#Bliss Re-Design

[ukiiseikou]

my breath twists with yours.

various genshin (diluc, wanderer, kazuha, xiao) x gn! reader. various things that happens after moving in together.

diluc: the space is filled

despite all the servants, diluc used to coming home to an empty and eerie mansion after his nights as the darknight hero. but now you're always greeting him at the door (no matter how late it is - you seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to when he's coming back) and he feels like he can actually relax as you guide him through his night routine. even in the mornings, when it is usually quiet as he flips through the delivered newspapers and stack of papers, he can hear you humming the latest song you heard from one of the traveling bards or your laughter as you chat to the housemaids about new gossip. the cracks in the walls get filled with chatter and noise thanks to you, and it makes him feel warm.

wanderer: taking up space

you gotta cram two people's stuff into his flat now, and that means taking over stuff and space that was always just his. he finds it a bit inconvenient at first - he reaches for his coffee mug only to find your's there, and his mug has been re-situated into another cabinet because "it's a different shape!". he can't find his moisturiser because YOUR skincare products have invaded his counter space and he just sighs. morning routines are ruined and the way things are placed that made sense to him are completely irrelevant to you. eventually he gets used to the reminders of you everywhere, like it was always there. he even starts reminding you where you placed something, like when you can't find your keys and he tells you its on the counter next to his.

kazuha: picking furniture together

he adds anything he finds 'aesthetic' and that calls out to him into the cart, and ends up with a eclectic mix of fabrics, textures, and woods that would send any self-respecting interior designer into a coma. even he admits he might've been a little too overboard, and eventually he settles with picking a few of his favourites and letting you handle the rest while he hovers behind you like a busy bee. grows giddy at the thought of creating a space that just feels like the both of you - his mind constantly running with thoughts of domestic bliss like cooking together and relaxing in the sun, the smell of freshly brewed tea in the air and the wind in your hair.

xiao: two of everything

xiao is used to being alone, and has been for a really long time, and old habits die hard. he struggles to adjust initially when you finally move in with him. keeps forgetting to make two cups of tea in the morning instead of just one, and grumbles and angrily scrubs at the plates about doing twice as much washing up but snaps at you when you offer to do it. but he gets used to it and thinks that being able to curl up next to you at the end of the day far outweighs any extra trouble he has to go through. he grows soft and starts thinking of you whenever he's out - bringing back flowers that brighten up your living room and ornaments that reminded him of you.

if you finished & liked it, please consider liking and reblogging ~ thank youuu

[chxrryhansen]

౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊ Cherry’s Cevans One Shot Rec List

here you will find all of my favourite chris evans + characters fanfiction recommendations, i have many more to add and will continue to update this list. Please don’t forget to reblog these amazing writers fics as they deserve so much love!💘💘

Walk On The Wild Side - @hansensgirl

you just wanted to go for a stroll down the road—but he wants you to take a walk on the wild side. (Dark!Chris Evans)

You Better Not Pout, Better Not Cry - @hansensgirl

they know if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake. (Dark!Multi character) - i would add every single one of her fics to this list if i could💘

Sinful Devotion - @evansbby

Lloyd promises to let you go, but he demands a depraved repayment. (In other words, Lloyd pops your cherry)- my favourite writer in the whole universe💘

Smothered With Bliss - @whereireid

Is it hard being married to the most influential man in America? You most certainly think it is. — Steve Rogers: Captain America, the heart of his nation, the soul of his country. After returning home from a particularly bad day at work, Steve finally snaps, deciding you need re-educating on how to be the perfect housewife.

The Night - @misshoneybee

Working as the Barber family's nanny is a piece of cake, but what happens when the dad you've been tip-toeing around all year comes home late one night to find you asleep in his bed, wearing his favorite sweater?

Little Miss Red - @anika-ann

Ransom’s looking for a good time tonight, when you walk through the door, he knows he’ll get it. And you? Oh you’ll get it too. He's going to make sure of it.

Unholy Errand - @buckets-and-trees

You're caught in the crosshairs when a hit goes out for your boss. (Dark!Lloyd Hansen + Dark! God The Bounty Hunter + Ransom Drysdale)

What A Shirt Can Tell - @justalonelyslytherin

5+2 times Colin asked 'Is that my shirt?' plus the one time he got asked it. Aka a look through the journey of Colin and his girl, each in which his shirts play an important role.

Start Again - @wkemeup

A chemical spill, uncontrollable desires rushed to the surface, an unbridled need, and the consequences in the aftermath (Steve Rogers)

Daddy’s Little Pet - @sinner-as-saint

You and Steve are the epitome of ‘opposites attract’. He is the American hero, a super soldier who is known for his bravery, and righteousness and for being the one leading the Avengers. You, on the other hand, are a well-known fashion designer in the city. Creator and owner of your own brand, and elite boutique. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like you and Steve would be compatible. But you surprisingly are. And behind closed doors, in secrecy – you two are each other’s solace, each other’s definition of home. He’s your strong, loving and caring man. And you, his lovely, little pet whom he adores more than life itself.

Good Girls And Skype Calls - @youre-deadangel

chris gives you a treat for behaving.

Afternoon Delight - @christowhore

you're steve's live-in housekeeper and find your boss and his friends having a bbq on a heatwave stricken afternoon. they invite you to join them and show you all the pleasurable ways to cool down from the sun. (SoftDark!Steve Rogers + Sam Wilson + Bucky Barnes)

Got You - @hispeculiartreasure

The two of you had grown close over the last year; first as teammates, then as friends. You had been distant at the start, just as he had. Slowly, agonizingly - blood, sweat, and tears were definitely involved - walls were dismantled. A current of trust ran between you, one which caught Steve by surprise. As dense as he could be about matters of the heart, suspicions of his blossoming romantic feelings being mutual had proven true with a simple kiss. (Sex Pollen, Steve Rogers)

Golden Boy - @bucksfucks

you’ve always called steve the golden boy, but he snaps one night and decides to show you he’s anything but. (Roommate!Steve Rogers)

It Must Be That Old Evil Spirit - @vonalyn

There’s something unsettling about his demeanor but you can’t quite put your finger on it. As if there’s something hiding beneath the surface just waiting to pry its way out of the tight shirt across his broad frame and tear your throat out. Maybe it’s your general unease around others when you’re traveling alone, or maybe it’s just him.  (Jack-O-Lantern!Ari Levinson)

Stupid Kitty - @onsunnyside

Your father wrongfully entrusted Lloyd to care for you—it’s too bad he’ll never get you back. (Lloyd Hansen x Cat-Hybrid!Reader)

Manners- Or Lack Of Them - @rogerswifesblog

Ransom wants you, the sweet girl at the bar…but you’re not what he expected you to be. (Sub!Ransom Drysdale + Mommy!Reader)

Shadow Boxer - @mypoisonedvine

you’re stuck in the same destructive cycle with ransom, but maybe you don’t want to get out of it. (Angst + Smut, Ransom Drysdale)

It’s Not A Challenge - @gagmebucky

His jaw ticks. “It’s not a challenge, doll,” he bites out. “It’s a warning. If I tried to get inside you, I’d split you in half in the process.” His eyes flicker down, and your nipples are pebbles against the thin, easily-rippable fabric—you’re testing him, and he’s failing. “Goddamn it,” he hisses underneath his breath. “That - that shouldn’t turn you on.” Bristling, he drops his hand and pedals backward—he’s on his last thread, and it’s his sole chance to make a clear-headed decision. (Boxer!Steve Rogers)

Pretty Princess - @frostironfudge

Andy Barber gets jealous when he presumes you shared a room with one of his associates.

Over And Over - @frostironfudge

Ari Levinson is a possessive man, he'll punish you till you apologise.

Such A Good Boy - @lilacevans

You and Ari attend a business meeting, and at the beginning the other boss you're meeting with just assumes that Ari is the one in charge; however, that's not the case. While you look dainty, angelic, like you couldn't even hurt a fly, you're the one who runs the family and will not hesitate to fuck up anyone who stands in your way. (Puppy!Ari Levinson) - one of my favourite fics EVER.💘

Breathe - @buckyownsmylife

The one where the new co-star is obsessed with the idea of making Chris hers, but he makes sure to show her you’re the only one for him.

Justified - @dbnightingale24

Ransom has always been the center of your world you’ve always been the center of his. However, when he can’t change his ways and you’re tired of the heartbreak, is it really so bad if you think it’s best to walk away? Ransom thinks so. - one of the sweetest most talented writers i have ever met💘

My, My, My - @1800jjbarnes

Stevie couldn't help it. Every time he saw you, he felt himself grow heavy in his slacks. You were everything he needed. And he needed you now.

