#the background just... is not coming together with the perspective shot of dawn in the first place so the rest of it is falling flat

[jinxpantsu]

had an idea to draw the gang at the beach but the perspective is fucking with me bc how do you draw all of that in one shot...

[thatfanficstuff]

Impossible - 22

Pairing: Eric Northman x Reader

Warning: Nope

A/N: This is a short filler chapter. Necessary for story progression however. That's part of the reason it took me so long to write. Filler is hard. Next chapter everyone meets daddy.

***

Eric had to take a phone call so you went searching for Godric as he’d disappeared on you. You found him on the roof. He looked out over the city, his hands behind his back. “I hope you’re not still planning on dying today.” You kept your voice quiet, not wanting to startle him.

He hummed, simply letting you know that he’d heard and was thinking about his answer. “I was decided. I would not be swayed from my path. Then you arrived.”

He turned to you with a soft smile and you moved closer to him. His gaze ran over your face. “Why is it every time you blow into my life, my perspective changes? You are like no human I have ever met and it fascinates me.”

You grinned. “Well, I am no human so…”

His smile flared briefly before dimming again. “You are human enough, little one.”

“You do know that you’re not much bigger than me?”

A shrug was his only answer. Then he pulled you into his arms and just held you.

Ever aware of the approaching dawn, you tried to separate from him, but he wouldn’t allow it. “Godric, I love you and all, but if you don’t want to burn we need to get inside. And if you do, you need to let go of me so I don’t go with you.”

He let you go then, placing a hand on the side of your face as his eyes studied yours. “Do you? Love me?”

“Yes,” you said immediately. And you did love Godric. You had almost from the moment you met him, but it didn’t compare to what you felt for Eric. Nothing could and the little god in front of you knew that.

His lips twitched into a small smile. He took one of your hands in his and linked your fingers together. “Come, little one. Let’s find your mate.”

A breath of relief flowed from you when you were safely back inside the hotel. Godric may still decide to meet the sun, but it wouldn’t be today.

***

You found Eric in your room, he was still on the phone causing you to frown. What the hell was taking so long? His gaze shot to you as you walked in and relief flooded his eyes when he saw that Godric was with you. The two of them needed to have a long conversation.

Finally, he ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Your father expects us in Shreveport in three days.”

He looked past you to his Maker. “Will you be accompanying us?”

“Perhaps.”

“We can stay for a couple of days yet,” you offered. “Can you make arrangements for Sookie and Sam to go home today? Oh, and Jason.”

Eric arched a brow. “The male Stackhouse does not concern me.”

“If you want a telepath to use in the future, make nice. She’ll remember it.”

He sighed as if it was the most horrid inconvenience before he sent a series of texts. “I forwarded the information to Sookie. Now, we should rest. Your body is still recovering.”

You shrugged. “Not tired.” There was only so much sleeping you could do.

Godric took your hand in his and tugged you toward the bedroom. “Then lay with us while we talk.”

So, you found yourself in much the same position as the day before. You and Godric lay face to face and Eric molded himself into your back. He draped an arm over your middle and pressed kisses to your shoulders and the back of your neck as the three of you talked. And despite your claim that you weren’t tired, you were the first of the three of you to fall asleep.

***

When he woke the next evening, Godric announced that he would accompany you back to Louisiana. Eric wasted no time making the arrangements for your travel. He’d just gotten off the phone when you received a phone call from Sookie.

“Where are you?” she asked as soon as you answered.

“We’re still in Dallas. Why?”

“There is something strange going on here. We need help,” the blonde rambled. You rolled your eyes. The only time you heard from Sookie was when she needed something. And she always needed something. At least when she helped you, she got paid for it.

You sighed and leaned back in your chair, aware that the two vampires with you were listening in. “I’m afraid I’m going to need more than strange, Sook. What exactly is happening there?”

“That’s just it. I don’t—”

You cut her off. “I don’t need an explanation. What is currently happening that has you all worked up?”

She turned away from the phone to talk to someone in the background. A moment later, Jason’s voice came over the line. “Hey. Everyone in town is acting crazy. Not like themselves at all. And for some reason they all seem to want to kill Sam.”

What? “So mass psychosis?”

“Um…sure.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Okay. Go to the house and lock yourselves in. Take—”

“We can’t. The house is trashed. It looks like no one’s lived there for years. And some crazy hippie chick is running around talking about sacrifices and shit. I don’t know what the hell is going on.” It didn’t take much for you to picture the panicked look in Jason’s face.

“Can you get out of town?”

“I don’t think so. Every time they see us, they cut us off.”

You thought for a moment and sighed. “Look, Jason, there’s not a lot I can do from here. Tell Sookie to call Bill. He’ll help her. He doesn’t have a choice. I’ll check in later.”

After you hung up, you tossed your phone on the table. “What do you mean Bill doesn’t have a choice?” Eric asked with a frown.

“Bill is in Bon Temps because Sophie-Anne ordered it. I think he actually came to care for our telepath but that doesn’t negate the fact he’s there to spy,” you explained.

“How did the queen even know of Sookie’s existence?”

“Her current lover is Sookie’s cousin. How’s that for a small world?” Eric just looked at you wide-eyed for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.

“Do you not wish to send more help than one vampire?” Godric asked as he sat beside you.

You shook your head. “To put it bluntly, this is not a vampire problem. But, if more help is needed Bill should be able to get it from Sophie-Anne. Sookie is my friend, even Sam and Jason on occasion but I can’t get involved in all of their problems. They have a lot of them.”

He nodded. “Understood. So, we will return to your home this evening so we can meet up with your father in two days?”

“Correct,” Eric answered. “There is business we must see to between him and the queen.”

“You can accompany us. He won’t mind,” you added. And if he did, you’d just convince him.

Godric’s dark gaze shifted between you and your mate before settling on you. “And tell me, just who is your father?”

[dinodina]

14 and whatever ship you want!

From this. 

Read here on ao3.

“You still have your Christmas lights up? It’s February! Get your life together!”

Rhys, working less crazy hours than Gwen, took charge of holiday decorations. It was their first Christmas as a married couple, and he wanted it to be special. There was always the chance that Gwen would skip it—last Christmas, she’d brought home a socially awkward cousin, who’d then seen Rhys naked.

It then turned out that the cousin was actually a time traveler and that the visit was Torchwood business.

Looking back now, it wasn’t even the craziest thing Rhys had interacted with in the flat. There was the time Gwen told him about aliens. Or when one of them followed her home and asked for lasagne because it had overheard them talking on the phone about dinner. Or when one bit Gwen and made her pregnant. Or when Rhys answered a telemarketer right at the moment Torchwood broke into the office they were calling from—he’d heard the alien takedown over the phone and was more impressed with Gwen than ever.

Now that they were married, Rhys was less desperate for normalcy. Having your whole wedding party retconned—not to mention one of the groomsmen being eaten—really put life in perspective.

But they were doing Christmas. At least dinner. At least a tree.

Gwen had a blessed day off and they went to get it. She was even present for the first half-hour of decoration—lights and tinsel and even some baubles. Rhys finished by himself, humming along to holiday music on the radio, and Gwen came home tired but happy to see the lights on the windowsills.

Rhys sent a picture of them to his parents, who were still hounding him about the amount of alcohol at the wedding. He was proud of them.

Christmas passed, blessedly parent-free, and although Gwen had to run out to wrangle a Weevil, the holiday was otherwise uninterrupted. Rhys made a traditional dinner and exercised creativity on dessert, miraculously succeeding at homemade ice-cream; they cuddled in the living room while It’s a Wonderful Life played in the background; they retired to their bed well after midnight for a thoroughly festive celebration.

Boxing Day dawned.

So did the New Year.

Gwen ran back to Torchwood and Rhys continued his managerial duties. Snow fell down hard on Cardiff and Gwen went though several pairs of boots trudging through sludge and uncleared alleys. Rhys rerouted lorries and came up with a new jingle for Harwood Haulage.

The holidays were over. Life returned to normal.

Weeks passed. Outside the window, the sky got greyer and duller; the sun set too early and the heating never kicked in when it needed to. Rhys slept in the pink fuzzy socks Gwen bought as a gag gift several Valentine's Days ago, putting his foot down when she demanded he share them.

But he stopped at the store on the way back from work and picked up a pair for Gwen, this one smaller and decorated in magenta hearts around the top edge. They matched the new lingerie set Gwen had bought for the approaching holiday—Rhys was no secret agent, but Gwen was awful at hiding surprises.

He bought flowers and chocolates and the spatula Gwen had been eyeing but always said was too expensive to actually get.

The flowers would go into a colored vase. It was one of the few wedding gifts that hadn’t been crushed by the Nostrovite, and one of the few from Gwen’s mum that wasn’t ugly as shit. Rhys didn’t want to drag his mother-in-law into a Valentine’s celebration, but Gwen liked the vase, and Rhys would do anything for her. Even accept Mary Cooper as family. Even wave hello to their Mrs. James, their nosy, nosy, nosy neighbor, who had once tried to find their spare key by searching under the doormat, in order to preserve the peace.

She was holding cookies, this time, the perfect way to talk to neighbors—it was a conversation starter and a way into the flat itself if she was pushy enough—but Rhys was well-trained.

He shot her a quick hello and got to quick work getting his key in the lock. Two seconds, and he would be in.

Two seconds, and Mrs. James only needed one to take a peek inside before the door shut.

Rhys leaned against it and let out a sigh.

“You still have your Christmas lights up?” Mrs. James’s shrill voice asked from behind the door. Rhys leaned over to cover the peephole with the back of his head. He didn’t know if she could see inside now, but it was better to be safe than sorry. “It’s February!”

Rhys knew it was February, thank you very much.

He just hadn’t gotten to it yet.

And the lights were ambient, damn it.

“Young man,” Mrs. James trilled triumphantly, “Get your life together!”

Rhys had no doubt that her knitting circle would know all about this by the end of the day—he would be lucky if that was how long it took for the news to spread, and hoped that Gwen wouldn’t be met with judgmental stares on her way into the building. Just on her way out the next day.

That was about as much as you could win with Mrs. James.

Still—Rhys titled his head and looked at the lights lining the windows and counters—it looked nice. Ambient. Atmospheric. Pretty. The lights had come with a remote control, well worth the extra money, and now twinkled a pretty pink.

It was pretty seasonal, as far as things went. Flowers, chocolate, mood lighting…

Yeah. Rhys grinned and forgot all about Mrs. James. This would be a great Valentine’s Day.

[svt13roses]

I Can Smile Because It’s You

Part 2 of Oh We’re In Love Aren’t We

Words: 2.7k 

A/n: I’ll be honest I don’t have a schedule or anything for this fic, so sorry for the sporadic updates lmao

Previous | Next

     Your plan had succeeded eventually, but you soon came to realize that it had worked almost too well. You both had somehow managed to be in the same class every year since becoming friends, and this year was no different. Due to you both being in the same class, he hadn’t really seen a need to make any new friends when he knew he had you, thus making you two practically inseparable. You expected this year to be the same as the years before, especially since it’s starting to play out like usual. You had arrived at Jihoon’s house bright and early to walk to school. Now, some would say arriving at a house that’s a 15 minute walk away from school over an hour early would be considered excessive but you already knew how this morning was going to play out. You arrived at his front door, and it opened immediately. You greeted his mother, and as you stepped inside you both said as usual:

    “He refuses to wake up, can you please do something?” She simply chuckled and mentioned that breakfast would be ready when you managed to wake up her demon son. 

     “JIHOON YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES TO WAKE UP BEFORE YOU HAVE TO FEEL MY WRATH!” you had shouted as you marched to the door of his bedroom. You were still one to keep to your promises, and thus you set an alarm for 5 minutes on your phone and sat outside his door. As you waited, you began to look around the familiar hallway that was practically your second home. You began to notice the changes that had occurred in this particular hallway over the years. Little details like fading paint color and scuff marks on the floors began to stick out more. The same pictures from years before lined the hall, with you being a feature in some of them as Jihoon had grown older.

     One picture had always caught your attention no matter how many times you had roamed this hall, it was taken shortly after you had befriended Jihoon. You had been invited over to hang out at his place for a weekend while your parents went on a vacation for their anniversary (your mom had first tried to say “extended play date” but you were much too old and mature for “play dates” anymore, you had claimed). Since it was summer, you were allowed to stay up later and Jihoon’s mom had offered the idea of making brownies together, with you two being her assistant bakers. In an unsurprising turn of events, she ended up doing all the work while you two got to eat the leftover batter. The picture had been taken without either of your knowledge at the time, with both of you too engrossed in getting every last bit of brownie batter from the bowl. The part that made the picture special wasn’t the fact that he had a friend, he had friends in the past that were featured in other pictures around the house. What made it special was the fact that he looked genuinely happy and excited. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy before he met you, but there was something different about the smile and the look in his eyes in that particular picture. In almost every picture since, he has had the same look when you’re there with him and it always made you feel warm inside knowing you were the reason for that change. 

     Your thoughts were cut off by the blaring alarm of the timer going off. A faint groan could be heard from the other side of the door, then a thump, then all was silent. 

     “Jihoon?” You called out, lightly knocking on his door. “Jihoon I was not joking about you having to face my wrath, if I have to come in there you’re going to wish you woke up the first time.” You slowly opened his door, peeking inside you saw a bare bed stripped of its sheets which had been lying in a lump next to the bed. From the pile of blankets, you could see a leg sticking out one end and tufts of hair at the other end. A sigh left your lips as you wondered how to actually wake the boy up, and how he even managed to get that tangled in his sheets in the first place. You tip-toed over to where the leg was sticking out, already planning your next move. As you went to grab his leg you heard a voice coming from the muffled sheets. 

     “Care to repeat that?” you chuckled. Jihoon’s head shot out of the blankets, his eyes squinting as he was adjusting to the sunlight flowing into his room. 

     “I said, you better not do it.” He grumbled out, voice still rough from waking up. 

     “Better do what? Last I saw you couldn’t possibly see what I was about to do. For all you know I could have been a kind friend delivering you breakfast. You would have missed out on a once in a lifetime opportunity right there.” You chirped, a sly smile creeping its way onto your lips. An agitated noise of some kind came from the pile of blankets. 

     “I know you y/n. You were plotting something in that dumb head of yours. Worst case scenario it was a handful of ice cubes in my sheets like you did last year. I’m still bitter about that by the way. Best case scenario? There isn’t one. Now get out of my room and let me get ready.” He sat up, stretched, and turned towards you. “See? I’m awake. Yipee. Now leave.” Jihoon pointed towards the door. You raised your brow at him, before making your way out of his room. Before you left, you quickly turned on the light and sprinted away after closing his door, hearing him yell out some insult about practically blinding him. 

     You made your way into the kitchen, the smell of coffee and toast wafting through the air. This was slowly becoming a beloved tradition in the mornings for you. While waiting for Jihoon to get ready, his mom and you would have a mug of coffee and two slices of toast since neither of you were huge on eating breakfast. You took your seat at the table. A plate of buttered golden brown toast and a warm cup of coffee that could be mistaken for milk with the amount of cream and sugar added was practically calling your name. The first sip of coffee was heavenly, and you could only assume that your face said everything as you heard Jihoon’s mom chuckle to herself as she was finishing making her own plate of toast.

     “I know I say this more often than I should, but I really do apologize for how Jihoon is in the mornings. I don’t know where he got it from, his father and I have always been early risers since we were kids. I guess those genes didn’t get passed down and now we’re stuck with a grouch in the mornings.” She softly said, making her way to the table with the plate of toast and coffee in hand. 

