#but its so fun to see stuff that works with the nice to emphasize the scary

[cosmignon]

my favorite kind of lost media analogue digital horror shit is one where you can so so easily imagine the not-scary version and be like... sad for what could never be. bucky and friends are safe at their little beach side fish shops. lacey masie and skater jay are playing cool music as we speak. doki doki lit club's plus extra stories just being non-horror character studies. welcome home is the ultimate living embodiment of this bc so much of what we've gotten IS their cute normal lives accented By the horrors. love it love it love it.

[freezing-kaiju]

ALRIGHT, IT'S TIME!

THE SECOND RYUKI-AND-BLADE-ACCOMPANYING ANIME POLL IS NOW HERE!!!

SO, MEET YOUR CHALLENGERS!

AJIN Demi-Human

We start with a dark horror and possibly scifi about ethics in science, immortality, and an outlaw fugitive alien plot as a boy finds himself part of a group of immortals declared legally inhuman. While I have some misgivings about Oh No I Was Secretly A Creature All Along plots, I do fucking love horror and there’s a lot of ways for those plots to hit hard in the trans and gay and autism organs and be really important!!!!

Dimension W

The New Tesla Energy Corporation has monopolized the fourth dimension and the coils that connect to it. A duo of bounty hunters, one human and one robot, make money via repossessing illegal coils and seek out the answer to the mysteries within the dimension. I really wanna watch this one for a few reasons, the primary one of which is 'there are multiple fat women'. It seems to have freaks and weirdos and fun times, and its comedy is emphasized more than most of the other ones on this list so it might give some needed levity!

Kyoukai no Kanata

A bumbling monster hunter with blood powers meets an immortal via trying to shank him and ends up in an arrangement where she'll keep trying to kill him to boost her confidence while hunting monsters in what I hope is a monster-of-a-week show that came highly recommended by a friend as her favorite anime, or one of her favorites, so i have high hopes! Script's by the hibike euphonium guy and the power system seems quite interesting!

Air

A puppeteer (if he’s as good as Sakon will remain to be seen) stops his Road Trip To Meet A Golden Sun Jupiter Summon to stay for a bit in a town and, as happens to anyone who stops for too long, gets attached to the place and also meets a girl who might be said jupiteresque being. My friend informs me that it's gorgeous, sounds amazing (so I'll make sure to get clips), and has "nice sad vibes"!!! And it’s…listed in a “provincial horror” listing… hoho

Heike Monogatari

A child who can see ghosts and the future walks tirelessly through the tragedy of the war between the Taira and Minamoto families before the dawn of the first shogunate. It's wildly beloved by a friend of mine, and also centers a historical event i know some but not all about and definitely need to know more about the Taira side of. Seems like a beautiful drama, one I could lose my heart over.

SSSS Gridman

Digital kaiju! Digital hero! Digital amnesia! A monster of the week show about an unknown amnesiac summoning and merging with Hyper Agent Gridman to fight digital, possibly virtual monsters while making friends(?) in the real world! It's the one thing Tsubaraya Productions has that isn't Ultraman, and I expect some tokusatsu vibes from it along with the mecha stuff, i've also heard it has gay girl megatron??

Akudama Drive

It's a prison break and crime story set in a tech dystopia, starring a scene girl shoplifter, and featuring a bevvy of unpersoned convicts in what seems like an excellent ensemble clusterfuck!!! The Danganronpa crew made this thing! It's also beloved by a friend of mine, and I've heard it'll be a generally excellent tragedy of a time

Canaan

A reporter gets saved from assassins by a woman she might do yuri with, and the summaries I’ve found seem to imply a plot about terrorism and mystery! It’s a Type-Moon work that isn't part of the fate, tsukihime, OR melty universes! It might still have magecraft, but it's tagged sci-fi too, and a type moon take on scifi sounds interesting... it’s also based on. *checks wikipedia* a…perfect-Famitsu-score visual novel for the Nintendo Wii. So I might need to dig out some old hardware to watch this thing. For fun’s sake!

Killing Bites

A guy unintentionally becomes the underground wrestling promoter of a ?werewolf? Woman who murders his friends and wins him a shitload of money. The end goal? According to the summary, control of the economy!!! This was recommended as garbage and good lord I need garbage so much good god I need to put some trash inside of me.

[jennyanypenny]

Soo heard ya seen the georgetown palace production of cats with the female munk kinda curious on ur thoughts on whats the production like?

It was fun :o3 Im forgetting stuff already, but I do know that seeing it changed my opinions on Skimbleshanks.

Using this ask as an excuse to write down a summary for myself (not in exact song order uhhh)

Starting numbers were good. Don’t have much to say, but seeing it live and kinda close is def different from seeing 5 pixel bootlegs!! These cats are people sized!! Also you could hear the noise when they pounced on the floor. I think some of that had to do with how small the theatre was. Also Vickys solo was mostly on a pole. I thought that they wouldn’t keep the sensuality of her parts but they did!

The Old Gumbie Cat number was soo good. But that was expected from the best song in the musical. Ive already praised Munku’s actress so :o3 .The gumbie trio sounded wonderful!! But during their part they did stuff with sticks and it was definitely a bit too loud.. The guys were the mice instead of the girl kits. They made a cute little shawl for Jenny out of rope that she wore throughout the show. Rumpel and Mungo may or may not have stolen it later. The beetles tattoo was very good! I think ive already mentioned it but Munkus led most of it. Jenny did lead some of it tho. She also came in inside of a shoe-car?? Oversized light up sneaker that she was riding. Supports my hc that these cats are 3 centimeters tall.

Oki so I missed some of The RTT because im lame and I can never watch this number without looking away for a bit. Anyways, the actor was funny as hell. Made silly faces through the show. Sillabub had a “I ❤️ Tugger” cardboard sign. Very important. Bomba and Tugger were def very close. Munkus and Tugger hung out a lot too! He got a lil crown during the number from his fangirls :3 . The end bit went on for some time but it made me giggle from what I remember so it was good 👍

Bustopher Jones sounded very nice. Very jolly. Wasn’t the full song I think. Some of the cats didn’t seem to like him which lame 🙄!! (Misto and Skimble were very exited tho!). Jenny still had the crush and got a flower at the end¿. (im forgetting stuff already) Also Bustopher Jones existed outside of his song! Win for Bustopher fans everywhere.

Mungo and Rumpel were trying to be funny I think?? But a lot of it came of like those parodies of Cats. Yknow, the ones were the cat role isnt taken seriously and its like “hahah, hairballs”. Was not a fan. Hated it actually. Maybe I just hate fun idk. They were also in front being silly wayy to much. During multiple numbers. There was some dialogue at the start of their song, them asking if it was safe to come out yet instead of the usual Rumpel laughs. The two actually being scared of Mac isnt something I usually interpret, but mmm has u thinking.

Augh during one of the Scares (not sure which one) they (Deme starts and cats join in) say (not truly sing) a part of Macavity, emphasizing the hypnotizing part (foreshadowing💥). Took away some of the mystery but it didnt bother me that much. They could have made it sound better tho 😭

The Jellicle Ball choreo was a bit disappointing, but I don’t remember much uhh. The music was good tho. Misto lifted Victoria btw, if any of the 3 mistoria shippers see this.

GLAMOUR CAT REPRISE!! GLAMOUR CAT REPRISE HOW I LOVE YOU! After it I think it was just Grizz and Sillabub was there watching her from up high in the set. I dont remember if Old D stayed, but he might have.

Moments of Happiness was good I rlly liked Old Ds voice. Victoria and Jemima had a little dance at the end although this could have also happened before/during the Jellicle Ball.

Gus the Theatre cat was wonderful <33 . Such a great Jelly. One of my favorites (although I already have a lot of favorite Jellys :’3). She was sweet and her voice was nice. The number was def a bit less sad and more funny. Mmm something cute is that like 4 cats worked to place and fluff up a pillow on the hat¿ Gus sat on.

Macavity fight was very cool. There wasn’t the reveal bit. He just came in ready to fight. Demeter fought quite a bit. All the other cats (apart from Munkus [who got their ass beat like usual] and Deme) who hit Mac were all played by male actors. Munk did recover and finish it off tho (I think). Deme was also kitnapped. Definitely a suprise! There was this box they were sliding around and stuff and Mac escaped by going inside with her in it after hypnotizing her. They really played into that part. I somehow missed Old Deuteronomy being kitnapped before all this idk how.

Speaking of Macavity I loved Demeters voice. She was really good. I knew Macavity was gonna be good when I heard her in the opening number 🙏. Bomba had a deeper voice and I rlly liked the playfulness the actress brought to her. Ermm I dont remember much else.

