#also would be fun for ww to try and come up with comparisons for his eye color and just fail

[silly-bean]

Today I'm thinking about how BLR gave Vash green eyes and how much I love the idea of his eyes being green.

Don't get me wrong, blue-eyed Vash is fantastic. Glowing blue eyes is one if my fav character things ever (yall know this already if you've seen my ff7 stuff) and it's really only trumped by wings/winged characters. But there's smth about him having green eyes that's really cool to me

The color green is a rarity on no man's land, especially in tristamp w/ there being even less vegetation/water available than in '98/trimax. The only green really to ever pop up is the really bright green in the worms or in some peoples eyes or the muted/dark in fabrics. The people have knowledge of the color, but it's something unnatural to them, something rarely seen.

So, Vash having green eyes?? Green green eyes?? Eyes that change shade and hue in different lighting and depending on his mood?? Eyes green like plants should be, not like eyes usually are, a color very few people have reference for.

Idk smth smth it's common in this fandom to associate all the parts of Vash with plants (flora, not the interdimensional generator ones) and spring and stuff like that, and I think it'd be fun if his eyes also reflected that.

[blazenka]

Professional Affairs

During s3, Sarah and Connor meet and begin to grow closer. Could they just stay co-workers or fall into something more? How will Abby react when and if she finds out?

Original source: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6139386/1/Professional-Affairs

Chapters: 10

Published: 2010-07-14 - 2011-01-01  

Words: 17268

Rated: Fiction T - Language: English - Genre: Romance/Friendship - Characters: Connor T., Sarah P. - Reviews: 32 - Favs: 4 - Follows: 4

Exported with the assistance of FicHub.net

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter Nine:

Sarah could just kill Danny bloody Quinn, and right when she entered her apartment she was thinking of way to do just that. Bloody daft man had made her throw her new cell phone with the new 18 month contract out a window in the middle of nowhere. She could just strangle him.

Yet, she supposed he had been right…

that whole day had been so stressful.

After running for their lives out of the ARC they decided to hide somewhere, that somewhere just happened to be surrounded by a mine field with terror birds. Of course, they did not know that. Then there was Becker's faux betrayal that turned into a way to get rid of Christine Johnson for now. She could have kissed him for his heroics… and did, as only a thank you. 'Maybe that was a bad idea with Connor right there,' Sarah pondered as she stepped into her bathroom.

A side from the running and near death situation, some of it had been fun. Sarah had especially enjoyed when they were able to dress up in formal period clothes. Connor had looked just dashing in his tux, so did Danny in all white. She even had bonded with Abby, a little. Well, while the two of them were running for their lives from Johnson, terror birds, through a field of corn and land minds… she should have stayed in Cairo.

Sarah looked down at her attire of the once beautiful red dress she had found and worn at the researcher's base. She wished she could have kept the elegant gown the way it was before resorting to tearing it so she could run. It had been like a fantasy to dance with Connor while he sported an amazing tux, complete with his fingerless gloves. She smiled at the thought, at least one good thing had happened that day.

Deciding it was best to take a long soak, Sarah waited for Connor to come home, even though it was really only her apartment. She hoped despite the short time it felt like home to him.

Connor was still at the ARC and craved his or rather Sarah's couch at her apartment; it was all he currently had. It had indeed been a long stress induced day and would like nothing more than to curl up, possibly with her. Not only had the ARC field team ran from Christine Johnson, but also had to deal with terror birds at an abandoned research building from probably WW II.

Top it off - Danny had tried to use him in a trap just when Connor had begun to like the bloke. Then Becker made them believe he had sided with Johnson just when… well, Connor never really liked soldier boy and was fully convinced when he stated he was just 'following orders,' Still couldn't believe Sarah kissed Becker after that facade. Yet, this all paled in comparison to what was now floating through Connor's thoughts.

He was trying to finish working as fast as he could but he couldn't get what Lester had said to him after the whole ordeal with Christine Johnson. Who would have thought the ARC had its own camera security system? He should have, especially before snogging Sarah in his office chair. After hearing Lester's lecture, Connor wished he could take back the applause given to the man since it obviously did not change his attitude.

Yet, Connor supposed Lester had a point. However, it plagued Connor how Lester informed him that it was very poor in his decision to try to 'seduce' two women at the same time. Connor was completely stunned Lester would think he could do such a thing. Was that what everyone in the home office thought of him?

All he knew was he wanted to go home - but when home is where the heart is… where exactly is home for Connor?

By the time Connor had walked into Sarah's apartment, the hour was passed two in the morning. He felt like a coward for just hoping she had fallen asleep instead of facing her.

