#i am not amazing BUT ITS LIKE COOL 2 SEE THEM ALL COLORED LIKE

[saetoshis]

ohh my gosh coloring bllk panels is so fun !

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 61

hello and welcome to fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.

Autistic Lance (Voltron) [series] by dontthinkiwont

"Look, okay, I get it, I like peanut butter, you like sharks. It's a thing, whatever. But seriously, dude - what the fuck?" - Or, Lance has Autism Spectrum Disorder and this can cause him to fixate on some things. Like, maybe, for instance, great white sharks. For example.

yes i like this series for projection reasons. whatever. it was also one of the first autistic lance fics out there!! and its v heavy in platonic relationships yall are gonna love it

2. Revelations and Reactions by @azapofinspiration

Keith couldn't believe it. He was part Galra. That was hard enough to deal with... But then he realized that he would have to tell the rest of the team. He couldn't help but fear how they would react. In which Keith reveals that he's part Galra after facing the Blade of Marmora's trials.

azap truly never misses. they KNOWWWW how to do found family like a CHAMP and i will never get tired of reading canon corrections where keith is like. loved and accepted lol

3. A Memory Like a Snapshot by MemeKonVLD

Pidge is still close —closer than is entirely comfortable if he has to be honest— giving him an evaluating glance. Lance doesn’t really know where to look, other than up her nose— but that grows old pretty fast. So he looks at himself in the reflection of her glasses. And squints. He touches his own face for the first time since waking up— and feels the roughness of his chin. “I have stubble,” he says, and the words are as alarmed as they can be even though they still sound slightly slurred, slightly off. Pidge blinks a couple of times at him, and finally retracts into a more comfortable distance. “Well, yeah,” she says. “You are like, what? 22? 23 in a couple of months?” “I’m feeling— I’m feeling a little queasy,” he says then, with bright spots of color dancing in front of his eyes as he thinks 22. Suddenly, a bucket gets shoved against his face. He takes hold of it with clammy fingers and he leans on his side so he can... use it. Thoroughly. “I’m having Garrison flashbacks,” he hears Pidge say.   (Or: Lance is stung by an alien bug, loses his memories temporarily and makes assumptions about his and Keith's relationship. Also, Pidge cheats at Uno.)

losing your memories. and waking up. and someone treats you so kindly and lovingly that you know, immediately, in the bones of you, that they love you. and the feeling in your chest even if your brain doesnt remember of love for them tells you clearly that this person is your soulmate. i am going to LOSE IT

4. Love in the Times of (Intergalactic) War by MemeKonVLD

Lance: Oh, man. [I see him grow visibly excited here, leaning forward and putting his hands up— he’s big on gesticulating, as anyone who’s watched the pilots of Voltron host SNL a couple of months ago knows.] Space is vast. I know that’s not groundbreaking knowledge there, and everyone’s somewhat aware of it, but— being up there? traveling around space for years, and knowing we never even— we never even came near to touching upon a tenth of what’s out there? That’s cool, weird and scary all in one.

WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT 2016 FICS. HUH. ICONIQUE?? AMAZING??? SHOWSTOPPING?? INCREDIBLE??? bc pov outsider is the BEST and watching how much lance SHINES to anyone who looks at him...yeah

5. Skin by MemeKonVLD

He’s aware of Lance talking to him, but he’s still too asleep to try to decipher whatever it is he’s blabbering about. He only starts paying attention when one of Lance’s hands goes to the drawstring of his pajama pants. “Whoa, what are you doing?” He asks, slapping Lance’s hand away, cheeks warm. “You,” Lance starts, pointing at him (and Keith notices that for all he’s made fun of him for the last forever for them, he’s wearing his fingerless gloves), “are not screwing up my skin care routine, man.” (AKA: the one where Keith and Lance switch bodies.)

suave keith and flustered lance my BELOVED. swapped bodies truly has to be one of the top ten tropes of all time. love watching them be in love and also stupid

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 782: The winner's parade!!

Pag 1

1: So... shall we fly?

Pag 2

4: Huh....

Huh!?

5: What's that blackboard that they showed out of that car just now?

Yeah, it's the signboard. In road races, they write the results of the race progress on that board like that to inform the other cyclists

Pag 3

1: Like, who won the “sprint” or the “mountain” and the time difference....!!

The first place...

Who's that!? Number 181?

Where is he from? Gunma!?

2: And the group behind changes its shape based on that information, just like a living thing!

Is it their debut?

Ah?

Someone like that took the first result?

What about Hiroshima!?

No but who is he! That number 181!!

3: What about Kagoshima and Kumadai!?

4: Nagoya, too

5: I mean, wait, that's not the point

Sohoku and Hakoaku should have been ahead too

6: It can't be

That guy...

Competed against those two

Pag 4

1: He defeated Hakogaku and Sohoku and took the sprint line!!

Pag 5

2: It was so hard.... but

I did it

Waaa.... I'm so happy, yon

3: Amazing!

I've never seen that jersey before!

Gunmaaa

4: I'm from Gunma!

Amazing!

Nice!

Pag 6

1: I'm so happy to hear the cheers...!!

2: Well then

3: To answer the cheers

5: Ready... set

6: What's number 181 doing

He bent forward, what is he doing!?

Is he accelerating!?

7: Hayaaa

Pag 7

1: Thank you-chai

It's a wheelie!!

Pag 8

1: Amaziing, it's the first time I see a wheelie during a race!

What's that!? It's amazing, he's only running on the rear wheel!

It's a service wheelie!!

What an amazing sense of balance!

He's waving his hand this way!

2: Ohhh he's super cool, though

He's incredible

3: He's not only strong but also cool!! He's the best...

Yoriko, shoot a video

4: He's doing a wheelie!!

Wooo!! Taa-kun, that guy you know is too cool

5: I just became a fan!

Number 181!! From now on more and more people will cheer for him

People who come to watch road racing are always looking for it!!

Pag 9

1: For an overwhelming newcomer!!

4: Dammit!!

Dammit!!

Pag 10

2: Idiot

Idiot

Idiot

3: Are you kidding me

What am I doing

What am I doing!!

4: What!!

5: I did!! Everything I could think of to become stronger, to become faster!!

Pag 11

1: Aaaaaagh dammit!!

3: I practiced... I practiced until I collapsed...

I lost last year....

4: And this year too!? What do I need to fix? Ah?

7: There's nothing to improve anymore!!

Pag 12

2: Stop screwing around, what “newcomer”

3: It's several times harder for someone to keep winning....!!

4: Even though that day

5: I

6: Watch me, Izumida-san, I'll definitely take the colored bib!!

Pag 13

1: I'll look forward to it

2: I promised....!!

3: This year I got the number “4”

In Hakone Academy it represents the ace sprinter

How important and heavy

4: is the role of the number “4” bib

5: That victory would have been a moral pillar for the team!!

6: I even changed my orders for this, and this is the outcome...!!

7: I had to win even if it meant to use up all my trump cards!!

Pag 14

2: I should have cornered him perfectly and shut him off...

4: Was I too naive somewhere?

5: No, there was no problem with you

Even from my point of view you ran well and had the perfect timing, Orange

6: San-na...!!

Pag 15

1: It must be frustrating for you too

You're a third year.... so this was your last first sprint

2: I guess you were aiming for two consecutive victories, since it's even harder to continue winning

3: Orange....!!

4: But don't worry

I promise myself

5: I will definitely not let that guy do as he wishes from now on!!

6: I'll be the one who will take the sprint line on the second and third day!! Leave it to me!!

Pag 16

2: No, I'll take them!!

3: Stop screwing around, why does it seem like I'll only finish the first result!?

Am I wrong?

Don't underestimate Hakogaku!

Ah... well, then, shall we race then?

Don't take it lightly!!

4: Hahaha but I'm an all-rounder, so I should have a job on the mountain, too!!

6: Is he joking!? Or should I correct him!?

7: H...uh? Yeah....