SKIMBLESHANKS THE RAILWAY CAT was awesom. Actor was very expressive. Bustopher appears during this song. There was a bit where mungo/rumpel stole Bustophers’ watch, skimble caught them, and then Bustopher came back to get it and found skimbol with it. ‘,:-\ . Very silly I liked that part. There was also like 2 seconds of tap dancing I swear. Instant bonus points. Everybody loves Skimbleshanks for good reasons and I finally understood why.

Magical Mr Mistoffelees was fun! Its always such a happy joyful song! The Conjuring Turns!!! Holy moly. Its another experience to actually be there clapping. He first conjured up Deme at the very start and then Old Deuteronomy. They hugged a lot <33. Mr. Mistoffelees was very kittenish in this production. It was cute :o3

Memory sounded good I will not deny this! But the acting. It wasnt that emotional.. which is what I mainly like about Memory. She mostly just sung towards the audience. You didn’t really get the feeling she was angry/sad/regretful and desperate.

Grizzabella ascended on a boat. The one that is on the right of the stage in the pic.

Another number my mind was changed on is Addressing of Cats. I think I mentioned it being a least fave in a ask game and yeagh. This is why Growltiger beat it for least fave song. Very awesome. A cat is not a dog.

I enjoyed it! Genuinely never thought I would see it in person until I was much older but I was proved wrong! Also the Cats brainrot was stronger in the weeks leading up to it. (good thing)

According to my mom my dumbass missed when they went through the aisles :’( . I only saw Misto bringing Old D in his arrival. Fave performers where the ones who played Munkus, Jelly, Gus, Old D, Deme and Tugger.

[starlightshore]

OH GREAT ONE! Please. . . Can you please give us a tutorial on how to make Pixel Character sprites on Asepeite? You do them so beautifully. . . *Sheds a tear*

please don't call me "oh great one" even as a joke; don't put me on a pedestal. I'm just Some Guy.

anyway there are plenty of cool tutorials on youtube, just search stuff like "pixel art tutorial" or "pixel grass" or "pixel trees" for specifics

but what i'd recommend as my top rule: experiment! make more art! Have fun! just make things and you'll naturally improve

but past that, for some more tangible advice:

look into stylization. pixel art NEEDS clarity and simple shapes to work. you can achieve this by thinking of the shapes (thus the importance of stylization) and by doing simple math or consistent "scales" of going down or up in number. see how the second line goes from looong to long to short shorter then a dot vs. how the left one just does things randomly, there's no scale here. it shows purpose and confidence when you use more math-based art. see how the circle uses the scale/ math vs. this blob where i purposefully didn't?

keep the linework clean:

aesprite has a feature called "pixel perfect" which prevents jaggies, which are these clumps of pixels as you can see on the right.

keep the art consitant. don't use blur effects or gradients, i'd say that's more so for VERY rare circumstances and should only be approached from a more experienced hand. (ie, bigger background pieces and used sparingly)

how you draw the shapes/angles matters a lot as well.

left, i kept things more "blocky" and less "sharp" I also simplified the shape (note the fur on the side of the legs) is more clumped together while the other has a larger emphasis on separating them and making them sharper. overall, the right one is a lot more complex which I don't want for a character who is moving a lot, and seen from a smaller size. its a SMALL cartoon! i want it to be clear to the viewer without any details to muddy things.

note how by making the sideburn fluff more jagged removes some of the room for the white fur. you only see ONE shaded white/blue pixel on the left, which adds more contrast and emphasizes that spot. there's less of a clear distinction between he had and the body.

here's the silhouettes, you cans see how the body on the left is more clear in what part is what. Tail, ear, head, body and legs. the other one, sure, i know what those are, but its less distinct.

add "weight" to the shapes. have one side of the shape be bigger in proportion. note how the head has a wider bottom than the top, even from the jaw to the tip of the head. the overall body is bigger than the head as well.

symmetry is important and your life savior in pixel art. but not EVERYTHING should be symmetrical. look at the head stripe, mouth, chest fluff, and handkerchief. have one side favored or the other and not a perfect head-on position creates this asymmetry as well a more "organic" view of the character. (typically you want to avoid direct head-on looks unless it's for 3d modeling or character reference sheets, otherwise your character won't feel as "alive." it's not natural to stand perfectly 1-1 facing the camera perfectly)

note on legs and bodies: you can't always get an accurate symmetry based on the head size. depending on if it's an odd or even number of pixels wide, it'll affect how the body becomes symmetrical to it. in this case, there's a pixel difference that prevents a gap. note how the middle looks like a SUPER thick line because there's no room for a single pixel line. my solution was to have her favor one leg over the other, which works nicely as it adds a more weighted interest to the right leg while her bangs favor the left, creating balance. toby's solution to this problem was to give the humans one wider leg and it haunts me.

another example of this is toriel

toriel's side mouth would be fine if it was a consistent choice and other characters did it (sonic is famous for this stylistic choice) but because she doesn't even match her family regarding this, it stands out and confuses people. i originally, and many people I've met have thought this was her nose. EVEN THO you can see her mouth open when speaking in-game.

btw even tho this also haunts me, i don't mind it as much cause i know this is a result of early game development inconstancies born from inexperience. its a cute quirk honestly, even if it was an easy fix. i actually ADMIRE that toby doesn't go and retroactively fix things, and instead prioritizes making new things with the information of how to do better now. its very easy and exhausting to go back and fix things rather than move on. mad respect for that.

[forecast0ctopus]

how do you use references when you draw fanart or figure out how to draw irl characters?? it's just that i've been looking through your art and i feel like you ability to capture a character's idk essence, in vibes + appearence, are just unmatched! they're all so dynamic and like them i just <33

aaa thanks so much!! im glad to hear that since i honestly dont watch a ton of live action? i generally have done a lot more fanart for animated things so thats nice to hear haha anyways though!! i have far too many words that may or may not make sense to say so i'll put how i use references and figure out live action characters below

the main rule i like to keep in my head is that i am drawing the character, not the actor, if that makes sense?

this is all taking arthur as an example, to show what kinds of things i look for!! if i were talking about merlin any other live action character like. bobby briggs or something all the details would be super different haha a way i like to familiarize myself with a live action character at first is tracing which i must preface by saying TRACING ISNT BAD!! its a tool and it just needs to be used correctly. tracing is a great way to figure out a method to drawing things, so its really valuable in studying. im not gonna address using tracing in finished artwork rn bc thats where it gets a little dicey and i would talk about it too much.

i dont really need to do this for arthur anymore but it was a fun exercise lmao

sorry the images are so crunchy i always forget i work on small canvases, anyways in capturing a likeness i like to emphasize and exaggerate a little which features make the character most recognizable to me.

he's got a sharp nose which is bumped at the bridge and a little bit upturned at the bottom. when he's smiling his eyes crinkle a lot and his cheek muscle becomes more pronounced and connects into the corner of his mouth

very square jaw. his brows are thicker near the center and don't have much of an arch. his cheeks are hollowed with neutral expression and the muscles on the sides of his mouth (depressor anguli oris, if i remember correctly lol) are obvious when the corners of his mouth are downturned

the corners of his mouth fold in a lot when he bares his teeth if hes angry or agitated, its a different type of fold when hes relaxed or smiling

his masseter is rather pronounced when he's talking or agitated, and i usually connect the line of it to the line that goes down from the inner corner of his eye. i forget what the word for it is rn but its different from eyebags (though i do like to draw eyebags)

but none of these details work if whatever hes doing in the drawing isnt in character, yknow? like he could look like arthur but he wouldnt really feel like arthur if hes not acting like arthur. idk it s hard for me to put to words im sure u get what i mean enough

body shape and language are also super important to think about, these are some things i keep in mind with arthur - hes shredded but not like marvel movie dehydrated shredded (good for him) - hes very broad and his shoulders slope down because of his trapezius muscles - he takes up a lot of space! he hardly ever curls up or sits with his feet up in his chair. even when hes sleeping hes pretty sprawled out - his "closed off" body language is crossing his arms or raising his left hand to twist his index finger ring with his thumb (worried/thinking gesture) - he moves with a lot of purpose usually and isnt often clumsy (unlike merlin lmao) - he moves his shoulders a lot when he walks (see top left image)

honestly think body language is just as important as facial features if not more, for the purpose of creating personality and character

i probably sound like i think way too much about this stuff which i. i kind of do but not in so many words i dont need this many words when its all in my brain. but yeah thats how i figure out how to draw a live action character i guess? anyways this was kind of a mess haha

[fallloverfic]

Solo Leveling Episode 12 Thoughts

The final episode of season 1 was so good! Spoilery thoughts for the anime, novel, and manhwa below:

The fights were just incredible. The animation was gorgeous, all the voice acting and music were excellent, it's just beautiful to watch. Also really loved the anime version of the manhwa scene with Lee Joohee, Song Chiyul, and Sung Jinwoo himself appearing as mental projections. It looks really good and it hits really hard, emotionally. The visual parallels are also handled well. Jinwoo is getting hammered here, and it's nicely done.

