#I'm sure that's desirable for those 'certain artists' but then who do we end up as an audience lmao

[the-90s-music-colosseum]

(Wall of text warning, sorry! I have so many Damon posts saved for when the time came, now I don't know how to disperse them!) This is meant to be more of a five-mile view of Damon's "prettiness," band history more than personal opinion for the most part, but of course that'll never be entirely removed from it.

We're not wrong to laugh at his "it's difficult to be taken seriously when you're a prettyboy" quote, but he really wasn't the only person who thought it at the time; Damon was so pretty that it was regarded as an issue, and it redefined the way the band was marketed, the style of music they were pushed toward, and the way they were treated. Interviews were at times awkward as blushing hosts blurted out how he made them nervous, or took a gossipy tone about his looks and personal life over the music. On occasion they were introduced in pretty crass ways-- one that springs to mind is "the crotch-moistening Blur"-- even when expressing fairly little sexuality in the actual music. Whenever the stage was in reach of the audience, Damon was an object of devastating desire, cried for and groped and clung to no matter how serious the song, no matter how strung out or dead behind the eyes he looked. (I'm not criticizing fans for being eager or having certain expectations based on evolving performance styles through their career, and I think there's a complicated history of bands including Blur doing some distancing from fans themselves, but you do notice how... out of sync the energy can feel at times.)

Damon once spoke of getting rid of all the mirrors in his home (I believe around the same time he first shaved his head, but I don't have the quote/year on me at the moment) and stated that it gave him a sense of clarity to be free from seeing his reflection, and instead he would simply "know who I am." I'm sure his full feelings and motivations are complicated, but he seemed to rebel against his own looks just as often as (and in the end, more than) he took advantage of them.

This excerpt really sums it up, and features an especially great quote from Dave at the end. Sure, many people are pretty, but are they pretty enough that their bandmates advocated for mutilating them?

"The prettiness thing has been a problem. Damon Albarn is one of those people who is supernaturally handsome. He has the upturned nose of an aristocratic 16-year-old girl and big lips, which he licks a lot with a big, fleshy tongue. And, of course, there’s the eyes: fields of bluebells on a summer’s day. But people have a natural distrust of the unbearably pretty. So, in an effort to override the looks issue and get taken seriously, Damon took the objectionable route. In the early days he’d throw up on stage; he’d clamber like a deranged chimp over towering speakers and amps before hurling himself kamikaze-style into audiences; he’d come out with outrageous statements.

As Dave Rowntree, Blur’s drummer, once contemplated, “We should’ve taken a Stanley knife to him in the beginning and things would’ve been oh-so-different.”" - Minx Magazine, 1999

...And no, the irony of discussing this during an attractiveness tournament is not lost on me! Despite the context a younger audience sees him through I don't think of Damon as truly "Instagram pretty," but rather, that perceived shallowness we saw in his sun-kissed face and ski-slope nose became something of a mask on top of a mask on top of a mask, and neither the audience not the subject could settle on the reality because he could never stay comfortable. He wanted to be a pop philosopher, then he wanted to be an unbridled manic youth, then he wanted to be the untarnished English everyman, then he wanted to be the poet of the mundane, and all the while he so fully believed himself to be an artist in the skin of a celebrity; he wanted to be the songwriter to give voice to cruel and universal beauty and not just be the face of it... but he was, really. Maybe he was all of it, maybe none, it just depends on how you see it. His looks, and specifically the type of "obvious beauty" he had, are part of what makes him an interesting (if not necessarily always likable-- and hot take, I don't need him to be) figure I think, because Damon was not the male-fantasy protagonist who "didn't know she was beautiful." He was so aware of it that it made him neurotic and defensive and bizarre, and none of that seemed to change everyone around him having a fixation on it as well. 30 years since their debut, the conversation around Damon still fixates on it.

...Note that this doesn't mean I won't still be sending in prettyboy propaganda. Hey, he was one whether he appreciated it or not.

Very different world it would've been if Dave wasn't joking!

[sweetescapeartist]

HOW NETWORKING IN THE DB FANDOM IS USED AGAINST EARTHLING FANS

Warning, this is a long post & will probably upset some Saiyan fans. But this is meant for Earthling fans. So...yeah.

Networking.

That's how they do it.

Ppl want Vegeta to cuck Krillin? Network with ppl who have Roshi cuck Krillin. They use their influence to convince others to do what they like. You want to be part of their group and become more popular? Well, you better draw or voice or write or animate stuff they like. This way they can say "Look what this person did for me. Support them." Then they say to that person "Can you do more of that for me? I'll make sure to get your name out there more."

When ppl network, they often make others feel like they owe them "favors." But they don't always do so when they also have common goals. If they dont have common goals as the ones in positions of power, then they better get in line.

Why do you think a lot of these big DB YouTubers, certain artists, certain voice actors, ect know each other? And why do you think they all have similar ideals? Saiyan this, Saiyan that, make fun of Krillin & Yamcha and downplay anything they do, overhype Saiyans, ect. Ppl who don't do those things, they grow their audience at a slower rate OR they are prevented from growing by the influence of ppl who support Earthling hatred.

The fans of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, or other Saiyans who want to cuck the Earthlings all do networking. This is part of the obsession with Saiyan males x female characters.

(Personally I view that obsession as the same as the obsession of woman being "blacked" or "bleached" or whatever. The Saiyan obsession is race based and with a superiority complex. So when I see posts like the one linked below... Its literally the same as having Saiyan males with all the women because fans present this idea that Saiyans are superior.)

(Replace "black guy" {or a guy of any race} with "Saiyan." When its a Saiyan, its acceptable. If its not a Saiyan, its bad despite both being nearly identical ideas. Ironic. Don't ppl realize that many Saiyan fans use Saiyans the exact same way? They view themselves as Saiyans and hate Earthling men but desire their women. Its the same as "This race is superior and will humiliate the men of this race and take their women." except now they use a fictional alien race instead of real world races.)

MY RESOLVE

I know some about networking because I've worked in the business. I don't like those kinds of jobs, but I have knowledge of how they work. (I'm sure some of y'all have a better understanding of networking than I do.)

If I wanted to (but I have no desire to do so), I could draw 18 x anyone but Krillin or 18 x Saiyans & grow quickly. Then once I'm big, promote Krillin & K18. But that's foolish. I'd be "cut off" in a way. If I'm no longer producing what the big influencers want me to, then I have lost their support as well as the support of their fans who only like me because of my association with the influencers. Then my most popular art would consist of things that I dislike but drew for clout or money. And cause I understand how networking functions, I wont compromise myself just to gain popularity. I'll take the slow route & make it so that ppl either end up enjoying what I do, or make it impossible for them to ignore it.

WE NEED TO NETWORK MORE

Negative networking has made most of the fandom trash on K18. Big influencers promote Krillin being a cuck or 18 leaving him to be with anyone. And like brainless sheep, many in the fandom follow the "popular" ppl. And then when you try to find art of Krillin with 18, most of it is of him getting cucked or it's art where 18 is not with him at all. They make it so you cannot ignore it. Use that tactic against them. We've had to fight against it for years & have come to understand how it works. Flip that on those ppl who have never battled against that strategy, & they will not know what to do. Besides lie & claim victim as they always do. If not that, they try to silence you in multiple ways. But they do that all the time.

There's a reason why my twitter is permanently stuck on "marked as sensitive." I posted facts about Vegeta's flaws when he was evil, then got a bunch of angry Vegeta stans coming my way, then suddenly I'm permanently on "marked as sensitive." And after that, the angry Vegeta stans don't come around as much. A very odd coincidence. But I've seen crazy Vegeta stans threaten to report YouTubers for making videos that made fun of something Vegeta did. Even saw them threaten to report when a YouTuber simply criticized Vegeta when he was evil. This is how they try to silence ppl who they view as a threat. (Twitter won't help me with this either.)

An illustration;

Because most of the population is right-handed, a left-handed swordsman trains to fight battles against right-handed ppl. But how often do right-handed ppl train to combat left-handed people? Never. And when right-handed people face a left-handed swordsman, they are at a disadvantage despite being the majority.

Those "left-handed swordsmen" are the fans of the Earthlings who endure lies & hate all the time. We know how to fight the "right-handed" majority. Been doing so for years. But we've been doing so separately. But if we were to network amongst ourselves? We can change how the fandom views our favorite characters quicker than we may believe. We have to gather & network. Sure we can take on a bunch of hateful liars without help, but think about a group of "left-handed swordsmen." If 1 of us can take on 100, then 100+ of us can take on 10,000+. Being the underdogs makes us stronger.

We can deal with more than they can because they don't have to fight daily lies & hate.

We can reason better than they can because they have no pressure to be accurate.

But they want us divided so that never happens. They want us to fight amongst each other so that their fight against us can be easy.

Of course there would still be debates between us about which Earthling fighter is the strongest (its Krillin btw 😝) but we dont let that divide us in our goal. Do Saiyan fans let it divide them when they argue if Goku, Vegeta, or Gohan are the strongest? No. Many are still very much united against the Earthlings. We need to be the same, but present logic and rationale instead of lies.

Ppl will tell you as the have told me "Why dont you just stop talking about Saiyans or Vegeta and just do your Krillin stuff? I hope you lose everything!" The reality is that they are fearful. Because we speak truth and facts about the characters while they build fanbases around lies. We can easily tear down the lies they built. They want us to be peaceful while their side keeps attacking without mercy. Only a fool remains peaceful.

But if you are a K18 fan, Krillin fan, Yamcha fan, or Earthling fan who doesnt want to meet their "sword" with another "sword" and would rather use a "shield" then, that is fine. Your positivity without combat is also required. What good is a soldier if they do not have ppl to equip them? To help them strategize, to build defenses, to give them knowledge & intel, to motivate them. Not everyone has to fight or lead publicly. Some can lead behind the scenes and fight by continuing to post positivity about the Earthlings.

My only regret in "going to war" against Earthling haters is that it may ruin some friendships I have with friends who love the Saiyans but wish the Earthlings nothing wrong. But fans of Earthlings and fans of Saiyans are not on the same playing field. And until we make it so that were are on the same playing field, some friends will be lost if they refuse to understand logic & reasoning. But if a Saiyan fan understands you? They are a reasonable person but will be considered a "traitor" by the Saiyan stans. They must make their decision. You must make your decision.

I've made my decision, and I still have some of my friends who Saiyan fans. I lost one in particular who claimed they were tired of seeing Krillin in hentai all the time. They said that they did not like Krillin x DB ladies, only if Krillin was with 18. But oddly enough, they enjoyed art of Saiyan characters x 18 and other women. I made sure the friendship ended peacefully, but it ended nonetheless. They had some sort of misinformed bias against Krillin. I dont know where exactly it came from, but I've spoken with popular & influential ppl who inaccurately & purposefully claim that there is more hentai of Krillin with DB women than Saiyan characters & that 18 is not the most used female in DB hentai. Those ppl play victim and poison the minds of others with their lies and use their position of "power" to do so. I've fact checked them and all they can do is deflect because they know they are lying. But their lies have already influenced many.

WHAT WE CAN DO...

I have a lot of ideas, so I'll be reaching out to certain artists I respect to get comms done. I can't draw it all myself 'cause I dont have near enough time. I'm also turning my comic ideas into fics that I can draw later.

But what can we do as a community?

Build a respect for your fellow Earthling fan before you build a trust. Trust without respect can be easily broken. If a fellow Earthling fan doesn't make themself deserving of respect, then leave them be.

Come up with ideas together (as some have reached out to me & I with some of them). This strengthens the respect and trust.

Work together with other Earthling fans who will help make those ideas a reality.

Help promote each other's fics, art, blogs, videos, ect. (Best way to get me to help promote something you've done, then DM something you want me to reblog.) (I'll try to do better in this regard to promote others.)

Give each other corrective criticism when needed and realize that not all cristicism is bad. But if you personally find no use for parts of the criticism, disregard it and continue on.