Let's just let it go...!!

Pag 18

1: The running order has changed!!

Gunma, who took the sprint, went ahead and is pulling the pack!!

2: I've never seen something like this

It's their debut, isn't it? Is this okay!?

3: If you take the sprint then you have to go in the front and pull – what kind of rule does road racing have? Isn't it too difficult?

4: It seems like it isn't a rule, Sonomoto-san

It's like they concede control

5: Kiji-saaan!!

Wooah, you were amazing, fou!! Kiji-san!! Everyone, follow me!!

Ichifuji is the only one who's pulling with so much energy

Pag 19

2: Doubashi-san....!!

3: Doubashi-san being defeated at the sprint is a big deal,isn't it?

That Kiji guy

4: If there's a chance to race him, please give me the order, Joe-san

No wait, you're the ace....

5: I'll crush him

Pag 20

1: Ahhh, ahhhh

2: We lost, teh.....!! What should we do!?

Kaburagi-san and Danchiku-san have.....!!

3: It's not a big deal

Since in road racing you don't have to retire just because you lost one of the midway races

4: But still, this isn't good!!

Yeah!!

5: Kaburagi-kun and Danchiku-kun lost...!!

6: Kiji-kun....!!

Pag 21

2: Puku...

He controlled it....

3: Gunma's Kiji controlled the sprint... ohh

4: What should I do?

Crush him quickly?

6: Or maybe.... make friends with him?

Puku....

Make friends!!

[fipindustries]

bojack horse bad again

you know, i was thinking back to this show again, i watched three seasons of it and that was all that i could tomach and you know what? no.

i dont accept it

i dont care, it was a bad show, it was an objectively bad show and i dont accept that everyone else decided that it was good, i dont care, it was a bad show and im going to tell you why.

emotional terrorism

maybe im a simpleton but i am someone who cares quite a lot about catharsis in my stories. this show refused to grant that, adamantly and violently. im not saying i need a happy ending, i am more than capable of enjoying bittersweet or even tragic stories, but i need a sense of completeness, some satisfaction, some release, some sense that things matter or meant something. this show insisted on refusing to give that. all this show was interested in was get an emotional reaction out of you. it was the emotional equivalent of a jump scare. it was convinced that if it made you feel bad enough people would confuse that with beeing powerful and deep. you could get the same reaction by walking up to someone on the street and kicking them in the nuts. and it would take about as much subtlety or artistry.

2. writer led rather than animator led

you could tell this was one of those shows that were made on the writer's room, not by storyboarders or artists, by "comedians". by people with english degrees. so many scenes of characters just standing around and talking. so many "jokes" that were clearly meant to be funny as something you read on a piece of paper or on a tweet and chuckle as you read it but as animation it just gave limp, stagnant scenes. so much dialog that were references and quips and puns and fast witticisms of the type you come up in the shower when thinking of clever comebacks.

there were so many fucking scenes where everything would stop and a character would launch on some stupid profound monologue about life and philosophy and psychology and relationships. it was like the writers were trying on for size paragraphs of their future memoirs or self help books. so much dialog that was begging for an award for writing. so many "mic drop" moments that were designed to be quoted. i find that the best writing is not the one that you can just quote out of context as a cool pithy phrase. a lot of the best writing ive seen in my life is meaningless when devoid of context, is inextricable of the scene and indeed of the entire story surrounding it but in here i can almost see the seams where the writers look at the camera waiting to see if you are impressed

3. inconsistent tone

this show wanted to eat its cake and then still have it. there are stories that manage to deftly weave in and out of comedic moments into serious moments. everything everywhere all at once does an amazing job jumping from the stupidest, most childish jokes into the most profound commentary about human nature, sometimes doing both at the same time and it worked, one didint cheapen the other.

in here though, it wanted to both have a completly absurd world with the stupidest characters ever and then somehow make us care for it all as if the show hadnt shot itself in the foot. it wanted us to see caroline being in love with what is clearly three children in a trenchcoat and then take her seriously as an adult, to treat any forther relationship drama she has as if it werent completly farcical.

4. ugly animation

it continued the blight that is take over adult animation by doing that disgusting repugnant paper puppet rigged interpolated quasi flash animation that only gives you stiff poses and movements and incredibly boring shots of characters standing in 3/4 perspective in front of the camera. it dull and flat and clunky and ugly, and the character designs were ugly. the noses were ugly and the mouths were ugly and the hairs were ugly and the eyes were ugly. it was all ugly. the backgrounds were fucking ugly and the colors were ugly and it was an ugly show to look at. unbearably so. and even the obligatory "weird" stylized scenes put in to shake things off and try to pretend that it was visually interesting (for like one scene per season) were also fucking ugly.

5. it had not interesting point to make

all it could do was insist and belavor and extemporize about how this one guy sucks and also most people kind of suck but specifically this one guy really sucks and he is not going to get better, or maybe he will? eh maybe, but not really, because he sucks. and we are going to make you like him because we are the writers and we are going to make him relatable and charismatic and sympathetic but actually no he sucks, you fell for it! and what does it say about you that you almost kind of liked him eh????. season after season of him, and in case you almost found anything redeemable about him, we are going to make him even worse, painfully unsubtly so, we are going to make him look at the camera and say that he sucks, because that is the level of nuance we think you can handle, dear viewer. this is called "self aware writing" and its postmodern and meta, which means its clever.

i fucking hate this show and the more i think about it the angrier it makes me, and what makes me more angriest of all is that people like it. its popular. it won awards i think. its largely recognized as a good show and its not! it sucks and its bad and if you like it you are stupid.

[veveisveryuncool]

TOP 5 FAVORITE KIRBY CHARACTERS

GO

AUGHAHGSBABDH....I LOVE ALL OF THEM SOSOSO MUCH <33 BUT HERE'S SOME OF THE ONES I THINK ARE VERY COOL (plus my thought process when drawing them)

6. cmonn... its kirby. kirby from kirby. he's such a wonderful fellow and so awe inspiring and cute and manifestation of love and friendship. he's a bonus but how could you not love him.

5. pitch!!!!! i love him i love him i love him. og birb with g r e e n colors and squeaky little design. plus he's super fun to use in DL3 :] to me he is a 7 year old kid who wants to be included with the big kids, and tries to act all cool and tough to impress them (but he really just loves his mama). i like drawing him with giant ahoges/head feathers, as well as giving him that long side-beak that i'm pretty sure i got from pato from pocoyo??

4. susie is amazing and wonderful and has a beautifully complex character that more people need to recognize!!! she's a capitalist and constantly has a condescending sales representative demeanor, but at heart she's just a playful girl who loves pink and ice cream and her dad that never got to have a full childhood to experience them. ALSO cyborg susie! i like to think her father let her choose one body modification each year on her birthday, but after the portal incident, she's been giving herself so many alterations that she's barely organic anymore (her voice is very AI sounding to me). uhh i like drawing her with little stars on her cuffs, and as of late i've been making her hair very fluffy (it has the same texture of a barbie doll)

3. RIBBON AAAA!!!!!!!!! i'll admit as a kid i did not like her but god she is a joy. that is a little girl! look at her! i love the idea of her being just a weird little chihuahua girl who performs seances regularly and knows the entire history of weaponry. also her being the crystal knight/guardian of ripple star headcanon!!! 🗣️🗣️ she is 100% the queen's adopted sister prove me wrong. lastly, i try to draw her as heart-shaped as possible— wings, head, hair, bow, eye highlights all vaguely resemble a heart and that is my biggest rule when i draw her. her little coat thing is inspired by @//somethinginworl 's design <33

2. bandana dee is my heart and soul and we tolerate ZERO disrespect for him here. even in canon, he's got one of the most well-defined personalities and backstories for a non-villain character! (in my heart he is the waddle dee from 64 and you can pry this from me with my cold dead hands) he's grown sososo much and i love how hal recognizes his development :]]] he may never amount to the same power as kirby, but goddammit if he doesn't have a heart and will of a true warrior 💜 i don't have a lot of idiosyncratic design choices since he's such a simple character, but his bandana ears must always be HUGE you hear me.