     “It’s really no problem” you laughed, “he’s been this way as long as I’ve known him. If he was actually awake and ready by the time I got here I would be convinced that he was replaced by an evil twin or something. Oh god, he doesn’t have a twin I know about right? You wouldn’t hide this from me for what, 5 years now?” The thought of having another Jihoon in your life scared you more than it probably should have. It’s not that he was a bad person, he was just so uniquely himself that you couldn’t comprehend there being another version. From an outsider’s perspective, you assumed Jihoon could be described as a lone wolf of sorts. He was content by himself, he didn’t really seek out the company or the thoughts of others. At school he was polite and civil to his classmates, even laughing along with their antics at times. However, no one would ever really describe him as their “friend” or someone they were close to. To them, he was just their classmate Jihoon: another body among the others that come and go as the years go by. However, he didn’t seem to mind this fact at all. He made his own little world, and you were lucky enough to become a part of that piece of him.  

     You both silently continued your breakfasts, enjoying the warm rays of sunshine that filled the kitchen. You could faintly hear Jihoon’s footsteps in the background as he was walking about getting ready. Just as you were about to call out and make a snarky comment about how he could get ready so leisurely when you both knew you would be late if he continued at that pace, he made his appearance in the kitchen. 

     “Either you both forget that I need to eat breakfast too, or you just actively ignore that fact every morning.” He mumbled as he saw two empty plates and mugs. “I also don’t wanna hear it from you y/n. ‘Well if you just woke up earlier, then your mom would make you breakfast’” he said in a high pitched voice, attempting to mock you. “But you see,” he grabbed a glass and began pouring milk, “I am a growing boy. I need my rest, and you do too. So really, who’s the crazy one here? The one getting the proper hours of sleep, or the one who wakes up at the ass crack of dawn?”

    “Language, Jihoon” his mom quipped.

    He chugged the glass of milk and shrugged as he looked at you. “Just saying is all. I know for a fact y/n doesn’t go to bed earlier cause she’s usually the one nagging me to go to sleep. So, mom, don’t act like y/n is some saint come to save me cause if anything she’s worse than I am.” He put the glass in the sink and grabbed an apple from the table, making his way towards the front door. He turned back and gave a smug grin. “Well, look at the time,” he hummed, “I think it’s time to go. C’mon y/n, don’t want to be late do you?”

     You stared at him dumbfounded but eventually got up to put your dishes away. You grabbed your things and waved goodbye to his mom as the two of you made your way outside. As you both walked along, the only sound being made was your shoes against the sidewalk and the occasional crunch of the apple that Jihoon had grabbed earlier. Eventually, the silence became too much.

     “Where did that sass come from this morning? Usually, you barely manage to get out a ‘good morning’ to your mom. Thanks for calling me out like that too, I feel like I lost all respect from your mom that I built up.” You pouted as you kicked a stray pebble. 

     He chuckled, but you made sure to keep your attention on the pebble that seemed to become more interesting the more you kicked it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m always like this.” You could practically hear the smirk, but you refused to look his way. 

     “Lee Jihoon I have known you since elementary school, and while you do sass me more than I care to admit, you are never that witty in the mornings.”

     “Oh! So you’re calling me witty now?”

     “I’m not! I’m just saying that I didn’t expect you to do whatever… that was”

     “You’re acting like this is a big deal” he laughed.

     “Pssh, I am not,” you scoffed, “I’m just merely taken aback about your change in behavior.” You felt him wrap an arm around your shoulder.

     “Ah y/n, have you possibly considered the phrase new school year, new me?” You shoved his arm off and stopped in your tracks. 

     “No, not at all,” you deadpanned. “You’re a man of habit. I could probably list off the same quirks you’ve had since we were 10, you really haven’t changed.”

     “Hey, I’ve changed since I was 10-”

     “Sure Jihoon, sure”

     You both arrived at the school gates before the argument could continue. You could hear Jihoon still grumbling about how he has, in fact, changed as you walked into the building. You were about to tell him to quit being such a child when all of a sudden you felt pressure on your backpack. Confused, you spun around to see who it could have been, but all you could see was the flood of students standing around or making their way to their respective classrooms. 

     “What’s wrong? You look like a ghost just touched your shoulder.” Jihoon snickered. 

     “You didn’t see anyone come up from behind and put anything in my backpack right?”

     “Nope, but I do see something poking out,” he reached for the object, “seriously when did you become so ignorant that you leave one of your zipper pockets open?” He pulled it out of your backpack and handed it to you. “Looks like a note with something in it.”

     “Ugh, I’ll read it when we get to class.” You held the note, but you couldn’t help but feel like something was off. You knew Jihoon wasn’t the kind of person to play these kinds of games with you, and your friends would have been more obvious and upfront about delivering a message like this. As you continued to class, you half expected Jihoon to start nagging you about opening the note right away but he stayed silent. You looked at him and he seemed like he was deep in thought. 

     “I always wonder what’s going through that head of yours” you whispered. You both entered your first class and took your seats, still not saying a word to each other. After unpacking your notebook and pen, you stared at the note like it was some alien object. You began to open it, before shutting it and shoving it underneath your notebook. Grabbing your pen, you reached across your desk to the seat in front of you and poked Jihoon in the neck. No response. You poked again and he craned his neck back, making eye contact with you. You both stared at each other until he broke the silence.

     “Well, what is it?”

     “What is what? Oh- yeah. You wanna read the note with me?”

     “Mm, not really. If I was meant to read it then I would have gotten one too.” He huffed, turning his chair around to face your desk. He grabbed your pen from your grasp and began fiddling with it. “Although,” he sighed, “that doesn’t mean you can’t tell me what it says. Just because I don’t want to read it doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what’s inside.” 

     You couldn’t help but giggle. “Aw, is my Jihoonie scared it’s a love note? If anything, it’s probably one of my friends just saying ‘hey nerd, here’s the lunch money I owe you from two weeks ago. Thanks, the sandwich was subpar at best.’ with cash inside.”

     “It’s not gonna be a love note, I’m perfectly sure about that.”

     “Hey! It definitely could be-”

     “Y/n that’s the cheesiest thing ever! A love note with a little chocolate with it, you only see those in the romance movies my mom likes to watch. Besides, even if it was some sort of confession I know you would reject it.”

     “And why do you say that? Maybe I want a little romance in my life!” You scoffed. Jihoon looked at you and smiled.

     “Who needs romance when you got me? You love me more anyway.” He lightly tapped the pen on your nose and put it down, turning his chair away. You were left speechless as the bell rang to signal class starting. You put the note away in your backpack, making sure the contents inside didn’t fall out. While you directed your attention to the teacher taking attendance, you didn’t notice the slight tint of red Jihoon’s ears were turning. For once in his life, Jihoon was glad he sat in front of you instead of next to you like in most of your classes. If you saw him you would definitely question why he was blushing so hard, and he wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet. He definitely wasn’t ready to hear about the note either, already knowing what’s inside. 

[sometimesrosy]

I think madi will survive purely because I don’t think Clarke would ever be okay if she didn’t. She wouldn’t be the same after losing her kid

Well I mean every death has altered her. She hasn’t been the same after each one. Even with Bellamy. You saw who she became when she thought he had died. Was she okay? No. It doesn’t matter. She still continues on.

It’s not about having death and trauma not change her, the entire show is more about coming THROUGH the changes that death wreaks on her character. So I’m not sure that’s enough of a rationalization to put Madi on the safe list. 

That said, Madi’s still one of the safer ones on my deathwatch list. 

YOU KNOW WHAT?

YOU KNOW WHAT???

A thought has just occurred to me. It happened like this: I was thinking about who was safer, and I’ve got Raven and Murphy on my deathwatch list pretty high, but then I thought, oh hey wouldn’t it be a kicker if Miller (and Jackson) survived everything against all odds to be the last delinquent?

And I was like well that could happen. 

And then I was like, well wait a minute. In my first serious Bellarke meta after Hakeldama, I made the prediction that endgame would have Bellarke together. Because this was the main symbolism and represented unity in this universe, which is how they survive. Right? So then I thought:

Well what if the entire series is really about bringing Clarke and Bellamy (symbolically the light and dark of humanity, self and other, head and heart,) together in order to create a new world where all can live in peace and productivity.  And I thought, well yes. That fits. But what if that means to END The 100, we END the story of Clarke and Bellamy. 

What if everyone lives but Clarke and Bellamy? But they die, TOGETHER (they would already be romantically together, so the canon that everyone is searching for.) And I thought, Yes that could happen. 

Did JR not once say how he loved the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet? I believe he did but someone’s going to have to fact check me on that one. Anyone remember?

BUT. And please, this is the part that is freaking amazing, if it happens and there are some hints that it might, both in canon and from JR’s commentary over the years. BUT I am saying that if this is the case and Bellarke die in season 7, they won’t actually be dead.

No. I’ve been saying this for a while, at least all hiatus. Maybe longer. Because I think I first imagined an ending something like this back in the middle of s5. 

I think they’ll be lost in the anomaly saving humanity. I don’t know how or why or in what capacity, but, I’m saying that our heroes, the delinquents, will believe that Clarke and Bellamy are dead, in their final sacrifice for their people. They have NEVER stopped doing that. 

Then, as the delinquents pick up the pieces, sooner or later, they decide to head back to earth to fix the planet or because Sanctum isn’t working for them or whatever Idk. I believe that if the Earth is ignored and discarded in the end of this show, that that will be the biggest hanging narrative thread, because it’s ALWAYS been about getting back to earth and the rebirth of the planet and being responsible for what you’ve done. SO I think we’ll end back on earth.

So Raven packs up all of Earthkru and whoever comes with, and Diyoza leads the prisoners and Gabriel leads the Sanctumites and Octavia leads wonkru, and maybe if Madi is old enough she is the chancellor IDK. MAYBE only 100 people will come with them. That’s a nice round number and in circular storytellling would have us ending The 100, on episode 100 with a new 100 group stepping foot on Earth for the first time. We’re back bitches.

And then. 

AND THEN.

They land on the planet, and find... they are not the last people on earth.

NO! There’s a beautiful society there, just like Kane imagine, and when they meet the people they find out that Bellarke did NOT die in the Anomaly, but were instead portaled back to Earth, where they began a new life, together, taking care of The Earth and tending her recovery. And they either had their own children, or the other survivors on the desert planet collected around them.

Now this would be a hundred or so years in the future about 200 years after the left. Which was the original Pilot stated length of time before the Earth was supposed to be habitable again. So Bellarke would no longer be alive. They would still be dead to earthkru BUT they would have lived a happy peaceful life, just like Monty asked them to do, just like Marper. Perhaps become heroes and famous and even worshipped in their new society (another easter egg, my friends, when they first find Sanctum and saw Becca’s infinity symbol being worshipped, Bellamy said, “well, you can destroy the planet and still be worshipped after you’re gone.” he elbowed Clarke and said, “There’s still hope for us yet.” BITCH THAT IS FORESHADOWING omg. ok breathe.)

You see, JR deliberately told us there would be a happy ever after, the 100 style, for one couple in season 5, and that was Marper. DEATH, but after a full life lived on their terms. JR ALSO told us that the ending of the series would be a happy ending, the 100 style. Which means, we can expect something parallel to what we already got. AND with the blatant mirroring of Bellarke and Marper in the last episode of season 5, to me, that’s clear foreshadowing that the happy ever after ending, The 100 style, will be for Bellarke.

I think that after we lose Bellarke in, maybe the episode before the last, maybe the first half of the last episode, and spend the rest of the first half with Raven getting the new 100 to safety on earth (maybe the revolution on sanctum meant they turn on the freedom bringers, and they can’t stay there, they are back to wandering, a new exodus.) BUT MAYBE the last half of the finale, after the revelation of Bellarke’s Eden village, then flips to Bellarke who has been lost in the Anomaly and ends up on earth.

See from THEIR perspective, while they sacrificed their lives to keep their people alive, they’re the ones how survived, and they’ve lost their family, INCLUDING Madi. To them, it’s their people who died. And we have only BELLLARKE surviving the end of the series. So they create their new society, happy ever after, as a memorial to The 100 and all the people they lost. Never expecting them to even find out that they survived. 

So, like Marper, maybe we get a montage idk, maybe we just end with them starting on their society, having a baby, maybe the first earth survivors stumbling into their haven, or maybe just ending with the two of them, together, standing on the ridge, looking over the valley as the sunflare of a rising dawn flashes around them.

LISTEN. I know no one is going to buy my theory. No one thinks that JR will write a good ending because they’re bitter and disillusioned and listen to people who misinterpreted the show all the way along and don’t like to be proven wrong. 

But I got a hint of an ending like this a long time ago. He SAID he likes bittersweet. He SAID he didn’t know if he was going to give our heroes hope for a better future, or if everyone else was going to get hope but not them. I think he meant Bellarke as his dual protagonists. THIS ending that I laid out first gives us the first one. No hope for Bellarke but salvation for their people. BUT THEN in a twist worthy of Clarke showing up 6 years later happy and healthy after watching her die, we find out Bellarke did survive and got their happy ending, but lost their family (like Marper.) 

There are SO MANY narrative threads that this ending would tie together. Lincoln’s “you’re responsible for your monster when you let it out.” Kane’s dream of a peaceful society. Marper’s instructions for them to do better and live a happy life. The head and the heart. The circular nature of the storytelling. And then there are easter eggs and foreshadowing, like with Raven saying she wanted to take off of a planet just once without it being on fire. Or the Marper/Bellarke parallels. Or that comment of “there’s still hope for us.” Even JR saying it’s not time travel, but saying that it is a portal. And there’s something about Interstellar’s (one of the movies on his viewing/reading list he gave us before s6) weird time/space shenanigans. 

I just. I’ve been thinking about an ending like this for a long time, and while my theories have CHANGED in the details, as they should while the narrative is ongoing, in essence the themes and symbolism and structure has remained the same. I actually thought we’d see something like this at the end of last season, but it’s clear now that 6 and 7 are one story, not two. And there is still movement towards my original theory, although not in the way I thought. I am instead getting new details (like the earth lodges in the background of that shot, and eligius posts about how time is a circle) that help me refine the speculation, but don’t actually make me think I’m wrong.  

[limentum]

It’s that time again! I’ve recently gotten really into making these ten-track playlists that have an overall theme/emotion, and this is no exception! As I did on Christmas day last year with a similar playlist entitled “C1″ this is my first playlist of this format for the 2021 year! Noticing a pattern with the playlist titles? Yeah, me too! Keep in mind, this isn’t a tier list, I essentially tried to just make an album out of ten random songs, so their placement is entirely based on how they flow into each other both musically and thematically!

This time, I tried to provide an actual explanation for each track and why I put it on the playlist. Forgive me if I ramble or say stupid stuff sometimes, that’s just how I am!!

1. Song of Trouble - CARM (feat. Sufjan Stevens)

If you scroll through my page for more than five seconds, you’ll find that I’m a pretty huge fan of Sufjan. This track came out yesterday, as a matter of fact, and is the song that inspired me to make this playlist! I love CARM’s soothing horns for the first forty-ish seconds, which leads right into the muted piano and Sufjan’s beautiful voice! I also found out that the lead singer in the band Hippo Campus does some of the background vocals in this track, which is an interesting fact!

2. To You Alone (Acoustic) - Tom Rosenthal

Something about this dude’s voice is just really great to me. I don’t know a whole lot about the track. But have been listening to this song very frequently for the past week or so, and thought this would be a great follow-up to the previous track in terms of sound and such. Also, the last lyric of the song “How do we get to the sky?” absolutely crushes my soul every time I hear it.

3. It’s Working - MGMT

I have always been a fan of MGMT’s first album, but it wasn’t until about November 2020 that I started getting into their other projects (Little Dark Age, Congratulations, Self-Titled). I loved the idea of following up “To You Alone” with this track, cause it starts so suddenly with a faster tempo and stronger energy, I thought it’d act as a great jump-scare type situation. Also, it just sounds really awesome! You can really hear the 60s/70s inspirations in this song, and I’ve been listening to it a lot recently!