Yet, as Connor opened the door to her small flat his heart broke. Sarah had obviously fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him, her small frame balled tight as her tan arms and legs wrapped around one of his pillows. He could really kick himself and weep all at the same time.

There was no doubt that Connor felt something for Sarah but honestly for him especially after the talk with Lester, it was beginning to feel rushed. This whole situation they were in was new for Sarah while he had become numb the perils of working at the ARC. Connor had immediately stepped up to be her own personal guide and now…

Guilt hit Connor straight in the pit of his stomach, he needed distance and clarity from Sarah… and probably Abby even though he felt he already had that.

Realization upon his genius mind would probably kill him one day, Connor thought as he debated what to do about Sarah and everything else. Unfortunately, one more night of delusion couldn't hurt; he decided as he grabbed some more blankets and lay curled next to Sarah, actually spooning her as he replaced the pillow she was grasping with himself. Hopefully, dawn would shed light on Connor's conscious as he fell asleep with Sarah by his side.

If Sarah thought she could kill Danny Quinn, she could not possibly fathom what she was going to do to Connor. Despite the pleasure of waking up right next to Connor, the morning had not gone well.

"I think… we should talk?" Connor began when he came out of the bathroom dressed for work. "About?" she knew that line well enough to know it meant trouble in any relationship. "Everything, it's just…" Connor began to stutter that he always seemed to do. "Is this about me kissing Becker?" Sarah asked with anxiety in her doe eyes.

Connor looked back to her with slight shock as he seemed to focus on the mug held in her hands. "This… did it mean anything?" he asked back. "Sort of, I was only thanking him though," she answered, "And you didn't answer my question, Connor!" as she stabbed her finger into his chest.

"No, I just thought we could talk," Connor stated warily. "Connor, have you ever had a conversation with a girl that ended well when it began with the phrase 'I think we should talk'?" she asked him. "No… but…" "Let's just go to work, okay Connor?" she retorted as she grabbed her coat. Connor couldn't help wonder why Sarah had just sounded like Abby there for a moment or if he just had that effect on all women.

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[wilderwoodsfans]

Interview: Wilder Woods on his debut album, family, forgiveness

By: Dominiq Robinson   AXS Contributor  Aug 1, 2019

Very rarely does an artist find success after emerging on the scene as a member of a prominent collective. However, William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III, known as Bear Rinehart, has proven that he capable of standing on his own in one of the most fickle and harshest industries known to man. Bear alongside his brother, Bo Rinehart, founded the alt-rock band NEEDTOBREATHE, during Bear's collegiate years eventually adding members Seth Bolt and Josh Lovelace. Since then, NEEDTOBREATHE has released a total of six critically-acclaimed studio albums, been nominated for a Grammy for Best Christian Song/Performance for their song "Multiplied", and won a total of ten Gospel Music Association Dove Awards.

It takes a lot of faith for an individual to walk away from guaranteed prominence in order to rebrand themselves and become a solo artist, left alone to be the only person to judge by music critics and fans alike. Yet, Bear Rinehart has done exactly that taking up the new stage moniker, Wilder Woods, experimenting with different musical elements/genres, and preparing to release his self-titled debut solo album, Wilder Woods, dropping next week on Aug. 9 via Atlantic Records.

Now, with an upcoming album release date, three released singles, and an international tour set to kick off in September (Tickets), the "Supply & Demand" singer is ready to provide the masses with new raw, unfiltered sonic vibrations reminiscent of Motown's glory days.

And we here at AXS was able to carry out an exclusive dialogue with the new-look Rinehart brother to discuss his first-ever solo musical offering, his creative process, family, and most importantly forgiveness.

~

AXS: Alright, this interview is about you and your metamorphosis into Wilder Woods, but let's nip this in the bud... NEEDTOBREATHE tends to get labeled as a Christian rock band. I've read that that isn't particularly the case. Do you want to let the people know that [NEEDTOBREATHE] isn't in that category and speak on the dangers of putting artists in a specific box for the people?

Wilder Woods (WW): It's one of those things we don't love, we would never call ourselves that and never intended to be. But it's also one of those things where we've been doing this so long, you kinda quit caring about what people are calling you. I think we're just thankful now people are coming to the shows and like our music, and honestly, that's kinda where we're at. If I'm loading into a venue or something, and one of the crew guys is like 'I think it's some Christian band,' I definitely still roll my eyes at that.

AXS: It's gotta be kind of annoying having people put that label on you, but at the same time, you guys [NEEDTOBREATHE] are scooping up a lot of GMA Dove Awards. So, you are getting the proper recognition and accolades for your work.