It's also interesting to learn that Woo Jinchul was also at the third Jeju Island raid! Even though he was just handling security, he was there. It's nice to emphasize how big of a deal the Jeju raids are to South Korea, because it helps with how messy stuff is later. I like how the show is focusing on trauma and its effects.

I like the emphasis on how a big part of Jinwoo's survival is luck. And I imagine some folks see this as a cheat, though I also like how it just shows the story is sticking to his own rules. It's not like the daily quest ever stopped being a thing. But also like... a lot of this is luck. When you awaken and what rank you awaken to is luck-based, and you're just kind of stuck with it (which is a good metaphor for how people are born, as well, particularly in terms of economic status; folks are randomly born to rich families/otherwise in places with a lot more resources than others and thus have a way easier time in life than other folks because resources are everything; it has nothing to do with ability, and it's massively unfair). If Jinwoo gets a little extra luck kinda because he's hyperfixated on something and it helps him survive, it's actually kind of fair, because at least that's sticking to a system of rules he ignored. And still a nice reflection on an unfair system.

Even the fights in the penalty room are amazing XD I don't go for stuff with giant insects, so the way this was a pleasure to watch was really awesome. I love the animation with Jinwoo flicking the mana potion away. I don't have any screencaps because I'd take far too many. All of the fights are good.

I still love seeing more of Choi Jongin and Cha Haein interact (with a brief cameo of a silent Lee Bora). Really glad the anime added little things like this. It's similar to what happens later, but it's nice to see them working together more.

The end of knight fight is incredible. All his movements are excellent. It's just really impressive.

It's also just really cute the way the notification window follows Jinwoo around the room as he's pondering lol

It's funny while I was reading the manhwa originally I related to this arc a lot as a former warlock player (loved running around with my army of summons who could just overwhelm any opponents, letting me stand safely in the back) but now I'm thinking of it more in terms of a death knight, particularly when Jinwoo is like, "There's no rule that says necromancers can't fight on the front lines". He is not wrong. Particularly if you've ever played the class in Diablo III, which is fun.

Jinchul just looks really pretty here. I love his relationship with Go Gunhee, and I'm still glad we're getting more of it in the anime.

And the Shadow Monarch arrives XD So happy :3 I also really love the nice touch in the manhwa, which the anime included, that the portal opening is purple, foreshadowing this part in the story with all the purple. It was always going to be this way (for other reasons). But it's a nice little visual touch.

Also framing this with Jinwoo being in front of the throne but slightly below it as well is really neat and also good foreshadowing.

He's so delighted by his ability XD I'm happy for him :3 Especially after he got brought so low earlier. He needs the pick-me-up. The shadow soldiers look really neat.

Distracted by the shadow soldier butt highlights alkdjaldja I just alkdjlaj YES IT'S A REALLY TENSE AND FUN SCENE WITH REALLY GREAT MUSIC BUT ALSO ldkjaljalaj (yes I know what codpieces are, I just lakjdlaj). It's not bad art or anything, I am just... Distracted TM roflmao

I like that Jinwoo still apologizes to the soldiers he dismisses, but he's sadder in the novel, and even in the manhwa. In the novel he has this, “He felt bad about getting rid of any of his soldiers. Even though he’d known them for only a few minutes, he was already attached to them.” (Volume 2, Chapter 4: Shadow Monarch by Chugong, Yen Press English release). In the novel and the manhwa he also looks a bit sad about it after apologizing, and thinks on it longer. It's a really humanizing moment for him, and shows how easy it is for Jinwoo to care about and sympathize with even complete strangers, particularly when they're his responsibility. It's not the worst change, and the anime has plenty of other moments that show his humanity, but it's just one of those little things...

I'm really curious about Gunhee's neck scar: who did that and how? In the novel, it's stated that he was too old when he awakened to ever fight as a Hunter: he's never been in a dungeon. The neck scar is part of his design in the manhwa, and he's just generally heavily scarred. He's a neat character who doesn't get explored enough. Looking forward to them expanding even more on him in future cours.

Shadow Igris looks so pretty. (Also there's a moment where he seems to purr around 20:48, which is I just think the sound of the movement of him standing, but it's hummy and sort of purr-like alkdjlaj and it kills me akdjlajal Purring Igris yes, thank you :3). Also, I love that the cape pops out of his back like butterfly wings alkdjalj beautiful. The way he walks around and the camera focuses on him and the click of his heels, just everything about him is so beautifully animated. I love this so much.

Ahh, I figured Jongin's expedition would find the flying ant. And so it begins.

That was such a good episode. An excellent season. Some leaks have stated that there are plans for like 6 cours or 3 regular seasons (and a PV for the end of the series with some spoilery footage), so I'm not that worried about the rest being animated (with some extra anime-original stuff, judging by how many episodes that'd be), though there will seemingly be delays. But with quality like this I'm happy to wait. I hope the crew get the time they need to make more awesome seasons without straining themselves. Ahh this was so GOOD!!!

Other episode reactions:

S01E05

S01E06

S01E07

S01E08

S01E09

S01E10

S01E11

S01E12 (you are here)

[lacependragon]

2024 Book #1: The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg

Intended Audience: Adult Genre: Romantasy (Romance-focused fantasy) Length: 335 pages Finished: February 17th, 2024

Narration: single narrator, first person pov

Summary: In a fantasy world consumed by an endless drought, a young woman on the run from her father has arrived at the last place that might take her in: the troll city under the greatest bridge ever built. But in order to get in, she must tell the leaders of her strange magic ability - she can push fear onto others, though she'll feel it too. As Lark, our MC, tries to fit into trollis (their preferred term) society, she finds herself struggling to fit in when kindness and compassion don't get you far in a society of strength. But some trollis soften to her, especially a handsome one named Azmar that Lark can't stop thinking about, no matter how dangerous it is.

Review: This is a very good book. Lark is a fun, compassionate, and quick thinking main character whose mistakes are understandable and who uses all the information at her disposal in clever ways. I loved how her compassion and struggle to fit in led to so much of the conflict in the story, and I loved how it also was a huge part of her success in the story, too. Lark's relationships with other characters, including Azmar and Unach, who she lives with, are just so, so good. I loved the job that Lark ended up with - monster hunting - and I really appreciate how it never stops being relevant to the story, both in activity and in social situations. In fact, this is just a very tightly written little book and everything circles around in some very fantastic ways.

The writing is lovely, too. I really enjoy the way this author writes books - I own a few of them - and I find there's a nice cadence to the words. It's smooth to read. And that spreads into how information is given to the reader, as well. Everything feels very smooth and easy flowing.

And, just to come back around, I really, really love compassionate protagonists. I love when characters want to help others, no matter the cost, and sometimes make stupid decisions because of that. Lark is such a fantastic protagonist who works around everything she is given. I love her. I love Azmar, too.

I think my biggest problem is that this is a seriously closed door romance. A few on-screen kisses and that's about it. Some light references. I would have loved to see more - I prefer my romances a little smuttier - but YMMV.

Just a fantastic book, seriously. So glad it was my first of the year.

Things I liked, specifically:

The romance was good. I understood why Lark was attracted to Azmar, and even though we never get Azmar's point of view, it was clear to me why he liked her. Watching them fall for each other was just adorable. Also, I love when a romance doesn't rely on badly done miscommunication for its third act drama. This does something SO GOOD that has nothing to do with that!

The worldbuilding was really neat. This is a standalone, so there's a lot of questions left unanswered, but the answers we got were fun. I also loved how it tied into the plot, as well as the culture of the trollis. You really get a sense for what their people value when the architecture is described. It's very evocative. And the cultural bits we get, the government and tax and law systems, the currency and caste stuff. God it's all so good and intriguing. Layered in just enough, in my opinion.

The friendships. There are so many good supporting characters in this story, including Unach, the trollis woman originally assigned to look over Lark. She's Azmar's sister and she's basically my fave. She's so gruff and short-tempered but also fantastic. Love her. I loved all of the supporting characters. All of them were well-written, well-rounded, and had motivations that were clear to me.

LARK. Again, emphasizing that Lark is just a fantastic, compassionate and kind protagonist. She is tired of fighting. Tired of having to hurt others. She wants a family, friends, and peace, and it is beautiful to watch her strive for her.