When an artist cucks Krillin or Yamcha, they will claim to like Krillin or Yamcha in order to protect their butts. But, try flipping their false logic on them and say "You like (insert Saiyan characters here) too. Now cuck them in your next one like you did with Krillin/Yamcha." And keep doing so often. They will either try to find a way out with excuses, refuse, or give in and do it. Then we just keep pressuring them to do so more often. They are weak to pressure if enough is applied. Pressure to be popular is one reason why they cuck Krillin & Yamcha. We just need to do so in our favor. If they like Gohan or Vegeta like how they like Krillin or Yamcha, then why dont they draw the Saiyans getting cucked? Why don't we just apply a little pressure and see what happens? 😉😈

Have each other's backs in disputs if possible, but try to remain more composed than your opponent. But if a Saiyan fan is too ignorant and too stubborn to believe reality, dont waste your time & just leave. No reason to prove your point to someone who denies truth. They are a waste of your time and energy. Let your "opponent" stay wrong sometimes. Most of the time they just want to fuss. A correct person doesn't need to argue if they've made their point clear.

Make sure that you understand the Earthling characters as well as the Saiyan characters. You must know your "enemy" to defeat them. (Which is why I have informative posts about Saiyans on my blog instead of only Earthling information. Knowledge is power.)

My personal addition is our alliance of Earthling fans would exclude Roshi & Oolong fans. And even certain Mr. Satan fans.

I use actual character traits to make my comics and art believable to combat the hatred towards Krillin. They base their cuck/NTR stuff on lies. If we make any stuff where the Earthlings cuck/NTR the Saiyans, then we base it in truth. Lies attract eisier, but truth is undeniable.

Sidenote; Aint it crazy how Saiyan fans will work hand-in-hand with certain Earthling fans who make content of Roshi, Oolong, or Mr. Satan cucking Krillin & Yamcha? (But more often its Krillin.) This is a clever tactic. How so? They promote the idea that Saiyans are stronger and superior while working with people who promote that extremely weaker characters both cuck Krillin & Yamcha. They have managed to weaponize Earthlings against Earthlings for their own gain. They mind little if it effects their favorite Saiyan character so long as it greatly & continuously damages the reputation of certain Earthling characters. (Its a "Do more art of Krillin & Yamcha getting cucked by Roshi & Oolong instead of Goku & Vegeta. Or better yet, since we're friends now, do more art of Saiyans cucking Krillin & Yamcha. You'll have my support and the support of my fans.")

Because of this, I plan to exact some sort of justice through indisputable facts. Examples being that Roshi is an extremely elderly man who likes getting beaten up by weaker women & watching women he's attracted to be with other guys; (a masochist cuck with E.D.). Oolong would rather peep instead of engage, & the girls he kidnapped made him their servant; (a submissive cuck). Mr. Satan is a coward who is easily turned into a "bitch" by anyone slightly stronger than him and will do whatever they say as he quickly became Majin Buu's servant without even being threatened; (can also be described as a submissive cuck). The battle-addicted Saiyans are built for battle instead of pleasure (small penis size like the primates they're based off of) and prefer combat over family as they gain pleasure from fighting & will leave their wives alone for a loooong time; (NTR anyone?).

°Twitter link that explains more of my thoughts.° 👇

EVENTUAL DISCORD SERVER

I do plan on making a Discord server. That way us like-minded individuals can converse and work together. But one of the rules would be to have some sort of respect for each other. Aint gotta always agree, but if we respect each other, we can still get along and build towards our goals. Keep it as civil as possible amongst ourselves. Many Saiyan fans want us to fight amongst ourselves to make their job easier. Dont give them what they want. And I'm sure some of us in the server will hate Saiyans while others will like them but are tired of them being worshiped because of lies and other dumb reasons. I may have to make a specific channel for ppl who want to vent about Saiyans. We'll figure it out as we go. All in due time.

Also gotta think of a cool name for the server that represents the Earthlings. "Earth's..." Idk. "Defenders of Mankind." Too much? "Earthling Defenders." Maybe? "Earth's Genki Dama." Might be better.... Kinda creativity bankrupt at the moment 😅

[argentumcor]

Paracausal Refit Future

This series has lived in my head for a long time, ideas bouncing about, but I wanted to badly to keep it to canon that I put a lot of them on the backburner. (Oooh, that's numerous mixed metaphors, I'm almost proud.)

I find, generally, canon is more a gift than a restriction. Writers, especially pros, who complain about it are pussies and/or egotists. Art needs limits and discipline, because otherwise it gets out of hand...and the artist might be tempted to even greater self-indulgence than he or she already endures by nature of being an artist.

However, Destiny just...I don't know, since Stasis was introduced as a power Guardians could get, kind of going in directions I found I didn't like. The underpinnings of the Light and Darkness conflict, as well as the interesting ideas involved in how paracausality worked, were being abandoned. (Knowing what I do of the development and watching the writing, I think there was a lot of philosophical conflict in the writers' room for this game, applying to both the overarching story and characters). I'd say Plunder was the real start of the true downward swing, though. Just a lot of wasted potential, from Spider's heel-face turn to the lackluster fight between Eramis and Mithrax to the effing Nezcafe, just slapped together. Others have gone at length upon the issues with Lightfall's story, I have nothing of note to add there.

It all feels so perfunctory. It feels like these epic, interesting, fun setups and just no...funds or time or interest or skill to finish them off properly.

Seraph so transparently existed only to tie up Rasputin's loose ends. As well as the loss of the potential of a mortal Exo Rasputin, what else is there for Ana to do? She's just some other Hunter with a tech interest as far as the story cares with Rasputin utterly gone. I don't like her, but people do, and she is there, but what is she left to do? Live a life out of one of those boring modern Marvel comics? (The answer, I am 99% certain, is yes.)

Someone must have lobbied to tie up Asher's long-dangling plot thread and promised it would be done in as cheap a way as possible. There was an exotic mission with some fun stuff, but we didn't learn anything much, and then Asher- the fighter against all odds, the man so irritated that he refuses to die- just offs himself because the odds look hopeless. We don't even learn anything about the Veil, Osiris did that with no connection to that questline at all. (I know they could bring him back, but that thing with Ikora and Mithrax felt final).

I think Savathun is going to really die at the end of this season as part of Eris' plan, which will wrap that up and waste a brilliant character.

I am sure The Final Shape will be fun. I'm not sure it will be a satisfying story. Going to the Cayde memberberries well makes me very apprehensive. There's interesting potential there, for sure, but I doubt it will be properly explored.

This is a very long way of saying I'm not really satisfied with the way canon has been handled. Dissatisfied to the extent that I feel driven to do something about it, which isn't often. I'm dissatisfied with the lack of a follow-up to Dredd (2012), but am not driven to write a sequel. I found The Mandalorian Season 3 deeply dissatisfying, but I have no desire to try to fix it in fic.

I find myself driven to tackle Destiny's story in Paracausal Refit, in much the same way I was driven to write an admittedly very strange (and long, how did that happen) work following up on Cyberpunk 2077. I should use the time and ideas for my own work- I've got a novel to write and more in the mental queue- but I will add this to the mix anyway, and not scrub the serial numbers off. There's a sense of writing it being the right thing to do, a sort of righting of a creative wrong, while Orpehus After the Fall was, hm, a commentary that needed to be made.

It's so far from purely that, I enjoy writing and I enjoy having fun with the characters and worlds, but the motive is not just that. It's not to get off, either, literally (I will never write a sex scene; among other things, it would be badly written) or in an ego sense.

I have some ideas to organize, I guess.

[legionofpotatoes]

Not the same anon as the matrix art ask, but there are plenty of artists I've seen who have a general "do not use my art for anything" rule simply to make their stance very clear on people not using/reposting their artwork without permission

Granted, thieves are gonna thieve anyway, but I guess it helps minimize people trying to take your words out of context. I've seen plenty of assholes take "personal use" to mean "oh, so I can sell your art for my own profit, cool" and then shit talk the artist when they get called out for being a scummy prick (uncommon, sure, but I've seen it enough times to know it's a real issue)

Obviously, there's no harm in using someone's art as your background/wallpaper if that's genuinely your intention, but I think anyone asking for permission to do so is probably aware of the art theft junk to some degree and is honestly just trying to be respectful

my caveats with "personal use" were private, individual, and non-commercial. I definitely don't go around touting those two words freely either, and I deal with enough art theft to force me to partition a separate work day every month to curate takedown requests. I'm as jaded as they come, I'd like to think.

and sure, those are all good and sound arguments for someone's internal moral compass and I respect that, and I fully appreciate them in almost every other case of "use"; be it reposting, roleplaying, using as icons or banners, tattooing them on, etc. since all of those uses, in some shape or form, imply public display of those images that will then invite the audience's eye and drastically improve artist discoverability if a credit is slapped on, but will create an invisible two-step barrier that most will not work to engage with if that credit isn't there. I get all that, and I aggressively champion authorship credits in my overall content sharing etiquette on the internet, for those exact reasons.

But I'm gonna be 100% honest with you here, when it comes to background pictures for my extremely private goober that I carry around in my own pocket and use with my own two eyes and no one else's, I tend to just save and set whatever wallpaper I want? 😬 it falls into a completely different category of "use" to me. again, I am not saying I don't appreciate the respectful place these asks are coming from, but they do truly baffle me on some level when I try to imagine that headspace: how would an artist be a) impacted monetarily; b) lose even granular awareness; c) or even find out to then exercise some other form of arbitrary reasoning? it's a bit strange!

but I'm not gonna like die on this hill cause everyone asking is a total sweetheart and again I love where it is coming from. But it is still strange with the lockscreens! is all I'm saying 😅

[windblumebards-blog]

So I wrote this at like...2am? Because I heard this cover of Prince Ali and it sounded just like Venti and I was inspired 😂 it's not finished-not sure if I will but. I will put the song with artist at the end because I want you to read first and then listen to the song since its supposed to be like things happening fast, at the pace of the song but I can't exactly do that, but you'll get what I mean 🤣

Venti x Fem Reader

~Traveler Y/n~

Backstory:

You're a well known traveler like Aether, though you have no desire to leave Teyvat you still follow along Paimon and Aether in aid to find his sister. You've helped with all the wars from storm terror to the vision hunt decree. In all your journeys, you've come to fancy a certain alcoholic bard who just so happens to also, be a god. He never left your thoughts.... He always teased you and sang stupid little songs to try and get you to go out and get a drink with him. But you always laughed at him and told him how funny he was being never taking him to serious. He was a drunkkkk, lonelyyyyyy, god who probably hadn't actually considered your feelings. So you never gave yourself hope of anything more. But little did we knowwww....

Present:

Aether and Paimon invited you to dinner and a show at Angel Share, it wasn't out of the norm for them to invite you places, but it felt odd because they seemed like they couldn't hide their excitement over something? You didn't pay much attention to it, they're always up to something.

8 pm rolls around and you make your way to the given destination of Dilucs famous Angel Share Tavern. You could already hear the music and loud shouting as you approach the door. The street lit up from the warm light of the taverns windows. As you open the door, you see the bar.

In the background (song lyrics): 🎵

"Make way, here she comes!

Ring Bells! Bang the drums!"

Aether and Paimon are already there inside a few feet to your left, and Diluc stands behind the bar. Eyes closed and mixing drinks.

"Your gonna love this girl!

Traveler Y/n!  Fabulous as she!

Traveler Y/nnnn!"

Looking around some more, as you become aware of everything. The crowd is split in half, a perfect walk way in the middle to the stage. Some are standing, and dancing with cups in their hands. Others are sitting and singing. It's straight out of a movie. Everyone was involved. You begun to look up at the stage to the performer you heard from outside. It's Venti. He's up on stage with a wine bottle in his hand, dancing around and singing. Telling a story, as always. With a band behind him.

"Genuflect, show some respect"

He looks directly at you, and while smiling and bowing-

"Down on one knee!"

He stands back up and begins to dance around the crowd while singing,

"Now, try your best to stay calm

Brush up your Sunday Salaam

Then come meet her

Spectacular coterie

Ow!

Traveler Y/n! Might as she!

Traveler Y/nnnnn

Strong as ten regular men,

definitely!"

Suddenly Diluc chimes in,

"She faced the dragon strom terror,"

Paimon too,

"A hundred bad guys with swords!"

Venti, who had now made his was down the middle, getting closer to you resumes:

"Who sent those goons to their lords?

Why, Traveler Y/n!"

Men from the crowd,

"She even fought up on the Jade Chamber"

The women,

"The vision hunt decree,

She's battled and faced so much!"

