#and I guessed wrong about what color it was

[rk1stars]

ONE KISS 𐙚 PARK SUNGHOON

(teaser!) 𐙚 .ᐟ ──── release date : april 30th (playlist)

(taglist) ──── @kookify @yizhoutv @jooniesbears-blog @dimplewonie @miyseung @cholexc

IN WHICH.. Being a grumpy high school student who fell in love with a Playboy wasn’t a bad idea right? wrong. Who knew that the park sunghoon who did everything to win your heart would break it into pieces? Guess you’ll have to leave and forget about him.

BUT WITH YOUR LUCK.. of course, he ends up in your college trying to win the heart he broke, back.

“c’mon pretty, lets just leave this shitty party and make out” Sunghoon tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear while making eye contact with Jay, your guy best friend who has an obvious crush on you.

“Oh please, it's time to give up Park” Sunghoon pouted a bit, why are you so loyal to this Jay guy? Sunghoon could treat you so much better.

“Ahh, c'mon, one kiss?” Sunghoon grinning at you while still holding your face, coloring your cheeks a slight shade of pink. Park Sunghoon, a typical cocky rich kid who always gets what he wants.

Your relationship with Sunghoon is complicated, Sunghoon will be all over you and shower you with gifts and affection but ruin it with his cocky personality and your past with him.

꒰ ୨୧ ─ ・┈ ・ ─ ・┈ ─ ・┈ ─ ・┈ ꒱꒱

“Hoon..? Whats wrong?”

Sunghoon has been different lately, he never hugged you anymore nor even acknowledged you as his girlfriend. It’ll just be him arriving home, dropping his bag, and the two of you sleeping facing away from each other.

“H-hoon..?”

Sunghoon not answering you made you worried, but Sunghoon just grabbed a bag of his and left your shared apartment.

“Let’s end this, i’m sorry” Sunghoon says quietly before looking at you one last time.

From that day, Sunghoon blocked you on all socials and completely wiped himself away from your life.

꒰ ୨୧ ─ ・┈ ・ ─ ・┈ ─ ・┈ ─ ・┈ ꒱꒱

And for some reason, now he's in your college trying to win your heart that he broke, back. He gave you snacks, designer bags, affection, and lastly, he won't leave you alone.

It was weird, he just popped into your life again and acted as if nothing happened, you wanted to smack Sunghoons pretty face so badly.

“Don’t make me smack your face, Park.”

“Please do, I’d enjoy that.”

“Ugh! Can’t you just leave me alone”

As Sunghoon sarcastically puts a finger on his chin, acting like he was thinking, he bends down to your height before holding your chin while grinning.

“Nope.”

“I wish I had a shotgun right now.” you say while moving your teeth against each other.

“That’s hot, gotta bounce babe, see ya” Sunghoon blowing you a kiss.

“Fuck you!” yelling at Sunghoon walking away.

[shadesofmauve]

Colors!

My thumb's been fucked up by a steroid shot to the point where I can't hold a pen to draw, but the light touch of a watercolor brush is mostly okay, and I had dot cards for Daniel Smith and DaVinci paints, so I've spent the last few weeks unleashing my manic color goblin.

Friends, I've painted so many happy little rectangles. And it has been a journey.

I've found that one of the most-referenced sources for pigment lightfastness is a hard-coded website straight out of the 90s that also talks about UFOs and human evolution. (I don't know what the guy says about human evolution, because I'm afraid to find out, but it makes me very happy that a site like that still exists).

I've learned you can make lovely purples with a cool red and phthalo green, which actually MAKES SENSE, I GUESS, but is still a bit weird and awesome even though I understand the color theory.

I've painted with the Danger Colors.

(Cobalt, manganese, chromium, and cadmium. DO NOT LICK).

I've finally spelled phthalo often enough that I can remember it!

And I've fallen deeply, desperately in love, then had my heart broken.

It's name was DaVinci Phthalo Turquoise (pigment code PB16). When I painted it out it was beautiful; smoothly flowing into a perfect fade, the deepest, most inviting pool of cool, saturated perfect teal. I burst into song. A choir of angels descended to sing backup vocals. I never used to believe in love at first sight, but I was wrong.

...then it dried.

It dulled so much. It was still fine. Nothing special, but fine. Whatever. I'm over it. I am a strong, independent artist. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.

There's still all the other colors. Colors that didn't betray me. Much.