1. um. if you can't tell. i am very normal about adeleine. her moves in SA are super fun to use (and challenging), and oh my goshhhh the angst potential here. i am begging hal to bring her back in future games, especially with the more ancients-focused lore being incorporated recently. at heart though, i just really adore seeing her draw and paint amidst all these magical creatures in her life <3 she's slightly shy but super passionate, and is definitely kirby's big sister with her advice (especially in the storybooks!) and nicknames for him (kir-kun/kirbs in the manga). i caved long ago and gave her curtain bangs, and i really like dressing her up and experimenting with different outfits! *breathes heavily* the happy little artist kid makes me a very happy little artist kid 🫶

thanks for listening to my ramblings! in all honesty all of the kirby characters are my favorites and choosing just 5 is very hard and thought-inducing! :]

[the-64th-gamer]

I FINISHED MLP YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

(Started December 3, 2022 - Ended January 1, 2024 - 413 Days)

Am absolutely mindblown to see such an amazing series go through 9 seasons and literally continuously keep getting better and better!!!!!!!

Its been very cool binging it so quickly compared to most old fandom members watching it through syndication. Similar to when I rewatched SU there's such a difference seeing ideas and characters evolve at normal pace than to sit there for years brewing in fandom content that makes you expect them to go a different path. Lots of what I've heard be controversial things like Slice of Life and Starlight in general were some of my favorite parts of the show!!

Fav episode is The Perfect Pear, I was spoiled William Shatner was gonna play someone in the series and was SO FUCKIGN EXCITED when I realized it was him and in such an amazing episode!!!!! The ending was so fucking sweet omg.

Second fav was Slice of Life cause I get it was fanservice but on its own it was a great change of pace in the season to focus on background and side characters!!! After that it feels like they focused on background characters way more and it was very rewarding.

Seeing ***every single shot of Derpy*** was the funnest part of the show, I have personal screenshots of every single time I spotted her and stopping in the middle of songs or big fights just to scream and snapshot them was such a fun scavenger hunt. It made me go NUTS to see them do actual stuff on screen (ESPECIALLY THE SCENE IN BEST GIFT EVER WHEN SHE FINALLY GOT TO SPEAK IN FOREVER). It was also hilarious to see all the error derpies with fucked up colors and hair!!!!! It stopped in the later seasons except a time where she had a purple eye in a single shot, and one where she had big mac's face???? I was having a blast.

Similarly I was also just watching every single background character all the time every time, got to figure out which ponies would be used for which locations, when they'd appear in other places, which special ones could show up anywhere, which ones would do funny stuff, seeing new super cute background characters come in like Sweet Biscuit and Rainbow Stars!!! As someone hyperfocused on stupid stuff this was so fun watching the background nonstop.

Favorite season was season 6 or 7. Starlight was a great link for the episodes and it was the most normal seasons while the writing had gotten really good. Season 8 and 9 are still super good and I love that they were so willing to be bold and change things up a ton to keep interest, but 6 and 7 are closer to the usual baseline episode stuff so they're the best to go back to if I wanna rewatch.

I think the early seasons were still looking for a longterm identity for the show but I think starting season 5 it became this really great constant escalation of things. I really expected the show to just linger around the same ol' topics but it it kept changing the characters lives, the plot, and circumstances a ton while developing old characters and introducing new ones! Out of everything I've watched so far it was like the most masterful way to run a longterm series I've seen. Never felt burnt out or that anything was dragging, but also never felt like it ever lost its core identity!

Season 9 also was just a masterclass on ending a series, every single episode focused on bringing back some side character to give them an interesting spin, or conclude some arcs left behind. There were maybe one or two normal episodes but even those didnt feel like filler! I think the show was at its best throwing new ideas out and then taking a break with a standard friendship problem episode in a normal location. After watching it I don't think there was any missing thread or interesting thing they didn't try out! (Though also the series is formatted well enough they definitely could have continued making tons of standard episodes)

I can't remember if it was season 2 or 3 but I think when they first started introducing like regular songs to non adventure/important episodes it was really off, didn't really mesh well having the show be so musical, but they definitely incorporated it better as they went along and its kinda crazy it worked out well.

BTW I've steered clear from almost all opinions on the show outside of what Ray tells me so I dont know what of my opinions are universal to the fandom, but holy shit the season 8-9 intro sucks so much ass, all of the timing is COMPLETELY lost, theres that stupid school zoom out shot thats just maud hitting a rock in the middle of the road as it slowwwwwly pans, the backgrounds are way too visually noisy in the classrooms and the castle and its just an absolutely horrible nightmare that was thrown together in a day.

But yeah great show favorite show best show!!!!! I now get to see a decade of fan content and reviews and discussions n such!!! I watched some that were time appropriate for the current season I was watching to avoid spoilers but nows time for the floodgates!!!!! I'm glad I'll be able to hold onto my opinions now though and seperate them from anything I'm gonna further see discussed by all the old fans. I'm sure there will be tons of complaints I never considered but as I see it now that was a perfect run of television that I love very dearly!!!! Its certainly changed my life going forward lol.

[spitinsideme]

What are some other facts about you that we can know?

Like favorite color or what other hobbies you have besides art?

Which by the is amazing! Long live lesbians

Also you have great taste in food! kebabs are amazing middle eastern food is so good! You should try this dish called koobideh it’s the Persians take on a kebab and it’s so good!

you can literally ask me anything babygirl i will tell you all anything you so want to know !!! no questions are off limits 👍👍

my favoriitr colour is pink like jjst any pink, i used tobe really into padtel pink but now im just morr of a fan of like .. hot pink .. love a goof hot pink i want to see pink and have my eyes burn pink just id a reall cool colour !!! i omcr founf a pink hestt sharpener just on the floor durong a weddingw hich was weird ??? why wpuk someone brong a sharpener to the wedding ??? but whageve4 i toom it and its a really good sharpener honestlg .. pink is really cool i lime ot !!

my hobbbies arr honestly so on and off lime ive beem drawing everday for like what ? a over 2 months now o think ? i havr nrver held a hobby for thay long in my lifr !!! but yhe other hobbies i havr done arr limr .. i rrally enjoy making hoises and making furnitie ouy of cardboard i used to just work hours nonstop id foeget to eat, drink, do anything just literally sat gor hours working on making miniture cardboard sofas and cushions and tables and cabinets and even like functional drawers for tgem !!! thatwas so fun i made like 2 fully big houses with rooms and furniture !!!! all out of cardboard !! i love collecting cardboard ...

another hobbg i have is i would make little clay animals !! tbey wrre mever good, never like looked professionwl, they would chip and be cracked and look bad overall but i lloved them so much becaudr to me they were tiny animals i made who were.now basicslly silly creatures who i loved and held desr, i out them in the cardboard houses ... that was very fun

another hobby is that i like to.research fetishes and i dont really talk about it becayse i knw its kind of wekrd and odd !! jve been doing it sonce i was 12 becaude i jad this dream where shaggy from scooby doo tried and torture me and he tied me up and put a shock collar on me and in the dream k liked it ?? shaggu was so weirded out he literally just like stopped tortuning me he just kind of left me alone tied up but anyways i woke up and was like woah .... and from.then one ive been resesrching fetishes and kinks ever since !!! like . everythinf about them .. i have filled up about 3 notesbook literally full with facts about the fetishes, defintions, how it dtarts, psychology behind it, causes, my own theories, literally so much information because i am so obsessedwotb it i have to restarsin kyself every single time a kink os brought up i stsrt internally barkinga md screaming by a dog im hoding myself back on a leash otherwide i will just infodump about like bdsm or some shit and no oen wants to jesr the psychology behind bdsm

i willl abeolyrely try that dish out if i ever get the cha nce tgank byou !!

