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miela · 1 year

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Shattered Memories • Chapter VIII: Lovers at The Gala • {Peter Parker x Stark!Reader}

Chapter Genre: Comical Fluff, AND LOTS OF FLUFF Chapter Warnings: it's a long boi, Extra: this chapter is for the genshin stans and swifties, if you know then you know. I've been excited about this chapter since the prologue I am losing my mind. I wanted to do two chapters this week because chapter viii and ix are my favorites so you're getting one today and one on friday. Word Count: 6.6k

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It was the big day of The Stark Charity Gala. It was being held in the Empire State Building which was no surprise because the theme was Gilded Age, mixed with Art Deco and Art Nouveau elements, according to Miles’ knowledge from being an art student. When Peter brought it up to you and what your inspiration for it was, your answer was nothing short of what he was expecting from you.

“Art Deco and Art Nouveau are eras that disagreed with each other. So I’m forcing them to get along,” you explained. “I added the gilded age theme to it because I’d like to think it’s the company’s own personal gilded age.”

Creative as always, Peter thought.

Peter arrived with his friends in Harry’s limo around seven thirty, a half hour after the gala started. Gwen and Miles both went with the color red for their outfits. Cindy went with a light blue and Harry and Peter went with regular black tuxedos and a pop of color for their pocket squares. Pavitr was meeting them there with Gayatri, who was also invited to attend.

Before they walked into the area where the gala was being held, Harry stopped them.

“Now, there will probably…no…there will be celebrities and highly influential people here,” Harry began. “So don’t act a fool about it.”

“Get your head out of your ass, Harry,” Gwen started with squinted eyes. “We’re friends with you and Peter’s girlfriend is (Y/N) freaking Stark, who’s hosting this thing by the way. So you don’t have to worry about your pretty little rich boy head.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Peter sighed.

“Yeah, but she’s the love of your life so what’s the actual difference here?”

“One, Gwen, fuck you,” Harry stated with a playful look on his face. “And two, Gwen has a point.”

Peter groaned. “Please, don’t embarrass me tonight. I can’t make a proper move when I’m worried all you are gonna be lurking around the corner just to get the chance to bully me in front of the girl I like. I’m just asking for this one night.”

His friends could see the desperation on his face because they all nodded in understanding.

“No worries, Parker,” Gwen started.

“Yeah,” Miles agreed. “We’re rooting for you.”

“If you need a nudge or something,” Cindy added. “Come find one of us. We can help rather than hinder this time.” She looked at Gwen and Harry with a hard look and they threw their hands up in defense and surrender.

“Thank you,” Peter sighed again as they arrived by the door.

“Ready?” Harry asked and they all nodded before he led them inside.

The room was decorated to the nines as were the people. There were geometric elements of Art Deco matched with the floral designs and organic shapes of Art Nouveau. There was gold everywhere mixed in with the Stark Industries brand colors. The men all wore tuxedos of different types while the women wore formal gowns. It reminded Peter of a high-class prom or something. He and his friends gawked at lavishness. It was like they walked into a royal fairytale minus the electro-swing music playing in the background which brought a roaring 20s vibe.

The only thing that broke their trance was Pavitr calling out to them. They looked over to see him and Gayatri matching in Indian formal wear in shades of purple. They hurried over and greeted the rest of the group.

“Isn’t this place amazing?” Gayatri asked. “I wasn’t expecting it to be this nice.”

“That’s what happens when you have someone from our generation running things,” Cindy smiled. “She knows what style is.”

Peter smiled softly and looked around to see if he could find you but there was no sign of you yet. He didn’t even see Nika, who was one of the last people he would want to see right now. He debated texting you but he didn’t want to seem desperate either. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously.

“Peter!” He heard a voice from behind and he whipped around with his eyebrows raised.

He saw Celina wearing a sparkly silver dress waving at him. She was there with Ned and MJ. Ned was wearing a Tux with a silver sparkly bow tie and a sparkly pocket square to match. MJ was wearing a green dress with geometric lines on the upper part of her dress and flowing silk on the bottom half. Peter waved back with a smile which caused Celina to pull the other two over with her as they struggled to keep up with her excitement. Celina wrapped her arms around Peter and instinctively Peter hugged back.

“It’s good to see you again!” Celina chimed when she pulled back and then looked at Ned and MJ. “This is the guy I was telling you about!”

“Oh yeah, we know him,” MJ spoke. “Always ordered the lamest type of coffee when you came into the cafe. You know, I was tempted to add vanilla or something just to give your life a bit of razzle dazzle or something but legally I couldn’t do that.”

Peter smiled in response. Typical Michelle Jones-Watson Communication.

“Jeez, M,” Celina put her hands on her hips and stood in contrapposto as she looked at the tall woman. “Way to greet him.”

“What?” MJ asked.

“Anyways,” Celina said, turning back to Peter. “This weirdo is MJ. And this precious guy here is Ned.” She hugged his arm and he smiled and kissed her temple.

I know. “Nice to meet you, both. Officially.”

“You too,” Ned smiled back. “You know, (Y/N) talks about you a lot. I feel like we all know you already.”

“Oh my god, Celina?” Cindy popped up from behind Peter.

“Cindy?!” Celina beamed.

The two girls squealed and hugged each other.

“You can speak now!” Cindy exclaimed and Peter mentally facepalmed himself for not mentioning it to her sooner.

MJ’s phone sounded and she checked it and sighed. “Our girl is running late, but she’ll be here in a few.” She put her phone away. “Good, we have time to interrogate you.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Ned suggested. “How about we just get to know him without you grilling him.”

“Well, I didn’t mean literally,” MJ responded. “I know he’s harmless. Gayatri knows him from Pavitr.”

“MJ!” Gayatri exclaimed as if on cue.

“That’s my cue. You boys play nice now,” and with that, she walked over to Peter’s friend group to say hello to Gayatri and Pavitr.

It was just Peter and Ned left and they looked at each other awkwardly.

“Hey, wanna find a table?” Ned asked, pointing over to one of the clothes tables.

“Yeah, sure!” Peter responded.

After a bit of socializing, Celina invited everyone to sit together which turned out to be the greatest idea. Celina and Cindy were bonding and catching up, Miles, Gwen, Pavitr and Gayatri were talking about MIT culture and Harry and MJ were talking about something Peter couldn’t figure out, but Harry got a smile out of her a few times which seemed like a good sign. His friends were all together and it made him really happy. Especially now that he could see his old friends too. He talked to Ned about MIT, answered questions about himself when Ned asked, and ended up in a deep and intriguing conversation about Star Wars.

He found out why the entire group was here in the first place. Gwen and Miles were there to represent Brooklyn Visions Academy Star Alumni, Pavitr and Gayatri were there to represent Horizon High Star Alumni, Cindy and a girl named Jessica Drew were there to represent Midtown Tech Star Alumni, and Ned and MJ were there to represent MIT Stellar Students. Celina was Neds plus one which made both of your and Peter's friends groups there at the Gala.

“You know, I know I like, just only met you,” Ned started with a smile. “But I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. Is that weird? I dunno. Maybe I’ll take a page out of Celina’s book and say it’s a sign that you’re good for (Y/N).”

Peter’s heart swelled at his words. “S’not weird. I mean I still think it’s weird that you think anyone is better than Obi-Wan Kenobi, but that’s none of my business.” He smirked, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.

“Dude!” Ned exclaimed with a laugh. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I did not say that!”

“You implied it,” Peter sang playfully.

“Nuh-uh! Obi-Wan is way cool! He’s the strongest force user! The one you should argue with is your Sith sympathizer girlfriend who still has a major crush on Anakin Skywalker even though he went through with order 66. And called Darth Vader, Darth Daddy,”

“Ugh,” Peter winced. “Don’t remind me.”

They laughed softly for a moment before Gwen interjected.

“Hey!” She whined. “He gets to call her your girlfriend but I don’t?”

“He gets a pass because he’s not trying to put bets on my decisions like it’s a dating sim.”

Gwen stuck her tongue out at him again before there was a rush of commotion outside of the main entryway. They all looked over curiously.

“She’s here,” MJ stated. “God, she’s gonna hate all this attention.”

Peter’s senses started buzzing which confirmed MJ’s claims about you being here. He stood up at the feeling as his excitement to see you was rising. The reporters outside got louder as the outside door opened and you walked in. Peter could feel you getting closer as his senses focused on you.

When you entered the room, Peter froze.

There you were, in a golden gown that complimented your upper body in ways that Peter wasn’t used to or prepared for. The tattoo on your arm was in full view and the blue of roses complemented the gold of your dress. Your makeup was made up of golden glitter on your eyelids and soft colors that went well with your skin tone.

Peter wished he was sitting down because he was sure his legs were going to give out on him. Celina was right. If he was busy today with work, he would’ve risked it all just to be here to see you. He thanked the universe that the stars aligned in his favor.

You looked heavenly.

When you spotted him your face lit up and you smiled at him and started to make a beeline towards him. He watched you the entire time.

“Peter, hey,” You smiled.

He could smell your soft-scented perfume as you approached him and it relaxed him and he sighed softly in satisfaction, but his eyes never left you and his heart still raced.

He felt like he was in the presence of a Goddess.

“H-” He cleared his throat before he squeaked again. “Hey, (Y/N)...”

“Snap out of it before you drool all over that tux,” Nika, who wore a green gown that was a similar color to MJ’s, said from beside you guys.

Peter looked at her surprised that he didn’t notice her. Nika looked at you and held up a black box for you to take. “You left this in the limo. I swear you would lose your head from your shoulders without me.”

You take it with a sheepish look on your face. “Thank you.”

Nika smiled and then turned to greet your friends. You and Peter looked back at each other and you handed him the box.

“For you.”

He looked at you wondrously as he opened it. It was a bowtie and a pocket square that matched your dress.

“Celina made the dress,” you explained as your face burned. “She thought it would be nice if we matched.”

Peter smiled and nodded as he took off the bowtie and took out the pocket square that he was already wearing. “Thanks.”

“Here, allow me,” you stated as you took out the golden bowtie from the box and began tying it around his collar. He watched you the entire time.

There were so many things he wanted to say but his brain was so scrambled that he could only muster up a “Did you get here okay?”

“Yeah,” you replied as you worked on the pocket square softly. “Traffic was backed up to hell, but we managed.”

When you finished with the pocket square, you patted the pocket area with your hand twice. “There you go.” You smiled up at him meeting his eyes.

He blushed. “Thank you.”

You smile bigger in response. “Welp, I got a speech to go make and then socialize with the pretentious assholes and organizations that are actually nice. Give me like an hour? Then I’m all yours.”

“No, yeah, yeah!” Peter nodded rapidly and cleared his throat while glancing at the ground for a second before meeting your gaze again and giving you a soft smile. “Go get ‘em, Tiger.”

After a while, Peter went upstairs where it was less crowded. For a while he watched you go from person to person from the balcony with a glass of sweet wine in his hand that he sipped on. He then watched what his friends were doing. He noticed that Harry and MJ were spending a lot of time together talking. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen her smile like that before. He raised his eyebrow wondrously at her out-of-character reactions to Harry. Did she just giggle? Peter blinked rapidly.

Peter sensed you approaching him.

“Hey there, Stranger,” you smiled and leaned backward on the balcony next to him.

Peter looked at you with a small smile on his face. “Hey there, beautiful.”

Your face burned and your eyes averted away shyly at the unexpected compliment. “Stop,” you said sheepishly with no real conviction behind your words as you smiled down at the ground and tried to compose yourself.

Peter's smile widened. “I would apologize, but I’m not sorry.”

You pressed your lips together and turned to face the same way he was. Your shoulder pressed against his. Two can play that game, Parker. “Keep it up and I might leave this circus early and take you with me.”

“But Celina worked so hard on that phenomenal dress, and Harry got this tux sized for me. It would be a shame to let it go to waste,” Peter smirked. “Plus, Nika would murder us both if you left early with me.”

“I’m sure there’s a secluded room we can go to.” You argued playfully. “It wouldn’t be hard to… share our secrets there.”

Peter snorted. “How romantic. I hate to inform you that I’m not that kind of guy.”

“Even better,” you smiled and took the glass of wine from his hand and took a sip out of it while looking directly into his dark brown eyes.

Peter looked back into your eyes deeply. He wanted to kiss you right then and there.

But of course, there was an interruption. Like always.

“So this is the famous Peter Parker,” He heard a man’s voice say. “Right here in the flesh.”

You audibly sigh and roll your eyes as you look at Sam who was standing with Bucky both dressed in tux with serious looks on their faces but mischief in their eyes.

“Hello, Sam.” You said with not much enthusiasm in your voice. “And Bucky.”

Bucky squinted at the two of you and you both prayed to any higher being that they didn’t hear your flirtatious conversation.

Peter cleared his throat to make sure his voice didn’t embarrass him again. “Captain Wilson. Sergeant Barnes,” he addressed them politely. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Sam hummed and looked at the two of you.

“Well, this was fun but there are some people I would like to introduce Peter to so if you wouldn’t mind-” As you spoke you took Peter’s hand and started to pull him away but were stopped when you felt a tug on your hand.

You turned to see Peter standing there and Sam and Bucky each had a hand on his shoulder. Their grips were gentle but firm and it sent a chill down Peter’s spine. Despite his senses telling him that they weren’t going to do anything, it didn’t mean they weren’t going to say anything. Especially when they’re like older brother figures to you. You gave Peter an apologetic look as Bucky put his arm around Peter’s shoulder.

“We’re concerned for you,” Bucky stated.

You sighed deeply. “He’s harmless, guys. I made sur-”

“Oh no, not you,” Sam interrupted and pointed at Peter. “You, my friend.”

“M-me?” Peter asked in confusion.

“Oh yeah,” Bucky added. “She’s kind of obsessed with you. I would be careful.”

You crossed your arms and huffed. “You guys aren’t funny-”

“She’s been researching you,” Sam interjected.

“Investigating, if you will.”

“We know about you more than we should,” Sam gave Peter a warning look.

Peter from each man as they spoke and you pouted and rolled your eyes. “Stop.”

“Hey, just trying to help a brother out,” Sam threw a hand up in defense. “Your ass is a little crazy.”

“I am not crazy,” you argued. “Now give him back.”

“Oof! You hear that, Buck?”

“Yep!” Bucky chimed. “Possessive as hell.”

“Stop making me look bad!”

“You’re doing that all on your own.”

Peter couldn’t take it anymore and he busted out in giggles and all three of you looked at him wondrously.

“I know she’s been doing that,” Peter smiled smugly, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at you. “She just couldn’t help but fall for my charm and cute face.”

You deadpanned so hard. “You know what, never mind. Keep him.” you downed the wine, forced the glass into Bucky’s free hand, turned around, and walked away.

“Wait, (Y/N)-” Peter called. “I was joking!”

“Mhm, sure,” Peter could hear the smile in your voice. “Go be cute and cocky somewhere else with your new bros.”

Peter tried to pull from their grip to go after you, but Bucky kept his firm metal hold on him. Peter looked at him wondrously.

Bucky gave him a thin-lipped smile. “Take care of her, yeah? Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with us in the not-so-subtle way, Spiderman.”

Peter nodded. “I promise.”

Bucky and Sam let go of Peter and he instantly ran after you picking you up from behind and twirling you around for a moment as you squealed and laughed.

“Gotcha,” Peter sang.

“Caught right in your web,” you smiled. “Poetic isn’t it?”

Peter snorted and set you down. “I feel like I should apologize to you about them.”

It was your turn to snort. “Please, I would apologize for them but they are two grown-ass men who can do it themselves. No worries though. I’ll be a brat about it for a few days until they do.”

Peter laughed.

“Speaking of poems,” you said looking at the time. “I should get ready to give my speech and do the rest of my mingling so I can get that out of the way.”

Peter smiled at you. “Okay. I’ll probably go bully Harry with Gwen.”

