#gonna combine previous text post on here..

[snalsupremacy]

Why this is my favorite panel in hgsn

Hgsn has some incredible art and page composition, but out of the entire manga so far, to me this is the best panel of them all. Hell, this might be my favorite panel of any manga ever. (Note: Due to respecting the scanlator's wishes, I blanked out the dialogue and replaced all necessary dialogue with the official English source)

1- Build-up

Before I get to the panel itself, lets first talk about the pages before: For context, this is in chapter 2. Yoshiki has just found out about "Hikaru", and its trying to adjust to this new reality. As they walk from school to Yoshiki's house, Yoshiki asks him if he killed Hikaru. This is how the previous two pages look like:

Notice how the half shading effect is done in hatch marks. This is the first sign the all-black shading is a stylistic choice used to convey something.

Look at the balance the two pages form when you put them together: half white, half black, half black, half white. They compliment each other, both in color balance and in panel shape.

We have to turn the page to hear Hikaru's answer to Yoshiki's question. This gives the control of the narrative back to the viewer. This creates tension and build-up to it, it is a common tactic famously employed by Junji Ito in his famous "page-turner" moments where the viewer has to turn the page to see the monster. Except in this instance we are not revealing monsters, or are we?

2- The page

I'm not gonna get into too much detail on the page itself, I just want to point out the juxtaposition between the page composition of this page and the previous two. The last two were balanced and had all the panels closed while this one is much more liberal, bringing a feeling of unbalance, like something just shifted. I'd say the black and white balance is still there, with the Hikaru on white and Yoshiki on black panel side by side and all, which actually brings me to my next point:

3- Black and White

Honestly this could be an entire analysis post of itself, where do I even start?! Let's go from the very beginning. This is the very first time we learn of "Hikaru" :

Notice how the panel is colored black. In fact, throughout the story, we see black panels being spoken by "Hikaru", usually right before he does something unnatural:

And here are the only two instances we see of the Brain-snatcher's true form:

• He's literally a black blob, just like the text bubbles! And now combine that with Hikaru's white hair, and the fact his name means to be bright, and what's the brightest color but white, and there is a clear color symbolism going on:

Hikaru=White

"Hikaru"=Black

4-The Panel

And now we're back to the original panel! Taking all the other points in mind, we can analyze the panel itself

First, his expression. My G-d, his expression! His raised eyebrows and his squinted eyes, making his pupils way larger, make the expression seem almost childish and pitiful. But the half black-out face turns this pity look to an ominous one. Not being able to see the face or having your face obstructed is easy path into the uncanny valley, which I think is the case for this scene. Immediately 180 from "aww the poor guy" to "what is he hiding?"

The white panel says "I like you" while the black panel says "I'm crazy for you". HOWEVER, The white bubble is by the black side of his face and the black bubble is by the white side of his face. So which Hikaru is saying that? Is "Hikaru" crazy for Yoshiki, while Hikaru just liked him, or the other way around? Did the original Hikaru ever love Yoshiki, or is that the monster's feelings? Well we don't know! That's the premise of the whole manga! In one panel!

And that's why it's my favorite :)

[orlamccools]

vent post under the cut- if youve got advice id love to hear it

so. ive been talking to this guy for a long ass while, you can scroll thru the last tag on this post to see what its all about, but long story short is this: i asked him out two saturdays agoto my friends going away party (which was held this past friday). hes met this friend once before, and we planned to meet at her place and then maybe go out to the bars after

entire week he is super into it, texts me more often than normal, creates a spotify blend for the two of us (w that feature that lets you combine your tastes into a single playlist) like im getting VIBES. and he asks abt our plans!!!! we make a solid schedule!!!

night of the party he texts me at 8:45 checking in to see if its all happening and i say yeah. i get home from work, change, then get to my friends house and text him that im here. he doesnt respond for an hour and finally says something abt how he has to charge his phone before coming out. im like ok man whatever i just want to hang so do what you gotta do. another half hour passes and then he hits me with the "hey idk if im gonna make it out". im disappointed by this, so i respond with like a "damn that kinda sucks :/" message. at this point i expect him to stop messaging me, but then he texts me quite literally for the rest of the night. like he literally doesnt stop until i text him that im walking home.

saturday i see him in person for a short period when he does the close out but another driver fucking also comes to sweep the store and just. will not stop talking to the dude in question. he like tries to get away twice but between customers and this other guy we dont talk like at all. after the other driver leaves and the store is closed he comes back in to use the bathroom and like stands by the door for a moment so i like look over but all he does is smile and wave then leave.

SATURDAY NIGHT. he texts me at like 8 responding to a text i had sent the previous night asking if im going out again tonight. i said yeah (bc a separate friend had a party) and he was like bet lemme know where youre at i might stop by and see you. i send him the address of the restaurant and proceed to hang w my friends until midnight. hes again texting me all night abt getting ready to head out but when we finally leave he hits me with the "finally leaving now where should i meet you". at this point i am exhausted, as ive just finished my first week of classes, had drunk heavily over the past 48 hours, and had worked a 13 hr workday that day. i text him and say im like too tired im going home and hes like damn :////

yesterday night. i do an eras movie night w my friends and i send a picture of the opening sequence to the ppl i have snapchat streaks with. he snaps me the rest of the night and is like "ohhhh you should have invited me" and stuff like that and its like. i didnt invite you for a multitude of reasons but like you ditched plans once this weekend and kept pushing back the other time i tried to invite you out, so why do you think i would ask you a third time???????

and now im just confused bc like. he seemed sooooooooo into it all week and then as soon as it was time for things to happen he just didnt show and kept stringing me along. im also lowkey pissed bc i wanted to hang with him and i was SO anxious abt asking him out (like i literally threw up twice friday morning bc i was so anxious abt how the day was gonna go). im just frustrated and like i had thought he had gotten the vibe that i was into him romantically bc it sure as shit seemed like he was reciprocating, and now im not even sure what to do anymore.

[krii-bolts]

✨OH.✨

OH OKAY

NEW TEASER. HOLY HELL- Im gonna have to scavenge around the other episodes and compile posts together due to this teaser, HUH.

Aaaa scew it, Quick Observation post / Murder Drone Theory rant time LETS GO-

Big open Hallway from an Elevator, with it being all Old Hotel looking vibe. Very much "The Shining" type beat

Considering Ep 4 and how the Golden Roach mentioned a "Cabin Fever Labs" and corresponding elevator, along with Ep 5's TBC.................... y e a h.

Main Hall AND OH DEAR.

Nanite Tails, Disassembly Drone legs and.. a glitching screen? Too zoomed out + Blurry to see the words it flashes in between Glitches, but its symbol is a simple "Triangle Alert" kind

Like so vvvvvvv

uh.

UH

Yeah We're getting all the JC Jenson stuff now. More Nanite Tails and Accompanying bodies

It might just me being me but... it looks like the bodies are partially submerged in oil. That or Neatly sliced in half

Text reads "Don't Look" with Don't being repeated next to it

DON'T LOOK WHERE??????? (also matches Video title lol)

Typical office. Nothing unusual at first glance, might have some lore significance ON that computer though, who knows-

. . .

First off.

Baby Giggling is heard during the Transition from the Computer to THIS SCREENSHOT.

That combined with the Blue Loading Symbols / Wheel of Slowness or Death and that previous teaser of a BLUE ABS SYMBOL...

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmm...

ALSO-

Dress and Hair. HM. That and this screenshot is in a Office Setting.

We're getting lore drops on Nori and Yeva, huh.

DINOSAUR? IN THE SERVER ROOMS (or what appear to be server rooms)

WHAT.

I do notice a bundle of wires behind its head, connecting between the Upper top of the head and Bottom of neck. Interesting

Also Considering the Clawed hand at the Thumbnail, combined with The Blue Coloration... THIS MIGHT BE A GLIMPSE INTO THAT HAND'S OWNER. Or well

Perhaps a Warped version of them

SECURITY OFFICE. AND BODIES. MANY MANY BODIES

Not much to say here other then Some cameras are offline. Wonder what their supposed to view / record..

OKAY.

THIS ALSO HAS A TRANSITIONING OF GIGGLING

However, unlike baby giggling, this is more Mature sounding. Im PRESUMING ADULT, But Who knows. This is ONLY giggling after all

Who wana bet this "Giggling" is from NORI, at different stages of "Development" or whatever she was going through.

The only problem to that notion is the repeating Blue Coloration from the Teasers and Office Area so Who knows. Might as well put my Thoughts to the wind

BUT LIKE.

HELLO. SURGICAL BEDS AND OPERATING TABLES WITH OIL ON EM???? JC Jenson why are you like this.

More Cameras but MORE IMPORTANTLY..

B o x. Box with oil on it.

BIG HOLE.

BIG HOLE.

WHY BIG HOLE????

but hey at least we know what their looking at (HELL.)

[modern-inheritance]

Vivid dreams about the future Eragon tv show

I had extremely vivid long dreams last night but the thing is it was me having vivid dreams, waking up in them, writing a tumblr post about what the dream was, realizing the dream was a vivid dream, then going back to sleep in the dream to dream more of the vivid dream I had dreamed within the dream and I…I don’t know what’s real anymore.

The dream inside the dream was that a trailer for the Disney+ Eragon show came out and it was bad. And then woke up to take my dog out but made sure I was holding her collar because I felt like my roommate’s cats had escaped and one of them had, so I scooped him up (it was Jack, which should have tipped me off because Jack HATES being picked up) and put him in a dog crate and put Gabe in a dog crate too because they kept getting out.

I guess I sat down in front of a tv at a combination of Nancy’s house (much older friend. I only say her house because her husband/partner was there) and Mama Cathy’s house and the new Eragon show was on the tv.

And oh man it was BAD. Like it was weird as all hell and BAD. Half the time elves didn’t have pointed ears, which I later griped to Mama about because I said it was something we hated in the movie. Eragon looked like a brown haired but less strong jawed Ed Spellers or however his name was, Islanzadi was bald for some reason? Like got her head reshaved in the dream? Durza had some dope tattoos on his face Ngl. 

Speaking of faces that was some pandemic in the elves where the first born male of the houses got sick and would die and for some reason we learned this by an elf in a crowd protesting another elf’s imprisonment at Gil’ead got shot in the chest with an arrow and  Arya and Faolin and/or Glenwing saw a message on the arrow that they had killed him twice now, which caused some confusion but when they peeled his hood away from the side of his face there were like...teeth and an extra lipless mouth in his cheek that he apparently had not been aware of and freaked out about. Which was apparently some part of the disease? It was all very Doomsday (2008 movie) and had elements of the tv show version of The Last Ship I think.

Anyway, I think there was some plot with like...a serial killer? Eragon didn’t find Saphira’s egg, he found a...large duck plushie? sorta thing? maybe? And oh there were these murders and wait, American Dad! made its way into this one so I won’t go into it. There was a snackbar subplot here too, but it was I think when I was ‘awake’ in the dream. I wanted to buy some Sour Patch Kids, Spree and something else, but the person didn’t understand me and tried to charge me for 73 margaritas that someone else had ordered. I flipped out, the other person paid for their stuff, but then they were packing up the snackbar and I forced them to let me buy the candy. Three packs of candy that totaled $15, which honestly would not have tipped me off to vivid dreaming because that’s like...marching band competition/movie theatre prices and I thought I was at some sort of band competition. 

ANYWAY, back to the Eragon stuff. I kept thinking that the new show was out, so I wrote a long tumblr post about it complaining about everything, pointing out how at the stuff that they gave us for the show made the movie look good in comparison because it actually followed some semblance of the book’s plot. 

Then I realized that I must have been vivid dreaming, so, I added that at the end of the post so that people wouldn’t think I got early access or something, and went about my business. Still saw parts of the show and kept reminding myself that I was vivid dreaming it, but would still add to the post. 

Well I eventually fully woke up and realized ALL of that was a vivid dream. I had a vivid dream about vivid dreaming within my vivid dream. Multiple iterations. Which somehow combined everything I had interacted with or talked about the previous day: I talked to both Nancy and Cathy via text, I’m currently catsitting for my roommate and terrified they’re gonna get out because they know how to open the inner door, I watched American Dad! yesterday, I listened to a few serial killer vids from Lazy Masquerade last night, I saw sour candies in the cupboard but refrained from eating them, I read the wikipedia plot summary for The Last Ship, Islanzadi’s shaved head was probably referencing all the commercials for the new Black Panther movie, etc. And the whole Eragon thing tying it together is probably because I spent yesterday collecting all my copies of the Eragon games. 

So yeah. 

The problem now though is that I think I got up in real life and took my morning meds when my alarm first went off, and then went back to sleep. But uh...I have no idea what the hell to trust. Fun times.

[frida--y]

it’s showtime

Never used two pics for my final thoughts prelude, but it’s cause wizard is so good.

Wizard. Is so good. Before i even finished 10 episodes I already deemed it my top favorite. Haruto putting on himself that responsibility of being wizard when it was placed upon him during a time of a near destruction of his body. The use of this role to protect others, to not let what happened to him happen to others. Becoming that hope through the pain. Being scared despite of it.That’s Kamen rider babey!!!!!!

The importance of choice and fate in wizard is very good. none of the wizards had the choice to decline to become a wizard, it was ‘fate’. It was placed on them. It’s the same with despair as well, the way depression can take everything from you that you become something not even human if it wins is!!!!!!!!! oh my god...

I love wizard, the show really shows how important hope is. It’s something I think everyone can personally relate to, I’ve thought back of how I used to feel at times when I was alone with my thoughts. I’ve... felt so alone before n it used to it hurt of how empty my body felt. It’s honestly kinda crazy how happy I feel rn at the moment!!! It isn’t about dwelling on those feelings forever, it’s about accepting those feelings and having the strength to live in the present, of moving on towards the future.

I’ve always been attached to stories that show how important kindness is, how even the smallest, “Can I see you again?” can save someone for even just the day.

Holding on to those memories, to your connections, to your hope and fortifying those memories so that they are the things that keep you living is.. great.

THEM!!!!!!

episode 31 babey... I love that Haruto gets his ultimate power from crying and wanting to protect Koyomi and how it becomes his strength for never giving up. The beach location, being the same one where they both steeled themselves after having their hopes and dreams (and life) violently taken from them… the sea.. the sea of hope.