[n7priv]

how do you start sth like this even?..

uhm, hi, so; recently i picked up this video game, i bought it cause i really loved another game its creators made and i wanted to check out their previous work. i'm talking about citizen sleeper (which this post isnt about but this is totally an amazing experience!!!) and jump over the age's first game;

in other waters

its a game about Ellery Vas, a xenobiologist in their dive suit following the tracks of Minae, a former work colleague and friend, onto an exoplanet (which btw is a real planet, but — as far as i know — isn't filled with water and life) and discovering what happened there.

however, your (the player's) point of view is not that of either one of these two friends, but instead that of the supporting AI inside the dive suit (kinda like siri but cool bc its you).

and this is where my adoration for this game comes from:

all you get to see is a user interface.

the mesmerizing wide depths of the ocean, the new species you discover in these foreign waters, the multiple suns that never set because of the tidally locked orbit of the planet,

you get to see none of it.

all you get, is a navigation interface on a map consisting of vague shapes in three, maybe four, colors max at a time;

the AI's POV.

and yet, the game still manages to deliver its environments and story convincingly.

shallow waters feel shallow, depths feel deep, hazardous areas feel toxic, life feels alive, Ellery feels like a person, a scientist who's working together with you to find out what happened to their friend, and to the life on this planet, and you feel responsible for your human.

i'll leave you with a few more screenshots, maybe you'll see what i mean:

apart from the obvious (the colors) it's also the interactions with Ellery that make this game feel so;; alive

they describe the world to you, though not always directly, sometimes you have to read their diary entries, their research notes, their coments on landmarks.

as you explore and scan and sample the different life forms around you, you unlock taxonomy entries for different species, and completing research on each of them will unlock a sketch of the life form from Ellery

(spoiler ahead i guess; just one example)

you end up caring for them because they are your eyes, your window into the real (well, as real as video games get) world, and yet, the only way you can communicate with them is occasionally answer yes or no to a question.

or is it? because i felt that through my actions in the game i was showing them i cared, and i that wanted to help. the entire game felt like a conversation between me and this somewhat lost scientist. when they thanked me for helping them out and looking after them, it feels heartfelt and appropriate; not cold and out of nowhere because "we need a bonding moment"

also, the soundtrack and sound design of this game just create the perfect atmosphere:

so, tldr, i am amazed by how jump over the age conveys this foreign environment, makes me care for their characters, and tells their story convincingly, all with nothing but a few colored lines n blobs, a bit of text, and a wonderful soundtrack.

tldr^2: in other waters is an amazing video game.

thanks for reading if u made it this far ‹3

- Lu

[kajaono]

Killing off Ilsa was both damaging for Grace and Ilsa

I already saw two accusation flying around saying that 1. we are pitting Grace and Ilsa against each other and 2. that we are reducing Grace to a love interest.

So let me give some context. When I was sitting in MI7 i was hoping the whole time we would see Grace and Ilsa working together. Or we would see Ilsa working with the female killer, to cause chaos. In short, for the movie to pass the Bechdel test. It didn't happened. Which already left me disappointed. So many women and none of them has a single interaction with eachother. What a shame

But why do I care so much? Its an action movie after all. Why do I excpect female characters to be treated correctly in the MI movies? In short, when the MI movies started they were like a second Bond. Especially the women were Bond girls. Easy replacable. Don't get me started on the femme fatale trope of MI1 or the damsel in distress in MI2. And the Bond movies struggle so much to get away from this hurtful potrayal of female characters. The MI movie didn't. Quickly they developed cool, kick ass female agents who were equal to Ethan and NOT his love interests. BUT (and that is thing everything boils down to eventually) they were still replacable. Not the men, they weren't, because they are men. But the female actresses all got replaced with every new movie being released. UNTIL Ilsa. And that makes her so special. We finally finally had a woman who got her time to devlop a character, a back story, because she stayed longer then one movie. And from the beginning onwards she was a troubled character (and not in the tragic damsel in distress way Nyah was.) She was complex because she had time to be complex. This isn't about ilsa. This could also have been Jane Carter or Nyah or Zhen, because they all deserved it. But it took us five movies and 16 years to finally get a female character who was allowed to stay around.

Then Grace appeared. When I saw her, my hope was that she would be yet another cool kick ass female character who would stay around for longer (so far, i was true) and work together with Ilsa. Female soldiarity. As equals. Finally making the team more female, moving it away from the whole tierd trope "three men and one women" (which is so outdated and still gets used in shows like Paw Patrol. It is like we haven't moved a single bit in female representation. there can only be one woman)

And this is the problem. I am sure there are Ilsa stans who pit Ilsa against Grace, no question on that. But the bigger problem is that the movie did it first. MI6 had this wonderful scene where Ilsa says about Julia: "I like her".

I hoped for something like that between Ilsa and Grace but what did we got: "Only one can survive" So it was always one against another. There can only be one woman. But why? Why MCQ? Why can't there be two?

Because now Ilsa is dead. And she isn't THE woman anymore. She isn't the woman anymore who was not replaced by yet another female character. No, now she is just one of many. Claire, Nyah, Zhen, Jane, Lindsey, Ilsa, Grace.

Ilsa is now just a name on a list. And the horrible thing is: Grace as well. By killing off Ilsa you showed that BOTH Ilsa and Grace are replacable. And thats horrible.

Hayley (Grace) was/is supposed to be the next Ethan Hunt. But now her role of a hero will be always founded on a dead woman. Which btw is the reason that many casual fans already said: They love Grace but the moment Ilsa died, they started hating Grace/ or: The moment ilsa died they decided they wouldn't watch another MI movie EVEN THOUGH they love Grace and thinks its a pity for her

And thats what I think too, you could have had TWO amazing female heros. But instead MCQ killed one of them to bring up the other. This is NOT the female representation i want in my movies

Also if Hayley will take over the MI movies she needs good starting conditions. Look how much people hated that a woman of color took over the 007 title for one minute. Imagine what will happen when studios say: Ethan Hunt is done, here is Grace" People (Men) will be furious anyway. Already making them furious now by pitting her against Ilsa and building her legancy on Ilsa is the worst start her character could have and i wonder why MCQ didn't considered that. I mean MI TV show stans are still angry at the first MI movie and refuse to watch the movie movies completly for what happened in MI1.

2. So is saying "Grace is just a stand in for Ilsa" sexist? No. But the movie treats her like one and thats sexists. Grace is amazing! She is funny, she is lovable, she is deeply human and a really clever thief. But instead of using those talents to let the movie shine, MCQ decided that Ethan would turn to her minutes after Ilsa died, touch her, nearly kiss her etc. Which is like...? Same things he did with Ilsa one hour ago in the desert. Does that reduces Ilsa and Grace to a love intrerest? No, both are so much more. But it is established that Ethan has a thing for brown haired women. His wife was one, his girlfriend was one, Ilsa was one and then Grace walks on the screen, with the same fashion scene as Ilsa etc. But without the established backstory. Still kinda helpless und clueless. Yeah she can fight and save herself and is kickass. But the whole thing is that Grace is "Before joining an agent organisation" and Ilsa is "after leaving an agent organisation" was... really telling imo. Take that the way you like

That Ethan seemed to have an instant attraction to both Grace and Ilsa was only a part of the mirroring, part of a bigger picture, it doesn't reduce Ilsa or Grace to a love interest

Edit: I noticed this part sounds confusing. To summarize it. Ilsa is: established backstory + fighting skills + saves herself + love interested. Grace is: no established backstory + thief skills + kinda saves herself + love interest. Because she doesn't has a troubled past like Ilsa the focus was shifting so much stronger to the love interest part of her, that even though that she is so much more then that, eventually she just felt like another: Amazing super agent who can kick ass, but who is eventually only there to kiss the male main character to boost his ego and to help him learn a lesson and become more humble" What we already had so so many times. And is so boring. Ilsa was more then that because of her backstory. But then go a stand in with Grace. And so we end up at the „both are replaceable“ part again

Funny that MCQ hated the idea of Ilsa being a love interest so much that he rather had her dying then her kissing Ethan. While it was him who wrote multiple kissing scenes in the first place and it was him who immeditaly wrote "and ethan gets all touchy touchy on Grace" So MCQ, whats the truth?