4. Rhythm of Devotion - Sisyphus

I don’t blame you if you’ve never heard of Sisyphus before, the one-shot trio released their self-titled in 2014 (Son Lux, Serengeti, and Sufjan Stevens) as a mix of Rap, IDM/Electronic, and Indie Pop. Don’t let the first two minutes keep you away from this song! After the brash beginnings of the track bring excitement and mild confusion, it all comes together around the 2:47 point, and only gets better from there! I love this entire album, but this track seems to be the most significant out of them all.

5. Gilgamesh - Sufjan Stevens

Yes, the first song actually made entirely by Sufjan! I know there’s a fair amount of him in this playlist, but this track really serves to bring back the emotional capacity of the first two tracks while keeping the Electronic/IDM style! A track about the epic of Gilgamesh that loosely connects with the artist’s own life, as he loses the person he cares about the most on a quest for immortality (Metaphors, much?)

6. San Clemente Glass House - Matt Easton

There’s a few versions of this track available on the internet, but the one with the guitar piece is absolutely the most required version out of them. A song about a troubled relationship and, what I can only assume, the “glass house” being a metaphor for himself. I love listening to this song when I’m feeling quietly dramatic, haha.

7. Middle of Nowhere - Vancouver Sleep Clinic

I have been a huge fan of this guy since he released Closure, and I’ve always loved his more chill tracks since then. This song is a relatively new release, from December. I haven’t really done a whole lot of analyzation with the lyrics, but from what I’ve considered so far it seems to be a lot about death and feeling inadequate (”And then I'll write a few songs that just go nowhere, Like this one”), like you haven’t lived up to your expectations and wish you could live “In the middle of nowhere”.

8. Blue - Angelo De Augustine

A song that, once again, I haven’t analyzed too deeply. He sings of how “All my life I’ve been so low, I don’t know why”, and how his father left his mother when he was five. Angelo has been a favourite of mine for quite awhile, and this song cements that even further!

9. Dawn Chorus - Thom Yorke

The frontman for the band Radiohead, Thom Yorke, released this track in the album ANIMA in 2019. The ethereal simplicity in the track along with Yorke’s spoken-work lyrics provide a deeply sad perspective on trying again, (”If you could do it all again, big deal, so what?”). Interestingly, despite the depressing nature of essentially delivering the idea that change is impossible and that second chances are futile, it seems to also come around to the idea that changing oneself is possible and to keep moving forward. Absolute simplistic masterpiece of a track.

10. My Rajneesh - Sufjan Stevens

Oh boy, here we go, another one of this guy!!! If you aren’t familiar with the name Rajneesh, he was essentially a spiritual/religious leader who created a settlement in Oregon back in the 1980s. However, this track seems to be focusing on Rajneesh himself, and his obsession with the Divine and power, to the point of fault (”You stare at the sun to see the sublime, forgetting the light that makes you go blind”). As his followers looked to him for spiritual awakening, they were blinded and could not see his faults (Fun Fact! This cult also committed the largest bioterrorism attack in US history). I could probably go on about this track for at least another few paragraphs, but want to keep this concise, haha. If you want to know more about all that fun stuff, there’s a Netflix original documentary series about it called “Wild Wild Country”.

And that’s about it for this playlist! I’m starting to get more interested in making these playlists, so you might be able to expect more in the coming weeks/months! If you actually read all that nonsense, thank you!

(Playlist Cover Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)

[tiffgeorgina]

alright trailer thoughts

watch it here slutties: https://twitter.com/SHOBlackMonday/status/1216778009044291585

1) HOLY FUCKING SHIT IT’S HERE THIS FEELS SURREAL

2) HOLYYY SHITTTT

3) but actually let’s get it. this song bangs showtime stays on their excellent editing.

4) trying to analyze showtime’s trailers is like trying to grab smoke so this is going to be extremely barebones for a while. 

5) somebody drives off with the busted up limbo, but we can’t tell who it is yet bc their face never comes into view. they’re wearing a gray suit tho, so it may become more obvious who it is once the episode itself is out.

6) mo is being dramatic asf which as of 1x10 is perfectly in character lmfao

7) bro what the FUCK did you do to your hair i gotta ask fuck the 80s. also there’s this character on IMDb tagged “Vanessa (hair like mo)” so that makes more sense now maybe?

8) establishing shots that almost make me think mo is hiding out in california. since we know his orphanage story is bullshit, maybe he’s visiting family? maybe this is where that marcus wainright iii character comes in? since i dont think he’s in the trailer?

9) keith is living. almost has out-of-the-closet energy. i bet that scene of him roller skating is either after a) he comes out to his wife and divorces her or b) he gets a call from mo and flies straight out to cali to meet up with him.

10) the editing is so good you guys holy shit they jsut never quit over there do they?

11) a shot of mo in some suburb. could be a family member or a friend’s house? which again leads me to think he’s in california.

12) there’s this TV show called “America’s Most Unsolved Crimes” that mo shows up on bc he’s being solely blamed for the crash. how dawn and blair managed to avoid any blame whatsoever is beyond me, but mo is an excellent scapegoat since he confessed on record. no idea who the guy sitting on the desk talking about him is tho, since he wasn’t announced as one of the new guest stars. probably just a one off. maybe this is where “reenactment dawn” comes in from the IMDb page?

13) mo is bringing back the 70s and i do not like it. when i said the 80s were cool bc nobody knew how to dress themselves This Is Not What I Meant.

14) he wouldn’t just casually play basketball with some random kids, these are probably either his cousins or his nephews or the kids of a friend. again leads me to believe he’s in california, possibly visiting marcus? it would make sense. either that or we finally get some real concrete background on mo that isn’t total bullshit.

15) keith is in contact with mo. it’s hard to tell if keith went to cali to see mo or if mo came to NY seeing as both are extremely suspicious. assuming mo is in cali that is. keith is definitely going to get mo back in the game. speaking of mo, this entire first 30 seconds is Mo-centric, so i bet mo’s arc is going to be plottier than blair or dawn’s in 1“A” (showtime doesn’t really have A and B arcs for this show bc there’s no midseason hiatus i just like the terminology)

16) throwback thursday lmfao

17) no idea who this guy shooting/probably fake shooting is?? like no idea. could be nothing of importance and just a transition filler/tone setting moment.

18) the heat is on motherfucker! let’s get this cat and mouse shit im ready for it!

19) here we go here’s dawn. back at the jammer group. back at DAWN AS THE PRESIDENT HIRING A BUNCH OF WOMEN???????? BIIIIIITTTTCCCCHHHH I LOVE TO SEE IT. INCLUDING DEANNA CHENG (she’s friends with casey which means she’s friends with half the cast we should’ve known she wasn’t going anywhere) AKA THE SALES CLERK WHO HARASSED DAWN IN 1X02????? YES BITHC

20) then wayne and yassir fucking it up (nice facial hair wayne it’s hideous kjsfkjdhg) and the women throwing paper at him??? LKJRHGKLJSERH????

21) blair and tiff dressed up??? guys. they’re going to some rich people gala thing. this is what i was talkinf about. im almost certain this is how blair and harris meet. their wives are gonna see each other after not having spoken in years bc of whatever but they used to be friends so they go to talk and the husbands and dragged along and *closet case to closet case communication sounds*

22) ok now BLAIR’S on the exercise craze? i thought that was just gonna be dawn like in s1 also how long is this exercise montage in the show bc there are some things a god fearing lesbian shouldn’t have to see. this weird mirror talking shit feels like voyeurism from this perspective i feel like i shouldn’t be seeing this.

23) she’s still topping him??? after all that??? aight yk it’s part of the dynamic

24) tiff is wearing the same dress in “you do, hunk” as she is in the bit where they get out of the limo and deal with the paparazzi so i presume that workout scene is immediately before that gala thing im establishing a #timeline

25) the skants reveal??? we call that PLOT DEVELOPMENT i love a good callback to the first season

26) the shocked gasp i can’t tell if it’s good or bad. also does this mean tiff’s starting her own company? since georgina is liquid?

27) larry telling dawn that mo’s on his way back for revenge? spliced with mo staring at the wall like he so frequently does while smoking? mayhaps this editing went off also i never thought i’d say this but the brotherfucker has a point mo is gonna pop off when he sees yall again

28) FBI wyd........ that’s a lot

29) that falling out last season bit: blair’s definitely talking about tiff’s parents, and im almost certain andrew flubbed right there and improvised over it by saying “autumn.” well im appreciative of that bc a) it’s funny and b) it indicates when this is going on a bit. it’s not like we’re two years in the future or anything. this is probably gonna start a couple of months after the crash and that’s it.

30) no idea who blair is talking to tho since i can’t see the woman’s face. could be one of tiff’s friends? idk. also nice hair tiff

31) that ball spinning around like a gumball in a machine? weird transition but aight. also immediately after, dawn is in the lehman office, again no idea why. probably the same scene as larry telling her that mo is plotting his revenge but idk why she’s there.

32) that shot of a plane coming into JFK? now im near certain that mo is in cali it would make so much sense please showtime just MAKE SENSE. 

33) confetti and mo’s entrance? you know what it’s what i should’ve expected tbh it’s all so delightfully in character EDIT: THE CONFETTI IS NOT BEFORE MO’S ENTRANCE. YOU CAN SEE DAWN’S CLOTHES CHANGE COLOR, IT WAS JUST AN EDITING TRICK.

34) mo’s just gonna pull up, zero fucks, in the middle of the day. much different than how i thought this scene would go, with a lot of betrayal and drama involved instead of this bitch just pulling up. now idek if dawn and mo are in contact before this, when before i was almost certain they would be.

35) what blair says here is definitely not the first thing he says when mo walks in, i can tell from the editing. also im near certain that blair doesn’t say “bro.” it sounds edited in/done in post (his voice pitches up a lot there when that’s usually a beat when your voice would fall), so i wouldn’t be surprised if blair curses a lot there and they just had to edit it to stay in the green band. 

36) ol polluted waterfall lookin ass jshgkjfdhg mo quit lying that hairstyle is not popular fuck off

37) im loving this tagging order tbh. paul scheer getting tagged in the trailer is just. what he deserves. do we consider keith a protagonist now? he’s in all the promo material by name and face now.

38) regina and andrew look so good god yes also the editing is so GOOD fuck

39) keith (hand holding emoji) blair

        getting hit by random vehicles

40) NO THE LIMBO FUCK SHIT THESE CARS WERE NOT MEANT TO LAST almost looks deliberate :eyes emoji:

41) what’s keith doing with this barbershop quartet wtf

42) almost certain that’s tiff singing? based on 1x09 this oughta be good lmao

43) THE HEEL CLICKING IS TAKING ME OUT HGKJDHFGKJFD. could this be mo and marcus? who knows?

44) look at all the cash wtf what’s all that cash for? ah shit here we go again

45) tiff entering another dimension followed by dawn doing what is certainly a mountain of coke? kind of poetic cinema ok

46) ok dawn’s wearing that green suit again from my icon so??? what does it mean what does it all mean

47) who is mo squaring up with tf? is this marcus? i can’t tell in this lighting maybe it’s fake shooting guy idk also where the fuck are they? some party? but not a rich ppl thing just a thing? idk

48) guys. we have it. the fucking airdate. i have been stanning since the first fucking episode almost a year ago today and finally we have an airdate. respect to the new stans but yall dont know what seven and a half months of network radio silence in regards to your current obsession feels like. @hatimbinaba msged me and said we had a date and the shot of adrenaline i felt was like nothing else. serotonin is currently stored in the black monday and now the serotonin is stored in the ME. Sunday, March 15, 2020, 10 pm motherfuckers. put that shit on the calendar. also looks like we have a slightly earlier timeslot which is nice.

49) and to top (ahah) it all off we have blair just straight up gay panicking at the end. that’s definitely tuc and june and if yall have been following yall would know that tuc is playing blair’s love interest and june is playing tuc’s wife so this is all very jghsrkjghs im rly excited for this scene. no way of knowing if this is before or after blair and harris get together but it’s still kshgkdjhgdkj. rich people golfing? more like rich people existing lmao. also where’s that onion video i need to find the onion video fuck this is just like the onion said would happen. i will post it and make memes later. 

50) then blair just gets hit??? by the golfcart?? and there’s this scream that is definitely not the scream of andrew, tuc or june so??? whose scream was that??? did they add that shit in post??? tf???? also tuc and june barely flinching is really decapitating me kjshkrjdg

51) there’s no way of knowing if tiff is also at the golf course, but if she isn’t? then it’s just blair and his canon love interest and canon love interest’s wife???? which is so funny “hey come play golf with me” “oh is anyone else coming?” “ya my wife” “you’re so stupid i have to question how you’re even still alive”

52) WHEEWWWW AND THAT’S IT YALL!!! BUT A COUPLE MORE THINGS. some distinct absences: no known shot of marcus (which is wack yall would think they would want to plug the hell out of dulé hill) and very few shots of harris and corky. why. promote your newcomers some more tf.

anyways that’s all on this long ass post. @ mutuals expect more freakouts xx love yall this is unedited just raw emotion

[giasonesdream]

The Center Console Does Nothing To Support You (Bad Behavior 2 Part Series)

Summary: You and Jeongguk come from a wealthy background. That doesn’t stop your boyfriend from getting into activities he has no business in. All you can do is support him, encourage his bad behaviors with questionable acts of your own. (Explicit)

Word Count: (I’ll be right by your side, ‘til) 3009 

tagged: Jungkook x Reader, drag racing!AU, Smut, road head, exhibitionism, dom/sub undertones

Lake Shore Drive after Rush Hour is beautiful, empty. That, plus the added late night summer air rushing through rolled down windows, it all makes you feel weightless, free, adventurous.

But tonight’s adventure is not really one of your own, but your boyfriend, who sits behind the wheel with one hand gripping the tattered leather and the other rubbing at your bare thigh. It’s a situation you two have been in more than a handful of times this summer, sneaking out of the gated community of your north side homes, travelling the half hour path to get to your friends waiting for you on the south side, your and Jeongguk’s safe haven. On eroded streets littered with potholes and weeds growing from sidewalk cracks is where you feel the most at ease.

Electricity thrums from the palm wrapped around your skin. Jeongguk is excited for the race tonight, ready to show his friends how much he has improved since their last one. You truly have no interest, unaffected by your boyfriend’s competitive side. You have been with him too long to care, but also because you know your disinterest makes him work even harder to win.

You will not lie to yourself, the dynamic of your relationship with Jeongguk must seem a little odd from an outsider’s perspective (hell, even some of the older boys in Jeongguk’s group would question him to the umpteenth degree), but it is one the both of you are very comfortable with. You and he are equals, and for the most part, you come across as best friends; not all that big on PDA besides the times either of you are feeling more introverted or needy, choosing to glue to the other’s side. And the banter is endless, sometimes quipped and hard to tell if you’re joking or not, sometimes so over the top and dramatic no one could possibly mistake you two for just being typical young adults in love.

There’s a lurch in the car as he speeds down the rather empty expressway, and you subtly eye the needle and see it push towards 75 mph. With a sigh, you continue scrolling through your phone.

“Try not to get us or yourself killed tonight, Jeon,” you mutter nonchalantly. “You know you don’t get anything if you win this stupid race, right?”

Jeongguk scoffs next to you, and you don’t even have to turn to see the offended look on his face. “Um, bragging rights is what I would win, [y/n].”

Right, because Jeon Jeongguk, Certified Shy Dork, would totally use the bragging rights with anyone but you (you, who does not give a shit). You tear your eyes away from your screen to stare him down until he feels it.

The street lights trail across his face, accentuating the roundness if his cheeks, the slope of his nose, the sharpness of his jaw, and it takes all of your strength to remember why you chose to glare at him in this moment.

He feels it soon enough, your eyes on his profile, and he chances a glance over in your direction before focusing back on the road. “What?”