Here, Monkey is helping model the last swatch tests, which helped me choose which cool red to buy. The phone doesn't capture all the nuance, but they also started out fairly close. (I went with column 3, DaVinci's PV19 quinacridone rose madder).

So... if you're one of those tenacious, patient people who follows my fic, and you've been wondering why I haven't posted, I suppose I really just have one thing to say:

Colors go brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[66sharkteeth]

Weekly thoughts!

Hooboy, the big episode! First off, I think everyone knows by now that you probably shouldn't read these if you haven't read the latest episode, but I ESPECIALLY mean that this week! Talking about some way bigger than usual spoilers.

Phew, this was a big one, both from a writing and drawing perspective. I actually spent a full day on that last panel alone, but writing it took way longer than usual too. Going back and forth between Bell's speech and Jericho's backstory played perfectly like a movie in my head, but it was really hard to portray it as a comic and it was one of the few times I was struggling with the limitations of the format. I think I pulled it off though, since everyone seemed to follow along fine! So while it was probably just a neat scene to everyone else, I'm rather proud of that haha.

As for the actual contents of the episode, I'm also glad everything hit w/ the majority of the audience for the most part. I know a handful were confused about if that was Bell or Jericho who did that, but to those people, I remind you it's been loooong established Jericho can control his extensions (Bell, Charlie, and Claude. Remember, they all took injections of Jericho's blank space?). Also on that note, Bell does not have her own scion... Only Rex and Jericho do. Bell, Charlie and Claude all took injections of Jericho's blank space, thus get to borrow some of his power. I recommend re-reading ep 80 if you need a refresher.

I do consider this ep kind of a big reveal of Jericho's true colors. I mean, you guys have known he's the main villain for ages now, but this is the ep that reveals his "better world for blanks" act is kind of a façade and what he's really seeking is a worse world for humans. The fall of humans benefitting blanks is just kind of a bonus. I'm glad a few people caught onto this with the fact that one of the worst horrors he experienced was having his autonomy taken away from him, then he proceeds to do just that to Bell.

And speaking of Jericho's horrors- Before this season launched, I dropped a bunch of hints about upcoming things. One of them was that the most disturbing scene (in my opinion) was coming up. I was actually referring to what happened to Kallie. I'm not sure if it was as disturbing to everyone else (I totally get like if Claude's leg thing fucked people up more), but being evaporated into nothingness but not dying was an existential dread that really fucks me up haha. If it fucked even a couple of other people up, then I did my job.

I don't have too much else to say about the contents of the episode. It was so hard to bite my tongue for weeks as everyone predicted pretty much every character but Desmond was gonna get it. I'm sorry I don't have too much else to say about him right now given what happened, but I definitely will in the upcoming weeks.

I guess the only other note I have is I might as well address something that bugs me slightly- It's definitely a minority but there's a handful of people who seem done with the series because "too many things go wrong." To which... I'm not sure what to tell ya. I'm fine with critique and criticism to be clear, but honestly, this is one thing I'm actually really confident I'm good at balancing. I'm not sure where people are coming from with "nothing good ever happens in this series" when this season alone has had probably the cutest and fluffiest scenes. Rex has a canon girlfriend, he had his first kiss with her, Desmond was reunited with his sister and learned to accept himself, Lyss learned to move past her trauma and accept blanks, Rex was reunited with Shnee, Rex's scion turns out to be a puppy dog w/ a crush. I'm aware a lot of these got kind of crushed with this latest ep...but that's.. kind of. the. point??? That's how you write tragedy and impactful scenes??

I dunno, maybe this is personal to me because it's ALWAYS bugged me when someone tells me they think a show is bad because it's "too dark." Like no... It's not *bad* because it's too dark, you just don't like dark themes, and that's okay. I TOTALLY get if CoB has gotten too dark for some people- it's definitely hit some hard themes and subjects, but I don't like to accept that as a critique. It just means it's not for you and that's okay. There's a ton of other great comics that are more light-hearted! I think the TLDR of this is it will always annoy me when people say something is bad just because it's not their taste.

Now. That said... everyone is completely valid in their hate of Jericho. I, however, still love him.

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Date

This fic was inspired by a post from @/bhaalism (who has since deactivated due to harassment) about taking Astarion on a date post-game. I hope you all enjoy it, because it was a joy to write. <3

“Hey handsome,” Agnetha greeted Astarion, who was draping fabric for a dress he was making. For her. After all, poor dear lost nearly her entire wardrobe when her house was turned into rubble. “I have something I’d like to ask you.”