WW: Yeah, man. 'Our band is the biggest band you're friends have ever heard of,' I say that on stage all the time. And it's just like, 'cause people will say that and they'll be like 'so, where are you playing at?' and I'll tell them that we're playing at the arena, you know? And they're still like 'wait, what?' It's one of those things we're proud of, at one point in time there was never any hype around our band yet, we've still made a career out of it so, you know, we're proud of that.

AXS: Wilder Woods is your debut album and first solo project. The creative process has to be totally different than sitting down with a collective, your brother isn't there and your other bandmates aren't contributing. So, what are the differences in your creative process for this particular project?

WW: Honestly, I started it on my own. I had a buddy across the street from me that had this little kind of like garage/apartment thing and I would go there to write and just get away from everybody. I spent several months writing for the record by myself and then I started collaborating after that. And the whole point of the record was for me to collaborate with new people and not just have it be the band obviously but with all kinds of producers and writers and really find some people that scared me. Meaning some people that would push me off my line, teach me things, and honestly, it became that process of experimenting with other producers and ended up landing on a producer that had never made a major label thing, you know?

So, it was just a guy that I felt like we got along great and what he was bringing to the table was so different from what I was bringing to the table. It really felt like in some ways I got other people around me to help me do it. I've always had that so, it was really helpful for me to invite other creatives into the process. Ultimately, a band is a democracy in a lot of ways and it's obviously nice is being your own boss when you're doing a solo record. Decision making takes a fraction of the time so, I think that that part is really fun but it's also incredibly scary, you know? [If you] fail or slip off on something then it's all on you. Whereas if you're in a band you can kind of spread the culpability out. (Laughs.)

AXS: In regards to the producer you were mentioning, are you referring to Gabe Simon? He was the major contributor to the project?

WW: Yeah, he ended up doing most of the project. He became like... what I call him my Quincy Jones. He really became a collaborator in a lot of ways, he wrote some of the songs on the record with me. But also, we just beat everything up. We'd have a song/demo that we'd know would end up on the record and we'd take it and see how weird we can make it and how messed up we can make it. So, I'd say he's someone that I've become really close to and instrumentally involved with the record and I could not have made it without him for sure.

AXS: I noticed your sound is very big when it comes to NEEDTOBREATHE. Your records are super well layered and warm but, it seems like with this new music you strip some of those layers and provide a more simplistic sound. Some of these records are reminiscent of early R&B and have a certain vibe.

WW: Yeah, I really avoided it at first then I thought how far out there can we take it. Then at the end, as the songs started fitting into the record, I felt like it was ok to do a ballad but for it to feel like something I would write. It became somewhat of a story, we were separating the Wilder songs from the Woods songs that way. The Wilder things were some of the lighter/alternative songs while the Woods stuff was a little heavier lyrically. Throughout some of those lyrics, I may even be talking to my kids in those songs.

AXS: About your new moniker... Wilder Woods is both of your sons' names combined.

WW: Yeah. Honestly, I don't have any delusions that when their eighteen they're gonna listen to the record and think it's cool. They're gonna think it's wack and they're not gonna like what I'm wearing on it. I remember my dad made a record in the '70s, he's a trumpet player, and I remember finding it when I was a kid and being like 'what is he wearing?!' and not thinking the music was that great or whatever. But, I want there to be lessons in [the album] for them, name it after them, and I want them to know it's ok to take a risk to do something new in the middle of your life like this. Also, I want them to be aware of the things that matter, the things that are important. There's some stuff on there about guilt and shame and I don't want them to have that. Obviously, they are going to feel it someday but I want them to know that I love them no matter what they do.

AXS: You speak on forgiveness on "Someday Soon" and mainstream music tends to veer towards more secular topics but you've found a good balance sonically while still remaining inspirational.

WW: Yeah, I think that's important, man. I don't care what people are doing but I want them to feel inspired when they listen to it. I want [the music] to take them to a place, you know? The last thing I would want is to influence them to make bad decisions or hate themselves more after listening to my music.

AXS: So far as using your family as motivation for your projects, is that something you're gonna continue to do as a solo artist?

WW: It will be interesting to see where I'm at next time around. Because this [album] is the first one, some artists tend to leave their families out of their work but for me, it was an opportunity to bring them in. My wife, she was in the first video we shot ("Sure Ain't"). [The label] called and said 'we need a model, like a really hot model or whatever...' and I was like 'I want to bring my wife and put her in this video.' To me, that's just more important, more valuable, it's a little more real, you know? I'm certainly not trying to become some kind of pop star who forgets who he is. I feel like bringing family with me. And honestly, my boys are super young, my oldest is four, but I would say since they've been born I've learned from them more than I have anybody else in the world. They teach me something new every day and that's what I wanted to sing about.  