Venti was now walking right up to you

"When it comes to exciting stories to tell,

she has many to share!

I'm telling you, it's a world

class menagerie!"

Venti finally approachs you. Holding his wine bottle in one hand, and put his other on your cheek. You put your hand on tops of his in shock. Never once breaking eye contact.

"Traveler Y/n, beautiful is she,

Traveler Y/nnn"

His hand moves from your cheek to your waist

"That physique! How can I speak?

Weak at the knees"

Venti grabs your right hand and lifts it to show you to the crowd,

"Well, get on out in that square

Adjust your veils and prepare"

He twirls you

"To gawk and grovel and stare at

Traveler Y/nnnnnn!"

to be continued...

Song: Prince Ali

Artist: Annapantsu

[aot-snk-4238]

My thoughts on AOT No Requiem (Fanmade Ending) Part 1:

With another chapter of this story coming out soon, I thought now would be a good time to share my thoughts on the first part. Before I do that, though, I have a few things that I would like to get off my chest.

A part of me hates that this project exists. Not because I find it disrespectful, but because it serves as a bitter reminder of what a complete mess this ending caused among many fans. I'm still in disbelief how things got so bad so quickly. First, you've got the people who hated it. People began turning on Isayama and calling him a terrible or incompetent writer, regretting ever getting into the series, insisting that it was worse than Game of Thrones, the list goes on and on. People who liked the ending are now endlessly referred to as "ending defenders" or more crude names like "Isayama cockriders," as though they're a bunch of incompetent fools who don't know the first thing about reading comprehension all because they just happened to like it. And then of course you've got the other extreme end of the spectrum where the ones who were disappointed are accused of not understanding the story or they're only upset because their favorite ship or fan theory didn't become canon. This, too, is very demeaning and invalidating for those who grew up with this series that they gave their heart to and cherished for so long, only to have it do what they felt was a complete 180 at the very last second that undid every part of the story they thought was special and unique. It's one of the hardest slaps to the face you can get as a reader and long-time fan, and while I can't fully relate to everyone's feelings, I can at least understand and acknowledge that it's there and it shouldn't be laughed at. Now with all of that out of the way, here are my thoughts and analysis of this fanmade ending and how it differs from Isayama's.

To start things off, I found that part 1 started off similar to how 137 did in the canon manga, with Armin and Zeke conversing in PATHS. The biggest difference would be kid Eren being transported there and seeing his older self. To be fair though, this chapter was only about half the length of what we're used to reading, so I'm sure we'll get a lot more in part 2 onwards.

While Zeke is enlightening Armin on the history of the earth and how the life form that attached itself to Ymir sought to avoid death forever, young Eren is in PATHS too with his older self, witnessing the moment Ymir found the tree and fell in it to become the first titan. At first, there is no dialogue exchanged between them. They just hold hands and watch. Meanwhile, Zeke is still talking to Armin about Ymir and how she continued to serve her oppressive master despite acquiring godlike powers that would allow her to obliterate him whenever she pleased. This is where the team working on this project attempt to provide their own alternate possibilities as to why this happened in a way that would make more sense than what we were given in the canon story in which she simply had a severe case of Stockholm Syndrome and couldn't let him go no matter how much he made her suffer.

So what are these new possibilities? They come in the form of a question, so their validity is not made absolutely certain, but they're presented as the most likely candidates nonetheless.

According to Zeke, she was unable to separate her own desires from King Fritz and was a lost girl who sought meaning. A place to belong. Tragically, King Fritz was the only connection she had in her life, so she clung to it with everything she had despite it being toxic and abusive. I could argue that these are the very reasons why she supposedly loved the king in the official manga, as explained by Eren in 139, but they weren't explained or touched on as plainly as they were here. I feel like they could have been if Isayama had just been given more time, but sadly the whole thing was rushed and underdeveloped.

Moving on, Zeke states that despite his efforts in trying to understand Ymir and her feelings, it was Eren who ultimately was able to get to her and offer her the choice of freedom. The next page transitions to young Eren standing in the clouds with his arms spread out and a smile on his face just like in the official 137, only this time 19yo Eren is next to him. Now I'm going to be honest here, this is where things started to get a little corny for me. Yeah. I know a lot of people hate that argument, but that's just how it felt to me. And before I say anything else, I want everybody to know that I am in no way about to mock anyone's fondness of this Eren over the one we saw in 139, even if it was a little over-the-top. It's perfectly fine to prefer one over the other, I'm just going to try to explain myself the best I can without coming across as harsh or unprofessional.

Eren is drawn in these panels to be a stone-faced, determined and unstoppable force who will "keep moving forward until his enemies are destroyed." This is the Eren that many people grew most familiar with throughout the series, despite his occasional breakdowns, but something about the way it was executed just felt a little too overdramatic and exaggerated. For me, the contrast between this Eren and the Eren we were presented with in 139 is too jarring. It came across to me as the fandom's idealized version of Eren, the "chad" Eren if you will, rather than Isayama's portrayal of Eren who is cold and determined, but has also been experiencing stunted mental growth ever since the day he saw his mother get eaten; side note: I know that Eren himself was responsible for his mother's death, but that's a discussion for a later time. Not only that, but the "keep moving forward" line starts to get overused at this point. We already heard Eren say this a number of times before 137 where this first fanmade chapter takes place, so I didn't find it necessary to include that at the end, but it seemed to be the writers' way of trying to reinforce Eren's ultimate goal.

Regarding the rest of the chapter, young Eren asks older Eren what Ymir is still waiting for after he showed her that she's not alone. 19yo Eren proceeds to explain that while he was able to make her feel something again, she still needs somebody to free her. He shows his younger self all of the visions from PATHS that he's seen so far, ranging from past events to alternate realities to things that couldn't be changed no matter what. Now there is only one path left that he strives toward. The one that he believes will grant him and his people freedom. This next line is the one that stood out to me the most throughout this fanmade chapter. Still talking to kid Eren, adult Eren says, "When you wake up, you will forget what you learned, but not what you felt here. This will all feel just like a long dream." Only when he kisses Historia's hand will it all come back to him. This line more clearly explains why Eren woke up crying in chapter 1, but couldn't remember why. Then he circles back to how he intends to carry out his own plan to end the cycle of hatred once and for all. Despite his efforts along the way, he couldn't change the flow of PATHS and save the friends he lost or prevent certain events from happening altogether, so he had to accept that sacrifices had to be made. In this case, he will have to literally sacrifice the world, much to Armin's horror.

To wrap this up, I'm going to finish comparing this to the canon 137, but since the first part of this project only covers the PATHS portion of it, that's where I'll stop as well. To save a little but of time, I'm just gonna be lazy and copy the first part of a quick overview of the chapter I found as part of the wiki:

So clearly, canon 137 starts off focusing a lot more on Armin and Zeke's differing philosophies and does not provide any further insight into Eren's ultimate motives like this one does, at least not yet. Armin and Eren are bound to face off soon in this fanmade version, but it looks to me like this time the writers are planning on flipping the outcome and having Eren come out victorious instead, especially when I remember the name of this project and what it's based on. I guess that means that in a way, I already know what's ultimately going to happen throughout the rest of this project. Whether it's going to be considered superior to the actual ending is going to depend on if its executed properly. I could very well be wrong about some of this, though. I want to give it a fair shot since these people have clearly put a lot of hard work and passion into this, so I will refrain from further judgement until we get the full picture. On a side note, I just want to say that the artwork is beautiful so far and I commend every artist responsible for their efforts. I also liked the song choice at the beginning and thought it set the mood pretty well.

Thank you to everyone who read the whole thing. This took me far longer to write than it should have because I'm not always good at expressing myself in a way that does not come across as confusing or contradictory. I will continue to share my thoughts as more content is released, which by the looks of it could be any day now.

[mamamittens]

While I enjoy the fruits of my favorite bath bomb's labor, here's a handy guide for those poor, unfortunate souls that

Isekai'd into another dimension (specifically One Piece)

Now, as much as we all low-key want to sail the high seas, we're very much aware that not all of us can make the cut.

Some of us have a crippling fear of the deep ocean and what's inside it (which, I mean, is an even bigger concern in OP if we're being honest here 😰)

Some of us have chronic conditions that make life as a marine OR pirate very Ill advised (God, I've never seen an asthmatic in OP so I'm not betting my chances on inhalers being common).

And some of us have little to no desire to know what it's like to be almost bisected by a blade or bullet and fully expected to just... Walk it off.

So! What do you do if you're not going to be the sweet honey bee to a handsome pirate or lovely marine??? Or even be the handsome pirate/marine yourself???

You get a job. Unfortunately.

Look, I know it's not glamorous or sexy, but let's face it, a lot of the people in OP you'd LIKE to be involved with are either completely not interested in anything but their singular hyperfixation or... Probably not someone you should consider good dating material on a good day.

If you can even reach them to begin your whirlwind romance in the first place.

The dating scene in OP has to be ROUGH.

So! What kind of job should you look out for?

Well, believe it or not, but certain jobs will literally never be beyond demand. Especially in the more chaotic areas like the Grand Line.

Construction!

That's right! With the amount of damage going around on these islands, you will literally never find yourself without a job for longer than it takes to hear about the latest hairpin trigger, violence prone pirate denied a drink. Or a Marine who likes to burst through walls.

And sure! It's a broad category, but even some simple wood working skills under your belt will be appreciated after a good bar fight. If you happen to know how architecture works, expect a steady demand from marines and mayors of desolated town alike!

And if you do end up getting recruited for whatever reason, you'll be more valuable for knowledge on construction repair. Which, need I remind you, is pretty important on a ship. Regardless of the sea.

Tattoo artist

Look, we all know that the preferred way to declare loyalty here is through a tattoo. And those bad boys are expensive! And they even require touch ups later on, though the odds of a pirate coming back for that is low.

Great news is that even today tattoo shops have apprenticeship programs, so it's not like they'll ask for a college diploma. Assuming they ask any questions to begin with. And no one really talks about who they got a tattoo from, either, so you don't have to worry about Marines getting on your ass about working for a particular crew either.

And we don't really hear about them getting swept up in a crew, either, so you're safe from being surprise recruited for the most part.

Field doctor/nurse!

Okay, so this one is a bit harder to pull off because of schooling reasons, but simple first aid knowledge can probably score you a decent spot in a village somewhere under a local doctor. And you're not like, uber knowledgeable, so most pirate crews would think twice before bringing a non-combatant onboard because they know how to wrap bandages.

Not totally safe from that, though, but if you do end up getting recruited, you're more valuable than the standard grunt at least! Enough to avoid having to fight people if you don't want to, if nothing else. Most people don't want to piss off doctors, and a pirate crew with limited access to medical care even less (if they have sense).

And if you have the stomach for it, you can probably learn under a better doctor somewhere for more knowledge!

For some reason, Marines don't really seem to care too much about who healed who, so as long as you don't get caught, you can help out too.

Brewery

Okay, so this one is also a little dicey, but if you happen to be in a particular territory, you can make absolute bank with a good brewery.

I mean, these guys drink a lot! A lot a lot! So you don't even need to be god-tier good!

Adjacent to this is a bar owner, though that's a little more dangerous by nature so watch out. They also never seem to be recruited into the Marines or pirate crews, though they do appear to retire from them. Maybe working under one would be safer? Depends on where you are I guess.

A tailor!

You will never convince me that most people buy right off the rack. And we don't see most people altering their outfits either, so you just know the demand for a tailor is high! Especially for the bigger folks.

The danger with this one though is that most of the bigger people tend to be mean as shit, so you might want to be really good at your job before moving somewhere you can expect say... Big Mom to show up. And custom outfits are pretty common.

With some luck you can get a wealthy pirate/marine patron and be set until they die, cause these people DEDICATE to a look.

Expect better results with knowledge in costuming departments or formal wear, cause for some reason, the amount of people fighting in normal jeans and tees is shockingly low.

And that's all that I can think of for now!

Remember, you're never %100 safe from the plot, but you can play the odds with quick thinking!

[eppysboys]

[1/2] re: the anon who wondered if john would have "liked to be a girl"... i've wondered that too, if he might have been a trans woman without the vocabulary or experience to know it. yoko also has some obvious gender baggage too imo, and i think that even if they were/are both cis, this might have been part of the dynamic at the core of their marriage (john wanted to be the woman and yoko wanted to be the man, and i'm sure that's what they agreed on, but john didn't keep up his end, huh?)