“Jeongguk, you don’t have to impress these guys. They like you. You’re in their little gang.” Though you are neither here nor there when it comes to his new choice of friends, you understand his desire to fit in, to have them like him. It would be adorable if he wasn’t partaking in an...illegal form of entertainment.

You hear him scoff again, twitching at the way he involuntarily kneads your thigh. You must have hit the nail on the head, as you usually do. “I’m not trying to impress them,” he denies, not even sounding confident to himself.

You give another sigh, this one not as noticeable. You and Jeongguk were born and raised Northsiders, living a rather privileged life with proper allowances for taking out the trash and not worrying about getting sick because health insurance is a thing. Of course Jeongguk would want to make these guys think he could hang, “get down and dirty” as he had said unironically one time.

You pat the hand that’s still firmly on your leg, rubbing mindlessly at the sturdiness of his forearm before covering the top of his hand with your own, playing with the fingers. You can feel his nerves become restless as you continue to fret with his fingers, pulling at them only for them to snap back into place against the skin cloaked in warmth.

“Issue?” you hear him ask, his previous laxed state becoming more and more wired.

You give a pout you know he won’t notice, turning in your seat to practically face him head on. “Ggukie, your hands are getting clammy,” you whine, only slightly teasing. It truly did gross you out a tad when his furnace of a body would get sweaty at too much contact.

With a smirk, he loosens his grip only to move his palm further up your thigh. And normally, you would push him away, cringe away from the humid touch- but his fingers skirt on the inside of your thigh as they run higher and higher, and your legs jerk together at the barely there stimulation.

Jeon Jeongguk had been a special case, never going a moment in his 22 years of living when he wasn’t getting attention from women. You distinctly remember when you both were children, how your mother and aunt would fawn over the adorable runt, how small and pure he looked.

“Oh, [y,n], don’t you think little Jeonggukie is cute?” they would ask you, heart eyes too prevalent for your liking. It made you roll your eyes and turn your nose up at the boy.

And even through his awkward teenage years, he still got the attention because he was still adorable, or that is what your friends and mother say. He was just Jeongguk. Always had been. It hadn’t dawned on you that maybe the girls in your school had a point until one day he came over to visit you, and suddenly you opened the door and had to look...up. That was at the age of nineteen, when you first realized that yeah, Jeon Jeongguk was an eyeful and more (cue the flustered, bumbling idiot you became).

And here he sits now, one strong hand easily steering the leather bound wheel while another built arm is stretched to constantly be touching you, and really, how can someone look so hot doing so little?

He’s right there, you think to yourself, mindlessly chewing at your bottom lip as you contemplate your next move. The lights still dance over his face, illuminating his features in the dark of night in a lazy rhythm. He really is right there. All you have to do is lean over and…

You place a peck on his cheek, pulling back a bit to check his reaction, testing the waters. He seems unfazed by the gesture, only half of his lips tugging up in a smile. So you go back in again, leaving open mouthed kisses that trail down his jaw. You don’t realize the grip you have on the wrist connected to the hand still trapped between your legs until you let go to pull at your seatbelt.

With a quick glance, you look outside the windows, making sure there isn’t a car riding besides you (fuck anyone behind you). And since the coast is clear (enough), you let your hand slide over to his jean clad legs, the other hand finding balance on the leather console between you two.

“Holy shit!” Jeongguk shouts, urgency in his voice enough to make you flinch away in panic.

“What? What?!” You ask frantically, checking the road around you, slamming yourself to duck your head out the window. You swear to god, if Jeongguk hurt an animal-

“Were you about to blow me?”

As his words slowly catch up with your brain, you turn back to glare at him, eyes squinted and tongue poking in your cheek. His expression is a mixture of wide-eyed shock and an eager smile.

You speak too calmly for comfort, obviously hiding your irritation with being interrupted. “I was...planning. On it.”

That does nothing to change his face. He only glances at you, huffing out a laugh. “That’s a real thing?”

...Did he seriously just ask you if roadhead is a real thing? “What?”

With a defensive shrug, he explains. “I just...I thought that only happened in movies and fanfiction.”

Leaning against the passenger door, you scrutinize your boyfriend, pushing his hand away from you. Leave it to him to ruin the moment with his very unsexy antics. “Whose fanfiction are you reading?”

Jeongguk sputters for a second, the streetlights catching the gaping look on his face. “I...pfft, is that part important? At least, right now?”

You want to interrogate him, watch him get flustered with the idea of having to admit one dirty little secret you seemed to not know. But, unfortunately (or very fortunately, depending on how you look at it), he’s still very hot and still very much mouthwatering in probably the most naughtiest of ways.

You can curse your hormones later.

You crawl back into your previous position, noting how Jeongguk leans his head to give you more room to lick, mouth and bite at the skin of his neck. You barely miss the way his eyes flutter, and you snap instantly.

“If you don’t keep your fucking eyes and focus on the road I will climb into the backseat, I swear to god, Jeon,” comes the hissing threat. At his frantic nod, your lips fall back to his throat with more fervor, frustration building at having to stop so many times. It shows in the way your teeth bite harshly into the meat of his neck, sadistically satisfied with the air he sucks in through his teeth.

Your palm goes back to work, breezing through the foreplay of feathering up the inside of his thigh and quickly palming at the semi-hard length in his pants. You’re sure he feels the smug grin against his neck; how sensitive your boyfriend is, how worked up he gets for you so easily. It sends a shot of lust to your own core to know you affect him so.

When you try to shift closer, the seatbelt locks, and you huff again, having to pull away to shove it off of you so you can try and mold the upper half of your body to his as best you can with a goddamn console still there and immobile.

You are quite skilled, nimbly undoing the buttons and zipper of his jeans so you can stuff your hand down his underwear. The hissed “shit” he whispers only makes you thrum with more excitement. You have lost count of how many times you have done this, worked your hand up and down his cock (Jeongguk could probably tell you because, underneath this sexy exterior he sometimes wears, he is always 100% A Dork Trademark). You have become an expert, collecting the precum that pools at the tip when he’s finally completely hard and hot in your closed palm. Though the precum acts as a decent lubricate, you both know a more effective way of getting him dripping wet. You give a slow lick at the sensitive spot behind his ear, biting back a smile at his heavy exhale, before you finally lower your mouth to breathe against the head of his aching member.

It takes some maneuvering, getting into a somewhat comfortable position where your ribs aren’t entirely digging into the console. There’s still a pinch, but it’s manageable; and really, feeling the way the smallest shiver shoots up Jeongguk’s spine when you wrap your tongue around the underside of his cock just makes it worth it. You repeat the action, letting the tip of your tongue get caught under the head before wrapping your lips around it completely. With one hand wrapped around the base, you move your mouth lower and lower, always licking until the head rests at the back of your tongue. Your gag reflex betrays you when you try to inch downwards, closing up and making you pull off to breathe.

Your reflexes can be a bit finicky, sometimes wanting to cooperate, sometimes wanting to be a complete and utter bitch to work with (“so, a lot like your personality, as a whole,” Jeongguk would say, which would result in a smack to his shoulder). But you keep your tongue moving, leaving kitten licks at the crown while your throat calms down enough so you could try again.

You take your time, ignoring your own eagerness, as you suck your way down his length, making sure to breathe heavily through your nose and keep your throat open until- success.

The center console presses against your lungs, and your other hand scrapes the leather as you try to focus on the way he hits the back of your throat. With another steady breath, you experiment with swallowing around him.

You feel the car swerve and you yank your head off his cock, yelling his name angrily, though your throat is a bit scratchy. Your body lurches to the side as he jerks the car back to its straight position.

“Fuck, sorry,” he apologizes with a tight voice, weaving his fingers into the tresses of your hair. “It’s just...your mouth.”

You think any other time you would flattered, maybe even a bit cocky with how he submits when you’re the one with his dick in your mouth. But you would very much like to live, or at least not die with his dick out and have the firemen find you in this rather precarious position.

You don’t regard his apology, simply opting to go back to your previous task. The air rushes outside, but it doesn’t mask the slick sounds that accompany you coating his dick in your saliva, mixing with the salty precum that beads at the top whenever you go just a bit lower than usual.

He does a lot better when you decide to try for deepthroating again, electing to tighten his grip on your head and stuttering out a groan when you swallow a few times around him. You even congratulate yourself when you don’t choke as he bucks his hips up, desperate to go deeper in the wet, tight heat of your throat.

You’re a mess, spit dribbling from the tight seal of your lips and smearing down your chin and your hand; it’s fucking hot. The heat swirls and knots in the pit of your stomach when he accidentally pushes your head down, moaning out another frantic apology. It takes you a second, but you’re finally pulling your hand away from the base, confident that you can steady yourself enough to fit the last few inches down your throat.

“Shit, shit!” Jeongguk tries to bite back the noises, successful up until you pull up to suck tightly around the head. In the back of your mind, you notice that the air outside the car has eased, meaning you must be off the expressway and onto the side streets that take you to your destination. You must be close.

You suck with a purpose, moaning and rubbing your thighs together because you won’t have time to get yourself off. You hear his faint warning, the “gon-gonna cum, [y,n]-” as you keep your lips secured around the tip, bringing your hand back to stroke the length now completely saturated with spit and precum.

His breathing is heavy, and you chance a glance to look up to see his brows furrowed together, jaw slack as noises get caught in his throat. Right before he cums, his mouth snaps shut, teeth biting into his bottom lip and his muscles tense. Your eyes flutter shut when his seed coats your mouth, not giving yourself a chance to taste too much before you swallow it down. Your hand still twists up his cock, milking him for all he’s worth until the last remnants dribble pathetically against your tongue.

You give one last lick, holding back a giggle when he tries to flinch away from the overstimulation. With a final kiss to hiss check, you fall back into your passenger seat, rubbing at your ribs as you try to will down the lust that makes you throb in your shorts.

“Shit, [y/n].” Jeongguk’s voice pitches at the end, his tone showing just how wrecked he is. You’re sure you would sound the same if you spoke, so you only nod.

The road you’re on now is familiar, the asphalt getting bumpier and holier the further along you go. You’re almost there.

Still not trusting your voice, you only give your boyfriend a look when he suddenly pulls over to the curb, shifting the gear into park and leaning over the console to drag you into a sloppy, open mouthed kiss.

You swallow his groan, and you’re sure he can still taste himself on your tongue. When he finally pulls away with a tug of your bottom lip, he grits out, “Your turn.”

When the hand that had been on the steering wheel comes to your knee, you can ignore the dampness of his palm in lieu of how he tugs your legs open.

“What about-” you pause to clear your throat. “What about the drag race?”

Jeongguk clicks his tongue. “They won’t start without me. Besides, you can be my goodluck charm.” He beams up with a smile that seems so pure, you honestly can’t believe this boy is your boyfriend, the boyfriend - who still has his goddamn dick out -ready to finger you.

“Tch, fucking better win,” you mumble as he tugs at the buttons of your shorts. “Drag me all the way out here for nothing.”

You both knew your words were empty. Away from your homes on summer nights like these, this was your safe haven, paradise.

A/N: I haven’t watched the new episode of Bon Voyage, but I’ve been seeing gifs of Jeongguk driving and welp. Here ya go. This is the first part to a two part series. Hopefully I can finish the second half sometime soon.

[crazyfreckledginger]

Q&A

Thank you to those who have asked questions, y’all are awesome!! It also means the world to me that we got this far! 80k you guys oh my god! You guys brighten my day I love and appreciate every single one of you!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Everywhere! I want to visit every 

Which Robin is your personal favorite?

Oh no you didn’t! 😂 I can’t really choose, but I know my least favourite is Tim! (Sorry timmy!) But Dick, Jay and Dami are my boys!

Do you like to read? And if so, do you have a favorite book or series? / favorite book?

I like to read fanfiction, does that count? 😂 But as books, I love ‘Finding Audrey’ by Sophie Kinsella and ‘Everything, Everything’ by Nicola Yoon

What got you into the batboys?/  How did you develop interest in the batfamily?

I have absolutely no idea! Oh, no, actually, I think I saw an imagine on Tumblr a year ago and just started reading fanfiction about it!

Outside the Batfamily, who is your favorite superhero (or superheroes)?

Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Peter Parker Laura Kinney and Logan Howlett! 

do you considere the robin's similar to peter Parker??

Yes, especially Tim!

How to you get inspiration for your one-shots?/  What inspired you to start writing? / What made you want to start writing? What do you do to get inspiration in writing?/ What is your motivation or drive? 

Before I started requests, I just had an accumulation of random stories in my head and had to write them out, now, most things. Sometimes it’s because of dreams, movie I watch with interesting scenes or plot twists, books or general ideas that just pop into my head, sometimes it’s also ‘what if’ type questions, if that makes sense.   

If your favorite batboy died,  how would you feel?

TeRiRbIE, probably mourning for the rest of my life lol.

Young justice season 3?

HELL YEAH DICK IS HAWT AF OMG

What's your favourite food?/ Favorite Food, 

Indian and Mexican food for life!

What do you like the most about your fave batboy?

EVERYTHING, MY BOYS ARE PRECIOUS

Do you think the rumor about Damian being Jason's son is true?

I didn’t hear about this before but nope, I mean how even?? 😂 Like, in most universes, the age gap between the two is between 10 to 14 years, how- I don’t- no, and besides, they come from a completely different background and I don’t know where this is from but it’s always going to be a no in my heart! 

Can you relate to any of the batboys?

All of them! I’ll generalise a lot because this might turn into an essay otherwise lmao.

Damian for his love of animals and hating people in general. Tim for the lack of sleep.  Jason is me tbh. Dick loves puns and jokes as much as I do.

Are Bruce and your father alike?

Kind of?

What's your favourite T.V show?

Sons Of Anarchy, Friends, The Vampire Diaries and Good Girls

Are you looking forward to Titans on October 18th?

I have mixed feelings about it, I’m happy they are making a live action Dick and Jason but it looks really bad, I’m still going to keep an open mind though!

Jason and Artemis or Kori and Dick?

Kori and Dick, I don’t seen Jason and Artemis’ relationship as more than friends, I don’t know what happened in RHATO, which is funny how I keep talking about the comics since I magically have never read any of them??? 

Thoughts on Redhood's transformation In Redhood the Outlaw?

I want my Jaybird hair back. I’m oKaY with the new design but I adore the old design!

Cookies: Alfred or M'gann?

Alfred’s (that was a tough one though!)

Is Brenton Thwaites good enough to be Robin in the upcoming series?

I don’t know! I’ve never really had a good face claim for Dick so I’m going to keep an open mind about it. He’d better had a nice bubble butt though!

Jason's gun or Dick's eskrimas?

Ughh this is haaard! Maybe Dick’s eskrima sticks.

Talia or Selena?

Selena

Poison ivy or Harley Quinn?

Harley Quinn

If you were in DC universe and you will be able to make a crossover it will be with?: Marvel, Transformers, Supernatural

Marvel or Transformers!!

Do you like birdflash?

I only see them as bros but I respect people’s choice of shipping them together!

Besides Batman what other fandoms are you into ?

Marvel, Sons Of Anarchy, Transformers, Stranger Things, Good Girls, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Vampire Diaries and loads more!

What’s your most liked story on wattpad

This one lmao (batboys x reader)

Do you like voltron  if so who’s your favorite paladin

I don’t watch Voltron, sorry, the fandom is insane and scary on Tumblr (without wanting to generalise) . I’ve tried watching an episode but I just can’t seem to get into it!

Will  you take request in the future Not that I’m asking for one I’m just curious I love your writing style

Aw thanks! 🙈 That’s so sweet of you. And yes of course!! I just closed them because I didn’t know when I would be able to have a reliable amount of time to write, I’m opening them soon hopefully! :)

Favorite movie of all time/  What's your favorite movie and why?

Logan, the FeElS, plus my girl Laura plus my man Donald Pierce is in it.

The Dark Knight (the one with Bane and The Joker) both villains are extremely intimidating and Nolan was able to portray them in an extremely terrifying way whilst keeping us on edge for the whole movies! True masterpieces.

