kristallioness

[kristallioness]

…Cause I don't wanna lose you now. I'm lookin' right at the other half of me. The vacancy that sat in my heart is a space that now you hold. 💚 Show me how to fight for now and I'll tell you, baby, it was easy comin' back here to you once I figured it out. You were right here all along. It's like you're my mirror, my mirror staring back at me. 🪞 I couldn't get any bigger with anyone else beside of me…

Tfw you have the power to illustrate your own fanfics (cause no one else will *lol*). (Thanks for pointing it out in one of your old tags, @kataracy! I never thought about it as a strength before from this POV and, whenever I'm feeling down, I come back to that reblog of yours just to read it again.)

Jokes aside, there's a bit of a story behind this post. Namely, I went to the first ever Justin Timberlake concert in Tallinn this Monday. I'd come down with a sore throat at the weekend and was pondering whether to go or not since we knew it'd be raining the whole day. 🌧️ I was prepared to dress up warmly, pull my rain poncho on and so, ultimately, as I felt better in the evening I decided to go. I'm so glad I did because now I know I would've regretted missing it.

And of course the show started with "Mirrors", which was one of the biggest hits back in 2013. I've been feeling so nostalgic ever since because I listened to this song AT LEAST once every day while I was working on this old "masterpiece" of mine (it was one of my best works back then). I associate that time - that particular summer break - in my life with this song.

A day or two later back home, I decided to reread my old fanfic titled "Rainy day" (which the drawing was based on). I remembered it being really awkward and I thought I'd feel embarrassed going back to it, but like.. *clutches chest*.. I didn't remember it being so sweet.. and intimate, and well-written. So I wanted to pour my feels out into new illustrations of this story, including a redraw of the original piece from a slightly different angle. 🥰

It's been a dozen years and I can't get over how proud I am of myself - zero references used, huge progress made (especially with the anatomy). Finished after drawing for 24 hours straight. *lmao* It looks like it turned out to be drawing practice with Aang (I just love seeing him in those ceremonial air nomad robes). And Momo? Well… Momo's always important.

I'll also post them below one by one, so you could see them up close (along with the corresponding excerpts from my fic):

…"I had better land before I get hit with lightning," he pondered to himself before changing his course down to the street. In a couple of seconds he was safely on land again. Luckily he wasn't too far from his house so it was no trouble walking the rest of the way. While walking in the Upper Ring, the Avatar noticed how some blue jays flew past him and the ones sitting on tree branches took off the same way. Pretty soon he could feel raindrops on his bald head. Seconds later, a heavy downpour fell upon him and the city. Using his cleverness and remembering what another master waterbender had once done, Aang waterbended a round shield of water above his head to keep himself from getting wet. He cheerfully continued his walk back home, the angry looks of fellow passers-by, who didn't have umbrellas, almost making him want to laugh…

…Aang opened the front door, stepped into a very dark living room and closed the door behind him. He put his glider next to the front door, took off his shoes and put on a pair of warm yellow woollen socks that Katara had knit for him last winter. He immediately spotted Momo sleeping on one of the lime green pillows around the table which was located in the center of the room…

…"Katara, is that you?" he asked worriedly. "Yeah." "Well, where are you?" "I'm right here, on the couch." Aang started walking towards the lounge, the part of the living room higher from the main floor. To his relief, he could see Katara's brown locks resting on the dark green pillows of the couch. She had pulled a blanket of the same colour almost all over her face. "Katara, are you okay?" Aang carefully asked when kneeling beside the couch in front of her. He lifted the blanket from her face only to have a slight shock. "Oh no! You look terrible!" "I know." "When did you get sick?" "Right after you left home this morning. I started feeling really weak, hot and cold at the same time. Soon my nose became stuffy and my eyes began watering." Aang put his right hand on her forehead. "You're burning up! Hold on, I'll fetch the thermometer. I'll make some tea and get some water for you to drink."…

…"Since when are you afraid of lightning?" Katara lifted her head to look up at Aang. "Since the time you got shot with it." There was a long pause in between. Aang didn't know what to say, so Katara opened her mouth first. "I believe it's time I admit something. I've been having nightmares. Nightmares about that time when we were fighting Zuko and Azula in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se. I keep seeing the moment when she shot you with lightning, you falling. I always catch you and bring you out of there, but each time we escape on Appa, everything doesn't end the way it actually did. I have never been able to revive you." At this point her eyes began to tear up. "I would use the water from the Spirit Oasis to heal you, but it never has any effect. Before I manage to try anything else, I always wake up. I feel so useless!.." her voice was cracking, she was starting to cry out loud. "Shh-shh!" Aang stroked her head, hushing her sobs with his robes. "But you did revive me. I wouldn't be sitting on this couch if it weren't for you. You saved me."…