[2/2] that john could have been suffering gender confusion (as well as his attraction to yoko's "crypto masculinity") is actually suggested in the book 'the beatles with lacan', so we're def not the first people to wonder about this, but i've never seen it talked about anywhere else. i mean, a lot of ppl have a hard time accepting john lennon might have been a bisexual man, so we might be a few decades too early to drop the "what if john lennon was a... STRAIGHT WOMAN?" hottake

Hi anon! I’ll start off by saying thank you for introducing me to the The Beatles with Lacan book, interesting stuff! Taken with a few grains of salt, of course, given the roots of certain psychological beliefs within those theories. I think it would be brilliant if a qualified psychologist with experience in queer theory and history could perhaps do their own analysis without some of the more....outdated language.... and just better methods of analysis in general that don’t stem from Freud!

To properly answer you though, I do think it’s tricky because to contemplate this sort of thing, because  - for example, in regards to the John and Yoko thing - you have to try and untangle John’s sedation and depression from his possible desire to ‘be the wife/woman’. I think his and Yoko’s living situation came primarily from how they indulged each other’s less healthy behaviours - John wanting to be taken care of, being totally passive because of his depression haze, etc. Not to say he didn’t like or enjoy slipping into ‘the housewife role’ or that he would have been totally different if he hadn’t had the trauma and mental illness that he had! I think he definitely enjoyed it and liked to challenge and play around with traditions and social norms. It’s also obviously important to acknowledge what ‘being a woman or man’ meant at the time and how people had to mould themselves certain ways to be what was expected of them - in turn it could have meant that John might have been adapting to what he had learned being a woman entailed. I’m not totally convinced, but I wouldn’t throw it out entirely, of course! 

Again, it’s really interesting and obviously important, but I feel like as much as I dig, I wouldn’t really be able to find any concrete label for him beyond ‘queer’ - and that’s where I’m most comfortable and what I think fits him best. Sexuality, gender, all of it. He’s as queer as a three dollar bill, but you seeing something more concrete is absolutely fine - please don’t think I’m dismissing you, because I certainly think there’s something queer about his gender and perception of it! I’m just not entirely convinced it would be as clear cut as a particular label, that’s all. 

Regarding Yoko, I’ve never really thought of her as someone experiencing gender baggage, she’s always struck me as a woman who was very determined to be taken seriously as an artist and a businesswoman, someone who took matters into her own hands (girlboss). Of course she was different and stood out to John, but I think her upbringing and life in feminist and artsy circles shaped her into a more androgynous kind of person with a lot of typically ‘masculine’ qualities that should never have been gendered in the first place, but unfortunately were because of the traditional norms (strength, determination, intellect) - I think that wasn’t necessarily unique during that period because of what was going on in the Women’s Liberation Movement. Then again, I don’t know as much as Yoko as I do about John, so any Yoko fans can correct me if they see something I can’t. 

[fieryanmitsu]

The Heart-Pounding Sunrise Trek of Bonding | A3! | “Take the Stage” Fanzine

I am very honoured to announce that I am one of the contributors for the recently released A3! Take the Stage Fanzine! It was such a great experience working with so many talented artists and writers! Everyone's pieces turned out AMAZING, and I would highly recommend to check out the full zine! The fanzine can be downloaded for free here!

And, now that the zine has dropped, I'm able to share my piece with you all here! This story is based on the "Campfire Bonds" event and stars Muku and Citron as the focal characters!

Please enjoy~!

THE HEART-POUNDING SUNRISE TREK OF BONDING

THEME: “Campfire Bonds” event

CHARACTERS: Muku Sakisaka, Citron, Sakuya Sakuma, Masumi Usui, Tsuzuru Minagi, Itaru Chigasaki, Tenma Sumeragi, Yuki Rurikawa, Misumi Ikaruga, Kazunari Miyoshi & Izumi Tachibana

My fanfic masterpost: Here

AO3: Link in my Blog Menu

Muku stared intensely at his phone as he checked for the umpteenth time that he had set his alarm properly. Seeing that the numbers really did read ‘3:00am’, he locked his phone and placed it beside his pillow. 

“Ugh. I swear I can still taste the tabasco in my mouth even though I brushed my teeth,” Tenma groaned as he entered the tent.

“Did anyone get a normal chocolate for the s’mores?” asked Kazunari, looking up from his phone. 

“Izumi liked hers!” Misumi chimed in.

“That’s just because she’s a crazy Currian! No one would normally like a curry-flavoured chocolate,” Yuki snapped back.

“Anyway, everyone’s here, right? I’m gonna turn off the lights,” Tenma announced. “We have to get up early tomorrow, so we should sleep now.”

A flurry of mumbled goodnights flew around the tent as their leader turned off the lamp. Before long, the air was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing and light snoring. 

However, sleep continued to elude Muku as he stared fretfully at the ceiling of the tent—his brain whirring with his anxieties. Though the Summer Troupe’s first two plays had gone well, deep down, Muku felt that he had barely squeaked by with his performances. He knew that he was still the weakest link, and was terrified of dragging everyone else down. 

Just once, Muku wished he could give back to the ones who continually helped him so much. But, he didn’t even have any special skills—like Yuki or Kazunari—that he could put to use for the Summer Troupe or the Mankai Company. 

So, when Izumi had first announced this training camp, Muku had immediately volunteered to be one of the organizers, even though he had never taken on such a role before. At the time, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity to prove himself and be helpful to the others. Surely, even someone as untalented as him could manage to do this much.

Inspired by a scene out of a shoujo manga, Muku had manically researched to formulate a grand plan. First, they would strengthen their bonds as they hiked side-by-side through bountiful nature. Then, they would share a heart-racing special moment together as the rising sun etched its image into their memories. Plus, with the fresh mountain air, he was sure they would get more mileage out of their vocal exercises. 

However, when they had gathered to discuss the itinerary, his excitement had quickly been extinguished when his plan had been met with unenthusiastic faces. Some of the Company members hadn’t seemed interested in witnessing the sunrise, and many others had groaned about the early start time. 

After the meeting, Citron had clapped him on the shoulders, looked him in the eyes with a mysterious, all-knowing smile and said: “Do not worry, Muku! Your idea is most wonderful! Everyone will be super duper happy when they see the sun grating them! I will make sure of it—trust me!”

Though his brain continued to worry and fret, Muku clung to the words and reassuring grin that the Zahran man had given him that day and allowed the darkness to finally lull him to sleep…

The next morning, with much struggle—along with Citron banging some pots and pans together—the two organizers managed to wake up their fellow troupe members and line them up outside of their tents. Though, they may as well have still been laying in their sleeping bags. Masumi was draped on top of Tsuzuru’s back, fast asleep. Itaru was crouched on the ground, muttering to himself with a half-dead expression on his face. Even the ever-chipper Kazunari had his chin propped on Misumi’s shoulder, both of them nodding off despite being on their feet.

Citron came to stand beside Muku and nudged him gently. With a gulp, the pink-haired boy mustered all of his courage and stood up as straight and tall as he could manage.

“G-Good morning, everyone! Thanks for waking up so early to join us for the first item on our itinerary today: the ‘Heart-Pounding Sunrise Trek of Bonding!’” Muku announced. “I know that it’s silly to want to follow someone who’s more annoying than the itchiest bite from a mosquito that arrived earlier than the usual mosquito season—”

“Muku, literally no one said that,” Yuki interrupted with a sigh. “Just lead the way.”

“O-Oh right! S-Sorry!” Muku responded, snapping out of his rant. “P-please follow me and watch your step!”

As Muku led the way to the forest trail, with the others shuffling groggily behind him, he couldn’t help but cringe as he heard someone yawn loudly and another person let out a groan.

“Ugh, this sucks…” 

“Masumi, stop it! The Director wouldn’t be happy to hear you say that,” Sakuya protested in a hushed tone. “Look! She’s enjoying herself, so you should copy her.”

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all… Muku thought to himself, worrying at his bottom lip.

“Muku, why don’t you tell everyone about the path?” Citron suddenly said from behind him. “Did you not do lots of the research?”

“Really, Mukkun?” Kazunari asked, perking up and looking more awake than earlier. 

“O-Oh, yes! Apparently, this path dates back to the Sengoku era. Monks used it as part of a pilgrimage route and this campsite actually used to be an aesthetic training ground,” Muku explained.

“That’s actually really cool,” Tsuzuru remarked. “Who knew that there was so much history in a place like this!”

“Ah! That signpost there marks the quarter-way point! We can take a quick rest here!” Muku explained, noticing that they had lost a few members. 

“I-I can’t go on…” Itaru wheezed as he finally caught up to the others several minutes later.

“C’mon Itaru, we’re almost there! You can do it!” Izumi chirped encouragingly, passing the salaryman a bottle of water.

“It’s okay, Itaru! You will soon have your senses delighted by a surprise up ahead! Tell them about it, Muku,” Citron implored.

“Y-Yes! Ummm… Just down this path is a beautiful waterfall that the monks used as part of their training,” Muku responded, taking the older man’s cue. “I… I actually purposely picked this path because it would take us by the waterfall. Legend says that, if you make a wish there, your deepest desires will come true! So, I thought that you would really like to see that, Itaru! Maybe it’ll help with your next gacha pull in your games!!”

“Seriously? Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”

Muku felt his heart flutter as the others started chattering excitedly about what wishes they would make. With this renewed vigour, their group continued on their hike, making a stop at the wish-granting waterfall on the way. 

Then, almost an hour after they had left their campsite, Muku spotted the sign marking their final destination.

“We’re here, everyone!”

There was a collective sigh of relief as the members of the Mankai Company cleared the last steps and planted their feet on the plateau. However, their mutters quickly died in their throats as they came face-to-face with the view before them. A forest of trees spread out endlessly ahead, surrounded on both sides by jagged cliffs. The sun peeked above the horizon of the valley and the sky was dyed a gorgeous blend of soft oranges, pinks and straggling blues.

“Amazing!” Sakuya breathed softly. “This is beautiful, Muku!”

“Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe it!!” Kazunari added, immediately taking out his phone.

“You did good, Muku. Here’s a triangle!” Misumi said with a smile, handing the pink-haired boy a smooth and shiny triangular-shaped rock.

“Yeah… It made waking up worth it,” Masumi murmured, showing a rare smile.

“This was great, Muku. Thanks for planning this for us,” Tenma said, punching him lightly in the arm.

“Yeah, seriously! I’m so glad that someone was able to plan a normal activity for this training camp. Unlike a certain someone’s crazy ‘Russian Roulette S’mores’ idea,” Tsuzuru said with a sigh, throwing a baleful glare at Citron.

“Oh, Tsuzuru! You wound me! I put so much thought into making an unforgiveable event for everyone!”

“I think you mean ‘unforgettable’,” Itaru piped in.

“Look here, it’s not ‘Russian Roulette’ if all of the options are weird!” Tsuzuru exclaimed in exasperation.

“No kidding! I can’t believe I had to eat that awful wasabi chocolate because of you! I thought my mouth was on fire!” Yuki added, jabbing a finger into Citron’s chest angrily. “You’re lucky this sunrise made up for that atrocious game!”

As Citron dramatically crumpled to the ground from Yuki’s attack, a hand clutched over his heart, he turned his head towards Muku and shot him a wink.

At that moment, Muku felt a rush of warmth surge out of his chest and envelope the rest of his body. As he suppressed the tears prickling behind his eyes, Muku thought that he could now truly understand the meaning behind all of those times his shojo manga had compared someone’s smile to the brightness of the sun.

Writing this story was such a fun challenge for me! I had to work with a word count restriction, but I also wanted to make sure I somehow included every other character from the event — so it was definitely a juggling act, haha! It was also my first time writing about both Muku and Citron, so that was a new challenge in itself. Especially since I wanted to make sure I did two of my favourite characters justice!! In the end, I'm really happy I had the opportunity to write this and am so thankful that I was able to be part of this zine! Again, do check out the full zine if you have a chance!|

As always, thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts!! Any reblogs are always appreciated!!