All The Time - @geminixevans-stan

He is one of the most powerful men on earth but there’s more worse than him (Dark!Lloyd Hansen + Dark!Nick Fowler)

Snack - @katherineswritingsblog

he just wants his snack- which is you.

Watchful Eyes - @espinosaurusrexex

When your best friend gets you a new job, cleaning the apartment of the most successful man in New York City, you don't hesitate to accept. The pay is more than good, and the man himself is better than any eye candy you have ever seen. Unbeknownst to you, you've caught his attention just as much. Steve can't keep his mind off you, so much so, that he drives everyone around him insane with his grumpiness when you aren't around. It seems like he has to take matters into his own hands when he realizes, you're too shy to take things further yourself. (CEO!Steve Rogers)

Cherry On Top - @dcllbows

you’ve found your favorite way to help your daddy with his grownup work. (Ddlg, Daddy!Andy Barber)

Voracious - @arilevinsons

The first time he set eyes on you; you were his sudden infatuation. (DarkProfessor!Ari Levinson)

Best Friend’s Dad - @imyourbratzdoll

you've been pining over your best friend's dad and decide to take your chance, knowing he's out and your best friend is asleep, you be a little bit naughty and touch yourself on his bed, not knowing he's coming home early.

The Breeding Ground - @fl0werfae

To others, Ari’s house was a breeding ground for him and his omega, but to him it was just fulfilling her purpose of carrying his pups. (Alpha!Ari Levinson)

My Sweet Pea - @mavsstar

Mr. Levinson lives right next door to you, the sweet, innocent college girl. Little do you know that you're Mr. Levinson's favorite neighbor. He's there every chance you need the slightest of help, maybe a little too much. (Trailer Park Au)

Like A Movie Scene In The Sweetest Dream - @worksby-d

Johnny’s always been on your “no” list, but you've finally agreed to work with him. (Pornstar!Johnny Storm)

Easy As Pie - @navybrat817

You bake pies for Andy, but you're still his favorite treat.

[undercover-smutlover]

Captain John Price...🏷️

main masterlist📌

*·˚Don’t forget to reblog, follow, like, and comment on the authors’ or artists’ pages. Show them some love!

*·˚Broken link or @? Pop a note in the comments or my ask box.

Works by @miniwheat77

Sweet: Price is harsh on y/n until a mission goes sideways

Sensitive: The only person reader can confide in is her captain

Maneater + Gaz: Reader is a mechanic on base who takes a break with the boys

Give ’em hell Pt.1: Reader and Price are exposed to a weird chemical

Give ’em hell Pt.2: Repercussions of the weird chemical

Red Lipstick: Reader and Price keep one another company

Works by @captainfern

Lake Of Fire: Price isn’t happy about working with another team

Heart-Shaped Box Pt.1: You help Price feel better

Serve the Servants P.2 + Ghost: The aftermath involving Ghost

Breed: You and Price meet up off base

Marigold Pt.1: Price asks you to meet him upstairs

Marigold Pt.2: Crying becaouse you missed him

Works by @halcyone-of-the-sea

Songs That Sound Like Sea-Foam: Fisherman Price meets an unexpected person

Our Remains: You are hiding something big from John

Lions and Ibexes: Your voice cuts through and John’s shoulders sag under a non-existent weight.

See No Evil Pt.1 and Origami Boats Pt.2: But you’d been hurt because he had been too late. Nearly bled out. 

I’ll Take the Night Shift: It doesn’t matter what I feel…Where is my John?

Works by @xyziiix

ARDOUR: He could already hear the pleading edge in your voice

Three Is A Crowd: Well your Captain always liked proving you wrong

Works by @the-californicationist

He Opens the Mail and Part 2: It was hard to concentrate when he was nearby.

Wonderland: He chuckled, and you enjoyed seeing his eyes shine with his laughter

Works by @charliemwrites

(Re)organized Crime: In general, you’re like a breath of fresh air. A smiley little charm of colour and delicacy in his world

Squeak 'Em If You Got 'Em

Price Eating You Out by @catsnkooks: Too blissed out to notice a guest

Civillian Reader Is Hurt by @lvlyghost: She believed he would save her. And that was enough

Jealous by @stormiwaves: “I like it when you’re jealous”

Angel of Small Death Pt.1 by @whynot-tryit: Price hires a team medic

Not Meant to Be Here, But Glad You Are by @paranoid-borderline-insane: You need to remember all the tips John gave you to survive

Breaking and Entering Pt.1 and Reprieve Pt.2 by @sprout-fics: No place safer in the world than with him

Doll by @blingblong55: It started as innocent stares

No Hero, Just Me by @firsttimewriter92: Price rescues reader from an abduction

Duty Over Heart by @a-small-writer-in-a-big-world: Your lives were forever changed afterwards

Million Dollar Man by @qilinxingg: John gave a satisfied smile as his arms tightened around your small body

Price’s Young Housewife by @moongreenlight: Weekly manicures and pedicures that he’s put his card on file for

My Girls by @bearieio: happy just being able to share moments with your 3 favorite people

Hell on Earth by @ghostlywhiskey: His demeanor and lack of response to your attitude caught you off guard

Designer Dress by @halfmoth-halfman: You can’t think of a better place to start your new life

I Think I Might’ve Inhaled You by @agentmarvel: It eats at him daily, knowing his own indecisiveness is the root of anguish for both of you

Nobody Does It Like You Do by @bunnyreaper: In his embrace, firm and reassuring, you might actually believe him

Spread Your Wings by @crashandlivewrites: “Besides, I find my scene partner enjoys it more when there’s a lot more sensual physical contact involved.”

A Warm Heart by @flowermiist: That clicks in John’s head, it really was you and he was almost amused to say the least.

Soulmate AU Part 1 and Part 2 by @shotmrmiller: your vision distorts with the tears that threaten to spill and bite your bottom lip to stop it from trembling.

To The Flame Pt. 1, Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Pt.8, Moving Day, Afternoon Coffee, Seeing Shadows, A Drink From Her Cup: by @lunarvicar

Dangerous Pursuit by @gloomwitchwrites: The two of you will either close the distance or end this entanglement in blood.

The Prowl by @cordeliawhohung

Elephant in the Room Pt.1, Pt.2 by @penelopepine

Mafia!Price Pt.1, Pt.2 by @lovemebutleavemewild

Blowing off Steam by @yeyinde

Champagne Dreams by @fireya-x

New Pen Pal by @sherriesherbet

Call me Captain, Captain by @highlandhour

Price’s Assistant Pt.1, Pt.2, Pt.3 by @angel-eyes-and-devil-hearts

The Favourite by @inkbybambi

Don’t Poke The Bear by @sirenmoth

Didn’t Have Time by @highlandhour

When Lilacs Bloom by @fireya-x

She’s With Me by @evermoreal

Business Call by @evilgwrl

Captain's Good Girl by @uhohdad

John Price and The Girl Next Door by @eowynstwin

Dividers by @cafekitsune

[sourpatchys]

RE: kink post. Daryl is touch starved, and has a thing for tits. Develops the biggest housewife kink in Alexandria, plus a breeding kink after having the baby talk. Indulges in the hunter/prey thing after being asked by his partner. Enjoys bondage, probably.

I agree with this whole heartedly!

The housewife kink is something I’ve never thought about though! I have a few ideas brewing from that!

(This ended up being much longer than I expected. It was originally just supposed to be a small summary, but it’s 3am and my creativity juices were flowing)

You aren’t together, not really. Everyone knows you care for one another and they’re just waiting— begging— for one of you to break the ice and make a move. Daryl being the closed off, touched starved man that he is— honestly never let himself think of you of anything other than someone he trusted, someone he could count on no matter what the occasion was.

Coming to Alexandria was a rough patch between the two of you. You loved it, you wanted to believe this was what you deserved after fighting for survival for so long, you craved the safety net that the prison had given you before it was taken away. Daryl wanted it too— he needed it— but he refused to believe it was a dream come true. So instead he got angry.

He was angry with the group, and worst of all he was angry at you. He wanted this for you, the smile on your face while you were doing something as stupid as brushing your teeth with toothpaste dripping out of your mouth made him want it even more. But it wasn’t real— it couldn’t be real— and you were making him crave it.

Hungry is the best word to describe it. He was hungry for your happiness, hungry for the domestic bliss that shadowed your every move.