Oooooooh. He waggled his eyebrows, earning him a laugh. “Ask away! I’m all pointy ears, my love!”

She moved to hug him from behind, her long arms wrapping around his shoulders. She kissed his cheek before whispering conspiratorially, “Would you like to go on a date with me? A proper date?” She kissed his cheek again. “Please?”

A date.

A proper date.

A proper date with my darling girl.

He spun around quickly and kissed her soundly. When he tugged on her bottom lip, he squealed. “Oohoho yes! When? What time? Obviously at night I’m guessing…oh, and where? We must dress impeccably no matter what—”

“Astarion, you mad man!” She wrinkled her nose and giggled. It’s the cutest thing she does, and frankly, there’s a lot she does that is very cute. “All I’ll say is that it’s a place we’re familiar with, yes at night obviously, and tomorrow after sunset.” She booped his nose and turned, walking towards their suite door. “Now, I need to take Horace for a walk. See you soon, love.”

He stood at the mannequin dumbfounded.

A proper date with my darling girl tomorrow.

WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!?!? WHAT IS SHE GOING TO WEAR?!?!?

***

Astarion agonized over what he and Agnetha should wear.

The agony!

And after watching him for hours lay out outfits and then put them back with the shake of his head and a tutting sound, she explained that their date would be on the rooftop of the Elfsong Tavern. “We have it to ourselves all night.” She rubbed her temples. “So please stop worrying about what to wear.”

The ecstasy!

Now that I know…I’VE GOT IT!

He thought that choosing their ensembles would help him relax.

He thought wrong.

I wonder what Agi has planned. If we have the entire rooftop to ourselves, then we could watch the stars. Cuddle. Have snacks, with her being the snack. Music? Tons of pillows? More cuddling?

Throughout the next day, he was giddy with excitement and to his embarrassment, could not stop giggling.

By the time they arrived at the Elfsong Tavern, Astarion was giggling louder than usual. He held her arm as she led them inside and towards the stairs. “Oh my gods, you are too much!” She chuckled softly then her mood shifted. “I hope I don’t let you down…”

“Ahahahaha, let me down?! Agi darling, you can’t be serious!” He let go of her arm and bolted up the stairs to the landing, hands on his hips. “You freed me from Cazador and two hundred years of torment, saved Baldur’s Gate from the Netherbrain, and you’re afraid of disappointing me? Ahahahahahaha!” He watched her fondly as she ascended the rest of the steps. For her, he chose the first dress he made her---long and form-hugging with a plunging neckline and gold accents. Green is one of her best colors, and she was the one who insisted on the lower neckline much to my delight.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Considering how you’ve been vibrating like Horace when he knows I’m going to give him a treat, yes of course I’m going to worry about disappointing you.” When she reached the top of the stairs, she hugged him. “You’re one of the most important people in my life, Astarion. I want you to be happy. I want what I do for you to be perfect.”

“You worry too much, dear.” Far too much. She has a tincture made from those “relaxing herbs” Halsin gave her during our adventure to help settle her nerves every night. I tell her she’s doing too much, taking on too much responsibility…but she just smiles. Tells me she’s happy to have a hand in making any dream of mine come true. Tells me she’s not only content but the happiest she’s ever been. “Everything you do is perfect.”

She giggled. “I’ll keep that in mind next time I fuck up something.” Glancing at the ladder to the rooftop, she shook her head dramatically. “That just won’t do.” She pulled out a scroll of Fly and cast it on him as she snapped her fingers open the hatch above ALL WHILE FLYING THROUGH USING HER STORM SORCERY!!! Have I said that my darling girl is brilliant and far more talented than Gale?

Laughing even more, Astarion flew up the ladder and through the hatch, landing directly in from of his lover. Laughing, he pulled her face to his as her arms went around his narrow waist. “You are full of surprises, darling.”

“With a few more up my sleeve.” She winked as she kissed him again. Her kisses never fail to brighten my mood and lighten my undead heart. Sweet darling girl, what do you have planned? “This way, love.” She left his embrace, but her hands held his and led him to a pair of chaise lounges pushed together surrounded by floating candles. Is that..? “Snacks and drinks for me and beef blood from our favorite butcher for you. If you want the candle to be dimmer, just tell me and I’ll fix it.”