-Anmitsu

[nihilnovisubsole]

My fashion queen, incredibly important question: How would one go about figuring out fashion *style* for characters? I've noticed your OCs always have a Look(TM), and I've gathered from your blog (and fics) that you've got an eye for aestethics - please, could you give me advice at least where to *start*. I'm completely unaware of fashion and, frankly, completely overwhelmed at the prospect of just starting..

Ah! Previous Anon again - forgot to add a more specific question about fashion (I’m squeezing in 2 quesiton in one xD). Do you have fashion advice for sleek/distant female character’s clothing that doesn’t hinge on formal dresses? (as is discernable, I have literally NO idea what a Grown Ass, Self Respecting Woman would wear)

wow. that’s high praise. when i got this yesterday morning, i knew i wanted to give it the answer it deserved. this is over 1500 words long, so apologies to anyone on mobile, but i wasn’t letting go until i’d really sunk my teeth into it.

unfortunately, since you’re anon, i don’t know enough about your character to suggest anything specific. instead, i want to take a step back and see if we can solve the root of the problem - “where do i start?”

when i was a teenager, an english teacher told me this: “the biggest constraint in writing is no constraint at all.” when you have the whole spectrum of something - in this case, clothes - to pick from, it is overwhelming. the natural human instinct is to freeze up. so while it may sound strange, if you’re just starting out, you might feel better if you have some constraints to work within.

with that in mind, you can treat finding a ‘signature look’ for your character like solving a murder mystery. you eliminate all the suspects that don’t fit until you know enough to narrow it down to the one that does. that’s going to involve something else you’ll recognize from murder mysteries: you’re going to have to interrogate the character. open them up and get to know them - their background, their likes and dislikes, their quirks, the role they play in the world around them. every answer will give you clues and weed other things out, and eventually, you’ll get a box small enough that you feel comfortable working in it.

now, i love fashion, and i love using clothes to send messages about a character’s personality. so as someone who’s had that interest for my whole life, i work from the other end. the constraints happen, in large part, without me thinking about them. i tend to zoom right to a certain aesthetic or item of clothing, say, “okay, what outfit can i build with this,” and go from there. but since you’ve said you’re “unaware” of fashion and it’s intimidating to you, i’ll try to ease you in through a different route and see whether that helps.

so, if we’re going to pick your character apart, let’s think about some practical questions first:

what setting does your character live in?

if you’ve narrowed your setting down to a historical decade, you’ll find most of the style questions already - firmly! - answered for you. for example, a victorian woman would, by default, wear skirts. if the character is contemporary, you’ve got a lot more wiggle room. if you want to mess with historical fashion rules for symbolic or story purposes, awesome, but i think that’s probably more advanced than you’re looking for right now.

if the setting is fantasy or sci-fi, what’s its dominant aesthetic? is it cyberpunk? sleek ~apple~ sci-fi? or is it more like star wars? is it medieval fantasy? woodsy faerie fantasy? JRPG-style fantasy? you get the idea.

what does your character do?

speaks for itself. what’s their job?

what is your character like, just in general?

this is where everything you know about their personality goes. if they’re a fussy courtier who’s worried about their reputation and appearance, they’re probably not going to be comfortable in plain, casual clothes.

what can your character afford to wear?

again, speaks for itself. do they buy designer brands? are they trying their best with what they have? or are they super strapped for cash and just have to get the job done?

does their social scene have an easily-identifiable aesthetic that you could work with?

does your character wear urban/street fashion or preppy rich-kid clothes? are they part of a subculture that dresses in a certain way, like teddy boys? do they have the desire or freedom to go all-in with that style, or do they have to play it down, like being corporate goth?

do they need to wear something they could travel, do hard work, or fight in?

goes with the job question above. do they need some kind of outerwear or accessory where they can hide weapons? do they always need to be ready, or is it situational?

basically, where does the character’s aesthetic need to sit on a chart of form vs. function?

what do other characters who are similar to your character wear?

look at your favorite movies, games, and TV shows and see what professional designers are doing with characters like yours. what colors and cuts are they using? what other elements do they choose? do you like them? if you don’t like them, what would you change? sometimes you can learn more from what you hate than what you love.

hopefully, you’ve already culled a huge swath of fashion ideas that you Know You’re Not Going To Do. you may still not know what you do want to do, either! that’s fine. let’s move onto some more artsy questions:

are there any colors your character would prefer or avoid?

it sounds silly. it’s not. a limited color palette will go a long way toward making a character’s outfits look unified and purposeful. obviously, in real life, most people don’t restrict themselves as much as fictional characters do. but if you were a costume designer, you’d want to have some guideposts to work with.

are there any motifs you associate with your character?

animals, elements, religious or cultural symbols, plants - you can sneak all these into their clothes’ details. maybe their dress has beading in the shape of a peacock, or rose earrings, or icy sparkles, or a bear pelt for a cloak.

have fun with meanings! moon motifs for mysteriousness, poisonous flowers, etc. let your inner lit major out.

do you want your character to have a certain silhouette?

this may seem odd if you’re just going to be writing your character and not drawing them, but think about it anyway. do you want to emphasize that your character is tall? is everything they wear skintight? do they have a large, unique hat?

a great example of this is maleficent. not only does she have a horn-shaped headdress, her huge, flowing robe tells us there’s a much bigger power in her than her body would suggest.

is there a certain ethos you want their clothes to project? what, in their world, would do that? what in our world would do that?

let’s say you want your character to look very powerful, to the point where people would find their looks alone intimidating. should they wear sharp, simple, severe clothes, maybe in dark colors? or should they wear very embellished clothes, like royalty? what are your setting’s ideas about beauty? modesty? does your character play by the rules, or do you want them to stand out?

what colors, shapes, and styles appeal to you personally?

for all the time i’ve spent talking about restrictions and guidelines, it’s important not to lose the fun of it, either. use your favorite color! give them clothes you’d want to wear in real life! character style is a playground where you can let wish fulfillment run wild.

at any time, feel free to turn to google or wikipedia if you’re not sure how to answer one of these questions. if you see an interesting idea, pick it up and follow it - what you’re doing here is training your eye, and that’s how you’ll learn. that said, if you’re already intimidated, i wouldn’t dive too deep into couture/aesthetic blogs until i had a more solid grip on how i wanted the character to look. it comes back to what i said earlier - there is such a thing as too much to choose from, especially when you’re not sure what you should be looking for yet.

there’s one other thing i want to mention that can help bring a character’s wardrobe together: repetition. if you’re planning several outfits for a character instead of just one, echo some of the motifs, shapes, or colors from one to the next. they don’t all have to be identical takes on the same thing, but if they have certain traits in common, they’ll feel less like separate outfits and more like a matched set. they could all be in members of the same color family or have similar patterns on them. maybe your character has a certain accessory that they wear with everything. you get the idea.

while i may not be able to plan your character’s wardrobe outright, i hope this makes the whole process seem more straightforward. or that it gives you some ideas to work with, or any other kind of help you might take away from it. this post is getting unfathomably long, so i’ll wrap it up, but i’d be happy to put any of my own characters through a “question test” like this one if you’d like to see how it works in practice.

finally, if you can find an interview with an artist or costume designer who worked on something you like, those things are worth their weight in gold. i read an interview with colleen atwood when i was in middle school, and it revolutionized the way i thought about fashion and storytelling. and when i say “revolutionized,” i mean “i owe basically everything i just told you to that article.” dig into them and see how they think and talk about their art! they’re more qualified to teach you than i ever will be.

[zhxngweiascian]

001 ❝ ‎ 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧, 𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟑. ― 𝙰𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙻𝚒.

— He hated such pompous events, the kind that was thrown only to show off wealth and stature, the kind that felt as if it was closed off to the rest of the world and was thrown into another universe of glitz, glamour and champagne that tasted like the stars. Alexander sighed, nimble fingers finding the lapels of his already pristine suit to straighten; he could not wait to get out of it, to discard his petticoat and gloves and retire for the rest of the night. The foie gras on the saltine crackers and the one too many old fashioned had begun twisting his stomach into knots of discomfort more than the attention that flit his way from the wide and blue eyed party goers.

He stood in the corner by the table laden with amuse-bouches and piled with hors d'oeuvres, nursing his glass of champagne. He wondered where all this food went, whether if anyone really would eat or it would all simply go to waste; his heart went out for the city he lived in, adopted and made home for the span that was his temporary life. The War had ended just a mere couple of years ago but the chaos it had left in its wake was tangible enough that he could taste it on the tip of his tongue, the air rancid and filled with the aftermath of gunpowder. He disliked it. London. Where no one knows his neighbour. Where shops do not know their customers. Where physicians are suddenly called to unknown patients whom they never see again. Where you may lie dead in your house for months together unmissed and unnoticed till the gas-inspector comes to look at the meter. Where strangers are friendly and friends are casual. London, whose rather untidy and grubby bosom is the repository of so many odd secrets. Discreet, incurious and all-enfolding London. The city wasn't something he had known previously or was too familiar with- but one thing he was certain of, a part of him loved watching all of it unravel. This place hummed to the tune of debauchery. This city was filthy and deep in the thrall of unending sin, so saturated with the kiss of decadence that the sky threatened to buckle and crush all those living vivaciously beneath it in punishment.

"You're hiding away again?" a very familiar voice rang in his ear, reminiscent of the dulcet tinkles of bells and the angelic choir of church. It automatically brought a smile to his face and every single thought he had wasn't of any importance. He faced a knowing grin, one that curved into a cheeks hued a lovely pink. Rosalie Han was a sight for sore eyes in her dress the color of the midnight sky, sparkling with countless beads that sparkled and bounced back reflections when they caught the light of the chandelier. She came to a stop next to where he stood, beginning to peruse the menu displayed.

"I'm not hiding," he scoffed under his breath low enough that only she could hear; they both knew he hated being here... just like they both know that he would always indulge in her whims to go frolic with humans.

Rosalie nodded, carmine tinted mouth curved into a smirk and picked up a cream puff to hold to eye level, turning it this way and that way in an inspecting manner before she deemed it decent then proceeded to shove the entire thing in her mouth.

Alexander took a sip of his champagne, shaking his head at the woman. "By whatever war wages, not in front of your many suitors!" he exclaimed in a whisper, unable to hide his own simper as he tilted his glass briefly to the crowd as if to make his point.

"Don't tell me what to do, you oaf!" Rosalie yelled in a whisper, shooting him a murderous glance. Alexander's grin lifted further.

"The Hastings are here. So are the Parks and Chiannis. It's about time we match you with one of them, Rose. Looks like their heirs are vying for your attention." The man murmured, hiding his knowing grin behind the rim of his champagne glass, eyes raking the grande portico of the chateau where everyone of import milled about and rubbed elbows with each other.

Her gaze found his face, reflecting the thousand and one lights from the chandelier overhead despite the incredulity that swarmed in them and scoffed a sound. "So you'd have thrown me to the wolves?" she asked, lips downturned in a moue and followed his line of gaze. Alexander laughed, the sound low and reverberating in her ears that she couldn't resist but to grin too. Feigning annoyance, she grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing water, finishing half of the starry golden liquid in a quick sip.

"Frankly, I pity the wolves."

There it was, the cynical joke shared between the two long-time friends; their kinds were polar opposites but here they were, hidden in plain sight, hand in hand and with a shared history that transited time. Rosalie laughed, eliciting a low chuckle from him too; it was always fascinating how she laughed freely, drawing the attention of whoever stood close enough to catch an ear of the wonderful sound. And those who looked found it a peculiar sight, one that was uncommon to most yet, in a way, felt normal.

Alexander Li was an enigma and despite how his circle was made of those in power, there was little known about him other than he was a professor of philosophy and physics. He was tall and trim, with the build of a young man proficient in warfare even though he had not been in the war. His dark hair was straight and styled in a manner suggesting a desire for order in all things. They framed eyes so pale a shade of brown they appeared amber in certain flashes of light, like those of a tiger. His profile was an artist’s study in angles, and he remained motionless, face was set in a cool and expressionless canvas, save for when his thick eyebrows raised a fraction when an odd woman approached the pair to converse. He felt Rosalie stiffen, her dainty hand reaching to loop around his arm. He could have well imagined the curse that slipped past her lips but the woman both had been staring at was a mere foot away by then.

