#Nom: Art Direction

[theoscarsproject]

Ran (1985). In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.

King Lear adaptations, my beloved. This is genuinely such a staggering feat of cinema - visually sublime and full of tension, texture and complexity. The use of colour and the environment just sings, and I really wish I'd gotten to see it on the big screen. Magic stuff. 8.5/10.

[goharisejoke]

Manuel atelier ktm 125 exc 2007

[my-writings-and-musings]

The always awesome @stratofall006 and I did an art/fic swap and I asked for Earthspark Bumblebee with a sparkling strapped to his chest. I was not disappointed to say the very least LOOK AT HIM!!!

I was so inspired, in fact, I just had to write a short little something based on the image. Set sometime after Season 1 where Bee and Breakdown have had a bitlet and our beloved Scout is trying to teach his students. I couldn't think of a name for the bitty so just use your imagination.

---

"Kids, my optics are up here."

The five Terrans seated before him in their makeshift outdoor classroom all shrunk upon being called out, but Bumblebee was hardly angry even at the umpteenth interruption. He couldn't blame the kids for struggling to focus, as the tiny bundle strapped to his chest was taking up a sizable chunk of his own attention as well, and they were all struggling to return to the old routine now that he was no longer carrying. Most of his negative emotions were bound up in how delayed Optimus had been in informing him that Breakdown would be needed for a field mission today, leaving him to multitask between teaching and parenting with almost no forewarning...

"Sorry, Bee." Twitch apologized sincerely, big orange optics bringing a soft smile to his face as she tried not to look at the sparkling.

"We really are trying!" Thrash added just as emphatically, making his teacher chuckle in appreciation. If nothing else, their commitment meant a lot to him. The bitlet on his chassis stirred at his laughter, compelling him to look down as her tiny servos flexed for the sky and her stubby pedes kicked in amusement.

"She's just sooo cute!" Hashtag spoke up, saying what they were all thinking. Bumblebee couldn't deny he and Breakdown had produced one of the cutest bitlets he'd ever seen, and that in her harness said cuteness was on full display, rounded frame bouncing in the straps as her optics continued to look around her audience. He was about to try and redirect his class when Hashtag squealed once more at the adorable antics. "Look, she's sticking her tongue out!"

Blowing a messy raspberry for no particular reason, the bitlet quieted when he directed her stubby servo to her mouth, compelling the little one to nom on it. Trying to get the class back on track, the Scout turned teacher turned parent remembered where he'd been interrupted and got back to teaching.

"I know she's cute, but we've got a lot to get through today. Back on topic; the key to remaining undiscovered is to focus-"

"How precious, she's waving at me!" Nightshade interrupted as they clasped their servos together, once more bringing attention to the sparkling. Bumblebee couldn't deny the way they flapped their arms was beyond amusing, and he began to wonder just how on Earth he was supposed to get through his lesson as Nightshade returned the gesture with a polite wave of their claws. "Hello there, little one!"

"Kids-"

"She's waving at me now!" Jawbreaker gushed as the bitlet swapped arms to wave in his direction, compelling Bumblebee to sigh as he completely lost control once more. Not having the energy to keep this up much longer, he considered telling Optimus that unless he wanted the Terrans to fall even more behind on their training, the big bot would start planning to schedule a babysitter when he pulled bots for mission duty. He already knew Breakdown would be handling most of the sparkling related chores tonight...

A tiny sneeze against his chassis brought him out of his dissatisfied quiet, instincts compelling him to check over the sparkling even though he found she had merely had a tickle in her nose. To his students, however, each new action was the most adorable thing they'd ever seen. Their glowing optics told him that a sneeze was no exception.

"Oh my gosh, I got that on film! Let me share it to the group chat!" Hashtag proclaimed as she rapidly tapped away on her tablet, sharing the video with everyone in their circle as the group once more descended into chaos. Sighing as he briefly dipped into the background, the Scout offered a digit to his sparkling and allowed her to chew on it as his students all vied for her attention. Not having the energy to handle much more, he decided to cut his losses and accept that the lesson was done for the day.

"Alright, everyone, let's just... enjoy a day off for now. We'll take it from the top tomorrow." he announced over the din of five excited Terrans, who were now focused on going through the digital album of pictures and videos they'd put together of his sparklings short but precious existence. Not too put off by the chance for a well earned rest, he sat down on a broad stone and allowed the bitlet to continue nomming on his digit, glad that at least one bot was focused on him.

[petite-madame]

Hey ! I have a little question : how do you start to draw ? I want to start but idk how-

And, for the digital art, what app to used for it ?

(I'm sorry for my bad english, it's not my first language, in fr :

Hey ! J'ai une petite question : comment on commence a dessiner ? J'aimerai commencer mais jsp comment-

Et, pour l'art digital/digital art, quel application utiliser ?)

Bonjour Anon ^^

Bonnes questions! 💗

On va y aller en français parce que, comme disait le Roi de France, "Car tel est notre plaisir" et puis parce que je l’ai déjà expliqué en anglais quelque part dans mon tag #arttechnique donc, pour une fois, la communication se fera en Langage de Grenouille. 🇫🇷

Pour commencer sache que tu as ouvert la boite de Pandore, la réponse va donc être longue. Alors, « comment on commence à dessiner ? ».

1 - Papier/Crayon. C’est loin d’être une plaisanterie, on commence avec un papier et un crayon. Pas besoin d'avoir du matériel sophistiqué et onéreux, j'ai commencé avec le crayon et le carnet à la con de chez Carrefour. De plus, quand tu vois ce que fait Alan Lee avec juste le dit crayon, tu n'as pas besoin de plus. C'est vraiment très bien pour s'exercer/démarrer. Après, si tu veux commencer directement en digital, tu peux le faire bien évidemment soit avec un iPad soit avec un ordinateur et une palette graphique mais très honnêtement, le papier/crayon offre une bonne base

2 - S'y mettre. Ça peut paraitre con comme conseil mais c'est comme à la piscine il va bien falloir rentrer dans l'eau, ne serait-ce que dans le petit bain. C'est bien beau d'avoir du matériel et de se répéter qu'on "va s'y mettre un jour" mais si on repousse l'échéance, ça ne va pas marcher. Il faut se convaincre que Rome ne s'est pas fait en un jour et qu'au début, ça va être tordu et que tu vas dessiner n’importe quoi. La procrastination au nom du perfectionnisme est un mal réel mais arriver à l'occulter est un belle victoire.

Pour ce faire, on commence doucement par gribouiller des choses qu'on aime. Conseil qui sonne sans doute comme une lapalissade absolue mais au début, je dis bien au début, on peut rester dans sa petite zone de confort pour booster la motivation. Tu aimes les chats ? Dessine un chat. Tu aimes les fleurs ? Dessine une pivoine. Tu aimes le ballet ET Emmanuel Macron ? Bref, tu sais ce qu'il te reste à faire (on ne kink shame pas, je suis sure qu’il y a des amateurs quelques part). Cependant, petit à petit, il va falloir prendre plus de risques et se forcer un peu à dessiner des choses qu'on n'aime moins pour progresser mais au commencement, il n'y a pas de mal à gribouiller Les Chevaliers du Zodiac, n'importe comment.

Le Chevalier du Poisson après s’être pris un mur. J'avais 8 ans ok ?

Bon, je mets un « cut » parce que ça ne va pas être gérable.