The themes. Sometimes you can't change a place, only you can change. Family isn't what your born into, but the people who will accept you no matter what you are. It is always right to try and save others. What is a monster? What is a man? Just to name a few that I personally pulled out of the story that I just adored the execution of. It's so good. And the trollis society embodies both good and bad, and you get to see the way it echoes into the themes and guh.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars.

Recommended for: Fans of romance who enjoy good worldbuilding, fans of Holes, fans of Gentle Giant men.

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

Okay, so Ford and Stan's dreamscapes probably change when they start sailing (or after they've been sailing a while). This is sort of a headcanon for how exactly I think they change.

(Should probably note: the wheat field and stuff definitely have symbolism, but I didn't look extensively into anything like that when I made this. I was more interested in stuff like the swings and broken shack and what that all means...stuff you can figure out without having to google anything.)

Anyway, the actual headcanon stuff:

Stan's dreamscape is originally shown to be the shack, all messed up and hanging partly over an abyss. It's greyscale and has a sort of tv-static thing going on. There's an 8 ball moon in the sky.

I like to think that the forest changes to be a dock or something. Instead of the broken shack, you've got the Stan O' War II. Definitely not pristine or anything, but also not falling apart at the seams. The Stan O' War II isn't in danger of falling into the abyss and being lost forever. It's something that can be used to traverse it probably.

It's still got a monochromatic, tv-static thing going on, but there's a slight sort of color filter over everything now. Blue, red, some other color? I'm not sure. Red is more stan's color, but (especially considering weirdmaggedon) it doesn't tend to be associated with good things. Maybe just a warm color in general.

The moon is now a sun. It's to match Ford, among other things. You'll see what I mean in a second.

Oh, also the swings are still there and they've been fixed up :)

Ford's dreamscape is a seemingly endless field of wheat. You've got a massive (emphasizing that its bigger than it is in reality because woah isn't that interesting) broken portal looming ominously in the distance, plus swings and the first Stan O' War. The atmosphere has dirt or smoke in it. You can tell because the sun in the background is tinted reddish orange.

(Bonus: the field also has an image of bill burned into it. Considering how dreamscapes work, it makes me wonder if that had any effect on Ford's actual mind.)

Anyway- all that grime in the air probably clears up at least a little bit. The sun looks pretty harsh in Ford's original dreamscape, so it probably isn't as horribly blistering as before, if it's even still there. Maybe the sky changes.

Breaking my rule here- a starry night sky can represent a revelation and be "an expression of pure joy". Of course, it wouldn't be "pure joy" in this case, but he's definitely a lot happier than he was before. The revelation could be that he has a family that maybe (definitely) cares about him and he's not alone anymore.

Tiny bits of wheat are starting to regrow where bill decided to just. Burn a wonky crop circle into it.

The wheat field is still there, but it's not endless like before. It's more of a really big forest clearing, with trees surrounding it (I also broke my rule for this one- forests represent endurance, resilience, and hope). You got some nice green in there now.

Portal's still there, it's probably never gonna leave. But it's not hovering terrifyingly in the background anymore, it's more broken down than before. Probably looks like those pictures of abandoned buildings and such being reclaimed by nature.

Swings are still there. The Stan O' War is replaced by the Stan O' War II.

Those are all my thoughts (I'll be honest. A lot more than I was expecting to write). If you also have thoughts, I'd love to hear them (not pressuring of course, don't do anything you don't wanna do. I just like discussion, and this seems like something that could be real fun to talk about).

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

"You gonna talk some more?"

Yeah, some addendums and such, re: Jennifer Lee steps down, Jared Bush takes over as WDAS Chief Creative Officer...

So, she is still at the studio, which tells me that there wasn't any major rift here. That she's still going to direct the next two FROZEN movies and maybe help out on other projects, seems like it was a smooth step-down. I still think having trouble as CCO, STRANGE WORLD and WISH flopping, and filmmakers leaving played a part, but it's not just on her...

Which is why I'm curious about Bush taking the reins. Does anything change? ZOOTOPIA 2, which releases after MOANA 2, is already deep in production and he's writing-directing that. I think we truly get a taste of what Bush's WDAS is with that yet-to-be-revealed original 2026 movie. Lee at least confirmed that for us at D23 last month, before the presentation quickly shifted to FROZEN III, which hits theaters after that. So that one's two years away, and anything can change on its story/character stuff between now and when it enters full production. But when those changes come, they'll be under Bush. If this film, whatever it's called and whatever it's about, isn't nearly completely redone 5 months from release (at the behest of whomever, be it Bush or those focus groups), then we'll know. I think. At least in that regard... And Bush was present for both her and Lasseter's ways of doing things, maybe he watched and learned the don'ts from both leaders' respective tenures...

I think it also has to be emphasized what Lee tried to do in her brief 6-year run... After finishing FROZEN II, the first movie she would truly oversee was RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON. And right before she heads into that one... COVID-19 happens, and is a national emergency by the first third of RAYA's intended release year - the hell year that was 2020. Meanwhile, the larger Disney company is fired up about their newly-launched Disney+ and tasks WDAS to make "content" (shudder) for the service. So, I gotta give it to Lee there, she did jump head-first into that while working on the big-time movies. While the majority of the stuff was based on previously-released movies, it was still cool! BAYMAX! was fun, and because it wasn't a big budget feature, they got some nice rep into that one (though not w/o the usual fuckfaces making noise about it), and I liked the format of ZOOTOPIA+. And hey, she was willing to partner up with a Nigerian upstart whose founders said they wanted to take Disney on... Savvy move on her part! IWAJU was an okay show to me, but it was neat to see a WDAS collaboration like that. Maybe it opens the door to more. And of course, MOANA 2 began life as a MOANA series, and TIANA's still happening in some way or another. That they chose THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, a movie that otherwise "disappointed" Disney bean counters back when it came out, to do a sequel series to all those years later... Again, gotta give it to Lee for that.

It's worth noting that WISH seems to be the only released film she greenlit, as development is traced back to 2018. Lasseter couldn't have okayed it that year, given the weird protracted way Disney Co. chose to slowly oust him. STRANGE WORLD, released fall 2022, was in development as far back as early 2017. That was after director Don Hall finished up his work as co-director on MOANA, working with his BIG HERO 6 partner Chris Williams underneath Ron & John. RAYA was conceived by Dean Wellins around 2015, who was supposed to direct it, until Lee removed him and replaced him with Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada (taking the latter off of an original project of his own). ENCANTO was on the boards as far back as 2016, after Byron Howard and Bush finished up on ZOOTOPIA... So that leaves not only WISH, but MOANA 2/The Series greenlit in 2020, ZOOTOPIA 2, and FROZENs 3 & 4. In late 2019, Lee said that directors Suzi Yoonessi, Carlos Lopez Estrada, Marc Smith, and Josie Trinidad were at work on original movies... Estrada left WDAS after RAYA came out, Smith's on the FROZEN sequels, it is not known if Suzi and Josie's movies ever made it past the announcement stage. (Suzi's Insta bio still says "Director Disney Animation", so it still seems to be a go?) All those years ago, no less...

If Bush greenlights something by the end of the year, I wouldn't expect that film to show up until 2028 at the earliest. So for now, Bush is working with Lee greenlights. Just like Lee did with what Lasseter left her... And funnily enough, about half of Lasseter's run is stuff leftover from the final Eisner years when David Stainton was in charge: A DAY WITH WILBUR ROBINSON, AMERICAN DOG, RAPUNZEL UNBRAIDED, JOE JUMP... You can probably guess what those all became, haha.

So for now, it's gonna be a bit of a long ride. MOANA 2, more than anything, will hold us over, no matter how it turns out. Maybe Lee approached this one differently from WISH and STRANGE WORLD, maybe not. Maybe those two in a row flopping - *especially* WISH given how STRANGE WORLD was straight up abandoned - gave her a real jolt and she went about this movie differently. It's also very possible that Lee was looking to exit some time ago, as some rumblings suggest, and that maybe Lee and Bush lead together and shared duties throughout the year before an official announcement. Who knows!

I myself haven't been blown away by a WDAS movie in a while, and I think the last one I found to be really good was MOANA, ENCANTO did come pretty close in parts, RAYA had its strengths too. I'd love to really love a movie from this studio again, and hey, maybe the return of Moana and pals will be just that? We'll see!

[ariainstars]

The Big List of Fanfic Clichés 😉

„Idiots in Love”

They dislike one another / are rivals / are friends but not aware of being in love. How do we bring these two together? 1 Jealousy. 2 One of them gets sick or hurt.

„Idiots in Love”, II

They’re roommates or childhood friends for at least a decade until it finally dawns on them that they love each other. They’re rivals for years or decades until they realize that they love each other. They’re neighbours / roommates for years… etc. They’re classmates / fellow students for years… etc.