He watched her lovingly as she let go of his hands and flopped onto one of the lounges, taking a chocolate truffle. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?” He murmured, pouring himself a glass of blood. “You did all this for me.” And I can’t quite believe it. “You didn’t have to, sweetness.”

She giggled a little as she chewed the truffles and grabbed another one. “Of course I did! Because I love you, Star. I love you, and I want to give you everything I can. Can’t walk in the sun? No problem!” She wrinkled her nose and smirked at him. Fucking hells. My darling girl is tempting me already. I’ll give it you right back, dear. “I’ll just do something very romantic at night with lots of cuddling. Problem solved.”

“I love it when you’re so confident, darling. It’s so very…alluring.” He put down the glass and lay down next to her, curling into her substantial side. “The most powerful sorceress on Toril, and she finally fucking acts like it.” One of his hands caressed her belly as he leaned close to her neck. “A rare and beautiful fruit that one must savor.” Not yet. Maybe later if she offers, but not now. “You wanted to show off, didn’t you, my pretty little butter bun?” he smirked, placing several kisses where he normally fed from her. “My darling giving it her all like the good girl she is. How…very…sweet.” He punctuated each word with a kiss, the hand on her belly slowly traveling upward.

She fidgeted slightly and sat up.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Before we go any further, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you, if that’s alright.”

She’s smiling. Not too wide. Her genuine smile. Maybe it’s nothing bad. I hope it’s nothing. Please don’t let it be something bad. I thought she was happy? Aren’t we happy? I’m happy, but is she happy? I thought so… “Yes, darling, of course.”

“I love you,” she began, brushing away a few of his white curls. “I know I say it all the time, but I mean it…well, every time.” She smiled at him, her brown eyes shining with a level of love, adoration, and devotion that Astarion knew all too well. Because that is always how she looks at me. As if I’m worthy of all that and more. “I love you. You mean everything to me. You’re my home. And I’m saying all this, because—”

Wait…is she…?!?!?!

“I want to know if you—”

IS SHE…?!?!

“Would like to…” She so fucking adorably bit on her lower lip. “Marry me?”

She did.

Astarion stared at Agnetha, mouth dropping open and eyes wide. His lips moved but nothing emerged for several seconds. “Marry you?” He practically squeaked in reply.

The smile on her face faded. “Yes, Star. I’m asking you if you want to marry me. If you would marry me. But only if that’s what you want, and I can understand if you don’t—”

We are not playing that little game tonight, my dear.

He yanked her face towards his roughly, silencing her with a passionate kiss. He maneuvered himself onto his back and encouraged her to lay on top of him. Oh gods, the first time I told her to do that, she started crying. “I’ll crush you, Astarion! I’ll break you!” Frankly, my dear---I don’t give a damn. I’m dead. It’s fine. Now though, she does it happily. That’s it, my good girl. “You seriously think I’d say no to having a party in my…ahem, our honor, then darling, you’re mad.” Astarion snarked, wrapping his arms around her and sighing contentedly. “The answer, of course, is yes.” As if it could be any other answer. I won’t lie---I was planning on proposing to her, but she beat me to it, the cheeky little thing. “If the question,” he whispered softly, hugging her a little tighter. “Is whether I want to be somewhere or do anything with you, the answer is always yes. I will be by your side always, and I want the world to know that.” He chuckled. “Or at the very least, our dear friends and your family.”

Agnetha laughed softly and reached for a small jewelry box. “Before we start talking about color schemes and flowers,” a white gold ring with rubies encircling the band was inside the box. She slipped it on his left ring finger, which he curiously did not have a ring on already. How funny! And how utterly perfect. “Oh thank fuck, it fits. I was worried.”

“Of course you were. Now,” he gave her a small, quick kiss. “Have something to eat and drink, darling, and get comfortable because we are going to talk about colors, flowers, decorations, dates, guest list, seating, and don’t worry, sweetness---our outfits are a top priority!” Her wedding dress will be talked about in Baldur’s Gate for generations. I will ensure that.

Adorably she pretended to be horrified as she poured herself some water and drank. “Oh my gods, what have I done?” She began to laugh and shake her head. “What monster have I unleashed this night?” Still laughing (and I am too because she’s simply too cute and funny), Agnetha took a few more chocolates and a chocolate chip cookie. She baked cookies earlier in the week for a friend she said. Hmmm, must have had several left over. “Sorry love, I couldn’t help it!”