3 - Suivre des tutos et ne pas avoir peur de l'aspect technique surtout quand on commence à aborder l'anatomie et la perspective. Et c'est là, qu'il va falloir sortir un peu de sa zone de confort pour faire des exercices pour pratiquer les ombres et lumières, la perspective, comprendre les points de fuites, les poses dynamiques. Il y a plein de tutoriels sur YouTube, tu as aussi des bouquins mais je pense qu'une vidéo est plus parlante. C'est vraiment TRÈS utile. Tu as des vidéos comme "apprendre à dessiner" ou "perspective pour débutant", "la théorie des couleurs pour les nuls", etc...C'est là que tu vas voir que pour dessiner un chat, un visage, un bateau il y a des règles pour simplifier une forme, un visage, un corps. Alors oui, c'est chiant de dessiner 12 fois la même main ou la même sphère éclairée différemment mais ça sert. Bref, commencer à dessiner, ça va être commencer à comprendre comment transposer la réalité en « 3D » vers un support « 2D », la feuille ou le canevas Photoshop, peindre ce que l’on voit et non pas ce que l’on croit voir, décomposer les formes, comprendre les couleurs. Une fois encore, ça va prendre du temps, mais ça viendra.

Pareil pour les applis de dessin que tu vas utiliser si tu commences en digital. Si tu ne sais pas faire quelque chose, va suivre des tutos sur Youtube. Il y a aussi des reels sur Instagram qui ne sont pas mal du tout car ils montrent des "trucs" comme des raccourcis clavier ou des façons de modifier les pinceaux (brushes) de Photoshop ou Clip Studio Paint.

4 - S'exercer par gribouiller tout et n'importe quoi, faire des croquis de...cafetière, bouquin, chaussures, prise électrique, la petite cousine, le gros voisin, la dame du pressing. 1) c'est marrant et 2) les défis techniques ne sont pas toujours là où on le croit 3) ces exercices permettent de comprendre ce dont je te parlais plus haut s’agissant de la décomposition des formes ainsi que de la façon dont la lumière frappe les objets.

5 - Utiliser des références. Je ne le dirais jamais assez, utiliser des références n’est pas tricher ! Des illustrateurs confirmés comme Alex Ross ont un studio où ils prennent des photos de leurs assistants, leurs amis, eux-mêmes, pour avoir une base de travail. Si tu veux dessiner un bateaux pirate, va chercher une photo de bateau pirate sur Internet. On n’est pas « un vrai artiste » parce qu’on dessine de tête ou sans gommer. 🙃

6 - Travailler régulièrement pour progresser. Je sais c'est dur de trouver du temps avec le lycée, la fac, le boulot, les transports, la vie de famille, etc...mais le mieux est d'arriver à dessiner un peu régulièrement, ça sera plus efficace que deux heures toutes les deux semaines. Les cours de géo sur les bassins sédimentaires sont faits pour ça. J'AI RIEN DIT.

7 - Ne pas se décourager. Je me répète mais les artistes étant leurs pires critiques, le chemin vers la satisfaction va être long. Tu vas commencer par copier tes artistes préférés et ta tête va exploser car un jour tes dessins vont ressembler à Mucha et le lendemain ça sera à One Piece et le jour suivant Moebius ou un web-comic coréen. C'est encore plus dur pour les artistes débutants aujourd'hui car ils sont confrontés, Tiktok après Tiktok, tableau Pinterest après tableau Pinterest, à un déluge constant d'influences, à une stimulation artistique telle qu'elle en devient inaudible pour un cerveau toujours plus sollicité. Savoir ce qu'on veut, se concentrer, construire son style sans se perdre est, je pense, un des grands défis des artistes débutants en 2024.

C'était joliment dit. Merci d'avoir suivi Ce soir ou jamais, on se retrouve demain soir.

Il va surtout falloir que tu prennes en compte en tant que débutant que quand tu vas commencer, tes progrès vont être proche de ça :

Ils ne seront pas linéaires mais, tu progresseras. Un petit "art block" de temps en temps, du découragement, mais surtout beaucoup de joie et de satisfaction quand tu auras dessiné quelque chose qui te tiens à cœur pour la première fois, même si tu détesteras ce même dessin deux mois plus tard, c'est ça être un artiste, félicitations!

8 - Ne pas se comparer à des illustrateurs de folie. Paix à son âme mais si tu vois une vidéo du regretté Kim Jung Gi qui dessinait des fresques entières sans traits de construction, à main levée, tu vas te dire "Mais punaise, pourquoi j'essaie ?". N'y penses pas, fais ta vie, à ton rythme. Pareil avec les gens de ton âge. Ne te compare pas à un mec de 13 ans à Singapour qui dessine déjà comme un artiste confirmé. On s'en fout. C'est une exception, grand bien lui fasse, on l'embrasse, cœur sur lui, mais ce n’est pas toi. Bref, l'inspiration OUI, la comparaison NON.

9 - Prendre des cours de dessins. Être autodidacte et s’entrainer tout seul, c’est bien, mais prendre des cours si on est perdu n’est absolument pas honteux. Il y a des cours municipaux, des ateliers parfois à la mairie, à la médiathèque de ta ville, etc...Alors oui, tu vas dessiner un pot de fleurs et une pomme avec Mamie Geneviève, retraité de la Mairie de Brie-Comte-Robert mais tu vas avoir un prof qui va t'expliquer les bases si tu sens que tu ne vas pas y arriver seul.

Et, pour l'art digital/digital art, quel application utiliser ?

Moi, j'utilise Photoshop mais c'est payant (et assez cher)

Pour commencer, je te recommande d'autres applications bien moins chères comme Krita (gratuite) ou, si tu as un iPad, Procreate. C'est environ 8€ (ça a peut-être augmenté depuis le temps où je l'ai acheté) mais pour tout ce que cette appli peut faire, c'est donné. Moins connue mais également gratuite, Fire Alpaca, très honorable aussi!

Clip Studio Paint est également très bien. Tu peux l'avoir soit avec un système d'achat unique, soit un system de souscription comme tu peux le voir ici.

Voilà ! Bref, il faut s’y mettre, se lancer, dessiner n’importe quoi pour se faire la main, suivre des tutos, parce que la technique c’est important, utiliser des références et ne pas se décourager.

J’espère avoir répondu à ta question et comme disait Marie-Pierre Casey :

"Je ne ferai pas ça tous les jours!" (même si personne ne m’a demandé de faire aussi long).

Si vous n’avez pas la réf, demandez à vos parents.

Passe un bon dimanche et courage ! On reste motivé !! 💗

[weclassybouquetfun]

Awards season is inching to a close with the last gasp of screenings coming up the week of January 8th. My favourite movie of the year is SALTBURN and Amazon-MGM is holding three screenings of it on the same day to end its FYC run. The same night Disney finally remembers THE CREATOR exists and is having a screening/Q&A with its director Gareth Edwards.

Notable award season dates:

Jan. 6th-7th: The Creative Arts Emmys. This is the portion of the Emmys that awards the winners of the Outstanding Guest Star category. TED LASSO has four in this category: Three who have all been previously nominated for their roles on the show: Harriet Walter, Sarah Niles and Sam Richardson; and newbie Becky Ann Baker as Dottie Lasso.

If James Lance wasn't promoted to regular, surely he would have received and likely won a S3 nomination in this category.

James and his hair situation with his fellow voice-over artists for the BBC Radio 4 show "We Forced a Bot to Write This Show".

Jan. 7th: The Golden Globes

Prayer circles for Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike for their work in SALTBURN and TED LASSO, Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham.

Wed. Jan. 10: The SAG-AFTRA awards nominations

Sun. Jan 14th: The Critics Choice Awards . Hate that there was no love for TED LASSO and that SALTBURN actors and the script was ignored (but at least the artisans were recognized).

They were robbed!