„Idiots in Love”, III

They must be brought together by their friends because they’re too dumb to realize it or to make a move on their own. Added bonus: betting pools. Wolf whistles. Innuendos. (For the record, that’s not funny, just crude. Even worse considering that these are supposed to be „friends”.)

The Knowing Best Friend

They’ve done their utmost to hide their feelings, but there is always some friend or sibling who Just Saw Right Through Them. And won’t hold back making fun of their feelings. Nice friend, really.

The poor / rich person cliché

Poor person can hardly get by, rich person has so much luxury that poor person is dazzled, but 1 Rich person is terribly lonely and misunderstood 2 Poor person loves rich person because they have a heart of gold, not because of their money. The money doesn’t hurt, of course. Bonus if the fic keeps emphasizing how wonderful expensive stuff and rich life are.

Fifty Shades of Something

He’s rich and kinky, that’s all. (Or maybe he has some other terrible characteristics.) But she Loves Him, because She Sees Something in Him That Others Don’t. She’s not in it for the money of course. Neither is she incredibly naïve. It’s Love.

Anyone Straight Here?

The situation is desperate! Our gay heroes can’t be together because 1 society is against it 2 their families are against it 3 they are already married / engaged heterosexually

* sprinkling of fairy dust *

Lo and behold, villain is a closeted homosexual themselves. Or: the inconvenient girl comes out as lesbian.

Who would have thought.

Down With Rainbow Flags

They’re queer. Their siblings are queer. Their mates are queer. One or both or all of their parents are open or closeted queers. Their adopted children, when they grow up, are queer too. How likely.

There was only one bed / hotel room / dorm room

Bonus if one of them forgot their sleepshirt and needs to borrow it from the only other person in the room.

High School Sweethearts

That’s it. That’s the entire plot.

Global Coincidences

Love interests live 1 in the same city (for the record: a metropole) or 2 on the opposite sides of the globe and meet online, or one of them loves to read the other’s books, or they are pen pals, etc. And then - bang! - they meet. A 1 in a billion possibility but hey, It’s Fate.

The Coffee Shop AU

There must be millions of coffee shop fanfics. It doesn’t get better if it’s a bar or restaurant. (Or a laundromat.)

The Hot Dad Take, I

A child is introduced to the story who has absolutely no agenda of its own. Its only purpose is to bring the protagonists together by being cute. Would be acceptable if at least if they had characteristics of their own, instead of just being a commodity to drive the plot. (Most of them don’t.)

The Hot Dad Take, II

Child decides that dad needs a mate and goes for it. Never happens (or works) in real life. In fiction, always.

Fake It till You Make It

For Some Reason they have to pretend that they’re dating, or married, or their marriage is arranged. Everything turns out all right in the end.

Those? That?

Smut ensues, and every over sentence describes „those fingers”, „that cock”, „those lips” etc.

Nobody uses the word „those”. Ever. Except for smut scenes.

Friends With Benefits

One of them (or both) wants to explore their sexuality or a specific kink. 1 They leave it at that and it’s hot. 2 True Love ensues.

True Love Doesn’t Wait

Protagonist has copious amounts of casual sex in order to: - make their love interest jealous - „exercise” for when they will be with their love interest - „get their love interest out of their system” because they’re not reciprocated. At least, apparently not. (They just don’t know yet.)

But of course: their heart always belongs only to The One.

Praise Kink

They’re having sex. Like, hot sex. And one is calling the other a „good boy”. What is he, a dog?

Love Hurts

If you love someone: stalk them. Offend them. Humiliate them. Invade their personal space for no reason. Make them dependent on you. At worst, kidnap and or rape them.

For the record, it’s called „trauma bonding”. It doesn’t feel romantic or erotic.

It Smells of April and May

They meet at a wedding. Or they broke up and meet again at a wedding. No more plausible setting to (re)kindle feelings.

Quotations or references to Jane Austen

They’re so overused. I roll my eyes as soon as I stumble upon them. (Alternatively: Romeo and Juliet. Argh.)

Just Kiss Already

They’re sitting or standing underneath a mistletoe. What are they waiting for? Funny how branches of a parasite plant are supposed to mean good luck. Funnier how they are always conveniently at hand when They Just Have to Kiss Already.

This is Not Martyrdom, I’m a Victim!

Protagonist is convinced that „everyone they love leaves them or dies”. Yes, abandonment issues are real and they can be a bitch. But this trope has been around for as long as Rapunzel’s braid.

In real life: if someone says everybody leaves them, don’t take pity too quickly. There might be a reason for that. Just saying.

Forbidden Love

One of them is married. Engaged. In a relationship with the other’s best friend. Or both of them are. They’re on opposite sides of a war, of a business, a social class. They’re stepparent and stepchild. Adopted siblings. First cousins. One of them is underage. One of them is a priest or a nun. Even better, some of these elements are mixed together.

The more desperately they cling to one another, the more you can rest assured: Their Love is True.

They Hate Each Other; it Must Be Love

When two people constantly clash, it must be a proof of True Love. Or isn’t it?

For the record, sometimes people genuinely dislike each other. And if someone likes the other but instead of confessing it is constantly rude to them in order to „win their attention”, it’s not a proof of love, only of immaturity.

Parlor Games

Truth or Dare. Spin the Bottle. Never Have I Ever. You name it. Nothing better to win the heart of your One True Love than by embarrassing the s*** out of them in front of everyone they know and care about.

Bonus if they make fun of someone’s love life. In public.

People Will Say We’re in Love

Someone starts a rumour that A and B are a couple. Of course they aren’t. Until they are. Someone just had to give them a hint.

Anything But Love

They’ve been through everything together. Everything. Known one another for years. Lived together, worked together, travelled together. Talked about the most difficult topics. Been there for one another for better or worse. Had sex countless times and explored all kind of crazy kinks. But the moment one of them - or both - realize that this could actually be Love, they go into panic modus.

(Not So) Blind Date

They go on a blind date. The person they meet is The One they’ve lusted after desperately, never daring to do anything about it, for the last months. In a metropole with millions of inhabitants.

Let Me Entertain You

They live together. Understand and love one another. Have been through thick and thin. Been in a romantic relationship for some time. One of them has to spend a huge amount of money to wine and dine the other, otherwise they might not realize that This Is Love. (In particular, if they can’t afford it.)

Why Do We Keep Meeting

They’re in a big city, but they keep running across each other. Their bags / suitcases / parcels get mixed up because they collide against one another.

Days later, they meet at a supermarket. A restaurant. A beach. A kindergarten. A subway. At a party because they have friends in common which they didn’t know yet. Or they find out that they happen to work for the same company.

There is no escape. It’s not far-fetched, it’s Fate.

Drunk Confessions

Nothing more appealing than someone confessing their love ranting, stumbling and vomiting all over the other’s shirt.

Let Me Be Your Valentine

For Valentine’s Day, protagonist urgently needs a date - either because they feel lonely, or because they promised a friend / sibling / parent that they would bring a partner to a date, or because they lied about their dating life. No worries, they will find someone who takes pity on them in time. It’s also The One.

The Holiday Hookup

They live on opposite ends of the planet and meet at a vacation site. They start an affair, but of course it’s not only for the holiday. This time, it’s Love.

They’re So Hot

Sometimes called PWP, but happens in other fics as well.

They’re hot and they’re having hot sex. That’s all. We hardly get to know their characteristics, quirks, life situations. There hardly is a conflict, a problem.

No matter how hot the sex scenes are: such fics are boring as hell.

Love and War

They have an enemy in common. They must fight him. They fall in love on the way.

Makes you wonder what they’re going to do with their lives once the enemy is defeated.

Irresistible and I Know it

A meets B and is struck by their good looks like they have never seen a good-looking person in their lives. They can hardly utter a word from embarrassment and keep staring instead of doing something useful for the next 10 chapters or so. Bonus if B keeps showing up shoving their muscles, curves, dimples or whatever into their face, preferably in tight, sweaty clothes.

I’ve read to many fanfics. Sue me. 😊

Feel free to reblog and add.

[hearts4leeknow]

cake || hyunjin x reader

Warnings: female reader, lovey-dovey, 1 use of ‘y/n’

Genre: fluff fluff and more fluff!

word count: 687

A/N: I made this after seungmins birthday but pretended it’s his birthday!

“Hyunjin!” I yelled playfully, giggling, “what!” Hyunjin looked at me with a smirk.

“You got flour all over me!” I whined, frowning, looking at my floured covered hoodie and sweatpants.

“Oh, c’mon you can’t just blame me! Whatever…go get one of my hoodies and sweatpants from upstairs and i’ll clean this mess we made so we can finish seungminnies cake in time for his birthday party.” My black haired boyfriend says emphasizing the ‘we made’ since I did start it.