…Katara enjoyed this. His constant stroking made her feel like nobody could sneak up from behind nor attack her. She adored the idea that he was listening to her heart beating because she considered it to be a way of telling how much she loves him. The waterbender liked that the airbender would let her lean on him as a sign of trust. Not to mention that she was still a bit turned on by his touch near her breasts. She was beginning to sweat and Aang noticed that. It was definite proof that her fever had fallen…

Twitter | my art / sketches

[kristallioness]

…Cause I don't wanna lose you now. I'm lookin' right at the other half of me. The vacancy that sat in my heart is a space that now you hold. 💚 Show me how to fight for now and I'll tell you, baby, it was easy comin' back here to you once I figured it out. You were right here all along. It's like you're my mirror, my mirror staring back at me. 🪞 I couldn't get any bigger with anyone else beside of me…

Tfw you have the power to illustrate your own fanfics (cause no one else will *lol*). (Thanks for pointing it out in one of your old tags, @kataracy! I never thought about it as a strength before from this POV and, whenever I'm feeling down, I come back to that reblog of yours just to read it again.)

Jokes aside, there's a bit of a story behind this post. Namely, I went to the first ever Justin Timberlake concert in Tallinn this Monday. I'd come down with a sore throat at the weekend and was pondering whether to go or not since we knew it'd be raining the whole day. 🌧️ I was prepared to dress up warmly, pull my rain poncho on and so, ultimately, as I felt better in the evening I decided to go. I'm so glad I did because now I know I would've regretted missing it.

And of course the show started with "Mirrors", which was one of the biggest hits back in 2013. I've been feeling so nostalgic ever since because I listened to this song AT LEAST once every day while I was working on this old "masterpiece" of mine (it was one of my best works back then). I associate that time - that particular summer break - in my life with this song.

A day or two later back home, I decided to reread my old fanfic titled "Rainy day" (which the drawing was based on). I remembered it being really awkward and I thought I'd feel embarrassed going back to it, but like.. *clutches chest*.. I didn't remember it being so sweet.. and intimate, and well-written. So I wanted to pour my feels out into new illustrations of this story, including a redraw of the original piece from a slightly different angle. 🥰

It's been a dozen years and I can't get over how proud I am of myself - zero references used, huge progress made (especially with the anatomy). Finished after drawing for 24 hours straight. *lmao* It looks like it turned out to be drawing practice with Aang (I just love seeing him in those ceremonial air nomad robes). And Momo? Well… Momo's always important.

I'll also post them below one by one, so you could see them up close (along with the corresponding excerpts from my fic):

…"I had better land before I get hit with lightning," he pondered to himself before changing his course down to the street. In a couple of seconds he was safely on land again. Luckily he wasn't too far from his house so it was no trouble walking the rest of the way. While walking in the Upper Ring, the Avatar noticed how some blue jays flew past him and the ones sitting on tree branches took off the same way. Pretty soon he could feel raindrops on his bald head. Seconds later, a heavy downpour fell upon him and the city. Using his cleverness and remembering what another master waterbender had once done, Aang waterbended a round shield of water above his head to keep himself from getting wet. He cheerfully continued his walk back home, the angry looks of fellow passers-by, who didn't have umbrellas, almost making him want to laugh…

…Aang opened the front door, stepped into a very dark living room and closed the door behind him. He put his glider next to the front door, took off his shoes and put on a pair of warm yellow woollen socks that Katara had knit for him last winter. He immediately spotted Momo sleeping on one of the lime green pillows around the table which was located in the center of the room…

…"Katara, is that you?" he asked worriedly. "Yeah." "Well, where are you?" "I'm right here, on the couch." Aang started walking towards the lounge, the part of the living room higher from the main floor. To his relief, he could see Katara's brown locks resting on the dark green pillows of the couch. She had pulled a blanket of the same colour almost all over her face. "Katara, are you okay?" Aang carefully asked when kneeling beside the couch in front of her. He lifted the blanket from her face only to have a slight shock. "Oh no! You look terrible!" "I know." "When did you get sick?" "Right after you left home this morning. I started feeling really weak, hot and cold at the same time. Soon my nose became stuffy and my eyes began watering." Aang put his right hand on her forehead. "You're burning up! Hold on, I'll fetch the thermometer. I'll make some tea and get some water for you to drink."…