Really pulling for Da'Vine Joy Randolph of THE HOLDOVERS, Charles Melton of MAY DECEMBER and for Young Actor/Actress, Milo Machada Graner for ANATOMY OF THE FALL.

If Milo wasn't this category, I would be rooting for THE HOLDOVERS' Dominic Sessa who is in the same category. Though, Sessa will very likely win.

Mon. Jan 15th: The Primetime Emmys. We have nods for Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, nods for outstanding writing, directing, editing,production design, VFX, hairstyling, original music & lyrics and series. I am just hoping for some wins.

Thurs. Jan. 18th: The BAFTA Film Awards nominations.

Tues. Jan 23rd: The Academy Awards nominations

During this time Sundance Film Festival will be live (Jan 18th-28th) ,there we will likely get a couple of presumptive nominees for 2024-2025 film awards season.

Tues. Jan. 23: Academy Awards nominations. I'm a broken record. I'm all in on SALTBURN, especially hoping for nominations for Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike.; and one for Best Film. But as I was all in on BABYLON last year and it got goose eggs, no film should want me as a fan.

I'm hoping for JA Bayona's SOCIETY OF THE SNOW gets a nom and win for Best International.

And as France didn't submit ANATOMY OF A FALL (I assume there's too much English spoken for it to qualify), I hope it gets the same love last year's ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT received and it's put up for Best Picture.

Sun. Feb. 18: BAFTA Awards.

Sat. Feb. 24: Screen Actors Guild Awards

Sun. Feb. 25: Spirit AwardsSun. Mar. 10: Academy Awards

Then we pause until late April and Emmy season kicks right up again and we continue the dance.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Sorry pls ignore my last ask BPP. Your point about Seven being the 'Dynamite' equivalent in solo era is a good one and explains the treatment it got. After the BB article I also now understand why BH dropped LC. If BB believed the LC record was 'tainted' with Chinese cash and BH never had that 'Dynamite' promotion plan for it, everything that's happened makes sense. But it still leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. I can't wash it out. Are we now at the mercy of BB's whims? Also don't you find the support for Seven excessive? Is the elimination of direct to consumer sales enough to explain that kind of support to keep it number 1? I'm just trying to understand how the company is thinking about things without victimizing the members. They all seem to be still working with purpose so I feel they don't feel shortchanged, but from the outside looking inside it doesn't feel fair.

*

Ask 2:

Hi BPP,

Re: bb article

1. Do you think there will be additional changes coming, making sales even less relevant for bb charts?

2. I absolutely hate that it is again Jimin that takes the brunt of all this bulshit, I really do. He doesnt deserve this at all. But he is strong, he will be OK. That being said, its making me really upset IRL, so I will have to do some me time.

3. I would be interested to know your outlook on BB as a whole when it comes to BTS and their future in US market (if you have talked about this pls refer me to the post)

My opinion is, that while BB is paramount when it comes to big awards season, eventually BB and the awards themselves serve as a kind of promotion, to validate the artist to their (potential) fanbase, keep them invested etc. BTS guys do all of that on their own, with their music, personalities and lyrics. So going forward, if they dont chart as much, dont win as much... It will not matter in the long run. Their fan base is so solid that I trully believe they will have no problem selling multiple stadium stops 25 years from now. Easily.

There will be a significant fandom fall off, when all the people who are here for bragging rights lose their interest. And that is a good thing... But the people who will stay, who love the guys for who they are and for their art, those whose love does not depend on how many grammy noms or BB H100 they recieve... These people will stay and buy the tickets. And their numbers will still be enourmous. Enviable. More than the majority of the western industry plants can only dream of.

Rant over. Have a good weekend

*

Ask 3:

The latest Billboard discussion is disheartening, but the NYT article description of U.S. conservatives aping the tactics of Swifties and BTS fans to get their nefarious messaging across is even more so. Have we opened the gate for the Trumpsters of the world?

I was struck by this partvof the original question to you"

'... figure out a way to truly determine which songs are most popular (whatever that even means anymore)....'

So, how can we ever know what is truly popular? Are fervent fans willing to devote time and resources to get their fave to the top really the best arbiters? Even if they number in the millions, we are still looking at support that is far deeper than it is wide.

I mean, better than the suits deciding, I guess? Or is it just another group--this one outside of the target country--imposing their agenda on the population? One has the goal of making money; the other of winning a fan war.

So, how do we ascertain what is truly popular with the much-vaunted GP? Or doesn't it matter?

***

I've said many times on this blog that I'm not a writer, and that English isn't my first language, so I suppose it's unsurprising that despite my efforts putting my thoughts to paper/Tumblr, I'm still unable to fully communicate it in a way people understand right away, to eliminate/answer a lot of questions that I believe should be clear to infer from what I've written before. So rather than write a massive post like before where my key points could get lost, I'll pick out key questions from your asks and give fairly brief answers to each one. I'll work my way from the top, down.

Hi Anon(s),

Select answers below:

"Also don't you find the support for Seven excessive? Is the elimination of direct to consumer sales enough to explain that kind of support to keep it number 1?"

I think the results speak for itself. Dynamite and the PET got what is easily the biggest support any BTS release had gotten to date at the time - all of it tailored to mirror how American labels promoted their tracks, *and* the fandom had D2C sales buttressing it as the primary support mechanism. Like, please read that sentence again and think about what it means. Sales are the easiest and most transparent way for the fandom to influence charts, and so was always preferred for ARMY. Even if you weren't in the fandom then, understand it's impossible to overstate how much D2C sales mattered. With that now out of the question, everything we're seeing for Seven for me feels like a given, especially after the Billboard article.

"Do you think there will be additional changes coming, making sales even less relevant for bb charts?"

Yes. But not 'less relevant' in a sense, more like differentiated and treated as its own thing, perhaps in a separate chart.

"I would be interested to know your outlook on BB as a whole when it comes to BTS and their future in US market (if you have talked about this pls refer me to the post)"

This probably requires its own post but the long-short of it is: just like Ticketmaster, Billboard is only one arm of one of the largest private monopolies in the US entertainment market - PMC, and as such they serve as gatekeepers of sorts. Their interest in BTS (and k-pop by extension) lies primarily in how they can profit off the group/fandom, which so far BigHit and ARMY have created very limited avenues for. BigHit's strategy until now has been to expand BTS's reach without relying on the PMC apparatus, using it only for select releases that are explicitly tailored for it e.g. Seven and PET. While I don't think this strategy will change dramatically, every change from BB is to force more compliance with their apparatus. BTS will continue facing handicaps from PMC so long as BigHit continues limiting how PMC can profit from BTS for each release. (This sentence makes sense in my head but if it's not clear, please let me know.)

*

"Have we opened the gate for the Trumpsters of the world?"

Well, yeah. But ARMYs can't take all the credit. After all, ARMYs are only doing what the Bey Hive and Swifties have been doing for almost a decade with none of the scrutiny. BTS, more than any other group, actually has the absolute numbers in demand and grassroots support to justify it as they're comparable to the afore-mentioned artists, proven by their concert showings not just in the US but worldwide, as far back as 2018. People only started paying attention to ARMYs' movements because BTS didn't look like the sorts of people they expected to see at the top of the charts. Everybody took notice, including a political faction in the US that in recent years has moved more aggressively into the entertainment sphere to influence culture, such as Ben Shapiro's entertainment empire, movies like Sound of Freedom topping box office charts, and conservative country singers pushing Reagan-esque talking points to the top of music charts. So it's basically the result of timing and opportunity.