Both now on their backs, Astarion faced her and scoffed. “Oh hush you! With how much teasing I give you on a daily basis, it’s only right and proper that you get your own back on me. Besides, I will only be demanding the best for our wedding, you know. We deserve the best. And speaking of the best, depending on how quickly we want to this planned and done, a certain kind of lily will be in season—”

“Wouldn’t it be so funny if Gale was your best man?” She sniggered, taking a bite out of the cookie. “He’d have the longest fucking speech ever, and somehow we’ll all be crying at the end of it.”

“Ugh. At that point, Halsin would be a much better best man than Gale. Wyll’s not even here, and he would be better! I could pull out a chair with Wyll’s name painted on it, and it would be the best best man ever!” Noticing her bursting out laughing, he rolled his eyes. “Darling really!”

She kissed him for what Astarion definitely thought lingered for a second too long and smiled. “We don’t even have to have a best man or maid of honor. That’s more of a Baldurian tradition, but we don’t have to go along with it. After all,” she wrinkled her nose, grinning. “We’re not exactly a traditional couple.”

Astarion nodded silently.

No, we’re not a traditional couple by any definition.

Elf. Human.

Vampire. Mortal.

Shorter than her. Very tall.

Perfectly lithe and built like a god. A deliciously sexy cream puff come to life.

But that’s just us, and that’s wonderful.

The conversation moved on to colors (white with hints of silver and gold), then to guests (apparently we do in fact have to invite Gale), and then drifted to food (Agi wants at least four tiers with each tier being different flavors to accommodate everyone’s tastes---just have it be your favorite and fuck them, darling!). After a while, Agnetha curled into Astarion’s side. He stared at the stars and then back down at the woman in his arms.

“I just realized something, sweetness.”

“Hmm?” Someone’s getting sleepy. It must be past two in the morning at least.

“I never got to ask you if wanted to marry me.”

She snuggled against his chest and sighed happily. “Yes, Astarion Ancunin, I will marry you.” She’s so sleepy. Aww. “I’ll always marry you, love…”

“I know, my darling girl. But before we can do any of that, my pretty princess needs some sleep.” He helped her to her feet, steadying her. “There’s a good girl, my love. Do you have the rune?” She charmed a pair of twin rune stones to act as a teleport directly into our bedroom, which I may or may not have abused on several occasions. She nodded, and he took it out of one of her dress pockets (you’re welcome, my beautiful butter bun) and used to get them there. He sat her on their bed and cupped her face. “May I undress you, darling?”

“Yes please…”

Everything off and in a pile. Her favorite sleep shirt and shorts. The silkiest bottoms for me. Perfect. “Have the sweetest dreams for us, my darling girl. I’ll be here when you wake.” He murmured, as he relaxed in her embrace.

“Dream’s already come true, Star.” Agnetha said, sleepily pressing a kiss to his neck. “We’re living the dream…”

He barked a laugh. “You impossibly sweet thing! Whatever am I going to do with you?”

Say it. Say it. Say it. Please, darling?

“You’ll marry me, and I’ll marry you…”

Thank you. His eyes watered as he held one of her hands.

We already belong to each other, but to not only show that but also celebrate it? When I couldn’t even dream of that a year ago? When we both have people we care about in our lives to celebrate with us? With her by my side?

Always.

[marlynnofmany]

Oh hey, fun fact I just remembered: at the edges of your vision, you can see motion but not color.

Seems wrong, doesn’t it? There’s no black-and-white area to the sides. But that’s because your brain guesses and fills it in.

Here’s the test:

Get some squares of colored paper, or anything else that’s all the same size but different colors. Felt pens, DVD cases, whatever. Pick one without looking (or have a friend do it for you.)

Look straight forward, holding the thing out to the side and behind you, so you can’t quite see it yet. Move it forward until you do. Wiggle as necessary.

When you first see something moving, you won’t be able to say what color it is, and it will be maddening. You can guess! But it’s just a guess! Then when you look, you may be completely wrong!

It’s a fun game for parties, and blowing your friends’ minds.

[shadowofaghost5]

Give it up for everybody’s favourite street rat!!!

-

Fanart of Aaron from Fox’s Tounge and Kirin’s Bone, an incredible book by @muffinlance

I worked hard on this an am incredibly proud of how it turned out. If you wanna hear about the process, feel free to check out me rambling in the tags.