Evelyn Ackley jumped, unable to hide his surprise. She was the hostess of the party, the wife to a Lord who spoke little of sense and much more about himself. Her grin was wide and surprised and Alex thought that it seemed too bright to be genuine. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. For foreigners, your English is extraordinary. There is not a trace of an accent to be found."

"I have an American accent," he replied dully.

Ackley waved him off, the gaudy bracelet of diamonds she wore almost blinding him. "You know what I mean."

Do I? he wanted to say. Would I be less if I sounded like where I was from, like all those in this city who were forced to learn more than one language, unlike you? His mouth opened, the words right on his tip on his tongue when Rosalie chirped in, sounding sweet.

"No, we do not," she laughed, as if the other woman told a joke that tickled Rosalie's bones. It was a natural sound, but only those who looked closely noticed how her nimble fingers tightened around Alex's forearm. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I find the wine at this party a bit too bland." He bit into his inner cheek, refraining from making a sound of laughter.

Smoothly, Rosalie tugged on his arm with enough force that he had begun veering into the direction she led him in. He had enough time to bow at the Lady of the house, automatically falling into step with the smaller woman.

“I actually liked the wine,” he spoke after a moment, breaking the silence that had taken over.

She groaned, throwing him a side glance of disgust. “I am beyond appalled but not surprised you began losing your sense of taste.” Her chin rose so that the tip of her nose scrunched a fraction, her plump lips curved downwards into a faux remorseful pout.

He laughed goodnaturedly, his other hand reaching over to gently pat her hand that rested on his arm. It was true; he’d lived in London for about seven years now. He’d seen how the war had ebgan and lit even the smallest alleys with fires from both enemy and allies and he’d been there when it all came to an end. He’d seen it in the papers, how the new decade was called ‘the Roaring Twenties’ and wherever he went, the hedonistic lifestyle that London had adopted was an escape from the debris and chaos the war had left in its wake. He didn’t mind it; changes were bound to happen.

“Come, let’s go get some good wine,” he chuckled, veering to the left and out of the chateau that would party until past dawn.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ 𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.

They sat at the top of the citadel just a mere 20 minute car ride away from the party. A little brown paper bag had been torn so it laid flat on the ground where they sat and on it sat a small display of cheese, crackers and grapes that they had stolen from the festivities. Surely, a handful of hors d’oeuvres would not be missed. The sky was lit with a canvas of stars and unfortunately enough, they weren’t seen from the city, too bombarded and overwhelmed by the city lights to shine on their own. But the more you looked at them, the more they rose to the surface of the dark sky, the tinier specks beginning to gather the courage to come to light too. If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.

“Ah, I wish I could get drunk on this!” Rosalie pronounced, breaking the otherwise impeccable silence of the night and wrenching him out of his thoughts.

Alexander took a sip of his wine bottle and turned his head to look at her. “The wine finally to your taste?”

She made sure that he could see her eye roll and he laughed, placing his bottle of wine down so he could swiftly pull off his suit jacket. In the same motion, he leaned over to her, gently placing the comfortable fabric over her dainty shoulders; neither of them got cold but it was more out of habit that he did it.

Silence befell the two again, a comforting cocoon that required nothing but each other’s presence to feel comfortable. His eyes remained on her, watching how she snuggled into his jacket and preoccupied herself with the contents of her own bottle of wine.

It was a beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the moon but Rosalie Han, who he’d known for what felt like eternity, was ethereal in her beauty. Even when the moonlight befell her being and kissed her skin of alabaster, it seemed as if she glowed from within, matching the moon’s light with her own. Her hair had escaped from the coiffe she had donned before the party, falling down her shoulders and back in waves of ravened hues. Sooty eyelashes fluttered everytime she blinked, the rouge on her lips that was once pristine now a faded dusty shade on her lips. She had always turned head wherever she went but it was in the serenest moments like these that Alexander allowed himself to really look at her. She had never changed in all these years he’d known her yet just like him, she molded with time, embracing the lifetime of infinity she had. Before he knew it, he was staring into dark pools of obsidian, lit by the moon and had it known for the remaining of his senses that had not been affected by the alcohol, he would have fallen into them and drowned.

“Penny for your thoughts?” she mused, picking a grape from the pile to plop into her mouth.

Alexander shook his head, turning his head away from her to look off into the horizon. Far into the distance, he had begun to spot a faint line of light. Dawn would arrive soon, forcing the both of them to retire back into their lives; despite how different they were, somehow they always managed to intertwine their own paths.

“Nothing,” he chuckled, taking the last sip of his wine. If the English had done one thing right, it was to allow the French to sell their alcohol in the city.

“Say it!”

A grape hit his cheek and he scoffed as he picked it from his lap where it had fallen and bit into it, ignoring her giggles.

“Remember when we attended Tom’s and Alina’s wedding last year?” he asked, reaching for a saltine that had a dollop of cheese in the middle.

Rosalie nodded. “The wedding itself or the time we both said we would marry each other in another thousand years if we are still single by then? Are you going back on your word now, Alex?”

He tutted his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he finished the last bit of his cracker and cheese. “I was just thinking that you shouldn’t keep your hopes up! Who knows maybe you’ll thankfully find someone and I will finally get rid of your loud self?”

It was a rare sight to watch the professor laugh, the sound natural as she hit him hard with the back of her hand before joining in his laughter as well. Who knew such a stoic man could manage such a face, so carefree that for a moment, he seemed like just a simple boy. But Rosalie Han, just like all of the versions of herself that he knew, often had that effect on him.

They sat there on the concrete floor of the citadel, munching on their snacks and sipping the last of their wines amidst childish banters and laughter the entire remainder of the night. It was only until dawn broke over the horizon, painting the skies a shell pink and a faint gold that they both made a move, going back home and broke away from the glitz and glamor that the night had left a residue on their skin.

[darktwistydamaged]

✨ Small minds can't comprehend big spirits. To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated, and misunderstood.

✨ "Maybe I'm a pig. Maybe I'm an ass. Maybe I'm a vermin like everybody says but I tell the truth, it's the only thing I've got going for me."

✨ "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - #WinstonChurchill

✨ Don't tell me i'm the prettiest u've seen.Tell me I'm a warrior, tell me I'm stronger than any blows I've taken & that I wear the scars well

✨ A badass crazy, tells the truth. Soft but strong. Knows her worth. Unapologetic & honest. The type of woman u go to war beside not against.

✨ There's fire in her. If loved correctly, she will warm your entire home. If abused she will burn it down.

✨ When someone dies of cancer, we blame the disease. Suicide is a disease, dont blame the victim for losing the fight.

✨ She's a masterpiece of chaotic beauty.

✨ She's like a tornado with pretty eyes & a heartbeat. A stubborn heart, messy mind, reckless soul.

✨ We are masters of unsaid words but slaves of those we let slip out.

✨ She has been through hell, so believe me when I say, fear her when she looks into a fire and smiles.

✨ She's fire and ice, you'll fear the cold and crave the burn.

✨ She wears strength and darkness equally well. The girl has always been half goddess, half hell.

✨ She is art. What the fuck do you expect from her other than, confusion, beauty and god damn soul?

✨ Fierce soul. Brave heart. Strong mind.

✨ Sometimes hell is the person who promised you something heavenly. The devil is good at pretending to be everything you want.

✨ Like death, she was breath taking.

✨ Stop being afraid of being crazy, instead guard yourself from being "too" sane. This is the artists way.

✨ Beauty may be dangerous, but intelligence is lethal!

✨ She is both hell fire and holy water and the flavour you taste is based on how you treat her.

✨ Chaos & beauty intertwined. Whiskey in a tea cup. Angel eyes. Acid mouth. Messy mind. Reckless soul

✨ A hopeless romantic with a twisted mind and high standards.

✨ Make a plan. Set a goal. Work toward it. But every now and then, drink it in. 'Cause this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow #GreysAnatomy

✨ I will not settle for anything less than a soul deep, electrifying connection.

✨ The lips of a sinner, a devilish kiss.

✨ She has that "set the whole fucking world on fire" look in her eyes, kind of bad ass vibe to her.

✨ An acquired taste, not for the faint hearted.

✨ Nothing is ever designed to offend. You choose to get offended.

✨ Every heart is like a phoenix. It may catch aflame and burn to ashes, but it will be reborn, stronger than before.

✨ The world isn't split into good and evil. We've all got light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. #SiriusBlack

✨ Three things that can not remain hidden, the sun, the moon, and the truth. #Buddha

✨ I love you more, the more I love you.

✨ You're down, but you're not out and whatever is going on in your life, you keep fighting. #JenniferLopezTrueLove

✨ In the same way negative experiences can bring you down, having positive people around can help lift you up. #TrueLove

✨ Every ending is also a beginning. We just don't know it at the time. @shemarmoore #CriminalMinds

✨ She's a terribly real thing, in a terribly false world & this is why she is pained so often.

✨ I don't want normal and easy and simple. I want painful, difficult, devastating, life changing, extraordinary love.

✨ She never looked nice, she looked like art & art wasn't supposed to look nice, it was supposed to make you feel something.

✨ The tragedy is not to die, but to be wasted. #HannibalLecter

✨ She got her daddy's tongue & temper. Sometimes her mouth could use a filter. God shook his head the day he built her oh, but I bet he smiled

✨ U bring out the best in me. I don’t mean better manners, or a sense of maturity or whatever else this world expects of me. I mean, u make me want to climb rooftops, run wild, act inappropriately, take risks & pursue my dreams with passion & integrity - U make me feel like living

✨ I am fire. If you want something salty & sweet with no opinion, I’m not the woman for you. I spit flames often!!

✨ You have set on me, but you are not the sun.

✨ Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy, but he's not the sun. You are.

✨ Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best. - Tim Duncan

✨ I want somebody with smart intellect and a heart from hell, kisses so deep like a bottomless well.

✨ Lust is when the mind desires what the heart admires. Love is when the mind admires what the heart desires.

✨ “The world has already been too tough on her, the least she needs is tough love. Be tough when you need to be, but always be soft with her. She has thorns, but she is a flower.”

✨ She slept with wolves without fear, for the wolves knew, a lion was among them.

✨ She that dare not grasp the thorn, should never crave the rose.

✨ Hate me today, hate me tomorrow, hate me for all the things I couldn't do for you. Hate me in ways, ways hard to swallow, hate me so you can finally see whats good for you.

✨ You’re so screwed up that you make me, make sense.

✨ "If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems." #GreysAnatomy

✨ "Too often, the thing you want the most is the one thing you can't have. Desire leaves us heartbroken." #GreysAnatomy

✨ A queen will always turn pain into power.

✨ "The only voice that matters is the 1 in your head. The one telling you what you probably already knew. The one that’s almost always right.”

✨ Do not hide your face. The moon is covered in craters yet still commands our attention, even in the midst of all those glittering stars. What I mean to say is, you are magnificent, for all your imperfections, simply as you are. - Beau Taplin

✨ Damaged people are dangerous because they know they can survive.

✨ The only way you can be mistreated, is by allowing yourself to be mistreated. #TrueLove Jlo

✨ Deception and perfection are wonderful traits, one will breed love and the other hate.

✨ I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow & the soul.

✨ "Each person we let ourselves care about is just one more loss somewhere down the line.." - Meredith Grey

✨ Why do we always want the ones who don't see us, instead of the ones who do?! #YoureNotYou

✨ Every time I break, I come back stronger than before 💎🔹

✨ Loving someone is just delayed pain, eventually you’re going to lose them, one way or the other. #InsidiousChapter3

✨ “She’s tough. She tries to hide it. She’s difficult. But if you make an effort, she’s worth it. She’s worth the effort.” - #McDreamy #GreysAnatomy

✨ I am not the girl the guy gets at the end of a movie. I am not a fantasy. If you want me, earn me!! #OliviaPope #Scandal

✨ It’s gonna hurt me to hate you, but loving you is worse. #CardiB 

✨ Don’t focus on what if, focus on what is. - #IrreplaceableYou

✨ “When your heart breaks, you’ve got to fight like hell to make sure you're still alive. Because you are. That pain you feel? That's life. The confusion and fear? That's there to remind you, that somewhere out there is something better, and that something is worth fighting for.”

✨ I survive because the fire inside me burns brighter than the fire around me.

✨ She feels powerfully.