"So, how can we ever know what is truly popular? Are fervent fans willing to devote time and resources to get their fave to the top really the best arbiters? ... how do we ascertain what is truly popular with the much-vaunted GP?"

I've talked about this before I think. You can find my views on it in my Masterlist, and I've linked the post here.

*

People sent in more asks on BB but I've since lost interest in this topic and will post my responses when I feel like it, much later, using the same format I've used to answer the asks above. The truth is that while I understand why many people feel like everything that's happened so far with Seven and Jimin is unfair, I think a lot of the discourse is awfully reductive, actually does a disservice to Jimin and BTS, and that there's a much bigger picture here that's more consistent with how BTS has operated for the last 10 years.

This is probably not the best analogy, but one way I think of BTS is like a Swiss army knife, with each member being a separate tool. And that at different points, in various markets, BigHit and BTS are testing various approaches to expand their reach while aiming to maintain the market share they've gotten so far. The group has always had projects they release that have more artistic merit and cache, versus projects made by all appearances to be purely for commercial purposes to expand the reach of the group. For example, consider how BigHit promoted Butter/Permission to Dance, compared to the BE album, or how Seven was created and promoted relative to Indigo. To go back in even further in previous years, I remember how BTS appeared to center Jimin in Blood, Sweat & Tears era to build out his and their presence in Korea, and Taehyung in DNA era where his and BTS's presence in China ballooned in 2017.

While in the solo era some people feel like every accomplishment remains solely with individual members, I feel everything serves only one purpose: to further establish the group. Because by BTS's own words, they all have their individual ambitions, they've always had that and each member is aggressively competitive on that note, but they've each all said that their priority remains the group. Not everybody likes that, not everybody believes them when they say it, but the good thing with BTS is that they plan in multi-year stints and time always reveals what the facts of the matter are. We're only one year into Chapter 2, and while certain parts of the fandom are treating their solo debut albums as the be all and end all, I don't think there's anything to suggest this perspective lines up with the reality of how BTS has behaved for the last 10 years. I could be wrong, but either way we're just going to have to wait and see. In the meantime, I believe there's significant artistic merit in what the guys are putting out in Chapter 2, that I hope isn't lost in the noise. The fandom should do a better job of bringing the attention back to this, rather than a tunnel-vision on performance metrics that only tell half of the story.

[anzynai]

Study Break!

Riddle & Ace & Chenya (TWST)

a/n: WOOOO another twst fic done! and its lee riddle!! surprisingly enough, i actually got a lot of lee riddle requests (which i dont blame u nom nom) so im planning to write those requests in the future. still, here i combined two of them so i hope u dont mind! this was actually meant to be posted much sooner but well.. got sidetracked. plus, i wanted to write another fic before i posted this one. (that did not happen) ANYWAY, enjoy!

summary: when ace is forced to study with riddle, he finds that things may not be so bad after-all when a friend of riddle’s comes to visit!

word count: 1.5k

——

“Urghhh..” Ace groaned to himself. “This sucks..” Slouching over his papers, he wanted nothing more than to just go back to his room and sleep for ten years.

See, it was his fault, wasn’t it? That he had to waste three hours of his day on schoolwork instead of doing literally anything else. It’s true that he did get a.. well, less than favorable score on his test, but no! What he blamed himself on was the fact he had accidentally let Riddle see it!

And now, he was here, in the Heartslabyul Lounge, textbooks as far as the eye can see (or really, only covering the table) and Riddle drilling lesson after lesson into his brain. He was sure that if he stayed there a second longer, his brain would quite literally melt.

He hated that Riddle was actually a really good tutor. This wasn’t Ace’s first time getting a tutoring session with the Housewarden, despite the other’s busy schedule. But.. he had to be in the mood to study, you know?

“Do you get it, Ace? This is important,” Riddle asked, causing another groan to pass through the freshman’s lips.

“Yes… but..” He said, knowing full well that he hadn't been listening to Riddle for the past five minutes. “Can’t we just take a small break?”

“Not when you haven’t been listening to me at all. Do you really think you’re deserving of a break?” Riddle narrowed his eyes, his arms crossed. Ace, on the other hand, averted his eyes after getting through his initial shock.

“So you noticed..”

“Of course I did.”

“I just can’t focus! It’s just one test. I’ll do better on the next one.” Ace shrugged, looking out the window. He could be doing other things right now. Should he just.. say he needs to go to the bathroom and just leave? No, it’s Riddle. He would wait until Ace got back and punish him. And no one wanted to be on the receiving end of Riddle’s punishments.

“But you didn’t do well on this one. Tell me, what will you do if this material shows up on the final exam?” Riddle questioned, doubtful.

“Eh..”

“Hehe, playing teacher?” A voice suddenly cut out, startling the two. Ace jerked his head over towards the source to see.. a floating head?!

“Ah! It’s you!” What was his name? Arte… Pinky..? Huh???

“Chenya,” Riddle sighed, then looked up, a glare directed at him, rather than Ace. “Stop using your signature spell to scare others.”

“Hehe.” Chenya winked, then the rest of his body appeared.

“Freaky…” Ace mumbled to himself, still recovering from his heart attack earlier. How did he get in here anyway? When did he get here?

“What are you doing here?” Riddle asked the RSA student.

“Can’t I just visit my friends~?” Chenya put his hands behind his head, casually.

Riddle pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m assuming you’ve already met with Trey then?”

“Nope,” Chenya started, popping the p. “I actually thought I was gonna see you two together. You two used to be like, attached at the hip.”

“We were not.” Riddle looked away.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatcha doing?” He said, half-walking, half-skipping over to the table. Sevens, him and Floyd would get along swimmingly— no pun intended.

“As you can see, I’m tutoring one of my freshmen. He got an unacceptable grade on his last test and I am going to ensure that doesn’t happen again,” Riddle explains, gesturing at the textbooks sprawled about on the table.

“Way to put all my business out there, Housewarden..” Ace muttered under his breath. Riddle pointedly ignored him.

“Looks like he’s been working hard. I heard him ask for a break! Why not give the little freshie one?”

“Little freshie?!” Ace can hardly be grateful for Chenya trying to convince the housewarden to give Ace a break when he’s called that! Still.. a break would be nice.

Riddle looks between the two, a hopeful glint in each of their eyes.

Then, he sighed. “Fine. I will permit silent reading for ten minutes,” He responded, at last, handing him an alchemy textbook.

“Eh?! That’s not a break at all!” Ace exclaimed, before he could help it. He withdrew slightly at the glare that Riddle sent him.

“Yeah. I mean, like, something away from studying. Come on, the Chenya is visiting, do you think I’d wanna watch you two studying?” Chenya whined, throwing his arms out. He seemed very.. mischievous. Clearly, this was not his first rodeo.

“And what do you suggest?” Riddle raised a brow.

“I know!” Chenya declared, like he had been waiting for it, then he set his sights on Ace. Ace startled when Chenya started walking towards him, getting closer and cupping his ear to whisper into it.

Ace lit up while Riddle grimaced. Ace looked at the housewarden, newfound fervor in his demeanor. Ace had a mission and he could tell Riddle was not looking forward to finding out what it was.

“What are you two scheming over there?” Riddle demanded and Chenya shook, like he forgot the other was there. Then, the same fervor was in his eyes.

“Get him!” Chenya shouted, suddenly, as if Ace were a soldier or a knight or… something. Still, Ace obliged, running to pounce Riddle. Riddle didn’t seem to stop him, even though he very well could have, so the freshman could tell that he was curious about where this was going to go.

Then, Ace wiggled his fingers on Riddle’s sides and Chenya joined in, tickling Riddle’s ribs and armpits.