Baking cookies, sweeping the floor, propping his disgusting boots by the door to make them ‘look nice’. You ironed his shirts and got upset at him if he didn’t take care of himself— you had even started to pack him lunches when he would go outside the walls.

That’s when the flutters started— that’s when he realized what he felt for you was more than just companionship.

He started to look forward to seeing you doing your self-designated chores.

Then one day, after a run that went south, he found you in the garage stitching up a rip in the seam of his jacket— and suddenly it all changed.

Now, Daryl wasn’t doing this to hurt you— no, call it a scientific experiment of sorts. He started dirtying up his clothes on purpose, rubbing dirt on his cheek when he knew he had a rag in his back pocket, taking his sweet time getting up if he found himself knocked on the ground— he got messier with walkers too.

In any case his experiment paid off— and if the tightness in his jeans was anything to go by— something else was going to change too.

[acrobattack]

bliss redesign based off one I made in my teens

thought process + various other bits and bobs under the cut

I was 15 and annoyed by everything that moved when this character first came out, so in my own head I was very much making a Point with this redesign. Hence, I made very minimal changes. I wanted to work with what was already there and basically just make the existing design more thought-through. Little breakdown ahead (keeping in mind i myself am very much An Amateur who doesn’t know shit and am just ranting about my opinions and i also haven’t seen a single second of the 2016 reboot so i don’t know much about Bliss to begin with)

1. one of my Biggest pet peeves with Bliss is that the powerpuff girls each have bangs that are simple, memorable, and iconic while also being unique from each other and being reminiscent of irl little girls hairstyles. It’s very neat and clever and I like it a lot

and then Bliss has this confusing jumble of shapes that looks like it changes in style halfway across her forehead

i have absolutely no idea what the intent is here. My only guess is maybe it’s meant to look weird on purpose like she was trying to cut it herself or something (I suspect it’s something like that since she seems to have normal looking bangs as a little kid from what I can see) but it doesn’t really come off that way if that’s the case. It just looks like baby’s first PPG OC where you Understand that it’s meant to be hair and that it is made out of shapes but have 0 understanding of hairstyle or character design in general. Heck I might have put this exact hairline on a character in the past at the age of like 8

So in my redesign she’s got 5 even notches across her bangs, not thee most exciting change but it does the job I think. It is pretty reminiscent of Blossom but they look different enough from each other that I wasn’t too worried about it

2. low-hanging fruit time, Bliss’s hair color is horrible on the eyes. I’m bewildered at the decision to do this, especially since there is just so much of it, I struggle to think of how she could exist in any scene without hogging all the viewer’s attention constantly. That said, I understand they wanted her to have an unnatural hair color to really signal that she is a Fresh new Teen character from the late 2010’s, which is. Whatever, that’s fine, so she gets purple hair now. I kept the streak for the same reason, especially since she’s got a lot of hair, so no harm in a little extra interest in there.

I also learned recently that her hair glows sometimes? which i did Not know when first drawing her but well i think the darker color helps anyway. It adds some contrast for when she’s normal vs when she’s glowing and makes the latter appear more,, idk threatening or powerful or whatever the mood generally is when she’s doing that.

I did re-add that toothpaste blue to her eyelids though. I like to think it’s also the color of her lasers. It’s a cute color, just not as like 70% of this character’s palette

3. real talk I was drawing this from memory and didn’t mean to change the way her hair flares out from her head. realistically I think the original is fine, maybe just a little boring but fine, so that part of the redesign was an accident. Only thing is, it’s in the exact same position in every screenshot I’ve seen? It doesn’t seem to whip around when she’s flying or anything which looks weird and probably looks weirder in motion, especially since it takes up so much space onscreen. Idk it’s a strange decision, esp since the original show liked to use the ppg’s hair to emphasize their movement, so I’d just bring more movement into her hair. I mean if nothing else it’d make her look cooler.

very very rough little visual of what I mean

I also ended up making it shorter in my redesign—again, not really intentional, but I think it’s better that it eats up a little less of her silhouette

4. Her headband is largely the same, I didn’t hate the idea of her having an accessory, so I just toned down the colors. I’m not personally a fan of the powder blue and that pink heart is very bright and just doesn’t go with the rest of her (once again the color of her hair is doing it no favors). I also moved the heart over. Not necessarily needed I think, but I feel like it reads quicker as a headband and not a weird crown that way+introduces some asymmetry into her design that I think is nice.

5. my biggest gripe other than her bangs are her hips. I’m not against adding anatomy to this character design to make her read visually as older than the girls, but it’s so awkwardly done and distracting. I feel like it even interferes with her line of action more often than not (which is not helped by her unmoving hair).

Part of the issue is she still has the teeny tiny torso, just… with those square-ish hips slapped on, which makes her legs look all gangly and stretched out. I tried to balance out the proportions more in my redesign, as well as change the hips to a flared skirt. I think it helps differentiate her from the girls and still implies hips underneath, it just also functions as a less clunky transition from her torso to her legs.

Lengthening her torso also allows the stripe to look more like a belt above the skirt, which I think helps to sell her as “similar, but not the same” from the ppg

6. Her leggings(? Idk Im not a fashion person) aren’t a bad idea I think. like a more mature version of the girls’ stockings, but I think the white makes them look really distracting. It would help to make them a darker color I think, but since I wanted to keep them reminiscent of the girls’ socks I kept them white and just shortened them.

7. Not really sure what Bliss is wearing on her feet. I think they’re Mary Janes, but they’re drawn a bit different from the girls’ and I honestly think it’s too babyish a shoe for her to wear. I’m not sure what she’s actually wearing in my redesign either honestly, but the goal was just to make them look like the girls’ Mary Janes while clearly being something different.

8. Uh her signature color is something I’ve contemplated changing a lot but to be real I think it’s fine. I feel it was a very bad idea from a marketing standpoint because people were hype about Bunny and would obviously be mad they didn’t get her once the character actually dropped (and in the long-run she would just end up being overshadowed by the character everyone has already assigned that color to) but I’m personally not bugged by her being purple beyond that. If I were to draw them together though I think Bunny would have a more pinky shade of purple and Bliss leans more blue.

Loosely on the same topic, because of Bliss I’ve had a running headcanon that “only child” types of powerpuffs tend to come out purple. Kind of like how trios tend to have a red, blue, and green. It’s a fun little piece of fake lore to rotate around in my brain

Anyway with all that out of the way, here’s some redesigns I decided to have some fun with. Wasn’t being too precious about recognizability or simplicity or anything like that, but I did run out of steam partway through. There’s also one based off Whoopass Bell bc idk, why not

Finally, here’s some OCs I only ever drew once before out of a desire to give Bliss her own teen girl archetypes to form a team with. This is Bee and Beetle, who I’ll probably definitely forget about again immediately after posting this

[six-costume-refs]

Have the Boleyn tabs been changed to loops with green inside for all costumes?

Photos @isaacgrinnellphoto on Instagram

Yes! That started with the Boleyn redesign for Broadway in 2020 (what I call the 3.0 costume). It's been used for practically all new Boleyn costumes ever since:

(Joan Marcus, naomialade1, b__shannon__b, _animalise)

Above examples are Andrea Macasaet (2020 Broadway), Naomi Alade (2023-25 West End), 배수정 (Pae Su-jeong, 2023 South Korea), and Analise Rios (Breakaway 6.0).

All current costumes have the looped tabs and green lining. However, in some prior costumes there’s been a few exceptions:

(aisforashleee, paiged_perc, James D Morgan)

L’Oréal Roaché and Ashlee Waldbauer (Bliss 3.0) both had the 3.0 looped tabs but it didn’t appear to have the green backing.

Kala Gare (2021-23 Australian Tour) has been in an earlier production and re-used her 2.0-style costume, which had the 2.0 flat tabs rather than the 3.0 looped tabs. They added some studs to her flat tabs to mimic the 3.0 design changes, but didn’t actually replace them with looped.

Also, thank you for including the photo credit in your ask. Always appreciated.

[definegodliness]

Stars

On the floor We were humble, Stripped from all ego, and More equal than We had ever felt Before.

There was Wall, Veil, nor shield Between us, And we experienced Love's utmost blissful defenselessness On the floor.

I needed You, And I needed you to know How much a human could Ever need Another human.

As if I were half, And could return Whole.

I reached for you, unknowing, On the floor.

I did not know That I would absolve Your Unknowing, So.

My fingers touched your fingers, And the universe Eclipsed; collapsing Into itself To become a void of New Beginnings.