You giggled. “You saw him with Michelle too?”

“Yeah.” And I would bully her too if circumstances were different.

“Have fun,” you said.

“Good luck,” He replied.

After your speech, you mingled more. One guy got a little handsy with you than you or Peter liked but you handled it with grace. And by grace, Peter meant you took the guy's hand by the wrist and nearly broke it as you told him off. After that Peter lost you in the crowd. He couldn’t find you and he couldn’t sense you. It worried him. He asked his friends and your friends if they had seen you. They haven’t and you weren’t answering your texts from anyone. It worried him more.

He spotted the table where Pepper, Happy and Morgan were sitting and decided that was his next best option, even if Happy was giving him suspicious looks all evening. So he walked over to them with sweaty hands and a racing mind.

“Um…Hello,” Peter said sheepishly.

Pepper looked up at him. Happy never stopped looking at him. Morgan didn’t acknowledge him.

“Uh…you haven’t seen (Y/N) anywhere, have you?” He asked, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.”

“Oh!” Pepper chimed. “She was going to introduce us to you later but fate has other plans I guess.” She smiled as she stood up and went by him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She held out her hand and Peter shook it politely. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Stark.”

Pepper wore a blue gown with her hair in a low bun. Morgan wore a pink dress with a black leather jacket that Peter recognized as the very first one that Tony had gotten for you. Happy wore a regular suit.

“She left like fifteen minutes ago,” Morgan stated. “Typical.”

Pepper gave Morgan a warning look and then looked back at Peter. “She didn’t leave. She stepped out for a moment. She doesn’t do well in crowds for very long.”

Peter was surprised that Happy wasn’t with you, but then again he wasn’t surprised because you hated having a bodyguard with you at all times when you can take care of yourself just fine.

Peter nodded knowingly in response.

“She’ll be back in a bit,” Pepper continued. “She let Morgan use her phone.”

He looked to see the preteen girl playing a game on your phone aggressively.

Ah. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Aw, man!” Morgan exclaimed. “I died!”

She pouted the same way you did. Her bottom lip sticking out and furrowed brows and it made Peter chuckle softly.

“What game are you playing?” Peter asked.

Morgan looked up at him. “Genshin Impact.”

Peter hummed in amusement. “May I?”

She eyed him with hesitation and then handed him the phone. He took it and then sat in the chair next to her. He looked at the screen and blinked rapidly.

“Dude,” he started. “You’re still in Inazuma? When did you start playing?”

“Like a month ago,” Morgan replied sheepishly. “But I used to play on (Y/N)’s account but I got tired of her zooming through the storyline and I was left with only her story quests and world quests. Of course, she would leave the boring parts to me.”

Peter snorted and analyzed the mission Morgan was struggling with. “You’re fighting Raiden Shogun. Saving Thoma right?”

Morgan nodded.

“So the goal isn’t to beat her. She’s an Archon it’s impossible to do so,” Peter explained like the geek he is. “And she deactivates your bursts and skills so you’re kind of stuck and rendered useless. The goal is to bring her down to seventy-five percent health and run and dodge when she activates the Vision Hunt Decree. You only need to survive for forty-five seconds after that and you’re all good.”

Morgan looked at him with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Mhm!” Peter smiled. “Here let me equip you with the right things. Especially with the team you have.”

After clicking around and setting up Morgan’s teams for success, he handed the phone back to her. “If you lose you can kick my butt.”

She took the phone and gave him a tight-lipped smile as she started the mission again. Peter watched her the whole time and was her second pair of eyes. She was able to pass the quest with flying colors.

“Yes!” Morgan cheered and looked up at Peter with a sparkle in her eye. “Thank you so much, Peter!”

“Good job!” Peter chuckled softly and held up his hand for a high five and Morgan smacked the palm of her hand onto his.

He looked up to see Pepper smiling at the two of them and Happy's face was softer than it had been all night. Peter gave them a thin-lipped smile in response. There was still no sign of you.

“You should go find, (Y/N),” Morgan stated, not taking her eyes off the screen. “I think I got it from here. Oh! But give me your UID and we can be friends on here!”

Peter smiled, gave her his UID, and then he got up. “I’ll bring her back safely.”

“Thank you,” Pepper replied.

Peter walked out and into the cool New York City air. He glanced around to see if he could spot you but there was no sign of you but he could faintly sense you. Which brought him some relief and comfort.

"If you're looking for her, she's on the roof."

Peter whipped around to see Nika leaning up on the wall looking at the roof of a building that was across the street.

"The roof?"

"Yeah,” Nika replied. “She can only take so much of the public eye, public speeches, and networking before it gets too much for her. So she needs a break from it all for a bit so she can come back down and do it all over again. It took her two months of practicing her speech for the expo before she felt ready. In fact, I don't think she ever was ready for that speech."

Peter chuckled softly and said softly to himself. “Yeah, she’s always been that way.”

Nika hummed in response.

Peter looked up at the sign of the place that you were on top of. It was a cute cafe with globe lights on strings and plants on the roof of it. He imagined it was a quiet place which is why you choose there to go.

“I’m out here as her lookout,” Nika continued. “Decided to give Happy a break and actually enjoy himself for once.”

Peter hummed amused. “How nice of you.”

“He’s probably shitting himself worried right now,” Nika grinned. “I may be a small girl but I can take down a super soldier like Sargent Barnes any day. I’m more than capable.”

“I believe you,” Peter agreed. “You kinda scare me.”

“Good.”

Peter smiled at Nika and she smiled back.

"Well, what are you waiting for?”’ She chuckled. “Go to her. Be an Avenger Boy and save the day.” She waved him off. “Shoo shoo!"

Peter laughed. “You’re not gonna kick my ass for being a distraction?”

“Nah,” Nika let out a deep breath. “She could use a little…or a lot…of distraction right now. Play your cards right and you might get completely on my good side.”

“Good to know,” Peter smiled and began walking towards the building.

“You can web up there you know,” Nika commented which made Peter stop in his tracks and turn on his heels to look at her.

“You know?” He replied but it came out more like a statement.

Nika tapped her temple. “I know a lot of things. It’s kind of my job. Didn’t take me long to figure it out.”

Peter nodded in response.

“If anyone sees you, I’ll gaslight them.”

Peter laughed. “No worries, I’m careful.”

Nika nodded and gave him a salute of good luck. He was pleasantly surprised by Nika’s friendly behavior. He half expected her to rip his head off for trying to bother him but she encouraged him. And what was he gonna do, say no? Of course not.

He went into the Alley of the building and webbed himself up after making sure the coast was clear. He saw you on the other side leaning over the ledge looking up at a billboard with Tony Stark and the Iron Man suit on it. The Billboard read “Gone but never forgotten.”

He took a deep preparation breath and walked over to you. You sensed him, looked back at him, and smiled softly.

"Sorry,” you stated. “I'm a horrible date."

"You're not," he smiled back with a chuckle and leaned next to you much like how you did with him earlier.

You both turned and looked at the billboard again both of your are hit with waves of emotions and Peter couldn’t tell if he was feeling it from you or if you were feeling it from him, but the comfort of each other’s company kept your feelings in check as you guys silently bonded over the absence of Tony Stark in your lives.

Peter remembered all his moments with Tony and how much he learned from him. He remembers sitting in the workshop with him while Tony worked on his Spider suit and he, himself, worked on his web shooters.

He remembers a specific day…

You ran up behind Peter, wrapped your arms around his torso, and gave him a peck on the cheek with a giggle. He blushed with a smile and turned his head to look at you and kiss your forehead. You would be spending the day with Natasha and Wanda.

“Heading out?” He asked you softly.

“Yep,” you replied. “I’ll buy you something.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Let her do it,” Tony said from across the table. “She’s gonna do it anyway. It’s like her dream to be your sugar mama.”

Peter chuckled nervously, unsure if Tony was being serious or not. You rolled your eyes.

“Bye, Darling.” You pecked Peter’s lips and he pecked yours back before you went over to your dad and kissed his temple. “Goodbye, Father.”

“Goodbye Daughter,” Tony replied. “Have fun, be safe, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and definitely don’t do anything I would do.”

You made a pfft sound. “Yeah right,” you replied as you walked away. “Love you,” you sang.

“Love you,” Tony replied as you disappeared up the staircase.

Peter watched you the entire time with nothing but love in his eyes. Tony eyed him when he noticed him not focusing on his web slinging gizmo.

“Y’know, kid,” Tony started as Peter turned to him rapidly from being knocked from his gazing and daydreaming of you. “There’s this thing called a camera. It’s on your phone. Ever heard of it? If you take a picture it will last longer.”

Peter snorted with a smile and went back to upgrading his gadget. “S’not the same, sir.”

Tony sighed and rolled his eyes. “You kids are weird. But I’d take weird over anything else.”

Peter inserted the web fluid into his web shooter and then set it down looking up at Tony.

Mr. Stark?”

“That’s me,” Tony sang.

“I think I’m in love with (Y/N),” Peter said and Tony stopped what he was doing and looked up at him again. “But ... .I don’t know how to express that to her in a way she deserves.”

Tony’s face softened and he set the suit down on the table and turned completely to Peter listening to him.

Peter continued. “I don’t know much about romance…only what they show in movies and what Aunt May has told me but this is my first relationship and I’m hoping for it to be my one and only relationship for the rest of my life. Is that weird? That’s weird isn’t it?” Peter sighed nervously. “I just…I don’t wanna mess it up. I want to find a way to show her how much I love her. Something that she can hold or look at for when we aren’t by each other but I also know she’s not materialistic and she prefers experiences over items. I dunno…maybe I’m overthinking it.”

Tony pressed his lips together and let out a deep breath. “You got a heart of gold, Peter. It pairs well with her heart of Iron. I’m sure whatever you come up with she will love because it came from you and you specifically. That’s all she needs.”

Peter let out a sigh.

“You know I never visited his grave,” you stated softly and Peter looked at you. “I’m afraid of how I’ll react.” You look down at your tattoo and trace your fingers over the arc reactors. “I never expected to take over the stark throne so soon…the same age my dad took over. If I go visit his grave, that’s just a reminder of what wasn’t supposed to be.”

Peter listened to you.

“Kinda shitty of me isn’t it?” You started. “Won’t take on the role of Iron Hero, won’t go visit his grave, can’t hold an event without running away and leaving my date behind. Some legacy I am.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Peter said, turning to you and seeing your eyes glossed over. “That’s not shitty. That’s called being human. You have the right to feel however you feel about it. He was more than just your dad but the person you confided in the most. No one blames you for feeling this way.”

You looked at him and smiled. “Thanks.”

Peter pressed his lips together and lifted himself from the ledge and took out his phone, opening up his preferred music app. You watched him as he set his phone down as the song played. It was one of your favorites, Lover by Taylor Swift.

He holds out his hand to you with a smile. "Dance with me?"

You smiled and took his hand. And he walked you closer towards the center of the roof. You wrapped your arms around his neck and clasped your hands together as his hands made their way to your hips. Your senses bloomed at the contact as you guys looked at each other with burning faces that kept you warm from the cool autumn air.

"You look pretty tonight," he stated. "Not that you don't look pretty any other time."

“Thank you,” you giggled. "You should see me when I wake up in the morning. Puffy-faced, looking scary and pissed off."

Peter chuckled softly remembering how you were in the mornings during their time at the Avengers Compound. You always looked like you were ready to fight someone at any moment even if you woke up in a good mood. You got teased for it often.

"Well, you clean up nicely," he smiled.

"So do you," you smiled. "You look handsome. Not that you don't look handsome any other time."

“Thanks, I woke up like this.”

You playfully hit his arm and he laughed in response with your giggles.

“You’re conceited today,” you commented.

“Confident,” he corrected.

You squinted your eyes and hummed in doubt. “Conceited,” you argued. “But I kinda like it.”

He hummed in response and looked into your eyes meeting your gaze.

You get lost looking deeply into the darkness of his irises. He has such pretty brown eyes. He looked back into your eyes deeply also getting lost in your wonderous orbs. You guys felt the pull stronger than ever before. You glanced down at his lips and Peter stopped moving as he focused completely on you. Like the rest of the world didn’t exist. His senses were all on you.

It was his turn to glance down at your lips as he pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth like he was debating on something before making a decision. Pavitr’s words rang in his mind.

This is it. The moment.

You both lean in. It’s happening. The moment you and your senses have been waiting for. Oh my fucking god, it’s happening. You close your eyes.

Your lips met his softly.

Your senses jolted and in a quick moment your body went cold and an implosion of warmth flowed through you and. your senses lost control of themselves. Your heart raced in your chest and your brain focused on Peter and only Peter.

It was like something clicked.

You didn't realize that you had stopped dancing. You didn't know when his arm wrapped around your waist to pull you closer and you didn't know how your hand ended up gripping his hair. You didn't feel the moment when his tongue swiped across your lips and you opened your mouth to invite him in.

He tasted of strawberry candy wine and mint and paradise.

It was like your senses remembered him even though your memory was still hazy but in that moment, it was like it was only you two in the world.

His kiss reminded you of your first kiss.

His hold reminded you of your first dance.

His gentleness reminded you of him.

The Faceless Boy.

You forgot to breathe and your hands slowly moved to his shoulders and you pulled back reluctantly and he chased your lips as if you two were a magnetic force not meant to part. You looked at each other with hooded eyes, slightly heavy breathing and racing hearts.

Before you could think your mouth spoke.

"My sweet boy…" you said barely a whisper.

Before Peter could react you both were interrupted.

"Let's go, Parker!!"

Peter jumped as did you and quickly looked over with wide eyes. You stopped his hand from activating his web shooter and accidentally webbing someone off the roof.

Then he groaned softly and he winced and threw his head back in defeat.

His friends and your friends were together cheering and clapping. As Gwen and Harry started chanting the intro to Blitzkrieg Bop.

"Hey, ho! Let's go!" Echoed through the night sky as Cindy and Celina threw finger hearts at the both of you and joined in the chant. Nika was there with her phone out recording the whole ordeal with a mischievous smile on her face.

You couldn't help but snort and hide your face in Peter's shoulder as you shook from giggles of embarrassment, while Peter pouted at his friends in particular. You lifted your head with your lips pressed together sheepishly looking at him.

"We have a fan base."

He looked back at you with an apologetic look. "I'm so, so, so sorry about this…"

"Don't be. I'm pretty sure it was Nika's idea."

You both glanced over at them again. As they all started cheering “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

I think I’m going to enter my villain arc, Peter thought, being unserious. I asked for one night.

"Let's give them a show?" You asked.

Peter decided that if this is what fate had in store for you both, he wasn’t going to let it ruin the moment. So he smirked at you and dipped you causing you to squeal softly and your leg to lift. He caught the bottom of your thigh in his hand as he pressed his lips to yours again and you lay a hand on his cheek while the other gripped onto his shoulder.

The feeling was electrifying and your friends cheered and clapped louder.

Later that night you arrived back at home with Pepper and Morgan. You say goodnight to them as you go to your room and close the door. You lean back on your door and sigh happily.

You and Peter finally kissed. And it was twice and it was perfect.

You bite your lip while smiling ear to ear. You felt like a teenage girl again crushing…probably on Peter Parker, to be honest.

You pull out your phone and text Peter.

I'm home.

Me too.

You smile and touch your lips softly. You could feel his kiss on your lips still and it sent a warmth throughout your body. You were knocked out of your thoughts when your phone sounded.

I had fun tonight 😊

Me too ☺️

Your face burned and you giggled.

Sweet dreams, Peter Parker ♥️

Sweet dreams, (Y/N) Stark ♥️

Your heart fluttered the entire time you got ready for bed. And when you dreamt of the Faceless Boy you imagined Peter's face and when you woke up the next morning, it was with grace. There was no cold sweat and there was no pain. Only a happy heart, clear mind and a smile on your lips where you still felt the ghost of Peter's soft lips.