TL:DR: Killing of Ilsa hurted both Grace and Ilsa and was a step backwards in female representation in action movies because Ilsa and Grace should have fought along side each other. The legacy of one woman shouldn't be build on the death of another

[rockybloo]

What’s your favorite fairytale(s) reimagined piece of media? I’ll start first, beanstalked. It already looks so cool and reading about the characters makes me so excited to see more. The character design are amazing, your style is so damn nice to look at and seeing just how much these characters mean to you is so nice to see. MORE UNAPOLOGETIC LOVE FOR YOUR OWN STORIES! Everyone should I their own little fandoms in their heads! Draw those badass monsters! Make your silly little guys kiss! Your brain should be mush from your love of your own works! Also thanks for indirectly bring back my love for my oc’s from middle school, I missed those guys. Your stories have feel so nostalgic, so familiar and comforting but new and refreshing.

T thank yo ou u. I get so happy when people like Beanstalked, I KNOW I SAY THIS EVERYTIME SOMEONE SAYS THEY LIKE IT BUT I'MMA KEEP ON SAYING IT, because it is my baby 😭

AND YES-THE SELF INDULGENCE SPREADS

As for fav fairytale reimaginings-OH BOY here we go because do I have a LIST

Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997): One of my earliest memories of a fairy tale retellings that I actually enjoyed as a kid. There are so many things in it that just hit along with the songs. Honestly, every other live action Cinderella falls flat in comparison for me.

Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child: I grew up watching reruns on HBO and it was a big motivation for me to say "fuck it" and make a vast majority of the characters in Beanstalked people of color. Plus, I love the design choices they make for a lot of the characters. And the 90s vibes are just sooo good.

American McGee's Grim: I love this demented little game and its style. The execution makes it worth it to play for me even if you aren't into fairy tales. Plus, how can I turn down technically having the ability to run around inside an ACTUAL level based on fairy tales. I have Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella and I like to play them occasionally just for the fun of it. And yes, that Jack and the Beanstalk is 100%ed

Shrek 1 and 2: I love both these films and they are very nostalgic to me but I especially love the second. It really goes all in on that "living in a fairy tale" aspect with Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming, the Frog Prince, Puss in Boots, etc. Plus, that "I Need a Hero" montage just goes so hard. It's honestly one of my fav animated scenes in a film.

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio: I love stop motion. And I love retellings that know their source material while also adding their own flavor. This film is such a work of art from head to toe and I balled so many times watching. Plus the way it touches on the aspect of life and death makes me so happy.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: I could gush on and on about how much I love the animations and characters but like…everyone has already done that for me so I will focus on what specifically made me love the film. And that's how it handles fairy tales. It takes a much more earnest approach than Shrek, which while I love, you have to admit it can be a bit mean spirited at times. So I enjoy how this movie was more of a "these tales are people living their lives". I love the found family aspect of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Puss in Boots being a legend and a bad ass and cocky like the OG tale. I even liked Jack Horner and how he was just that good classic "I am a dick and I own it" character. Personally, I view him as a sort of commentary on how companies will IP dump things to seem cooler and more successful. In this case, it's Fairy Tale dumping which is DEF something I've seen SO MANY TIMES because companies will thing having a bunch of tales in one thing automatically makes them cool since "DISNEY DID IT SO IT'LL WORK" and they just land flat on their face. I genuinely hope that more films in the Shrekverse have this sort of down to earthness to them…and if no the Shrekverse then maybe some more animated films that genuinely reimagine fairy tales.

Relating to the previous point but I do not care what anyone says that little boy with the cow and the giant covered in greenery was def a fuckin Jack and the Beanstalk reference and I will fight everyone tooth and nail about it I SEE A REF TO MY FAV TALE WHEN I SEE IT DAMMIT

Alice and the Nightmare: A webcomic that's based off Alice in Wonderland. Currently, it's one of the only Alice based reimaginings that I like and the art is just so GOOD??? I am always hyped to read the next update.

I'm sure there is like...a crumb of more but these are the ones that really resonate with me and motivate me to work on Beanstalked when I see them. I keep thinking the list is gonna be longer but honestly...it's the list of fairy tale retellings that I'm NOT into that is the long one. It doesn't help that I occasionally watch the off brand animated fairy tale based movie on Netflix for funzies and come out mildly disturbed.

[nelyastudies]

pediatrics rotation ending note 🩺🐣

the last leg of the pediatrics rotation have been draining, there’s a conflict with higher-ups, as well as everything else that has been in the world lately. its so strange and chilling hearing about babies dying in a cold incubator then stepping into our hospital NICU, with electricity in its veins and trays full of milk and loving mothers in one piece, their bodies warm on the sofas. how lucky am i?

after 2 weeks in the NICU rotation my team went to the clinics. i attended dr. H who is such a cool pediatric cardiologist. ah, he’s really so cool, guys. someday i want to be a doctor like that. we also had our practice exam that week, and dr. H complimented us on our auscultation skill and i was over the moon i literally still thinking about it today. the second practice exam with dr. M could have been much better, as i did everything right but forget to ask about immunization status and developmental stage milestone of the kid and because of that i wont forget it anytime soon, fortunately. both doctors commented on my lack of swag as a doctor and said that i have to speak with more pride. unfortunately my self esteem issues are another can of worms which no pediatric consultant could tackle.

one afternoon when i was so tired and thirsty after night shift with only 1000 rupiah on my pocket, i saw a rujak vendor in front of our dorm, his fruit display bursting with colors. i saw some water apples, blooming red on the pile. i asked the vendor if i could just have one for 1000 and he gave me three :’) “they look tasty, aren’t they? you want one don’t you?” and grabbed a fistful. ngl this made me so happy, my faith in humanity restored. now that i think of it, it was always the poorest who are the most generous. god had granted them wealth in goodness of the heart.

the final exams made me so crazy, i grew nauseous and threw up and lapsed into bad habits before the written exams and was so nervous during practice exams it’s a wonder i passed at all. my practicals score was among the highest but i know that my luck worked hard on that. there is so much i dont understand still.

after pediatrics, comes a week holiday. i’ve waited for so long for this because we barely had weekends off at all. on saturday, my father drove from my home city to where i am studying and we went to the mall to watch my shinee world (well i did, he didnt want to so he just went to the mall’s bakery). i wore pearl aqua, the band’s signature color, from head to toe XD i looked very pretty if i say so myself, the dress is cut beautifully to highlight the waist and make me look taller wkwkwk. i arrived JUST as the movie start and accidentally knocked over another fan’s bag ;-;. anyway, it was amazing seeing how shinee grew as artists in timelapse. my heart was so full of love.

[thepageofhopes]

Talking about my choices and template under the cut!

Favorite Game of All Time: Undertale

Probably will stay my GOAT forever unless Deltarune manages to stick it's landing with the many cool extensions to undertale's themes and lore it brings up. Part of my love for it is based on how little games cared to explore the themes it brought up before undertale came out.

Favorite Series: Super Monkey Ball series

No other games have really managed to capture what this series had, though Rolled Out might by the time it's finally released. Lots of nostalgia baked into this choice- I used to do stunts as a teenager back in the day and learn the tech from forums.

Best Soundtrack: Terraria's Calamity Mod

Yes, I'm counting a mod as both a separate game and enough of one to have the best soundtrack. I already loved DM DOKURO's undertale remixes, and they just knock it out of the park with the Calamity mod. I will never not scream THE ENEMY HAS ASCENDED BEYOND YOUR CONTROL but Devourer of Gods is also something truly special.