[hermitcraftx]

Why the FUCK are Southerners under the impression they're even welcomed on the internet ANYMORE????? Sorry but this is genuinely fucking rancid I feel fucking unsafe knowing that my spaces are being invaded by you fucking people. Fucking disgusting that it's 2024 and we can't hold piece of shit racists and Confederate nazis accountable for literal fucking war crimes and slavery anymore.

hey man. whats going on. this is such a weird thing to say to someone else on the internet life would be so beautiful if you stepped outside and talked to a real person for once. btw did you know the south is mostly full of poor people and black people and acting as if being from a place makes a person inherently a bigot is very weird almost as if it's pushing a classist narrative. Thats so wacky lol

[front-facing-pokemon]

[imsociallyanxiousgetoverit]

oh no

@zarvasace I may have tried to predict what your Half-Fours would be like and created my own entire headcanons about it? and the colors?

uh

enjoy I guess? maybe? I got hyperfixated on it so fast

The Colors’ Personalities:

Four (Iris):

-He/They, any

-nickname created and used by the minish/picori

-passionate about his opinions

-blacksmithing is a job and hobby for them

-capable of socializing but doesn’t require it

-loves to read

-levelheaded both in battle and in (relative) peace

-splitting either results in a negative or purely confused reaction from people so they tend to keep silent about it

Green (Jade/Sage/Forrest):

-They/Them, always

-genderfluid; changes names but not pronouns with gender

-the most balanced emotionally and logically

-focuses on the big picture rather than the details, but can acknowledge they exist

Vio (Topaz):

-He/Him, always

-nickname chosen lovingly by Shadow; only used by them

-intellectually focused; shows outwardly

-takes misinformation very seriously; easily sidetracked by this

Blue (Cypress/Lana):

-She/Him, swaps

-occasionally uses other names when feeling dysphoric but doesn’t have specifically labeled genders

-intense feelings; most often some form of anger

-honest to a fault sometimes

-fast to accusations and assumptions

Red (Ruby, Nova, Ivy, Rose):

-They/She/He, any

-has many loving nicknames from the other colors due to how much they love it; Dot uses these as well, though is the only one using rose

-outwardly emotional in general; appears more sensitive due to it

-can forget the big picture if there are lots of feelings involved

Colorwheel Personalities:

(Green-Blue) *Mars/Aqua:

-He/They, rolling

-second in command energy

-apologies after outbursts

-very protective over others

-becomes quickly defensive

-dyslexic and pissed about it

(Red-Vio) Berry/Cerise:

-They/Them, always

-manipulative, for better or worse

-tries to fix emotional and relationship issues- sometimes without asking first; they’re working on it

-very emotionally intelligent until they get overwhelmed or worried

-great at gifting

-passionate about books

(Blue-Red) Pela/Mauve:

-He/She, rolling

-lashes out when overwhelmed

-self esteem issues due to behavior not matching their expectations/desires for self

-shows affection but pretends it’s not actually that

-uses the most nicknames for the others

(Green-Vio) Ant/Maline:

-They/Them, always

-manipulative, for better or worse

-inflated ego they try to hide

-leader qualities but doesn’t want to be one if possible

-socializing is easy for them, but they aren’t extroverted

-dyslexic and pissed about it

(Red-Green) Nela/Maly:

-She/Her, always

-is red-green colorblind but it doesn’t affect her too much

-very focused on the larger picture when people’s happiness or rights are at stake; struggles to notice details alone

-almost leader material; would be a good backup leader assuming a second in command is not fit for the role

-very protective over others

-loves reading aloud a lot

-loves to socialize but needs time to recharge alone

(Blue-Vio) Tanza/Indigo:

-She/They/He, rolling

-superiority complex

-will apologize if perceived as mean or rude by someone they think deserves one

-thinks before speaking but just doesn’t care about the consequences sometimes

-most likely to cope with sword practice or sparring

-if has a breakdown there’s a chance many pots are broken before hand

-sometimes they disappear into a book until they feel like they won’t go berserk or be an asshole; this happens most just after waking up

[maddy-ferguson]

i think the reframing of girls disliking pink and other stereotypically feminine things as internalized misogyny that you should overcome by the time you're an adult woman is an immense feminist loss

[mazapan-heart]

Lmao so I started my new job today. Overall very good I think. I’m still getting used to their system and learning all the names of people. It was a lot to take in a day but hopefully it will get easier as the week goes by. One thing that I think will probably happen though is that’s it’s gonna be slow and I’m gonna get bored really fast. Just gotta find ways to keep entertained. Also maybe get snacks for my desk. Hopefully I find joy in this new job.