“H-huh?! Unhahand me!”

“No way! You were right, he is ticklish!” Ace exclaimed, almost incredulously.

“Hehe, isn’t he?” Chenya giggled. And that’s when it seemed to click in Riddle’s mind that that’s what they were whispering about. Riddle bit his lip, trying to resist but it was all over before he even began.

“Lehehehet gohoho!” Riddle laughed, an unwilling blush rising to his cheeks. Ignoring all that Riddle was, he looked so.. cute and innocent here.

“Nuh uh! This is how I want to spend my break!” Ace started poking his fingers in between Riddle’s ribs, loudly and obnoxiously singing some classical music, like Riddle was a piano. He knew he would probably die later, but… it was worth it.

When he hit a particular sensitive spot on his ribs, Riddle actually snorted. Yep. Definitely worth it.

Chenya was squeezing Riddle’s thighs, lightly grazing the tops of his knees all the while.

“You twohohoho, stahahap!” Riddle cried, squirming and trying to grab his magic pen from his pocket. That is, until Ace started scratching at Riddle’s waist, grazing his sides just barely, but enough to drive him mad.

“No way! Not when I found out my housewarden is,” Ace started, teasingly. “…this ticklish~” He enunciated his words with a poke to his side, laughing at how Riddle jolted each time.

“Teehee, he is just as ticklish as he was when he was little! So cuteee!” Chenya cooed, his slender fingers exploring Riddle’s tummy and bellybutton.

“Shuhuhut uhuhup!” Riddle screeched, his face bright red and Ace wasn’t really sure whether it was from embarrassment or anger. Maybe both. Maybe this shouldn’t go on much longer, he thought, thinking back about the times Riddle had used his unique magic on him. Riddle was better about it now, but he definitely still had his limits.

“Seems like you’re having fun?” A voice called out of seemingly nowhere. All three heads jerked towards the sound, spotting Trey in the doorway.

“Trehehehey! Mahahahake theheheem stohop!” Riddle giggled, finally giving up on trying to break free as he looked at Trey who chuckled in response.

“Alright, don’t you guys think he’s had enough?” Trey asked, walking closer to them but never actually stopping. Ace looked at his house warden and backed away. Chenya got in a few more pokes in before he stopped, as well, deciding to jog over to Trey.

“Trey! Your best friend is here!” He exclaimed, pointing at himself and winking. A fond smile made its way onto Trey’s face and Ace offhandedly wonders about the history between the three.

It is almost silent for a few moments, save for Riddle exhaling slowly and deeply.

“I hope that made for a sufficient break.” Riddle glared at the two, but especially Ace. Likely for giving into Chenya’s whims, which.. fair, but shouldn’t he be more angry at Chenya who suggested tickling him in the first place?!

“It definitely did, Housewarden!” Ace admitted, pushing any fear of retaliation that he might’ve had, recalling the moments just now. If Riddle hadn’t collared him, he must be safe, right? And well, it’s Riddle. Riddle would never do something so petty like tickle him back.

“Whatever. Let’s just get back to learning. And there will be no breaks until we are finished,” The Housewarden declares, sitting up to pick up one of the textbooks on the table. However, he scooted closer towards Ace, so that they were more diagonal than across.

Ace decided not to think about it too much. That is, until Riddle began poking him in the side every time he lost focus or got an answer wrong.

He supposed that this was what he deserved, so he didn't say anything. At least pokes in the side were all it was…

He shivered at the thought of Riddle finding out about how embarrassingly ticklish he was, but he’ll save that for another day! Now, he just has to get through this tutoring session… Ughhhh…

[skullsnbruises]

may you write some nage!tubbo with t!Ranboo noms with some fearplay and teasing in it plz, love your art btw! ^^

-crystal

I know allium duo is Ranboo and Tommy,, but the opportunity was there between him and Tubbo soo . Also thank you for the request! I don’t see these two enough (despite them being such a common duo???) and it was fun to write something quick. Hope you enjoy as well!

Ao3 link

Taglist @brick-a-doodle-do @poprockpanda

Off the Path

(1252 words)

“Okay, what do you do when you’re lost in the woods…?”

Wherever they turned was just… trees. He’d probably long since lost the path, and by the sky turning a vibrant orange, it looked like it was going to be useless finding his way back.

The sun was setting, and Ranboo was screwed.

“I can’t stay where I am,” they thought of the age-old advice, “Nobody knows I’m out here…”

Ranboo peered around, all the stupid greenery looked the exact same. Nothing pointed them to a logical exit. They felt frozen with anxiety.

“Do I just pick a direction??”

He gulped hard, staring in the face of his fears.

They sighed, and decided yes, he would just pick a direction and start walking. The forest couldn’t be that big that he wouldn’t at least find something soon. Right?

And so Ranboo took a few steps, worried about pushing through bushes and getting pricked by thorns. He cursed themself out for getting so distracted earlier. If he hadn’t strayed off his hike, if they weren’t so caught up picking up those pretty purple flowers…

Though, the alliums did look pretty.

They sighed. He tried to keep his hopes up that they’d find the path, or the edge of the forest, or anything at all very soon.

And then Ranboo stumbled upon something, to say the least.

Their foot caught on a root, and they tripped, falling face first into the ground. He spit out the dirt and wiped furiously at his face, blinking rapidly. When their eyes cried out all the dust, through the teary watery vision, Ranboo could see an opening.

Not a clearing in the woods, but the opening to a cave.

There were a few hills about, some significantly taller than others, but very few cliff sides or visible rock. This cave proved to be interesting, at the very least somewhere to check out- or worst case forbid- sleep in for the night.

Ranboo watched the sky as it was now settling into a gorgeous dark shade of blue and purples. It was practically nighttime now.

Not wanting to be caught with wolves in the pitch black, Ranboo chose the cave over the possible dangers of the forest.

He traced along the cave walls as he walked through, and it went farther back then he would’ve expected. It wasn’t small either, instead of closing up quickly and shrinking to meet his height, the roof stayed relatively equal, trailing all the way back until they reached an open area. Studying the rocky room, Ranboo had to stop and question if this cave was even natural. The walls were obviously scratched, and some areas looked like rock was forced out of the way. Maybe it was a den… but what on earth was so big that it needed so much…

Space?

Ranboo’s eyes met another set of piercing yellow slits.

A figure began to slowly wiggle upwards, growing impossibly above them, showing off a tall… person?

“Hello there…” the giant figure spoke out slowly, “who are you, and why the hell are you in my den?”

Out of the shadow, a forked tongue flicked out, and the figure came closer, revealing itself to be that of a naga.

Ranboo’s mouth fell agape, “N-n-naga?!”

The enormous mythical being laughed boomingly, “Hah! Have you never seen one before?”

He was completely paralyzed, fear shooting his nerves and forcing them to stand still, shoes digging into the ground and hands clenched into clammy fists. They felt weak and nauseous.

“What’s wrong? Scared?” The naga held a mocking tone as it slithered closer. There was a deafening thump, as its tail thud behind Ranboo, effectively trapping him inside the cave.

“P-please don’t hurt me!” Is all their choked throat could manage out.

“Hurt you!” The snake beamed, “Oh, you’re fun, I can tell already. My name is Tubbo. And you are…” Tubbo reached out a clawed hand.

“R-Ranboo…” They squeaked, grabbing Tubbo’s finger with his sweaty hand, and gave the most pathetic excuse of a handshake ever.

“It’s funny how scared you are.”

The human shrank back, “I- are you going to kill me?”

Tubbo’s eyes lowered, considering, “Well. It would be fun to mess around first.”