Also Tomb Raider because kick some ass queen omg.

favorite character characters

DONALD PIERCE, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, Laura Kinney, Dick Grayson, Wally West, Roy Harper, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne among so so many others.

favorite (video) game, 

Outlast and Until Dawn! 

Do you have/wish to have any pets? 

Yes I have had a bunch! Three rabbits, a sheep and a goat! I wish I’d have a cat though!

How would you describe your clothing style? 

Comfortable and tries to be at least a little stylish lol

Any artists/celebs You look up to? 

Not really no, I’ve never really looked up to anyone.

What kind of music do you like? 

Pop, Classical not the Mozart type of classical.

Do You have any "rituals" regarding your writing process? 

Yes! If it’s a series, I write the whole plot down on a book with details and elements that I want included. I keep it besie me to be sure I follow the plot whislt writing it.

Since I write in the evening, if there’s a one shot request that I lack inspiration about, I write something else and think of a plot when I’m in bed before i go to sleep. It really helps be get the requests written and in the queue. 

I normally sit in front of my TV, catching up on my series or something and just write. I don’t really have a ritual other than this!

Favourite cartoon?

Young Justice ayyye!

If you were to choose your own name, what would it be? 

I’ve never really thought about it, I don’t know, I like my name! 

But I really like Kia or *gasp* Sam. Not Samantha but just Sam.

Favourite mythical creature? 

Griffin, phenix and dragons!

What language do you wish to speak? 

Italian and Spanish!

Any lucky items/superstisions?

A tiger’s eye necklace my cousin gave me three years ago, I wear it everyday! If you could be any animal, real or mythical, what would you be? 

A tiger, an eagle or a griffin. I can’t choose lol!

Do you think you'd survive in a post apocalyptic world? 

Maybe? I mean I feel like I would be smart enough but I saw World War Z and dying is better than surviving with traumatic experiences running through your head 24/7!

Where would you go for a dream vacation? 

Everywhere! I want to visit the world!

If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would you wish for? (No wishing for more wishes lol) 

DANG IT! 

1. That everyone should have a different perspective so that they can realise how bad the world is becoming and to change that.

2. Appreciation of every single being on the planet that sexual orientation does not matter in a relationship and that, no matter what you consider yourself, that society accepts you no matter what.

3. That everyone becomes the best person they can possibly be. We could conquer the world!

Do you prefer rain or sun? 

RAIN!

Do you like thunderstorms? 

Hell yeah!

Are you good at puzzles? 

Depends which ones, generally yes. Depending on my mood, I can be very stubborn and finish it and sometimes I’m going to be screw it I give up lol!

What do you enjoy most about life? 

My mutuals, happiness, fraternity, you guys and a few other things I’m sure (can’t remember)

What's your favorite fictional world? (DC, Marvel, Shadowhunters, etc) 

DC, Marvel, Transformers and the 10 year old in me says Narnia as well!

What do you think happens after we die? 

I feel like you’d come back as a different person. I’ve always wanted to believe that you’d become an animal but I have no idea!

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Indian food!!

Do you like to dance? 

Yes but alone! I’m horrible at dancing!

Where do you feel most comfortable/safe? 

With my best friend! Or at home!

What's something that always makes you smile? 

My mutuals, your comments they seriously make my day a little brighter.

Are you good at gardening? 

Nope I don’t like it either!

What's your preferred footwear? 

Sneakers if that’s what it’s called!

Favorite flower?

Roses!

What fills up your heart to bursting level? 

Kitties and puppies! 😍 Also anything including helping people or animals together and/or animals with their owners.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? 

Opening up to someone, showing my feelings and emotions and getting out there to make friends. I haven’t had the best childhood.

What’s your favorite poem or saying? 

“Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst”

And most importantly: do you think we'll ever see good writing again in DC for our favorite characters?

I really hope so, the writers are becoming more and more despised. Only DC fans hate DC on a completely different level of hatred lmao.

What'd you think of Heath Ledger's Joker?

Terrifying. heath Ledge did a fine good job at portraying someome that puts that unsettling feeling in your gut. Every one of his scenes are iconic. The best Joker so far in my opinion. 

whO rAnKs NumBer TwO iN "Batboys with a fresh booty" since we all know dick ranks number one

Hmmmm, 

Conclusion...

That’s a very cute tushy if you ask me!

[not my pics]

what do you think about Erik Lehnsherr and Stephen Strange?

I’m not particularly attacted to Erik but I know he’s misunderstood and I understand why he’s so loveable by many people in the X-Men fandom. But he’s just not my type of guy.

Stephen Strange is badass and a sass master and no one can convince me otherwise. He’s an awesome character.

what would your perfect date with Donnie (Donald Pierce) be like?

Ohhh, going to the movies and then just hanging out somewhere nice, talking and laughing and then ordering takeaway and cuddling up on the couch whilst watching Netflix ahhh! 🙈

[ryanmeft]

Leave No Trace Movie Review

The tree separates them. It fills half the shot. Up on a hill, the girl stands, and down at the foot is the social worker. The shot is not belabored. The perspective is not forced. Rangers have just taken away the girl’s father, as the two of them were living in a public park, and the difference in treatment has been stark. The father was roughly handcuffed, searched, and taken away. The girl is negotiated with.

The assumptions start in that very first interaction with what we think of as civilization. The default thinking is that the father, played by Ben Foster, has done something wrong and knows it, whereas the girl is a victim of circumstance. The circumstances, too, are assumed. They have been living in the park in Oregon, we don’t know for how long. They are found, and taken, and those who take them do their best to re-home in a situation that will not stress the father, whose name is Will, more than necessary. He has trouble adjusting, and society has trouble letting him have his own rules. There is a scene where he and his daughter, Tom, attend church at the ostensibly voluntary behest of their host and Will’s employer, and the man lurks in the background, assuring they enjoy it, his eyes those of a man who will decide things about them if they do not.

This is a complex story, simply told. Other recent films of the family-off-the-grid variety, notably Captain Fantastic, turned me off because they took a side, no matter how illogical or even dangerous it seemed to do so. This film does not. Will is not a fanatic. He does not launch invective against the system, he does not yell at his daughter if she disagrees with him, he does not assume, when confronted, that his lifestyle must be hers. When, after deciding to leave again from a second chance in an isolated RV community, Tom tells him “The same thing that’s wrong with you isn’t wrong with me”, we might be expecting theatrics. He looks calmly, resignedly, at her, and says “I know.”

Tom is played by Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie. This isn’t her debut, as the trailers imply, but it’s a remarkable performance for someone with a handful of film roles to her name. She trusts her father to do what’s right for her, and insists to the social worker (Dana Millican) that her dad does provide her shelter, and does care for her. She assures a landlady of mobile homes (Dale Dickey) that they aren’t the kind of trouble she’s worried about. These are not outbursts, but confident statements from a developed adult (by her own definition, at least). Yet she is at an age where the lure of a life with her peers, or at least other humans, is strong. She doesn’t require any sort of moment where it dawns on her that she doesn’t want to live in the woods. It happens gradually, and McKenzie shows no signs of it in her face or the way she moves. Film often goes for external changes to express internal ones, and that can be effective, but McKenzie instead changes Tom the way real people change themselves: it rarely shows much at all.

Plot-wise, the key to the film is that society is not portrayed as inherently corrupt, nor nature as inherently perfect. It could go the easy route. It could show only those parts of nature that make the postcards, and it could focus on neon lights or heavy traffic or other cliche ways of suggesting civilization is vulgar. Michael McDonough’s camera does a thankless job, only occasionally showing lingering views of fragile cobwebs or towering trees. The rest of the time, we see dreary-looking shantytowns in the same place as dew-dappled leaves, and what is after all a very nice and quiet home contrasted against a machine shipping trees out for Christmas. The benefits of society are shown, as is the simple fact that nature can and will kill you. Notice that Tom and Will both interact with captive animals in different ways, and notice the animal they both come together over. There are layers and layers, but the emotional core of the film is a father and daughter that cannot stay together, and the reasons they cannot, and whose responsibility, ultimately, that is. It will not tell you. You’ll have to think for yourself.

Though the film only reveals it briefly in a newspaper clipping, Will obviously suffers from PTSD. Through this, writer-director Debra Granik and co-writer Anne Rosellini invite us to ask ourselves an uncomfortable question. Our narrative as a society demands we believe anyone can fit if they try hard enough, that fitting in is something everyone should desire, and often levies great punishments for not doing so. The name of the film, altered from Peter Rock’s book My Abandonment, immediately may refer to Will and Tom trying to physically disappear. It also suggests the lengths anyone who is different must go to, the degree to which they must hide themselves away to avoid offending the sense of everyone else that they are entitled to uniformity, and that a person’s needs are secondary to that demand.

Verdict: Must-See

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts. I suppose you could consider each one as adding a star.

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

 You can follow Ryan's reviews on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/ryanmeftmovies/

Or his very infrequent tweets here:

https://twitter.com/RyanmEft

All images are property of the people what own the movie.

[garagnon-gallery]

FLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIAL

Flower photography

Tips for Fantastic Flower Photography

Nancy Young, Peter Dam

PART ONE

Spring is a gorgeous season to go out and take beautiful photos. It’s all about colors and sunshine. What could be better for a photographer than experimenting with flower photography and seeing the world through the lens? In this article, we give you the best tips on how to photograph flowers, provide inspiration for professional photographers, and add some technicalities for beginners.

Take time to prepare

First things first, you need to get all your gear together; choose an adequate lens and gather the equipment you may need out in the fields. Flowers are a great subject for macro photography. If you have a macro lens, this is the time to use it.

If you don’t have a macro lens, don’t worry, any lens from 50mm to 200mm will work.

You’ll often need a tripod when photographing flowers. It’s not very comfortable to carry a tripod around, but your photographs worth it. A tripod will help you avoid blurred images on windy days, when you get very close to your subject, or when you want long exposures.

2. Choose the right lenses for flower photography

Start exploring your lens capabilities. Lenses have a minimum focusing distance, which tells you how close to a flower you can get. Each flower shape, structure, or color requires an individual approach.

To show the beauty of a wide range of plants, you need to use different lenses. For close-up images, where you perhaps only capture the stamen or part of a flower, it’s better to use a macro lens. If you want to capture the beauty of small flowers from the distance, it’s better to use a lens with a focal length of 50-200mm.

Find the focal point

You need to make your subject stand out. This is a valid rule for any type of photography. Many flower photographers place the subject in focus and the viewer is never in doubt where to look. You don’t need to place it always in the center of the frame. Use the rule of thirds, the golden rule, or the golden triangle rule to place your flower (or your subject) in one of the most appealing positions in the frame.

Highlight your subject

The main subject of your photos should be sharp and clear. Make sure you remove everything that could distract the clear view of the item, both from the foreground and background. There are multiple ways to get rid of distractions, such as:

frame the photo in such a way that distracting elements don’t enter the final composition;

move the distractions if possible, without harming the elements and disrupting the natural flow of the scene;

decrease the depth of field (use larger apertures, get close to your subject, use telephoto lenses);

move the subject if possible, without harming the elements and disrupting the natural flow of the scene. Don’t pick up flowers to get a better image. The purpose of flower photography is to reveal natural beauty not to harm the environment.

Live View is your best friend when photographing flowers

Live View allows you to better frame the picture and decide where to position critical elements. However, you can use the live view mode only with a tripod. Otherwise, your image will turn out blurry.

Adjust the camera’s position if necessary to achieve the composition you want, and then switch to the manual mode and press the shutter release. This technique is also useful when you take macro and close-up photographs.

6. Go wide

Sometimes you can get a better image when you look at the bigger picture. Most photographers shoot flowers only from small distances and lose the opportunity to get a fantastic landscape shot. It may be a good idea to focus not only on a single flower or flower petals but also on the entire field.

You can get so preoccupied with details that you forget to take a step back and see the whole picture. After you make a few close-up images of flowers, switch to a wide-angle lens and see the full scene. Environmental shots are perhaps the most unexplored area of flower photography. It may also be more challenging to maintain a clean and well-balanced composition when you photograph a larger scene.

I would say that 98% of all flower photos represent either a few flowers in a bouquet or macro shots of parts of flowers. Great wide-angle shots of flowers are rare, but if you manage to do them right, they’ll be a great addition to your portfolio.

7. Don’t forget about lighting

Usually, you shoot flowers outside where perfect daylight does the entire job for you. You don’t need any specific lighting equipment. However, natural lighting conditions are unpredictable, and you might need to use flash, a reflector, or a diffuser. They provide natural, diffused light and help you illuminate the areas that are in the shadow.

The beauty of flowers can be captured with backlighting or lateral lighting. Stand right in front of the sun and let the light illuminate the bulb from the back. It creates a stunning glowing effect for a flower. Photograph during the golden hour and capture flowers with the beautiful golden light on one side.

8. Create abstract images

Flowers allow you to be creative. Contrasting colors, patterns, and natural textures help you create stunning abstract shots. Don’t be afraid to experiment with this photography genre.

Abstract nature images invoke a sense of creativity and mystery. Such shots allow us to observe all pieces of the picture and find an interpretation. You may get some interesting images when you change your point of view. Flowers aren’t a new subject matter and many other photographers were there before you. Unless you find a new perspective and a unique way to tell their stories, no one will notice your work. Try to find unusual angles, flower petals with usual shapes, or time of the day when flowers show an unseen face.

Take pictures on a cloudy day

Not all sunny spring days are suitable for flower photography. A cloudy day provides a natural soft light that highlights the delicacy and tenderness of the flowers. This is a good time to pick up your gear and go for a flower photography session.

Direct sun rays on a sunny day can produce unaesthetic shadows. Usually, you avoid shooting at midday. That’s not the case on a cloudy day. And because you have less light, you can adventure to try long exposures as well. Use a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light that enters the camera and be able to expose for longer.

You can turn on the tracking focus (on Nikon cameras this feature is AF-S) that will focus on waving flowers if you are not too close to your subject. Another way to avoid the wind is by using fast shutter speeds, for example, 1/800 or higher. You can also use your body or an object to block the wind from reaching the subject you want to photograph.

Or, you can use the wind in your favor and create atmospheric shots, dreamy long exposures, and dynamic images of flowers.

11. Don’t be afraid of backlight

Natural light plays a key role in flower photography and produces the best images. The ideal time of the day for shooting is early morning and just before sunset when the sun is not so bright. It is recommended to use a tripod and live view to track your composition and focus.

Try to place the flower between the camera and the rays to create an impression of the light penetrating the petals. Creating silhouettes also works very well with flowers.

12. Get a closer look

There are several ways to take a photo from a small distance. You can use a telephoto lens and zoom in as much as possible. Super telephoto lenses zoom up to 600mm and work very well with larger flowers or groups of flowers.

If the flower is too small, you can use extension tubes or close-up filters, which will increase the object’s size. Other alternatives are using a macro lens or getting physically close to the subject.

13. Change perspective

The most stunning results come from unusual angles. Imagine you get a flower bouquet and you hold it close to your face to smell it. Or imagine the bridal bouquet flying over the crowd. The idea is to avoid photographing flowers as neutral objects sitting on a table. Try to capture the dynamism of the moment. Don’t take all your pictures from your eye level. Get to the flower’s level, see the world through its petals, elongate its stem, and capture its grace and symmetries.

14. Use macro photography

Did you ever ask yourself how professional photographers take close-up images in which you can see a bee collecting nectar?

The answer is quite simple – they use macro lenses. With a macro lens, you have a 1:1 magnification ratio or higher. It’s the only way to achieve this result. Due to magnification and close camera-subject distance, macro photographs have a shallows depth of field. Sometimes it will be impossible to have the entire flower in focus. At the same time, you’ll get rid of a distracting background without even trying.