Tags:

@chrisevans-realwife @riordanness @peterdarlingg @thecrystalclarity @brckenmemories @paleprincesssxo @blackcanary130 @kindlover @i-have-no-life-charlie @melodicheauxxlovesfood

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best-underrated-anime · 6 months

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Best Underrated Anime Group L Round 3: #L8 vs #L2

#L8: Teenage girl and her friends literally hack society

#L2: Girl turns into a tanuki and learns about racism

Details and poll under the cut!

#L8: Yurei Deco

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Summary:

In the cyber city Tom Sawyer, society revolves around earning "Love," akin to receiving likes on social media. Citizens of this augmented reality exchange Love for public services and appearance-changing avatars via the Decoration Customizer, also known as "Deco," a hologram device implanted in an individual's eyes from early childhood. Under the government's careful management, the people of Tom Sawyer live a peaceful existence, outside the occasional appearance of Phantom Zero, a mysterious criminal who brings all Love to zero within their vicinity.

Berry, a mischievous girl fascinated by Phantom Zero, lives comfortably in the system of Tom Sawyer until her Deco malfunctions, enabling her to see a camouflaged prankster named Hack. Believing Hack to be Phantom Zero, Berry chases after the suspect and, in the process, begins to uncover society's most well-kept secrets. As it turns out, Hack is not the only person living outside the system's rules—and the vibrant colors of Tom Sawyer hide a darker nature.

Propaganda:

Without any spoilers, Hack can easily be interpreted as nonbinary in some sort of way (whether they’re transmasc, transfem, or otherwise androgynous/neutral/other aligned) and their birth sex is never revealed, which is a plus for me. Furthermore, it’s literally what would happen if you made a fun, hard science fiction series in the style of a Ted Chiang novel but aimed at kids and written rather optimistically. It still has the hard sci-fi elements of critiquing AI and social capital systems and whatnot, but it also has an upbeat, cheerful tone of a children’s show, and you know what? I really like cheerful, intelligent kids shows! It’s something that I could not only watch on my own, but also watch with my conservative family without being seen as inappropriate, and it’s a genuinely cute and fun show!

I also like the colorful, free-flowing art style, thanks to Science SARU’s art, and the diverse characters, not only in characterization, but in race, body type, age, and gender. And the plot twists in this show really excited me too! This is one of my favorite shows of all time, and I genuinely recommend people to watch this show as well! Sadly, it’s not dubbed, likely because of its relative unpopularity, but the Japanese voice cast is another plus, especially Berry’s seiyuu! Berry is genuinely her first voice role, and she KNOCKS it out of the part, especially at making Berry’s cheerfulness stand out. Another good point: the MUSIC. With diverse mixes of electropop, hyperpop, and bit-based sounds, it genuinely has such a unique soundtrack compared to a lot of 2020s era anime’s yakousei and anisong based soundtracks which, while I like some yakousei and anisong tracks, I’m just not fond of both genres.

Trigger Warnings: Unfortunately, as a Science Saru show, Yurei Deco is unfortunately very flashy on the eyes and thus very unsafe for epileptics, the photosensitive, and autistic people who have trouble with eyestrain, among others. There are also depictions of classism that, while shown as wrong and not good in the narrative, might trigger those who experienced class-based abuse.

#L2: BNA: Brand New Animal

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Summary:

Throughout history, humans have been at odds with Beastmen—a species capable of changing shape due to their genetic "Beast Factor." Because of this conflict, Beastmen have been forced into hiding. Anima City serves as a safe haven for these oppressed individuals to live free from human interference.

During a festival celebrating the town's 10th anniversary, Michiru Kagemori, a human who suddenly turned into a tanuki, finds that Anima City is a far cry from paradise. After witnessing an explosion in the square, she is confronted by Shirou Ogami, a seemingly indestructible wolf and sworn protector of all Beastmen. As they pursue the criminals behind the bombing, the two discover that Michiru is anything but an ordinary Beastman, and look to investigate her mysterious past and uncanny abilities. Could she turn out to be the missing link between Humans and Beastmen?

Propaganda:

This is one of the first few anime I watched when I was getting into it, so I'm rather fond of it. Though the show is only one season, overall it's pretty solid and ties everything together at the end. I also really like how they utilize color in the animation (it especially makes fight scenes more interesting to watch). The worldbuilding they have with the beastmen is pretty neat as well. This anime is good if you're looking for something quick to watch.

Trigger Warnings: There is some violence, and since the characters are animals, that may fall under animal cruelty. There are a few parts in the show where the colors get pretty intense, so that could be considered flashing lights. There is racism, as the beastmen are discriminated against by humans.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #group stage #group stage round 3 #tournament polls #group l #yurei deco #bna #bna: brand new animal #brand new animal

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k00293900 · 6 months

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Animation week one

Day 1

On Monday we got our brief for our animation project. The theme would be world building.

Although animation is based a lot on characters it is important to note that backgrounds and world building is just as important as the characters because it completes the whole image and can be used to convey important info about the story, such as the time and place or to provide context for the characters actions, which helps the audience out visually. It also enhances the drawing into a composition.

We then went to the Limerick city library where we chose a few childrens books, these books would help inspire us to create our own worlds for our mini-me's, these mini-me's are a version of ourselves that we would create in 3D and later place in our backgrounds for our animation.

The book I chose for inspiration for my background was 'The Sleeping Beauty' by Ursula Jones and illustrated by Paola Escobar.

My artist reference was Paola Escobar, Paola is a graphic designer and illustrator from Columbia.

She is the illustrator of award-winning picture book 'planting stories' and also the illustrator of my book 'sleeping beauty'.

Style: Paola's style is very unique and quite detailed, she includes plenty of texture and intriquite design in her illustrations. Her line work includes lot's of colour which makes her art seem delicate and soft. Personally I love her style and I'm excited to replicate aspects of her style along with my own to create something new, my style wouldnt be as simple as hers so it'll be interesting to see the final outcome.

Colour: Poala includes very bright and usually warm toned colours in her illustrations, her colours are all complimentary with eachother and she does an amazing job contrasting her colours in the right places. As I said earlier she adds texture to her colours which adds more depthn and demension to her pieces.

Shape: For this book especially, the shapes and design she illustrated are very much inspired by the style of 1920's.

She included this style in fashion, such as the flapper style dress as you can see here;

I reserached and found the flapper style was worn amoung young women in the 1920's. They would wear short dresses that wouldnt have much shape with a low back and higher neck. These women would usually have their hair in a bob.

I found that Paola used a lot of the Art Deco style in this book too. This style was also very popular in the 1920's, characterized by sleek geometric or stylized forms use of symmetry and repetion of elements.

As well as Art Deco I found there was use of Art Novoeu architecture; Art Novoeu was 20th century aesthetic movement, influenced by the natural world or defined by elagant shapes and structured designs.

After reseraching all these elements, I was especially inspired by the Art Deco style as well as her own style and shape, these were the things that stood out to me the most. Perhaps I can use the symmetrical designs for my mini-me and use tecture and style for the backgrounds.

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tacticalhimbo · 6 months

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—OCS as OBSCURE ASSOCIATIONS

tagged by @rolangf to fill this fun ass meme out <3

brain hurt so if you see this i’m automatically tagging you to do this for your blorbos ♡

since i was tagged twice.. i think? i lost count-- i'll just cramp two characters into this post. they're also both work in progress god of war ocs, but we don't talk about that <3

CHARACTER: Equinox; Sun Witch / Devotee of Freyr

ANIMAL: Barn Owl

COLORS: Gold, Green, Orange

MONTH: August

SONGS: City of Ashes // Jhariah | Dancing Queen // ABBA

NUMBER: 444 (Protection; Yes I'm assigning them angel numbers)

PLANTS: Starblush (GOW-canon plant), Osteospermum (irl-equivalent), Sunflowers

SMELLS: Warm Spices (Vanilla, Myrrh, Anise), Touches of Vetiver and Sandalwood

GEMSTONE: Amber, Carnelian, Jasper

TIME OF DAY: High Noon

SEASON: Peak Summer

PLACES: Vanaheim Forrests, Field of Flowers during High Noon, Edges of Cliffs as the Sun Settles

FOOD: Kale and White Bean Stew, Fresh Baked Bread, Oven-Braised Veal

DRINKS: Pink Grapefruit Punch, Fresh Orange Juice

ELEMENT: Light / Fire

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS: Leo babeyyy

SEASONINGS: Star Anise, Allspice, and Cubeb

SKY: High Noon and Golden Hour

WEATHER: Clear Skies

MAGICAL POWER: Aethimancy (Aether Magic / Pure Elemental Magic), Solar Magic, Soul Guidance / Empathetic Casting

WEAPONS: None; If I had to choose… Some sort of spear. Something like Draupnir, but less… important? Notable.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram. I just know his ass is making boomerang-style stories and posting OOTDs and has his feed all curated and pretty with divider posts and all (and that format is plant photo, selfie, matching plant photo; he coordinates the plants to his outfit)

MAKEUP PRODUCT: Highlighter

CANDY: Honey-Flavored Hard Candy (Made with organic honey, ofc)

METHOD OF LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL: Flight

ART STYLE: Fauvism, Rococo

FEAR: Isolation, Disappointment

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: Centaur (different mythos, but the Norse equivalent ain't quite right. But I can so see him being a horse-type)

PIECE OF STATIONARY: Ribbon / Twine (Do they count? I'm saying they do)

THREE EMOJIS: ✨ ☀️ 🌻

CELESTIAL BODY: The Sun, of course

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

CHARACTER: Hrebjorg the Kind; Seeress / Prophetic Witch / Devotee of Freya

ANIMAL: Alexandria's Birdwing Butterfly

COLORS: Green, Turquoise, Gold

MONTH: June

SONGS: The Painted Bird // Billy Vicente | Poet, Soldier, King // The Oh Hellos

NUMBER: 222 (Alignment)

PLANTS: Soulblossom (GOW-canon plant), Cuckoo Flower, Lotus

SMELLS: Floral Scents (Orange Blossoms, Jasmine), with touches of Warmer Spices (Vanilla, Myrrh)

GEMSTONE: Amazonite, Emerald, Moss Agate

TIME OF DAY: Daybreak / First Light

SEASON: Late Spring / Early Summer

PLACES: Vanaheim Forests, On the Edges of the Denser Jungle, Tucked away under the shade of a large, weeping tree as the sun rises overhead

FOOD: Strawberry Pancakes, Peach Salad, Mushroom Risotto

DRINKS: Mint Lemonade, Raspberry Juice

ELEMENT: Earth / Time

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS: Capricorn

SEASONINGS: Basil, Cloves, Cinnamon

SKY: Clear Skies

WEATHER: Sun Shower (Raining while Sunny), or those moments after an intense storm where the sun begins to shine through the clouds and illuminate the very wet, very green grass

MAGICAL POWER: Organic Plant Magic, Animancy, Prophetic Divination

WEAPONS: Bow and Arrow

SOCIAL MEDIA: Pinterest, but also? Twitch. She's the type to do longer 'Just Chatting' streams that's just her going about her daily chores and such because it's a social activity (and she'd love helping younger seeress...es…? Find safe ways to practice)

MAKEUP PRODUCT: Lip Stain

CANDY: Sugared Berries

METHOD OF LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL: Walking

ART STYLE: Art Deco, Art Nouveau

FEAR: Imperfection, Failure, Ridicule

MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE: Skogvættir / Huldufólk (Hidden people, with a particular emphasis on the Skogvættir demanding respect for the forest)

PIECE OF STATIONARY: Handmade Paper (eg., Plantable Seed Paper)

THREE EMOJIS: 🌿 🌈 ⌛

CELESTIAL BODY: Crab Nebula <3

#txt #my ocs #tag games #WOOOO i had motivation <3 #anyway hiii look at my babs #they're best friends btw so ofc there's a lot of similarities between them #two sides of the same coin and whatnot

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shahzebjahanzeb · 1 year

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Home Design Ideas That Will Change the Way We Decorate in 2023

New Year, new interiors. Enter home design ideas for 2023.

With the pandemic somewhat in the rearview mirror, mainstream designers and TikTok creators alike are predicting that home decor will take on an optimistic turn filled with vibrant colors and sustainable DIY projects, all the while maintaining a love for nature-inspired textures and accessories.

While the soft green palettes are still trending, especially when it comes to kitchen cabinets, pinks are coming in strong. Repurposed furniture is also having a moment with tutorials on transforming a dining table into a chic coffee table or building a plant enclave out of an apothecary cabinet. Perhaps one of the most exciting things about 2023 home design ideas is the mix of new and old design elements, a twist on the ever popular grandmillenial trend with a decidedly contemporary refresh. “2023 is taking us to a new level of design,” says Cleveland-based Ashleigh Clark, principal of Ashleigh Clark Interior Design Group. “We saw a neutral approach to design throughout the pandemic, creating homes that look like a Pinterest ad. People are now craving character and warmth. Personality driven decor is sweeping across the nation. Art that is personal, color that evokes a positive mood mixed with natural elements, are creating homes that feel cozy while adding plenty of character.”

1. Infuse decor with warm wood tones

Warm wood is making a comeback, notes designer Lindye Galloway of Lindye Galloway Design Studio and Shop, based in Costa Mesa, California. “Wood can bring warmth, depth, and an intimate feel that creates a serene scene,” she says. Galloway particularly enjoys incorporating it into the ceiling and vanity pieces in the bathroom. “This can especially help with an all-white bathroom where you want to keep it light and bright but have that warm feeling,” she adds. On a smaller scale, consider DIY’ing a warm wood frame for an existing mirror that could use an upgrade, or swapping builder-grade metal drawer pulls with stylish wooden options.

2. Add a fashionable influence to bedrooms

When formulating a vision for this bedroom, which was featured in the 2022 Brooklyn Heights Designer Showhouse, New York designer Tara McCauley was inspired by fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who lived in Paris at the peak of the Art Deco and Surrealist movements. “The draped canopy above the bed certainly doesn’t echo the streamlined, machine-inspired forms of the Art Deco period, but I wanted to juxtapose the rectilinear headboard and bedside lamps with something soft,” McCauley explains. “The canopy feels a bit more Hollywood Regency than Art Deco, but it takes just one look at film sets from Hollywood’s Golden Age to see how those two styles are closely entwined.” DIY a canopy of your own—no matter your preferred aesthetic—with these designer tips.

3.Mix and match old with new

Styling antique finds alongside contemporary furnishings will never go out of style, says designer Joshua Smith of studio Joshua Smith in New York. “The thrill of combining these items is incorporating modern pieces into more traditional spaces, or vice versa,” says Smith who suggests by tossing in a French Louis chair into a modern space. Just don’t go overboard by adding too many periods into one room. “It brings confusion to the energy of the space,” he continues. “Think about common threads between the objects, like color, texture, shape.”

4.Say yes to plaster

led by interior designers with a pulse on trends that will be shaping the upcoming year, and beyond. With the pandemic somewhat in the rearview mirror, mainstream designers and TikTok creators alike are predicting that home decor will take on an optimistic turn filled with vibrant colors and sustainable DIY projects, all the while maintaining a love for nature-inspired textures and accessories.

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albumwalloffame · 2 years

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Album Cover Artist Spotlight - Alex Steinweiss

Something I feel I’m not doing that good a job of is actually giving credit to the people behind the iconic album covers I showcase on this micro-blog. So I’m going to try something a little different. The Album Cover Artist Spotlight will be looking at the people responsible for the album covers we love so much, and what could possibly be a better place to start than with the inventor of the album cover, Alex Steinweiss.

Alex Steinweiss was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA on March 24th, 1917. As his surname would suggest, his parents were European, his father from Poland and his mother from Latvia. Alex studied at Abraham Lincoln High School and earned a scholarship to the Parsons School of Design.