I felt this In the power with which You Bound me, Without tightening Your grip, As you brought my phalanges to your lips For a reverent kiss.

I could not believe how holy you made me, As, sacred, you were, to me.

A perfect Anomaly, Designed as some deific tease To forever remain Out of mortal reach.

Yet, there you were, On the floor with me.

I kissed you, then, enraptured, And the void Of new Beginnings; the universe that had Collapsed into itself,

Exploded

Into perpetual creation.

Time stopped To show our every past and future; How it was, would be, And had always been Us.

How every atom's worth Of space, diminished between us, Would orchestrate Another life's time To love.

I pushed to be deepest inside you As you pulled and clawed For us to be

One —

Until There was no Atom left between us To save for another lifetime, And all we came to crave Was our soul's Fusion.

We Loved

To be

One —

As an undying star, Never re-emerging As human Again.

I remember your gaze, and all our Constellations.

Yet,

I revel in how humble we once were, Lying on that floor; Merely human.

--- 19-8-2023, M.A. Tempels ©

[redrockbluerock]

(Click to zoom in/see details)

I may have a few Maestro ocs.

Height comparisons with four versions, Lances, Balans, and hatless/ unmasked versions of both.

Timeline version-

Ombromanie to Vaudeville are Echoes

Lance. Balan, Equil, and Librium are Active Maestros

Neo and Scene are Understudies.

notes and stuff-

Rancor's Balan state is forgotten by time. Between his death and his hatred, it isn't something he can go back to... Not that he'd care to.

Vanillance and Blubrium aren't Lance and Librium's true Balan states- however, due to being active and corrupted, their original faces are forgotten. However, I do have designs for them!

Lance is basically just... unbleached and a bit fatter (especially in comparison to Melancholic), and Librium is pale instead of blue and braids her hair back. Her patterns actually resemble Lance's!

-Bios

Ombromanie is Balance, either Wonderworld's first creation or its creator. They can't remember. A shifting shadowy figure that helps mortals re-balance their hearts and emotions. Over time the work was too great for one person, and Lance they became. After they fade they become the Echo of Riddles.

Cabaret is the first Balan, one who mimics other's. It's much easier to see what's going on with others, so why not make oneself into the other? Over time however, it makes them lose their own identity. Once faded they become the Echo of Mimicry.

Avantgarde is the first with a solid sense of self. They compete with guests in a way, dueling with them to let them build strength. Over time their duels became tougher- as Avant's strength grew, they forget to keep at an even playing field. After fading they become the Echo of Self.

Revue is the first to take Guest's memories away upon leaving. He takes a more direct approach as well-while the past Maestros were effective, their methods were slow, leaving guests meandering within Wonderworld for years at a time. Over time his guidance turned into outright fixing guests, leaving them much more vulnerable to repeat visits. Once faded he becomes the Echo of Guidance.

Vaudeville returns the strangled sense of whimsy to Wonderworld- humans need play, and with that play they'd learn the skills to rebalance themselves. Over time her duties were forgotten, and Wonderworld became an escape, an eternal haven of hedonism. Once faded she becomes the Echo of Bliss.

Rancor was meant to reign in the festivities, to return Wonderworld to its duties. At first, he was, a willing straight man, re-balancing hearts instead of letting them hide. Over time, his contempt for his Lance turned to contempt for humanity, bitterly refusing to help or allow them in.

Melancholic- Lance worked to restore Wonderworld to its former glory, despite Rancor working against him. Initially the Theatre was a front for Wonderworld, a place for Melancholic to work away from his Lance.

After an incident leaving him with amnesia, (Ba)Lance worked as the sole Maestro of Wonderworld for 6000 more years, before the strain from working alone and humanity's struggles turned him into Lance.

Librium was meant to be the next Balan, showing the greatest promise out of her sisters. However, her eagerness to prove herself ended up being her downfall, corrupting her with positivity and being dubbed Librium. Now she "helps" guests in her own way, getting in the way of Balan and Equil.

Sanguine- the current Balan- was meant to be a backup. Weaker than his sisters, he'd be pulled out should Choleric be unable to work. As it turned out, that'd be a permanent arrangement, Sanguine being thrown into the spotlight due to her corruption. Still, he does his best, able to handle most troubles thrown his way.

Equil was initially meant to work behind the scenes- Her negativity showed early, and with her sister already taking the role of Maestra, Sanguine at her side, Phlegmatic was forgotten- until Choleric corrupted. With certain cases a bit too much for Sanguine, Equil became a secondary Maestra, working in tandem with her brother.

Neo Balan is meant to be the maestra after Sanguine- though oddly she appeared before Melancholic faded. With no proper place in Wonderworld yet, Neo waits as an understudy, ever wary for the day she takes the stage. For now though, Neo runs a cafe off the side of the main theatre, taking repeat visitors under her care, listening to them vent their worries and offer good drinks and advice.

Proscenium arrived much too early as well, A package deal with Neo. Scene is another understudy, working behind the scenes for now. An ancient part of wonderworld- dubbed The Catwalks- took favor to them, allowing Proscenium to take upon work there, keeping the ancient machinery in there running smoothly and guests out.

Bonus alt- Since I usually draw Balan with a red suit whenever his sisters are alive, Here's alternate outfits to go along with the canon suit.

bonus 2- just a detail to focus on with Lance (Rancor) and Balan (Melancholic) :)

[lamemaster]

Elves and Middle-Earth

Okay gather Tolkien nuts, I have a question (I am genuinely curious).

I've seen so many posts about the Nature of Middle Earth excerpt that removing Eldar from Middle-Earth was not Eru's design. Doing so resulted in diminishing elves of Middle-Earth and taking away their guidance from their younger brethren, men.

Now my question is, if Aman was not a part of Iluvatar's plans for elves, why re-shape the world and go on an entire ordeal with the Numenorians? Wouldn't making Arda inaccessible make it harder for elves to return? Why would Eru allow elves to be separated from Middle-Earth later in the legendarium?

What about the Vanyar and Teleri, for whom Aman became a permanent residence and they did not experience the Doom as the Noldor did? Was their connection to Middle-Earth destined to be lesser than the Noldor?

What would have leaving elves in the Middle-Earth have meant for the Halls of Mandos and re-birth? Would the elves who died in Middle-Earth be reborn in Aman as in cannon or would they be reincarnated back to Middle-Earth?

While researching I found another excerpt from Morgoth's Ring-

"For of this summons came

many woes that after befell; yet those who hold that the Valar

erred, thinking rather of the bliss of Valinor than of the Earth,

and seeking to wrest the will of Iluvatar to their own pleasure,

speak with the tongues [read tongue] of Melkor"(P. 162)

Does this excerpt mean that narratives that were said to argue that bringing elves to Valinor had been an error and the Valar's disobedience to the will of Illuvatar were influenced by Melkor? We do hear a similar argument from Feanor who thinks that the Valar are conspiring against the elves by keeping them away from Middle Earth and in return favoring men.

Lastly- if Aman is not THE place for Elves then why do they feel the pull towards the sea and Valinor in general? (I think it is mentioned in LOTR or the Hobbit)

(P.S.- I know I have a bias towards the Valar and that my arguments favor them so for this post specifically please ignore if you can sense me simping for them)

I am confusion.

[neonscandal]

So excited to know that you also love Link Click...! I watched it first before JJK (I know, still kinda new in thw fandom), so Cheng Xiaoshi/ Lu Guang are special to me. And after 2nd season with that finale, wow, for me it feels like came out of a fanfic. So when I got to know Gojo/ Geto somehow they remind me of Cheng Xiaoshi/ Lu Guang, cause both couples are doomed by the narative....

And what do you think after you finished TGCF? Have you read the novels? Just so you know, it is worth it to collect the books. Their story is that good. Also when you finished it, most likely you'll also have some non-canon fav couples (I have 4 non canon fav couples from TGCF)....And have you watch MDZS or SVSSS?

Sorry for my rambling, MXTX is one of my favorite author ever and I like to talk about their works. (And now I'm still depressed with the latest JJK update and nervous with the BNHA update)......

OMG SEASON TWO FINALE OF LINK CLICK ABSOLUTELY SLAYED ME. Lu Guang, the enigma that you are. This whole time!? What a damn reveal! Just thinking about it, tbh, I'm gagged. I like to guess at things, obviously, but just never even fathomed.