AXS: You describe that your trial and tribulations within your personal relationships have helped define who you are and made you a better person. What are your thoughts on the youth movement's views on relationships? Younger people tend to throw in the towel a lot easier these days due to the over-exposure of outside influences.

WW: I think that anytime that you can show a relationship with your wife that is good and healthy, like the relationship between John Legend and Chrissy Tiegen, that's positive to see. Growing up when I was in high school, we didn't have social media. So, I didn't have this perfect view of what everybody is going through, I had more [of an experience] of what actually was happening. And now, there's a lot of comparisons going on which makes people think 'well their lives are going that way' when in reality it's not true.

Secondly, I'm at that age where I'm starting to realize I've been married for a while but, mistakes are where you get to learn about yourself. They're just as good as the good things that happen to you, you know? When something bad starts to happen I think 'Ok, this is probably gonna lead to something better. It might not be right now and I might not know how.' I think it's more about perspective than anything else.

AXS: Totally understandable. It seems like not just artists but many people are struggling within their personal relationships these days.

WW: Yeah, there's a lot of stuff out there. There's a lot of traps. I've been fortunate enough to be shown grace. There's a song on the record called "Mary, You're Wrong" and it's mostly about that. I think it's not about how good I've been but how gracious the people around me have been and I'm thankful for that.

For me, I got married when I was really, really young. I think when I first got married, I probably didn't trust the grace and forgiveness that was always there from my wife. That's a lesson I've learned, she's got more than I think she does, you know? She loves me no matter what. Early on [in our relationship] I could have honestly been more open about things and would have learned a lot faster. I had to learn the hard way. If there's anything I've learned and it's not just with family or business or whatever but like, being open and honest and real, people have a lot more love for you than you think.

AXS: Do you have any expectations for your first solo album? Do you have any specific goals?

WW: I definitely have goals. They're more long-term though. I think this project will still be really new three years from now when I'm making a different record and will have the ability for the live show will be able to build on itself. I think that that will be a really exciting time. But at this time it's so new, I just want to take it slow. I want people to sorta attach themselves to a song and go, but it's gonna be a long build-up, you know? There are artists that I like now that took a couple of years to kinda break. So, if this thing is gonna work it's gonna be because we found new fans and not just NEEDTOBREATHE fans. I think we've made it different enough and weird enough and I'm excited about the live show that I believe in it in that way. This project is setting me up for where I want to be and where I see myself a few years from now.

~

Be sure to check out Wilder Woods self-titled debut album, Wilder Woods, upon its release on Aug. 9 (preorder here) And check out the video premiere of his acoustic version of his new single "Electric Woman" in the video provided above. Don't miss the opportunity to catch the "Light Shine In " singer/songwriter in a city near you during his fall tour (Tickets).

[minaminokyoko]

Captain Marvel: A Spoilertastic Review

Well, here we are. Our first female-led Marvel movie (unless you count Ant Man and the Wasp, which I kind of do because Scott was basically useless and Hope ran the whole movie like a boss, but too bad she ran the show on a dull, rushed movie). How does it measure up?

It's fine.

I'd coin Captain Marvel as good, not great. It's definitely a popcorn flick, in the same vein of Ant Man for sure in terms of where it fits in our giant pantheon of MCU movies. I'd rank it dead center, so slightly underneath Cap 1 and Thor 2, but above Doctor Strange. I think Ant Man is a good comparison for the tone and the enjoyment of this movie, although it does do more to characterize the main lead than Ant Man did for Scott Lang. To be fair, though, somehow they end up in the same spot for my personal rankings.

So let's dive in and see why.

Overall Grade: B-

Pros:

-Plenty of action. No shortage on that whatsoever.

-Lots of off-world adventures, for those fans who sometimes are annoyed that too many MCU movies are earth-based. We don't hit earth until about the halfway point and there are still some shenanigans then.

-The dynamic between Carol and Fury is a lot of fun. Larson and Jackson work off each other's energy very well and the banter feels fun and familiar without ever veering into any weird territory. Fury is just as effective as ever at her side, and it's before he becomes full on grumpy Dad Fury, so he's a lot less cold and it's fun to see.

-It was also delightful getting to see Coulson one more time, although it's a cameo, not a whole role as some of the trailers sort of imply.