Man those two images make me cry every time!!

I just, love stories about healing.

In the end thats what it was about, accepting Koyomi is dead. Accepting her final wish and fulfilling it. Living on with the hope you gained from others.

god. gonna be very normal about this! (crying rn)

Then we got Sora!! wow, I honestly thought he was going to be over and done with before the finale n still thought he was killed so close to the end! His reveal of being a serial killer of women was done so well, just jeezus christ this man is a monster.

Both Haruto and Sora had their humanity taken from... or did they. Sora tries to say that him and Haruto are the same, after all they both suffered through the Sabbat, BUT Haruto used that even to help others, retaining his humanity and saving others, while Sora (already a monster) continued to lash out and wanted to “become a human again”. Something he could he never do as even when he was human, he already lost his humanity by killing women that looked like the one that rejected him.

There’s always moments where I wish the series monsters could have a “saving arc”, but in series like Kuuga and Wizard, it sort of destroys the narrative if you dare put that in the story. Phantoms are the shell of a person, the worst aspects of humanity, violent, cruel, without hopes and dreams. The only Phantom that has sympathy isnt even a true one! It’s fake! Artificial! Fueki places the Phantom on himself to manipulate others all because he cannot get over the fact his daughter is dead. He’s willing to make everyone suffer for it.

It’s cruel what he does and I hate him for it!!!!!!

There’s so much to love in Wizard.... Haruto’s teacher telling him to cry if he feels like, Ms. Donut Manager’s hair style, Shunpei’s fashion... I haven’t even talked about the supporting cast cause that’s how strong Wizard holds up. I can talk and talk for days about the depression and healing allegories in Wizard before even going, “i like the mayo boy, he’s handsome :)”

The supporting cast is so fucking strong, they are the ones Haruto saved not only by his magic, but by his kindness. It’s the person he is. He.. survived an accident in which his parents perished, to which in the hospital on their death bed thanked him for being alive as he’s their hope. Haruto wants to be people’s hope cause he doesn’t want anyone going through the despair he went through. He shows them that through the despair there is hope, there’s more to life than the past.

....oh yeah I was gonna talk about Nitou

Just what a secondary! Super funny and cute! I love that he dares to take risks, dares to take the burden of living day to day, not knowing if he’s gonna die- and sees the brighter side of it. It shocks even Haruto! Haruto who took on being a wizard by acceptance and Nitou who “begged” for it. I love that line above... so fucking good. Dare to take risks!!!!

Great chemistry from these two, they get it. Also love it whenever Haruto spews this line back to Nitou

GOD There’s soooo much!!! TO SAY ABOUT WIZARD!!! From the mages, to especially Mayu’s character!!!!!! TO WAJIMA ACTING LIKE REAL FATHER TO BOTH KOYOMI AND HARUTO!!! TO SHUNPEI YELLING AT NITOU AND HARUTO WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO LURE OUT THE WHITE WIZARD TO RINKO BEING SOO FUNNY (FAILMOE) AND BADASS AND SWEET ALL AT ONCE, JUST BEING SUCH A GREAT FEMALE LEAD!!!!!!!!!!!! AAHHHHHHH!!!!!! 

I love Wizard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

last talk since this will really go on forever..

this fucking suit babey.

bonus images for loving:

bonus images for crying:

[monsutaapetsu]

‘Impossible’ Non-Shiny Shiny

[Original Text Below] (From ‘deleted’ reddit post, due to not obtaining 50 karma first)

Hello guys? I have a really crazy situation, which in at least one previous reddit the community told someone Shiny Starters are not possible in the game. Now, i had no idea originally about this. I started up a new account just for the fun of it. Knowing I was gonna be home that day, meant it was senseless to walk ten minutes and get pikachu first, so I went for a Charmander, and what did we have? YELLOW CHARMANDER, A SHINY BABY DRAGON. A quick catch later I register the pokémon, and then his Card Slot 8n my inventory is orange. Now, I’ve been confused about it these last couple days, so i tried to look into if this was a bug. Or something else.

Has anyone ever ran into this?

I have my journal entry vs the pokemon in question screenshot, minding that this guy is the first and only of the charmander family the new account has caught so far. Will Link screenshots in a post edit below, since I dont see an upload option here. Edit: https://monsutaapetsu.tumblr.com/post/679897790459052032 Screenshots are now live using a randomly made tumblr.

Update: I also reached out to Niantic Support in-game with the bot, who eventually enabled me to see screenshots. However the game shut down once I asked for Help again post screenshots? -- Reloaded the game, and support chat was retained, with no reply as of an hour and a half later. --  Support has sent their first two replies and I hope to correspond further on This matter. 

Logically, they pointed out a detail I hadn't noticed. The CP change from 11 to 12?! Naturally, the guy seemed to have assumed I either traded or transfered the shiny, which really-- really would not be the case and the added details can prove further proof of otherwise. Which further proves my hypothesis / theory that: because this was a starter pokemon, it auto replaced with a non-shiny. (However, the fact that support ‘Marcus’ says “Pokemon cannot disappear from Storage,” is a particular wording that could be taken either way. As in, the second it’s caught it should have been guaranteed into my storage, OR because the ‘storage’ loaded in an orange starter replacement, when it should have clearly loaded a Shiny according to my Journal.)  ! Adding more pictures to the gallery below to accommodate the details, as necessary. Also, re-upload of images is simply my removal sensitive information (username/nickname, email address, location) via blocking it out with quadrilaterals. 

In summary:

Occurred at the beginning of the game, just prior to username selection (which follows immediate after), so I would have been at most ‘level 1,′ since then I left it at level 4 that day, leveled some yesterday (6, at most), and retained at 8 as of the end of today. (intentionally trying to refrain from capturing too many, even though they are appearing around). This is my first and only charmander on the account (both for that day and as a whole, made on the 25th), because it was caught as a starter Pokemon. Now, I am level 6-8 as of today while writing and updating. Again, I am attempting NOT to level up, to preserve the authenticity. Pokedex will show only one Charmander seen & Caught. (No more have appeared around, all day today either of course). In total, I have caught *NOW* 13 Pokémon, - I shouldn't have any history of transferring either, since I have not bothered candy count @ 3 for Charmander (with no upgrades or transfers) doubly reassures the Pokedex and journal with only one charmander encounter which was captured, -- as, For most all of them is currently at 3 candies (first catch, no pinap berries (leveling 1-7, lacks these), excluding ekans + arbok (8 candies) *edit: & now two metapods (10 candies [weather promo; rain?]). Not yet selected a gym leader, thus nor have i appreciated them in order to decide whom to transfer (again, the candy count and non of them being upgraded should prove this combined with the pokedex). I see a lot of pokemon showing up which i am not currently catching on this account, both to limit my level and to keep the journal log short to preserve the log since high activity would eventually wipe the log or push these old logs out.  ---- 10hr 45 minutes later, I have had no word or reply after the two support messages to anything I replied with, as of yet. Also asked about 3-4 hrs ago if signing out would wipe the chat history, as I am hoping not so that I might sign into my 1st/main and collect some of the remnants to the pokemon I avoided all of today. This will probably be today’s last update. -Day Break- Got no reply for all of the day, and made sure to keep the screenshot logs to the replies I made. Since I signed out, to hop on my main, and saw the history stayed, I didn’t sweat the details too much.  -Day Break- Checked around 11:50 am, today and found out that just after midnight support responded to me (36 hours later). 

In their response they claimed it was a ‘visual’ glitch and are supposedly sending 2 incense in compensation to my account. They also suggested that if I am lucky, I will be able to find another shiny. Funny part is, since this is a new account which I hooked up with a referral code-- my starter inventory is full (365/350 Currently), so I can’t even ‘purchase’ the daily free box.  I didn’t really consider these things until I relaxed and let it settle on my mind.  However I also chose to bring up if it’s a ‘glitch’ why did it occur during the catch and log this way? Is is really just ‘visual,’ if all the details that go along with it existed (coloration, shiny marker, CP difference).  Also, finding it hard to believe that they could ever randomly insert 2 item to your full inventory, whilst also claiming that -pokemon don’t just disappear, -they have no way of modifying your pokemon. Granted, I don’t see this as ‘mod’ of pokemon, rather as a fluke that seemed to have a script set to ‘undo’ itself with an unmarked swap, and my journal is the last remaining shred of proof in an otherwise flawless anti-shiny starter system. 

I think most the community would of course never deny the hope for another shiny around the corner, yet there is no replacement for a SHINY STARTER. A Yellow Charmander baby would have been adorable. The way I play, I simply prefer to NOT evolve a shiny, unless I have a second of said Shiny. The baby form, like the other starters and honourable mentions, doesn’t appear willy-nilly. Whilst a black Charizard is somewhat anticipated in the future thanks to the high frequency of Y raids and encounter rewards.  Also, only now as of today have I reached Level 10, and screenshot when for reassurances.

-Day Break- Didn’t see any more replies lately (that day), and Today (April Fools), the chat history wiped much to my disappointment. Not sure if it’s worth it, to send another message asking if I ever got a reply. After-all, it seems that this situation won’t be going any further from here. However, I enjoyed the surplus of Dittos to go around (& hitting lvl 11). Thanks for baring peer witness to my impeccable circumstances! (edits to follow adding in the full screenshot log, and if I can figure out how to make spoiler code, I’ll place them in a reasonable order in accordance to the story’s sequence.) 

First 9 Pokémon, only added a Pikachu to them since, so far.

https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/tpo1hc/shiny_starter_rumored_to_be_impossible/

[gatecoeur]

jel’s how-to guide on finding and/or making accessible themes

So, you’re a blogger or a theme designer who cares about accessibility. Good - it’s a positive step forward. However, maybe you’re not exactly sure how to do that. Well, have no fear, as I, your local design major who took courses on User Experience, am here to help. 

I’m going to cover the biggest issues I’ve seen across many blog themes. If you are guilty of any of these, don’t worry, we’re here to fix that. I’m even guilty of some of these design sins.

1. Font Size and Type

This is easily the BIGGEST hinderance I’ve seen on this site in regards to accessible themes, especially in recent years. If you want your theme to be accessible, you HAVE to have decently sized and decently spaced font - this is completely non-debatable. My recommended font size tbh is 12 and above, with 1.15 spacing at the very least. You could maybe get away with 11px or 10px font, depending on the font type you pick, but anything below that and it’s pretty much guaranteed that anyone with visual impairments reading your blog is going to have a bad time.

Also, font type matters, especially for those with dyslexia. There is a font type that was specifically designed for dyslexics called OpenDyslexic, but if you wanna use a different font type, that’s perfectly fine. Just don’t use any cursive or all-caps font types, as those are MUCH harder for dyslexics to read. If you want further details on which font types are best, I would HIGHLY recommend you check out this link.

2. Colour Contrast

Look, I get it - maybe there’s a certain colour scheme that you REALLY like, but not every colour scheme is going to help those with reading difficulties or visual impairments. I’m gonna be talking more so on colour pairs than colour schemes, but in general, you’re better off using a darker background colour with a lighter font colour. This helps prevent eye strain, especially if you expect people to be looking through your blog for extended periods of time.

There’s plenty of sources online that can help you figure out which colours have the best contrast with each other, but here’s a post that does a generally good job of giving a quick guide for people to use. 

Except for white font on a yellow background. For the love of God, please DO NOT. Also I think this just might be me, but I’m really not a fan of maroon font on a black or grey background, especially if the font type is thin. 

3. Hyperlink Responsiveness

This one is more so on theme designers than bloggers, though I am BEGGING bloggers to please keep an eye out for this when you’re looking for themes. Hyperlink responsiveness simply means that when your cursor hovers over a hyperlink, such as tags, the reblog button, the like button and/or the next page button on your theme, it should have a clear visual change. 

Maybe the hyperlink text and/or symbol grows or shrinks in size. Maybe it fades or darkens into a different colour when you hover over it. Hell, it could be a combination of both, but viewers should have SOME visible way to tell them that yes, that is a link that will bring you somewhere else than where you currently are and yes, that link works. It’s such a simple thing, and trust me, I know it’s probably not the easiest thing to code, but it makes SUCH a big difference in the user’s experience I promise.

4. Obvious Symbology and/or Symbols with Supporting Text

Everyone knows that an image of a house means Home. Everyone knows that the image of two intertwined chains means links. Everyone knows that an arrow pointing to the right means next page and an arrow pointing to the left means previous page. These symbols are pretty much universal and can be left alone for people to look at and intuitively understand what they’re seeing, no problem.

Obviously though, not all symbols are universal, and if that’s the case, a symbol should either have accompanying text to explain it (either in immediate view or in a hover box), or should just be replaced with text all together. The symbol should also be very obvious and easy to spot.  Lemme explain what I mean by using a theme designed by one of my favourite blog theme makers on this site, @seyche​.

If I were to cover up the texts accompanying those symbols, I’m pretty sure that the very least that people would get confused between the about page and the rules page. This is honestly my preferred style of links, but of course having just the words without the symbols would work just fine to.

Recommendations

All of this would be pointless if I didn’t give my advice for bloggers and theme makers alike on who to check out or what to look for if you’re either looking for a theme to use or an example to help you better understand good design practices for themes. In general, if you see ANY themes that promote responsiveness, chances are it was designed with most if not all of the design principles I mentioned in mind.

As for who to check out specifically, I highly recommend @seyche​ and well as @eggdesign​. Both of these designers have done FANTASTIC work in making themes that are both very much accessible and aesthetically pleasing. There’s likely more out there, but these two definitely are on the top of my list.

[annie-mit-ie]

Glimpses: Part 6 (Kathryn Hahn x Fem!Reader)

Part 1 // previous chapter <<< >>> next chapter

Summary: The Garden

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: Hello there and sorry for the long wait! I wanted to move even further in the story but since this part already has 2.5k, I felt like it would be okay for me to end it here and continue with a new one tomorrow (that I plan to post within the next 2 days). It’s 2.40am, so, as always, if you find any mistakes - keep them :) 

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You stare at you screen, mouth gasping wide open. Other than breathing, you don’t feel like you are capable of doing anything at all. Your phone shuts off again and you see yourself in the reflection of the now black screen, a look of disbelief plastered all across your face.