I don't know if I'd mentioned that before RE: Gojo and Geto but same. It might be on an anime recommendation draft 😅 Like, sure, their character design is an obvious indication but it's really all the anguish bubbling just beneath the surface. And now I need to read all the source material because I'm not sure I can wait for them to animate (even though the animation is just 😘👌🏾

For background on my experience while watching TGCF, there are a lot of cultural/religious things that were completely out of my current realm of understanding re: ascension, conditions/relation of the supernatural beings discussed, etc. but I was still able to really enjoy it without and prompted curiosity to learn more before jumping into the novels. Like, having watched and read media informed by Japanese culture (and growing up on Inuyasha), you understand the idea of youkai, general types and their dispositions, even some religious aspects to practices by priestesses and even everyday people, etc. so it's a little easier to navigate. So getting into Chinese media of a certain time period where those beliefs and practices inform the story was a challenge but it also just kind of opens your eyes to how much you don't know which is exciting. I absolutely want to check out the books because I need to know Xie Lian's whole origin (including his 17th birthday and his parents backstory) and what transpired to have created the delicate soft spot San Lung has for him. I hadn't heard of SVSSS yet but MDZS is on my TBW and I'm wondering if watching it will help clarify my confusion from TGCF or if I should do some research ahead of time so I'm not as lost.

Never apologize, I love when people are inspired and passionate! Lol and makes the conversation I have with you guys feel less one sided (with my disproportionate essay responses haha). 💛 I'm sure I'll post when I start watching/reading any of the above so we can reconvene! I'm currently finishing up Stars Align and, from what I've gathered might need to add this to my TBR to get a satisfactory end to things, too. 😭

I've been running on an empty battery lately so Tumblr's really the only social media platform I've been consistently perusing and posting on (RIP to twitter, insta and tiktok, ig). The upside of this being that I see JJK and BNHA leaks less frequently so I'm out here living in ignorant bliss ✨ So if you're out in these virtual streets, be safe out there, anon!

[liesmyth]

I just know that freaky shit goes down during nine houses marriage ceremonies. I feel like they do something like literally eating each other’s flesh on the third and like a full on medieval bedding ceremony on the 9th (since they don’t have any ART) opinions on weird sex stuff in tlt marriage ceremonies?

At the basis of my belief system re: House wedding ceremonies is the firm conviction that the Saint of Joy is the patron saint of newlywed bliss or some such shit. There's no marriage in the Houses without someone asking the Saint of Joy to bless this lovey-dovey couple :) (She hates it. Augustine started it ofc)

Honestly, I think the Third would do some shit like matching cuts and tasting the other's blood or something equally over the top. The Fifth House have either ghost summonings (to give their blessings to the new couple!) or like. Semi-public sex. They are THE designated freak House after all.

One between the Second or the Fourth House do something extremely kinky with orgasm denial and/or chastity devices in the days leading up to the wedding that's supposedly about something with a higher meaning to show devotion or fidelity or whatever but. It's a kink thing.

The Sixth House canonically have super intricate contracts regulating reproduction and childraising for those who decide to have children together so... They probably think weddings are kind of quaint and aren't very popular BUT for those who decide to get married the intricate contracts also have sexual stipulations. Like there 100% are bylaws about who gets fucked where and when how many times a week. You know those couples who are like "My partner gave me a freebie pass if I ever get the opportunity to fuck my celebrity crush"? The Sixth House would have that ENSHRINED.

The Seventh may do something freaky like public consumption and/or nude art of the happy couple.

The Ninth probably have a very elaborate blessing and specific sacrament paints for weddings that goes all over (if you know what I mean) and the Eight are the ones who go more medieval Christian doctrine with it. Not to bring up Catholic Augustine AGAIN but. "Offspring, faith, and sacrament" vibes—that's the Eight.

[storybrook-and-fruitsbaskets]

i rewatched day 1 of the idolish7 movie...

(these are my thoughts from both the first and second time i watched day 1)

(my rambles of day 2 here)

my first time watching something in 4dx. it rained, it snowed, the chairs moved like a roller coaster, there were gusts of wind, smoke, and bubbles falling in front of the screen. it smelled nice on occasions, too

the first scene with a tree sprouting and growing with flashes of the elements/seasons were so endearing by the third time i watched it

started off with monster generation<3 i tried to watch where they took away their umbrellas, ngl

iori's little ponytail!💙 it reminded me of banri-san's🥰

i feel like toma talked a lot overall, whereas i thought the other groups talked more equally 🤷

gaku's "are you guys ready?" from the left, ryu's "yeah, we'll go ahead" from the right, tenn's "who do you think we are?" from the front center, "we are TRIGGER" from all around the theater speakers = auditory bliss 🙏🙏🙏

i thought the scents in 4dx were going to be like musky men's cologne/perfume for the idols, but it was more of a sweet floral scent like an air freshener

trigger's costume looked so warm, i couldn't imagine how hot and sweaty they were dancing on stage🥺

tenn's such a sweetheart for his fans, he's so nice in their talking scene 💞

THEIR EXPRESSION CHANGE FROM HAPPY SMILES TO A PAINED EXPRESSION THE MOMENT LAST DIMENSION STARTED WAS IMPECCABLE

i thought it was elsa when their back dancer came out wearing a flowy blue dress against the icy backdrop

the cheering sound effect at the start of re-raise was really loud, i think louder than the other songs

no revale concert is complete without that long red couch with the gold frame 🩷💚

i forget how cute momo's personality usually is when i'm listening to their songs on spotify, but he was really playful in their talk. AND I SWEAR IT'S LIKE HE CHANGES INTO A DIFFERENT PERSON WHEN HE SINGS HE'S SO COOL

AND THE SUDDEN CLOSE UP OF MOMO'S EAR WHEN YUKI WHISPERS-- so bad for my heart 🫀🛑

it might have been his costume or because yuki's legs are so skinny, but momo's thicc thighs!!!

i loved how their choreography was loose in some parts so everyone had some freedom and creativity! (personally, i saw this mainly in stronger&stronger and at the beginning of pieces of the world)

the thread graphics in the background in stronger&stronger changed colors depending on who was singing and the line distributions☺️

i love how in journey, momo pretends there's an imaginary puddle like the lyrics, but yuki just walks right though lol😂😂

also, yuki's so beautiful and his voice/singing is so good (like, gaku is handsome and sexy, but no one does beautiful like yuki<3)

momo's kind expressions🥰🥰🥰

gaku being paler than the white tuffs of fur on his coat💀💀

ryu's close up and him saying "second verse" is heart stopping part 2 🫀🛑🫀🛑

trigger is so... perfection, i could watch them perform an endless amount of times

i love how tenn stayed behind in his black outfit at the end of beautiful prayer and riku came out in his new white outfit change for incomplete ruler!

their harmonizing was so good😭😭😭

riku glancing at tenn from the dark while the spotlight was on tenn❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

their matching rings on their pinkies is everything 🩷❤️

the way tenn walks off stage immediately after the song is over, and then the rest of idolish7 appear from behind in their new white outfits to sing tomorrow evidence as if to comfort riku being left alone...

okay, so i love their white outfits, but most of them are so pale they looked a little washed out in all white... (like i couldn't tell if it was sogo or tenn it was that bad😬)

tamaki has so much energy omg he was still jumping about when walking backstage after the encore

breaking the wall a little bit...

i think they might have kept the same costume design from their new songs and just changed the color to white for pieces of the world, but if they were to make two versions of the same outfit for irl concerts (in color and in white), that's a lot of work💀 (unless they were to bleach the outfit or something i guess)

the flashes in the 4dx theater really made it feel like the theater was part of the concert venue lol

i don't mean this is an ageism way, but singing and dancing those songs in real concerts might be a little tiring for some of our dear voice actors😭

in the credits after the movie, i was looking to see if there was maybe a chance they added banri's name somewhere, but THERE WAS SOMETHING BETTER

THEY LISTED THE PRODUCTION AGENCIES OF ALL FOUR GROUPS AND RAINBOW ARENA UNDER "SPECIAL THANKS"

AND BELOW THAT SAID "ALL OF YOU MANAGERS" (全てのマネージャーの皆��)😭😭😭 (the appreciation💖😭)

[notmuchtoconceal]

Red Dragon was adapted to film three times. No cinematic portrayal has yet captured the particular majesty of its literary source, nor its subtle metaphysical quality, though each is interesting in its own right.

William Petersen remains my favorite Will Graham, and Manhunter the most sublime of the film versions, mainly for what it leaves unsaid. For how it draws you into a trance state through its hyper-modern design, full of minimalist white and chrome furnishings which emphasize empty space. It remains first and foremost a Michael Mann film, capturing the professionalism of being a G-man and Petersen's Will is allowed to return to domestic bliss upon its conclusion, cementing a kind of 80's optimism complete with cheesy synth music over the closing credits.