He worked with an Austrian graphic designer named Joseph Binder, who pretty much made the art aesthetic of the 1930s.

This is Binder’s entry for a U.S. Army Poster Competition, and he also did a poster for the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

In 1938, Alex Steinweiss became the first Art Director for Colombia Records, apparently in 1939, he just grabbed a photographer and headed to the Imperial Theatre, where he got the owner to change the letters on the sign temporarily and art history was made.

Smash Song Hits By Rodgers & Hart, an album released in 1939 was quite possibly one of the earliest album covers that was seen by a general public, and he continued designing album covers until 1973, when he decided to do more painting than graphic design. Arguable one of his most famous works being the cover art for the original cast recording of the musical South Pacific.

In 1998 he was inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, alongside Tom Geismar, Chuck Jones and Paula Scher.

In 2011, Alex Steinweiss would sadly pass away at the age of 94, leaving a legacy of amazing work behind, and a whole side of art that I like exploring.

Prior to Steinweiss, records would come in plain packaging, a brown paper bag, or a bag with the record store’s logo on it. Nowadays, we have made images that directly linked to the sounds on the record, we have band mascots and stories told though the images, he have albums that hide more unique covers behind their front covers. Album covers that have interactive elements, album covers that play with expectations, album covers that have become so iconic that they almost transcend just being an album cover and have become icons in pop culture.

I think this one is my favourite of Steinweiss, the minimalist Art Deco style and the colour palette give the image such an emotion that really defines what a large appeal behind the album cover became. You can almost see how images and designs like this would lead to the iconic album covers of the psychedelic era, and the rise of album designers like Hipgnosis, Jamie Reid and many others.

I’ve been wanting to talk about Alex Steinweiss and his contributions to the album cover for a little while, so if you enjoyed this... admittedly very shallow dive into one of the many artists in album design, feel free to let me know. If this goes over well, I may do some more. Now I am going to leave you with a small sample of his work, I hope you learned something new today.

#album covers #album art #music #art #art history #album cover history #alex steinweiss #art deco #joseph binder #Album Covers Wall (Hall) of Fame

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transformers-fan-continuities · 3 years

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Spotlight: Ties That Bind

This one’s a doozy folks! If you missed the last spotlight you can go read it here, but strap in for The Ties That Bind, an absolutely brilliant take on humanformers. It’s hosted here at @tiesthatbind-tf created by @artsy-hobbitses!

Q) Give us a run down of your cont! What's it about, what's it called, what's it like?

Ties That Bind is a humanformers-based original continuity which is part Science Fiction and part Alternate History where the invasion of Quintessons and introduction of their technology to Earth in 1920 sets the world and humankind on a completely different trajectory. The active narrative spans a period from 1920 to 2070, covering the First and Second Quintesson Wars, the interplanetary Antillan War (leading to the creation of Unicron on Mars) and the Great War which involves the Autobots, Decepticons and Functionist stalwarts, and how it affects the characters.

The cast is pretty sprawling and the narrative is mostly centred around human drama with bits of humor interspaced and a dash of horror (mostly centred around how the previous government often chose to utilize the technology left behind from the Quintesson Wars to create new systems of oppression, which affected many of the characters, in the name of worldwide rebuilding efforts).

Q) What characters take the lead here? Any personal favorites?

I will admit to this continuity being very much heavy on the relationship between Old Bastards Optimus Prime and Megatron, which is given considerable weight as they were best friends who had known each other since childhood and were deeply intrinsic to each other’s growths as individuals, which makes it all the worse when guilt and betrayal enter the party. Despite being captains in two corners of this battle, there’s a part of them that just cannot let go of their pasts together and they need to reconcile with how this will affect their agenda (Megatron) and how they lead their team (Optimus) who don’t necessarily share their history.

Other characters with significant development include:

Starscream, a Cold Construct in a toxic working relationship with Megatron with whom he is hiding a dark secret, who struggles to balance the underhanded viciousness he believes he needs to gain power and his innate desire from his Senate days to make the world a better place.

Windblade, a Camien native who fights her government’s apathy concerning the situation on Earth which they see as unsalvageable compared to their more Utopian society.

Prowl, a Cold Construct raised from childhood to be a cop in a police state, who finds out that he was brainwashed several times to ensure his obedience and efficacy as a government asset and is now working to reclaim some semblance of the humanity he was never allowed to feel and figure out how much of him is who he really is and how much is programming.

Hound, a sheltered Beastman who joined the fight to ensure that Beastmen the world over would have the same rights he did in his homeland of Shetland Isle, but is forcefully stripped of his humanity and faced with his animal side during the war and has to relearn what personhood means amid his trauma.

Q) Is there a bigger point to this, like a theme or some catharsis? Or is it just fluffy fun?

God with the amount of time I spent sleepless trying to figure out how the logistics of this or the semantics of that were supposed to work in universe, I cannot for the life of me say it’s fluffy fun, but I can’t exactly say it hasn’t been pretty engaging either!

There’s elements of war being messy for everyone involved where there doesn’t seem to be a clear line between friend and foe at times, but I think for most part it prescribes to Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s belief that people are inherently good, but are corrupted by the evils of society. Despite its dark themes (Including but not limited to child abuse, torture, illegal experimenation and brainwashing), love and friendships do prevail, kindness does beget kindness, found families are made, even the smallest actions matter, and things do get better because there are people on both sides who genuinely want to, and strive to make it better.

With Cold Constructs and Beastmen, it also delves heavily into what it means to be human; to have agency and personhood.

There’s also a strong undercurrent of taking responsibility for one’s actions, even if they were made with the best of intentions (Avoidance of this is what eats up Starscream and Megatron from the inside, and what Starscream eventually embraces).

Q) How long have you been working on it?

There’s two answers to this!

I’ve had a Humanformers-related universe going all the way back to 2007 around the time the first Bayformers came out---basically I had a choice between learning to draw cars or draw people (I was an anthro artist back then) and I immediately chose people.

The 2007 draft however had no worldbuilding or connective storylines and was mostly a fun little venture into character design and practice which were actually instrumental to me experimenting and learning how to draw humans properly.

I left the fandom for about a decade and when I came back to it in late 2020 around September via the War for Cybertron series on Netflix, I immediately got hooked on the 2005 IDW comics I missed out on and wanted to get around to updating my old designs as well find a way to translate several of the concepts I wanted to explore in a human sense, so the 2020 update became its own full-fledged original continuity with detailed worldbuilding and history.

You can see the artistic evolution of several characters from their original incarnation below!

Q) It’s incredible to see your artistic improvement too! Give us a behind-the-scenes look! Show us a secret ;))

Say hello to my workspace! I’ve been working exclusively on the Ipad Pro since late 2016, which is fantastic because I can basically whip up concepts and sketches on the go anywhere. Nowhere is too out of bounds to work on TTB!

Also, do enjoy this sneak peek at true!form Rung, whose synthezoid human body took years to perfect.

Q) YESSSSS alright I must admit this is one of my favorite Rungs, and certainly my fave within TTB. Amazing. Phew, anyway. Where did you draw inspiration from? What canons, what other fiction, what parts of real life?

TTB was initially conceived as a faithful retelling of the IDW 2005 narrative before it was transformed into its own continuity and as such, it borrows heavily from concepts and mirrored plot lines introduced in that run! I chose to have the series inspired off it specifically for the amount of history and worldbuilding it introduced to the franchise.

Anime like Gunslinger Girl and Beastars inspired the depictions of Cold Constructs, especially the more harrowing aspects of their upbringing as government assets instead of children, and Beastmen (Beastformers) in TTB.

I haven’t depicted the world itself in my art all too much, but the architecture from Tiger and Bunny, which has sort of a futuristic Art Deco feel to it, is what you’d usually see in major cities. There is an in-universe reason for that---with a Point Of Divergence set in 1920 followed by 25 years (an entire generation) of progress basically being kicked to the curb due to the Quintesson wars, mankind was basically in a time-locked bubble until the end of the wars, and by then their heroes were 1920s-style rebellion leaders, which lead to 1920s fashion (especially among the Manual Working Class---Megatron, Jazz and Optimus all rock 1920s fashion at some point of their lives) and architecture being celebrated and retained as sort of a reminder of how things were before The Invasion. This anime’s background design is also where I adopted the tiered system TTB’s major metropolises are often built on (with each tier being designated to a different working class) from.

The main artistic style itself is a love letter to 90s cartoons, in particular Gargoyles’ deep and drama-driven character narratives and designs as well as The Centurions’ take on body armor logistics.

I also take inspiration, especially armor-wise, from the characters’ given heritage and background. As an example, Hotrod who is depicted as Irish has the flames on his armor done up with Celtic knots. Welsh aristocrat Mirage’s armor bears olden knight-style filigree and has his Autobot logo designed as a coat of arms. Indonesian Soundwave’s armor and Decepticon logo takes cues from Batik and Wayang Kulit while their mask is based off the Barong.

Q) They are absolutely gorgeous! Show off something you're really proud of, a particular favorite part of your cont.

The worldbuilding in general! Most Humanformers I’ve seen tend to treat it like a fun exercise which it is and is definitely valid, but I found myself wanting a full-fledged world to lose myself in and I sought to try and make that world myself by drafting a detailed history and timeline of events which would affect ongoing narratives, having indepth worldbuilding to include almost all societal aspects of the universe and expanding on the concept of Beastmen and Cold Constructs existing in a human setting.

I’m not so secretly proud of the research and diversity included to make the cast look like the multicultural, globally-based team that they were meant to be instead of being locked to a single region! My original draft from 2007 was, to put it simply, quite culturally monolithic and I wanted to improve on that aspect with TTB.

I’m also proud that I’ve kept to it this far! I’m a notoriously flaky person jumping from one idea/fandom to another and to have kept at this continuity for the better part of ten months is honestly a personal feat.

Art-wise, this scene depicting a young Megatron working alongside Terminus and Impactor (cameo by @weapon-up-wallflower‘s OC Missit!) is definitely one of my favorites since it helps build up the world they live in and plays to familial bonds and comfort found in one another despite their less than ideal circumstances.

Q) Everything has come together so beautifully, you absolutely should be proud. What other fan canons do you love and why? Would you like to see them interviewed?

I am dying to hear more from @iscaredspider’s Sparkpulse continuity! Her designs are MIND-BLOWINGLY GORGEOUS and I want to hear more about what inspired her to work on it!

Also YOU. Yes YOU BLURRITO. LET ME HEAR MORE ABOUT SNAP.

Q) [wails and squirms away in the mortifying ordeal of being known but in a very flattered way] I WILL SOMEDAY I PROMISE aflghsdjg thank you QwQ

Well that was fantastic, Oni, thank you muchly! A magnificent continuity with so much to look forward to! Coming up next is another personal fave of mine, the first inspiration for SNAP, so stick around...

#long post #gore #ties that bind #spotlight #transformers #HUMANFORMERS #transformers au #tf original continuity #transformers fan continuity #transformers redesign #maccadam #i said id post this on sunday but i realize thats a holiday for lots of folks on this site :/

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vvanite · 4 years

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Art Deco and TAZ Graduation

- Episode 30 "Take your Firbolg to Work Day

I know Travis probably made his choice to have the H.O.G. headquarters be designed with Art Deco for aesthetic purposes and didn't think of its function to the world of Nua BUT his choice is a really great accidental component that adds onto the world building in Nua and to one of the core problems that Graduation addresses involving the systemic nature of Nua. In this essay, I-

(And then I proceed to actually write the essay hidden below. FAIR WARNING: This is extremely long. If you want to learn about Modern Art History and how it ties into Graduation, this is your lucky day.)

This analysis/essay is going to be meta in terms of using evidence from real world events but it is needed to explain the history behind Art Deco and help us relate to the themes of Graduation. I think it’s clear to see how the systems and people in power in Graduation are influenced from the way our governments are now so I don’t think these connections are distant, rather closer together than we think.

Also, before we continue, I want to direct you to this lovely post made by a dear user and friend, Michelle/ fitzroythecreator, LINK HERE

She explains what she believes to be a core theme of graduation that I agree with and have integrated into this essay. Check it out <3

Before I can explain how Art Deco is tied into Graduation's core theme, I need to lay out definitions and context to art movements in the early 20th century. Along the way, I will make connections to the world of Nua and how real-life events in the early 20th century actually can relate to Graduation and its worldbuilding.

Let’s address what is Art Deco. Art Deco started as an art and architecture movement during the early 20th century (1900s). Most people are familiar with its aesthetics of geometric designs and influence of industrialization because of the roaring 20s era and many media influenced by it. Do you wonder why it was popularized in the US? It’s because during the great depression in the US, public buildings, more importantly federal government buildings, were commissioned to have this aesthetic thus it would have more publicity and access to the public. The H.O.G. headquarters could easily be compared to this event because it shares similar attributes of being a public government building.

With this information, it would be really interesting to imagine the timing of Graduation being set around the early 20th century. Art Deco gives us a time period to compare what kind of social events Nua could have faced similar to the real world. The modern period of the 1850s-1950s was a time when people were disinterested and scared of the changes that industrialism made in their daily lives. People were frustrated with the changes made in their lives and sought out ways to cope with the changes through escapism. In Graduation, I would argue that we see this skepticism and wariness in the characters about the changes Nua’s Socioeconomic systems made in their lives and society in general. A good example would be the student NPCs and their insistence that their hero and villain titles are just labels since they have been stripped from their original meanings. They still somewhat criticize the structure while upholding it. As the campaign progresses, we meet various characters who are very critical to Nua’s current orderly system such as Order and Gordie. In fact, despite their roles in society being vastly different, they both share the same opinions that the system is unjust as it hurts people thus there needs to be a push for change. I am not trying to label the time of Graduation to be around the 1900s, rather whatever year Graduation happens is in parallel to the events of the 1900s.

When I first heard Travis say, Art Deco, I was interested but disappointed it wasn’t Art Nouveau. My original thinking was because of Art Nouveau’s elitism of making the architecture more artistic and complex that only educated rich people can understand and less functional for the average citizen. A lot of the art displays during the art movement were held in house museums that were limited to rich eyes. I thought this reasoning made sense in terms of the H.O.G. headquarters being this elite building common people can’t comprehend. However, with continuous thought, it clicked. Art Deco fits so well.

Art Deco was meant to be a direct response to Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movement. (And many more but for the sake of simplicity, sticking to these two major ones) Both movements share similarities of the desire to make total works of art.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For art Nouveau in architecture, that is more on its aesthetics of stylized curving forms, thus it creates uniqueness with the architecture. For the Arts and Crafts movement in Europe, they focused on the importance of the craftsmanship and quality. The thing about the movement is that it’s heavily influenced by socialist values and the distaste for industrialism. Both art movements were diverse in style and locations globally. Because both took place internationally, there was no determined manifesto or structures for artists to adhere to. Another thing is both movements had lots of ornamentation which takes great skill and time to put into the works. By doing this, it would make the works more unique aspects to its character, however more time consuming and difficult to replicate.

Art Deco takes response to this because critics felt like these movements were outdated for the growing industrialism happening during the early 20th century. Art Deco focuses on sleek geometric design meant to be reproduced easily thanks to industries and have more emphasis on its function rather than aesthetics. It’s meant to be functional to accommodate for the new technologies of the 20th century.

So, let’s recap, in the late 19th century, two movements, focused on the style which had no concrete structures to adhere to and had the goal to make total works of art that is reliant on itself, are then replaced by Art Deco, a movement focused on its aesthetic to be mass produced easily and have a stronger focus on the form of the architecture to serve its functions. Does Art Deco sound similar to a number of Socioeconomic systems placed in Nua?