You look at the picture again and admire the breakfast contents for a short while before laying the phone aside to think of a proper response. People always say that you are supposed to wait for a little while, stay mysterious, seem unavailable. But thats just not who you are. She is thinking about you.

Just last week you had read an article about this phenomena and it being a new, additional love language. „This made me think of you“ is apparently the new way of telling someone you like them. Just as that thought crosses your head, you remember Alex is probably still on her phone right now and you should hit her with the news and figure out a good response together. She picks up the call immediately.

“Sweetheart!“ She greets you with a beaming smile, as always. “What’s up?“

“She texted.“ You say and wait for her response.

“Who?“, god, you can’t with this girl sometimes. Why is she so slow? “KATHRYN. She finally texted me!“ You exclaim in excitement, a little too loud.

Alex looks at you with wide eyes, frowning, as she scrunches up her nose trying to comprehend what you just said. “Oh… Ooooh. OH.“

“Exactly…“, you say and smile about her antics. “What are we gonna do now? You gotta tell me because I certainly don’t know!!“

Alex shakes her head. “Well, first of all, you gotta let me know what exactly she said in her message?“

She was right, you totally forgot, putting her on hold, you take a screenshot and shoot it her way. “It’s actually nothing special but somehow it’s very cute at the same time and I really need us to find the BEST response to that.“

The next few minutes consist of Alex pitching short puns to you, cute phrases and just simple acknowledgements, but nothing seems to fit. Especially since you yourself haven’t decided yet if you wanna start of flirty or not. You end up choosing the safest option and type „This looks beautiful! Hope you enjoy! xx Y/N.“ as a response. You aren’t quite please with it but, at the same time, you don’t wanna rush into things as long as you don’t know what was happening.

For a few minutes, you talk to Alex and ask her about her day and all, until she has to pick up dinner for her people - it’s Thursday after all and Thursday nights are family nights. She hits you with a “Go get her, tiger!“ and laughs at your face before she hangs up the phone.

Not expecting a reply from Kathryn anytime soon, you toss your phone on the sheets and lie down on your back to look at the ceiling that is plastered in those fluorescent stick on glow stars - a childhood sin. Just as you are about to close your eyes, the phone lights up again.

“Thanks :-) Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Lot’s of work related stress. You wanna come over and have a glass of wine in my garden on Saturday.“

Saturday… What was Saturday? You know very well Kathryn has an event going on this Saturday, but maybe you were just wrong. Excited you shoot her a quick response, letting her know it’s all fine and that, of course, you would like to see her again.

Unsure if it is a date or a casual hang out, you decide to already start planning an outfit in your head - just in case it is a date after all - as you walk downstairs to join your mom for lunch.

Saturday morning went by way too slowly as you sort through the possible outfits you came up with. You had yelled at Alex right after having lunch with your mom and the both of you shot outfit ideas back and forth all Friday before you sat down and watched The Goonies with your mom. It’s one of your comfort movies and you were really glad your mom chose it because that meant you didn’t have to concentrate on something new.

She still doesn’t know about the „you and Kathryn“, but not because you don’t trust her enough or anything. No, simply because you don’t know what exactly is happening - so why worry her? The whole situation is weird to talk about with Alex, why would you make it worse by including your mom.

Still, you decided to not lie to her and actually told her that you’ve recently met someone new and you are spending at least Saturday with her. It felt only fair to let her know. Your mother was smart enough not to ask any further questions, though. Maybe she realized that it was still a touchy topic for you - who knows.

You finally decide on what to wear and put on your favorite summer dress. It’s black, flow-y and has sun flowers all over. You don’t really know how long you’ll stay, so you pick out the blazer Kathryn loved last weekend, as well. Sighting, you find your way to the bathroom where you  loosely tame your hair and put on some light make up. Just like last time you’re going for casual but not too casual. You look at yourself and smile. This dress really does make you feel beautiful!

A notification chimes through the room - it’s Alex reminding you that it’s about time to go outside so Kathryn’s driver can pick you up. You really didn’t want to have him drive you, but she insisted and since you were invited over for wine anyway, it really didn’t make any sense to take your car in the first place - especially since you’ll have to get home somehow, preferably tonight.

The driver is already there as you leave the house after kissing your mom on the cheek as you passed her on your way through he kitchen. “Good Afternoon, Miss Y/LN“, he greets you politely, as you take a seat in the back of the car.

The ride isn’t too long and you swore to yourself you would pay attention where you were going but the nervousness took over and so you’re spending the time on your phone, texting Alex and making sure your make up is okay and your hair is nicely framing your face.

Kathryn’s driver looks at you through the rear mirror: “Your first time over at Kathryn’s, hm?“

You look up and your eyes meet for a short second as you nod. “Don’t be intimidated by her. She is the nicest person I’ve ever worked for. You’re gonna love her.“ If only he knew. It actually makes you feel better, though. You don’t want to admit it, but you are very much intimidated by Kathryn and can’t wait for the first nervousness to wash down once again.

As you drive up to the house, it looks exactly like what you expected it to look like, while, at the same time, it looks completely different. She lives in the Hollywood Hills, but not where all the famous pop stars live. Her house is surrounded by plants. It looks calm, secure even and not at all like an actress lives in it. The yellow walls are welcoming and warm and the lack of modern architecture is balm for your soul.

The driver offers to open the door for you but you decline and, right as you step out of the car, the front door opens. Kathryn looks at you with the happiest face and opens her arms video to wrap you up in a big hug. “Y/N! I’m so glad you made it! Welcome!“

She looks at her driver. “Thank you for bringing her, Peter! I’ll see you later. Agnes will let you know when we have to leave, please take some time to yourself until then.“ Peter nods and starts the engine.

You look at Kathryn. Her eyelashes are highlighted by the slightest hint of mascara while the rest of her face appears to be completely natural. She is so beautiful. You’re close enough to her to be able to tell she is indeed not wearing any make up. Her hair is halfway up, flowing over her shoulders, and she is wearing a beautiful orange blouse, similar to one she had worn in one of her shows before, combined with blue jeans.

Even as you turn around, her lips don't lose their smile and she puts a hand on your lower back as she leads you into the house. You enter a long hallways that leads straight into a beautiful garden, much bigger than what you had expected. In one corner, there is a seating arrangement consisting of a seemingly quite comfortable corner couch and a wooden table. The rest of the garden is open and full of bushes and trees and you can’t even tell where it ends. A wine bottle in an ice bucket is already waiting for you, accompanied by two glasses, one on each side of the couch. “I like your dress, Y/N.“ Your breath hitches since a compliment was the last thing you would’ve expected.

“Thank you!“, you say with a bright smile, as you blush slightly which doesn’t go unnoticed by her. 

She winks at you, “Always, hon.“

Right as you are seated and she gets comfortable on the couch after filling your glasses, the door to the garden opens and a woman with long red hair dressed in all black, who is wearing a headset as she is holding a clipboard, walks towards the table. Her hair, loosely braided and tossed over one shoulder, is decorated by a pair of big sunglasses that are sitting on top of her head. She looks stressed as she looks up from her clipboard.

“Kathryn! I am sorry to interrupt, but I just need to let you know stylists are gonna be here in maximum three hours. You have to eat something before that.” Looking at the wine on the table, she adds: “Do you want me to order pizza or anything for you guys?“

You look back and forth between the two of them as you are trying to figure out who that woman is and what exactly they are talking about. Kathryn nods to every word that’s being said, completely focused on the woman. “Yes, Agnes, you’re right. Thank you. Please order the usual, we will share.“ 

She shoots you a smile. “You trust me?“ You nod eagerly, and you mean it, even though you are quite picky when it comes to food. Agnes looks at you and back to Kathryn before excusing herself with a polite smile. “Three hours, Kathryn, MAX.“

“Oh SHUSH.“, Kathryn laughs wholeheartedly as she picks up her glass of wine, prompting you to pick up yours as well. “Let me say something: I am very glad you accepted today’s invitation and I am sorry it’s gonna be stressful, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it and you’ll have a great time.“

You look at her confused. “Great… time?“ Obviously you would be having a great time while hanging with Kathryn, but the way she phrases it sounds like something other than sitting in the garden is happening.

“Did I… not tell you?“ Kathryn sets down her drink and scans you with worried eyes.

Your stomach drops for a moment as you shake your head slowly. “Oh silly me! Listen, I have been so busy ever since we’ve met. I got cast for a new movie had to meet with different producers all week and then they told me to attend the awards this weekend, which I thought were only held digitally and I must have totally forgotten to let you know that that was a thing. Agnes and Jennifer do a really good job at organizing things for me, but sometimes“, she taps her head, “this old friend is not doing it anymore.“

She looks really sorry and you have to admit you are very stressed right now and actually you feel like you might panic any moment, but just as you are about to worry too much, she places a hand on your forearm. “I would very much enjoy just spending three hours with you while I enjoy what was supposed to be my day off, but I would also like to take you to these MTV movie awards with me tonight, I you want to tag along.“

You are flashed by the offer and immediately want to say yes, but remember what you are wearing. “But… Kathryn.. I can’t go looking like THIS.“ She looks you up and down, her hand still placed on your arm, and you just know she wants to tell you again that you are beautiful, you can see it in her eyes, in the way she smiles at you. She doesn’t though and that makes you doubt that this could ever be more than just a hangout.

Your thoughts are immediately washed away, as a warm smile is playing around her lips. “Don’t worry about that, dear. After you told me that you are in the middle of your studies and you live alone with your mom, I figured fancy evening wear might not be something that you have currently lying around just like that. So.. we figured something out for you as well.“

She moves her hand over your arm and takes your hand in hers. “You don’t have to come, though, if you don’t feel like it. Don’t worry! I didn’t buy anything. I borrowed them from one of those fancy shops.“ - she didn’t. But you don’t need to know that.

Even though the thought of attending an event like that gives you anxiety, you already know what you want to do and softly squeeze her hand as you nod while a small smile creeps onto your face. “I would love to, Kathryn! Thank you for inviting me.“

It’s time to let go of her hand, but she doesn’t seem like she wants the connection to stop just yet, so, obviously, you don’t end it, either. Instead, you lock eyes with her and stay in position for as long as she allows you to. You don’t know how much time has passed until you catch yourself as your eyes dart down to her lips after she sticked her tongue out for a split second to moisten them.

For a short moment, you feel like Kathryn is getting nervous but this can’t be, can it? To loosen the tension that has built up, you laugh and let go of her hand to grab your drink again. “Let’s raise these glasses to a great night, shall we?“

She joins in and locks eyes with you once again, a sheepish grin on her face, while she slightly raises one of her eyebrows. “Well… I’m certainly glad you’re here with me tonight.“

[scapegrace74-blog]

Ginger Snap, Chapter 6

A/N  Well, here it is.  The last chapter of Ginger Snap.   As an unplanned fic inspired by a vanity license plate, I’m happy with how it turned out.   There will be a short epilogue posted in the next week or so.  In the meantime,  thank you so much for coming on this unexpected ride with me!   This chapter’s themed title is Fire in the Belly.

Previous chapters are best enjoyed on my AO3 page, because I have a bad habit of going back and editing them after they’ve been posted.

The next five months were some of the most difficult of my life.  

After our talk, Frank and I agreed that it would be best that we parted ways.  The Southside flat was close to the university, plus I’d never truly felt at home there, so it made sense for him to keep it.  Fortunately, we’d never combined our savings and I still had money tucked away from my time as a medical resident in Boston.

Geillis wanted me to move into her sprawling Murrayfield home, at least temporarily, but I knew that I needed a place of my own.  To stand on my own two feet, as it were.   Which was how I found myself moving my few belongings into a modest Morningside walk-up as the rest of Edinburgh celebrated Hogmanay with fireworks and drunken revelry.

I scheduled the written component of my medical licensing exam for February.  This was likely foolhardy, but I’d already wasted enough time.  As a result, almost every waking hour was dedicated to studying.  The flat remained an empty box whose naked beige walls bore witness to my rudimentary existence.

Geillis called regularly, reminding me to eat and to occasionally step outside for a breath of fresh air.  Returning up the high street from one of our weekly coffee dates, a bright flash in a shop window caught my eye.

I stopped and stared as the afternoon sun lit the vase like a shard of stained glass.  It was a profound shade of blue: the colour of a field of indigo, of the night sky in a Byzantine icon, of Jamie’s eyes when he laughed.  It sat on my windowsill, filled with the season’s first daffodils, as I pored over practice exams.

***

“Geillis, I passed!  I fucking passed!”  An elderly woman seated across from me on the bus muttered under her breath about vulgar Sassenachs, but I was too elated to care.

“Of course ye did, ye brilliant disaster.  Now I can brag tae the neighbours I have my own personal physician.”

“Not so fast, Duncan.  I still need to pass the clinical exam, and that’s no small thing.”  My gut twisted just thinking about it, but unlike the written exam, there was little I could do to prepare.  Either I knew how to perform as a doctor or I did not.  The long months since I’d last treated a patient loomed like a large shadow over that question.

“Och, yer bum’s oot the window Claire,” my friend dismissed blithely.  “Ye’re gonna do great.  When do ye head down tae yer homeland, then?”

“May first.”  The practical examination took place in Manchester and needed to be scheduled three months in advance.

“Sounds like ye’ve got some time on yer hands.  Whate’er are ye going tae do with yerself?” Geillis asked in a singsong voice.

Fortunately for me, spring was Edinburgh’s most pleasant season.  Its many gardens and laneways erupted in carpets of buds and blooms.  The air smelled fresh and green, like biting into a tart apple.  I took long walks and fell in love with the city I now called home.  There were secondhand bookstores to explore and a weekly craft market where I gradually amassed an assortment of items that made my flat feel like a home.  With each passing day, my existence felt more and more like a life; one I defined for myself.

I also started to explore my options for employment, hoping for a job offer from one of the city’s hospitals that was conditional upon my successful completion of the licensing process.  It was to that end that I found myself walking down the corridor of The Royal Edinburgh hospital after what I hoped had been a rather successful interview with the deputy director of surgery.