Ralph Fiennes remains my favorite on-screen Dolarhyde, mostly for he's the only actor who embodies the character's brutish physicality, though I don't particularly like the film he's in. The 2002 Red Dragon comes off like a cash-grab, capitalizing off the success of Silence of the Lambs, and its aesthetics -- while capturing more of the decaying contemporary gothic of its literary source -- are diminished by the film attempting to please too many masters. It reminds me of the similarly inferior late 90's film of The Talented Mr. Ripley, being both more loyal to what's on the page, as if to please legions of disappointed book readers, though also -- bloating the run-time with extraneous new subplots which flatter a general audience's pre-conceived biases. It frustrates you by giving you what you think you want, then doing its own thing anyway, though not very well, and you're left wishing it had just trimmed the fat and done something new instead of faffing about and having nothing new to say.

Edward Norton is by far my least favorite Will Graham, mostly for he comes across as a total charisma vacuum. Think the logic of casting him as Will was he was also a Hulk and the Narrator in Fight Club, so he's got cred struggling with latent psychopathy. Except in this he doesn't turn into a CGI monster or have Brad Pitt to play off him. Will is a complete entity in his own right and Edward Norton seems like a mask or shell.

NBC's Hannibal is the best adaptation of Red Dragon until it comes time to adapt Red Dragon, at which point it feels largely perfunctory.

As an adaptation, Hannibal is endlessly fascinating. Bryan Fuller compared himself to a remix artist, and that assessment is spot on.

When I watched the series for the first (and thus far only) time, I had just re-read the original trilogy, so I could see with fresh eyes and hear with open ears, the ways he turned bits of interior monologue into dialogue, fleshed-out the backstory, moved things around, changed the pace and flow through subtle re-framings. The closest point of comparison really is Mary Harron's excellent film of American Psycho (which distills to a sleek 102 minutes a work of four-dimensional Dostoevyskian tragedy masquerading as brand-name gore shlock), not only for how it juxtaposes primal violence with gourmet cooking, but narratively, structurally, in how it remixes and reinvents; turning Patrick Bateman's book-end revelation of his void state from a late-onset cry of despair to a stoic thesis statement simply part of his morning routine.

Bryan Fuller reinvents so much, draws out the queer subtext so totally, and ultimately has to -- the story he's telling is fundamentally about a man facing himself, being repulsed, but ultimately liking what he sees. The literary Will spurns Hannibal's one-side affections forever, which come across simply as sardonic taunts from a predator; yearning to take shelter in a woman's arms, but ending up deformed, for his primary opposite is the wounded Dolarhyde, not the Dark Prince Hannibal.

Hugh Dancy's Will is an entirely different beast. Every episode begins with based on Red Dragon, but the emphasis is right there in the title.

I suspect Bryan Fuller felt like he had to introduce Clarice at some point and kept putting it off because she had no place in the world he created. It's not only that his Will and his Hannibal are in love, and he'd be introducing a primordial tension into his own dark fantasy. The literary Will Graham may as well become Clarice. They share the same descent into the underworld to speak to the Devil Behind Bars. They speak to the same agent of unconscious revelation to get into the mind of a killer.

They are of the same mind, being both of Thomas Harris.

The Silence of the Lambs onward is a transgender narrative, not an androphilic one. The literary Clarice, prideful, self-assured, totally lacking in bullshit other than what's been trained into her, is an immediate delight. She's the one who ends up under Hannibal's control -- consent gradually surrendered -- as her true wants are revealed through drugs, hypnosis, childhood regression, the exhumation of her father's corpse. As Dolarhyde is the literary Will's shadow, so is Buffalo Bill Clarice's. She yearns to become a lawman like her father the sheriff, he yearns to become a beauty queen like the implied memory of his absent mother.

Will sees himself as a deformed monster. Clarice sees herself as a manufactured Other. Hannibal is inside both their heads.

The Devil Likes Him Some Cornpone Country Pussy.

The third book is titled Hannibal because Hannibal is its protagonist, even if for the bulk of it we follow Clarice. I had read an Amazon review back in 2008 or so, where someone accused it of being "clearly ghostwritten" because of its shift in narrative voice, yet this is wishful thinking. Its told from the detached, birds-eye view of a hyper-lucid Luciferian madman who is accounting for and manipulating all variables, luring all the extant players into his web of associations to claim his final prize.

I enjoy Ridley Scott's film version, for it's a Ridley Scott film. He has a well-studied classicism, but also a very down-to-earth ruggedness which fits the material perfectly. Most of his excisions are sensible, considering the running time. (Margot being even more politically volatile in the early 2000's when the backlash to Buffalo Bill seemed to be the trans representation issue... none, it would seem, being better than something easy to caricature by the heterosexual masses.) I recall a comment Scott made about thinking Hannibal was "turned-on" by Clarice's sense of Justice, and it being immediately clear this was his own fetish, not necessarily something implied by the text. (Picture now, Scott and James Cameron Bro-ing out about how he leveled up Ellen Ripley.)

Julianne Moore is a great replacement for Foster, being now an older, more jaded woman. The film is so deliberate, I appreciate how it inverts its literary counterpart's Satanic ending moreso than say -- the earlier un-alluded to Purple Noon, where Tom Ripley is brought to justice as if entangled in the umbilical thread of fate. Rather than Clarice being seduced by Hannibal, Hannibal is seduced by Clarice, chopping off his own hand much like a chastised young Tyr to a She-wolf Fenrir.

Bryan Fuller's treatment of the novelistic material here is close to about the only point in the series I'd call vacuous and self-indulgent.

It feels like he's subverting the pacing for the sake of being contrarian rather than giving his story room to breathe. Maybe it's because I like Scott's Hannibal so much, Fuller's treatment of the same scenes and characters feels like a pale imitation, of both its literary source and its filmic predecessor, yet I feel intuitively I may have been overwhelmed or alienated by the void of heartbreak, my rational faculties rebelling against what seems to be implications of a telepathic reality. I suspect those episodes will always be a mixed bag, being both too slow and too fast, largely for how behind-the-scenes tensions introduced conflicts into the pacing. Now understanding that his Will is replacing Clarice, and Clarice can only become the Bride of Satan by mutual recognition, I find Will's need to dive into Hannibal's past necessary, though by this point, the characters had largely outgrown whatever sources may have inspired them, and even if the second half of season 3 is more even, it feels constrained by the skeleton of its intended adaptation.

The Silence of the Lambs has been adapted to film precisely once, and it captures the essence of the novel almost well-enough to render it redundant. There's near nothing missing. What's cut is stitched back together with a surgical elegance befitting a master cosmetician.

The film is so sleek and streamlined, its makes corresponding sections of the novel seem clunky and bloated. When I remember the events of the story, I confess, I tend to remember the film better than the book, the way William Faulkner remembered his own evolving private daydreams of Candace Compson moreso than whatever it was he'd published in The Sound and the Fury -- "If you'll excuse me, I'm having an old friend for dinner." (Lecter's chemistry-based shit joke about Chilton is an absolute riot, though. Terrible it couldn't make it in.)

Anthony Hopkin's Lecter would never have become as iconic as he is without Jodi Foster's Clarice. As an adaptation, it's a masterpiece precisely because its a collaboration. Everyone on-screen is embodying a particular flavor of unspoken obsession, and everyone behind the camera is capturing it with an almost documentary realism, the same way Harris's prose has a journalistic objectivity, even when he's touring the fetid landscapes of his own inner hell. It works so well because there's no sole author to be burdened by the weight of the material. Its dispersed throughout the entire cast and crew and everyone is there for each other.

Furthermore, the story is inherently cinematic in a way Red Dragon simply isn't. Clarice is a plucky young professional woman looking to make it in a man's world, while Will Graham is retreating into early retirement for the duress the work is inflicting upon his tattered mind.

Will's isolation is chosen. Clarice's is imposed from without. We see her running the obstacle course alone. We see how male law enforcement officers look at her on the job. We see how even her own superiors need to play mindgames and switcheroos and put her at a disadvantage.

She has to play quid-pro-quo with Hannibal. She has to open up. She has to share. Will knows what Hannibal is because he's like him in a way she isn't. He can't be seduced by him. His pain is too constant, the threat too real. The literary Will lacks a certain feminine charm, which Mads's Hannibal is well-acquainted with, already seeming to have found some part of Mischa again in his friend and protégé, the gender-swapped Alana Bloom, who is also surrogate sister to Will, making them brothers.