Favorite Protagonist: Zagreus from Hades

I'm not usually super into the protagonists of games as I usually am with the supporting cast, but Zagreus really makes the story of Hades and his commentary brings the game to life so, so much. Other contender of this spot was probably the Voice of the Hero from Slay the Princess, but hard to say if they are really the protagonist, and also, I like Voice of the Contrarian even more.

Favorite Villain: The Masked Man from Mother 3

-endless crying-

Best Story: Mother 3

Listen, Undertale may be my GOAT but Mother 3 is my number 2 because of how good the story is. Please go watch Super Eyepatch Wolf's video on it if you haven't. The incredible themes, the knife-twisting tragedies, the goofy humor covering up extremely dark subject matter, all of it is so, so, so, good.

Have not played but want to: Alan Wake 2

This game seems so much My Shit™ but sadly it is only on epic games store which I hate. I've heard so many wonderful things about the game and all the visuals in those reviews look amazing and seem like it really is the peak of modern survival horror. Can't wait for it to come to Steam/GoG.

Everyone hates but you love: Continue?9876543210

'Everyone' is quite an overstatement for such a weird, niche game but it is the only game I really like that also has a non positive rating on steam. I've always loved the weird themes and existentialism tinged with hope that this game offers, despite everything from its mechanics to the story being vague and near impossible to parse.

You hate but everyone loves: Into The Breach

Nuclear Throne/Enter the Gungeon could also go here. All are roguelikes which are incredibly loved in the community that I just can't stand. I don't even particularly know why I don't like them, just something about the feel of the mechanics don't agree with me.

Best Artstyle: Splatoon series, but specifically Octo Expansion (until Side Order inevitably beats this)

Splatoon has always been a series marked by it's incredible visual design. Everything screams 90s, the color choices are vivid and striking, the character models are super expressive, etc. Octo Expansion adds even more with the retropunk aesthetic and dark environments mixed with the neon greens and blues.

Favorite Ending: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations

The entire last case of this game is perfect. The ending montage where you get to see where all the characters are going is sweet and ties a great bow on the series, and the final picture with the vase gets me every time. This was another game that was a contender for best story.

Favorite Boss Fight: Undyne the Undying from Undertale

'Not Sans???' listen Sans is probably the better design but Undyne the Undying was my literal first true boss I ever fought in Undertale, and it will always stick with me. I love the rhythm game style of her mechanics and her intro into her music sets the tone perfectly for the genocide run.

Childhood Game: Ball Revamped 2: Metaphasik

Catz is also a contender here since that is even older and I also played that quite a lot as a kid, but Ball Revamped 2 and a lot of jmtb02's other flash games were really when I started to heavily get into video games. I still sometimes go back to this one, the design still holds up quite well, and the rest of the series ain't bad either.

Relaxing Game: Vampire Survivors

I don't generally play 'relaxing' games, I like my games hard and fast and brutal. But vampire survivors build crafting is incredibly relaxing and when you make a successful build being able to just sit back and let the game play itself to win is such a dopamine rush.

Stressful Game: Cook, Serve, Delicious 3

Honestly, most of the games I play could go here. CSD series however is a special type of stress that puts me on edge through the whole level, enough that I often can't do more than a 3 or so in a play session (lovingly). A rhythm game without music, there is no other game series that demands the level of intense focus and execution like this does.

Game you can always come back to: Fallout: New Vegas

I've come back to this game at least 10 separate times with new characters. A combination of incredibly relaxing due to the easy combat system and replayability given the role playing system mean it's an easy game to just jump back into even after a long time away.

Guilty Pleasure: Project Sekai: Colorful Stage

I play a lot of gacha games and most if not all could fit here given how terrible those games are with the players, but Project Sekai is one where I will actively gush about it as I think it's story and characters are legitimately great. Magia Record could also fit here if it the NA servers weren't shut down.

Tons of Hours Played: Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Not my most played game technically (Terraria and Tabletop Simulator beat it) but both of those don't count as many of Terraria's hours are idle due to holding a server up, and Tabletop Simulator due to waiting and also it's not exactly a game in it's own right. I've so far put 750 hours into Rebirth, and still only have 545 of the 637 achievements. No other game has ever captured BoI's way of insane item combinations that make each run a discovery fest.

And here's the template!

[randomshenaniganery]

TGCF Donghua

okay so I've been watching this shit since it was released and I'm fully enjoying waiting for the weekly episodes and I wanna rant about it because I love it so much but I do have some minor gripes

Bad chuchu out of the way first

I am not happy with how generic and unoriginal the designs for most of the supporting characters. Like yeah they still look somewhat different but when the pool of named characters will expand it will get harder and harder to tell people apart if they keep on going with this route. Almost everyone suffers from same face syndrome which I know is rampant in current anime I just wished they allowed for at least more dynamic silhouettes, hairstyles, and color palettes. It feels like a more toned down version of the character design in the manhua. Lang Qianqiu in the manhua is so easy to recognize because of his outfit and pei ming looks more like the bastard he is etc. Don't get me started on the design for Kemo, the manhua felt eh I feel like Kemo was too pretty and too slim but in the donghua its just he's a straight up orc idk, i feel like they could've done better. Pei Su looks very generic, I think out of everyone he's the most generic looking of them all. SQX, Ling Wen and Jun Wu are the best designs for the supporting cast and I think Banyue is also okay looking cause you can tell her apart from the rest so far.

I am super disappointed in Qi Rong's reveal because it doesn't feel as impactful in the book. In the book the reveal of him looking like Xie Lian was so dramatic to me I was like oh my god is that his brother? A twin? a doppelganger? And then Qi Rong just kinda looks like that, tbh his voice actor and his clothes are fine I think they fit. It's just weird how he suffers from same face syndrome. If they made everyone look less like each other making Qi Rong look like Xie Lian would have been so impactful and a really cool cliffhanger but they couldn't do that because even fucking Lang Qianqiu kinda looks like Xie Lian with lighter hair. Also the Fang xin design is alright on the clothes but the mask gives off a bit cheap however I get that it can't be super detailed and it still does its job so I can handwave that small pet peeve.

Also censorship we couldn't get Xie Lian falling on Hua Cheng's lap and so them trying to make up for that was super awkward LMAO, they could have solved this by making SQX fall right on Hua Cheng's chair so that they could justify why Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng and throws him but they didn't... and it's so awkward...

I think it was like Episode 2 of s2 that the animation feels weird, Mu Qing's face felt off to me idk what was going on it just felt like something went down but the next episode it was perfectly fine anyway.

Positives!!!

Something the manhua didn't have was Fu Yao and Nan Feng looking a bit like each other, that was so fucking funny and it's a great display of how much they hate each other and live rent free in each other's heads ong. I love that detail the donghua did I think that's smart.

The voice actors are so great in both dubs they're doing amazing (I haven't listened to the jp dub) I have no complaints I love their work

ONE of my favorite things about the donghua is being able to see Hua Cheng's expressions even when Xie Lian is doing something in the book so he wouldn't notice. I love seeing how pleased he is every time someone points out the intimacy with him and Xie Lian. Like in season 1 when Fu Yao is shocked/horrified that Xie Lian shared a bed with Hua Cheng, San Lang puts a hand on his chin and looks so fucking smug and happy. This happens a couple times in s2 as well someone will be like oh that's weird you're so like this with Hua Cheng and he becomes a smug cat it's great.

Another one I enjoy is during the beginning of the banyue arc when Xie Lian reveals to Fu Yao and Nan Feng that he's used to sleeping in squalor the camera goes to Nan Feng not revealing his face but clearly showing his guilt over what Xie Lian reveals. That's good shit.

Lan Chang picking a fight off screen, also cool, love seeing her. I like that she looks inconspicuous so for someone who doesn't know shit about tgcf they will not see *that* shit coming.