“Claire?”

I recognized her voice immediately.  Before turning around I closed my eyes and sent out a fervent appeal to the universe.

“Jenny, hi.  How are you?”

She looked just the same, her straight black hair such a contrast to her brother.  Next to her stood a man, but not the man I had conjured the moment I heard her voice.  I was unclear whether that meant my prayer had been answered or not.  Seeing my gaze stray, Jenny jumped to introductions.

“This is my husband, Ian.  We’re here fer treatment on his leg.”

“Nothing serious, I hope.”  

“Jes a fitting fer a new prosthetic.  Jenny keeps beatin’ me o’er the head with the old one, ye see.”  I laughed, instantly liking his easy-going manner, so in contrast with Jenny’s intensity.

“Ye must be the Claire I hear sae much about,” he went on, and I wondered what had been said about me in the Fraser household.

“Nothing bad, I hope.”

Ian smiled warmly.  “Only good things, I promise ye.”

“What brings ye tae the hospital, Claire?” Jenny interjected.

I explained how I was in the process of qualifying to practice medicine in Scotland, provided I could pass my exams.  Jenny and Ian were both delighted, congratulating me as though I’d already accomplished my goal.  As we spoke about Wee Jamie’s latest exploits and the ongoing growth of Ginger Snap, I couldn’t help notice that Jenny was staring at my hands.  At my left hand in particular.  Finally, I couldn’t resist temptation any longer.

“And, how is Jamie doing?”  I tried to sound casual, but I was certain my faltering voice betrayed me.

“Very well,” Jenny replied.  “Busy, as ye can imagine, but he thrives on chaos.”

I nodded, trying to be satisfied with the news that he was well.  It was the most I could hope for, really.  Jenny eyed me shrewdly before continuing.

“He’s a good man, my brother.  Any lass would be verra lucky tae have him.  I’d like tae see him settled, but he refuses tae be rushed.  Says the right woman is worth the wait.”  She paused before adding,  “I reckon ye ken wha’ he means.”

“Yes,” I breathed.  “I know exactly what he means.”

***

I took the overnight train from Edinburgh to Manchester.  It meant I was likely to arrive at the testing centre deprived of sleep, but I rationalized that most of my residency could be characterized as one long evaluation under similar conditions, and I hadn’t killed anyone yet.  Still, as the velvety darkness slipped by outside my window, studded by the lights of passing farms, my doubts got the better of me.

I texted Geillis, looking for moral support.  For once she didn’t reply immediately.  There was one other name on my laughably short list of contacts.  I deliberated for all of a minute, but the late hour and creeping panic made me impulsive.

Hello.

Best to start with something innocuous, rather than the slightly more revealing “I miss you.  I think about you every day.”  A reply bubble appeared immediately after I hit send.  At least I hadn’t woken him up.  A small tempest stirred in my gut.

Arsonist.  Hello.  How are you?

I tried to picture him.  Was he at home?  Working late?  Or, in a scenario that played out far too often in my mind, on a date?

I’m alright.  Well, to be honest, I feel like I’m going to puke and cry.  Not necessarily in that order.

Och, lass.  Do you need me to come over?

Damn it, this man.  I had done nothing to deserve his unswerving loyalty but mislead him and then disappear for months on end.  And yet here he was, willing to come to my aid on the flimsy pretext of a late night text.  Guilt and tenderness warred for possession of my heart.

That may prove a bit difficult, Jamie.  I’m on a train to England.

There was a long pause, and then a two letter reply.

Oh.

I realized at once that he’d leapt to the wrong conclusion: that I had left Edinburgh for good.  I rushed to correct the error.

I’m taking the second stage of my examination to practice as a NHS doctor tomorrow.   It’s all hands-on situations, and the licensing facility is in Manchester.

Arsonist, that’s wonderful news!  I’m so proud of you.

I blushed, then leaned my heated cheek against the chilled pane of glass.  It had been a rash impulse, but this conversation was exactly what I needed.  I wasn’t alone in this.  Geillis and Jamie were in my corner.

What has your stomach in a twist, then?

What if I’ve forgotten what to do?!  It’s been almost a year since I’ve so much as used a stethoscope, Jamie.  The exam is eighteen real-life situations and you’re given eight minutes to respond to each one.  Not a second longer.  I’m just...  what if I fail?

And there it was.  The kernel of fear that lived at the heart of everything I did.  What if I failed?   What if my best wasn’t good enough?

Claire, listen to me.  You’re a doctor, just as I am a chef.  It wouldn’t matter if I had not set foot in a kitchen in ten years, I would still remember how to cook, and I know that it’s the same for you.  I believe it with everything in me.

On some level, I knew that he was right.  But it still comforted me tremendously to hear it from someone I trusted.

Alright.  That helps.  I should let you get to bed.  Thank you for talking me off my ledge, Jamie.

Anytime, Arsonist.

As I got ready sign off, another text bubble appeared.

Oh, and Claire?  Don’t burn down their wee laboratory, okay? ;-)

I laughed out loud, muting my phone and reclining my seat.  Outside, the stars shone brightly, tiny fires in the firmament to guide me on my way.

***

It was a lovely late spring day, and the retractable doors to the fire station were open to the warm breeze.  I could hear Angus’ voice as he led a cooking demonstration for a group of young women; a bridal shower by the look of their ridiculous costumes.

“Mind the coriander, lass.  Tis a verra powerful aphrodisiac, ken?  I willna be held responsible if ye canna resist my considerable charms after ye eat yon soup.”

There was an outburst of giggles as I rounded the corner and entered the reception area.  Jenny was on the phone.  She halted mid-sentence when she saw me walk in.  I rubbed my hands down the front of my jeans, trying to stay calm.

“He’s in the storeroom, in the back,” Jenny prompted before I could even offer a greeting.  I smiled gratefully, relieved I didn’t have to make small talk.  I had only so much courage stored in reserve, and I didn’t want to use it all up before reaching my destination.

The storeroom was long and narrow, lit by a single naked bulb and girded with shelves.  Jamie stood with his broad back to the door, his curls absorbing the light like amber.  He had a clipboard in one hand, performing some kind of inventory.

“Jes how many lentils dae ye reckon we need, Janet?  There’s nine cans of them here already, and ye have us ordering ten more.”

I’d almost forgotten how much I loved his voice, the undulating grit and silk of it.  I had to remaster the art of speech before I could reply.

“It’s not Jenny.  It’s me.  Claire.”

He froze, and if it weren’t for the sudden rapid flow of his breath I would have assumed he hadn’t heard me.  My nerves got the better of me and I blurted out, “I like lentils.  You should listen to your sister.”

“Claire.”  More sigh than word.  He slowly turned.  It was when our eyes met that I knew nothing had changed for him.  It was still there, after all these months.  That look that told me I was the map to his journey, the focus to his vision, the reason to his why.  

Hopefully he could read that same certainty on my face.

“I passed my exams,” I began.  “I’m a doctor again.”

“Ye never stopped bein’ a doctor.  This jus’ makes it official.”

“I’m still a disaster in the kitchen,” I continued.  “Last week I ruined two saucepans.”

“Tha’s only a tragedy if ye dinna have someone willin’ tae cook fer ye,” he replied with a strange squinting motion I understood was meant to be a wink.

“I’m still learning who I am.  How to be true to the person on the inside,” I confessed.  This is what had kept me away for so long, worried that I would escape from Frank’s orbit just to be caught up in another.  Jamie never once expected my submission, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t offer it out of habit.

“I’ll let ye in on a secret.  Sae is everyone else,” he replied.

Without realizing it, we’d both been moving until we were crowded together amongst the dried herbs and canned goods.  My hand rested against the solid metronome of his heart.  Just one more confession to go.

“I burn for you in a way I’ve never burned for anything before.”

There.  It was said.  A thousand wings of rapture beat against the cage of my ribs, clamoring to break free.  Jamie carefully pushed a loose curl behind my ear before cupping my jaw.

“Wee arsonist.  Come, set my life on fire.”

[sango-blep]

Art question: your colors and lighting are always so gorgeous - what’s your process look like for colors in terms of layering/combining colors?

Ok, time for the end boss, this is probably gonna be a long one so I hope this is still gonna be understandable and not too much as a text post.

First up I’m just gonna put a quick and very basic break down of how I often approach coloring before I go more into detail.

I’d definitely recommend to not leave your canvas white while painting, I either rough in my background first or give the canvas a grey-ish blue color if it doesn’t have one. The bright white of the canvas will make it harder for you to judge colors, having a nice midtone will help you make better color decisions and get more accurate colors!

Here’s a little snippet from a previous post about how I pick color! (check out full post for some useful links)

Here is one of the brushes I really like using in paint tool sai2! Other than that I might use the standard marker tool with a square shape. In clipstudio i try to use similar textured brushes.

To blend or to create soft edges, which really helps you to sculpt your drawiing/painting, I often just start painting on a new layer above the one with the base color and then use a soft eraser! I might also use paint tool sai’s water tool, which I find really useful and pretty unique, I sadly haven’t really been able to replicate it in programs like clip studio.

In the two pictures above I already did a lot of defining and painting before I moved to a layer ontop of the lines because the lines were fairly clean already. Sometimes my “underpainting” looks way rougher though and I just put in some blobs of color for hue variation, especially the more red-ish areas and then do most of the painting above the lineart layer! Not sure if there’s much to say to the overpainting stage, as mentioned before this is just where I clean up the whole drawing and define the features more, especially the eyes, eyebrows and lips.

NOW, the real fun begins....

After I’m mostly done with painting, I start to properly establish the lighting, some people find it easier to do it the other way around, and sometimes I do so too. But often I push for the strong lighting at the end so I can focus more on painting. This is where I play around a lot with layer modes, usually I use a combination of overlay and shine to put in some bright warm light from one direction!

The way I do it is I usually put all the layers of the person/object into a folder so it’s separated from the background, then I make a new layer on top of that folder and use clipping group. It works similar to a layer mask, whatever i do in those clipped layers will only affect the layers that are in the folder! Since only my character is in that folder, my background will be left alone.

As mentioned before, I now use gradients to give the entire picture more hue variation and to properly give it strong lighting. Make sure the gradient tool is set to “color to transparency”. I use a warm orange/red color for the top right side where I want the light to hit and put it in overlay mode. And then use a colder purple/blue color on multiply mode and pull it up from the bottom to the middle.

At the end I often adjust the colors a bit, I like to use cool colors in the background to make the warm colors of the skin etc pop! So often I push those reds of the characters a little more! In paint tool sai I just adjust the hue and saturation a bit. In more complex programs like CSP I do it in the color balance option.

You can see how I pushed it a bit more towards red here, to make it stand out more against the blue-ish background. I also pushed the blue’s in the hair color. Giving dark hair blue-ish undertones can make for a really good contrast compared to the warm colors in the skin! I think this last part is really the most important to me,lighting can REALLY change your entire picture, and I think gradients are a super easy and fast way to do it! If I pull up the picture from the beginning again, you can see just HOW MUCH the picture changed again after I was pretty much done painting by adding strong lighting! It’s a good way to pull the attention to a certain spot, in this case the faces/the kiss, where all the strong saturated colors are!

I also think that a good contrast between warm and cool colors is really important! As you can see I often use that to make my characters stand out from the background. If you put everything in cool colors or everything in warm colors it’s easy to make your object get lost in the background. I recently found this guys YT channel, he talks alot about warm vs cold colors, which I think is so helpful! I’ve hardly seen any other artists talk about it that much. If any parts were unclear or I left something out/ someone wants to know more about a certain topic just let me know! Thanks to everyone who’s sent me asks

[cxsmicmyeon]

SURPRISE! , kms

kim minseok x fem! reader

IN WHICH minseok wants to spend his 31st birthday at home with his wife and cat but you have other plans that may or may not involve a surprise birthday party. (based on the second prompt from this post by @creativepromptsforwriting​)

genre: married/domestic & non-idol au! fluff, humor word count: 3.0k warnings: swearing, light sexual references/jokes, implied sexual content (it gets a tad spicy at times but nothing explicit), chaos, minseok’s butt being The Bomb Dot Com™ (sorry not sorry)

author’s note: happy birthday to my ray of sunshine, kim minseok! i love you so so much darling, i hope your day is filled with so much happiness and celebration. hope this lil piece can help y’all celebrate min’s 31st with me <3 it’s not the 26th yet where i live lmao but it is in korea so yeah! once again have a happy happy birthday minseok, i love you endlessly and forever. <33 MOODBOARD MADE BY ME. I DON’T OWN THE IMAGES, I ONLY OWN MY EDITING. feedback and notes are greatly appreciated <3

One day.

One day until Minseok’s birthday, and you were scrambling from bakery to bakery to try and get the perfect cake for him. There were flaws in every place you’ve been: too expensive, the designs were not creative enough, blah blah blah. You wanted his day to be as perfect as possible, and what would be the point of that if the cake was nothing but?

Everything else was all ready. You invited all of yours and his closest friends to your house the night of Minseok’s birthday for a surprise party. You planned on keeping Minseok out of the house for the entire day as your friends decorated the house. 

He didn’t want a party. He made that abundantly clear to you as soon as March began. He incessantly told you that all he wanted was a day off from teaching so he could spend the whole day with you and your cat. All he wanted was a nice and relaxing day with his wife. You understood, obviously. But you also wanted to go all out and throw a surprise birthday bash for your husband celebrating his thirty-first year on Earth. Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae’s incessant whining and begging for an excuse to have a party only aided in your need to have a party.

You ended up settling with a simple Carvel ice cream cake from the frozen section of the grocery store. You made a mental note to ask Yixing to write out “Happy Birthday Minseok” the next day as you left the store.

You came home to your husband holding a feather toy over your cat, Tan’s head. She pawed at the red feather, always at the cusp of grabbing it before Minseok moved the line away from her. He cooed at the animal, making soft kissing sounds as he continued to play with her.

Realizing that he may see the cake, you tucked the grocery bag under your shirt in an attempt to hide it from him, shivering at the cold contact the frozen treat made with your skin. The rustling of the plastic bag caused Minseok to look up at you. He gave you a gummy smile as you walked past him and Tan.