-The female relationships are probably the strongest in the Marvel lineup, aside from Black Panther. Particularly Carol, her best friend Maria, and Maria's daughter. We don't see a ton of it, but it's just enough to put a huge grin on your face. It's very warm and endearing. I also like that Maria was not only a supportive best friend struggling to get over her loss, but she got to join the action as well, and it was badass. I really am happy with Marvel pushing forward to give black women more representation in the superhero genre. Too many folks think black women in film are only sassy best friends or baby mamas or Tyler Perry stereotypes. We love sci-fi/fantasy just as much as everyone else, and so I loved seeing two beautiful black actresses shining next to Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson. It lends the film a lot of heart.

-Brie Larson is relatively decent in the role. She has some moments better than others, but overall, she did a good job. It never felt like she couldn't handle the work of beating some ass, and she sold me far more than Gal Gadot did as Wonder Woman. Which, yes, I know, it's unfair and kind of tasteless to compare them, but I have to note it since I didn't care for the WW movie that this is what I was talking about with film presence. Gal Gadot, to me, looks like a supermodel wearing a Wonder Woman costume. To me, she never embodied the poise, agility, and strength that Diana has in the comics or in the animated series. I believed Gadot more during the softer parts of the WW movie, but she couldn't pull off the action because she just doesn't have the presence. Larson does, imo. She carries herself in a manner that makes me feel like she can kick your ass. She has a stance and a stature that allows me to feel her strength, and it's in line with other Marvel women like Widow, Okoye, or Scarlet Witch.

-My favorite part of the movie is hands down the "I'm Just a Girl" by No Doubt scene. Oh my God. I was internally squeeing and singing along with the lyrics while she kicked ass. I was so delighted to see them perfectly use that song that I already liked in high school anyway, and it just worked so well.

-I also liked the montages of Carol getting back up. That is a really, really important image for the girls growing up to see. It's not about how many times you fall. It's about how many times you still get back up. That's great. We fall and get dirty and scuffed and mocked and hated. But we still get up and try again every time. Love it. It's very empowering.

-The de-aging looked pretty good. Jackson is tougher since he's gained weight since the size he was back in the 90's but they filled in his wrinkles well enough. Coulson's looked better, although I did notice just it a tad bit during the stairwell scene, but overall, I thought it was well done.

-Gosh, her costume looks amazing. I want it. I want to wear it for Halloween. It's gorgeous.

-The sequence of the Skrulls acquiring her memories was very neat and uniquely done. Kudos.

-THE MOTHERFUCKING FIRST END CREDITS SCENE. Y'ALL. I SCREAMED. I SCREAMED AND CLAPPED MY HANDS SO HARD I HURT THEM. OH MY GOD. SHE'S ON EARTH. THE QUEEN IS ON EARTH AND WE SHALL ALL BE SAVED. SHE IS GOING TO TURN FUCKING THANOS INTO FUCKING PURPLE CLAM CHOWDER WITH HER BARE HANDS FOR KILLING FURY AWWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. Ahem. Sorry. I am really goddamn excited about that tiny piece of Avengers: Endgame because Marvel and the Russos have been so fucking stingy with details. We still don't know the plot. We only have that 30-second Superbowl spot and the Sad Stark trailer. I was livid they didn't give us a final trailer in front of this movie, but I guess with it a month and change away, they're just banking on us frothing at the mouth wanting more. Jerks. But anyway, yes, this fucking scene is mint and I wish I could rewind it.

-Nick naming the Avenger Initiative after her was a great cherry on top moment.

-I fucking lost it when Nick started singing “Mr. Postman.” Deadass, I just started listening to that song about a month ago thanks to that one famous Vine where those dudes sung it acapella. I was dying. You go, Nick. 

Cons:

-This movie overall has a bit of a bland taste to it. It's most revolving around Carol. The problem is that I think they were too chicken to dive deeply into who she is and her personality and her desires because they were afraid the feminists would complain that they made her too soft, so they replaced it all with action. Which is fine, some people just want a girl kicking ass, but I think it did Carol and Larson a disservice by rushing everything and doing drive-by characterization. The dialogue doesn't stick as well due to the bland flavoring, for example. If you ask me who Carol Danvers is, I can't really tell you. I can tell you what she does, but not who she is. I regret that probably the most out of everything. This movie is a bit of a vehicle than a movie where we discover who she is. We discover what she is, but not who she is. She's kind of just every tough, stubborn, smartass female lead you could see in maybe an Avengers OC fic on AO3. She really needed more distinct quirks and likes and dislikes, and I really fault them for cutting out her life on the Kree planet. It would have shown us so much more about her if we knew what her Kree life was like juxtaposed against her original human life, and it could up the stakes and help them sink it, and give more immediacy and concern to the dangers she faced.