[itspileofgoodthings]

me like “oh Steve harrington is actually cute.” that’s the grist I’m talking about. And it doesn’t happen until it happens.

[saint-gerard-of-arc]

SatelliteKid.mp4

[morrigan-sims]

since sara @arcanewonder​ made me think of it, I decided to ramble about what everyone wears in RTQ and why, because I need something to do while I wait for simripper to rip 8 sims </3

Ramblings under the cut.

First off, I associate every sim with one color and one color only (sometimes two).  So, if you see your sim wearing 99% one color, that’d be why.  Sorry, I don’t make the rules.

Fallon - black Duncan - light green Lavinia - dark green Hermes - blue (but I have the loosest association with him) Kristopher - black/grey and red Nora - purple Nina - reddish colors?  Moira - teal

Now onto what everyone’s style is.

Fallon: Wears almost exclusively dresses ranging from Very Nice to Super Fancy.  She’s Queen, so it’s what’s expected of her, and looking nice makes her feel confident and powerful, so she leans into it.  She’s not into anything overly complicated or extravagant, so they tend to just be one color, maybe with some accents, and fine fabric. Black is her color because it’s one of the royal colors of Anvia.  (though admittedly that’s only true because I like black and she looks bomb-ass in it)

BONUS: The reason Fallon will get married in red is because it’s another one of the royal colors, and is reserved for more ceremonial occasions.  (Weddings, coronations, etc.)  And besides, I ran into that little moment of panic because white weddings are only popular in western culture because of Queen Victoria, and she never existed in my world, so why the hell should they have white weddings?? (also, I think white weddings are a little boring, tbh.  Can be gorgeous, but I’d rather wear something else.)

Duncan: Dresses nice but not overly fancy.  Doesn’t want to throw his wealth/status in people’s faces, but also is supposed to dress somewhat according to his station according to society.  Although, when he’s trying to impress someone (like Fallon) he’ll dress up a lot more. Light green is his color because it gives me light and happy vibes, which is very true to Duncan.

Lavinia: Grew up kinda spoiled, so she’s used to the finer things in life.  Dresses to match.  Always dressed up, even when just at home or doing casual things.  Also likes to wear jewelry and stuff. Dark green is her color because... well... it just fits, okay?  I can’t explain it.

Hermes: Kinda new to this whole being-a-Baron thing, so he just copies what he’s seen other people wear in Villecourt.  His style is mostly Orainian, but definitely a mix of older and newer fashions, with some other random stuff thrown in for good measure. Like I said, his association is the loosest, but blue is nice.

Kristopher: Usually cares more about being comfortable than looking nice.  If you spend your whole life trying to look bad, you don’t really care how you dress.  But now he does actually care, at least a little.  But being comfortable is still at the top of the list.  Oryn in general has pretty reserved fashion, especially compared to Oraine, so the styles are usually pretty simple, with added embroidery and jewelry to accent them.  Black/grey are his colors because they give my Oryn vibes (mountains, cold, dark, winter), but also red because it can represent anger or passion, and he certainly has a lot of anger built up in him.  (and he looks damn good in both. <3)

Nora: Being able to move is important, but she also enjoys looking nice.  She’s more likely to go for trousers/pants than a dress, but she doesn’t mind dressing up every once in a while.  She just doesn’t often get the chance as a pirate. Purple is her color because.... LOOK AT HER HAIR.

Nina: Being a guard for her father and growing up in a farming village means she’s used to wearing clothes made for functionality rather than excessive glamor.  Not used to dressing up in fancy gowns, but it’s kind of fun, sometimes. I just like red, okay?? And her first outfit has that reddish-brown jacket, so I just kinda stuck with it, lmao.

Moira: When she was younger, she always wore a lot of very nice clothes because of her social status, so when she started her life as the head of a criminal empire, she kept up with the habit.  You can’t be called the Night Empress and not have some killer outfits. Teal just looks really nice on her and complements her golden eye.  <3

[stromblessed]

Mizu, femininity, and fallen sparrows

In my last post about Mizu and Akemi, I feel like I came across as overly critical of Mizu given that Mizu is a woman who - in her own words - has to live as a man in order to go down the path of revenge.