ALSO the men look kinda generic if they're not the mls but the girls are all gorgeous???? like the woman who was Hua Cheng's speaker, the girl who led Xie Lian further into the gambling den, XUAN JI, Banyue all the girls are unique without being so ostentatious and I love them. If you put them beside each other they all look like they're own thing but still on theme. From clothes, to hairstyle and colors it's easy to tell and that's good design. I also include SQX's female form cause she's gorgeous too.

The donghua I think adds to stuff I haven't read I'm not sure if this is because I have a bad memory but I don't recall reading a flashback of Lang Qianqiu and the failed robbery. But the message of that entire section was so fucking good. The way that what Lang Qianqiu said about 'maybe he shouldn't have intervened' and the sound effects UGh. It's so good, i love how the book tackles the morality of everything, breaking down Lang Qianqiu's firm positivity and believing in humanity but still promoting being kind and considerate through Xie Lian. This theme still carries on in the show and I think they're doing a great job.

GOD THE MUSIC in the donghua is so fucking good, I love it. The songs, the meanings, the beat it's all perfect I can't say anything more.

even though i'm disappointed in the character design choices the donghua is very solid, I love it a lot. It does come off as very expositiony sometimes but I think that's very prevalent in Chinese Wuxia and Xianxia. Probably weird for people who aren't used to the genre but to anyone who's seen something like it, it's not unbearable and it's kinda necessary because of how the book is written. Waiting for wednesday patiently whilst i draw huahua

There are so many fun details the Donghua adds that shows that they know the story and where it's going as well hinting at character stuff, it's so fun to spot those. Like Xie Lian's reaction to Hua Cheng biting the bun made me wanna claw my face that shit was good af.

[instruth]

ARE FAIRIES REAL?

Fairies are real.

To a child like me, they are

They are just lost angels

during the Great Rebellion in Heaven

Some believe they are army deserters

Others say they became separated

and are victims of catastrophes,

chaos - orphans and the homeless

fleeing from a war torn zone,

lost along the way

Fairies, having resided so long on Earth,

had learned to adapt to an earthly life

They had mutated, mimicked, and taken up features and characteristics of earthly creatures and other earthly beings,

as and when the seasons change,

sometimes camouflaging with

the environment and landscapes

And they can fly, if they choose to, with

changing moods, feelings and emotions

Here are a few songs from a friendly, sociable lost fairy, who has taken refuge

in our home at my playroom.

I call him Super Fly. He is small,

like a young colorful butterfly

Yes. He flies all the time

He seems a happy boy, smiling or

laughing, but often he sings or talks in melancholic and rhythmic poetry.

I think he misses his home.

Here, among us, he is at a home,

away from home.

Please listen to him.

🎼🎶

1/

“Boy amiss, toys a kiss

Lass I miss, coys a hiss

Am I mistaken?

Have I been taken?

No more token

I have spoken.”🎶

2/

“You’ve changed altogether,

no longer an ace

I see the weather

upon your face

Cut in furrowed lines of sighs

No hello, only goodbyes.”🎶

His friend, Tootie, is amazing.

When it is cold, especially in winter,

He blows his hands to keep them warm

And he blows a hot soup, to keep it cool

Turns warm or cold with the same blow.

He is mystical and unpredictable,

When afraid, he hides and sings 🎼🎶:

“I was gasping for breath

Without a fire on the hearth

Grasping desperately to hold

onto the foot of my scurrying soul

When will I hear the bells of liberty

O free me from this dark uncertainty?”

Super Fly is happiest when the sun shines

In spring or summer, he flies about

and sings 🎶🎼.

“Oh, sing me a song of spring

When lovers kiss and robins sing

There is a splendor in the grass

A love call, the lad to his lass.”

In summer, he flies up to the sky

and sings 🎶🎼:

“Summer sends in the clowns, fun and laughter

The sun smiles and greets every merry maker

The rain sits on the clouds to hold

its splatter

On each peopled shore, dreamer, and hiker.”

©Johnny J P Lee

01 October 2023

Stories, Poems & Songs

Photos: My Album Collections

(Sources Unknown)

[naumin]

2022 in review

in an effort to blog about art on my art blog more i will be writing a post covering my work in 2022 and maybe some aspirations going forward into 2023

2022 was the year of learning to paint! at the beginning i was really frustrated, a lot of my pieces were very hit or miss and i couldnt tell why some sucked and some fuckd. i nibbled at some online courses for fundamentals, James Gurney’s Color & Light book and Marco Bucci’s painting videos, and was looking for a mentor at one point but i think i stopped cuz i broke my thumb briefly lol

a piece from december 2021 that is just a bit random and i think representative of my stabbing in the dark

studying...

in June i split a schoolism sub with emma and it was an amazing decision. i think if you have limited time to practice drawing or dont know where to go the best thing is to take a course, and ive taken cheap or free courses online but the tutors on schoolism are top of the industry and the quality of their teaching is stellar imo. literally felt my brain explode with knowledge they are the best of the best. i finished the painting workout course with wouter tulp and ive dipped in and out of numerous others since then. its cool bcus u can study at your own pace.

July was artfight, i did talk about it here so not gonna repeat myself heh

then i was really busy with my MA, its been so fun and so exhausting. a year is so short and i want to try all the printing techniques and ceramics and everything cry. but hey now i know indesign and can make my own zines and stuff which is amazing. i also tabled at my first market :) i did really like it and would love to do more, dont want to put pressure on myself to do that this year but at least wanna visit them and scope out the audiences and stuff.

school really is making me appreciate traditional art again, tbh it is nothing like digital. you just cant get that chaos or physical resistance from your materials in digital, everything is very deliberate and constructed and almost predictable. ive started to incorporate more traditional work into my pieces where i can, especially photobashing. i can use photos i offhandedly took years ago and it feels really nice to get to repurpose them.

a spread from my school project, a book about one of my passions (i chose the story of how i got into elden ring!!!) i made it from paper cutting, photobashing, and digital. (im going to sell pdf and physical copies in the new year)

so circling back to the start of the year, i think you can see marked progress in my illustrations that ive posted here. i think i learned a lot about techniques within a painting but i want to learn more about pictorial composition bcus my default tends to be 3:4, portrait, charas centre, and i want to break that habit and tell more effective stories :)

over the past 2 years ive been incorporating more realism into the characters i draw and trying to be really deliberate with what features, proportions etc they have.

a 2021 isa and a 2022 isa

i think i want to maintain this level of detail because its descriptive enough for my needs but i want to push it to be more dynamic and stylised. i really admire the way disney animators like jin kim do it. its because im not confident enough with structure and anatomy to really play with it.

on the other hand with life drawing i really want to do more realism and capture exactly whats in front of me because i think i rely on style as a crutch too much hahaha.

from december. proud of these!!!

thats whats on my mind really. again really dont want to put any undue pressure on myself and i am going to be really busy until october at least. i am seriously proud of my progress in 2022. and im really looking forward to playing bloodborne x

[kainicowrites]

Twisting Fate pt.2

It all began on a windy day in a port town on Midgard. The docks were crowded with fishermen and sailors returning from or heading out on journeys of their own. There were more people about the town than normal with ships in every dock. People filled the marketplace wearing warriors garb of nearly every color. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen it so full of people. Something in the air felt different, but I wasn’t the one to figure it out. I had a job to do. 

As I had done more times than I could count, I followed the pull away from the docks and the marketplace, down an alley. I found a boy on the verge of manhood, sitting alone with his head in his hands and the pull only grew stronger. Approaching him, I sat down and asked if he was alright. He looked over at me, seeing the middle aged woman I presented myself as and shook his head solemnly. 

“What bothers you, young man?” 

As though my soothing voice tore down the walls he built for himself, he began to confide everything that was wrong, “I was in charge of getting the sleeping furs on the ship for my jarl and I tripped and sent three straight into the water. I fetched them and all, but my jarl told me to go dry off while she finished. And I actually went. I shouldn’t have let her finish my task. I am not ready for a journey as big as this. There is a very real chance I could die before ever becoming a true member of the crew.” He let out a deep sigh, “I just want to do right by my jarl, but I don’t have anything good to offer. I should simply tell her I’m not right for the trip and go home. As much as that would kill me.” His eyes were locked on mine, searching for an answer. 