One of the key ideals of Art Deco is Functionalism. Art Deco is one of the many architectural movements in the early 20th century that decided to focus on function rather than aesthetics. What is functionalism? It is the idea that everything works as an integrated whole and that all the different components of a larger system are designed to work together. It is orderly. Architecture in the early 20th century was designed to suit the needs of the space. For example, each element of an office buildings would be designed and organized to suit that place. This ideal is more emphasized after the Great Depression in America where architects shifted their focus on the Streamline Moderne, where they aimed to make structures practical to the demands of real life and remove the emotional aspects of expressionist art.

Travis’s little choice to pick Art Deco is tied to a core theme of Graduation of dismantling the standards and structures set in Nua. It’s so brilliant yet unintentional. I know Travis hasn’t read up on modern art history. I hope by reading through, you can spot Art Deco’s need for creating limitation to focus on the functions and how it benefits the whole system. It doesn’t allow for the emotional aspects that Art Nouveau and the Art and Crafts movements held. Nua’s system follow the same thing. Everyone has a function in the socioeconomic system that has limitations meant to exploit the work labor and functions of the individual. The system leaves no room for indivduals to have growth to create real change. That’s not a flaw of the system. The system is literally designed to be that way with its many rules and standards. It's impossible to break away from it without being punished by the system itself. You need to function within its rules and have practical skills to contribute to the system. Your independent nature is stripped away. By having Art Deco be a core aesthetic design for the H.O.G. Headquarters, Art Deco ITSELF is just another element in the architecture meant to serve its function of upholding the ideology of order that H.O.G. and the world of Nua has. This orderly system has replaced the wild world that Higglemas in episode 12 remembers.

“I remember... the world when it was wild. Not sophisticated and ordered and... bureaucratic, like it is now.”

#taz graduation #taz grad #taz analysis #taz meta #vanitewrites #this is the art major part of me screaming out #modern art history is so interesting and fits so well into the history of Nua #Travis is not smart enough to think this deep for the aesthetics of the hog building #BIG THANKS TO MICHELLE #i still think about that post you made on the self reliance theme

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babbushka · 4 years

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First Glimpse, Last Looks

007!Reader x Bond Villain!Kylo Ren

3.7k ; N S F W (casual sex/one night stand with a stranger, praise kink, mirror sex), teasing and playful banter, shameless flirtation, hidden identity

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You smile at your reflection in the hotel mirror, all dolled up for a night downstairs.

You look good, damn good, if you do say so yourself. Your thigh holster is well concealed by the evening gown, the knife in the back of your heel looks like a pretty decorative element no one would suspect. And no one should suspect it, there’s not supposed to be any trouble tonight.

Well, you think as you apply lipstick in your favorite shade, aside from one man, the man you were sent here to study.

His name is Kylo Ren, a moniker if you’ve ever heard one. One of the most dangerous criminals in the entire world, and certainly one of the richest. It’s no wonder that you’re to find him here, at one of the world’s most famous casinos. It seems that the best only liked to be with the best, not that you minded. As far as missions went, you were glad to be whisked off to exotic places and put up in the nicest hotel rooms.

You leave said nice hotel room now, saying goodbye to the panorama views and big soft bed for the time being. Surveillance is the name of the game for the evening, and you’re given free reign from M to enjoy yourself. You’ve got to blend in after all, have to be unsuspecting. That shouldn’t be too hard, you think as you make your way down to the casino, your heels clicking pleasantly on the polished marble flooring, your dress accentuating your body beautifully.

The casino is a high end place, there’s a live band playing smooth jazz up on a little stage, and everyone around you is dressed to the nines, which you’re pleased to see. Pleased because at least it means this criminal has good taste, refined taste. But then again, how could a renowned jewelry designer not be dripping in luxury?

You walk around the casino, blinking away the cigarette and cigar smoke which wafts up from the tables as rich men entertain pretty women with games of craps. You can’t help but smile at the winners and feel poorly for the poor suckers who lose, but that’s the way the money rolls, isn’t it. And what money too – bets starting at ten thousand dollars and only ever climbing, you’re impressed.

You’ve got a good chunk of chips yourself, provided so that you might infiltrate the place a little better, but you’re not in the mood to make a spectacle of yourself, not tonight anyway. Mr. Ren’s reservation was supposedly lasting through the weekend, and as it’s only Friday night, you’re sure that you’ll be here for a little while.

Speaking of Mr. Ren, you begin subtly trying to pick him out from the crowd. You know he’s a big spender, a high roller, he’s always got to have attention on him, eyes on him. Unusual, for someone under suspicion of smuggling gold across foreign soil, but then again, not at all. You’d been given the brief on what he looks like, but unfortunately there are no photographs of him – they all seem to magically disappear from any and all databases. All you know is that he’s hulking, tall and wide and has a twisted mangled facial deformity – shouldn’t be too difficult to spot, you smile to yourself.

You make a little show of weaving through all the people, down towards a beautiful bar in art deco style. It’s the perfect vantage point for all the tables, and you strike up a cigarette to pass the time.

“Can I get you anything, ma’am?” The bartender asks as he wipes down an impeccably clean glass.

“No thank you, I’m meeting someone here.” You say easily, and the bartender smiles in understanding.

“If you change your mind, just give me a nod.” He says, going on his way, off to deal with another customer.

You flick your ash in the crystal dish nearby on the bar counter and simply watch, enjoying the spectacle of it all – when you can’t help but hear the gentle applause coming from one of the cards tables. It seems that someone has just won a game of baccarat, which you find impressive, for the game is notoriously high stakes and oh how the dealers hate to lose.

You cast your gaze over to the gentleman who is quietly yet absolutely pleased as he pulls all the chips over to his pile, as if the money means nothing to him. You’re sure it probably doesn’t, if he’s playing and betting baccarat to begin with.

But what strikes you more than anything else, is how handsome the gentleman is. He’s got glossy black hair and proud shoulders, wrapped in a deliciously tailored tuxedo. You’re pretty sure that’s a rolex on his wrist, and while all that is well and good, you’re drawn to the irregularity of his facial features. His nose seems to be a bit too large for his face, but it’s in an endearing way, a way that you can see yourself playfully touching with the tip of your finger before asking for a kiss.

What a dangerous thought.

Even more dangerous, is that he’s looking right at you, giving you a smile. There are worse men to find you attractive, you think, as you turn away from him and give your neck a little stretch, flick your ash, knowing that he’ll take the hint and come over. M did say to have fun, didn’t she?

You feel his presence before anything else, the way he smells so wonderfully of a spiced cologne – not too much, just the right amount to get you interested. He’s warm, radiates a warmth that’s got you wondering how good it must feel to be tucked up against him.

“I couldn’t help but notice you all alone.” His voice is deep, a rich baritone that you feel down in your bones as you seductively look over your shoulder, cigarette delicately held between your fingers.

“You couldn’t? Seems like everyone else could.” You raise an eyebrow, and he smiles. It’s more of a half smirk than anything else, but you’re hung up on his dimples, on how he’s got the most darling beauty marks all across his face, a little constellation of freckles.

“Pity for them.” He leans up against the bar top, and you turn towards him, an invitation. He takes it. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“You can buy me two.” You reply, and he smiles wider at that, at the way you’re allowing him in. He’s so handsome, you think that if this Kylo Ren won’t show up tonight, at least you can still make the effort to look nice worthwhile.

“What do you like?” The charming man asks, signaling for the bartender to come back over.

“I’m not picky, as long as it’s in a martini glass.” You wink, and the man chuckles.

“Two vesper martinis please.” He asks of the bartender, who immediately sets to work.

“Shaken, not stirred.” You say, giving the bartender a kind smile when they nod in acknowledgement.

“I love a woman who’s particular.” The man doesn’t sit down next to you, instead he’s got one long leg crossed over the other as he leans against the counter, striking up a cigarette of his own. There’s something awfully delicious about the way it looks between his plush lips, and you’re drawn to them, to the way he flicks the match and lights it with ease.

“Really? That’s quite a modern attitude.” You tease. It’s 1964 after all, too many men are busy hating their wives, living out some white picket dream that you never had any time for.

“I’ll have you know, I’m a very modern man.” He smirks with a wink of his own, and you have to look down and away, lest you start getting too obvious too fast. You’re obvious of course, but you want to seem a little aloof, want to keep him interested.

“I believe congratulations are in order, I saw you win back there.” You say, fiddling with the little napkin that the bartender lays out before you while the drinks are nearly finished.

“Oh that? It was nothing, the game’s easy, it’s all just odds and good luck, like anything else.” He shrugs, and you smirk right back at him, he’s good at this.

“Do you think you have good luck?” You ask, as the bartender places the martini glasses in front of you.

“I think I’m about to find out.” The man picks up one glass and hands it to you, takes the second one all for himself, and it’s your turn to let out a pleased little laugh, happy for the opportunity to flirt.

“Very smooth, Mr. Modern.” You concede, “Very smooth.”

“Well, I like to do some things the old-fashioned way.” The man is particularly chuffed that he’s managed to impress you – and he should, you didn’t get impressed by many men. He licks his lips and holds up his drink, preparing a toast. “You’re stunning.”

“I know.” You say, and he laughs at that, making you duck your head once again before winking, “You’re quite the looker yourself. To good luck?”

“To good luck.” He clinks his glass gently against yours, and the two of you take a sip.

The martini is pleasant in your mouth, although you have no real plans to drink enough that you might become impaired in any sense of the word. You spare a glance around the room once again for Kylo Ren, for the big hulking criminal you’re supposed to be there for, and you can’t help but let out a disappointed sigh. You knew there was an off chance he wouldn’t be at the casino tonight, possibly off at a business dinner or something along those lines, but still.

“You know, I was supposed to meet someone here, but it would seem as though they haven’t shown up.” You tell this man who’s very very gently skimming his knuckles against the back of your arm. You’re happy to see no sign of a wedding ring, and no tan-line for one either.

“How anyone could leave a woman like you out to dry is beyond me.” He says, and for a minute, you can’t help but believe that this is something more than just a flirtation for a one-night stand, that perhaps you two could really get to know each other.

“And just what kind of woman do you think I am?” You ask playfully, already having made up your mind to sleep with him. Attachments were not something afforded in your line of work, you know this, but at least bodily pleasure was available where you could take it.

“I don’t know, but I would sure love to find out, if you’d let me.” The man chews the inside of his cheek for a moment, a nervous habit that you find quite endearing, before asking softly, “I’ve got a suite at the hotel just across the way, spectacular views, even better food. Would you care to accompany me for any or all of it?”

“I’m starving.” You reply, and a hopeful smile lights up his face.

The moment the door to the hotel room closes behind you, you’re kissing. He’s so skilled, so good at it, you can’t help but gasp under his touch. His palms are warm and they span across your back with ease, already working at undoing your dress zipper. You suddenly remember your gun that’s strapped to your thigh, and you pull away from him for a minute, looking at his handsomely disheveled state in the low light of his suite.

“Do you have a condom?” You ask outright, and he sucks in a sharp breath.

“Shit, no, I don’t – I must confess this isn’t something I do often. Or at all.” He’s nervous, and you can’t help but feel warm towards him, affection as you card through his locks. They’re every bit as silken as they look, and you kiss him again.

“That’s quite alright, call down for some.” You say.

He eagerly goes over to the phone, and while he’s distracted you take the opportunity to slip the small gun into your clutch purse, the perfect size for such a thing. He’s not gone for long, and you’re pleased to hear that when he asks for the condoms, he requests the largest size they carry.

“They’ll be up soon, but in the meantime, is it alright if I kiss you? You know, I’m a right sucker for lipstick prints.” The man blushes beautifully when he returns. Your hands immediately work on getting him out of his tuxedo, and he helps you out of your dress, admires the way your lingerie hugs your body.

“You’re much gentler than I thought you’d be, with hands so big as these.” You say as he carefully carefully carefully unhooks your bra, hands cradling your breasts.

“If you like it rough, I’d be more than happy to oblige.” He gives you an experimental pinch, and you huff out a laugh, slinking your arms around his neck.

“Kiss me first and we’ll see where the night takes us.” You say as you stand up on your tip toes now that your heels are kicked off, pressing your lips against his.

It’s not long before someone is knocking at the door with the condoms, and then it’s as if the gates have been opened. The man scoops you up into your arms and you laugh all the way over to the bed, where he plops you down sweetly, climbs over you and rolls the rubber onto his hard cock.

The largest size looks like it just barely fits him, and your mouth waters as he kisses you, hands caressing your body, peeling away your stockings, the garter. He doesn’t suspect anything, he only kisses the inside of your thigh, and your hands grasp at the silken sheets in anticipation.

“Are you sure?” He looks up at you from between your legs and you nod, one hand grabbing at his shoulders and pulling him back up your body, wanting that cock in you.

“Please, I just know you can make me feel good.” You nod again and again, until he’s positioning himself right at your entrance and thrusting slowly so that your pussy can accommodate and stretch to his girth.

He groans out softly in your ear and thrusts a little further in, again and again until he’s sinking all the way into your cunt, cock huge and filling you up better than anyone you’ve ever slept with.

“Ah – yes!” You sigh out happily as he kisses at your neck where his face is shoved against your throat, “Oh yes, that’s it.”

There’s a mirror on the ceiling, and you moan at the way his body moves above you as he begins to build up a proper rhythm, a steady pace that has your legs winding around his hips.

You wish you knew his name so you’d know what to call out, but names were dangerous, and so was sentiment, and it was easier this way, easier to just have great sex and move on, leave him always thinking about you and your pussy.

You roll him over onto his back, the both of you grinning as you straddle his lap. Your hands brace themselves on his huge chest, muscular but not in that dehydrated body builder kind of way, and you bounce on his cock, give him a good ride.

“Oh god – god damn.” He breathes out, his hands coming to grope up at your breasts, sliding across your stomach and bruising your hips.

“Your cock feels so fucking good.” You admit, because it does, and that does wonders to his ego, “Fuck! Oh – oh yes, yes yes yes!”

He bends his knees to plant his feet on the mattress and he bucks his hips up into you, thick cock so hard and long, so wide, you can feel the way it nudges against your cervix, can feel the way it teases your gspot with every thrust. You’re drunk off the feel of it, your head falls back and your jaw drops open, just from the sheer fullness of it all.

“Ah – ah come on, come on faster, I can – ohhhh shit – I can take it.” You lick your lips as he rolls your nipples between his fingers, and he listens, follows directions beautifully, does as he’s told and you can’t help but drop, “Good boy, oh you’re so good.”

The praise seems to do something for him, and suddenly you’re being fucked in earnest, riding him and getting as good as you give him. Your pussy drools and drips all over his cock, you can feel the white hot bubble of pleasure as it rises up from your cunt into your stomach, up up up your spine in a way that’s got you moaning loud, moaning so loud that you almost want this man to cover your mouth about it.

You stay like that for quite some time, he’s content to let you make the moves, content to let you be on top, in charge, and you appreciate that. Mr. Modern indeed, you think – or you would think, if you had any room in your head to think at all, gasping and groaning out a litany of please please please more more more yes yes yes!

He comes with a grunt, and a long groan, and your hand moves down to your clit to quickly rub one out before his cock grows soft inside you, but you find that he’s quick to beat you to it, eager to fuck you through his orgasm and make sure you get off too. You’re grateful, especially as the rough pad of his thumb swirls your slick over your clit and makes pleasure spark behind your eyes, trembling atop him as you come hard.

You gasp and pant and he kisses at the corner of your mouth, licks across your teeth and suckles on your lower lip, and you get off of his lap, collapsing on your back next to him. You both look up at the mirror and groan, laugh a little with how much of a mess you’ve made – bruises and lipstick and scratches from nails littering your bodies.

You watch him turn to you in the reflection of the mirror, and you turn to face him too, his peaceful serene, blissed out post-orgasm glow making him look radiant. He’s quiet though, and this is always the uncomfortable part, isn’t it? The walk of shame where you part ways, never to see one another again.

“Shall I…I can go. If you’d prefer.” You whisper, although for the first time in your entire career, you don’t want to.