To go even closer, such as a 2x magnification, you can use an extension tube in combination with a macro lens. Watch out for the thin slice of sharpness, which might be too narrow for looking good, even for close-up images.

15. Water drops work perfect with flower photography

You probably know the fantastic photographs featuring drops of water with the most bizarre forms and reflections. Water drops will add a nice touch to floral photos.

the easiest way is to organize shooting after the rain or at dawn when there is dew on the plants. However, it is not difficult to create a water drop effect; it is enough to use a spray bottle.

16. Avoid clutter in the background

When shooting flowers, you must carefully choose the background. Remember that white and light flowers look very bad on a white background.

There is no universally correct or incorrect background color. Everything, of course, depends on the task, but the color of the background should not distract from the main subject. In order to flatter a flower, you may need a background in a contrasting color, one with a different oriented texture, or a plain desaturated background.  Change the position and angle of the camera until you find the perfect background.

Keep in mind that close-up and macro images have a shallow depth of field that results in a blurred background. If you want to reduce the background to black or, on contrary, increase the depth of field and have a sharper background, use flash.

17. Think outside the box

Most flower photos are quite dull and do not convey the colors and textures that you see in reality. Try to shoot the flower from a different perspective and the picture will have a different illumination. Or you can choose to frame just a part of the subject such as flower petals or a stamen. Treat the flower like you would treat a person. Leave space in front of it, get to the flower’s level, and capture its feelings and emotions.

Such images intrigue and leave room for fantasy. It is an excellent approach to evoke the viewer’s curiosity.

18. Experiment with sunlight

If you are going to shoot flowers with sunrays, then the best time of the day is in the morning or during the hour before sunset. In the daytime, the light is too bright, and you will have to use a diffuser sheet. Otherwise, the harsh light will wash out the colors and reduce the contrast.

Too much light affects the quality of the photo because it blurs the texture of the petals and leaves and reduces the contrast depth. It is also essential to use an angle from which natural light comes from behind the plant. The best setting for this is an aperture around f/16 to allow the sunrays to turn into starlight like above. Thus you can get a beautiful background.

19. Use a shallow depth of field

Working with depth of the field is a good solution to add a nice blur element to your flower photos. A shallow depth of field will enable you to highlight your subject while keeping everything else softly out of focus.

This can be achieved using a wide aperture. Aim for an aperture of f/2-f/5. Compensate a large aperture with a faster shutter speed to avoid overexposing your photos. For outdoor, nature photos, ISO value should stay at 100. The camera-subject distance also affects the depth of field. The closer you are to the subject, the narrower the depth of field is.

[stonestridernerd]

♡♡♡♡♡ ♡♡♡♡♡ ♡♡♡♡♡ ♡♡♡♡♡ ♡♡♡♡♡ ♡♡♡♡♡

Well, @shuuhuu is a supportive sweetheart, constantly sending asks! I may be slow when it comes to answering them, but I love seeing them in my inbox. Of course, their characters are also beautifully written and I love their detailed writing. 

I’m amazed by how much quality writing @unabashedrebel can juggle. He’s responds to all these RPs in a timely manner, while still finding time to write stories on the side. All of which are beautifully written, with engaging dialogue and vivid scenery. 

I know I’ve said this over and over again, but I adore @koszmar-zycie. He helped me first branch out and start RPing here nearly a year ago. The threads we do are among my favorites, whether it’s Kuina and Xiuying flirting or Koszmar and Kennocha talking about life. 

@heroya-of-the-warsong is also an amazing person. I’ve enjoyed our RPs, as their characters all have fascinating stories. Yet that speaks nothing of them OoC, as the conversations we’ve had have been wonderful highlights of my playtime. Finally, I still fangirl when I see their art. Heck, I still have her work of Kennocha saved as my phone background, as it’s a gorgeous piece that reminds me of the awesome people I’ve meet here. 

Speaking of artists, @peachykaty has some of my favorite works here. In addition, it’s been a delight RPing with her characters, and occasionally writing for them. She has such a wide cast of varying characters and personalities she jumps from that it still amazes me how she balances them all. 

@dravatti is also a fantastic artist. They produced some of my absolute favorite Inktober pieces, ranging from tauren beauties and troll priests to aurin darlings and elven warriors. I don’t know how to properly explain the style or colors, but I get excited seeing it. 

Of course, there’s an amazing troll artist here as well. @potionmaster-kiefeon is wonderful to see, whether it’s in the city RPing or here showing off another sketch. I freaking adore her character design and get so excited when I see an update from her. 

@kuzi-the-hunturr also ranks here. Whether it’s her Sims AU, art, or asks, I’m delighted to see her run across my notifications. She’s sent in some of the most thought provoking asks to me, whether to Kennocha, Winoa, or Kij’aza. Heck, the story prompt she sent to me is turning out to be a gloriously fun challenge to write. I’ve got the whole thing outlined so far, but I’m still trying to figure out how to properly write it to honour her sources. 

While we’re on trolls though, I consider @leahdarkspear to be a linchpin in the community. She connects so many troll RPers, no matter if here or in her guild. Leah is fun to see drawn out and written about. I’m still so happy that I was able to RP in one of her events. 

Among the first people I followed on tumblr was @zookeeper-cielsy. Whether her character if focused on baking, fishing, or zoology reports, I love reading what the traveling elf is up to. The detail they put into their work, whether writings, aesthetics, or art; is incredible. 

I need to catch up with @squadron-of-damned‘s characters. I can’t imagine the work it’s taken them to write and draw their comic, but it’s surely worth it. I love watching their characters go on their adventures, as well as seeing the little details of love they put into the work, such as the different penmanships for different characters. 

I actively read @curiouscodex‘s threads. No matter who they’re with, I’m assured that I’ll reach the last update with a smile on my face. His characters are just so charming and delightful to read. In addition, he’s also mentioned interesting headcannons about Kaldorei astrology, which have been fun to research for my night elf. 

Of course, @belillinafireseeker has been fun to RP with. Watching Winoa and Bella interact is a pleasure, whether the former is defending the elf from a horde of bunnies or simply playing a game. OoC, she’s also a shy darling that I need to speak more with. 

My first interactions with @leavenohoofprints left an impact on me. See, one of her first messages in my inbox was a glorious pun, followed months later by an answered prompt full of them. Along with enjoying her wordplay, I adore her aesthetics and style of writing. 

@magemoraluna is another draenei darling I adore. Just last night, I was up rereading her latest stories as a moment of realization dawned on me about her mage. They offer an interesting perspective with her journal entries, along with her various RPs. While I haven’t talked with her much, I admire her kindness and thoughtful writing. 

There’s also @puppet-master-jihye. I adore how she writes Jih’s often...unusual perspective through song, conveying the melody through the screen. The imagery she provokes is incredible. You can tell the writer spends a lot of time preparing these tales, thoughtfully piecing together works of art. 

Another supportive person is @viceofalltrades. I love going through their writing, as the character is an oddly enchanting one. In addition, they are amazingly supportive, constantly liking not only my work, but others as well. 

@patiencekindnesscourage is yet another encouraging person here. Though I don’t know much about their character, I love seeing them come across my dash or chat with others OoC. They are just so kind and considerate, that while their username certainly displays these characteristics, you’re not quite ready for how supportive they are. 

And how can I not mention @nesuna-nightwinter? The darling is the type of person to cheer on everyone they follow, constantly cheering on artists, aesthetic blogs, and writers alike. They inspire me to be kinder to others, as well as having been one of the biggest inspirations to take a leap of faith and start RPing a Kaldorei. 

Among my favorite ships in RP is between @musingsofamute and @petra-gampre. The two are absolutely adorable. Reading them together is sure to ultimately end in me at least sporting a dorky ‘look at those lovebirds go’ grin. Even when they interact with other people, their characters are just so darling. 

@discipleofhethiss has some of my favorite aesthetics, as the collections are gorgeously shot and varied. They have good taste. While I don’t know much about their character, I’m quite interested based on what I currently know and what’s implied. 

I don’t interact terribly much with @feelmyrayne, but I’ve had some amazing RP with them. Their characters are well written and a delight to watch interact. I’m not quite sure what to say about what’s been going on with them, but I root for them and pray for things to get better. They deserve all the love. 

@kelzthalassunwhisper is also an incredible person. Encouraging dragon RP, they ooze passion and love for their craft. I’ve had a lot of fun roleplaying with them on discord, as well as chat OoC. In addition, I’m still not over her dragonsworn contest, which was amazing to participate in. 

There’s also the elven wonder that is @tanefrun. I love reading the tales of the young Kaldorei hunter, as seeing her go on her adventures is a delightful change of pace. Normally, elves are seen and played as these ancient figures, but she turns them inside out when she goes on the young and eager Tanefrun. I’d love to RP with her on Rowan someday....

OoC, I’ve had the delight of speaking to @orland-and-friends / @bloop-bot. The conversations are a nice change of pace from my usual talks with others. I can’t thank them enough for letting off some steam and making them think about other points of view I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

I’ve also had the pleasure of talking with @thenotsolittlelady​. Their art is also incredible, but I mostly remember them for our casual conversations. When I was freaking out about everything last year, they helped me take a deep breath and take about other things. Thank you.

@nakpunchcow- I haven’t interacted with you much, so I was quite surprised when you sent me that message after an off post. The stress felt it was killing me at that point, so I wrote something to get it off my chest. I was planning on burying those words under other posts, so seeing you message me was both unnerving and encouraging. I still don’t really know what to say to you, but thank you for the reminder that I’m not alone. 

@asharri has many wonderfully interesting characters. The aesthetics and writing are on point, as well as their support of other blogs including myself. They’re a delight to see come across my dash, as their content is simply incredible.

Finally, there’s fellow Shu’halo RPer, @fuzzymigglet. I haven’t interacted much with you, but I remember Winoa seeing you preform in game at this server event (I can’t remember the name of the event or what guild was hosting it, but it was at the Temple of the Jade Serpent). That was beautifully emoted, so when I found out you had a tumblr, I was so pumped. 

Welp, this took 2 hours to compile, but thank you for letting me share these anon!

[sheikah]

What is your head cannon re: Jon's internal monologue during the cave scene? I have been obsessing over it more than a little. I imagine that he feels hope for the first time since Mel brought him back and as he looks at her, he not only begins to believe she can help him win the War for the Dawn, but also that he feels a sense of belonging and wholeness in her presence. I get all romantic thinking about it and I would love to know what you think is going through his head!

I love this question!!! I agree that it is an overtly romantic scene and I am excited to talk about it haha. 

Before they go into the cave, I think Jon is nervous to show it to Dany. Their meeting on the terrace in the prior episode already planted the seeds of attraction and before he left he wanted her to believe him. I think he’s invested not only in the fight but in Dany’s high opinion of him as a fellow ruler, so I think Jon places a lot of stock in this little trip to the caves and what it can accomplish between them.

I love how he is standing down on the beach waiting for Dany, just kind of watching her talk to Missandei and looking for the right moment to interject, like he’s anxious. It’s cute.

When he brings Dany inside the cave he says he wants to show it to her before it gets damaged by the mining. He wants to show her something pretty, and I just find that absolutely adorable :’) AND in the process, he ends up seeing something even prettier, Dany herself. 

When she is sort of looking up at the ceiling, gazing at the dragonglass in the firelight, I am obsessed with Jon’s expression. Again he is hesitating to interrupt her, and I imagine that in that moment he’s thinking about how gorgeous she looks and how he is NOT prepared to spend all this time with her in close quarters haha. He has more important things to worry about. But that isn’t stopping him from staring.

When he shows Dany the drawings, her reaction is probably different than what he was expecting. Instead of doubting him or dismissing it, she is really interested. It occurs to her how old they must be, and that the COTF once stood where she and Jon are standing. She is awed by this. I like to think Jon finds that really endearing. He’s seeing a deeper side to Dany’s personality that he didn’t know about. Remember that book!Dany likes reading and history, and we are seeing a glimpse of that here. Jon is watching her while she’s saying all of this. He isn’t looking at the drawings too. He’s looking at her. 

She remarks that what they are looking at existed long before Starks or Targaryens or Lannisters, which implies that those designations don’t really matter. It takes him by surprise that she’s starting to see that, to see that it doesn’t matter what house you hail from–that they need to stand together. So I agree with you, my friend. My head canon is that Jon is starting to feel hope here. Hope that he has found someone like him who can help him … and maybe something more.

To me this means Jon is thinking more about her than he is about the greater issues they’ve come down here to discuss.  In the shot I gifed above, Jon is the one in focus, even though he’s in the background. Dany is slightly blurry because the camera is focusing on Jon and his reactions to her in this moment. It’s because he’s starting to see her differently. He realizes that she has perspective and isn’t just some queen demanding fealty. She cares, just like he does, and she can be rational and understanding when it matters. 

Then when she asks if the COTF and the First Men fought one another, Jon sees an opportunity to show Dany how their situation is not unlike that of the First Men. I agree with you–he feels a sense of togetherness with her already. He senses a kindred spirit, a fellow leader who has the same worries and problems, the same pain-filled past. And so he’s using the COTF and First Men as a precedent to show Dany that two supposedly different factions can and should be together. And by extension I think he’s already saying he wants to be together with her, too. He just won’t admit it. Probably not even to himself haha.

This is pretty much confirmed when he touches her. He absolutely didn’t need to do that. I think that the tension of being so close to her alone with freaking torch light just got the best of him and Jon did it on impulse. Instead of beckoning her over, pointing, or just walking in front of her, he literally grabs her, guides her along, and stands alarmingly close behind her to show her the drawings he wants to focus on. 

Because my headcanon is that even though he’s too honorable to say it and has much more pressing matters to deal with, Jon was seriously lusting after her in this scene. So he did the next best thing to acting on that and grabbed her arm on impulse.

He is probably freaking out. Jon hasn’t been with a woman since Ygritte. Hasn’t been around women really outside Winterfell. Dany is the first attraction he has felt in years, and I imagine he doesn’t know what to do with himself haha. So when she starts getting cozy with him right back, in that already iconic moment when she takes those two steps toward him, Jon is flustered. 

I agree with the anon who said he is just taking a deep breath and standing up straighter, not stepping backward. I think he was somewhere between hyped and terrified when she came close but I fully believe that if Dany just abandoned all formality and kissed him in that moment Jon would not have pulled away haha. Boy was preparing himself for what was coming, not shying away from it. 

Anyway, when she asks that he bend the knee again, Jon isn’t angry. He doesn’t point out that what he wants is more important, and he doesn’t try to press his claim to the North. He expresses a concern for his people and how they would not want Dany as a queen. Her response here comes as a shock to him. One of the reasons is probably because she IS acknowledging him as a KING here. Not a lord.

And when she says, “They will if their king does,” to me Jon is already thinking, “Well, maybe I do.” I think he does accept Dany. He calls her “Your Grace” twice in the episode and he calls her “The Queen” to Theon. I think Jon already has faith in and Dany and already wants to get close to her. And that’s why he isn’t remotely upset when she asks him to bend the knee again. Because the more he’s gotten to know her, the more he understands why she wants that from him. He knows that she’s been hurt and betrayed and is now wary of others. He knows that she has thousands of people who believe in and depend on her, too. 

So just like he can’t swear to her without thinking it through, he realizes that she can’t take all of her people into danger in the North without thinking it through herself, and he admires her resolve and leadership. 

I think the final nail in the coffin is when Dany uses a line that Jon has used before, word for word. “Isn’t their survival more important than your pride?” No, Jon isn’t “proud,” and I think Dany is beginning to realize this. But Jon doesn’t lash out. He doesn’t insist that he is actually humble. He hears this line and thinks back to when he said it to Mance and realizes that he and Dany are even more alike than he ever thought possible. That’s the moment that I think he goes from being mildly intrigued to fully interested in her.