“Well hello to you too, honey. What’s under your shirt?” Minseok asked playfully, wiggling his eyebrows as he made eye contact with your chest. You realized that hiding the bag did not do much to hide the cake, as the shape of the large box combined with the plastic grocery bag greatly protruded from the fabric of your shirt. 

“Nothing, it’s for tomorrow. Don’t wanna ruin the surprise, hm?” you mused, blowing him an air kiss before retreating to your office. He "caught” your kiss with a smile before going back to playing with Tan.

You entered your office and placed the plastic bag onto your desk. You ran to lock the door before opening the bag and taking the cake out, sighing in relief that the cake did not get ruined. You bent down to your mini-fridge and opened the small door of the freezer compartment and placed the cake inside, glad that it could fit inside. After locking the fridge, you exited your office and made your way downstairs to spend time with your loving husband.

You awoke the next day curled up in Minseok’s arms. You cuddled closer to him before jolting upwards in realization. Today was finally the day! You bent down and began showering your sleeping husband with excited kisses, trailing a hand down his bicep. He let out a sleepy groan as he stirred, wrapping his strong arms around your figure.

“Aah, what’s gotten into you baby?” he asked, his voice hoarse from just waking up. 

“Happy birthday, Min!” you beamed, pecking him on the lips. He grinned tiredly as he kissed you on the lips.

“Mmmh, thank you honey.” You grinned as you kissed him again. This kiss lasted longer than the previous ones and slowly yet surely grew more heated. You moved yourself so you were straddling him, not breaking the kiss. He hummed against your lips as you slid your hand underneath his shirt, fingertips grazing his toned stomach. He groaned as his hands made their way down to your ass, squeezing harshly. You bit back a moan as you slowly slid his shirt up his chest, breaking the kiss to ogle at his abs.

“Babe... don’t we need to get ready?” Minseok groaned as you pulled the shirt over his head. You latched your lips onto his neck and softly bit down, eliciting a raspy moan from your husband.

“Shh, let me give you your first gift.” you purred, moving your hands toward the waistband of his boxers.

The mall was packed to the brim with people from all different walks of life. Gossiping teenagers, sleep-deprived parents following their energetic kids around, old couples window shopping, you name it. You walked through the giant Macy’s and into the main hub of the mall hand in hand with Minseok. 

Since you started dating, it has been a tradition for you to buy each other’s gifts the day of your respected birthdays. You’d usually scour Amazon or websites of your favorite brands all day and end up splurging half your monthly paychecks on each other. But on occasion, today included, you’d take your shopping day to the local mall as a means to get out of your apartment and actually go out for once. 

After an... eventful... morning, you rushed to get dressed and usher your husband out of the house, since the boys were coming over at 11, and it was 10:55 by the time you got into the car and sped away toward the mall.

You pointed out a newly opened jewelry store and pulled Minseok inside with you. You looked at him lovingly as he browsed the display of a multitude of different rings. He’d softly mutter to himself as he picked up ring after ring: trying to see what would look best next to his wedding band, what the right price was, if the store even provided the correct size. You loved how organized he was.

Your silent admiring was interrupted by the familiar chime of your phone, indicating you got a text message. You let out a sigh as soon as you saw who the message was from.

operation minseok’s 31st🥳

jun-bug: (y/n) we have a problem (y/n): oh god what happened yee-xing: baekhyun dropped the cake (y/n): he did what bacon: cant u read (y/n) i dropped the fucking cake 11 minutes late: no need to be rude xoxo (y/n): yeah baek u don’t want me to leave my stunning husband inside the jewelry store, come home and mutilate you for dropping his cake and get arrested on his special day (: kyung-soup: oddly specific but i’m here for it jong-waeeee: off topic but the sign says “minseop” instead of “minseok” (y/n): jun, yixing and kyungsoo you better get this settled or else i’m gonna kill all of you nini bear: yes ma’am ofc ma’am we will do this correct chain-yeol: yeah i don’t wanna die today

“Everything okay?”

You quickly locked your phone and threw it inside your purse before making eye contact with Minseok. You nodded a bit too quickly, panic washing over you like a giant wave from the ocean.

“Yeah, everything’s dandy.” you sputtered. Oh, why did this have to happen right now? You silently prayed that everything was going to go well. It had to.

“You sure?”

“Positive. Did you choose something?” Minseok nodded as he handed you a box with a simple black titanium ring. You nodded in approval as he led you to the register.

Your next stop was at Express. You were dying to pick out some new work clothes for him to try on. You assured him (and yourself) that he needed these new pants and this was totally not an excuse for you to check him out.

“Okay, I’ve got three pairs of pants that I think would look absolutely amazing on you and I want you to go try ‘em on.” you said, handing Minseok three hangers. Each hanger had a pair of slacks in different colors hanging from them. He took them from you, shooting you a smirk before walking inside the fitting room stall.

Your eyes widened as Minseok opened the door of the stall. The pants fit absolutely perfectly. The way the fabric hugged his perfect thighs, the color complimenting his white undershirt (which you imagined to be one of his famous white button-downs), it left you practically swooning.

“What do you think?” 

You let out a hum in approval before motioning for him to turn around. “Lemme see the goods, hun.” He rolled his eyes before turning around. Your eyes landed on his butt, making you swoon for real. You covered your mouth to hide your obvious enjoyment of the sight before you. And it didn’t help when he gave his butt a mini shake. Still, you couldn’t help but squeal softly.

“You sure today’s not your birthday?” Minseok teased. You tutted as you stood from your spot and walked up to him, giving his butt a light pinch before wrapping your arms around his neck.

“With you, every day’s my birthday.” you answered, giving him a peck on the lips.

“Ugh, I think you ate too much of that egg and cheese for breakfast today.”

“You know you love me.”

“That I do, darling.” Minseok mused before closing the distance between you two. You tangled your hands in his silky black hair as you savored the heavenly taste of his lips. You felt his hands grab your ass as you deepened the kiss, tugging at his hair in response.

As you kissed, you heard your phone chime the same chime that indicated a text from the boys. You decided to ignore it and continue making out with your husband until the phone went off four more times. You scoffed as you broke the kiss, fishing inside of your purse to grab it.

“Is everything okay, hun?” Minseok asked.

“Yeah, fine. Just crap from, uh, ‘work,’” you lied, unlocking the phone. “Go try on the other pants.” Minseok nodded before walking back to the stall. Once the door was closed and locked, you looked down at your messages, worry washing over you once again. What the hell happened now?

operation minseok’s 31st🥳

yee-xing: oh christ yee-xing: (y/n) (y/n) (y/n) jun-bug: you gotta help us yee-xing: please kyung-soup: i am going to kill park chanyeol like my life depends on it (y/n): what the everloving shit happened this time chain-yeol: um i sneezed all over the cake kyung-soup: the custom one u got on wednesday btw (y/n): you. sneezed. on. the. CAKE????? chain-yeol: IM SORRY chain-yeol: I WAS TRYING TO STOP BAEKHYUN FROM KNOCKING IT OVER AND I SAVED IT BUT THEN I SNEEZED nini bear: ur so gross chain-yeol: you too (y/n): i spent 100 dollars on that cake and you fucking sneeze on it?? (y/n): jfc i’m here busy admiring my husband’s sweet sweet ass and u guys are telling me the cake’s ruined? i will murder u all i swear jong-waeeee: ew i don’t wanna hear about minseok’s ass (y/n): shut the fuck up sign ruiner jong-waeeee: I GOT A NEW ONE THOUGH jong-waeeee: YOU’RE SO MEAN bacon: WAIT bacon: (Y/N) WE’LL PAY FOR ANOTHER ONE  (y/n): baekhyun you sweet summer child (y/n): I HAD TO PRE-ORDER THAT CAKE 2 WEEKS IN ADVANCE YOU WALNUT bacon: oh bacon: my bad 11 minutes late: W8 W8 I GOT U 11 minutes late: WE CAN STILL EAT IT 11 minutes late: I’LL SPRAY SOME LYSOL ON IT jun-bug: SEHUN DON’T YOU DARE (y/n): sehun honey that just contaminates it even more (y/n): but thank you for trying 11 minutes late: xoxo i try my best yee-xing: how ‘bout we just buy more carvel cakes to match the one you got yesterday up to 100 dollars so it maxes out (y/n): yeah alright fine (y/n): thanks xing ur a life saver (y/n): but don’t throw away the ruined cake i wanna show min what he could have missed out on if CHANYEOL DIDN’T FUCKING SNEEZE ON IT (y/n): WHO SNEEZES ON A CAKE nini bear: only chanyeol (y/n): yep, only chanyeol chain-yeol: y’all are mean. kyung-soup: what u get for sneezing on the cake

You locked your phone, letting out an exasperated sigh. You swore if anything else happened today, you were going to march all the way back home and kill those men. You massaged your temples with your fingers as a means to alleviate your stress. All you wanted was for everything to be perfect for the party; Minseok deserved nothing less than that. 

The door of the stall opened, revealing Minseok wearing nothing but the new pair of navy slacks and a devilishly handsome smirk. His smile faded when he saw you with your hands over your face, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm yourself down from your stress. He quickly pulled his undershirt on and rushed over to you, wrapping his arms around you comfortingly. With a sigh, you buried your face in his chest, your stress starting to wash away as he began stroking your hair.

You stayed like that for about ten minutes. You eventually calmed down, silently reassuring yourself that everything was going to be fine. You were glad that Minseok did not try to ask you anything since you were afraid you were going to let slip what was waiting for him when you arrive home later in the day. 

You let out a small sniffle as you pressed a small kiss on your husband’s exposed shoulder. “I’m so sorry I brought down your mood, Min. The p- ‘w-work,’ is just annoying right now. It’s your birthday, it’s supposed to be a good day.” you mumbled, looking down at your hands.

“Shh, don’t you worry your little head about it,” Minseok assured, kissing your forehead. He tilted your head up and pressed his lips against yours. “All I want is for my baby to be happy today.” You gave him a weak smile and wrapped your arms around his waist, feeling so lucky to have him in your life.

“C’mon, let’s go to the food court. All this stress made me hungry.” you joked, standing from your spot. 

“Good idea,” Minseok gave you another kiss before walking back into the changing stall to change back into his regular clothes. “Oh, by the way, buy the pants.” You pumped a fist into the air as you took the hanging articles of clothing into your hands.

You were lucky (and frankly surprised) that nothing else had managed to go wrong today. You were suspicious that you hadn’t gotten any panic-stricken texts from Yixing or Junmyeon, but you couldn’t complain about that. Just to be sure though, you quickly texted Kyungsoo to give you a final update on the state of your house. You sighed in relief when he responded with pictures of your living room, kitchen and backyard decorated just how you envisioned it to be. You sent Kyungsoo a text back thanking him and everyone else profusely for their help.

The clock struck 5, indicating that it was time for you and Minseok to go home. The two of you exited the mall, arms filled with different shopping bags from all the stores you went to during the day. After putting your bags into the backseat of your car, you opened the passenger side of the car and slid in.

“Hm, I was thinking of ordering from that ramen place we tried last week. It was really good, don’t you remember?” Minseok suggested, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

“How ‘bout we wait ‘till we get home to... eat.” you responded, a shit-eating grin almost making its way onto your face.

Minseok hummed softly. “I just wanna spend the rest of the night with you and Tan at home, I hope no one’s planning a surprise party for me,” You tensed slightly at his words, looking out the window to avoid his gaze.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that, hun.” You lied. He shrugged, intertwining his fingers with yours. 

When Minseok pulled into your driveway, you shot a quick text to the boys, telling them that you were home. You exited the car quickly, grabbing most of the shopping bags and taking Minseok by the arm, dragging him to the front door.

“Whoa, what’s gotten into you?” he chuckled as you struggled to get your keys out of your purse. Once you got them out and put the house key into the lock, you turned to Minseok and pressed your lips onto his.

“Happy birthday, Min. I love you so much. And I’m so sorry.” you unlocked the front door and pushed it open. You saw Minseok’s eyes widen at the sight of your home. It was filled to the brim with decorations and all of your closest friends holding gifts, balloons and tons of different ice cream cakes. 

“SURPRISE!” everyone exclaimed. Minseok’s jaw dropped as he fully took in everything that was happening. He looked over to you with a sly smile, to which you responded with a small shrug.

“I had to, come on.” You giggled, kissing him on the cheek. 

“It’s okay, hun. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.” Minseok cupped your face into his hands and pressed his lips onto yours.

“Gross, get a room!” you heard Baekhyun scream. You pulled away from Minseok to flip the younger off.

“Oh! I need to show you the cake I initially got for you but was unfortunately ruined because Chanyeol sneezed on it. Jun, is it in the fridge?” you pulled Minseok in the direction of the kitchen as Junmyeon confirmed the location of the cake.

“He... huh?”

“It was an accident!” Chanyeol whined. You laughed softly to yourself at his childish reaction.

Tonight was gonna be fun.

[blaithnne]

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Heydie I’m Sadie!

I use they/them pronouns and I post art and some writing sometimes!

More info under the cut - includes other socials, tagging system, requests/trades/commissions status, and a master post about Lauren for any confused newcomers :]

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My previous usernames were A-SMALL-COLLECTION-OF-NONSENSE and CACTINCACTOUT

I use this account mainly to post my art and headcanons, but a large part of my presence on here is purely shitposting jdbdjdbs

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Enjoy your time here lads lmao <33

[telehxhtrash]

Hi !! Okay this meta will be very quickly put together so it’s not gonna be the best BUT. These two asks (here and here) got me thinking and I want to put my thoughts down.

Once again, Togashi’s paneling is driving me insane. During chapter 218, Gon tells Palm that he can’t give her what she truly wants, a relationship, because he’s too focused on training to get Kite back. But that whole speech is overlaid with a panel of Killua, which opens the door for some interesting (very subjective) interpretations.

There are a few things that make me think that this seemingly random panel of Killua is actually here as a visual cue to link Gon’s words to Killua’s situation.