-The villains were telegraphed. Again, people ding Marvel for this all the time. It's because they seem to struggle with balance. Often, the villains are thin to cut down the running time by not developing them at all. It's a shame. I've always found Jude Law very entertaining and I think they should have given him something to work with other than Obvious Bad Guy Pretending To Be Good. It was so transparent, much like the bitchy sister villain from Incredibles II. He might as well have been twirling a mustache. I mean, any dude who tells you your emotions are bad is probably not on the up-and-up. And it would have been better to see him and Carol square off at the end in an emotional battle than for it to just be a cheap shot and a joke. But I digress.

-While there was a lot of action, aside from the "Just a Girl" sequence, I will forget it all by morning. I think they wanted the movie to have mass appeal, so a lot of it comes across as generic. The stuff that stands out more are bits like finally seeing what alien Goose actually was or some of Fury's quips and the bits with Maria's daughter and Carol. The action itself is serviceable, but I'd have liked it to have more flavor if possible.

-Not outlining the limit to Carol's powers. This is going to be tough lining up with Endgame because she's so god-like we're gonna wonder if she just bitchslaps Thanos and that's the end. She feels overpowered without the chip limiting her, so I would have liked them to give us some kind of idea as to how she won't just wipe the floor with him in retribution in Endgame.

-Nitpick: Nick losing his eye to Goose annoyed me. People called it. I didn't want them to be right, but ugh, they were. It was a bit too silly for me.

-Nitpick: They really didn't need to waste our time with the second end credits being Goose puking up the Tesseract. We knew he did. You didn't have to show it, dummies.

-Nitpick: Was hoping for some 90's era cameos from at least one other Avenger, but no such luck. Damn. What a letdown.

I had fun, and I am eager to see her fit into the rest of the MCU. And I am also selfishly even more interested in Kamala Khan someday popping in as the new generation of heroes. Please, God, give me Kamala Khan. I want her and my son Peter Parker to team up and be the cutest superhero dorks ever. But until then...God help us all. Endgame is coming.

Enjoy the sunlight coming off of Ms. Danvers.

Because it's finna get dark up in here, my children.

See you in Endgame.

Kyo out.

[musings-on-bucky-barnes]

Steve Rogers: Grim versus Grin

A friend wrote the following to me:

****I watched the first half (or so) of the first Fantastic Four movie a while back, and was surprised to discover that I like Johnny Storm a whole lot better than Steve Rogers. Honestly, Rogers seems so damned grim all the time! Doesn't he ever lighten up?****

I think my friend was being tongue-in-cheek about Steve, but let’s have a look at it. For this post, I’ll focus on Steve’s demeanor and examine the contrast with Johnny Storm another time.

Steven Grant Rogers starts out tiny, frail and ineligible to serve in WW II. He has lived through the Depression, is an orphan, and poor. He becomes a super soldier but as soon as he does, the kindly scientist who invented the serum is killed and Steve has to pursue the murderer. Steve finally does get to put his talents to good use in the field. After a while of kicking HYDRA ass, his best friend dies (or so he thinks) in front of his eyes, despite Steve’s efforts to save him. Steve feels guilty and vows to crush HYDRA.

When he finally gets the promise of a date with the woman he loves, he ends up having to put a plane down in the Arctic to save the day and defeat HYDRA, and ends up lost and frozen. He wakes up to find that OVER 70 YEARS have passed and that most of the people he knew are dead. He’s in what is basically a different world. Peggy is still alive; but she has dementia.

After only a few weeks of trying to adapt, he gets called in with a mission.

As @onyourleftbooob put it:

“Steve is kinda serious in The Avengers, but most of it makes sense for someone who just woke up from a 70 year nap and find out that fucking aliens are gonna try to destroy Earth”

After helping to defeat the alien invasion, Steve continues to try to find his place in this new world. He admits that he doesn’t know what makes him happy. A lot of people keep seeing him as Captain America, not as Steve Rogers. He’s not sure if he wants to remain with SHIELD but doesn’t know what he’d do with himself otherwise. HYDRA is still around and has grown inside SHIELD.

Also, he discovers that his best friend is still alive and has been brainwashed and tortured by HYDRA for over 70 years, and has been forced to work for them as an assassin.

As @portraitoftheoddity says:

“The fact Steve isn't sobbing in the fetal position in a closet all the time is pretty goddamn amazing. Steve is also just fundamentally a person who takes things seriously, largely because he's lived through Some Serious Shit.”

Despite Steve being the hero, his movies have bittersweet endings. And along the way he has probably also developed depression and PTSD.