…"Since when are you afraid of lightning?" Katara lifted her head to look up at Aang. "Since the time you got shot with it." There was a long pause in between. Aang didn't know what to say, so Katara opened her mouth first. "I believe it's time I admit something. I've been having nightmares. Nightmares about that time when we were fighting Zuko and Azula in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se. I keep seeing the moment when she shot you with lightning, you falling. I always catch you and bring you out of there, but each time we escape on Appa, everything doesn't end the way it actually did. I have never been able to revive you." At this point her eyes began to tear up. "I would use the water from the Spirit Oasis to heal you, but it never has any effect. Before I manage to try anything else, I always wake up. I feel so useless!.." her voice was cracking, she was starting to cry out loud. "Shh-shh!" Aang stroked her head, hushing her sobs with his robes. "But you did revive me. I wouldn't be sitting on this couch if it weren't for you. You saved me."…

…Katara enjoyed this. His constant stroking made her feel like nobody could sneak up from behind nor attack her. She adored the idea that he was listening to her heart beating because she considered it to be a way of telling how much she loves him. The waterbender liked that the airbender would let her lean on him as a sign of trust. Not to mention that she was still a bit turned on by his touch near her breasts. She was beginning to sweat and Aang noticed that. It was definite proof that her fever had fallen…

Twitter | my art / sketches

[kristallioness]

Where can I find your fanfiction other than on Tumblr?

Oh, hi there! Thank you for the good question! 👋

Short answer: unfortunately (or luckily?), it's all here on Tumblr only.

Tumblr has always been my go-to place for posting both art and stories (besides Twitter, where I post my artwork as well and which I REFUSE to refer to as 'X'). Mainly because most of my online friends and other bloggers who I've admired and wanted to interact with are on this site.

I've considered making accounts on DeviantArt and FanFiction.net as alternatives in the past, but I've never felt the need to use anything else so far (I'm too lazy to create multiple accounts, have enough to handle already… 😅).

[kristallioness]

Kataang Week 2025 Prompt Voting has begun!

You can vote for your seven favorite prompts HERE.

A huge thank you to everyone who submitted prompt ideas and shared the announcement post!  There were roughly double the number of responses this year, which was incredible.

And please do not be discouraged if prompts you submitted or voted for get cut - as always, there will be a free day in addition to the seven main prompts.  This means you can use any of the prompts that were initially listed - or come up with your own ideas!  

Voting will close at the end of the day on Sunday, June 15th! This is to ensure that there are six weeks to work on the prompts.

Please reblog and spread the word!

Prompts that were similar to each other have been combined, just separated with a slash. For example: Glow/Glowing. Some submissions were longer than the one to two words/short phrases limit, so those longer phrases were not accepted.

In total, we had nearly 300 prompts submitted and then consolidated into 194 prompts this year. Thanks again to everyone who submitted!

Due to the delays (apologies again), this will be the only round of voting. If there are not 7 (or a few more) clear favorites, the Tumblr and Twitter mod teams will select the remaining prompts for this year.

We have tentative plans for another event later this year and intend to begin planning Kataang Week 2026 at the usual time next year (January/February) so that there will be plenty of time to submit prompts, go through multiple rounds of voting, and give everyone ample time to work on as many of the prompts as they want.

- The Mods

Prompts cut because they were identical or too similar to prompts of the last three years (we have had Jealousy, Cultural Exchange, & Reunion twice in the last three years).

Jealousy

Protectiveness

Disguise(s)

Cultural Exchange/Culture Sharing

Parenthood/Mom & Dad/Shared Parenting

Healing/Healing Hands

Proposing

Rain

Confession/Confessing Love

Drunk

Reunion

Injured

Traditions

[kristallioness]

Tui and La, your moon and ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance. They balance each other...

[kristallioness]

Somewhere in Central Estonia, 14th May 2025, 3:00 PM. This is a drill. I repeat - THIS IS A DRILL. 📢

I'm relieved to report that I am safe at my home and my country is NOT in any kind of danger (currently). 🙏 The recording that you heard was part of a test conducted yesterday during our annual military Exercise Hedgehog (or 'Siil' in Estonian) in which sirens were blaring in 22 densely populated areas across Estonia. This was the first time in my 30 years that I heard such sirens go off.