“Deal! Don’t do anything other than cleaning without me, because I know for a fact you can’t bake.” I smiled, giving him a light peck on the cheek before running upstairs to change.

“Yes, baby…I know.” He sighed.

——

I sighed giving a small smile to her before she ran upstairs, god I love her. I walked to the kitchen counter grabbing a wet cloth to wipe the countertop with. I hummed to the music playing in the background, smiling as I remembered all the cute memories me and Y/n have together. I washed some dishes when she came back downstairs in my deep green hoodie with grey sweatpants that were also mine.

“Darling…you’re back, finally it felt like eternity!” I whined and pouted, “Hyune, I was gone for 5 minutes…” she mumbled, patting my head.

“It felt like 5 years, baby” I kissed her forehead, “ Let’s get back to work, yeah?” I asked, looking down at her wide smile.

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, excitedly grabbing ingredients for the cake.

——

I tapped my foot to the beat of the music while Hyunjin was mixing some stuff, “Hyue, where’s the icing?” I questioned tapping him on the shoulder, “Here!” he turned around, booping my nose with icing.

“Awe you have a cute white nose now!” He smiled, kissing my whole face, but my nose.

“Hyuneee, we gotta finish this cake, stop playing around!” I frowned, pouting at his playfulness at this hour.

“Muse, I know I just wanna have fun with you too!” Hyunjin smiled giving me a tight hug, it felt nice, it felt like home, it felt like you were truly loved.

He let go and said; “We’re almost done, babe, just some more decorations on the cake!” He gave a warm smile while pushing his long black hair behind his ears.

“I’ll do the rest while you get ready for the party first.” I smiled back, “You’ve amazing help, baby.” I kissed him on the lips, patting his head ushering for hm. to get ready.

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit, I love you!” Hyunjin waved and ran upstairs to go get ready.

“I love you too!” I smiled and waved back, then turned my attention to the 90% finished cake. I added some flowers and more icing decorations making it look more presentable and professional. I stepped over to the sink to wash my hands before putting the cake into its designated box. I turned the water off as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “Hyune, you look so handsome…” I stared at him for a moment before walking up to him to fix his hair a little.

“Thank you, baby.” Hyunjin smiled, he was wearing a simple button up with a fancy jacket and pants, his hair was half up and half down exposing his jawline.

“Here, i’ll put the cake in the box, you go get ready.” He nudged me towards the stairs, “okay!” I responded, slowly walking up the stairs.

——

I came running down the stairs almost tripping on my own feet, “woah.” was the first thing to come out of his mouth when he saw me.

“Well? what do you think?” I asked looking down shyly, “amazing! gosh you look lovely, you’re so pretty…i’m almost speechless…” Hyunjin rambled with his jaw dropped in shock. I wore a deep red silky dress that went down to my lower thighs, not quite at my knees. hair completely down and curled at the ends, a jelly lipstick with lipgloss on my lips making them pop.

~ FIN ~

[theunwellkingdom]

Design Deep-Dive #9: Sagas Week Finale

Sagas might be my favorite card type in all of Magic: the Gathering. They offer some of the most direct blends of narrative storytelling and gameplay mechanics, right down to their unique presentation.

While other card types can represent characters, places, and moments from a fantasy world, sagas depict stories told by people WITHIN that world, through a lens of in-world art (with an unusual vertical aspect ratio!). It's a tricky extra design restriction, but extremely satisfying when pulled off correctly. And when the visual thirds of the art literally line up with the text effects? That's the good stuff, right there.

This week's earlier posts gave a glimpse into the lore on display in each of The Unwell Kingdom's sagas, but now let's take a closer look at the design work that went into each of them...

From the start, I decided to make a cycle of 2-color sagas so they could show up in a wide variety of decks, though I didn't have a strong need for them to be any specific color pairs. You can see this choice in the banded ribbon of the custom saga frame I drew. Since the goal of these cards was to showcase cool stories from our campaign -- specifically, the sorts of stories that characters themselves might tell -- I knew it would be best in this case to let form follow function with top-down designs. Luckily for me, they slotted together quite nicely, with a bonus mono-white addition that popped up along the way!

☀️💀 - The Fall of the Fell King

The most front-loaded of all the sagas, with its tale's climax right at the start! We see the Fell King beheaded through the sanitized lens of a puppet show, perhaps the version of Crestfall history told to children by traveling bard caravans. I also wanted the art to emphasize stark light and shadows, to reinforce the color identity.

Mechanically, this is reflected by a spell with an immediate payoff in the form of targeted creature destruction. Compared to other sagas, this one almost feels like a removal spell with a fun bonus after the fact. That said, becoming the monarch provides some much-needed card draw in a limited format. The card positions you well to keep it, then rewards you by healing the kingdom (your life total) and forcing your new subjects to bow before you unless they can take the crown first!

☀️💧 - Leviathan Tournament

The tale of the Leviathan Tournament felt like a natural mechanical fit for some good old Blue/White control. It's a powerful mass bounce spell, especially for a common, so unlike the Fall of the Fell King, this one at least gives opponents a turn of warning! Narratively, this one feels extremely on the nose in the best way -- First, the Leviathan searches far and wide for competitors (Scry), then the crowds are narrowed down to single champions (Bounce), and finally a king is crowned (You become the monarch)!

Eldoris itself proved to be a perfect visual fit here, as the glittering foil seaside kingdom to the sullen cliffs of Crestfall, and with its iconic colors of white, blue, and gold. I decided on a bright, tile mosaic to express this, though it could just as well be read as stained glass.

💀🔥 - Birth of a Dragon

Black in this set is home to a Dragon sub-theme, including the Hoard mechanic. Each color has its own version of a dragon payoff card (more on those in a later Deep-Dive), and this is Red's. While other hoard effects tend to steal cards from opponents and graveyards, Birth of a Dragon treats the mechanic more like Red impulse-draw, exiling cards from the top of your library but making you wait to play them. Once the final step creates a Dragon token, you can start playing those hoarded cards... including other cards that may have been hoarded prior! The Treasure tokens are equally flexible, letting you dip into an opponent's colors to potentially cast their cards.

Visually, I decided to depict this myth through a woodcarving, as a nod to the Whittler being the only character in our campaign to know this secretive bit of lore.

🌳💧 - Giants' Day Festival

The art for the Giant's Day Festival is essentially "Wizard Burning Man", with huge figures and a trippy light show out in the desert. The color identity for this one was obvious. The story of two giants representing the land and the sea, down to visual motifs of a giant tree and falling water? Stop me if you've heard this one before...

It's Blue/Green, so you already know it's time to ramp some mana, but fortunately, there's a bit more nuance here. Mill 5 is pretty significant, especially to do to yourself. On a surface level, that step is just making sure you have a land to bring back the next turn, but Blue in this set has a solid Mill package and can find ways to make use of cards in graveyard. Meanwhile, Green has a couple of rares that actually get stronger as your own deck thins out. And lastly, the saga's final step, Lyros's flood of tears, provides a powerful burst turn of mana reminiscent of High Tide. This gives the player a few turns to set up mana sinks and find X spells, while opponents also prep for the oncoming flood.

🔥🌳 - The Ballad of Nasty Pete

It takes efficient mechanical storytelling to sum up an adopted goblin's life in three steps! Fight, family, prosperity. These are the three pillars at the core of Nasty Pete. This was the first saga I designed for the set, and its simplicity fits the ethos of the goblins of Contraption (and from a Magic standpoint, Red/Green in general). They know exactly what they want, and they'll go get it.

This simplicity extends to the crude paintings scrawled onto Contraption's metal walls, though there's a distinct, almost childlike playfulness to them too. They land somewhere between ancient cave murals and a kindergartner playing with finger paints.

☀️ - The Queensguard Oath

This was a late addition to the sagas cycle, and sticks out like a sore thumb. Where the other sagas are all 3-4 mana value grinders, The Queensguard Oath is a speedy 2-mana tempo play that feels right at home in board-flooding aggro deck! Even from a narrative standpoint, it feels a bit flimsy, evoking a sort of illuminated manuscript recruitment poster.

While I wanted all colors to be represented in these sagas, I knew White would have a unique interest in running as many as possible, with its heavy "enchantments-matter" synergies (including an aura that can search your library directly for a Saga card and cheat it into play!)... By giving white a higher density of playable sagas, this card manages to support both slower enchantment decks and quick aggro!

[the-technicolor-whiscash]

Damn the hype was accurate The Martian was real good

Overall I think it was fun, I think the fact he does the like video calls is a great way to make up for the fact he doesn't have anyone around to talk to so you can maintain dialogue without having it feel forced. It's a creative way to get around the fact he's up there totally alone.

