorite character from the show. His subplot was growing to love humans and his weird semi-romance with Tarou (which I describe that way, but I ate it up).

Sononi had one of the best and most nuanced character evolutions across the show, slowly going from a somewhat vain character that doesn’t understand love, to totally love struck, but in a very believable way. Her subplot was tied into Inuzuka’s, and I’m happy they did end up together. Even if Inuzuka did love Natsuki, hearing her catchphrase again at the end of the show, “I bet you say that to all the girls,” really redefines their relationship we see through flashback. He was very faithful, but she never expected him to be, while Sononi saw and respected that commitment, eventually wanting it for herself, but not wanting it enough to ruin the relationship he already had. A+ character.

In comparison to the other two, Sonoza doesn’t have as much going on. A decent comedy character that paired well with Haruka. He was a complementary player in Haruka’s story and development, but didn’t have a lot going on by himself.

Don Murasame isn’t really a character. He’s like if Zubaan could talk. I like him, he’s cool, but they didn’t really do a lot with him apart from be rebellious on occasion. I do like that he stood with the team in the finale.

And last we have the returning Kaito. No idea why he returned, but he was a nice addition that added an air of (unanswered) mystery. I really hope we learn what his whole deal is in the V-Cinema crossover with Zenkaiger.

The Bad: The show isn’t without its issues. The series has an issue of hyper fixating on a specific subplot or a character to the detriment of other aspects of the show. As I mentioned, Jiro and Murasame were two characters who were hurt by this focus, having a decent amount of buildup when they first appeared, but fell off shortly after. There were also a few minor elements to were left to the wayside, like Tarou, Jiro, and Murasame’s ability to turn into tiny avatars, or the team’s ability to turn into other Sentai members.

The ending also comes out of nowhere. It feels like the sealing of the Bestial Forest was supposed to be the series’ climax, but they had so much they needed to wrap up afterward that it killed the momentum. This is coupled by the fact that, the longer the series went on, the more it feels like a slice-of-life comedy rather than a Sentai series. Like, the characters in this series are great, but without the typical dynamic ending Sentai is known for, it feels like the ending was a bit of a fizzle.

There was also a lot of unanswered world building. The Anoni lose a lot of importance and screen time as the series goes on, we don’t learn a lot about the Cerebrans, or the weird digital doors, or who Mother is, or what’s up with Kaito being there. There’re a lot of unanswered questions.

Overall, it’s a good season, with very strong characters, but fumbles some of the more Sentai elements of the show. As for my toy recommendations for this year, I would suggest Black Onitaijin Murasame since it’s a single purchase with the improved hips (and a great color scheme), and pick up either or both Toradragonjin and Palanquin Phoenix if they suit your fancy.

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Weird Questions for Writers Ask: 1, 19, 30, 33 please

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

I write in Constantia. I actually made it the default on all the writing software on my computer. I prefer serif fonts, and Constantia has just this bit of character while still being totally readable.

I did use to have a Thing where every story would have its own font and color, and I mostly haven't changed those back, but, uh, yeah, I don't do that anymore.

There was also a period where Palatino Linotype was my default, but I've switched over

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

This is going to be a long answer, because my writing journey has been long.

The first story I remember writing was when I was 6. I stapled a bunch of loose leaf together and decided when I filled it, I would have reached the end. That's not how anything works, but to a 6 year old, it kind of is.

You may recognize the age of 6 around the same time many kids really start to be able to write sentences. I was a very early reader and loved books deeply since, so it made sense to me at the time I would use my words, once I had them, to write my own.

I've written fiction off and on--almost always on, and more on the older I got, ever since. By the time I was in middle school, authoring because The Thing I wanted to do. I went to college for creative writing. Did my first NaNo at 17. Finished my first (different) novel at 18. Queried agents with a novel for the first time when I was 21, just after I'd graduated.

So, yeah. I've been writing for a long, long time, probably longer than many people following me on this blog (because you don't have to be that much younger than me for that to be true), and been actively pursuing education and growing as a writer for....most of that time.

I like to think it's paid off in my skill.

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

I've written a couple dreams down as "This is interesting, could write about it," but with the nature of dreams, they always require a lot of work to turn into anything that could be writable that I don't think I've ever actually written a single one.

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

I've dabbled in lots! Drawing was definitely the one I did most, longest, and best, and the one I do most often these days (although not that often). I have historically drawn a lot of my characters. I made a few very very bad attempts at comics as a child.

And if you count role-playing as an art and a game, maybe that. My dad taught me how to play D&D by the time I was about 5 or so, just old enough to play, but pretending to be other characters with your friends and doing character improv (without even necessarily writing it down) is a very creative act and I think a form of art. It's another way to play with storytelling, in my experience.

I think after that, it's probably...sewing? My mother always made my costumes for Halloween growing up, and once I got old enough, I had to help with costumes. I still do a lot of the work to make my own costumes. I'm not real good, but I always have good design ideas, I think, and I like dressing up and putting pieces together that I've purchased when that's necessary. I have soooo many costume pieces hanging around. And so, so much extra cloth and thread and cording and shiz.

My apartment has the remains and bits and pieces of many arts I've tried over the years. Origami paper. Jewelry-making supplies. Stickers and tissue paper and calligraphy pens and charcoal and fancy pencils and erasers and construction paper and markers and Bristol paper and--

Creation is Good.