When you read Gon’s monologue, while it definitely applies to Palm, it can be read with a deeper layer. I feel like this also applies to Killua. Because at this moment of the story, Killua is discovering new feelings for Gon and just wants to spend more time with him, while Gon is tragically getting lost on a quest for revenge. Gon can’t give Killua what he really wants. He can’t give him the love and attention he needs and deserves, because right now, he has to focus on fixing the wrongs he made. He’s sadly emotionally unavailable. And here, the general theme of this interaction with Palm is Gon apologizing for not being able to provide affection to a person who wants to spend time together. Which. With what I just highlighted about Killua, can definitely apply to him.

Now, what’s interesting, is that a chapter earlier, this exact notion of wanting to spend more time together is highlighted in a very emotional, open-hearted moment.

Here, Killua is explaining that he’s never been on dates, because all this time, he’s been with Gon. They’re always been together, spending time together. And Killua emphasizes that he really doesn’t want that to change. That he wants to stay by his side forever, and spend more time with him. That sentence, that idea of wanting to stay with the other, brings up that idea of spending more time together, just the two of them. 

This idea of wanting to spend more time together is also reinforced by the japanese raw text ! In Japanese, Killua says “本当はこれからだってずっと” which is very very close to what the fanlation in the panel above says, but in japanese, there are two interesting subtleties.

• The use of 本当, which means “really”, and highlights that deeply rooted need to stay together.

• The use of これから, which means “from now on”, which highlights that idea of “keep on staying together”, that idea of “starting now”, of him wanting to spend more time with Gon starting right this moment. 

Killua wants to spend more time with Gon, and he expresses that wish in this panel.

And then, the very next chapter, Gon explains that he can’t spend more time with Palm. He can’t give her more time together. And that assertion is overlaid with that panel of Killua.

So in my opinion, this panel of Killua is meant to be a visual cue to link Gon’s words to Killua’s situation.

Because just a chapter before, Killua expressed his need to stay with Gon and spend more time with him. And right after, Gon explains to Palm, who wants the same exact thing, that he can’t give her what she wants : more time together.

This paneling is interesting. You could definitely dismiss it as unintentional or too wacky an interpretation. BUT. This exact paneling pattern was already used by Togashi, just 19 chapters before.

In chapter 199, Killua calls Gon his light. He expresses deep adoration and love for Gon, and it’s a highly emotional moment. And the very next chapter, chapter 200, Togashi introduces us to Palm, who goes on to monologue about love. I’ve highlighted this in countless posts, but Palm’s speech on love can be applied to Killua’s situation. And it’s on purpose. Because a chapter ago, Killua let his feelings bloom, and now, a character is here to indirectly highlight that.

And Togashi makes sure to link Palm’s speech to Killua’s situation, by providing a visual clue too.

The visual clue to link Palm’s monologue to Killua is Palm directly staring at Killua in the eye while saying that “love just happens out of nowhere”. 

So here, there are a few elements :

• Killua opens up his heart in an inner monologue

• The next chapter, a character says something that weirdly relates to Killua’s situation and thought in the previous chapter

• There’s a visual clue in paneling to link the character’s speech to Killua’s situation

Which is….. The same exact thing that happens in chapter 217 and 218.

• In chapter 217, Killua expresses his need to spend more time with Gon.

• The next chapter, Gon explains not being able to spend more time with Palm

• There’s a visual clue in the paneling : a panel of Killua while Gon explains the situation.

So in my opinion… This is smart, intentional paneling from Togashi. He’s giving us visual clues and laying down everything a chapter prior so that we make the connection between Gon’s words and his situation with Killua.

Gon can’t give Killua what he wants right now. Time, just the two of them. Even though that’s all Killua wants, Gon can’t provide right now, because he has to get stronger.

I think this specific situation is Togashi highlighting the reason why Gon can’t open up his heart to Killua right now, and he’s doing so through his use of Palm.

One more interesting parallel that reinforces my belief that Gon’s words applying to Killua is intentional is the fact that, just like I mentioned in this post, Gon’s date with Palm is foiling his day on Whale Island with Killua. 

To me, Togashi’s goal was to create an environment completely reminiscent of Killua, so that the reader unconsciously links Gon’s words to Killua. Through having Killua assert wanting to spend more time with Gon, make Gon go on a date that closely remembers his night with Killua on Whale Island, explain that he can’t give more time to Palm over a panel of Killua…

I really believe that this was Togashi’s goal. To indirectly explain why Gon can’t open his heart to Killua right now. I don’t think this interaction with Palm was directed at Palm from a narrative point of view. It was meant towards Killua.

Of course, there are other interpretations ! Gon could be directly referring to Killua, thinking about him and suggesting that his reason for turning Palm down is because he’s in love with Killua. Or it could just be regular paneling with no deeper meaning.

But hey, media consumption is subjective, and I’m a hoe for gay subtext, so here are my thoughts on this!

One little note of optimism though to close everything nicely. Gon highlights that he can’t give Palm (Killua) more time together right now because he’s focused on Kite. But when you keep in mind that it’s likely Gon’s speech is referring to Killua, then something interesting is highlighted.

That idea that, once this is over, he will be able to spend more time together. The same way Killua wants. Romantically.

Combine this with Ging’s speech on “something more important than the thing you’re hunting could be right there by the side of the road”, implying that Gon will need to realize this lesson…. I’m really thinking Gon’s next character arc will involve feelings realization. So hey, I’m gonna reach and say that this “i can’t give you what you want, at least not until this whole thing is over” is also meant to foreshadow feelings realization on Gon’s part.

This was very messy and in NO WAY subjective but if you read this until the end, thank you ! <3

(ty @buzzykrueger​ for making my brain buzz with thoughts !! if you want to add anything to this, on why you believe this could be Gon opening his heart and indirectly confessing he loves Killua, please feel free to add stuff!!)

[lustbile-archive]

[12:18AM]

part 2 to this -> [1:35AM]

smut (requested)

If given the question, ‘what are your strengths?’ you would like to think you would be able to say that you jump at every opportunity no hesitation. A door of opportunity opens, and you would be the first one to run through. And maybe that would be the truth if you had never met Jaebeom.

He had always been quick to fall into a deep sleep after your high ramblings, and post orgasm, he was no different. Of course, he helped in cleaning up and making you comfortable, but as soon as that was done, he became the human equivalent of a brick. You, on the other hand, fell asleep slowly, naive ideas about the sleepy love making that you hoped to make in the morning circling overhead, mixing with the residual smoke that lingered in the air.

But dreamy, smoke induced thoughts were never good at translating into a sober brain.

You woke up before him, something not out of the ordinary, but something about what had happened only hours before, combined with the way his face was softened with sleep, placed a lump in the back of your throat. There was no way to explain the panic that settled in your chest, or the spark of anxiety that ran through you as you pulled on your underwear, not an explanation that you were willing to face at the moment at least.

You were dressed and out his door in less than twenty minutes, trying not to think of the next time you would have to be in the same room as him.

____________________________________________

The next gathering of your friends was sooner than you had anticipated for, and far sooner than you would think you would be ready to face Jaebeom after not only sneaking out the morning after your first real hook up with him, but also dodging the come over texts he sent after.

Though, after a couple hours of circling each other like hungry cats throughout the small space of your friend’s living room, he had yet to say anything to you directly.

Avoiding each other to some extent wasn’t out of the ordinary for you two, so your friends weren’t curious or concerned, but they also didn’t know about your one on one meetings and they especially couldn’t feel the heavy weight of his stare that ran every inch of your body through the wispy smoke that filled the room.

You were quick to notice that he uncharacteristically hadn’t touched the few joints that were being passed around, regardless of being the one who had provided them to the group, and the idea of him being sober the first time you had to face him again, made your equally as sober mind race. Being the only two sober people in a group was weird on its own but pairing it with tension that laid between you made you feel paranoid and naked under his intense glare.

You stood up on shaking legs, muttering to the few that lingered by your side that you were going to grab a phone charger from the back bedroom, trying your hardest to not let your eyes meet with his. You gave no concern for a response before you were stepping over bodies and scattered trash to reach the hallway.

The time you spent in the bedroom was much longer than necessary to find the charger that you had already taken on more than one occasion, using the time away from the group to even your breathing and calm your heart rate. Once you had relaxed as much as you could, it wasn’t difficult to decide that you should probably leave, the tension between you too much for you to even consider having a good time tonight.

You leave the charger where it laid, shuffling out of the room with your arms wrapped tightly around yourself as you tried to think of a solid excuse to be the first one to leave, as it wouldn’t be surprising if the drugged out idiots that lay scattered across the floor found you leaving early as a reason to complain. You didn’t make it far with your slow walk though, when a strong hand shot from the hallway closet and grabbed the fabric of your shirt, the blaring music and low lights that flooded the house being a good cover for the screech you let out.

You don’t think before your arms begin flailing and smacking into the sturdy form that the hand had pressed you against, grunts being knocked into the air. The door slams shut, and your breath picks up to where it was before when your back is pressed into the wall and your hands are pressed by head.

“Are you avoiding me now?” to anyone else his tone would sound completely solid and neutral, but the underlying nervousness that shook his voice was all you could hear. The way his eyes were glossed over in confusion and caution was a stab to your heart when your eyes met.

“No?” your voice is quiet and shakes as you tilt your head back to avoid his stare, your fingers curling to dig your nails into your palms.

“Mhm,” he nods, pressing his body closer to your, “now you’re lying to me. That’s even better.”

Your back straightens as you look forward again, his accusatory tone twisting at your stomach in an uncomfortable way. Your only response to his bitter attitude being a hard glare.

“What?” his grip tightens while he lets out a dry laugh, “You ran out before I woke up, you never respond to my texts, and now you won’t say anything to me when we’re in the exact same room? What do you call that if it’s not you avoiding me?”

“I’m allowed to not want to hang out with you Jaebeom,” your defensive and cold as you continue to blatantly lie, your tone nothing like the one you had always wished you would use when you finally talked to him while sober, “and we never talked to each other at these gatherings anyways so what’s the problem now?”

“What’s the problem?” his eyebrows pull tight together, and you try desperately to ignore the hurt that laces his voice, “The problem is the person I’ve had a thing for as long as I’ve known them, is actively avoiding me right after we finally hook up. That’s my problem.”

You feel the weight of gravity pull on your worn body as you sulk, a look of shame locking onto your features, “I didn’t think you’d care so much.”

His warm breath hits your face as he huffs in defeat, his head gently shaking, “you didn’t think I’d care? Of course, I care. You think I just bring anyone over as often as I bring you? You think I’m letting anyone else in my apartment, smoking them up, and letting them sit on top of me for hours on end until they pass out? What, you think I’ve been doing that for my health?”

You only huff in response, your head rolling to the side to avoid the intensity that swims in his eyes, the blush warming your skin caused by his proximity and your shame.

“Of course, I don’t. It’s only you. It’s always only been you since the first time you came over. You know why?” he pauses until you slowly shake your head, the miniscule movement would have gone unnoticed if he wasn’t in your face, “Because I like you, you idiot.”

You can’t help the laughter that shakes your body and the grin that pulls at your lips, his own laughter rumbling his chest where it’s pressed against you.

“Oh my god, I’m so dumb,” you whine, your back arches from the wall as you squirm in his hold.

“Yeah oh my god,” his hands release your wrists, moving to cradle your face in his hands before he presses his mouth tightly against yours.

You hum in content when his tongue pries your mouth open, your hands taking over his previous position as they grip onto his wrists. Your jaw is slack, and your lips are quickly smeared in your combined saliva as his tongue rolls over yours and knocks against the back of your teeth.

“Wait,” he pulls back, only far enough for your eyes to meet, a look of concern heavy on his face, “you like me too right?”

You can’t help the way you pout in response, his scared boyish tone tugging at your heart, “yes Jaebeom. Of course, I like you.”

“Then why’d you run off?” he sounds bewildered and sad, the tone taking stabs at your heart.

“I panicked,” your thumbs start gently petting at the sensitive skin of his wrists making a shiver shake his form, “We never talked outside of us meeting at your place, and I wanted to talk about where we stood, but after what happened I got this idea in my head that you would only want me for someone to get high with and then fuck,” your eyes slide shut and you shake your head at the recounts of your own paranoia, “I should have just stayed and brought it up when you woke up, and we wouldn’t be here right now.”

He leans his face your press into your neck, his nose nuzzling against the sensitive skin protecting your jugular, one hand dropping to grab your thigh, and pulling it to hook over his hip, “as much as I would have preferred you had stayed, I don’t really mind the position we’re in right now,” he punctuates his words by digging his teeth into your skin, the smile that fills his face can be felt against you.

“Jaebeom,” you whine out, your head knocking against the wall behind you, a hum vibrates against you as his response, “I missed you.”

He pulls away to look at you again, “you missed me hm?” he taunts as he moves to kick at your foot that still stands on the floor, knocking your legs further apart, giving him more room to press against you, “how much did you miss me?”

You can’t control the way your hips jump as he grinds softly against you, a high-pitched plea falling from your lips.

His hand runs down your thigh, pushing under your skirt to grab at the waistband of your underwear, “I’m gonna give you what I wanted to that morning,” he all but growls, pulling at the flimsy fabric until you have to drop your leg back onto the floor. He puts no pause on bringing it back to its place on his hip once your underwear falls to the floor.

The hand on your face pets at your skin, his thumb pressing gently into your temple. The soft touch distracting you from his hand traveling to the space between your thighs, a sharp gasp breaking the air when his fingers press into where your arousal spills. If it weren’t for his hips pressing against you and your thigh locked tightly around him, you would have fallen to the floor.

His fingers pull up to dig into your clit as his teeth bite into his bottom lip. The roughness of his movements against you making your eyes roll back into your head. There’s a sudden shift in the air of the cramped closet. A feeling of sweet confessions warping into pants of desperation.

“Tell me you want it,” he demands, the hand on your face shifting to dig his fingers on each side of your jaw, locking your head in place, “I don’t think we have a lot of time in here, so tell me you want it baby.”

Your hips circle as you grind into his fingers, as you let out a pathetic whimper, “I want it Jaebeom. Please I want it.”

“That’s all I needed,” his hand falls away to pull at the waistband of his sweatpants, his lack of underwear making his hardened length press immediately into your thigh.