✨Deeper than you’ll ever understand with a heart of endless vision for the unconditional for every aspect of the flawed soul. She’s complicated. She feels everything and nothing; the good and the bad all at once. All the time!!

✨ "And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter - they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long." — Sylvia Plath

✨ If you can still find the beauty within the darkest days, sometimes, that alone is an accomplishment. When you feel like you’re drowning, like you can’t even deal anymore, stop for a moment, recollect, take a breath. Then you begin again.

✨ You like because and you love despite.

(You like someone because of all of their qualities & you love someone despite some of their qualities)

✨ A strong woman is one who feels deeply and loves fiercely. Her tears flow as abundantly as her laughter. A strong woman is both soft and powerful, she is both practical and spiritual. A strong woman in her essence is a gift to the world.

✨ All things that live, die. This is why you must find joy in the living, while the time is yours, and not fear the end. To deny this is to deny life. To fear this... is to fear life. But to embrace this... Can you embrace this?

You are stronger than you think. - #IKillGiants

✨ Being normal isn’t necessarily a virtue, it denotes a lack of courage.

✨ Like the moon, she had a side of her so dark that even stars couldn’t shine on it. She had a side of her so cold that even the sun couldn’t burn on it.

✨ Broken girls blossom into warriors

✨ A rose can never be a sunflower. A sunflower can never be a rose. All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too. - Miranda Kerr

✨ Inside everyone there exists a dark side. Most people rise above it but some are consumed by it until there is nothing left but pure evil

✨ Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. - #HarryPotter #PrisonerOfAzkaban

✨ Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are - #LadyGaga

✨ You either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person or you allow you to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you.

✨ She’s a strong cup of black coffee in a world that’s drunk on cheap wine and shallow love.

✨ “Every day you wake up and have a second chance, to do whatever you want, to be whoever you want. The only thing stopping you, is you” - #SecondAct @JLo

✨ It starts with the eyes, she's got to have those kind of eyes that can see through the bullshit to the good in someone, 20% angel, 80% devil - #DominicToretto #FastAndFurious

✨ Ignoring your instincts is like blinding your soul. #TrustYourGut

✨ Let me be clear, my love is unconditional but your presence in my life is not. The moment that you prove that your value of me does not measure up to my sense of self worth — i’ll have no problem unconditionally loving the memory of you.

✨ Intimacy is beyond kisses, cuddles & sex. It’s is crying at night about your past to someone who listens & comforts you. It’s getting a headache, taking a nap & waking up to your partner rubbing your back. Intimacy isn’t all to do with sex, it’s the small things that count

✨ The people you can joke around and have fun with that don’t fit in a box, take no shit, kick ass when needed... the fiercely badass, kindhearted, deep down sweethearts and that are kind of assholes but not full assholes. Yeah, those are my kind of people.

✨ Everything is temporary; Emotions, thoughts, people & scenery. Do not become attached, just flow with it.

✨ It's okay to put your heart on your sleeve. Okay to have that softer side - the softer side in the sense of being able to listen, to deal with fear, to not always be so dominant. 😋 @shemarmoore

✨ Just a reminder: You’re whole without someone else. You are not a fraction. You’re a complete masterpiece all by yourself; you do not need anyone else to validate your existence.

✨ To the women of the world. You’re sexual. You’re soulful. You’re emotional. You’re spiritual. You’re magic. You’re both of the light and the dark. You’re human. Don’t deny any aspect of who you are. A healthy soul is a whole soul.

✨ Be the villain you were born to be. Stop waiting for someone to come along and corrupt you. Succumb to the darkness yourself.

✨ Being dark and twisty is not a flaw, it's a strength.

✨ We're all in the same game, just different levels, dealing with the same hell, just different devils.

✨ She is the kind of dark you only see in a cemetery in October on a haunted Halloween night .

✨ #Chemistry - an attraction that can’t be quantified or explained

✨ All you can count on is now, this moment, because in a blink, everything can change - #Dexter 

✨ The smallest thing can change your life. In the blink of an eye something happens by chance, when you least expect it. - #TheLuckyOne

✨ Sometimes, finding the light means you must pass through the deepest darkness - #TheLuckyOne

✨ Sometimes things hit u all at once. You’re up one day, then down the next. Life is one big wave. All we can do is flow, adapt & transform.

✨ There are three types of people, those at the top, those at the bottom & those who fall. - #ThePlatform

✨ There are things that will happen that will make you feel powerless, that will make you feel insignificant but that’s it, they’re just feelings and sometimes you have to stop feeling & start doing. #Underwater

✨ Yeah I’m somebody’s DUFF, guess what? So are you, so is everybody. There’s always going to be somebody prettier, more talented or richer than you. That should affect how you see yourself. - #TheDuff

✨ Made wiser with heartache. Made stronger by pain.

✨You don’t have to climb a mountain to stand on top of the world.

✨Even the ugliest of places can be beautiful as long as you take the time to look.

✨It’s okay to get lost, as long as you find your way back.

✨ There is beauty in the most unexpected of places

✨There are bright places even in dark times, and if there isn’t, you can be that bright place, with infinite capacities

✨ Physical attraction is beautiful, but it’s the mental attraction that leaves you wanting, needing, craving.

✨ Jealousy - A sign of insecurity, a sign of weakness, a sign of obsession

✨ Like roses we blossom and die.

✨ I have absolutely no need to be liked or understood.

✨ I'd rather be scary than cute. Cute isn't always memorable, but nobody forgets scary

✨ Greatness, lies not in being strong but in the right using of strength. He or she is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts, by the attraction of his own. - #Wonder

✨ This darkness of mine cries out for light and all you did was lurk in the shadows. - 🖤

✨ Your demons, your darknesses are part of your masterpiece, your beautiful dark art

✨ What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.

✨ “We owe it to the people that we lost, to live the lives that they can’t “ - Meredith Grey 💔

✨ You only get mad because you care. Anger is often an expression only shown towards people and things you care about the most.

✨ To live, is to suffer and to survive, you’ve got to find meaning in the suffering.

✨ She is the wolf they could not ensnare, the voice they could not silence and the fierce wild spirit they could not destroy.

✨ I’m not tearing down my walls for anyone again, you want to know what’s inside? #Climb.

✨ You're a flower. Don't compare yourself to weeds just because they grow faster. 🌷Slow growers have the most resilient roots. 🌱🌻

✨ To find me; you must first unbury me.

✨ Bury me in a dark forest, smelling of the earth, alone with the creatures forevermore.

✨ She’s part lady, she’s part wild, and she’s all fucking storm.

[jjems645-blog]

7, 8, 10, 16, 22, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32(and why), 34, 37(and why), 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50. I feel bad for asking all of these but then again not because you offered it and I'm a super curious person.

7: Where is the line between insanity and creativity?I’m not quite sure, but I think it comes down to when something someone imagines starts to become reality to them, when in actuality it’s not.8: What is true happiness?I think that is up to the individual person. For me, true happiness is knowing that I’m loved and cared for and accepted. I could go on to say I want everyone to be loved and cared for and accepted, and I wish we didn’t have poverty and world hunger, etc. but if that’s included than I would say true happiness for me is not achievable. I would like to believe it is though, so I’ll stick to the narrower description. 10: What makes you, you?In a broad sense, what makes someone them is their personality, how they look, how they identify, I suppose whatever they want to make them, them. For me, I suppose what makes me, me is everything, even the bad things about me. There’s a lot of things that make me different from other people, but someone will always share those individual traits with me. It’s the specific combination of things about me that really make me individual. 16: Who defines good and evil?We do. We decide what is good and evil to us, and it can differ greatly from other people’s definitions. Morality is a completely made up, human concept.22: What is true love?I’m not really sure I have an answer to this, I think this also has to do with an individual. Some people might desire certain things that go along with their definition of “true love” that other people don’t desire. At its core though, I suppose true love is being completely invested in the entirety of someone else’s life, and being committed to making their life better in any way you can.24: Where do thoughts come from?Well scientifically, thoughts are just electric currents transmitted throughout our brains.25: What is beauty?Again, I think this is up to the individual person. I think beauty to me is just a feeling and I can’t really put specific traits to it, and I don’t want to. 29: What is infinity?By definition, infinity is something that goes on forever. But it’s so much more complicated than that. Is the infinity between 1 and 1.5 smaller than the one between 1 and 2? Can there even be multiple infinities, or are they all just the same? Does infinity have a start? Does infinity even exist? What if they all end somewhere we just can’t see? None of these I have answers to.30: What happens after we die?I hate this question, because I have no clue, and thinking about death makes me anxious. What I currently think happens is that we just simply cease to be, no more thinking or feeling, we go back to the state we were in before we were born.31: What defines you?This is similar to the what makes you, you question. I suppose I define myself by things like my artistic ability, my anxiety, the way I interpret and think about things. But it’s different for everyone. 32: Is it more important to be liked or respected?Ooh, tough question. Both things you can force people to do. My first instinct is to say liked, I guess because sometimes you can be respected but not be a good person. You must be somewhat of a good person to be liked, right? But then again not. I’m just going to go with liked, because if you think about it, you can have respect for a teacher or some kind of authority figure without liking them. You’re simply required to. I feel like that’s wrong and not truly earned, but liking someone is a choice. You really can’t force someone to like someone else. 34: Where does the soul live?I don’t really believe that people have souls, so nowhere?? I guess you could stay the brain, because that’s where our consciences exist. 37: Is trust more important than love?Yes, in my opinion you can’t have good, healthy love without trust. If you love someone but don’t trust them, I don’t think you really love them. 38: Is it easier to love or be loved?I think sometimes it can be easier to be loved. It can be hard to love, when there’s not much to love in the world. But being loved is easy as long as you have someone else that loves you. 39: Is it better to love and lose or never to love?Depends. In a romantic sense, many people don’t desire love or want it at all. For those who do though, I think it’s worth it to have the experience, even if it ends in loss.42: Is there a reason to life?I don’t know, and I don’t think there needs to be. That’s not to say nothing has a reason, but I think we spend too much time searching for a reason for life that may not be there, and why does it matter? We’re here. The universe exists. It’s incredible that this is all happening around us. I think we should enjoy it while we’re alive to have it, and not worry about why it’s here.43: Is life all a dream?I don’t know. I want to believe life is very real. But it doesn’t always feel like it.44: When does consciousness begin?Well I don’t remember anything before the age of three, but some people do. I don’t really know though I think this question is more scientific and I’m not educated enough to answer. 45: Do dreams mean anything?Considering that they come from our brains and our consciences, and our often formed around things we’ve seen in real life, yes I think they mean something. Idk what though. 47: How did the universe begin?Let me hit you with a return question, did the universe ever begin, or has it just always been? If it did begin though I don’t know how it happened. But I think it’s possible that it’s just always existed.48: Is there a supreme power?Probably not. I don’t really know49: Do soulmates exist?Well I don’t think people have souls so no?? But are some people meant to be with each other... no, I don’t think that could possibly be a thing. People are so different from one another and we have so many different opinions, desires, etc. Idk I just don’t think that’s possible.50: What is a normal person like?I don’t think anyone is truly normal. Everyone is so different and complex, how do you even determine what’s “normal”.Thanks for asking and don’t feel bad about asking a lot I enjoyed answering.

[darapnerd]

G33k HQ Presents: MC Front-A-Lot Interview

Interview Questions From G33K-HQ & Darealwordsound (Wordy): Nerdcore Interview Collaboration Questions

MC Front: Thank you for bearing with me! So sorry to continually drop the ball on this. Here you go.

Wordy: What was your first creative outlet? MC Front: I seem to remember kindergarten involving a lot of drawing. First and second grade had poetry exercises sometimes. But the way we played D&D between 2nd and 6th grades was how my imagination really got fired up. We didn\'t like dice and maps that much. We\'d take turns DMing and just sort of freestyle the stories to each other at recess. Wordy:  What was the first rap album you ever purchased? MC Front: It was also my first CD. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, He\'s the DJ, I\'m the Rapper. Wordy: Who are your biggest music inspirations?

  MC Front: Tom Waits, Public Enemy, Bjork

Wordy: Describe your studio to us.