“No, no stay with me, let’s have that dinner we talked about.” He surprises you, gathering you up in his arms and tucking you against his chest. He rubs sweetly at your back, and you let yourself be held as he convinces you further with, “They’ll bring it right to us.”

“You enjoyed yourself that much, hm?” You tease, and he laughs, making your own ego preen as he nods.

“I like your company, I’d love it if you perhaps delighted me in spending the weekend together.” The man licks his lips and tilts your chin up to meet him, “If your friend won’t mind.”

“My friend?” You frown for a second, confused.

“The person you were meeting.” He reminds you and you blink, grinning and shrugging to play it off. Damn, you think, his cock really was something special, to make you forget why you were even here.

“Oh right, well I think they’ll be okay with it, I just hope they show up at some point this weekend. Otherwise this trip will have been for nothing.” You mutter, but then, then you look up at him and let yourself feel wanted, “Or maybe, maybe it won’t.”

The man smiles at you, a great big pleased smile, and you somehow get the feeling that like you, he understands what it’s like, to be lonely at the top.

After hours of conversation and room service, champagne and strawberries, a delicious set of entrees and desserts, you find yourself content to spend the night in this man’s bed. Your suite will be there tomorrow after all, and you can’t help but fall asleep smiling, thinking that perhaps tomorrow night, you can take this man back to yours and return the hospitality.

But when you wake up in the morning, it is to an empty bed, no sign of the man. The mattress is cool next to you, he must have left during the night. The sun peeks through the curtains and illuminates the silver of a room service cart, he was at least kind enough to order you breakfast.

Smiling, you get up and walk naked over to the cart, where a little hand written note is resting atop one of the cloches. You pick it up and unfold it – and immediately feel like you’ve just been run over with a truck, when the words hit your brain:

My deepest apologies for disappearing on you like this, but when duty calls, one must answer as I’m sure you know.

We’ll meet again, 007.

Yours truly,

Kylo Ren.

You stand there, shocked and in disbelief – both at how he knew who you were, and how wrong you had been in your idea of him. He wasn’t some hulking terrifying thing, he didn’t have any major deformities or disfigurement – although, now that you think about it, perhaps he did have something of a scar on his eyebrow and cheek, but you passed it off as a trick of the light.

“I’ll be damned.” You say, sighing and sitting back down on the mattress, flicking the card against your palm with an incredulous smile. “Kylo Ren.”

Of all the people, you think as you dig into the eggs benedict and waffles that would pain you if they went to waste, you just had to go and pick him to fuck, didn’t you? You chuckle and sigh, knowing that this was the start of a very strange, frustrating, and beautiful relationship. What that relationship was, you weren’t sure, but one thing was for certain – M was going to have a fucking field day.

----------------

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sanstropfremir · 3 years

Text

the hotly anticipated kingdom episode 7 review is here!!

this episode was a lot less spectacle-y than the last one (the last episode with stages, i mean), and i think that was a good choice for all the groups on the whole to tone it down on the run up to the finale, because at the rate everyone was headed there would be no room to go any higher. i'm very glad that there was actually a collab stage and not just a song swap, especially because it gives a chance for the boys to work together and make friends when they otherwise arent going to be able to interact much. love love love to see them making friends and having fun doing these stages!

i'm not really sure why mnet didnt put the vocal stage this episode, because what on earth else are they going to put in the next episode with it??? i know it's a content stretch but still, it seems like a weird choice to me. anyways, there’s four stages for me to talk about this time and i'm going to try to not ramble out of control, but we’ll see. i did enjoy watching all of these, but we’ve all got favourites and i'm going to rank by which group i liked better out of the two for each stage, and then i put a few conclusions at the end. strap in folks this is another long one.

rap stages

skz + btob + atz

i was actually really surprised at how much i liked this stage. i would not classify myself as a rap fan and believe it or not i actually do not place a lot of importance on lyrics when enjoying music. although i have very high lyric retention and comprehension, i focus more on the sound than the literal words, so a fair amount of rap is swing-and-a-miss in my personal listening. plus when you add a language barrier on top of that, a lot of the nuance and technical skill of it just flies over my head. so i really dont have much to say about the sonic elements this time around, sorry. also.....i know i joked that nobody from the kingdom staff is reading my reviews.....but is someone from the kingdom staff reading my reviews????? i specifically mentioned that i think skz should do an art themed stage and then we got one????? i know i manifested the punk ateez stage but did i manifest this also??? am i just that powerful???

costume

obviously these are pretty basic rap/hiphop stage looks, but the white was a really good choice for visibility’s sake, and also thematically: it reflects the colours in the lighting really well.

i am DYING to know who the designer of minhyuks jacket is. if somebody knows please tell me i love it so much. it looks like some of the recent belted jackets that dior was putting out, but the drawing on the front armscythe piece reminds me of the superm/kim junggi collab for tiger inside. say whatever you want about superm, but you cannot deny that that is not some of the coolest merch on the kpop scene.

loved the traditional korean elements that came through in addition to the western references: the screens, hongjoong’s fan, minhyuk’s big fuckoff brush, the masks, and the sleeves on the dancers at minhyuk’s bit. those are a costume feature from a style of korean traditional masked dance called bongsan talchum. the masks themselves are versions of hahoetal masks, which are used in a very specific archetypal ritual dance in andong. i think these are imae masks, who is the servant/fool archetype that mocks the nobleman and the scholar. i suspect that was a deliberate choice, but i can only speculate.

another point about the masks which is not relevant but maybe a fun fact for people who don’t know. i actually thought at first that they were western theatre half masks, which are a very old style of mask that, like with hahoetal masks, represent a number of archetypes/stock characters. maskwork is a very common training practice in theatre schools, because it teaches body language and control, because half your face is covered and you cannot speak in your own voice (sometimes you cannot speak at all, this is one of the rules of full mask). the tradition of usings masks to portray emotion goes all the way back to the ancient greek chorus, but more commonly people in the west sometimes know it from the italian commedia dell’arte, of which you will have definitely seen some of the character archetypes before. i just find it neat that the same types of art pop up in different places seemingly independently of each other. humans are cool.

set

not much to say here, it's pretty bare with just some propwork. thought the screen use was fun and they used it smartly in a couple of transitions.

thought changbin’s bit of ‘interrupting’ the artists was cute and fun. there’s obviously a picasso reference there, and the four technicolour paintings are a reference to andy warhol’s pop art silkscreen portraits, most famously of marilyn monroe, but he also did many other celebrities in the 70s and 80s.

lighting

i LOVED this lighting. super bright and fun, lots of use of colour, obviously. the projections were there to enhance the visuals and weren’t distracting in any way. i thought the transition to black and white/ink with minhyuk was smart and had good contrast, it gave a strong rhythm to build back up to for the climax.

sound

bang chan’s ‘spelling colour with a u’ bit had me SCREAMING with laughter. we spell colour with a u normally bang chan, the americans are the ones that are wrong.

staging

i don’t really have a whole lot to say here, it was pretty straightforward and fun. like i’ve said in previous reviews, i wish they were more conscious of the steadicam direction and would stop showing extended bits of the production crew. at least everyone was wearing full blacks this time.

fun use of the upward angle combined with the groundwork/leg choreo during hongjoong’s verse, that was a highlight for me.

sf9 + tbz + ikon

nothing against this stage, the other one just hit harder for me. bobby is the best rapper on the show and he really carried this stage with his charisma. he’s a fun performer to watch and he knows how to command a space. i'm sure there’s technical notes that people have about the raps themselves, but i'm here looking at visuals as a priority, which i'm sure you’ve all grasped at this point.

costume

these were clearly extensions of these idol’s personal styles, with is a perfectly fine choice, especially for a rap stage where the emphasis is more on authorship. LOVED bobby’s 11yro girl at recess look.

amusing that both rap stages involved paint in some way? loved the backup dancers shooting supersoakers filled with paint at them, but i wish i knew the reason for it? i'm glad i saw this stage first because i would have been underwhelmed by the paint throwing if i had seen this after rainbow bonanza.

set

almost no set at all here, just a few props. i'm not judging as harshly on lack of set this round because these stages are meant to be more about skill than anything else.

lighting

i loved the projections, i thought they were unobtrusive and i admit, i LOVE outer space themed anything.

i liked that they did more concert lighting and had no projections in the first half to put more focus on the performers, it really highlighted the fact that this stage was about them, and not about anything extraneous.

sound

it was indeed a song.

staging

i do wish there had been a bit more control of the space, because it did look very empty at some parts and they could have staved that off by keeping tighter camera shots. this stage is so fucking big, holy shit.

they really brought their onstage chemistry and they looked like they were having a blast, which FINALLY!!

i actually really liked hwiyoung’s opening, i think there was a lot of potential there for some sharp contrast work that i wish had been played through a little more, especially with the cool white light overtop the black costumes. it actually reminded me a bit of the intro in the music video from a rapper i do actually listen to, bewhy’s gottasadae.

glad to see some more use of camera effects with the black and white, but why did they do it over the paint throwing? it just made the trajectory of the paint invisible because there was no colour contrast.

performance stages

sf9 + tbz + ikon

ok obviously im gonna have a lot more to say about the performance stages, nobody is surprised there. this one was the better constructed of the two and my personal pick for better stage, but i actually liked watching the both of them equally.

costume

king shit, literally. we love contemporary hanbok in this house. there was good colour and style distinction between the three of them without clashing.

costume change was fun and neatly blocked, it's pretty common to see backup dancers and chorus hiding quickchanges but i liked how this was a more unusual formation.

taeyang rocking the organza skirt and the big purple eyeshadow, thank you for keeping it cunty as always.

i really liked juyeon’s underlayer look. finally we get a good tbz costume look thats thematically relevant!

set

like all the stages this round, pretty minimal. the setting was almost entirely established through the costumes and the projections, which is some really good designwork. it's pretty much just the litters (the lifted chairs they entered on), and some smaller props. they managed to not make the stage feel empty because there was a lot of projection visuals to compensate, which is difficult to do without being overbearing, but i think they mostly pulled it off.

i originally thought it was gonna be weird to try and mesh the traditional korean architectural aesthetic with the weird mnet deco, but i ended up not noticing it as much as i thought i would.

lighting

like i just said, projections very well done and do a fantastic job of conveying setting without being overly distracting. like with the atz/skz/btob rap stage there’s a really broad range of colour use here that they offset by brightening and properly fill lighting the faces so you can actually see what’s happening.

the use of the strobing lasers and more concert style lighting fit really well with the change in the music from traditional instrument sounds to electronica and the more hiphop/isolated movements.

sound

i liked it well enough! i think it had a good arc that we can see echoed through the rest of the piece, like previously stated in the lighting and movement style.

staging

like i mentioned with the quickchange, there was some really interesting formations using the backup dancers here, especially as a lead toward/away from the camera

having the three of them enter on litters; again, literal king shit, love to see it.

this has a pretty clear narrative that doesnt really need an external explanation, which is good. i have to assume that the burning of the paper with 妃 (concubine) is intended to be a gesture of ‘burning’ the love out of their hearts, but that was the only thing i'm still confused on. this may very well turn out to be a reference to a specific story that i just have no idea what it is, but we’ll see once the subs are out!

i loved juyeons solo bit with the alcohol drinking and the table flip, that was the choreographic highlight for me. i just really wish he would use the other muscles in his face more often. we know youre pretty, you dont have to blue steel your way through all your performances!! take a page out of donghyuk’s book and make some ugly faces, it's good for you!!

i though taeyang’s swordwork was fine, but since i do actually have a decade of sword training i'm very judgemental. it's not bad, he obviously has practiced with the weapon and he knows how to control it, but he doesn’t have the same understanding as someone who has trained with a sword as a weapon and not just as a prop. if we hadn’t seen another stage with swordwork in it i probably wouldn’t have brought this up (that's a lie, i still would have brought it up, i have a third dan), but you can really see the difference between how minhyuk moves with his sword and how taeyang moves. a lot of this has to do with the proper weighting of the blade, which i mention briefly in my second episode review in btob’s section (and also this ask here, where i talk about properly weighted weapons in relation to the gun choreo in sf9’s and ateez’s previous stages); minhyuk is likely using a ‘real’ sword (it’s blunted but still made using proper methods and materials), and taeyang is using a cheaper-made replica (unless you’re doing full contact striking a LOT there’s no way a properly made blade breaks like that. also you would never tape it together hello??? respect the blade). if you know what you’re looking for, you can tell from the movements themselves when someone has training. minhyuk did a load of real training for a film where he was a swordsman, and you can tell; the sword is an extension of his arm, all the movements lead with the tip of the blade first, because that’s your first, your fastest, and your most dangerous point. you do 90% of your cutting with the first eight inches of blade, but it takes a lot of specific training to get your hands and arms to a place where that kind of movement is possible. taeyang’s movements are driven from his hands, which is unsurprising, because that’s where he’s used to his extensions stopping. the tip follows rather than leads. wow this got insanely sidetracked i hope you liked this crash course on swordwork.

this is pretty much what i expected to see from this unit. these three groups all have standout soloists, so i wasn’t surprised to see these three boys as the picks. juyeon and taeyang especially, theyre both from groups that are more likely to do experimental stages and choreography that highlights them as soloists and skilled dancers.

skz + btob + atz

this was a letdown from ateez’s last two stages, because they knocked those out of the park, but it's only fair that they have a bit of a fall. that being said, i did really enjoy watching this for its sheer ridiculousness; i’m forgiving the wolf concept this time because well, it’s wolf. you can't cover wolf and not do a wolf concept, that’s against the law. also, like i’ve said before, i'm all for dark concepts IF you give them thematic weight. is it on the nose? yes. is it thematically relevant? also yes. is it dumb? also also yes, but that’s never stopped a single kpop group in the history of ever.

costume

friendship restored with ateez stylists, rivalry started with skz stylists. the fur shoulder fluffs??? stupid and i love them. perfect in every way. however i keep seeing the same fucking costumes on the skz boys and i will come directly for the stylists at jype if they dont get their shit together. be! more! creative!!!

i really really wish they had gone more 2013 kpop with it, we need more of that ugly ridiculous styling. peniel was actually pretty close, with the overly long tunic and those yellow lenses. very vixx on and on (yes i know they were vampires from outer space, let me live)

i actually thought the wolf gloves were fun? the small bits of uv paint actually worked instead of looking out of place, and i'm glad they put them on wooyoung because the uglier an outfit, the better he pulls it off.

set

same dice, just the long table and the camo net at the beginning, which i thought was unnecessary. the table was useful for levels though, so happy to see they utilized that.

lighting

there is so much happening all the time. lots of lasers. it's definitely aiming for camp territory, and i dont actually hate it as much as i did on my first watch. it actually wasn’t as dark as i thought either, because its mostly lit with blue and amber. but it doesn’t really have that great of an arc and its not really that good on the whole.

the projections are a bit much for me, but that’s only when i'm actually looking at them. true to form, i didn’t even notice the excess of red slashes until like my fourth rewatch because i was too busy watching the performers.

sound

rookie exo my beloved. the original wolf goes so hard for absolutely no reason, so i’m not knocking this stage for being ridiculous. in fact it should have been more ridiculous. i think they did a fine job updating the song for a.....less 2013 sound.

i like that they didn’t bother to live sing the stage even though they recorded vocals for it, it gave them all a chance to actually focus on just the dance.

that being said, i am kind of missing all the adlibs from the original. but even though there’s some strong vocalists in this unit, they aren’t made of the same stuff as baekhyun, luhan, chen, AND d.o.

i literally just realized that peniel had already debuted when this song came out AND is technically exo’s senior because btob debuted like two weeks before exo officially did.....oh no

staging

choreographically this feels a lot more like the skz stages that we’ve seen rather than the ateez ones, so i'm curious as to who the choreographer was.