I think it was a well-made movie, the lighting was good and the pacing was solid, they could have done more to kind of drag out the fact he was there alone in the vastness of space and emphasize the loneliness and mental impact but I understand why they didn't. Some of the cgi isn't the world's best like you can tell they filmed the zero gravity by just like probably havin em lay on a skateboard or smth and roll around cause it defo looks Wrong compared to Apollo 13 which filmed a lot of stuff in the reduced gravity vomit comet and while I understand why they did not do that because it's a bitch and a half to film and as the name implies often makes people motion sick, it does look way worse using cg.

I would have liked a little more scientific detail and again I understand why they didn't. But as a scientist. I personally want more. Give me jargon baby I can handle it.

I did really like how they referenced real NASA stuff and how he used Pathfinder and little Sojourner! Lovely little Sojourner, the first of a new breed of space travelers. It really was that little. See here on the Martian surface, in a photo taken from the real Pathfinder:

Sojourner is akin to a child to me and I would die for it. It's an honorary member of the Geologic Society of America. Anyway that has nothing to do with the movie itself I just love seeing Sojourner. The fact that it was the first of its kind and Mark was the first of his own kind, the first to grow plants on another planet, the first to do a lot of shit on Mars, I think that's a nice little sort of symbolism. The choice of going with Sojourner and not a more recognizable rover because it was the first I think is a good creative decision.

Oh I also think the first part of the credits was done in a good way one that hearkens back to older films with the fact they had the actor's name over a shot of the character and having it be like a "where are they now" segment was creative it worked the epilogue into the credits and I like that. Makes the credits more engaging and also helps you remember who the fuck everyone was.

The soundtrack slaps I love me some creative use of disco-esque tracks. You can hit me with that Donna Summer anytime and I will enjoy every second of it.

It was simply a good movie. I'm gonna read the book at some point once I'm done muscling my way through everything else I'm reading rn. Probably a 9/10, mostly bc again that CG was just not it and also there were a few imdb goofs level mistakes like a backpack disappearing between shots and what have you but like it's a long movie you make allowances. I love you Sojourner I love you Pathfinder.

[comingyourlugubriousness]

1, 3, 10 (which one suits them apart from Ignyhide?) & 12, if you haven't done them already? c:

Do you have a song that represents your OC, if so why?

Answered here! ^-^ Tell us about a complicated relationship your OC has with another character? To me all of Yume's relationships are complex in some way. But it is complicated with Jamil.

After the events of chapter 4 they did sympathize with him, but didn't forgive him for his actions or what he did to Kalim. They also feel like he is more protective of Kalim around them, especially after knowing about Yume's crush. Even after they get over it and start dating Idia Jamil is still skeptical. It feels like there is an unspoken conflict between them, a wall of sorts that just prevents either of them from breaching polite acquaintance-level conversation. Which is very weird because Yume has essentially seen him at his lowest point and knows intimate details of his life. They can see right through him most of the time.

So it's strange to just....not address it.

I think Yume and Jamil feel more like... co-workers that try not to dig too deep into each other's business by being polite but also they KNOW all of the other person's business. It's really confusing. And Kalim just makes it messier because Yume isn't gonna stop hanging around with Kalim just bc they had a crush a while ago, he's still a great friend! Plus I feel like Yume will do stuff for Kalim just to be a nice friend but Jamil will feel weirdly threatened about it. (Kind of like how in Chapter 3 The twins and Azul were so overly nice that Jamil didn't have anything to do.) I feel once Jamil stops being so emotionally constipated and Yume stops feeling awkward they have the potential to have a decent relationship... and when they do work together they do it very well. They both are people who don't like to get in the way of others and prefer to do things behind the scenes. Their relationship just needs effort but someone got to bend first and well...they both don't know how to do it? What dorm would your OC be sorted into besides their current one?

Scarabia!

The dorm emphasizes the importance of careful deliberation and planning, and its students tend to consider their options before making major decisions

Yume in general is the type of person who likes to consider all possibilities and outcomes before deciding to do something. In a way it's almost a negative character trait because they can become indecisive. However, when they find the right balance, for example when leading their friends in battle, they really embody the idea. They want make the correct decisions that will lead to the best future for them and the people they care for. What is your OC’s favorite event(s), what was their role?

Mmm that's tough. Favorite event being the one I think Yume had the most fun doing, is Bean day! They went into it not really thinking they wouldn't have fun, but after teaming up with Jade and Cater on Team farmer they had a blast! Plotting and planning to take down the other team was something Yume was really good at. (They were really surprised to have so much fun with Jade, as they both gave it their all to really defeat Azul together!) In the end even though they lost they had fun playing and planning with their friends, and became closer to Jade and Cater. (Two people they really didn't know much beforehand).

[depresseddepot]

i've been trying to decide for days what kind of fake website to make to practice html and css but it would be such a good idea to make my CHARACTER SHEETS IN STRAIGHT UP HTML

[harrysweasleys]

a little more touch my body // b.b

summary: babie!!! hi!! may i please request a fic based on into you by ariana grande pls? i'll leave the rest up to you, please surprise me (you can also choose if you want to write it for sam, steve, or bucky) thank you so much !!! <3

warnings: lil bit of sexy times, fatws spoilers if you haven’t watched, mentions of alcohol (beer), language 

word count: 2.7k

a/n: i chose to write this for bucky!! hope you all enjoy!

“Well, don’t you two look like a sight for sore eyes?” 

You huffed out a laugh at your own comment as you stepped down onto the boat, making sure to grip the ledge behind you to avoid losing your balance as the structure bobbed against the tides. 

Sam and Bucky sat looking exhausted, each with a beer in their hand, faces slick with sweat and grease. You could nearly smell them from here. 

“Where were you all afternoon? Said you’d help,” Bucky raised an eyebrow as he looked you up and down, beer bottle against his lips as he took another sip. As if he knew what he was doing, he leaned his arm back behind him, muscles and tanned skin glistening under the late afternoon sunlight. You peeled your eyes away from the sight just in time to catch the end of his question.

You placed your hands on your hips, giving him a grin, “Sorry to ditch, I was in town with Sarah picking up some stuff. But clearly, I’m devastated that I couldn’t be here to get all gross with you guys.”

Part of you was rather bummed you missed the action. You’d have loved nothing more than to be working alongside Bucky, both of you working up a sweat and sneaking in little touches here and there while Sam looked the opposite way. Little touches that would never really amount to more, but were fun in the moment. 

You couldn’t count how many weeks — no, scratch that — months, that you and Bucky had been building up this tension. The winks across the room, the lingering touches when you walked by one another, the inappropriate innuendos and jokes when no one was around. Except that one time that you thought no one was around and ended up subjecting poor Sam to your crude jokes over your earpiece. 

It was torture, but the best kind. Bucky knew exactly how to wind you up, and vice versa. Did you ever think this would amount to more? Probably not. You had overheard countless conversations between Buck and Steve about how he wasn’t ready to take a step towards intimacy just yet. Not so soon after regaining his mind and coming back from five years out of extinction, to be more specific. 

You couldn’t blame him, though. And you weren’t going to push for more. Not if it made him uncomfortable. No, for now, you were having a blast bubbling up the sexual tension. 

“I see that,” Sam motioned his bottle in your direction, “This is an act of betrayal, I hope you know.” 

You rolled your eyes, sitting down between the two. The wooden surface was boiling under your legs, so you lifted your knees to keep your skin from burning. 

“Oh, drama queen,” you grumbled, reaching your hand towards the cooler. You hadn’t done much physical work today, but the weather was still impossibly hot and a nice cool drink would help for sure. 

As soon as you lifted the cooler lid, it came slamming down. 

“Buck, what the hell—,” you turned your gaze to the super soldier, a small smirk on his lips. 

“Cool drinks are for the workers, sorry,” he was clearly fighting a shit-eating grin, much to your annoyance. His hand was gripped tightly around the cooler lid, thumb brushing against your own skin. 

“You two are going to drink all six?” you scoffed, tilting your head to the side as if challenging him. 

He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head, pulling his hand away from yours and taking another sip of his beer as if emphasizing his point before speaking, “I think you forget how high my tolerance is.” 

“Ah, of course,” you nodded slowly, “How could I forget? Silly me.”

Bucky shot you a wink, leaning back against the edge of the boat. The angle of the sun was hitting him perfectly and you wondered if the heavens above were testing you. The dark blue of his shirt accented his eyes, shining brightly as they looked you over. His dark hair had a few natural highlights — probably thanks to spending nearly a week here under the Louisiana sunshine. 

He was so distracting you nearly forgot Sam was behind you until Sarah called his name. 