Ranboo felt tears spill over his cheeks. They were going to die, never see their friends or family again, all because he wanted to pick some stupid flowers and got lost.

“Awe, don’t look so sad,” Tubbo’s hands came horrifyingly close for someone who just threatened to kill him.

“P-please,” Ranboo tensed, holding back sobs, “don’t-“

Tubbo slumped down, and his tail shifted around. The small circle Ranboo was confined to shrank more, closing in as Tubbo readied to take their life.

A sob wracked through his fragile body, causing Ranboo to collapse to his knees, crying and pleading and begging. Anything to bargain for their life. The naga stared through them as Ranboo searched his person, trying desperately for anything to convince him.

“P-please, I- don’t-“ their hand settled on the pocket to their jacket, and he weakly pulled the alliums out. With a shaky limb, he lifted the flowers up to the naga, “W- Please- spare me-“

Tubbo’s breath hitched, and his face was dumbfounded, “Flowers??” His hands fell to his sides and all he could do was scrunch his eyebrows in confusion, looking between the offering and the human’s face.

Ranboo shrugged weakly, “Don’t kill me…”

“Holy shit-“ Tubbo burst into laughter, “this is pathetic, okay- whatever- fine.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened, and their body stilled nervously.

“You’re so annoying, whatever. I won’t kill you,” Tubbo rolled his eyes playfully, “This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen a human do, and for that, and making me laugh, whatever. You can stay alive.”

Ranboo let out a deep breath they weren’t aware they were holding, “T-thank you!”

Just before he was about to move, the naga had him scooped into his palms, and Ranboo was lifted into the air defenseless. They let out a yell as their body was dangled above the monster. Tubbo grinned, giant fangs on display as Ranboo kicked and flailed.

“Wait- you said!-“

Tubbo snickered lowly, “I said I won’t kill you, but I still want to mess with you.”

And with his dark admission, Tubbo began to lower Ranboo’s shaking body to his open mouth. The human let out a cry again, pleading once more uselessly.

Tubbo wrapped his forked tongue around the human’s body, pulling Ranboo into his maw. He swished the crying person around, pressing his body to the roof of Tubbo’s mouth. The naga gave a hard swallow, and Ranboo sobbed as they were forced down his gullet, sliding along the muscle down, down, down…

Tubbo scoffed, “Stop crying, Ranboo. I’ll let you out when it’s morning. You’re nowhere near the nearest human town, so I’ll help you when I’m done hunting, okay?”

The human was trapped inside the naga’s organ, saliva dripping off his wet body. Ranboo shivered, blinking through the disgusting wetness, “W-what?”

“You’re safe,” Tubbo’s voice explained, muffled, “I’ll deal with you later, okay?”

“O-okay…?” Ranboo tried to sit, crossing their legs as they shifted uncomfortably. If they didn’t start digesting in the next minute, they might just believe the snake. He hushed, staring at the organ walls surrounding him. At least it was warm, and somewhere to stay until morning.

Tubbo sighed, already exhausted. He looked to the ground, picking up an allium and placing it behind his pointed ear before he left his den.

[kafkaguy]

what’s ur beef w barbie ☹️

meh i thought it was uninspired and did not live up to the hype. its neither a terrible movie nor a feminist masterpiece, it's a politically lukewarm glorified and overproduced commercial for an evil toy company that was pretty fun in the first half but lost its kick and direction and also was just a bit cringe especially in its so called feminist message. it feels like the epitome of what marx warned against with capitalism permeating art. I recognise its camp and non-naturalistic style and how fun some of the aspects are but i wasn't blown away by it. its winning that poll about the oscar noms just because its currently the height of pop culture and people clearly haven't watched the other movies that are actually good. Hope this helps

[fashionbooksmilano]

Étonne-moi! Serge Diaghilev et les Ballets Russes

sous la direction de  John Bowlt, Zelfira Tregulova, Nathalie Rosticher Giordano,

Skira, Milano 2009, 339 pagine, 25 x 29 cm, 300 ill.colori, ISBN 9788857200910

euro 50,00

email if you want to buy booksinprogressmilano@yahoo.it

Exposition Monaco, Moscou 2009

En mai 1909, Serge Diaghilev stupéfia le monde de la danse avec les premières représentations parisiennes de ses ballets, combinaison sans précédent de grâce et de vitalité, d’originalité et de raffinement technique. Monte-Carlo, qui fut pour Diaghilev un important centre d’activités pendant l’existence de la compagnie connue sous le nom de Ballets russes, célèbre ce centenaire par une grande exposition comptant plus de 300 oeuvres d’art ayant trait aux Saisons russes de 1909 à 1929. L’exposition s’accompagne d’un catalogue entièrement illustré auquel ont contribué les plus grands spécialistes de l’histoire du ballet et des arts visuels russes. Les productions légendaires du Pavillon d’Armide, de Cléopâtre, de Schéhérazade, du Sacre du printemps de Petrouchka, de Parade et de bien d’autres ballets revivent à travers des projets de décors, des costumes, des tableaux, des sculptures, des photographies, des éditions de luxe, des programmes et des objets de culture matérielle. Les oeuvres d’art proviennent d’une grande variété de collections publiques et privées, nationales et internationales, telle la collection Fokine du Musée du théâtre de Saint-Pétersbourg. Les créations scéniques de Diaghilev s’accompagnent d’un nombre important de tableaux, de dessins et d’autres objets contextuels qui ont caractérisé la renaissance culturelle russe dans les premières décennies du XXe siècle. L’exposition et son catalogue s’inscrivent dans une plus vaste série de manifestations ayant trait à l’activité de Diaghilev à Monte-Carlo et à Moscou, comprenant des spectacles de ballet, des films, des conférences et un colloque international.

30/05/23

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[ecoplasma]

I'm going to chew on your art, I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Om nom nom, give me the lines, style, AND COLOR THEORY. Are there any direct influences to your art style? And would you be offended if I "copy" your style on a private way to practice/evolve my own style? (Not for posting of course!! Just for trial and growth. And if you're not, I understand! I'll only do this if you're okay with it)

Have a good meal! Currently the main inspirations I look up to are 82Pigeon, AU and Shigenori Soejima, so I suppose those would be influencing my style the most. But really, I look for inspiration everywhere, even in traditional art or photography. It's important to keep your horizon broad. Feel free to practice on my drawings, although I also recommend you to seek for many different sources of inspiration!

[theoscarsproject]

Empire of the Sun (1987). A young English boy struggles to survive under Japanese occupation of China during World War II.

Not my favourite Spielberg, nor my favourite kid-encounters-horrors-of-WWII-movie released in 1987 (Au Revoir les Enfants takes the cake, but I think Hope and Glory had a more interesting approach too), but still a solid effort. The performances are top notch across the board, and the cinematography is sublime, but there are definitely tonal issues overall that make it pretty patchy. I can't believe how young Christian Bale is in this! 7/10.

[byneddiedingo]

Lana Turner and John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice (Tay Garnett, 1946)

Cast: Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames, Audrey Totter, Alan Reed, Jeff York. Screenplay: Harry Ruskin, Niven Busch, based on a novel by James M. Cain. Cinematography: Sidney Wagner. Art direction: Randall Duell, Cedric Gibbons. Film editing: George White. Music: George Bassman.