Jaebeom presses as flush against you as possible. The way his dampened head nudges against your clit when his hand wraps around your knee makes you keen. The desperate whine that you let out is the only encouragement he needs before he slowly presses into you.

Your hands fly to grip onto the back of his shirt when his thickness presses against every nerve inside you, the overwhelming feeling making your fingers tighten and your nails dig into the skin of his back. The pain that bites at his skin makes his hips stutter and thrust fully into you with a grunt. The grip on your jaw gets almost painfully tighter, making your jaw fall slack, the sting only matched by the way you stretch around him.

“Should have been fucking you like this this whole time,” his tone is almost angry as he begins to move inside you. His thrusts hard and deep, quiet whimpers spilling out of you with every single one, “dreamed about this pretty cunt every time I had you next to me.”

Smart comebacks swirled in your mind, but unable to leave your mouth from the way he held it open. Instead you just tightly clench around him as your hips move around sporadically and let out a groan.

“Fuck,” he curses through clenched teeth, his pace picking up as you silently sob, your stomach flexing and caving in in pleasure, “will you let me do whatever I want sweetheart?”

You nod to your best ability, tears collecting along your waterline as the feeling of him thick inside you teetering on overwhelming. He happily hums at your willingness as he closes his mouth and licks at his teeth.

His eyes squint, his eyebrows pulling together in thought before he leans his face closer to yours. The pleasure clouding your mind and the suddenness of his action gives you no time to think before he’s opening his mouth to harshly spit into yours. His open mouth quickly follows, laying an open-mouthed kiss on your lips. His tongue darting in, knocking against the back of your teeth, and dipping into the place on your tongue where his spit had collected.

He pulls away long enough to speak, “touch yourself for me. Let me feel you come,” the second his demand is in the air his mouth returns to yours.

Your hand falls from his back, squeezing between your heated bodies to press into your clit. A cry is muffled by his heated mouth at the first touch you place on your sensitive skin. Your shaking fingers are desperate as you recklessly move them back and forth. The promise of an orgasm creeping slowly up your spine and turning your brain to liquid.

You thrash as much as his weight that is pressed against you allows, your free leg bouncing against the floor as tears finally break to run down your face.

It feels like being shocked by electricity when your orgasm hits you suddenly. The leg around his hip tightening, his unrelenting thrusts making you scream into his mouth. Your sporadic motions break you away from his mouth and your head falls to the side, pressing into your shoulder. His fingers refuse to leave your jaw, keeping your mouth hanging open to let every noise fall freely from you. He has the audacity to laugh, an evil glint dancing in his eyes at the way you lose control.

His laughter is short lived when your thrashing and clenching begins to overwhelm him. His hand moves to grip at the flesh of your ass, pulling your hips away from the wall and tighter against his. He’s no longer pulling fully out of you, only gently pulsing as his own orgasm begins to flood his body. Grunts fill the small closet as he comes deeply inside of you, the warmth of his come filling you makes you shiver.

He quickly pulls you away from the wall when his orgasm reaches its end, wrapping his arms fully around you as he falls to the floor as gracefully as he can manage to avoid a more painful collapse that would have probably happened with the weakness that took over your limbs.

You wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, pressing your face into his shoulder. He pets the heated skin of your back through your damp shirt as it clings to you. The only sounds in the room your combined panting breaths as he softens still inside you.

“Tell me your mine,” his voice is gravely and unsure, the way he breaks the silence makes you tighten your body around his, “tell me I can have you now.”

“You have me,” your voice quiet when you refuse to pull away from his skin, “you’ve always had me. I’m yours”

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Extra Chapter 3&4: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

If anyone was waiting for this: here it is, my combined post for the mini extra chapters 3 & 4 of Clear Card! 🤣 (yeah, with chapter 55 less than 10 days away, I definitely enjoyed my vacation and took my damn time) These mini chapters were so mini (barely 5 pages each, while the first two were 6 pages each *cough*) that I felt like it was a good idea collecting them in just one post. There are some comments to be made about the translation but overall nothing serious (nothing on "Mana" levels, yeah I'm gonna always use that one as a yardstick from now on, cause that was honestly ridiculous and I hope we reached the peak and we're never going to see a trainwreck like that anymore). These mini chapters are still interesting because, aside from providing some sweet couple moments, they're also useful "bridges" to connect chapter 54 to the upcoming chapter 55, lessening the feeling of discontinuity due to the 3 months of wait between one chapter and the other. How? Let's go under the cut to find out!

Extra chapter n. 3 - Yukito & Touya

Extra chapter n. 3 is fully dedicated to the super loved ship TouYuki 😊 Following the previous pattern, they also appear in the cover page as little plushies, Yukito is sitting on a moon stand while Touya is sitting on a globe. The japanese text on the cover says "If the power of that wish is really strong.... The "promise" between Yukito and Touya is..." I'm a bit unsure about the first line because I don't know if it's a truncated version of 強ければならない (in that case it must be read as "must be really strong").

The story is very simple and short, our two young men have finished their shift at the ice cream parlor and are changing out of their uniforms while talking about their plans for dinner: Nakuru is dead on set to eat nagashi soumen, a typical japanese summer dish - and I'm surprised the ENG translation this time actually bothered to add a side note for it, although I wonder if whoever decided to write "she's fortunate enough to be in Japan in the summertime" has ever tasted what summer in Japan is really like. Anyways, Yukito is totally on board with Nakuru's idea and he wants to invite Sakura and Syaoran too. Touya of course makes his automatic grumpy face when he hears about Syaoran, but Yukito teases him and then, just like that, he blurts out "Oh, by the way, now I can use a little bit of magic!!" Geez, never change Yukito 🤣the nonchalance with which he said that made everything almost anticlimatic! 🤣Touya confirms that he knew something was up, when he and Nakuru went to the Tsukimine Shrine, and Yukito apologizes for not discussing it with him first. Touya gets worked up a little and offers to the fans another kabedon scene, or should we say locker-don scene? 🤣 He expresses all of his frustration for not being able to protect the people dear to him when they get in danger, and warns Yukito to not get hurt...him, and his other self too! Yukito can feel all the love and care from Touya in that enraged warning, and thanks him.

So yeah, there wasn't much that could be messed up, but the differences I have noticed are:

- In the ENG Yukito says "I can use magic now", while in the JP there's a very small but important detail added: "I can use a little bit of magic now!", signifying that what he can do is still pretty limited (and we've seen him summoning that barrier + Nakuru explaining that from now on he'll be the one deciding when he'll turn into Yue, retaining all memories of it)

- also Yukito doesn't exactly say "he's like family to you now" when talking about Syaoran, as much as it sounded good... He wouldn't expose Touya that much right on his face 😂 He actually used a verb, mitomeru 認める, which literally means "to recognize" but in this context it's used to indicate when you recognize someone's value (because you didn't, before) and you kinda "accept them" in your space. So yeah, even if Yukito didn't exactly use those words, I wouldn't know how else to express this "recognition" in English, so I guess "he's family to you now" can work (even if very blunt and probably overboard)

- In the last panel Yukito doesn't say "I thought you were most mad at me" (this caused confusion to me at first), but actually... Touya "the thing that pisses me off the most, more than you not discussing it with me, is people dear to me getting hurt" Touya "and what pisses me EVEN MORE off is being unable to do anything, when that happens" Yukito "You said 'the most' but there was actually something above that 😁" Touya "Shut up" So Touya is basically kinda mad/worried that Yukito will get into some trouble with the new powers, so he's warning him to not get hurt in the process 😁 (that's why Yukito replies 'thank you' after that) And Yukito was messing with him with that "there was something above 'the most'" 🤣

I found this mini chapter really cute and it surprised me to have yet another proof of how assertive Yukito can be when he decides to do something. As I've said in one of my previous replies to an ask, he knew what Touya thought about him taking "initiatives", so he didn't even need to discuss it with him. He once told him "if you really must, do what you decided to do", and Yukito didn't need anything else. Touya doesn't seem particularly offended either. The trust between these two is really heartwarming, and it goes to show how strong the bond between them is 😊

Extra chapter n. 4 - Eriol & Kaho

As it was easy to guess, after Touya and Yukito came Eriol and Kaho. We find them in the shape of little plushies just like everyone else, in front of a big window opening on a garden at night. The text reads: "Eriol Hiiragizawa and Kaho Mizuki. They think about Sakura with love, from the far away land of England"

Although, I'd like to point out to the editor that they've actually chatted about Kaito the whole time and Sakura was mentioned only in the very last page 🤣🤣

In this very short but meaningful extra chapter, CLAMP teased our thirst for answers to the many mysteries of Clear Card, and since the previous one was connected to chapter 54 (with the whole "hurt the people dear to me" matter), I actually predict this one will be connected to chapter 55. You'll see, what Eriol and Kaho talked about in this chapter will come out in chapter 55 too. It's definitely not by chance that they ended up talking about him, after all.

And summarizing the mini chapter, it really just comes down to this: Kaho finds Eriol still awake and checking out some strange piece of papers with the logo of the Magic Association on them, which Eriol explains are "documents with information regarding Yuna D. Kaito". It seems like it was very difficult to obtain them because apparently these papers were treated with magic. They contain his supposedly "spectacular war records", but Eriol adds that he might have understood a little bit better "why someone like him would start travelling with the girl". He adds that it's because he's also someone whose personality is a little bit twisted by having powers too strong, just like Kaito. It seems Eriol found something in common with him. Kaho passively aggressively scolds him telling him that yes, the fact that he didn't keep his promise to rest up does make him a little problematic! 😂 Eriol finally lies down on the bed and ends the chapter with the strong hope that Sakura will be able to show to Kaito what really matters the most, and in the meantime he will do everything he can from here, in order to help Sakura and the people who love her.

This mini chapter was a surprise, because I imagined it could be about Eriol and Kaho, but I thought they would be talking about Sakura and her situation with the powers, I would've never imagined they'd talk about Kaito the whole time. 😂 This extra chapter also came exactly at the same time of the CLAMP Space of July 30th, in which they talked for the first time about Kaito, and in some quite understanding terms too. You can find the translation of that particular bit of the Space as a pinned post to this blog! In that period I thought there was some kind of "message" that CLAMP was trying to pass through. That maybe Kaito isn't what everyone think he is. That there might be much more to him, and Eriol feels similar enough to him to get a hunch about what he's doing.

I also am a bit curious about Kaito's "battle records". They did say, during the flashback of his past, that soon enough there wasn't anyone capable of beating him anymore, but now I really wonder what's the nature of these "battles".....are those with the members of the Association, as a "practice"? Or.....are those...battles triggered during the "tasks" that those bastards gave him? The matter does concern me, and from what I could see, it sparked the curiosity of the JP fandom too.

Another thing that surprised me in a good way, is seeing Eriol affirming that he could grasp a little bit better why Kaito would start his journey with Akiho because they have a similar personality, twisted by the strong power. It seems almost as if Eriol wanted to say "I understand where he's coming from" or even "I would've done the same".

About the translation, the things I have to point out are:

- On page 3, in the ENG version Kaho asks for a confirmation that Kaito had kept all that information hidden with magic, but actually in the JP text there's no indication that it was Kaito doing it. Maybe it was the Association itself that kept it hidden. Who knows.

- On page 4, what actually the Eng translation left behind is that in that sentence Eriol says そんな彼が. It's a nuance, but he's basically saying "I have a feeling I grasped a little bit why someone like him would start a journey with the girl" -> "someone like him" -> "the reason why someone who has a brilliant battle record like him, so in theory a dangerous, belligerent person, would start a journey with that girl"

- I wonder if it was necessary to write "little" beside "girl", since the word used in the JP version is 少女, which is the correct term for a girl the age of Akiho. "Little girl" is probably more apt to translate the word 幼女, which indicates a girl younger than 7/9. They could've used "young girl" or just "girl", imo.

- Kaho's passive-aggressive remark to Eriol was much more striking in the original 😂😂 ENG, Kaho: I'm more concerned about your wellbeing, didn't you promise to rest up?" JP, Eriol: Maybe it's because we both are "magicians whose personality was skewed by having too much magical powers" JP, Kaho: indeed, you promised me you would sleep yet you didn't keep that promise, I do think that's a bit problematic 😊

And that's basically it. As you can see, it isn't much (thank god, it would've been awful if they managed to mess up even in such a small amount of pages!) but still some interesting bits. I really liked both of these extra chapters, even though my preference goes to the fourth one for obvious reasons. But also because I missed Eriol and it was so good to see him again! I feel like this extra chapter built the hype for chapter 55 skillfully, and I hope we'll see some powerful revelations, in less than 10 days!❤ Aren't y'all excited?? I am starting to get nervous, I admit it! 😆 See you soon!! 😉

[fandomlurker]

A Ponderous Rewatch: Pavlov’s Mice and Cameo

So thanks to Tumblr nerfing my ability to make an admittedly absurdly long post combining the previous episode rewatch with this one, I had to do this entry in two parts.

But at least now we’re in for the real treat: The first episode in airing order that’s animated by TMS Entertainment. And hey, even the Animaniacs show itself seems to acknowledge that this is special, because theme song rhyme is…

We're Animanie! Totally insane-y!~

Pinky and the Brainy!~

…which hasn’t been done since their debut. So this is gonna be fun.

Might as well get this out of the way, then, since this episode obviously involves Ivan Pavlov. I think most people who know of Pavlov through cultural osmosis pretty much know him as just “that one scientist who got dogs to respond to the sound of bells as if they were being offered food”. This is what happened, but it’s only part of the story. In reality, Ivan Pavlov was doing research on the physiology of digestion in dogs and he noticed one day that the dogs he was studying started to drool in the mere presence of the lab technician who regularly fed them even if the technician didn’t have food with them. Pavlov developed a way to redirect the dogs’ digestive juices outside of the body so that they could be measured, and then he ran some conditioning experiments to see if he could get them to salivate in response to external stimuli that had nothing to do with food, like ringing a bell.

The year in the title card, 1904, was the year Ivan Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize for the previously mentioned experiments, which he published the results of in “The Work of the Digestive Glands” in 1897. Basically, by 1904 he was done with his work with dogs and he moved on to experimenting with mice…at least according to this article in National Geographic by Virgina Hughes.

With that, let’s begin the episode proper.