the tricking was definitely more ridiculous in this one, but i can't really say any of it was there for no reason because it all had elements of fighting in it. the scale of the tricks was quite large though and not very well blended with the rest of the choreo, which ending up making them look awkward. i thought it was a nice detail that they shone a green toplight on the dancers that made up the cliff wooyoung climbed up so that it looked like there was grass on it. cute.

the blocking is lacking a lot of fluidity, and i think that’s partially the scale of the tricking and also the editing, because this editing is TERRIBLE. there’s so much cutting, why is there so much cutting!! haven’t we already learned that longtakes are the best for this???

there’s a lot of stuff here that had good potential but could have been pushed a little farther. i feel like i say this for every mediocre stage, but what can i say, i'm good at constructive criticism.

they should have given more showcase to the tree and the scratching arms; it's the most iconic move!! i also wish they had kept some kind of iteration of the different unit ‘leaping’ in over the exiting one, i always thought that part of the original choreo was really fun and did a lot for establishing them as wolves.

i LOVED peniel entering with all those backup dancers in chains, thats some fucking iconic shit. very ‘im the alpha wolf,’ which is valid because he’s like at LEAST five years older than everyone else on the stage. i wish that instead of being the backup dancers it was the actual members, because THAT would have been an image. theyre all wearing harnesses and collars anyways, just clip em in! he’d be like one of those dogwalkers!

me last week: specifically talking about how krump is an uncommon style in kpop and it's very hard to get right kingdom, throwing the manifesting dodgeball at me for the third time: here would you like a KRUMP SOLO?

if you didnt believe me before that krump is hard to get right, i sure hope you do now. peniel did fine, but you can see how easily you can veer off into looking ridiculous.

some conclusions

i mentioned this really briefly in an ask i got earlier today, but i do think it's important to establish that the two performance units are doing two different types of performances. i can understand why people are underwhelmed by the atz/skz/btob stage and wanted it to be less of a traditional kpop dance stage and more like the experimental stages we’ve been seeing for the last few weeks. and i agree! i think they could have done more with it. but i also think that this kind of stage was a good choice for this particular subunit. unlike with the sf9/tbz/ikon unit, there are not really any standout technical soloists in ateez or skz. ateez has, in my opinion, the highest ratio of dancers with actual stage presence of any of the 4th gen groups ive seen. they’re at a solid 75% for any given performance, and occasionally they can bump that higher depending on the stage. that high of a stat is rare. it's extremely rare for a group to have all its members have good stage presence (i can think of like, maybe two or three?), and to get over 50% is pretty damn impressive. but ateez’s strength isn’t in how good they individually are as dancers, but it's in how well they work together. there’s a reason why they put FIVE of them in the performance unit. one of the first things i said about ateez to hanya is ‘i love wooyoung but he doesn’t stand out when he's not centre.’ which is for good reason!! he’s not supposed to! they all willingly give up centre and take it back when they need to, because they have that charisma. there’s a very cohesive push and pull to watching ateez that speaks to their strengths as performers. dancing in a group where you are all meant to be equal is a very different skill than just being a talented soloist. you have to understand what to prioritize in a different way. taemin dances differently with shinee that he does in his solo career, especially since they’ve been back. he understands when to step back; more often than not i find key to be the standout dancer in shinee choreo.

this is a very long winded way of saying that wolf was a good choice for them even though the stage didn’t turn out as well as it could have. also the fact that they made a cohesive performance at all, with a week of rehearsal and while working with essentially strangers is a feat and speaks to all of their skill at their job. performing in a group is a huge part of kpop, and they did call this the performance stage, and not the dance stage.

i'm not entirely sure on what the breakdown is on why each of the subunits were formed. i know the team sizes are extremely uneven, with sf9/tbz/ikon clocking in at 26 people and atz/skz/btob clocking in at 17 (i'm not counting changsub because he's not there and probably has a scheduling conflict), which is like, a whole extra group of difference. but atz/skz/btob utilizing their whole groups for each of the units (5/3/1 for performance, 1/3/1 for rap, and 1/1/1 for vocal, for 7/7/3 total), verses sf9/tbz/ikon only bringing out six people for these two stages and then six for the vocal stage is......weird? that's over half of their group number that’s not performing. i do think the groups brought out their standout performers and made smart choices with the stages but the balance still strikes me as odd. i do wish tbz had actually done some group choreo because they are very strong group performers and it would have been fun to watch.

ateez really played the long game here, good job boys. teaming up with the group who gets the highest fan votes AND the group with the strongest technical skills? i see you.

i think this is probably too wild of an assumption and is only based on circumstantial evidence but.....i think hongjoong might actually have a lot more creative sway than i previously thought. all the stages he’s been a part of have been very well designed, and i know he provided suggestions for the two ateez stages prior to this... i’m probably thinking too much.

ok you know what i know there were some other points in my brain somewhere but this is already 4000 words so i’m going to stop. if i remember anything else its probably gonna end up in the answer to some of the asks i’m inevitably going to get because i think my opinions on these ones are a little bit more controversial, whoops!

not entirely sure if ill do an extensive review for next week’s stage, because i'm not really a ballad fan and i dont really do vocal reviews, but i could do a quick one. i guess it also depends on what else they put in the episode. we’ll see!!

#kingdom #kingdom review #ateez #btob #stray kids #the boyz #sf9 #kpop analysis #if you read this i hope you like fun facts about theatre and swords!#despite having never seen me hanya managed to clock that hongjoong and i are extremely similar #so that might be why ive jumped to this nonsensical conclusion #also tbh i do have an opinion on why the unit breakdowns are like that but its mean so i will keep it to myself #ok im done now #i patiently await my asks #text #lol forgot to tag #ikon

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dweemeister · 3 years

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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

In American animation outside of Disney, no other studio inspires as much reverence as Warner Bros. The Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes shorts precipitated into worldwide recognition for those series’ stock characters. Despite this success, Warner Bros. did not release an animated feature until the musical Gay Purr-ee (1962), in association with United Productions of America (UPA). Animators at Warner Bros. from the 1930-1960s knew they were not making high art, nor were they pretending to. Warners, since the 1930s arguably the most financially stable of the major Hollywood studios, has historically seen little need to bankroll animated features. With that in mind, it might come as less of a shock that Warner Bros.’ first in-house animated feature is Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm’s Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Originally intended as a direct-to-home media release, Mask of the Phantasm – based on and made by the production team behind Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) – transcends those modest intentions. It is among of the best superhero films ever made.

In the wake of Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), Batman: The Animated Series, unlike Burton’s efforts, affords time to characterize Bruce Wayne rather than surrendering ample screentime to thinly-written but scene-stealing villains. For that and many other reasons including the looming, vertical art deco-inspired production design of Gotham City; the distinctive and moodiness of its black paper backgrounds; and its balance of dark and lighter tones, BTAS remains a high-water mark among Batman fans – perhaps the best adaptation of the character there is. Mask of the Phantasm builds upon that foundation, in addition to crafting its own unique contribution within the DC Animated Universe (DCAU). As tired as origin stories are, Mask of the Phantasm is part-origin story for the Dark Knight – something largely avoided in BTAS – and somehow integrated here without distracting from the present-day scenes. Rarely is any Batman media a character study of Bruce Wayne, but Mask of the Phantasm proves itself a wonderful exception.

One evening, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Kevin Conroy) attempts to stop a gaggle of gangsters led by Chuckie Sol (Dick Miller) from laundering counterfeit money from a casino. Amid the scrum, Sol escapes from Batman, but immediately confronts a shadowy figure later known as the “Phantasm” in the parking garage – Sol dies in the confrontation. Batman receives the blame for the killing and the concurrent property destruction from Gotham City Councilman Arthur Reeves (Hart Bochner), who just so happened to be profiting from Sol’s racket. Across the film, Bruce reminisces about his courtship with Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany), their breakup, and the lead-up to the creation of his Batman alter-ego. Juxtaposing Bruce’s past and present, we see how he channels his regrets and profound loss into being Batman. The past haunts him still, overhanging the high roofs of Wayne Manor and the ledges of Gotham’s skyscrapers. Back in the present day, the Phantasm has murdered another crime boss; a third murder involves the Joker (Mark Hamill), initiating an emotional dénouement that, because of the intricacies of motivation that the film develops, elevates the film beyond what might otherwise be sloppy storytelling.

The dramatis personae also includes crime boss Salvatore “The Wheezer” Valestra (Abe Vigoda); Andrea’s father, Carl Beaumont (Stacy Keach); the Wayne family butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.); GCPD Commissioner James Gordon (Bob Hastings); and GCPD Det. Harvey Bullock (Robert Costanzo).

The screenplay by Alan Burnett (producer and writer on various DC Comics films and Hanna-Barbera productions), Paul Dini (head writer on BTAS and Superman: The Animated Series), Martin Pasko (a longtime DC Comics writer), and Michael Reaves (head writer on BTAS and 1994-1996’s Gargoyles) keep the film’s attention on Batman/Bruce Wayne, despite the introduction of various subplots and Joker – whose somewhat-questionable presence might seem to indicate a project going off the rails. Shadow of the Phantasm’s placement of flashbacks stems the awkwardness that Joker’s inclusion brings, assuring that the film stays grounded into Batman’s psychology. In past Bruce we see a charming young man with time, money, and looks to spare. His romantic side with Andrea is an element of his life, one that connects – inevitably, tangentially – to the trauma his parents’ murder. His most personal motivations – that which a younger Andrea could never see, and privy to only Alfred – are stuck in the past, circulating around that childhood loss.

The occasional reflections from Bruce Wayne on what his life has become make Mask of the Phantasm the most introspective piece within the BTAS continuity, freed from the constraints and expectations inherent of episodic television. No BTAS episode forces its eponymous character to confront himself to such extents. What Bruce Wayne and Batman have become in the present-day treads perilously close not to his style of vigilante corrective justice, but vengeance. The tragic paradox that lies at the heart of this tension is the soul of the Batman mythos. Anyone with the most basic understanding of who Bruce Wayne/Batman and the Joker are will at least have a glimmer of understanding of that paradox. This portrait of what Batman stands for is more maturely handled than any of the twentieth century live-action Batman films, and with less sensational filmmaking than Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder could produce. But with the film’s screenplay and Kevin Conroy’s iconic voice acting as the Caped Crusader, it becomes an inquest into Bruce Wayne’s tortured soul.

If Mask of the Phantasm ran longer than its seventy-eight-minute runtime, Andrea Beaumont, too, might also have received similar character development as Bruce Wayne here. Even within those seventy-eight minutes, Andrea – with a great assist from Dana Delany’s voice acting (Delany so impressed Bruce Timm here that she was given the role of Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series) – is a nevertheless fascinating character. In a cruel irony, her ultimate role in Mask of the Phantasm is to be an incidental mirror to the violence that occurs in this film. Her decision is not an imposition, whether conscious or unconscious, from someone else, but hers and hers alone.

In this drama fit for opera, this Batman occupies a world of operatic proportions. The background and character animation are not as pristine as the best examples of BTAS due to some scattered bits of animation outsourcing. The animation of BTAS might seem stiff and janky to modern viewers expecting Flash hand-drawn animation or hand-drawn/CGI hybrids. However, Mask of the Phantasm retains the gravity-defying art deco of the animated series that somehow does not clash with the ‘90s-influenced and futuristic elements it integrates. Its primary inspirations are of film noir and the Metropolis seen in the Fleischer Studios’ Superman series of short films (1941-1943). The black paper backgrounds provide Gotham’s street corners and rooftops a nocturnal menace, immersing the viewer into the city’s seediness.

Composer Shirley Walker (orchestrator on 1979’s The Black Stallion, conductor and orchestrator on 1989’s Batman) was one of the few women composers in Hollywood at the turn of the twentieth into the twenty-first century. A pianist (she played with the San Francisco Symphony as a soloist while still in high school) who studied music composition at San Francisco State University, Walker would later become one of the first female film score composers to receive a solo credit for composing the music in John Carpenter’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992). But it is her work in the DCAU that distinguishes her – of particular note is her arrangement of Danny Elfman’s theme to 1989’s Batman for BTAS and a wholly original main theme for Superman: The Animated Series. Though Walker could adjust her style to suit a more synthetic sound, she specialized in composing grand orchestral cues. That style was apparent in BTAS and is adapted here from the opening titles (the lyrics here are actually gibberish and are the names of Walker’s music department sung backwards). The foreboding brass and string unison lines seem to reverberate off the animation’s skyscraper-filled backgrounds. Numerous passages in Walker’s score, as if taking hints from Richard Wagner, elect not to resolve to the tonic – setting up scenes where tension escalates alongside the music, forestalling the dramatic and musical release.

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One stunning exception to Walker’s ominous, atmospheric score is the gentle cue “First Love”, an interplay between solo oboe and synthesizer. Bruce’s flashbacks are not only a balm to the grimness of his present situation, but a musical reprieve from the intensity of the action scoring. That Walker can navigate between such differing moods exemplifies her compositional dexterity and overall musical excellence. Walker, who cited Mask of the Phantasm as her personal favorite composition for any film or television production, was one of the DCAU’s greatest under-heralded contributors. And how I wish she was given more chances to score different sorts of films.

Warner Bros.’ last-minute reversal on Mask of the Phantasm’s release strategy – abandoning the direct-to-home media debut for a theatrical release – meant minimal marketing for a low-budget film that made barely a dent at the box office. The film’s home media release would more than make up for the film’s theatrical release failure. Upon the success of BTAS and the critical acclaim lavished on Mask of the Phantasm, Warner Bros. kept the DCAU on television for another thirteen years, with infrequent direct-to-home media movie releases as recent as 2019.

For numerous DC Comics fans, the DCAU is an aesthetic and narrative touchstone. The limited animation is sublime for this period in animation history. In addition, one will overhear fans remaking that a certain superhero’s definitive portrayal might be thanks to the DCAU. The superhero benefitting the most from the DCAU’s characterization and storytelling is unquestionably Batman. And justifiably so, as Mask of the Phantasm shows due respect for Batman and Bruce Wayne – what molded them and how each persona intertwines with the other. The mythos behind any superhero is found not in fight scenes. Instead, it resides in the psychology and rationalizations that forces a person to directly confront another’s wickedness. Mask of the Phantasm realizes that such confrontations test Batman/Bruce Wayne’s remaining vestiges of humanity, and braves to ask moral questions that too many figures of superhero media would rather not think about.

My rating: 8.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found in the “Ratings system” page on my blog (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not permitting certain posts with links to appear on tag pages, so I cannot provide the URL).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, check out the tag of the same name on my blog.

#Batman #Batman: Mask of the Phantasm #Bruce Timm #Eric Radomski #DCAU #Kevin Conroy #Dana Delany #Hart Bochner #Stacy Keach #Abe Vigoda #Dick Miller #Efrem Zimbalist Jr.#Bob Hastings #Robert Costanzo #Mark Hamill #Shirley Walker #Glen Murakami #My Movie Odyssey

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kryptsune · 4 years

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Souly Damned Saturdays!~

🌼Hello everyone! I am excited to share the next SD Saturday! Today is going to be how the Infernal Realm is set up and a profile on one of my favorite boys, Val. This is going to be a huge one! Let’s get into it! If you have any questions please ask away! There is so much to this world and it’s characters that I don’t want to overwhelm people. *again stunning chibi of my boy Val by @little-noko >////< I love it so much*

~Prince Profile:~

True Name: Valruth Alias Names: Valentine (Val) Nicknames/Titles: The Bloodstained Beast Soul Flower Type: Rose in half bloom Color Type: Ruby with burnt petals Infernal Hierarchy: 2nd Prince of Lust Age Order: 5th Oldest Familiar Form: White Maine Coon/ (Hellcat) True Form Appearance Description: ~Skeletal in appearance ~Prominent fangs (spiked teeth in true form) ~Ruby pointed tongue ~Black horns that are reminiscent of the stereotypical devil ~Skeletal claws ~Clawed feet ~Spaded bone tail with charcoal gradient ~Golden Fang ~Bone damage (cuts) on forearm, ribs, spine, shoulder blade ~Bone and black feather wings (mix)

Human Form Physical description: ~Hair color: White/ cool platinum ~Hair style: slicked back (before modern and reminiscent of the 1920′s) ~Eye color: Ruby/ reddish brown ~Skin tone: Pale ~Contract symbol mark placement: his left shoulder blade ~Height: 5′9

Special Abilities or Powers:

~Mind reading ~Can pull out deepest desire ~Dream walking ~Mental suggestion ~Levitation ~Teleportation ~Fire element ~Veritas (forces those under his influence to tell the truth) ~Lust touch ~Blood vitality/ power ~Servitude ~Calming/ paralysis touch

(more below the cut!)