And these are just the first three movies that he’s in. Even just sticking to those three movies, there’s even more I could have added to the “Steve Rogers’ Very Bad Day” list.

So, with all that going on, it would be understandable if he felt and acted grim.

HOWEVER, I think Steve has something to say about that…

“Excuse us.” “Son, just don’t.” “Let’s see.”

Here’s the thing about Steve: he actually does manage to maintain a great, dry sense of humour, despite everything he’s been through. I love that about him. He’s sassy and wry. He can be a little shit.

Natasha: “Did you do anything fun Saturday night?” Steve: “Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so, no, not really. “

Steve is not as showily verbal a character as Johnny Storm or Tony Stark, so he tends to get overlooked or dismissed. But he still has great lines and character.

Natasha: “No rifling. Bye-bye, bikinis.” Steve: “Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now.”

In the times that he is grimmer, he either has good reason or he’s likely to be in a Joss Weldon script, or both combined, depending on your take on things. (I originally saw ‘The Avengers’ first, then watched his origin story afterwards.) But there are exchanges like this:

Natasha: “These guys come from legend. They're basically gods.” Steve: “There's only one God, ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that.”

There are debates about whether JW had a good handle on Steve’s characterization. In ‘The Avengers’, Steve was only a few weeks out of the ice, still disoriented, and thrust into a ‘save the world’ situation with people he didn’t know. In “Age of Ultron”, when Steve says, “Language,” there is mixed opinion about whether Steve just said it as a joke, or if it was out of character, as Steve’s childhood and WW II background would have meant that he was used to bad language. The US Army was BLEEPING full of it, for BLEEPS sake!

Steve: “Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?”

Rumlow: “I just want you to know, Cap, this isn’t personal.” Steve: “It kind of feels personal.”

And even in one of his first scenes in Captain America: The First Avenger, when he was saying goodbye to Bucky, who was heading off to serve in the war:

Bucky: “Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.” Steve: “How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” “You’re a punk.” “Jerk.” They hug. Steve: “Be careful. <pause> Don’t win the war till I get there.”

Steve’s sense of humor may not be everyone’s preferred cup of tea, but he does have one.

I’ll explore the comparison between him and Johnny Storm at another time as this post is long enough as is.

Thanks to @onyourleftbooob and @portraitoftheoddity for their help and discussions.

[4nimenut]

do you have any tips on compositions? your compositions in your pieces are so good!!!

Anonymously or not, ask me something you’ve always wondered.

thank you for the ask! (/ω＼) i’m flattered omg thank you ;v; !

i actually answered a similar question here can you believe it’s been two years already LOL but because it’s been a long time, i’ll try to answer this ask a little differently! also because i took a second look at how i answered two years ago and i… honestly was questioning myself afterwards LOL

and honestly i didnt exactly stick to whatever i preached HAHA sweATS

i’m not the best at explaining things but i’ll do my best!

this is my own personal method of how i usually do things so you don’t exactly have to follow this word for word! it’s really just an explanation of how i see things www….ヾ(・∀・；)

generally none of my methods when planning for a composition hasn’t exactly changed much from what i mentioned two years ago, but i think i’ve learnt a thing or two as well over the years; i hope it shows in my recent art as compared to older art! ;w;

to start the ball rolling, we could start on arrangement! ;0

here’s a visual representation of the differences between the visual space of a landscape and portrait orientation (・ω

i,,, usually go for a landscape orientation for the expansive feeling,, there’s also more room for feels to penetrate the visual space,,, or at least that’s my excuse anyway LOL

a landscape orientation emphasises greatly on a horizontal line of action in your works as well, and if you want to think deeper about it, a horizontal line could generally mean stability, a balance of sorts, peace and harmony, even? you could usually use it to express a sense of tranquility, wideness, etc..  

in a sense, there’s no alteration of gravity, everyone’s sitting / standing up straight, etc… 

as shown below there’s some ways you could create a horizontal line of action…. actually does this even make sense OTL it’s really there just to show the general flow of things

tl;dr i usually use a landscape orientation + horizontal line of action as my starting base whenever i want to create something with feels (∩´∀｀)∩ imagine the amount of expansiveness your feels can tap upon and make your heart ache more ASDFGDFGH

here we can compare the effects of a landscape and portrait orientation (though it might not be a fair comparison LOL)

as you can see, while the portrait orientation does provide a sense of closeness between both of them, the landscape orientation creates a greater sense of openness and greater balance… or is it just me LOL as compared to the tightness in the portrait version. it works too but i would prefer zooming them out even more to provide a greater sense of openness,,, or perhaps this is more of personal preferences hnngh //w//