Based on what my mom has told me, she used to have civil defense drills during the Soviet occupation years where similar alarms were going off. Probably some time after Estonia broke free from the oppressive regime and restored its independence, this entire network was dismantled since we didn't think that we'd ever need it again. We were proven horribly wrong when the war in Ukraine escalated into a full-scale invasion on the 24th February 2022 (on our 104th Independence Day). 💔 🇪🇪

Sure, it's good to have this type of an alarm system in place (e.g. to warn people in case there's a chemical incident in a nearby factory or something), but the main reason that brought this on was the war in Ukraine.

So why am I sharing this noise? Simple - because Ukrainians have had to get used to this sound during the past 3+ years (11+ if there have been similar alarms blaring in the Oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine since 2014). Estonians are clearly suffering from pre-war anxiety and small actions like this are only reinforcing the idea that we are preparing to defend ourselves against our aggressive neighbour in the very nearby future (by taking lessons from the Ukrainians and following their example).

I only hope I never have to hear this sound in the context of war on the soil of my homeland. You can help put an end to this sooner by supporting Ukraine RIGHT NOW. ✊ 🇺🇦

Here are some charities that are collecting donations in order to help Ukraine defeat the Russian invaders once and for all, to avoid another wave of destruction wiping across the next corner of (Eastern) Europe: (Likes are welcome, reblogs are helpful, donations are invaluable! 🫶)

NAFO 69th Sniffing Brigade

Official Estonian organizations:

Estonian Defence League

Estonian National Defence Promotion Foundation

Estonian Rescue Association

Estonian Food Bank

Estonian Red Cross

Estonian Refugee Council

Estonian NGOs:

NGO Mondo

NGO Vaba Ukraina

NGO Will For Victory

Universities supporting the studies of Ukrainian students in Estonia:

Tallinn University of Technology

University of Tartu

[kristallioness]

Somewhere in Central Estonia, 14th May 2025, 3:00 PM. This is a drill. I repeat - THIS IS A DRILL. 📢

I'm relieved to report that I am safe at my home and my country is NOT in any kind of danger (currently). 🙏 The recording that you heard was part of a test conducted yesterday during our annual military Exercise Hedgehog (or 'Siil' in Estonian) in which sirens were blaring in 22 densely populated areas across Estonia. This was the first time in my 30 years that I heard such sirens go off.

Based on what my mom has told me, she used to have civil defense drills during the Soviet occupation years where similar alarms were going off. Probably some time after Estonia broke free from the oppressive regime and restored its independence, this entire network was dismantled since we didn't think that we'd ever need it again. We were proven horribly wrong when the war in Ukraine escalated into a full-scale invasion on the 24th February 2022 (on our 104th Independence Day). 💔 🇪🇪

Sure, it's good to have this type of an alarm system in place (e.g. to warn people in case there's a chemical incident in a nearby factory or something), but the main reason that brought this on was the war in Ukraine.

So why am I sharing this noise? Simple - because Ukrainians have had to get used to this sound during the past 3+ years (11+ if there have been similar alarms blaring in the Oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine since 2014). Estonians are clearly suffering from pre-war anxiety and small actions like this are only reinforcing the idea that we are preparing to defend ourselves against our aggressive neighbour in the very nearby future (by taking lessons from the Ukrainians and following their example).

I only hope I never have to hear this sound in the context of war on the soil of my homeland. You can help put an end to this sooner by supporting Ukraine RIGHT NOW. ✊ 🇺🇦

Here are some charities that are collecting donations in order to help Ukraine defeat the Russian invaders once and for all, to avoid another wave of destruction wiping across the next corner of (Eastern) Europe: (Likes are welcome, reblogs are helpful, donations are invaluable! 🫶)

NAFO 69th Sniffing Brigade

Official Estonian organizations:

Estonian Defence League

Estonian National Defence Promotion Foundation

Estonian Rescue Association

Estonian Food Bank

Estonian Red Cross

Estonian Refugee Council

Estonian NGOs:

NGO Mondo

NGO Vaba Ukraina

NGO Will For Victory

Universities supporting the studies of Ukrainian students in Estonia:

Tallinn University of Technology

University of Tartu

[kristallioness]

flow winning animated feature is the kind of story that's going to be taught like the boogeyman to every big animation studio's intake class for decades