“Sam, can you help me out for a second?” her voice was distant over the sound of the water hitting the boat and your own heart beating a million miles an hour. 

He stood up with a grunt, following after her. And leaving you and Bucky alone. 

“Just a sip?” you asked, eyes darting back to the cooler before meeting his again, “I’ll take one little sip and then you can have the rest of the bottle.” A fake pout made its way to your lips and you had to fight a smirk at the way his eyes darted down to watch before snapping back up to yours. 

“Nope,” he popped the p, giving you another wink. As he brought the bottle back up to his lips, you scooted closer to him, reaching your hand out and taking it out of his grasp before it could reach his lips. 

“What—,”

Before he could finish his sentence, you brought the bottle to your lips, giving him a wink before taking a rather large sip. The taste wasn’t great — it was the cheap beer that you guys had picked up yesterday at the corner store — but you were just trying to rile him up. You hadn’t really wanted the drink that badly.

Bucky’s eyes were practically glued to you. You could swear he didn’t even blink as you maintained eye contact, handing him the bottle back with a small wink. 

His tongue slid out to wet his lips, suddenly fidgety under the sun. You internally pat yourself on the back, but you didn’t show it. Instead, you maintained a steady staring contest with Buck, not sure who was going to crack first. 

God, your heart was beating so fast. Your skin was so warm. You could feel the back of your neck begin to sweat and you could swear that your hands were just as clammy. How did you ever get anything done around this man before? 

“I feel like I’m interrupting,” Sam — curse him and his horrible timing — stepped back onto the boat, causing it to sway a bit under his steps. 

“What? — It’s — we’re fine,” Bucky stuttered with a hoarse voice, clearing his throat as if you hadn’t noticed. Once again, an internal pat on the back. 

“Yeah, okay,” Sam chuckled, “Whatever you guys say. Just keep it PG around my nephews.”

You should be embarrassed by Sam’s jabs, but you couldn’t really bring yourself to feel that way. Instead, you were only focused on how close Bucky was to you. You could smell him — he didn’t smell too great right now, to be honest — but that wasn’t the point. Publicly, you guys never really sat or stayed close to each other. It was more professional if you guys didn’t show whatever was happening between the two of you, really. 

But now, relaxed and away from danger, you were both letting your guard down. Sam was sitting across from you, poking fun, but neither of you scooted away from the other like you usually would. It was nice, you thought. This little sense of normalcy. Feeling like you were just two adults insanely attracted to each other instead of two busy Avengers on a break. 

You brought yourself back to the moment as you stood up, giving them both a little smile, “I’ll give you guys some guy time, I’ll go help Sarah with dinner.”

Sam gave you a little wave, Bucky keeping his mouth shut as you made your way off the boat, holding onto the little railing as you made your way back onto land. You pulled your shirt down, covering the little bit of your stomach that had been exposed while scooting closer to Bucky. 

Shaking your head and trying to un-rile yourself, you made your way over to the Wilson household, a small skip in your step as you did so. 

The lasagna and garlic bread that you and Sarah collaborated on went down quick — unsurprisingly, since Sarah had more tips and tricks in the kitchen than you could possibly hope to count — and before you knew it, you were bidding everyone goodnight. 

Your pull out couch in the basement was calling your name and normally you couldn’t wait to get under the covers and snooze right off. Except tonight, as soon as you got under the covers, you felt wide awake. 

Bucky was in the other room, a small door separating the both of you. You didn’t usually talk after everyone had gone to bed, not wanting to wake anyone up or prevent either of you from getting the proper sleep, but tonight you couldn’t help it. You were practically itching to go over and see him, and you doubted you’d get any sleep if you didn’t. It was like a magnet was pulling the two of you together and the harder you pulled away, the stronger the tug was.

You slipped on a pair of socks after getting out of the bed, the fresh air of the basement hitting your body like a gentle embrace. It had been stupidly warm under the blankets just moments before, so the coolness was very much welcome against your skin.

Your footsteps were muffled by the carpeted floor as you made your way to the door separating you both, knuckles gently knocking against the wood before you could take a second to think about what you were doing. If Bucky was asleep, you’d just be waking him up, and that wouldn’t be very nice, would it? However, if he was awake, what would you even say? 

“Yeah?”

Bucky’s voice was soft on the other side of the door, and the creaking hinges broke the beautiful peace as you opened it up, eyes struggling to see in the dark. A small lamp was lit on Bucky’s bedside table, his own blankets tossed off the bed as he sat on the edge. He wore a pair of Sam’s pyjama pants — which you had teased him about a couple of times now — but he wasn’t wearing a shirt. That fact alone was enough to get you to stumble on your own two feet.

“Were you sleeping?” you asked, trying to keep your voice as quiet as possible. You remembered Sarah mentioning the basement ceiling wasn’t properly insulated and voices very easily carried throughout the house.

“No,” he replied, eyes meeting yours in the comfortable darkness of the room. You suddenly felt awfully nervous under his gaze, picking at your fingernails as you leaned against the doorframe.

“Okay, that’s good,” you nodded awkwardly, mind still completely blank on whatever it was that you wanted to say. Bucky didn’t seem to mind the awkward silence, though, his eyes scanning over your body slowly just to make sure you were alright.

“I don’t really know why I’m here,” you admitted, finally picking your gaze up off the floor to look at him. His lips curved up into a small smirk and he patted the spot next to him on the bed. Trudging over slowly, you could feel the temperature in the room rise up by what felt like a thousand degrees before you finally sat next to him. He smelled better this time — thanks to the shower that you were so tempted to hop in on — and you could feel the comfortable warmth of his skin next to you as the mattress dipped under your weight.

“That’s okay,” he replied after a good long moment, “You don’t have to have a reason.”

You sat facing him, close enough that you could see the steady rise and fall of his chest, his skin holding a warm glow in the cozy atmosphere of the room. He was so painfully beautiful that you didn’t think words could capture the image. 

Feeling awfully brave, you slid one of your hands over to his, your warm fingers sliding against the coolness of his vibranium ones. You knew he couldn’t feel your touch, but he shivered anyway, causing you to slide your hand a little closer to his actual skin. His hand reached quickly across and grabbed yours, intertwining your fingers together. Your head fell against his shoulder, resting your forehead against the spot where skin met metal. Without thinking, you lifted your head and pressed a kiss against the same spot, immediately regretting it when you felt his entire body tense up.

“Sorry — I don’t know what I was thinking,” you stuttered, pulling away. 

Before you could get too far, you felt both of Bucky’s hands slide around your waist, tugging you onto his lap in an effortless motion. Your thighs landed on either side of him — practically straddling him — and your chest was nearly flushed against his. His forehead fell against yours and you swore you could hear his thoughts. The internal battle he was having with himself on how far he was willing to take this.

You brought one of your hands up to his hair, raking your fingernails against the sensitive skin at the base of his neck and watched his shoulders sag as he let out a sigh. How you two could go from being ready to rip each other’s clothes off on the boat to this, being intimate and close without having done anything yet, you’d never understand.

His hands slid under your pyjama top, gripping your waist in a way to let you know he wasn’t planning on letting go. And you were more than okay with that.

“Buck,” you whispered, the words hanging in the air before he pulled his forehead away from yours and met your lips with his. His kiss was hot — heavy, and you could feel just how much he had been holding back. He gripped you tight, making sure you felt exactly how badly he wanted this. And you felt the same, hands on either side of his face as you pressed your lips and body against his. 

You guys went from having an intimate, gentle touching moment, to having a battle of teeth and tongues within thirty seconds. He let out a low groan as you tried to get closer to him, rocking your hips against his. You hadn’t totally done it on purpose, your goal mostly just to be as close to him as possible, but you weren’t regretting the action one bit. 

His hands slid further up your shirt until it was tugged off of your body, breaking the feverish kiss for one quick moment before reconnecting at full force. Your mind was blank, numb, but your belly was erupting with every butterfly in existence as he slid his hands around your exposed torso. You didn’t even register the coolness of the metal — too focused on how hot you felt at the moment. He was grabbing at every bit of you that he possibly could, and you were doing the same to him.

For someone who probably didn’t do much self care, his skin was beautifully soft under your touch, hands sliding smoothly down his back and chest as you continued to kiss the life out of each other. It was intoxicating and you swore you’d be addicted to him after tonight.

He somehow managed to flip the both of you over so that he was hovering on top of you, using his forearms to hold himself up as his lips trailed sloppy kisses down your jawline, your neck, to your collarbones. Everything he did just felt so good, so right, that you could hardly remember where you even were at the moment.

Your eyes fluttered shut as he continued down on his path, leaving kisses in every possible spot that was available.

There was no way in hell you were returning to your own bed tonight.