usually i’d use a portrait orientation + a vertical line of action to show tension! because of the greater constraint in space as compared to a landscape orientation, you’d tend to feel a greater sense of entrapment, and that’s usually what i hope to tap upon when i want to create intense situations ;w; 

or otherwise i just use portrait orientations for zine pieces because i’m too tired to do a spread page so i just try to come up with something LOL

but wait! sometimes when you stick to just a horizontal / vertical arrangement of things in general it can get… very boring because of how strictly horizontal / vertical it is LOL ;;;;SWEATS 

so here’s my favourite part of this entire post (LOL); the diagonal line of actiooooonnnnn∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

compared to a horizontal line where equilibrium is largely established, a diagonal line expresses a sense of unstability, and the need for movement — in otherwords more dynamic! 

tilting your points of view can also provide you with interesting compositions as well because it doesn’t follow the dead equilibrium norm that horizontal / vertical lines usually set and creates a greater sense of action going on in the picture *w*

psst also, when you take on a more diagonal approach, you can fit in more things in the background LOL since usually a diagonal approach takes up the diagonal length of your canvas, leaving more room for… more dynamic stuff AAAAAAAA—

sooo here we can take a look at what usually happens when you tilt your things LOL

taking on a horizontal approach, this halloween skk piece becomes full blown complete angst instead of being simply lowkey angst in the original post why did i not do that when i was working on it LOL while the more diagonal orientation makes everything look as though there’s something more to it instead of simply dynamic movement — it’s as though there’s this force driving a story — or maybe it’s just me overexplaining things.

also i totally didn’t do it to aggravate the height differences between the both of them. nope. not at all.

to put it in a quick summary:

horizontal approach is usually for the harmony / feels / angst / kill me pls

portrait approach is usually for tension

diagonal approach is usually for more dynamic / action / it usually draws more attention towards the piece

or usually i really just yolo and whack and hope it gives people feels

i believe there’s some examples from two years ago about how detailed i can get when coming up with the composition of a piece, but i’ll briefly touch on it again, and with more detail —

when it comes to what to include in your background and how to eventually draw out your piece, you might want to try consider the following:

what kind of setting do you want it to be? and in turn, atmosphere?

what kind of ideas / central theme(s) do you want your piece to reflect?

is your piece inspired by a certain object / item / concept?

for example, in my PM Week Day 1 submission where the theme i chose was Then and Now, i thought that if i was going to do something about soukoku, then i wanted to create a sense of nostalgia, especially the ridiculous banter that they shared four years ago, and are still sharing right now in the canon timeline. the world that they live in remained relatively unchanged, so i settled for the Yokohama cityscape.

the direct reflection of both of them on the wet surface of the floor reflects how both of them are still the same even after four years, even though Dazai may have switched sides. i chose to keep ADA obscured from view instead of PM Dazai because the idea of Dazai back then has already come to pass and set into stone, and is something that will never change, but the current Dazai may have changed, and that’s why i thought it might be better to leave it to the viewer’s inference on the extent of Dazai’s change, physically and emotionally. he might be showing more emotion on his face right now, but we won’t know because it’s hidden from view, but it’s up to you to determine if he really has changed,,, wink,,,

… or so goes my thought processes about this piece, anyway, ww..

usually when it comes to drawing fanart based on fanfics which i do like 99% of the time, i like to consider any other possible objects involved in that one particular scene / just the overall fic in general and try to make a reference to them somehow in the fanart, and determine the mood from there.

for example, in my Muse (chapter 21) fanart where Akira finally kisses Yusuke in the jellyfish tank, i imagined that one moment to be a rather magical moment, especially since the story is told from Yusuke’s point of view, who views the world in a slightly different manner than the rest, hence i was aiming for the magical, ethereal feeling through the jellyfish; as though they’re wisps of spirits circling around the both of them ;w; the fanart is actually viewed from the inside of the jellyfish tank, but because i chose not to make the distinction of the glass / hard plastic surface of the tank, it feels as though the jellyfish that glows in different colours are actually in the scene with them and lighting everything up ///w///

… or that’s how i hope it goes anyway LOL i feel like i’m just rambling about my own artistic thoughts HAHA.

though, these thinking processes mainly come from my own experience from having taken literature and having to analyse things and stuff, so i hope this entire post provides some insight on how i usually put together my compositions and the like ^q^!!

again, you don’t have to take this word for word, but i hope it’s able to provide you with a better insight on how i do my art—! ;w;

and remember to have fun!! (*´ω｀*)