They leave the cave nearly hand-in-hand because Jon leaves this scene with a much higher opinion of Dany and Dany likewise leaves it with the realization that Jon isn’t just stubborn, he’s principled and brave. 

All of this is building up to the moment when she asks Jon for help on the beach and he is astounded by her interest in his opinion. It’s a gesture of trust from Dany, that she wants his advice over that of her own council. It’s a signal to Jon that Dany doesn’t think he’s a “Northern fool.”

And his response to this is huge as well. Because here he tells Dany that he doesn’t think she is just a “foreign invader.” He realizes that she has done the impossible and that she inspires people. He’s inspired by her too. 

So overall I think your use of the word “hope” is perfect here. Meeting Dany does give Jon hope. It gives him hope that this alliance can and will actually take place. 

But more than that, even though he tells Davos there’s “no time,” I think Jon also secretly feels hope that maybe he can love again. Because he’s found a woman who shares his ideals, who is just as brave as he is, ready to run into battle for her people. A woman who is beautiful and complex and passionate. AND a woman who apparently trusts him (she takes his advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and believes in him (”Your people chose you to lead them. They chose you to protect them.”) just like he believes in her. 

So overall … Jon is hopeful about his future for probably the first time since his resurrection. This scene has Dany calling him a king and him calling her a queen and both of them making huge leaps forward. Jonerys is happening and episode 4 made damned sure we know it :’)

Thank you so much for sending this. 

[sinceileftyoublog]

One True Pairing Interview: A Glorious "Fuck You”

Tom Fleming (formerly Wild Beasts); Photo by Jenna Foxton

BY JORDAN MAINZER

For Tom Fleming, the end of Wild Beasts represented the opportunity to start over. Just last month, he released his self-titled debut as One True Pairing, a name inspired by the concept of a perfect match between two fictional characters, but that Fleming co-opted to fit with the theme of romanticism for a better world. His touch-points? Combining the idealism of 80′s heartland rock with the grey-hued class frustration of discordant UK punk. But unlike fan fiction, Fleming was actually able to combine worlds, in real life. 

Much of One True Pairing was written on acoustic guitar and recorded on a 4-track with one microphone so Fleming could really isolate the feeling of the lyrics. “If I get straight on the computer, I mess around” with “stuff nobody cares about at that stage,” he told me over the phone last month. Once he had about 6-7 solid songs and was happy with his melodies, he worked with mixer and producer Ben Hillier until they were satisfied with the songs. But Fleming appreciated his time alone, previously used to being in a band constantly bouncing ideas off one another, this time able to reflect on his own creations.

Don’t get him wrong: Fleming is still in touch with his former band mates, calling Hayden Thorpe’s solo debut Diviner a “beautiful record.” And while he’s performed One True Pairing songs live as a duo, he’s open to the idea of putting a band together. But for the most part, he’s enjoying calling the shots. “To be on the road for 10-12 years is a difficult life,” he told me. “I wouldn’t berate anybody for not wanting to do that into your sixties.”

Read on below, as Fleming discusses various songs on the album and their sonic and lyrical influences, as well as consciously differentiating from Wild Beasts.

Since I Left You: How did you achieve a balance with your first solo record between making a personal, artistic statement and a politically timely one?

Tom Fleming: I was very aware of a solo record being some kind of secret ambition I’d always had--it was nothing like that. I had no idea what I was doing after Wild Beasts. I didn’t want it to feel like an indulgence. I wanted it to have a reason to exist other than my artistic vision. In terms of being timely, I was bothered by a lot of things--it wasn’t an attempt to make a quote-unquote political statement. It felt dishonest and weird and a bit creepy to not write about what was in front of me or at least in some refraction. There’s a reason people turn a blind eye in the UK in terms of economics. They like to think they’re “woke” and these things never come up until you implicate them...I wanted to make something that had a logic outside of itself. But I was very eager not to make a singer-songwriter record from a singular perspective.

SILY: The tie-in for a lot of people will be Wild Beasts. Did you consciously decide to make something that sounds separate from that?

TF: Some of it is a reaction--not necessarily for the audience’s benefit, but because I got tired of doing certain things. Wild Beasts records were very layered and quite delicate in places. I am trying to approach this as “I am a new artist.” I’m not sure I particularly care what the artists in bands are doing next unless it’s good. I don’t think it carries over.

SILY: Whenever you see a new moniker that’s also the name of an album and a song, it’s gotta mean something. Would you say that the song “One True Pairing” is emblematic of this new chapter for you?

TF: Yeah. The name just kind of stuck. There’s a hopefulness and romanticism. The words appealed to me. Not having my name gave me a bit more freedom and a role to play with.

SILY: What about the song “Zero Summer” made you want to open with it?

TF: Lyrically, and in terms of the sonics, it’s got that kind of aggression and slightly sarcastic nods to 80′s heartland rock that’s on the record. It’s also about the life of T.S. Eliot. There are a few puns to myself in it. [laughs]

SILY: I definitely got the 80′s vibes on “Blank Walls” and the guitars of “Dawn at the Factory”, because you still did an interesting synthesis of 80′s heartland rock, but the synthesizers are used differently than Springsteen, Henley, etc. did.

TF: Thanks, man. That’s kind of what I was going for. British music is a refraction of American music, so I wanted it to be that. There’s a romanticism to what I’m doing, and I wanted to do that but also make it a bit twisted and a bit askew and have the lyrics be a bit off-message. [laughs]

SILY: Some of the songs are a bit of a slower burn, like “Elite Companion” and “King of the Rats”, which is much more vocal-forward. How did it feel to be the only one singing on the record as compared to your past experiences?

TF: It’s different. I felt like I had to sing differently. I was ready for it, though. I wasn’t the lead vocalist before. I realize how much of it is delivery. The lyrics on the page don’t feel like how they sound, not only with pitch and accent but the type of attitude you sing it with. I sing a lot more aggressively, too. Un-decorative. I wanted it to sound a bit intimidating and a bit less pleasant to listen to. I wanted it to be unavoidable. You’re gonna hear every word here.

SILY: A couple songs stood out to me for their epic arrangements: “Alive in the Resplendent Flames” and especially “Weapons”, which has a loud-quiet-loud dynamic with an explosive chorus.

TF: That was a sort of like Joni Mitchell-y guitar tune with a stealth chorus that comes halfway through the measure. “Weapons” is a little darker in tone, but both those songs both have themes of escape from marination in violence and oppressive threats. There’s a line in “Zero Summer” about being doomed to repeat the same things over and over. I was very wary of making a white boy singer-songwriter record, which I think has been done infinitely, and much better than what I could probably do. [laughs]

SILY: A lot of the good examples of those singer-songwriters records have a sense of personal sharing, which you do communicate in terms of your interaction with the world around you, especially as it comes to contemporary society and politics. You kind of felt there was a lacking in people making art about the situation we’re in or addressing it head-on. Did you feel a responsibility to do it yourself?

TF: I’ve been quite fortunate to get where I got to. There are a lot of things I won’t escape from my economic background way back. In the UK, there’s a kind of fatalism to what you can and cannot be. There’s a dishonesty about how woke people tend to be. It’s very selective and public facing. It’s not really addressing their own role in it. I wanted to implicate the listener. I wanted them to go, “Oh God, that’s what I helped to create.” I’m not the only one doing something like that, but I’m trying to offer a point and counterpoint to it.

SILY: What about “Only God Can Judge Me” made you want to end the album with it?

TF: There’s a glorious “Fuck you” about that song. It’s like a gathering together. There’s a sort of a summation. That was the only one written in the studio. We were playing around on guitar and decided to add lyrics. The lyrics of that song and the way it feels are me wondering, “What does all this mean? What do I do now?” It felt right thematically to put there. There’s an almost sea shantiness to it, which appealed to me. 

SILY: Do you have a favorite song on the record?

TF: Oh man...hmm, good question. I come and go as to which one I like best. I think “King of the Rats” turned out well. It was written quite quickly. It was very much a feel thing. I like “Zero Summer” in that it begins the record with a “fuck you,” just like the end.

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the album art?

TF: I love Jandek. His portraits are so off-kilter. I wanted to do something like that. It was the inspiration for me being in water...I didn’t want it to be kitchen sink realism. 

SILY: How have the songs changed live?

TF: They’re more minimal, I guess. “Alive in the Resplendent Flames”, I’m doing a sit-down version of that, but for the most part they’re still full. This isn’t an acoustic show; this is a rock show.

Tour dates:

10/31: Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

11/4: King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, UK

11/5: Yes, Manchester, UK

11/6: Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds, UK

11/7: The Louisiana, Bristol, UK

11/8: The Grand Social, Dublin, Ireland

11/11: The Victoria, Dalston, London, UK

[cutesilyo]

On Love: Anxiety (A Yuuri Katsuki Analysis)

The thing about Yuuri is that he's such a relatable character to me. Even more so now that he's in a relationship with Victor, so I can honestly say that YOI is the anime that I've always needed.

Because:

Yuuri has anxiety.

Yuuri is in a relationship.

Yuuri is in a relationship with someone he thinks is too good for him.

Yuuri has a low opinion of himself.

Yuuri is an unreliable narrator.

Yuuri hates losing.

...and etc.

These are all things that I can relate to! So, forgive me, but I absolutely hate how this anime ended. And although I loathed Episode 12 to death, the ending of Episode 11 was something I didn't expect and yet it was something I didn't know I needed — mainly because Yuuri’s anxiety reared its ugly head in a way that I am all too familiar with.

[Pictured: Yuuri Katsuki clenching his fists in an attempt to gather up the courage to ruin his own life for Victor's sake]

i.e. Cutting your own losses before you lose them.

So from the perspective of someone who also has low self-esteem and is in a relationship with someone who I think deserves much better, here's why I believe Episode 11 was necessary in a way that Episode 12 did not give justice to. Here we go!

You see, I have this tiny theory here about what Yuuri was thinking when he said those words that ultimately broke everybody's hearts. Everybody's been talking about it since the episode aired. But here I am, regardless, because I need to deposit these two cents of mine even though the account is already positively overflowing.

There's this belief I have, and I have no idea if this is just something that I have because I've been raised with an Oriental mindset or something specific to just me, but I'm afraid of being too happy. I believe I can only achieve a particular level of happiness; if I experience more happiness that I deserve, bad things happen. If I have too much, you bet your ass at least some of that will get taken away.

There needs to be balance in this world, or so I and many others believe — there is no shadow without light, and the moon has no meaning if she is not opposite the sun. Suffering and happiness? They go hand in hand. And in the same vein, there is no success without strife —  and that's widely preached. But the opposite is also true; because there is no strife without success, and I'm willing to bet my non-existent balls that Yuuri and Victor are kind of the epitome of the latter.

[Pictured: Victor Nikiforov before he met Yuuri Katsuki, i.e. incredibly lonely and trusting only a dog for providing him constant companionship]

And while Victor's end of the spectrum — his gold medals were the fruits of labor that his loss to life and love bore — were given their high-key focus in Episode 10, Yuuri's end of the spectrum was a low-key theme throughout the entire series. Yuuri's talents were paid with leaving his hometown and family to pursue an incredibly unconventional career choice, having the press hound him for every anxiety attack that he can't control, and bearing that enormous pressure of representing his entire nation on his shoulders — and his poor anxiety-ridden heart can't deal with that most of the time.

[Pictured: Yuuri Katsuki's mouth giving an involuntary wobble before he forces himself to smile for his parents' sake, also known as a frame that deserves more attention]

There's a stereotype for Asian parents: that if their child gets less than an A, it's a failure. It's a joke most of the time; for Yuuri, he applies that to his entire career as a competitive figure skater. Add the fact that he's representing the whole of Japan for one of the highest titles a figure skater can get, and the anxiety he's developed over the years, and you get a bundle of nerves on the best days — complete breakdowns at the worst.

Plus his dog died just days before, or maybe even during, one of the most important competitions in his life.

Oh, and he is an unbelievably sore loser.

[Pictured: Yuuri Katsuki in that infamous shot of him breaking down in the bathroom; note that he only lets himself cry when he thinks that there is nobody around to see him]

And he's probably thinking i could have done better and he's probably thinking i guess i really should retire, but I propose that he's also thinking this is payment for all the other competitions i've won, isn't it? That he's thinking, this is payment for all the hardships i've put on everyone else. That he's thinking, oh well, i guess i deserve this after all.

It's like all the little bad things he's done over the years have finally come back to haunt him in one big smack of karmic retribution, right after the cruelties of fate have already given him a taste of what it felt like to be part of the winning team. Because don't tell me that Yuuri didn't feel this sense of pride, of fulfillment, of complete and utter joy when he was assigned to the GP Series and qualified for the Finals. That he didn't feel happy when he got the chance to train, abroad, with an actual coach and an actual rink despite just coming from small, seaside Hasetsu. That he didn't arrive at Detroit, wide-eyed and nervous but so young and hopeful, knowing that he was the JSF's certified top skater.

Then he lost at the GPF and he probably felt like all of that went moot. That all of a sudden, all his medals and trophies and successes didn't mean anything anymore. There's a reason why Minami was introduced, after all: to bring home the point that while Yuuri thinks he's an average skater, it doesn't mean that it's necessarily true.

It's further cemented by the fact that, when Minami says that his costume was inspired by one of Yuuri's older ones, he's mortified as he shrieks, "That's a costume from my dark past!"

Minami, bless him, talks back and says that Yuuri doesn't have a dark past to speak of. He's the actual cinnamon roll of YOI, guys. Imagine how happy he was when he cheered for Yuuri in the GPF in Yuuri's own house and saw, in person, all the trophies that Yuuri had been keeping in the background — and the fact that Yuuri even keeps them in the background speaks so much of his lack of self-worth that it deserves its own meta.

[Pictured: Kenjiro Minami, tears in his eyes as he screams out at his idol: You don't have a dark past! Don't make fun of me for looking up to you for so long and trying to catch up with you! — breaking our hearts in the process]

So, basically: if Yuuri had given all he had with skating, was rewarded with triumphs and successes only to feel like that had all been taken away when he was dead last at the GPF (and not to mention, he probably feels like all of this was justified); why wouldn't he feel that way about Victor?

Because Victor makes him happy. So happy, in fact, that his skating and confidence levels have reinvented themselves as a response to Victor's presence in Yuuri's personal life. Why wouldn't he think that Victor was too good to be true? Why wouldn't he be scared that the cruelties of fate would, once again, take away his source of happiness in a twisted form of giving balance to the world?

So he comes up with defense mechanisms. He blabbers in metaphor and dabbles in double-meanings (Episodes 1-3) and he feels so relieved that Victor seems to accept that it's just the way he prefers to express himself (Episode 4). But then he keeps falling and falling and he gathers up the courage to be more accepting of his past because of Victor (Episode 5), to be more bold for Victor (Episode 6), to be more couple-y with Victor. (Episode 8)

And ordinarily, that would be a good thing right? He's growing up! There's character development! He has more confidence now!

But YOI, god bless YOI, shows that anxiety doesn't just go away. It comes back to haunt you and when you're at your weakest, it strikes. This is best exemplified in Episodes 7 and 9, where it's glaringly obvious — but in Episode 11, it takes some understanding of the previous episodes to know that the entirety of the drama comes from Yuuri simply being an unreliable narrator again than from any actual basis.

[Pictured: Two similar shots of Yuuri Katsuki from Episode 4 and Episode 11 respectively — the former, a happy blush as he prays give me Victor's time, if only just for now; the latter, horror dawns as Yuuri comes to the conclusion that Victor wants to go back to the ice and that their time together is ending]

Because Yuuri is the epitome of unreliable narrator, and Episode 10 was the ultimate peak of the mountain that YOI has been building from the very first episode — in an anime that opens with the self-deprecating protagonist reading articles about his loss, which is intentionally and deliberately set up to overshadow the fact that despite his loss he's still competing in one of the biggest competitions in the figure skating world.