~SD Q AND A (These are all questions from you! Specifically those in my server):~

1. What is vals usual duties as a prince of hell? Does he have hobbies he enjoys doing? Does he even like humans if so what does he like about them? 🔥Val has less duties as Costello because even though he is a prince he is not the head of that Kingdom. Though to be fair Costello doesn't really mind doing the work it keeps his mind occupied. Mainly it's Val's job to deal with Coven direction/communication. I mean he has hobbies but uh... those are not appropriate to mention. Remember Val's cardinal sin is lust X'D He does enjoy music so he will spend time learning different musical styles or instruments. All in all he is pretty laid back and enjoys a good time. He’s a party boy, but he will be serious if needed. Costello's position allows Val to be kind of a hedonist. His other job is based in contracts. Most Princes don't directly deal with humans unless circumstances allow due to their past history. It's his job to essentially make sure that quotas are being met. Let's just say he prefers the Mortal Realm because he loves messing with mortals.

2. Does Val prefer like manipulating people or playing pranks more? 🔥 He enjoys manipulating people.

3. How does it feel for Val to take another's life? What did it feel like the first time?

🔥 When he first Fell he struggled with the duality of his Clelestial/Infernal blood. It's the concept of the first life he took was hard on him but the moment he looks at the blood he essentially breaks. After that he gains the nickname of Beast because he revels in the kills. Eventually, he earns the "title" of the Bloodstained Beast which is where Beast comes from.

4. Is Val overall sure of himself or does he struggle with loads of insecurities?

🔥He is sure of himself outwardly but alone not so much. Like I said before the majority of the brothers struggle with what they used to be and what they have become. His father's influence pushed his mind to justify the horrible things he has done. When Darrius is locked away the brothers have to come to terms with the monsters they have become.

5. Does Val ever suffer from depression?

🔥I wouldn't call it depression. It is not that severe. It is more like self doubt or regret.

6. What does it mean to be "alive" for Val?

🔥Unlike Infernals born in that realm, the brothers still have their Celestial souls but they are badly corrupted. Being alive for him is feeling the emotions that he used to when he was a Celestial. Think of their corruption as losing a sense of self. Most think that his "highs" come from drinking, pleasure, and the usual sinful fair but that’s not entirely true.

7. Does Val struggle with who he is?

🔥It depends on what part of the timeline. In the beginning he struggles a lot until he snaps but then doesn't care at all as if his original soul has gone numb. Over the centuries he does begin to mellow out and eventually when he meets Eve he changes his tune. Even before their meeting he is far more self conscious.

8. Do Val’s emotions of himself ever reflect on others or does he keep them tightly wound?

🔥He keeps his emotions tightly wound unless he is with someone he trusts and by god is it hard to gain any of these boys trust. They were betrayed by their father and their other family... so they have major abandonment and trust issues.

9. Has there ever been a time where Val considered "love" over "lust"?

🔥Yes! In fact that is what he used to be. He was a Celestial of love and affection. It is one of the reasons that I made his alias name Valentine. Eve is the love of his life and he treats her as such.

10. If the brothers get their hands on souls what do they do with them? Will each prince treat souls differently from one another?

🔥Soul wise they can consume souls for their power, which they are already ungodly powerful already. The only caveat to that is that it corrupts their souls further. Sometimes those souls end up tormenting them for a while before they fade away. Each one has a different effect depending on the soul itself not so much the one who consumes it.

11. What happens to changelings that die? Do they become infernal beasts/imps? or does something else happen?

🔥They essentially meet a permanent end, however, I should mention that they kind of get recycled in a way? Think of it as giving the energy back to the realm. It strengthens it. There are various artifacts and runes of great power strewn throughout the realm that are powered by dead Infernal life forces.

~The Infernal Realm Info~

General Structure:

The Infernal Realm is divided into an odd configuration that would imply something along the lines of Dante’s Inferno but the rings do not consecutively branch out. In the center the Infernal Palace in the capital city of Eden rests surrounded by the homes and residences of the Infernal elite. The ring outside those gates consists of five kingdoms; Lust (being the largest of the five), Pride, Greed, Envy, and Wrath.

The outer most ring consists of the other 2 kingdoms; Sloth and Gluttony. Lastly the outer “walls” or ring is a wasteland for lost souls that neither belong in Heaven or Hell. This is what most would consider to be Purgatory but that would be factually incorrect. The gateway to purgatory is hidden within this land's monochrome and misty forests. There are also rumors that a gateway to the other realms also lies in these woods safely guarded by Infernal Beasts with loyalty to their King. There is in fact a portal to the mortal realm in each kingdom and heavily guarded by whoever each Prince sees fit. In the beginning of their banishment the Princes began to build on the outskirts of the realm working their way inward this causes an influence on the architectural influences. The further out the kingdom the the more ancient. SO each Kingdom is influenced by a specific period in time. This also coincides with the technology seen in the kingdom. The exception are the Prince’s castles. An example of this is Gin’s Kingdom of Sloth. His kingdom is heavily ancient Egyptian based but he is obsessed with the mortal realm so he still has technology but you can only find it in his “castle”. You wouldn’t see that kind of tech outside those walls. In addition each kingdom is divided by a dangerous wasteland in order to deter souls from trying to escape kingdoms.

The only means of travel is a railway that travels from kingdom to kingdom. The tracks move and shift (kind of like the stairs in Harry Potter) to the destination that is required. One needs a ticket otherwise you can’t get on the railway and this is generally used by Imps or the occasional changeling if they are given permission to do so.

Darrius’ Prison (The Wasted Hollow): Darrius is locked in a very specific prison stuck in between the Infernal and the Mortal Realm. It's a cushy small cage that can only be opened by the power of the 12 Princes. There is not a living soul in it except for him. This place dampens his abilities but they all cannot be contained. He has imparted his influence in multiple ways by reaching out to mortals and demons alike. Under his instruction they have created different cults. They are currently clandestine under the New Order and the New Mortal Realm.

Note: If it was possible to get an aerial view of the entire Infernal Realm it would look very similar to a contract symbol or in essence a seal. This is due to the railway system that connects the kingdoms together. It’s a relatively new future as the millennia have progressed but the formation of these lines is in fact in the shape of a pentagram.

~The Kingdoms (7)~

Lust (Inner Ring)- The kingdom that used to be ruled by the current King of the Realm. The hierarchy works that each kingdom rules over a certain sin committed by those punished. The closer that they are to The Capital the richer and more prosperous. It’s era of influence is the Roaring 20′s and that can be seen in it’s more art deco styled architecture and fashion sense. The lust kingdom is ruled by Costello who is the crown prince and following that is Val. He is a prince as well but uncrowned to one of the major kingdoms (he could honestly care less).The kingdom of lust revels in opulence and is known for its material wealth and the demons here tend to be debaucherous and are known for their slave/pet dealings. In this kingdom they tend to be overly needy causing them to sate their desires with damned souls or each-other. It is well known that nothing can really saite these demons appetites for pleasure. They do as they will but continue to follow under the rules set forth by the King. The demons of this kingdom however tend to get away with more considering their kingdoms standing. Lust also does not just account for physical pleasure but lust for things such as wealth or power are prime examples. It is rumored that the two brothers appear to be opposites in their handling of the sin. Costello being more about possession and passion while Beast is more the stereotypical lust. Out of all the kingdoms this one seems to be the “best” one to be sentenced to especially if you find yourself at the feet of its rulers. The humans here are usually taken care of quite nicely though it is also rumored that some of those souls in question do not belong in Hell at all. Appearance wise the Lust kingdoms Castle is paved with marble and gold. It is near spotless excluding wealth and grandeur. The massive walls that hide the Castle from view are covered in thick lush green vines and flowers. They have lace like porticos that spill a strange liquid from snake-like mouths. It is said that a human that even consumes a drop of it will be subject to their demon masters will for eternity. A strong manipulative love potion in essence. The Palace gardens are almost as if they were taken from the Garden of Eden itself which is entirely possible. The further away from the epicenter of the city becomes less ostentatious though not dilapidated by any means. Many of the Infernal elite live in this kingdom commonly.

Pride (Inner Ring)- The kingdom of Pride is ruled by Carthus and Dusk which resides in the inner ring. As such it too exudes opulence at its center. The Kingdom supplies and trains those for the Capitals personal guard as well as the demons that are considered soldiers. This is also the Kingdom of the tainted. Those that are not quite demon but also not quite human. A long time ago when demons walked among the humans in the first mortal realm they wrecked havoc. The Princes of Pride manipulated humanity so much so that they began to turn them away from their old religions so that they would worship them instead.

In turn the two brothers (along with the Princes of the Kingdom of Greed) toyed with human souls creating Infernal half breeds. What humanity calls vampires, werewolves, and so forth. The humans began to decline at rapid numbers since those of half Infernal blood easily hunted the weak. Now they span the wasteland of Purgatory sometimes finding themselves in the Infernal or Mortal Realms.

Humans of high status on earth are also subjected to the same kind of torment they put on others in the worst way possible. Dictators, murderers and the like in this kingdom. It is a series of mind altering and psychologically torturing pathways and darkness. The only ones that are able to navigate this kingdom are those born from it’s depths or the Princes themselves as Dusk is the one that devised this horrifying MC Esher maze. It is influenced by the Late Victorian and Edwardian period. This kingdom’s seasons and magically produced light source can vary but the majority of the time the skies resemble twilight fading into darkness as you get further away from the castle.

Wrath (Inner Ring)- The Kingdom of Wrath is the kingdom of War and bloodlust ruled by Sokan and Azrin. This is the kingdom known as The Cell unlike the kingdom of Lust, Wrath only shows off it’s splendor near it’s castle and some of the surrounding areas. It is mostly utilized as a giant torture pit. This is where souls are sent as punishment of the most severe crimes and tortured mercilessly sometimes torn to shreds only to be revived.

Their leader is a ruthless warden of sorts making sure that everyone obeys the laws both set forth for demon or soul. Demons sentenced to exile are also detained here in this confusing catacomb prison. It is filled with deadly traps and pitfalls to prevent escape as well. The human souls usually sentenced here were the warriors that committed atrocities without a second glance at the innocent. Those that killed children in the name of the king is an example of this.

The Cell is also where souls are twisted beyond recognition and where most new demons are made. In this world demons are made not born and those corrupted souls become the new generation. It could take years. It could take centuries but being thrown into The Cell is a sure fire sentence into Infernal rebirth.

There are two rulers of this kingdom and as such two types of punishments. While Boss rules over the Pit, Azrin is his little torture aficionado. Those sentenced are usually the type of killers that were mentally undone. Ones that took a sick twisted pleasure in their artistry. Those are usually brought from the outside. Their ruler, Azrin, is what one might call… unhinged at best. They are known for their experimentation attempting to twist mortal souls into whatever is desired... following in the footsteps of his older brothers.

Greed (Inner Ring)- The kingdom of Greed is unlike any other kingdom as it houses an insurmountable number of souls within it (even if they don’t last long). It’s influence is the High Gothic Period, just think Dracula’s castle and forest. The ruler of Greed, Crimson, is a ruthless warlord with an unusual thirst for blood and not in the war hungry way. It’s second Prince, Grimm, enjoys torturing souls himself and will generally set up elaborate hunts to that end.

It’s alternate title is that of the Kingdom of Blood. Those unfortunate souls forced to end up in such a horrible kingdom will find themselves subject to experimentation or unwinable hunts. Crimson was the one that started all of this half breed creation along with Carthus and Dusk. Though there were many creatures that came about through this experimentation Crimson and Grimm are specifically tied to two infernal blooded hybrids. The two brothers are most likely where the vampire and werewolf mythology stem from.

Both brothers continue to play with their human “toys” as they did so long ago. They enjoy the thrill of hunting down those sentenced and revel in their success. Crimson prefers the opulence and riches that his sin provides while Grimm is more down to earth. It may account for his more bestial nature as he has a similar animalistic inclination like that of his youngest brother Ouro.

Envy (Inner Ring)- This is the kingdom that trains and outsources spies as well as assassins. Demonic hitmen used to gain political power among their respective kingdoms. They are known for their thieves mostly stealing from their neighboring kingdom of greed, specifically souls. Envy is known as the shadow kingdom usually housing those souls of the occult and black magic. Those that tried to obtain the unobtainable through magical or demonic means like that of Hedge Witches.

Sanneth does not take kindly to this as these souls are tortured for all eternity forced to relive and conjure their own worst fears or transgressions. A never ending nightmare would be an apt description. Like his younger brother Dusk, Sanneth does not embrace his sin as much as the others. His abilities reflect his more Celestial blood but alas he is a Prince and therefore a kingdom he must rule.

Sanneth also happens to be the twin brother of Carthus and the two are constantly at odds. He believes that they can conduct their “duty” without fulling turning into monsters while Carthus revels in his corruption. The 4th eldest prince’s envy could stem from his desire to return to how he once was. The castle rests in a season of eternal Spring influenced by the Japanese Edo period.

Gluttony (Outer Ring)- Those that are placed into this kingdom as punishment are subjected to torture of starvation and thirst. The princes castle is surrounded by a never ending desert with no hope for food or drink. Souls are forced to starve wandering this desert for the rest of eternity. The demons banished into this place feast on mortal corpses that fall, tearing them to pieces like scavengers.

When the sun sets these mortals end up back where they started in one piece having to endure the same torture over and over. Ouro the ruler of his kingdom does not do much in the way of duty. He tends to delegate his jobs to other lower level demons. If a mortal manages to cross the desert the torture is with standing. Any food will turn to ash in their mouths and any water will burn the throat. It is an endless never quenchable thirst and hunger. It’s influence is that of Mesoamerica such as the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations. Sloth (Outer Ring)- Sloth is the final kingdom before the Outer Ring. It is “ruled” by Prince Gin though no one could actually tell you what it takes to maintain the kingdom as he tends to delegate everything to his Dukes.

The souls here are never allowed to rest, forced to work the land for food production. Which is hilarious because food does literally nothing for demons. Ok hilarious in a cruel sick way. The Infernal Princes do like to have their feasts and lavish parties but that food is very different. In essence mortals are forced into a constant state of fatigue. Never able to drink, eat, or most of all sleep.

Gin tends to be selectively lazy but he has a fascination with the modern mortal world and tends to spend a lot of his time acquiring items from there. The poor boy has insomnia so he rarely sleeps since he is so enthralled with his game systems. He is very much a pop culture nerd at times and if you can get on his good side you will find that is probably one of the softer of the Princes. He likes a good time, oh and junk food... lots of junk food. The influence for this kingdom is ancient Egyptian as alluded to earlier since both of the Outer Ring Kingdoms are surrounded by a seemingly never ending stretch of desert.

(That’s it for this week! I hope that gives you all kind of an idea how the Infernal realm works. This is jus the basics and if people are more interested in this I will go into more detail. That is what the ask box is for!) << PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>

#Souly Damned #SD Saturdays #worldbuilding #info #askbox is open #original content #demons #angels #Valruth #Valentine

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