“At the dawn of the 20th century, Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov, trained animals through his technique of conditioned reflex” says the narrator as we zoom in on a laboratory with Pavlov and our lovable mouse duo.

“Time to earn your dinner, my little mousey friends!”

It’s interesting how Pinky is the one that flinches uncomfortably at the loud sound of the gong while Brain simply snaps into his conditioned response. And that response? Uhhh…

“I’m a little teapot, short and stout.~”

“This is my handle, this is my spout.~”

(Is he…you know…?)

“When I get all steamed up, hear me shout!~”

“Tip me over and pour me out.~”

Oh no… This is a cute and funny scene and all, but when you know about Brain’s canonical issues with how he hates not being in control of a situation and all the traumas he’s endured (for those of you not in the know, yes, Brain does have a lot of trauma in his backstory that we learn about much later, both in the 90s spin-off and the reboot) regarding both general control and losing family and friends…there’s a bitter tinge to this scene.

He’s so embarrassed and humiliated.

He takes the cheese but he is positively fuming with rage, and I can’t exactly blame him from what I know about him.

This is made all the worse by Pinky’s innocent reaction to Brain’s little song and dance.

“Hahahahaha! Wonderful! Hahaha! EGAD, Brain, I could watch you do that dance all day! Haha, narf!”

For Pinky, this is harmless silliness and he gets to see Brain sing and dance and “have fun”, which is not a usual occurrence. But for Brain? Well...

“You have watched it all day, Pinky. Sixty-one times, to be exact. It’s a conditioned reflex to that infernal gong.”

“I’m powerless to stop it!”

Well, Brain, at the very least it’s not like you were a part of a more inhumane experiment like one regarding, say, learned helplessness or anything. …Oh wait. Whoops. (For those sensitive to animal abuse, I suggest refraining from clicking on the second link, and caution against clicking on the first if even more clinical text descriptions of such would upset you. The third link is spoilers for the reboot.)

All that aside, it seems like it’s Pinky’s turn. He gets the more traditional bell chime for his stimulus.

And the result is him going into an uncontrollable and very enthusiastic Slavic folk dance.

With violent results. I hope you appreciate that last screencap, as the animation goes by so quickly I had a lot of trouble isolating the part where Pinky kicks Brain and he goes flying.

Pinky is all too happy to get a reward of cheese, his favourite food, for doing something that he has no memory of.

“What’cha doin’ over there, Brain?”

“Contemplating your afterlife, Pinky.”

That’s not exactly fair, Brain, you know he has no control over this. To Brain’s credit, though, he doesn’t bop him or anything for kicking him involuntarily.

Pavlov leaves, playfully saying that he hopes the mice dream of cheese tonight, and the mice are immediately down to business.

“At last, he’s gone.”

“Now we can begin our conquest of the world!”

We’re already back to it being “our” conquest of the world, eh?

“Behold my latest creation, Pinky: The Vacuum-o-nator.”

Brain has never been good with naming things, has he? At least, not so far. I wonder if this will continue throughout the franchise?

Pinky is certainly very happy and impressed, though.

“It uses reverse air pressure to vacuum everything toward it.”

You know, I was just about to roast Brain for thinking that making a very odd version of a vacuum cleaner was such a brilliant thing, but then I remembered that this takes place in 1904. The vacuum cleaner as we know it was “invented independently by British engineer Hubert Cecil Booth and American inventor David T. Kenney” in 1901 according to Wikipedia, and portable vacuums were available to the general public starting in 1905.My apologies, Brain, that actually is very impressive.

Although, this all hinges on if the viewer considers episodes that take place in the past and/or at different locations than Acme Labs California to be mere Alternate Universe/What If? stories or Brain and Pinky using some kind of time machine to go to a different place and time for these episodes. (Before you tell me that this is just a cartoon and sicc the Please, Please Get a Life Foundation on me, I do this to have fun and maybe educate myself and the reader along the way. I promise I have a life. Barely.)

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Pinky?”

“Uhh… Yeah, Brain! But where are we gonna find rubber pants our size?”

Pinky, that’s… Listen, folks, don’t make the same mistake I did and google “rubber pants”. It’s not what you think it is. You will be disappointed.

BONK!

Seems like you’re enjoying yourself there, Pinky.

“No, Pinky. We’re going to use the Vacuum-o-nator to steal Russia’s crown jewels!”

Man, the animation for even this one small proclamation by Brain is so, so good. Brain standing authoritatively and holding the pen like a scepter or spear, the grand sweep of his arm as he says “no”, the serious and slightly menacing expression on his face, a violent and grabby swing of his arm on the word “steal”,  and a dramatic point and look up towards the sky when he finishes. TMS does great work, folks.

“Narf! Genius, Brain!”

Look at Brain’s satisfied smile at Pinky’s simple compliment. Remember what I said earlier about Brain going through his explanations to show off to and  impress Pinky? At this point I’m absolutely convinced that that’s why Brain turns up the theatrics more than necessary when going through his plans. After all, Pinky is (oddly and rather sadly) the only one in-universe who thinks Brain is a genius and a good person.

…Of course, the effect can sometimes be lessened by subsequent innocent bumbling.

“Turn it off, Pinky.”

He says this so exasperatedly yet so deadpan at the same time, it’s great.

“Oh! Right-o!”

Even Pinky immediately knows that he fucked up.

“Zort! Whew! Wild hairdo, Brain! Heh heh, I like it.”

He even pets Brain’s “hairdo”, aww. And though I personally could take or leave the ‘do, I like the pointed, sharp look this mishap’s given to his ears.

BONK!

“Now I feel cleansed.”

Okay, this one might have been a little too much, Brain.

“But Brain, aren’t the crown jewels always guarded by giant Cossacks?”

Well, Pinky, from what I know Cossacks were usually used extensively in the police force and as border guards during this time, so I guess that’s possible?

Brain picking the lock with the pen is a fun little detail.

“Don’t worry about the guards… For tonight, Pinky, at precisely 1 am, there’s a total lunar eclipse. “

Again, this is probably not a thing the average person could look up quickly and easily in the 90s and the writers most likely didn’t care about accuracy here, but there were no total lunar eclipses in 1904. There were some penumbral lunar eclipses in March and September of that year, though. Just a fun fact for you folks.

“The Earth’s shadow will completely cover the moon, blacking out all of St. Petersburg for a period of 30 seconds.”

Brain…?!? Brain, how did you get the diagram on that piece of paper to animate like that? What kind of Harry Potter-style magic bullshit is this?

I know this is a cartoon and all and I’m not truly upset but this honestly came out of nowhere and made me do a double-take.

“In that brief time, we will sneak past the Czar’s guards under the cover of darkness and steal the crown jewels…for he who controls the jewels controls Mother Russia!”

More dramatics!

“But…I thought your mother’s name was Désirée?”

I love Brain’s pose here. Very grumpy and sassy.

As for Pinky’s comment: We do get to meet Brain’s parents way later in the spin-off, though neither are addressed by any name. I’m taking this joke as canon anyway because it’s funny.

Well, well, well… Looks like we’re shaking things up a bit with an inking instead of a bonk. That’s gonna be a pain to get out of his white fur, though.

“Soon, Pinky, I will rule Russia…so from now on, call me Czar.”

Another sassy hand-on-hip pose.

“Right-o, Brain!”

“—eek! Czar Brain!”

“Come along, Pinky… Conquest awaits!”

Nice to know that despite the inking, Pinky’s still following him anyway. Plus he’s doing it with that fond look on his face again. Hmm…

What follows is a cute and ingenious sequence of Brain launching Pinky and himself through an open window via the spring force of a mousetrap. It goes by very quickly, but I just wanted to highlight a few things I managed to notice while pausing through it. Kudos to the animators again for these little details.

Pinky’s the one that wraps one arm around Brain’s shoulders so that Brain has both hands free to spring the mousetrap properly and so that they’ll be launched together.

Interestingly enough, Pinky’s the cautious one who braces for impact right away while Brain gleefully flies through the air with his arms outstretched.

The “camera” changes perspective and while Brain is still boldly flying forward with confidence, Pinky is still worried but has now opened his eyes as they fly towards the window.

Pinky’s still holding onto Brain and the Vacuum-o-nator as tight as he can. As they get closer to the window, however…

…Pinky seems to realize he’s going to smash into the wall above the window if he doesn’t let go, so he lets go of Brain. Brain doesn’t realize where his trajectory is taking him.

Pinky angles himself downward and through the open window, but it’s too late for Brain.

WHAM! RIP, Brain.

But his pain is not done! It looks like Pinky’s landing was in the soft snow. Meanwhile, Brain slides down onto the window and through the opening, only to bash into the lid of a garbage can, much to Pinky’s concern.

Then Brain falls headfirst into the snow.

And finally, Brain is clonked on the head by the same garbage can lid, which makes a loud gong noise. Someone get this poor mouse some Aspirin.

But since there was a gong noise, you all know what that means!

Cutely, Pinky joins in on the dance in the middle of it.

“Ha! Oh that was fun, Czar Brain! But let’s give it another go, right? Only this time with feeling!”

Man, that side-eye at the beginning from Brain…

Pinky’s body language is great in this episode, too. The gleeful flapping of his arms and feet and the “with feeling” gesture are fantastic examples of his more open and energetic nature coming through.

Oh hey, there’s that one shot of Brain being ticked off used in the spin-off theme song! I can’t exactly blame him for his anger here. He just went through a lot of pain in a short amount of time and was then involuntarily made to humiliate himself. Pinky doesn’t mean to be mean here—he genuinely wants to have some sing and dance fun with Brain—but it’s gotta sting to have the humiliation highlighted.

Pinky still doesn’t deserve a bonking for it, though. But it’s slapstick, so he’s fine.

Heh, “deliveries to rear” indeed.

Oh, are those jingle bells on a sleigh that I see?

Uh oh…

“No, Pinky… Not now!”

It cannot be stopped, Brain. He must dance!

Another quick detail as Brain launches himself at Pinky’s midsection to either topple him over or hold him still to get Pinky to stop.

Alas, Pinky’s dancing is too strong.

OUCH!

The face of regret.

His punishment is swiftly thwarted, though.

“…That was unpleasant.”

They take a different and more uneventful ride on a hay wagon to the palace.

I love the exaggerated perspective going on here.

Peekin’.

“We made it inside, Brain!”

“…’Czar Brain’.”

“Czar Brain.”

He says it so quietly and sweetly, aww.

“Yes, Pinky. There are fleeting moments when I even amaze myself.”

I…don’t know if it’s much of an accomplishment yet, Brain. Settle that ego down a bit.

Oh, that’s some classic Looney Tunes-style sneaking animation there.

Wait, why is the door to the treasure room just open behind them? Czar Nicolas II, what gives?

Speaking of…

Hello, Czar Nicolas II. I hope you’re enjoying your “eclipse party”. You only have another 14 years or so to live it up, after all.

“In just a few minutes, it’ll be totally dark and scary. OooOOoo!~ But don’t anyone touch me, I have cooties!”

I, uhhh. Okay, then.

Same, boys. Same. Best to get down to business.

“Behold the crown jewels of Mother Russia, Pinky. World conquest will soon be ours!”

Again, world conquest is “ours” and not just Brain’s. Also you can just tell Pinky’s thinking “I’m going to wear so much of this jewelry!”

“Now, Brain?”

“Not yet. Wait for the total eclipse.”

Speaking of…

“Complete darkness, Pinky. Start the Vacuum-o-nator…”

“NOW!”

That gonging noise is an interesting choice for a chime. Surely this ornate clock is only an omen of good things for our duo.

Pinky, you’re swooning again. And Brain…

Oh no.

Another clock! Who’d have thought Russian nobility loved clocks so much? This one has a more pleasant bell chime, though.

…Oh NO!

Well, looks like things are going to hell pretty quickly.

Goodbye, boys.

Goodbye, Czar Nicolas II! You might wanna look out for a man named Grigori Rasputin in the future, okay?

Nice hat, Brain.

“Whu--? The eclipse is over? Narf! What happened, Brain?”

BONK!

“Zort! I mean, Czar Brain.”

“We failed again, Pinky… But just wait until tomorrow night!”

“Why? What are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?”

“What else, Pinky?: Try to take over the world!”

It was a nice try, boys, but honestly I don’t know how you were going to fit all those crown jewels into that tiny improvised vacuum bag, anyway.

One last cute little detail in this episode is our mousey duo jumping up with enthusiastic determination in front of the silhouette of the moon on the last note of the theme reprise. One day, you guys. One day…

Oh! And before I forget, have another short cameo from “Plane Pals”. It’s a tiny one.

Pinky and the Brain steal a sheep off of an airplane. For what purpose? Who knows? But that’s it. I’m kind of wondering if the writers wanted to make a running joke of them making cameos to steal random things for world conquering purposes and just sort of gave up.

Anyway, so ends our recap for this post. It sure was a long one, but what can I say? There were some very cute details that needed to be shared. Have we learned anything new this time? Well, I mean, besides historical trivia.

Brain thinks both he and Pinky are great actors, despite his own near inability to lie and keep up an innocent pretense. Oh, he can be sarcastic, sure, but he can’t seem to manage to stop himself from revealing that he’s out for world  domination whenever he has an audience.

For the first time we see Brain’s annoyance and humiliation resulting from him being a lab mouse. Though it’s on the more subtle side at the moment, Brain seemed extra grumpy and violent during that last     episode because of the conditioning he’s unwillingly gone through. I’m     curious to see if there are any more examples of this before we reach an  episode touching on his origin story. Or…one of his origin stories, at     least. There’s around four of them last I checked and all but one of them  can reasonably fit into the others.

Pinky is truly beginning to show how much he adores Brain, which is nice. Beforehand we knew he was down with his world domination plans for whatever reason and also that he thinks Brain’s plans are great and ingenious. Now, though, we’ve gotten to the point of him literally swooning at Brain and his plans. Something’s definitely brewing there.

Next time: We get some more substantial cameos, join our mouse duo on a Fort Knox heist, and meet a new character that is both pretty important to the “lore” of the show going forward…but also doesn’t appear in person after their introductory episode until the very end of the Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain spin-off run.

See you then!