  MC Front: I have an Ikea desk that\'s been out of print for 10 years so I get fussy when anyone leans on it. Creaky, cheap old thing. It\'s the only one where you can bolt the rotating side shelves at any height. Perfect for the near-field monitors and re-aiming them for any version of the stereo field. I mix there in my bedroom which isn\'t treated, but I\'ve been in there so long that I can work around most of the room effects. I have a coat closet fully treated, very dead and dry, for vocals. I keep some buttons in there to engineer myself, but everything\'s still happening on the studio computer. My pre-amp and mics and monitors are satisfactory. I could use a better ADC/DAC.

  I will record occasional hand percussion, etc, in that closet booth, but very little fits in there. For other acoustic capture, I\'ll rent time at a real studio (any time I\'m tracking my drummers) or I\'ll go field-record strings at someone\'s apartment.

  A solid two thirds of the non-vocal sound on the albums is electronic, and I can get keyboard performances or work on drum machine material in the project studio without worrying about the ambient noises of Brooklyn.

  Wordy: Describe your ideal home studio if money wasn\'t a problem.

  MC Front: A proper treatment of the mixing room would be great. I guess I\'d have twenty of these Avalon pre-amps and a little drum room, as well as a booth big enough for upright bass or cello. There is almost unlimited fanciness available in the hardware market... I guess I\'d have to make a hobby out of shopping. I\'d still use Reaper as my DAW, though -- the least expensive version of that kind of software, and also the best. I could probably spend sixty grand on plugins.

Wordy: What is your creative process for writing and or producing a song?

MC Front: Baddd Spellah, my Canadian beatsmithing partner, has been kind enough to work on grooves with me for the last fifteen years. Usually I will start with something he\'s been kicking around, or he\'ll take a pass at some live drum that I\'ve been chopping up, and we\'ll add keyboard material from Gm7 (Gaby Alter), my longtime music co-writer. When there is a verse-appropriate groove that is in pretty good shape, I\'ll leave it on loop and write. Once in a while, I\'ll write a hook over a groove that feels like a chorus, and start from there. After I\'ve got most of a lyric, I\'ll put down a scratch vocal so that Spellah and I can build a full song arrangement. Then I\'ll record too many takes of the final vocal, and spend too many months dicking around with the comp, the mix, and all the instrumental details. Finally I\'ll listen to it on as many different devices as I can, fine-tune the mix, and stay up for a week and a half making increasingly bad decisions about everything on the album, leading up to the mastering appointment I foolishly committed to several months prior.

  Wordy: What is your happiest On-Stage Moment?

  MC Front: I think a PAX crowd demanded a second encore once. That makes you feel like a superstar.

Wordy: What was your favorite song to write or record?

  MC Front: Maybe Stoop Sale? But that might be because the video came out so well. For the most part, my happiness with the process relies entirely on the result: it makes me happy to listen to a track if I don\'t just hear a barrage of fuckups that it\'s too late to go back and fix. But there aren\'t very many of those. Of all my lyrics, I\'m probably proudest of Two Dreamers from the Question Bedtime album. I feel like I worked out every bit of the story and then obscured it just enough that the listener\'s careful attention is rewarded.

Wordy: What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

  MC Front: Practice a lot, develop your talent. Get the skills you need to properly communicate with whoever your creative partners are. Take the craft seriously but give yourself a break for not having mastered it -- that is a lifelong process with no actual end goal.

Wordy: What project do you feel best describes you as an artist?

  MC Front: The Nerdcore Rising documentary probably says more about me and the band than I\'d ever be able to, and in kinder words. Of my own projects, I like the Zero Day and Solved albums as a window into whatever it is I\'m trying to say about nerdcore.

Wordy: How do you feel about the disconnect between \"Nerdcore\" and \"HipHop\"?

  MC Front: Well, hip-hop is a cultural movement with very specific origins and elements. Rap is a formal music style that emerged from hip-hop. Any \'variation\' or \'new perspective\' that someone brings to rap is fine -- if meaningless. It might matter that you came up with a new thing to say, but the fact that you chose an unusual form for your expression should be the least interesting thing about it. You can write a march for your peace movement, even if marches come from military music, because the march itself is just a formal style of composition. You\'d be smart to note the ironic relationship there, or you\'d be dumb to suggest that there isn\'t one, or that your choice to use a march as an expression of pacifism somehow reaches backward and affects the origin of the form. Anyone who thinks they\'re \'expanding\' or \'liberating\' hip-hop from its roots by rapping about things that haven\'t been rapped about traditionally is probably an idiot. 

  My idea about hip-hop was only to observe that it was cool. Like, it was the coolest thing happening in American culture when I was a kid, and it probably still is. Breakdancers were the coolest kids on the playground. Graffiti kids were the coolest outlaws in fourth grade. And rappers were the coolest possible composers of verse.

  To want to compose and perform verse in that formal style without having any direct connection to hip-hop, and without being cool, is the sort of desire nerd kids might express by themselves, away from arbiters of hipness, and share only with other uncool kids. The idea of nerdcore went no deeper than that, originally. I\'m glad that a lot of other DIY rappers have found that resonant enough to expand upon.

  Wordy: Do you feel more \"Nerdcore\" rappers should know about its roots in \"HipHop\"?

  MC Front: Definitely. I remember trying to write a Villanelle in a college poetry class. First, we had to read and dissect a sheaf of them. The professor was of the opinion that we would all flounder in the assignment, because there had been only a handful of good Villanelles ever written. I\'m sure none of us wrote one of lasting value. The point was to learn how formal composition connects works, and to appreciate the complications. You can always just do it anyway. But knowing where it comes from and how it\'s been attempted before teaches you how to try to do it well. I think anyone who wants to compose lyrics within the rap genre should know all they can about how raps have been composed so far.

  That doesn\'t even begin to address the cultural issue. Some artists misidentify nerdcore as comedy music, and worse yet, think the joke is \"it\'s rap, but white kids are doing it.\" I think that outlook leads to the weakest possible songs, and is generally disrespectful of hip-hop in a way that concerns me and offends anyone who cares about American culture. Of course, not all of the nerdcore rappers are white, but all of the schticky ones are. I wonder if a delve into hip-hop\'s history would cure them of that impulse, or at least afford them the humility to hush it up.

Wordy: Are you involved in any philanthropy in your local communities or abroad?

  MC Front: I try to do something in support of Child\'s Play every year. I\'m going to contribute to the upcoming Worldbuilders album project.

Wordy: Can you freestyle? Meaning rap off the top of the head? If so, can we see you drop a few bars next time live?

  MC Front: I never do this! I think I\'ve conditioned myself into a certain kind of vanity. Almost everything on the albums is rapped in complete sentences, with rhymes that I\'ve never used previously. Freestyling doesn\'t work that way. I\'m too ashamed to let anyone see me freestyling about the frog, on a log, in a bog, who got sog-gy.

Wordy: Do you consider yourself a “GEEK”?

  MC Front: Of course.

Wordy: In your own words, describe what the word “GEEK” means to you?

MC Front: I decided at some point a long time ago that geeks are all direct descendants of the side-show geek, whose job was biting heads off of chickens. They weren\'t special in any way, except that they were willing and able to do that thing, and it was a fairly extreme thing to do. But because nobody else at the carnival was willing to go to that extreme, the geekery came to seem like a highly specialized skill.

  That\'s why you can be a geek about anything. You just need a topic where your knowledge or expertise is so specialized that it seems distastefully extreme to non-geeks. You can geek out about fantasy novels or about robot AIs. But you can also geek out about car engines or cooking. You don\'t have to be a nerd to geek out.

  Nerds are almost always geeks, and their subjects of geekery are often recognizably nerdy. But a nerd is something else, a person who was already too weird or too smart, and felt alienated, and embraced geekery as an alternative to whatever broader pursuits the cool kids enjoyed.

  Wordy: What is your earliest geek memory?

  MC Front: I was a Star Wars geek starting at age three and a half when the first one came out. It was the only thing I wanted to do. I made adults take me to see it 11 times before Empire came out (I kept careful count). I collected the Kenner figures obsessively until they stopped making new ones a year or two after Jedi.

  Wordy: What is your \"Geek\" hobby? Do you collect comic books? Anime? Video games?

  MC Front: I do still love comics, but I own too many. Video games take up less space. I spend more time gaming than I do working on music, occasionally 70 or 80 hours in a week. It\'s as much an emotional self-medication as it is a hobby.

Wordy: Who are your Top 5 emcees dead or alive?

  MC Front: In no order: Busdriver, MF Doom, Del, Q-Tip, Chuck D

Wordy: When is your next show or tour?

  MC Front: When I get the dang old album done! Maybe spring 2017 for tour. PAX South is the soonest lone show.

Wordy: Do you have a new album coming out?

  MC Front: It\'s called INTERNET SUCKS, and it is going to have a heavy \'get off my lawn\' vibe. Everyone will be mad at me, yet secretly agree with every word on the record. Watch for it to take your feeds by storm.

  http://frontalot.com

more at darealwordsound

[eppysboys]

Very much agree with your takes on the whole Paul and Stuart+John dynamic.

It's also one of a number of posts I've seen recently in response to certain types of Paul defender who, in their desire to protect and support Paul, end up being often unfairly or overly critical of anyone he didn't have a 100℅ good relationship with at all times.

This particularly frustrates me when the targets of this attack-as-defense strategy are:

a) usually dead, and in some cases (I'm thinking specifically Stu and Brian here) died early enough that they never really had the opportunity to put across a defense of the criticisms levelled against them in the first place.

And b) (again Stuart and Brian are good examples, but I'd also say it applies to George,) is that I feel a number of the arguments made against these people rely very much on narratives made by the same people they are defending Paul from. Narratives that are often unfair or dismissive of those people in much the same way they are to Paul.

For example using the idea that Stuart was an at best mediocre, and lazy, bassist who only importance was in dying to justify Pauls treatment of him as something other than immature jealousy, when we know he was also a gifted artist, who willingly put that on hold in order to join his best friends band just because said best friend asked him to.

Or again using a similar dismissiveness of George's abilities as a songwriter to justify the way Paul and John could also be dismissive of them.

Or slipping into the 'Brian was sad gay whose crush on John meant he always did what he wanted' narrative a bit too easily when discussing the whole Lennon/McCartney credit thing etc.

Anyway I'm not really sure where I'm going with this beyond the idea that I wish some Paul stans could find a way to dispute unfair and inaccurate narratives about Paul without feeding into ones about others, especially others who unlike Paul, can't actually defend themselves.

I 100% agree with everything you've said, anon. It probably speaks to how fandom and it's rhetoric has evolved (online specifically), the way we talk about our favourite celebrities has changed a bit. I think the idea of competition in particular is what ruins things. Looking over at neighbouring fandoms, you can see a bit of competition for who has the most 'moral' fave, which celebrity is in the right and hasn't fucked up in public. You notice with bands in particular, people will pit their fave against others, particularly ones they don't like and rub you the wrong way. And it seems like people are so intent on pointing out how good their favourite person is, not necessarily because it's fun to be a fan of a good person, but because it soothes them to think their energy isn't going to a 'bad' person. The black-and-white way online cultural views people has corrupted just about everything.

So what's this got to do with The Beatles?! I think....just the idea that what we, as fans, have always been put off by and resented was the competition biographers and the media at large thrusted upon the guys and put the microscope over that one tiny facet of their relationship with each other. So seeing fans do it in their own little spaces in an effort to correct the narrative seems a little backwards, or rather, it won't get us that far into understanding the boys much better as it would to just step back and understand the picture from all sides.

I certainly understand the temptation! Paul is blamed for just about everything, and he is in the right a lot of the time, or he's more right than the others. But that being said, not every situation has a 'right and wrong' answer? You know? It's not all black and white, right vs wrong. I think to see every issue specifically from a Paul-lens would be limiting the broader unstandering of the band and what went wrong and why. If the aim is to shift from a Lennon-lens (or biography!Lennon lens) and cast some of that heavenly light on the real band and what actually happened, it's worth considering everyone's feelings, otherwise we end up with another distorted characterisation of one band member.

Instead of dismissing George as 'bitter right til the end', it's worth considering his hurt (that had been festering for years) and his deep friendship and his own understanding of Paul. I don't particularly like/approve of the way George handled his feelings all the time, but I wouldn't dismiss his frustrations and hurt as less than how right Paul was, not all situations are like that. It's too tangled up and interwoven to be right vs wrong.