It's one of the most memorable entrances in movies. Actually, her lipstick enters first, rolling across the floor toward him. She is Cora Smith and he is Frank Chambers, the man her husband has just hired to work in their roadside café/filling station. But more important, she is Lana Turner, one of the last of the products of the resources of the studio star factories: lighting, hair, makeup, wardrobe, and especially public relations. And he is John Garfield, one of the first of a new generation of Hollywood leading men, trained on the stage, and with an urban ethnicity about him: His vaguely presidential nom de théâtre thinly disguises his birth name, Jacob Julius Garfinkle. The pairing shouldn't work: She's a goddess, not an actress, whom the publicists had turned into "the Sweater Girl" while claiming that she had been discovered at a drugstore soda fountain. He was the child of Ukrainian-born Jews and grew up on the Lower East Side, trained as a boxer and studied acting with various disciples of Stanislavsky. But the chemistry is there from the moment Frank picks up Cora's lipstick and the camera surveys her from toe to head: white shoes, tan legs, white shorts, tan midriff, white halter top, blond hair, white turban. She reaches out her hand for the lipstick, but he doesn't move, so she comes over and gets it. It's one of the many power plays that will take place between them. The rest is one of the great film noirs, from a studio that didn't usually make them, MGM. In fact, the studio head, Louis B. Mayer, hated it, which is always a good recommendation: He hated Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950), too. (Mayer's tastes ran to Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy operettas and the Andy Hardy series.) It's the only really memorable movie directed by Tay Garnett, so I suspect a lot of credit goes to the screenwriters, Niven Busch and Harry Ruskin, and to their source, James M. Cain's overheated novel. Cain also wrote the novels that were the basis of two other famous noirs: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) and Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945), so the screenwriters and the director had some powerful examples to follow.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

sneakily drops a box of muffins and maple ginger cookie in your ask box

Good morning :D

Whenever you have the chance, may I ask Spring Prompts - 31. helping each other out, and to make it different, anyone from C2?

Thank you <3

31. helping each other out NOM NOM. idk if you'd exactly call this "helping each other out" but eh whatever.

Honestly, Caduceus is so lucky to have a friend like Jester. After the Nein Heroez limped into Nicodranas for some repairs (a hurricane followed by an encounter with a pod of merrows made for quite the one-two punch for the poor ship), Jester had decided she didn't want to wait around for the job to be done and instead spent several days pestering Caleb via Sending to teleport her and Fjord to the Blooming Grove for a visit with their favorite firbolg family. Three nights of near-constant telepathic songs about cupcakes later, and here they are, Jester and Fjord, ready to bring joy and baked goods to the Clay family.

The first thing Jester notices, of course, is how plain their little house is. Most of the damage that had been done during the confrontation with Trent Ikithon has been fixed, but no artistry was put into it. It's just plain stone and wood—and that can't do.

"Caduceus?" Jester asks in her most sweetest voice as she forces pastries from Nicodranas into Clarabelle's hands. "Do you know what I was thinking?"

"Rarely if ever," comes the dry reply. Caduceus is bent low over the stovetop, boiling water for tea.

"I was thinking that maybe it would be nice to have some color."

"But you're already so colorful, Jester," Clarabelle remarks. She pops the croissant into her mouth, and Jester grins as her eyes narrow in happiness.

"Not for me! For you! For the Blooming Grove!" She bounces over to Caduceus. "Listen. I brought all my paints with me. Fjord said I didn't have to but what does he know?" She glances out the window to see Fjord chatting with Colton about something boring, probably. "I'm thinking...a big mural, with lots of flowers and butterflies and oh! Maybe some bees? Something really pretty for all your dead people to look at!"

Caduceus sighs, and she's not sure if it's the usual sigh ("I don't know, Jester...") or her favorite sigh (the sigh of giving in, perfected by Fjord). "Well, y'know, Jester, the Blooming Grove, it's kind of...a sacred place..."

"And what is more sacred than art?" She flaps a hand in Clarabelle's direction. "Clara, tell him I'm right."

Her eyes go wide. "I...uh...I mean..."

"Okay okay okay, not a mural then. Maybe...I paint the front door? Something really pretty and welcoming."

He sighs again, and there it is! Her favorite sigh. "Just...make sure it's okay with my mom first?"

"Of course, of course!" She throws her arms around him, happy to note he's not a rail-thin as he once was, but still nearly knocks him off of his feet. "You won't regret it, I promise!"

It takes little time to convince Constance to let her paint the door. She mostly just gives Jester that indulgent smile she's come to rely upon and sends her on her way. So Jester stands before the door, her paints spread around on the little front porch, her tongue between her teeth as she surveys her canvas. The door needs to be bright, it needs to be inviting, and it needs to tell all of the spirits here in the Blooming Grove that they picked the right place to spend the rest of eternity. It also needs to pay homage to the Traveler, because even though Caduceus serves the Wildmother, it cannot hurt to have an extra set of eyes watching over this place.

And so she gets to work. It takes her all afternoon, stretching and stooping and swirling her paints around, transforming what was once a plain wooden door into an explosion of color and life. Clarabelle comes out to watch, still munching on some pastries, and at one point Fjord moseys over to remind Jester that this isn't their house, which, duh, that's why it was so dull before! The sun is making its way down into the tops of the surrounding Savalirwood by the time she's finished. She steps back to admire her handiwork, paint-stained hands proudly on her hips, before covering the doorway with the tarp she'd been using as a dropcloth. "Oh Clays! C'mere!"

One by one, the Clays and Fjord gather, the latter clearly nervous about whatever she was going to reveal. Jester claps her hands together. "My beloved Clay family, I would like to present to you a Jester Lavorre original: your front door!"

She whips the dropcloth away to reveal her grand creation. The door is no longer a door, but rather a slice of the Blooming Grove itself. From the bottom, all manner of wildflowers of yellow and blue and red and pink lick up from whispers of green grass, overgrown and buzzing with the tiniest crawling things. A few crooked headstones just peek over the tops of the petals, and between them, framed by the towering trunks of the Savalirwood, is a family in silhouette, five figures with floppy ears holding hands, draping arms around each other's shoulders. Jester employed some of her magical paints to create small butterflies that really flit around their heads, and a few birds dancing between the branches of the trees over head. The sun is setting between them, just as it is now, in real life, and it casts a warm glow over the entire scene.

Jester watches the Clays intently, anxious for their reaction. For a long minute, they just stare in silence. Then Caduceus slowly walks up and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "It's wonderful, Jester. A real masterpiece."

She beams. "Thank you, Caduceus!" She tackles him into another hug, and he laughs, patting her back. "And look!" She releases him and rushes to the door, pointing down to the flowers in one corner. "See?"

Caduceus peers down, and a bemused smile appears on his face when he spots it: the petals of one flower perfectly overlay with those of another to form the shape of a dick.

"The Traveler is with you!" Jester whispers.

"You're with me, Jester," he drawls. "That's what really matters."

The rest of the Clays come to congratulate and thank her for her artistic contribution to their home, and yeah, Jester thinks as Constance hugs her tight, Caduceus is so lucky to have such an amazing friend like her.

[taylortruther]

I have got anons trying to convince me Taylor is a shitty writer who writes for teenagers😭. Their reasons folklore has a teenage traingle. If she writes for a movie it is going have the most basic white cheesy dialogues. Literally reblogged that thr article and anons have lost it. Help me😭😭

i've seen that same sentiment from a few people also and it's so confusing. like, if she campaigns and only gets a nom, that's still a huge honor. and if she loses, she still believed and stood behind her work - and why shouldn't she? she wrote/directed/produced a film based on her own personal experiences which is what her entire career is all about (her owning her own story). like. what's embarrassing about this? because it's not about a social issue, or it's not more "prestigious"? taylor doesn't need to make art about more ~serious~ topics just to be taken seriously. she's an accomplished and talented artist already despite what some of her jealous or bitter fans believe.

and i don't normally call fans jealous or bitter but that's how this reaction comes across to me. it's like they feel personally affronted and i don't get it.