The other thing that YOI has chosen to keep from us until Episode 10 was that despite the entire world being clamorous for him to go back to the ice, Victor actually . . . doesn't want to do that at all. He literally calls it a shackle on his neck. He waxes poetic about the life and love that Yuuri has given him, that he has neglected for so long. He gets kicked in the back and declared as dead by Yurio, and the most he does is mockingly crouch down and ask, did you want to compete against me?

Having Episode 10 come right before the massive fuck-up in Episode 11 was both an explanation and a warning: yeah, yuuri did all that and victor fell in love with him first. now remember how different things looked back in episode 1. because we're gonna go back to that in the next episode and y'all need to know what's real and what's just what yuuri assumes.

And the thing about Episode 10 is that it triggers this impulse to rewatch the entire series from Victor's perspective and contrast that to how different we saw it when it was just Yuuri's perspective we knew about. Doing that brings more impact to Episode 11, I think — which also highlights that despite Yurio found a friend, he still has some humility to learn and his arc isn't finished yet just because he managed to perfect Agape. While I do think he was being too mean (to a point that I considered it OOC, after Episodes 9 and 10), that's a different post altogether.

[Pictured: Celestino Cialdini comforts a sullen Yuuri Katsuki during the Sochi GPF; comes with Yuuri's monologue of I could never openly say that I'd win gold, but I never skated with the thought in my mind that I'd lose anyway]

I think that the way that Yuuri reflects to himself during his FS in Episode 9 echoes how he feels toward Victor. That despite never really admitting out loud that he wanted a gold, he never actually believed he would ever lose either — Yuuri let himself stay stagnant while tiptoeing between having the potential to be a winner and actually being one. In the same vein, Yuuri found himself walking that same fine line between being Victor's future and being Victor's has-been; someone between everything and something, but never actually nothing.

Yuuri let his anxiety get the better of him and he decided that being Victor's past would be best outcome he could ever hope to get. The events of Episode 11 have led him to believe that he would never be Victor's future; or at least, he would never be the future that Victor actually wants. And in Yuuri's twisted justifications, it would be a good thing that they would end their relationship after the GPF; it gives Victor the freedom to do whatever he wants and it gives the Yuuri the relief of not having delved deeper into the idea of them being an actual concrete relationship.

[Pictured: Victor Nikiforov, part of a newly discovered evolved species of humans called homo superior]

Except Victor, unlike Yuuri, has already considered the prospects of having a relationship without a time stamp and jumped right into it. Victor has already established in Episode 10 that he wants Yuuri, and that he would definitely choose a life without competitive skating specifically because it meant getting the love of a lifetime. Screw the consequences, he's getting what he wants and he will put every fiber of his being into nurturing this relationship that gives him all of the happiness that he never thought he could have.

He just never verbalized it. So while Victor gets the concrete proof that Yuuri wants him in the form of giving him the rings (although he does so in a way that implies he doesn't want to admit it), Yuuri doesn't.

[Pictured: Yuuri Katsuki, in doubt of where Victor's happiness truly lies: in a life with skating or a life without it]

Yuuri gets soft and sweet and cuddly Victor and it's enough to make Yuuri hope but it's not enough to help Yuuri understand that Victor truly wants him — how much Yuuri changed him. He knows the Victor that is, as Minako says in Episode 1, free with his charms and winks at the cameras and is touchy-feely with a man he just met; a Victor who was bored and had an impulse decision to coach him and ended up liking him. But the viewers get more insight into who Victor really was before he met Yuuri, who was sad and lonely and hollow — a Victor that fell in love with the boy with the drunken flamenco dance and was looking for an excuse to meet him again.

Victor, like anyone, wants happiness. Winning doesn't give him that anymore, but Yuuri does . . . even though he doesn't even grasp the true gravitas of the love they share.

[Pictured: Yuuri Katsuki, in tears after an amazing Free Skate and the subsequent roar of triumph thereafter; a perfect representation of what we all felt in this scene]

Ultimately, what pissed me off about Episode 12 was that it seemed to betray its own protagonist. We had all the build-up to Yuuri winning gold and finally getting the concrete proof that Victor loves him back and that he is an incredible skater in his own right — because I wholeheartedly believe that the perfect ending to Yuri On Ice would be Yuuri getting gold and realizing that it doesn't matter. And for one moment he would look at all the people who have supported him endlessly and, instead of pushing them away in shame like he would have at the beginning of the show, he would thank them with a happy smile.

How Yuuri would learn not to equate his worth by his losses or wins was always a theme that I wanted the show to address in the Season 2 that I wanted to have, but for that to happen he had to win first in the S1 finale.

But he didn't, and the finale for one of the most popular animes of 2016 was done so cheap that it actually does render the entire anime into moot. So to say I'm disappointed? Yeah, well, that's kind of an understatement.

[Pictured: Yuuri Katsuki with the wrong medal]

[ramonsouzagarcia-blog]

La Grande Belleza

  La Grande Belleza (An Interpretation)

I first saw La Grande Belleza in the wee hours of the morning. It ended just as a hazy dawn began to illuminate the sky outside my bedroom window. I lay in a numb silence, the closing lines of the film echoing in my head. I felt...strange. The feeling was surreal....

This is how it always ends…in death.

But first, there was a life hidden beneath all the bla bla bla….

Everything is covered beneath the frivolity and the noise,

the silence and the sorrow,

the emotion and the fear…

the gaunt, inconstant flashes of beauty,

the decay,

the misfortune,

and wretched humanity...

all buried under the blanket of the embarrassment of being in the world bla bla bla…

It had been a long time since a film had moved me in this way. I pulled the curtains closed to keep the room dark. I didn’t want the sun up just yet. The film was pregnant with a metaphysics waiting to be solved and translated.

There are stories that are simple, where the plot is the whole story. Then there are stories that run deep, and play on multiple themes and manifold layers of truth. Films like these are not so neatly comprehended in a “once and for all, I know what it’s trying to say” sort of way. Here was a film that compelled repeated viewing.

La Grande Belleza is an experience of enormous proportions—not only in terms of thematic breadth but, more importantly, in terms of a profound depth. The film is a whirlpool that catches you on the surface and then drags you violently down to a subterranean netherworld…

 “Everything is covered beneath the frivolity and the noise….”

 A perceptive viewer, seeing the film for the first time, will be cued, early in the film, to switch on multiple lenses, to pay attention, to open one’s mind and one’s…intuition, to open wide because more than just a plot is playing out.

If there is anything to be said that is emblematic of director Paolo Sorrentino, it is his visual style. Camera movement will be the first thing a Sorrentino neophyte will notice. The camera opens and pans through scenes with artful elegance. The composition of each shot is painstakingly art-directed and planned. The frames that unfold are cinematic art-scapes of wide vistas and frescoes... and intense, intimate portraits.

But that is just the first, most discernible, aspect of the film. Sorrentino is a master of sound design. He is able to convey mood and message through a careful selection of musical scores from various artists. In La Grande Belleza, he uses music to mark and bucket different themes together, such that it becomes possible to divine the director’s intent, even as these scenes are spread out through the film.

And then, there is the writing. It is excellent. I am unfortunately not able to speak Italian, and it is likely that the original version is much more beautifully written. The Spanish translation, however, is superior to the English version. There is a poetic rhythm that is not captured in English. But I digress….

The surface story is about a man, Jep Gambardella, who has just turned 65. From a quiet, less than cosmopolitan background, he is now a prince of the social scene. He knows all the important people, and they know him…. Indeed even the Cardinal, and most likely successor to the Chair of St. Peter, is honored to be a dinner guest at Jep’s home.

“When I came to Rome, at the age of 26,” he says, “I fell quite swiftly, without even realizing it, into what might be defined as the whirlpool of the high life. But I didn’t just want to live on the fast lane; I wanted to be the King of the high life. And of course, I succeeded. I didn’t just want to attend all the parties, I wanted to have the power to make them fail!”

"Cuando llegé a Roma a los veinte-seis años, me precipité demasiado rápido, apenas sin darme cuenta, a aquello que se puede definir como el remolino de la mundanidad. Pero yo no quería ser simplemente un hombre mundano. Quería ser el rey de la mundanidad. Y desde luego, lo conseguí. No sólo quería participar en todas las fiestas, quería tener el poder de hacerlas fracasar!”

Indeed, Jep is presented to the audience, for the first time, at the party of parties! It is after all the king’s birthday, Jep’s 65th. All of the beautiful people are in attendance. And Jep appears quite at ease in his court, waving to well-wishers and dancing the Colita. But it is also here, at the pinnacle of this epic party, that Jep steps out of the cola, and, in one sweeping, surreal moment, he stands before us… unmasked.    

“To this question, as kids, my friends always gave the same answer: ‘Pussy’. Whereas I answered "The smell of old people's houses". The question was "What do you really like the most in life?" I was destined for sensibility. I was destined to become a writer. I was destined to become Jep Gambardella.”  

“De pequeños, a esta pregunta mis amigos daban siempre la misma respuesta… ‘El coño’. Pero yo respondía: “El olor de las casas de viejos”. La pregunta era: ¿Qué es lo que realmente te gusta más en la vida? Estaba destinado a la sensibilidad. Estaba destinado a convertirme en escritor. Estaba destinado a convertirme en Jep Gambardella.”

So soon in the film, it appears as if the cat is out of the bag… the inner tension of the story lying exposed.  Is this a mere story about a man who’s sold himself out? A man destined for deep sensibility, a magnificent writer whose first book was a national treasure, suddenly reduced to a pop art critic…a king of noise and mindless chatter… the king of the pointless bla bla bla of the mediocre…  

And yet, almost as one begins to lose interest, one begins to detect a thematic undercurrent running in parallel. There is a scene that cuts into the film, disjointed and with no relation to its trajectory. Almost as if in a dream, a mother is looking for her child. “Have you seen my daughter”, she asks Jep. We see this from Jep’s point of view. The mother steps away from the camera and reveals a crypt behind her. The music cues surrealism. The camera moves slowly towards the crypt, enters it, and switches to the third person perspective.

We see Jep inside… and we hear a child’s voice, “Who are you”, the child asks Jep… the voice emanating from a pit in the center of the crypt. The child is apparently standing underneath, looking up from the dakness at Jep. “Who am I,” Jep replies…. “I am…” he stammers. The child’s voice interrupts him and says, “No! You are no one.”  

The film begins to feel, from this point onwards, like a labyrinth of images. Sorrentino opens a door for us, and we are invited to start seeing from a very different perspective. We begin stitching and connecting images and scenes. We are now creating meaning. The film is a looking glass, and one will bring to it, and derive from it, one’s own interpretation and insight....  

On the days following his 65th birthday, Jep begins to experience a sense of estrangement, a feeling of being disjointed, and somehow suddenly disconnected from his milieu--from his socialite friends, from his work, from the frenzy of his parties. Some hidden turmoil comes bubbling up from deep within his spirit.

As he walks home from his big birthday party celebration, we see, for the first time, an image of nuns- one young novice, in particular, is staring at Jep. A carved stone head of a fountain inter-cuts the scene momentarily, its eyes penetrating, as water from some underground aqueduct gushes out of its mouth.

The images of nuns are replete throughout the film, and I believe that this image is a vital clue to understanding the film....

Jep is lying in a hammock on his porch across the coliseum, a glass of scotch in hand, when he hears children laughing and giggling in the distance. He stands and gazes down at the courtyard of a nearby convent, where he sees nuns playing with the little children. Jep is visibly moved. This is the first time Robert Burns’ song plays... (and it will play again, marking scenes that seek to convey Jep’s uprooted nature-- his enigmatic longing for some distant time, for some special place buried within his soul.)

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,

My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer....

When Jep hears the news of the death of his first love, broken to him by the shallow simpleton who married her, we glimpse nuns walking in the rain, as they pass both men by  in their moment of mutual consolation. This entire sequence of morbid discovery and desolation is abruptly interrupted by a nun laughing like an idiot, as though some darkly intended ridicule is hurled up at Jep through some crack in the veil of Maya (in the Vedic sense). For a moment, Jep’s self-composed world of illusion is shattered by the stark, sharp indifference of nature.

Indeed, as the film approaches its resolution, Jep has a poignant encounter with a saintly nun, who only eats roots. In a bizarre moment, amidst a flock of flamingos who have come to settle on Jep's porch, the nun tells him her secret: “Do you know why I only eat roots?” she asks Jep, “Because roots are important,” she tells him. The nuns are poignantly revealed in this unearthly scene as the absurd symbol (in the Camusian sense) of what lies “underneath”. They are the mantle, safeguarding some sacred knowledge.

Two passages open and close the film. The first is a quote from a novel by Louis Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night. The concluding passage is Jep’s epiphany. The movie must be seen in the context of this prologue and epilogue.

Louis Ferdinand Céline:

Travel is very useful.

It exercises the imagination.  

All the rest is disappointment and fatigue.

The journey is entirely imaginary.

Therein lies its strength.

It goes from life to death.

People, animals, cities, things-- it's all invention.

It's a novel, nothing more than simple fiction.

Littrè says so, and he's never wrong.

And besides, anyone can do the same.

You just have to close your eyes,

and you're on the other side of the world.

In the end, our daily lives of parties and noise, work and labor, architecture, literature, and even art are illusory. Reality, death, and the nature of things and the world are indifferent to us. The big questions have no answers, and everything is ultimately irrelevant.

At the end of the film, Jep makes his final statement…

In the end, it's just a trick. Yes. It's just a trick.

Before Jep makes his conclusion, that it’s all a trick, he says, “In other places, there are other things. But I don't care about those other places. Therefore... let the novel begin!”

Only one’s own choices, of how one chooses to view the world, are what give meaning to life. There are no absolute truths, just as there are no answers beyond what we see. Jep has found the ability, motivation, and desire to write his second novel, after years of procrastination and excuses.

“Why didn’t you write another novel,” the saintly nun asks Jep. “Because I was searching for the great beauty. But I never found it,” he replies. In the end, art saves Jep. One must create one’s own trick to give meaning to life. And thus, Jep finds the will to begin to write in earnest again. Jep couldn’t find the great beauty because it isn’t something you find. It’s something you have to create for yourself.

Before the final act of the film, Jep visits a photo exhibit of a man who has covered an entire stadium with mug shots of himself, taken every day since he was a child. While this scene initially sets itself up as yet another of those kitsch art shows that Jep attends in his mundane job as an art critic, the music that plays is, instead, the musical cue for moments of profound self discovery for Jep.

Art is presented as a transformative force. It redeems us from the abyss of the indifference and coldness of nature, from the senseless noise and frivolity, from all the bla bla bla…

Each one makes of himself, and of his life, a work of art. This is the great beauty. Self-creation is the redeeming principle of human life.

“In the end, its just a trick. Yes, it’s just a trick.”

Jep finally sees the human experience, and its reality, for what it is. There is no redemption in anything that is outside one’s self. Human life is merely, and inescapably, a point of view. Human perception is a trick of mirrors. It is illusory, imaginary. But because it is, one has a choice... one is able to defy nature by becoming the maker of one’s own values. One has godlike power to create the great beauty. This is the sacred knowledge the nuns are hiding. This is the secret behind the disappearing giraffe trick. Céline says so too, anyone can do it, he says, you just have to close your eyes, and you're on the other side of the world.

Epílogo:

Siempre se termina así: con la muerte.

Pero primero ha habido una vida escondida bajo el bla bla bla…

Todo está resguardado bajo la frivolidad y el ruido,

el silencio y el sentimiento,

la emoción y el miedo…

los demacrados inconstantes destellos de belleza,

la decadencia,

la desgracia

y el hombre miserable.

Todo sepultado bajo la cubierta de la vergüenza de estar en el mundo bla bla bla.

En otros lugares hay otras cosas.

A mi no me importan los otros lugares.

Así pues, que empiece la novela.

En el fondo, es sólo un truco.

Sí. Sólo es un truco.