In contrast, the novel Red Dragon is about highly introspective men being alone with themselves and thinking intense thoughts. The portraits of Will and Dolarhyde's psyches are two interlocked soliloquies which brutally clash like gongs by the conclusion. The literary Will, Dolarhyde and Hannibal are all playing the same game of cat and mouse from a distance, each alone with themselves. Hugh Dancy's Will is not only made more cinematic, but also incidentally charmingly feminine by having his monologues cut up into dialogue, as he's forced to physically converse with Hannibal, who in this version he's meeting for the first time.

The visual emphasis is also why it's so easy to reduce the filmic Buffalo Bill to a gay monster. The ways in which they function as a dark mirror to Clarice are not as obvious when you lose their interiority. When you simply present their sensual butterfly dance while the fat girl (Hollywood fat, of course) screams for help in the pain well, they become a blank screen for the audience to project their own fears of seeing or being an Other, but in a public place -- surrounded by people similarly disgusted, each a participant in the ultimate pretension of normality.

What makes the novel of The Silence of the Lambs unique is how its unmistakably a sequel to Red Dragon. The film version of Silence of the Lambs exists in relation to nothing but itself. Thomas Harris is repeating his previous work's structure, now with different characters.

It's much easier to get Clarice's interiority on-screen when you have Jodi Foster's eyes and voice to work with, and in the book she retains Will's quality of brooding intensity, but with an awareness of how what she says aloud supports and contradicts her interior monologue, which is naturally contrasted with Bill's. You can see the Clarice/Bill entanglement as a logical repeat of the Will/Dolarhyde one, and with this absent, the filmic emphasis shifts to Clarice's darkly subdued romance with Hannibal, which similarly becomes the emphasis in Bryan Fuller's television version, but with the focus of his meet-cute being Will.

That Silence of the Lambs should be such a crowd-pleaser is no surprise. It's the only entry in the original trilogy which has a happy ending which falls within the dictates of the common tribal morality. The killer is caught. The woman is saved. Clarice is redeemed and graduates on-time. Her professional surrogate father is proud of her. Hannibal escapes. An element of danger remains. A sequel promised. It doesn't ask us to dramatically re-shift our focus or reconsider all we know.

A rare act two high note.

The Devil is in the Details, and details are the domain of long-term prose.

Reading is itself a solitary and introspective activity. That is, unless one is reading scripture. That a man should realize the degree to which he is like a Devil Himself, or how that same Devil He Is could be the sole True Want of just and upright professional woman, for the so-called "Good Men" who uphold the law fear and revile her, isn't the type of thing you'd want to share communally with loved ones, unless you're willing to take on the responsibility of hurting them in the way they need to be hurt.

[transboykirito]

some short rambling kirisuna with trans girl kirito my beloved

Asuna tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. They’d been laying in bed for hours now, and she was pretty sure that neither she nor Kazuto had slept for so much as five minutes. She couldn’t be sure what was keeping him up, but she knew what was keeping her awake, and it made her want to cry conflicted tears.

She was a lesbian.

It was a recent realisation, but it was one that hit her like a bolt of lightning. 

She’d considered it for months now, going back and forth with her friends and with her own reflection in the mirror. She’d done her research, she’d read every article she could find. Everything brought her to the same conclusion.

She loved Kazuto, she really did. If there was such a thing as soulmates, he was hers. It was like their minds and bodies were designed just to fit together, to be each other’s perfect matching halves.

But she couldn’t deny that the idea of calling somebody her husband felt… wrong. It felt like something she was supposed to do, something that was the simple, natural progression of things. She’d married a nice man, settled down and now she was his wife. That was what was expected of her.

They’d been married for six months now, and she’d be lying if she didn’t say that, on one or two occasions, she’d re-imagined their wedding day, where she might find a bride waiting for her at the alter instead of a groom.

The guilt ate her alive. She loved her husband, her soul loved his soul, but she knew deep down there would always be something deeply unsatisfactory about her life unless she was honest with him, like there was a piece of herself that she'd never have a chance to truly discover or grow. She would spend years wondering what could have been, who she could have been if she'd given herself the chance.

Kazuto had been open about his own feelings towards Eugeo and a handful of boys and men he’d known throughout his life. Hell, it was one of those conversations that had prompted Asuna to follow up on the silent, conflicting feelings she’d felt for years. She knew he would forgive her if she asked to break things off. He would understand.

…Right?

She’d been trying to have the conversation for days now. She’d found her conclusion within herself, all she had to do was voice it. She knew she couldn’t keep trying to hide this away.

She’d reached her breaking point the night before, when she’d fallen asleep to a blissful dream of their wedding day. Except… the one dancing with her wasn’t Kazuto, but a strangely familiar, faceless woman. She’d held Asuna so securely as they danced that Asuna felt like she’d known her for her entire life, and she’d woken up in tears.

She wanted to find that woman, find that moment.

Kazuto deserved that moment of his own, too.

“Asuna…” Kazuto’s voice whispered in the dark, “Are you still awake?”

“Yes,” she rolled over to look at him, her eyes widening when she saw his face. Was he… crying?

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, already sensing her concerns growing, “I… I need to talk to you about something. I think you might already know.”

She panicked. She had noticed something was off about him for a few weeks, but she’d been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she told herself she was imagining things. God, how much had she missed? 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Asuna reached out her hand to hold his own under the blanket, tracing her thumb in circles over the back of his hand. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to soothe him or herself.

Kazuto took a deep breath, “Listen. I’ve been thinking about a lot.”

So have I, Asuna thought to herself, a little sarcastically.

“I didn’t realise how hard this would be to say,” Kazuto said, a laugh almost dancing on the edge of his voice, “You… you know how I’ve been playing GGO a lot more, lately?”

Asuna could recall the hours he’d lost to that game in just the past month - really, it had to be unhealthy. But Kazuto had seemed happy each time he woke from his dive, and Asuna couldn’t complain about that. If anything, she was just happy he was finally enjoying games other than ALO.

“Of course I noticed, did something happen in the game? Is Shino-non okay?”

Then Asuna’s thoughts turned sour. She didn’t play GGO nearly as often as Kazuto or Shino did, guns just weren’t really her style, so she didn’t truthfully pay much attention to what happened in the game. Kazuto knew that, Shino knew that. Had they been using GGO as a place to secretly meet up and…

She must have been easy to read - honestly, between herself and Kazuto, they could read each other as easily as a book, it came with the territory of being so familiar to one another - because Kazuto immediately screwed his face up.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, I promise, it has nothing to do with Shino,” he assured her, noticeably avoiding looking her in the eye.

Whatever it was, it was serious. She’d never seen him this frustrated just trying to talk to her. Yes, there were moments when they’d had petty arguments or been frustrated with one another, but he looked completely angry with himself as he seemingly battled with his tongue to form the words.

“There’s something I need to say, too…” Asuna’s voice was small, nervous. If Kazuto had something serious to say, they might as well both get things off their chests at once.

Kazuto gave her a look, somewhere between terrified and sympathetic, and smiled a forced smile.

“We’ll say it on three, okay?”

Asuna swallowed. Kazuto took a shaking breath.

“One…”

“Two…”

“Three…”

“I’m a lesbian.”

“I think I’m a woman.”

Then there was silence. 

They both tried to process what they’d just heard, and for a moment Asuna wondered if she’d simply made up what Kazuto had just said. This had to be a dream, right?

Then there was laughter.

“Really?” Kazuto asked, because Kazuto was truly the one person in the world who would be able to make Asuna laugh when she felt like sobbing.

She nodded a little, “I’ve been trying to tell you for a few weeks, I just didn’t want to lose you.”

“Oh, same here,” Kazuto breathed a sigh of relief, “Do you still want to be together? I mean, I know this probably takes some time to get used to, and I don’t really know where I want to go from here or what I want to do now, and I haven’t picked out a new name really, but-”

“I want to be with you forever.” Asuna interrupted, “That’s why I was so afraid to tell you. I knew I had to tell you eventually, but I couldn’t bare the thought of having to lose the person I love so much. I guess I should have known that wouldn’t happen.”

“Guess you’re still stuck with me after all,” Kazuto joked, then she smiled and pulled Asuna into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. Asuna gently kissed her shoulder over the fabric of the t-shirt she’d worn to bed, humming to herself contentedly.