[kristallioness]

not to talk about flow again, but the thing is, a lot of people talk about independent film making and its importance etc, but it's hard to get more independent than flow this year

not only because it was made with a free and open source software anyone can use, not only because it beat competitors from major studios with an average of 3% of the budget they had, not only because it represented a country that had never won an oscar before, not only because it didn't have any star power involved, not only because it didn't come from a filmmaker with past history, not only because it was made by a small team...

but also because it's an animated movie

animators often get the short end of the stick in the entertainment industry and, for the past years, it was starting to look as if the only way to make an animated project happen was to sell your soul to a major studio and see your work transformed into what they need and how they want it marketed

especially for movies from outside the US, from non-English speaking countries, where insanely talented animators tend to be used as freelance cheap labor for major US studios or have to adapt as much as possible to fit into their market in order to find work

passion projects for animation seemed to only be reserved to the shorts category, or needed to be as high brow as humanly possible to be perceived as "high art" to be valued and, even in the spaces of the industry dedicated to the genre, the way in which awards are distributed are a poor reflection of the vast work animators do

it's major for this film to win awards, let alone the oscar, an award which is notably judged badly for animation and often prefers the marketable easy way out of voting rather than genuine interest

this movie used a resource that is open to anyone and, with good storytelling, made an oscar winning film

in a world in which art is constantly being attacked by capitalist greed, I'm happy that a movie with heart and little resources could do something like this, whether or not people care about the oscars anymore

[kristallioness]

"we wanted animals in flow to behave like real animals instead of walking on two legs and telling jokes. our animators studied references for every shot. so basically we paid them to watch cat videos!"

~ Gints Zilbalodis

[kristallioness]

STRAUME / FLOW (2024) — dr. Gints Zilbadolis

🏆 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film

[kristallioness]

what watching flow makes me feel like T^T

[kristallioness]

STRAUME / FLOW (2024) — dr. Gints Zilbadolis

for @madworld-bbs

[kristallioness]

Oh, what's that?.. I think I heard nearly 2 million of our Latvian neighbours scream simultaneously past 2 AM this Monday morning because "Flow" WON THE OSCAR FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM!!! 👏 👏 👏 🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻

In case I have any Latvian followers (or fellow bloggers who stumble across this) - CONGRATULATIONS! 🥳 Omg I'm so happy, Estonians are SO happy for you all! 😙

Also, we loved the joke that Conan threw at us afterwards. *lol* 😆 I was surprised they knew or did their research about our friendly little rivalry… It just made the whole thing seem perfect.

And the show overall seemed very sympathetic this year. (Seems that the political turmoil has made Americans quite a bit more humble in general, about their own country and greatness… Y'know, cause other nations exist too.)

Anyways, I've queued up some beautiful posts about "Straume" (which is "Flow" in Latvian) since I'm tired of posting about all the negative things in the world and y'all deserve to think about something positive for a change.

I went to see this movie at the end of January and I STILL tear up whenever I think about it… There was a very specific scene (somewhere in the middle) that broke me completely and I pretty much had tears streaming down my cheeks whilst trying to hold back my sobs until the movie ended (I couldn't even call my mom afterwards and had to take some time after getting out of the movie theatre to gather myself before I could speak normally without choking up).

(PS: I know I'm super late with posting this, but I was too tired to come on Tumblr earlier.)

[kristallioness]

Straume (Flow) 2024, dir. Gints Zilbalodis

[kristallioness]

They claimed that Ukraine is full of Nazis - yet they were the Nazis all along. They claimed Ukraine is the most corrupt country in the world - yet they are the oligarchs who openly bought their way into the government. Now they claim that Ukraine isn't the victim, but the aggressor who wants war - yet they threaten numerous countries with invasion. Now they claim Ukraine is ungrateful and greedy - yet they demand us to give up our country's resources to them while gaining nothing in return. Now their leader claims Ukraine is ruled by a dictator - yet he praises the real dictator, who's been ruling a totalitarian regime and starting wars for 25 years. Now they claim Ukraine isn't a democracy - yet they openly call their leader a king and want him to rule forever.

Every accusation is an admission. Always.

[kristallioness]

the transcript btw. It was hard to make it out on the video because of the blowhards yelling and me feeling incandescently blind and deaf with rage

oh, to have a leader with the moral fiber and strong backbone that Zelenskyy has