If she is ever discovered to be female by the wrong person, she will not only be unable to complete her quest, but there's a good chance that she'll be arrested or killed.

So it makes complete sense for Mizu to distance herself as much as possible from any behavior that she feels like would make someone question her sex.

I felt so indignant toward Mizu on my first couple watchthroughs for this moment. Why couldn't Mizu bribe the woman and her child's way into the city too? If Mizu is presenting as a man, couldn't she claim to be the woman's escort?

However, this moment makes things pretty clear. Mizu knows all too well the plight of women in her society. She knows it so well that she cannot risk ever finding herself back in their position again. She helps in what little way she can - without drawing attention to herself.

Mizu is not a hero and she is not one to make of herself a martyr - she will not set herself on fire to keep others warm. There's room to argue that Mizu shouldn't prioritize her quest over people's lives, but given the collateral damage Mizu can live with in almost every episode of season 1, Mizu is simply not operating under that kind of morality at this point. ("You don't know what I've done to reach you," Mizu tells Fowler.)

And while I still feel like Mizu has an obvious and established blind spot when it comes to Akemi because of their differences in station, such that Mizu's judgment of Akemi and actions in episode 5 are the result of prejudice rather than the result of Mizu's caution, I also want to establish that Mizu is just as caged as Akemi is, despite her technically having more freedom while living as a man.

Mizu can hide her mixed race identity some of the time, and she can hide her sex almost all of the time, but being able to operate outside of her society's strict rules for women does not mean she cannot see their plight.

It does not mean she doesn't hurt for them.

Back to Mizu and collateral damage, remember that sparrow?

While Mizu is breaking into Boss Hamata's manse, she gets startled by a bird and kills it on reflex. She then cradles it in her hands - much more tenderly than we've seen Mizu treat almost anything up to this point in the season:

She then puts it in its nest, with its unhatched eggs. Almost like she's trying to make the death look natural. Or like an accident.

You see where I'm going with this.

When Mizu kills Kinuyo, Mizu lingers in the moment, holding the body tenderly:

And btw a lot of stuff about this show hit me hard, but this remains the biggest gut punch of them all for me, Mizu holding that poor girl's body close, GOD

When Mizu arranges the "scene of the crime," Kinuyo's body is delicate, birdlike. And Mizu is so shaken afterward that she gets sloppy. She's horrified at this kill to the point that she can't bring herself to take another innocent life - the boy who rats her out.

MIZU'S ONE MOMENT OF SOFTNESS AND MERCY, COMING ON THE HEELS OF HER NEEDING TO KILL A GIRL TO SPARE HER THE WORST FATE THAT THIS RIGID SOCIETY HAS TO OFFER WOMEN, AND TO SPARE A BROTHEL FULL OF INNOCENT WOMEN WHO ARE THE CASTOFFS OF SOCIETY, NEARLY RESULTS IN ALL OF THEIR DEATHS

No wonder Mizu is as stoic and cold as she is.

And no wonder Mizu has no patience for Akemi whatsoever right before the terrible reveal and the fight breaks out:

Speaking of Akemi - guess who else is compared to a bird!

The plumage is more colorful, a bit flashier. But a bird is a bird.

And, uh

Yeah.

I like to think that Mizu killing the sparrow is not only foreshadowing for what she must do to Kinuyo, but is also a representation of the choice she makes on Akemi's behalf. She decides to cage the bird because she believes the bird is "better off." Better off caged than... dead.

But because Mizu doesn't know Akemi or her situation, she of course doesn't realize that the bird is fated to die if it is caged and sent back home.

Mizu is clearly not happy, or pleased, or satisfied by allowing Akemi to be dragged back to her father:

But softness and mercy haven't gotten Mizu anywhere good, recently.

There is so much tragedy layered into Mizu's character, and it includes the things she has to witness and the choices she makes - or believes she has to make - involving women, when she herself can skirt around a lot of what her society throws at women. Although, I do believe that it comes at the cost of a part of Mizu's soul.

After all, I'm gonna be haunted for the rest of this show by Mizu's very first prayer in episode 1:

"LET" her die. Because as Ringo points out, she doesn't "know how" to die.

Kind of like another bird in this show:

[rubys-domain]

it'd be overkill to make an entirely new blog for this, so i'm just gonna liveblog my getting back into enstars here. mkay? mkay