That answer became clear instantly as it always does and I placed my hand on his shoulder, “She wouldn’t have you on her crew if you had nothing to offer. I’m sure your jarl is a smart person who knows what she is doing. Besides, everyone starts somewhere. You just need to continue doing your best. Perhaps you should show incentive and ask your jarl for another task. Show her you are ready for this journey.” 

In that moment, I felt someone watching me and glanced toward the end of the alley. I caught a glimpse of a warrior in a forest green tunic and cloak with weapons glinting at their sides. I would have been nervous, had the boy not been in the same color. Possibly a member of his crew coming to check on him. 

The boy rising brought my attention back to him and he smiles, “You’re right. I need to go find my jarl. Thank you, madam.” 

Another job well done. 

The boy rushed off and I was left on my own once again. After a moment of gathering my thoughts, I followed after him, out of the alley. At the end of it, I collided with something firm, a beautiful blonde Dane. Strong arms enveloped me before I could tumble to the ground. 

My cheeks heated, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” 

“It’s no problem at all. I’m actually glad I ran into you. I wanted to thank you for what you did. I know you only spoke to Ovay for a few moments, but I can see the change in him. Whatever you said to him must have worked.”

To my surprise, my cheeks still had not cooled, “Oh, that was nothing. He merely appeared down and I only wanted to help.” 

The woman had her brown eyes locked on mine in an entranced sort of way, “He’s been down since he joined the crew. He just hasn’t found his place within the ranks yet, but I know he will get there.” Her eyes never looked away from my own, “I’m sorry, but I must tell you, you have the most amazing eyes. I have never seen anything like them in all my travels.” 

A look of confusion worked its way onto my face, “My eyes? Surely you’re mistaken.” She had to be mistaken because I had made sure to make my eyes dull and unrecognizable. My illusion was certainly still intact as I looked down to see the slightly wrinkled hands of a middle-aged woman with white skin and dull brown eyes.

She leaned in a bit closer, “What color would you say they are? They look near violet to me.” 

It took me a moment to find my words, “Um, I-yes, they are, thank you. You’re very kind.” I took a second look at this woman, in awe that she could see my violet eyes and wondered what was different about her. How could she see through my illusion? 

“They are truly one of a kind and I am only stating facts. You are the kind one. Let me buy you a drink in repayment for Ovay.”

Her forwardness was refreshing and I was too startled to say anything other than, “Yes, I would like that.” 

She thrusted out her hand, “I’m Saga, one of the jarls pledged to Ama Finnvisdottir.”

I grasped her hand and shook it, “Nice to meet you, I’m Andi.” 

As she led us toward the alehouse, I was filled with doubt about skirting my duties, but something about this woman drew me in. A mortal had never been able to see through my illusions before and I needed to understand why she could. 

When we reached the alehouse, Saga pushed her way through the mass of people and brought us to an empty table in the corner of the room. She sat down with her back to the wall, facing the crowded room, leaving the other side open for me. 

Waving down the barmaid and ordering drinks for each of us, she never stopped looking at me with such intensity, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

You have no idea. “No, actually, I’m not. I’m from down south. Are you from Stor Skibsby?”

“No, I have my own settlement a few days' travel from here. I’m here preparing for a trip across the sea.” Saga took a gulp from the drinks that arrived, “What about you? What brings a beautiful woman like yourself to a town like this?”

There’s that Odin damned blush again. Though, I’ve always known how to use my charm, “What? A beautiful woman can’t travel for the sake of travel?” 

“I’m not saying that at all. I’ve just never seen such an elegant woman in a town filled with fishermen and warriors.” It seemed like she was going to say more when a group of warriors sauntered up to the table.

“Jarl! There you are. Should have known to look for you in the alehouse!” The man who spoke was slurring his words, arm around the man next to him. A woman was standing just to the side of them and all three looked to be past their first cup of ale. 

“Kåre, Torsten, Randvi…should have known you’d all get drunk instead of tending to your duties.” Saga had her eyebrow raised and a teasing voice. “Andi, these are my hersirs. Somehow, my most trusted people. Hersirs, this is Andi. She helped Ovay and gave him some words of encouragement. I was repaying her for her kindness.”

The man with the curly hair, Kåre, leaned over to whisper in Saga’s ear, only he wasn’t whispering, “Is that what you were doing? Going for the older ones now, huh?”

As I looked at the confusion on Saga’s face, I knew this wouldn’t be good. 

“What are you ta-,” Saga began.

I interrupted, “You’re only jealous you’re not in the seat across from me.”

Laughter erupted from the other two hersirs, Randvi slapping Kåre on the shoulder, “Damn, Kåre.” She turned to me, “I like you.” 

Saga smirks, “I second that. Anyone who can put Kåre in his place is alright with me.” Having felt the warmth of Saga’s gaze, I could have stayed there forever, but I had other responsibilities. 

“Thank you for the ale, but I must be going. It was lovely meeting all of you.” I took a swig of the drink I had been too distracted to consume much of and rose to leave. 

Saga held out her hand to stop me, “Let me walk you to your inn.”

I definitely could not let her escort me to an inn that didn’t exist. I shook my head, “That won’t be necessary. I may be beautiful, but I know how to hold my own. Surely you would understand.” 

Saga looked at me in that intense way of hers, “Fair point, but could I at least see you again soon?”

The invitation was enticing and I did desperately want to spend more time with her, but I also needed to process everything and figure out what about her was so alluring. I decided to play it coy, “I suppose you’ll just have to find out.” Without another word, I turned and left the alehouse, Saga with a look of desire warping her features.

The setting sun greeted me when I walked outside and I cursed to myself. Walking as quickly as I could without drawing attention to myself, I made my way to the outskirts of town. Once hidden in a copse of trees, I summoned the door to Yggdrasil. Appearing like any other door, large and wooden, a carving of Yggdrasil itself etched into the wood. Written in ancient runes: To Yggdrasil. 

I opened the door and walked through, stepping onto a stone floor, leaving the early spring forest behind. The spiral stairs led me down, onto a landing with two doors. One crusted in ice, the other radiating an intense heat. Niflheim and Muspelheim. Continuing down, I passed the platform for Jotunheim and Svartalfheim. Finally, the stairs opened into our hall in the base of Yggdrasil. 

I took all of one step into the hall before Urd’s shrill voice echoed inside, “Where have you been?”

I rolled my eyes and shut the door, “Only doing my job. Where do you think I’ve been?”

“It is your day to water Yggdrasil. Skuld is behind on cutting threads because she had to pick up your slack.”

I leaned on the doorway into Urd’s weaving room, spotting my aged sister. Her greying brown hair fell in straggly curls down to her waist. Her once bright violet eyes were now more of a dull lavender. “Alas…gods forbid the poor beings get to live a few hours longer.”

Her weathered and wrinkled face pinched, not stopping her weaving, “That is exactly the attitude that is going to get you into trouble. We have jobs to do. Cutting threads is part of that job. Now, go relieve Skuld so she can do her duty.” She dramatically pointed to the door for emphasis. 

 I could think of a million insults to throw back at her, but I simply walked to the door leading outside of Yggdrasil. The sun was now painting the sky pink and purple and orange, but the air was warmer than in Stor Skibsby. 

I found Skuld hauling a bucket of water from the well to the roots of the tree, her beautiful brown skin almost glowing with youth. 

“Sorry I’m late. I’ll take that from you. You can go snip those threads as fate demands.”

She thrusted the bucket at me, “I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s the job.”

“Maybe I am spending too much time away if you’re starting to sound like Urd.”

“That’s not as much of an insult as you think it is.” She rolled her strikingly purple eyes and sauntered away. 

I continued to the roots of the tree and dumped the water. 

Ironic that the tree that sustains all life can’t sustain itself.

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