[weclassybouquetfun]

The Oscars were announced today and while there is plenty that I am happy about disappointment still abounds. No love for SALTBURN. I knew Best Actor was crowded and Barry Keoghan may not get in,

AMPAS how can you deny him?

but I was sure of a Rosamund Pike nomination. Was holding out hope for a Dominic Sessa, or even unlikelier a Milo Machado Graner nomination for their respective works in THE HOLDOVERS and ANATOMY OF A FALL.

And while not personally disappointed (more disappointed by her BABYLON snub), very surprised that Margot Robbie didn't secure a nomination for BARBIE yet America Ferrera did.

Ryan Gosling speaks on Margot and Greta Gerwig's omission.

Not surprised by Andrew Scott not getting a nod - he didn't even get one from the BAFTAs - I just think there wasn't enough meat on the bones for that role.

Not surprised by Leonardo DiCaprio not securing a nomination as he's been pretty much absent from these conversations. What bothers me is that everyone I talk to about KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON pan his character, but not his performance. They hate that his character is stupid. They don't even touch on he's a bad person for poisoning his wife; no. It's his stupidity. So they hate that weakness in him and it blinds them to Leo's performance. Even director Paul Schrader whinged about how stupid the character was and Leo should have played the role originally offered to him; the FBI agent played by Jesse Plemons.

I love comparing who were being pushed to who actually got the big nomination.

Sorry Andrew, Greta, Julianne, Margot, Eve and Fantasia.

The Nominees.

Best Picture American Fiction Anatomy of a Fall Barbie The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon  Maestro Oppenheimer Past Lives  Poor Things

*I only just found out Ramy Yousef, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo are in this poster.

The Zone of Interest

Best Director Justine Treit (Anatomy of a Fall) Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon) Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)

Best Actor in a Leading Role Bradley Cooper (Maestro)

Colman Domingo (Rustin) Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) - when asked what he would eat as the Oscars do not serve food, he said he will bring a piece of his mam's sponge cake snuck in his wife's purse.

Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

More Nominations and Oscar Nom Talks

Thrilled for Bradley Cooper as a lot of people were turning on him because they viewed him as a award desperate try-hard. But he really just cares so much about this role. He screened A STAR IS BORN for Steven Spielberg and when the "Shallow" scene came on Spielberg got up and whispered in his ear, "You are fcking directing MAESTRO". When you are given given that must trust by arguably one of the greatest filmmakers ever, of course you're going to be extra to the nth degree.

Not sold on Cillian Murphy's performance in OPPENHEIMER. It did nothing for me, but I'm happy he has had this award season experience. He stays outside of actors' circle and - based on absolutely no proof- I just think he probably felt it al superficial, but when he won his Globe and thanked his fellow actors I can tell he was sincere. I think coming together with his peers in a real way; not just mingling at parties, but by being in spaces where they discuss their craft and inspirations let him recognize that no matter how big the name, these are his tribe and they see the art and value of what they do. Awards season friendships are cool to see. I didn't see one this season but Bradley Cooper said he and Colman Domingo have become buddies this season after doing a photoshoot together.

Best Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening (Nyad)

Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) Carey Mulligan (Maestro) Emma Stone (Poor Things)

*Minus Sandra Hüller this is pretty much how I viewed how this category would shape up. Very funny to me that when POOR THINGS started screenings critics swore up and down it was an embarrassment to Emma Stone's talent and she would get nothing.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction) Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon) Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) Ryan Gosling (Barbie) Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

*I honestly felt that Sterling K. Brown could be the upset and I was so happy to be right. His performance in AMERICAN FICTION is a breath of fresh air. I honestly wanted more of his character.

What I like about his Mark Ruffalo's nominations are that they both didn't think these roles would lead to this.

Brown said his publicist kept pushing him for interviews and panels this season and he couldn't understand why as he thought it was such a small role and he was just satisfied with being in the film, but his publicist saw the reactions to Brown's character and knew it was awards worthy.

Ruffalo said he didn't think he could do his POOR THINGS role because he's been so pigeon-holed and was accustomed to playing roles that were the anti-thesis of Duncan that he wasn't sure he could find him. Having people trust in you when even you yourself don't have that trust, or trying even while in doubt of yourself is beautiful.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer)

Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)

America Ferrera (Barbie) Jodie Foster (Nyad) Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

*America Ferrera should be nowhere in this category. It should be Rosamund Pike 1000%. So happy that Danielle Brooks and Da'Vine Joy Randolph were both nominated as I was afraid the voters would only pick one over the other. Kinda surprised by Jodie Foster, but hers was a nomination I was really hoping for.

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) American Fiction Barbie Oppenheimer Poor Things The Zone of Interest 

Best Writing (Original Screenplay) Anatomy of a Fall 

The Holdovers May December Past Lives Maestro

Best Animated Feature The Boy and the Heron  Elemental  Nimona  Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 

Best Documentary Feature Film Bobi Wine: The People’s President The Eternal Memory Four Daughters 20 Days in Mariupol  To Kill a Tiger

*I forget the film but last year Dev Patel threw his support behind an International Documentary. He wasn't involved in it, but he did Zoom Q&As promoting it. This year he backed TO KILL A TIGER, going further this time to become an executive producer on it. This is the way to use your profile - uplifting other artists whose projects don't have the reach.

Best Cinematography Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things El Conde *Would much rather SALTBURN be in this category, but very happy for EL CONDE to be recognized.

Best Costume Design Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling Golda  Oppenheimer  Poor Things  Society of the Snow Maestro *Gotta go to makeup maestro Kazu Hiro.

Best Animated Short Film Letter to a Pig Ninety-Five Senses Our Uniform Pachyderme War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best Live-Action Short Film The After Invincible Knight of Fortune Red, White and Blue The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

*I'm 100% behind THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR, though I preferred the short within the quandrant of films THE SWAN starring Rupert Friend. As long as the shallow Pedro Almodóvar short STRANGE WAY OF LIFE wasn't nominated, I'm good.

Best Original Song “The Fire Inside” (Flamin’ Hot) “I’m Just Ken” (Barbie) “It Never Went Away” (American Symphony) “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” (Killers of the Flower Moon) “What Was I Made For?” (Barbie)

*Was really rooting for one John Carney's two songs from FLORA & SON to get a nod. He's been twice nominated (winning one) for Best Song, but since not gaining a nod for SING STREET (a robbery!), he just haven't been able to gain ground.

Best Original Score American Fiction Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things

*Should have been a space for Anthony Willis who did the score for SALTBURN but everyone has to kiss John Williams' ring and Robbie Robertson passed away so they have to recognize him. Though, if pushed came to shove, I preferred Robertson's score over Williams'.

Best Documentary Short Film The ABCs of Book Banning The Barber of Little Rock Island in Between The Last Repair Shop Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó

Best International Feature Film Io Capitano (Italy) Perfect Days (Japan) Society of the Snow (Spain)

The Teacher’s Lounge (Germany) The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)

*Haven't been able to see THE ZONE OF INTEREST because A24 kept bollocksing up their screenings (same with THE IRON CLAW), but I hear it's great. I'm 1000% behind SOCIETY OF THE SNOW. I really hoped that JA Bayona was able to break out and make it into the Best Director category, but sadly, it didn't happen,

Best Production Design Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things

Best Film Editing Anatomy of a Fall The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things

*Again, another category SALTBURN should have been nominated in.

Best Production Design Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things

Best Sound The Creator Maestro Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Oppenheimer The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects The Creator Godzilla: Minus One Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part One Napoleon