So, Kazuto really was her soulmate after all. They’d be each other’s happily ever after, their dream for the rest of their lives, it would just take a little work to get there - and how exciting it was that she got to be by her side for all of it, right from the very beginning.

“What should I call you now?” Asuna asked.

Kazuto rolled over to lay on her back, and Asuna rolled on top of her. They’d slept like this so many times, it really was a wonder they still insisted on having a king-sized bed. Asuna’s half was usually wasted space.

“Kazuto, I think. For now, anyway. I wanted to find something else, but…”

“But?”

“I’m so used to the way you say my name, it feels weird when I try to find anything else. I liked Kazuko, or maybe Kazuha, but I think I’m overthinking it.”

“Kazuko,” Asuna repeated the name a few times, smiling, “I like it, it’s pretty! I think you should be allowed to overthink this, it’s a big decision.”

She blushed, “It sounds pretty when you say it.” 

“Kazuko?” Asuna looked up at her, blushing just as much as she was, “I like saying it too, Kazuko. I’ll keep saying it while you get used to it, if you want me to?”

“Of course,” Kazuko grinned, “Just… not in front of the others just yet. I haven’t had the guts to tell anybody else yet.”

“Of course, I won’t say anything until you want me to, Kazuko,” Asuna felt a pair of arms wrapped securely around her middle and she relaxed, breathing in deeply. She felt so, so safe with her.

“Can I ask… when did you realise? That you were a lesbian, I mean,” Kazuko asked, deftly tracing patterns on Asuna’s side with her fingertip.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Asuna admitted shyly, “I think I finally made my mind up about it around three weeks ago now. How about you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Kazuko laughed again, “Around three weeks ago, when I had this dream about us getting married, but… we were both brides. I can’t believe I was so stupid, I should have just told you right away, we could have both avoided feeling so crappy the last few weeks.”

“I’ve been dreaming about the same thing,” Asuna said, then she yawned, “I love you, Kazuko. I’m glad we can tell each other anything.”

She swore she actually felt her heart skip a beat, and she giggled to herself. She had the cutest wife in the world.

A wife.

She had a wife.

Sure, things were going to take time to get used to, but she had the most incredible woman in the world by her side. They’d make it through anything together.

“We can talk about this more in the morning,” Kazuko mumbled, kissing Asuna again as she started to fall asleep, “Thank you for trusting me to tell me anything.”

So, just like they had so many nights before, and just like they were going to continue to do for the rest of their lives, Asuna and Kazuko fell asleep in each other’s arms, and Asuna remembered for the millionth time that the woman she was lying with truly was her soulmate, in every sense of the word.

And when she finally fell asleep that night, she found herself reliving the same dream she’d had a precious few times now - a dream she was certain would one day come true. An eternally familiar woman, her beloved Kazuko, holding her so securely as they danced, like she’d known her their entire lives.

Someday, she knew they would.

[justarandomsixfan]

Me least Favorite SIX wig variants (Featuring some slight ranting x)

Same rodeo as the last one luvs x A: Not calling any actress ugly or not right for the role B: This is all My opinion, you're allowed to have different ones, we're all friends here On we go x

Aragon: Jade Marvin (Bliss 4.0) /Khaila Wilcoxon, Multiple cruise casts; Aragon Tour/24-25 Broadway

Both these wigs are mostly fine, there's 1 major thing that's bugging me though. Where's the structure??? Aragon's character is meant to represent regality & decorum, not a hair out of place. Here, the wigs are unkempt, loose, and all over the place. I can get behind Khaila's slightly, but Jade deserved a much better wig, or at least a re-styling.

Boleyn: The Boleyn Bob.

I personally don't mind the Boleyn bob, It's not my favorite style, but It works...To a degree. I can understand why some actresses have gotten it, but on others I'm just thinking..Why? Just as an example, Leah & Hannah have naturally long hair. Why bother using money to make a full wig, when the actress could use a hairpiece, or style their own hair? Design wise, i have a few questions too. Again using Hannah as an example. Why did they choose to trim the edges like that, and not use a full clean cut? Length-wise i have some qualms too, I feel like something a little longer, Like Leah's would've worked better for her. (Sorry, went on a wee tangent x)

Seymour: 2021-2023 Australia swings

I only have 1 issue here, and that's styling. For each swalt It's the exact same procedure. Straight hair, small crown, nothing else. No front styling like Braids, front piece etc, No variations in hair type, no creative freedom. Nothing. Just the exact same look for every swing. (I was gonna use the same argument for cleves with the low pony, but then i found a fuckin godworthy weave.)

Cleves: Janice Rijssel, Breakaway 4.0

Right x The side & back? Absolutely Zero issue with (Other than the weird break, but hey it's the cruises), love the cruises allowing a bit more creative freedom with the wigs. Front? Sweet Jesus, the front. The bit people r gonna see the most-

Who gave this the OK? Seriously, Who? Everything's flying at random angles, nothings bunched or grouped, strands are flying over the side-piece. I've looked at different images and trust me, this was not a 1-time thing. If anything, I feel bad for Janice. The wig does her Zero favors, Doesn't work with her face shape, her face sums it up for me. (THANKFULLY we got a glowup on the bliss, but christ almighty.) Ok ranting moment over x

Howard: All pony's since 2023

There's absolutely no issue with any of these, and this is more of a nostalgia thing. I really don't like the full pink pony's, i miss the days of the ombre, fade up's. We've not really had a "Bad" Howard wig, so i just thought I'd have a bit of a moment x

Parr: The side curl variant. Again. Right ok x We've had some stellar variations of this wig over the years, From London-the cruises!

These work for the actress design-wise & physically, and are an all-round 10/10.

Then, there are times where I'm asking if they could've tried out a few different looks. (No 2 is a particular fave x)

I think this is mainly an issue Standardization-wise, with higher ups wanting people to match either previous casts, or the principal. Take Ellie, When she first covered Parr she had the parr pony, which was still relativley new back then. It worked for her, and she looked stunning! Then, when she returned, she was for some reason given the side curls, and it never truly worked. In contrast, Principal Parr (Elna Breschi) was also wearing the side curls. Notice a pattern?

(All photos were found on the SIX wiki, I claim no ownership over any images used in this post) Please don't Kill me I beg

[evilwriter37]

Hi! How are you and your partners ? :)

Name 5 favourite moments you experienced With them in the last weeks!

Twintuition : Viggo carrying ruffnuts Beaten unconscious body through his base showing her off like a trophy ( rains of castamere playing in the background]

As for the whump : A modern au Viggo and Ruffnut meet through online dating , meet in realife for a dinner date ...Viggo offers Ruff to get together with him , telling her he loves her fire Ruff rejects him calling him too boring, she leaves heading towards the car ....she wakes up bound and gagged head in Viggos lap he says smiling as she squirms : " Shh dont be afraid my dear ...i just wanna See how long your fire can last"

( sry this was meant to be a prompt XD )

Anyway 2 more :

Modern au : Ruff tied up and gagged trying to reach her Phone a few feet away from her as its ringing...viggo steps on it just as she reaches it

Viggo lovingly rebraiding Ruffnuts hair every morning , Ruff who doesnt flinsh just glaring at him as he does

Hiya! We’re good! Just kind of drained. It feels like it’s been a long week. At least for me.

(For clarification, Kas is my romantic partner and David is my queerplatonic partner. David is Kas’ other romantic partner.)

In no particular order:

Cuddles with Kas while watching Coraline

Admiring the wooden cookware Kas is wood burning designs into for me

David bringing me breakfast in bed when I re-injured my back

Playing V Rising together for like, 4 hours

Kas and David infodumping about a DnD campaign while we were waiting for our food at a restaurant.

BONUS: Car rides. Car rides with either of them are just pure bliss. Like, I’m in a car listening to music we all like, with forested mountains everywhere. It’s amazing.

Rest of the answer under the cut.

Requests are closed, but these are all fantastic ideas!!! I especially love the feeling of dread that would drop into Ruffnut’s stomach with the whole stepping on the phone right when she reaches it thing. So close, yet so far. Still completely helpless and under his control.

Ruffnut pretends she doesn’t like people doing her hair or playing with it, hence the glaring at Viggo but letting him braid her hair anyway.

Wait wait, how did I miss the “I want to see how long your fire can last” bit? That is so good, oh my god. Ruffnut does have a lot of fire, but I’m sure Viggo could douse it eventually! He’s cunning and brutal like that.

Thank you for the ask! Definitely gave me something to do when I was overwhelmed by the thought of having nothing to do. (Anxiety disorders are weird, folks. Very weird.)