#i am posting it to move ON to episodes with BETTER PALETTES

[meyerlansky]

timestamp roulette: BLACK SAILS EPISODE XV ↳ you will turn on absolutely anyone, won't you?

[cboffshore]

Taking the phrase body of water to new heights - and depths. This is "The Altruist."

We're at the finale now, and there's only one way to end it.

A fun fact: Nya's sacrifice at the end of Seabound is the only scene in Ninjago to have ever made me sob. Sure, other scenes have come close - Garmadon's sacrifice and the post-Cole's-fall mourning scene come to mind - but Nya's funeral had me weeping like I was there. I think it was because I'd grown up relating to her, and it was a volatile time - I was less than a month away from graduating with my first degree. We were both moving on in our own ways. It was one hell of a hit, honestly. Deep down, I think I knew it wasn't going to last (and then Crystalized rolled into town), but in that moment? Ouch. Even now, knowing what happens after the Seabound finale, the last two episodes still get me. Initially, I condensed the emotional experience into the original version of "The Altruist":

Looking back now, I am happy with this. But - as we've established during this series - I can do better. And I wanted to do better, but I wasn't totally sure how until very recently.

A few months ago, I got my hands on the Water Dragon set. It was a total fluke - when I first tried to buy it (in-person, of course, because that's half the fun) shortly after the Seabound wave release, my local store told me they were sold out and unlikely to get any more, ever. This was last year. Recently, I ended up popping into the store just for fun, and imagine my surprise when I approached the Ninjago shelf and encountered a stack of at least five of the sets. Reader, I have never grabbed a box so quickly. I built it in two sittings, enjoyed the greatest play function of all time (aka using the insanely long tail's momentum as a whip to repeatedly knock the included Kalmaar figure off of the table), and realized that the wing pieces were the inspiration I'd been looking for.

Now might be a good time to confess that this is the first piece I created for this remaster series. Everything else - the KPS, the other revamps and overhauls - followed this. Being based on a preexisting set of ideas and very few visual sources, this process was simple, but there's still a lot going on.

The moment I unboxed the wings in the set, I envisioned a high-low skirt and waterlike train structure. As such, nearly every element of this base design is derived from an overhead shot of the dragon set: palette, the navy velvet skirt overlay and bodice, and the scalloping on the edge of the skirt.

From the original version of "The Altruist," I preserved a few key principles: the general flowiness, the high neckline, and the simplicity of any accessories. I ended up cranking up that last one - there are no shoes, headpiece, or jewelry. All of the focus is on the body to reflect the base mechanics of Nya's sacrifice.

The water motif runs deep in this one for what I hope are obvious reasons: seafoam on the underskirt/leg wrap to suggest waves, glitter on the overskirt to suggest a rushing current, and pale hints of seaweed green for a little contrast.

In terms of character symbolism, the form here does most of the heavy lifting. Another fun fact (this one doesn't involve crying): part of my design philosophy for every outfit I draft is that I ask myself the question, "If given the opportunity, would the base character actually wear this?" and commit if the answer is yes. This is one of the few instances where the answer has been no and I've chosen to continue anyway. Nya, famously, is not into wearing big dresses. This would piss her off. However, the layering here acts as a summary of the slow. tragic loss of self that her sacrifice leads to. The dark blue seafoam leg wrap and gray mesh sleeve, which are the most-buried layers, are components she'd be okay with wearing. The wave-inspired bodycon underneath counts as a dress, sure, but it's certainly closer to most of her default pre-ninja outfits, so it's all right. The massive train and velvet overlay, however, are decidedly not something Nya would be comfortable in. In the series, the only time Nya's ever shown as comfortabe in a giant skirt is when she's literally possessed in the Skybound finale - when she's literally not herself. Here, the giant skirt is overwhelming and acts as a parallel to the way she slowly loses herself over the next year.

It's been wonderful being able to go back and revisit the works that got me started; looking at this remaster series and my originals side-by-side is mindblowing to me. When I entered this fandom 12 years ago, I never envisioned myself doing much in the way of creative engagement. When I tentatively began interacting with the online community and doing my own writing, I thought that was as far as it would go - and now this art is one of my most consistent hobbies. And people like it! That's wild to me. (Side note, I also apparently became so confident in my writing that my enthusiastic tags on AO3 earned me a two-week shadowban on my most recent work - that's gotta mean something for my self-esteem, right?)

I'm about to step away from Tumblr for a little while over winter break. In the meantime, though, I'm working on another mini seasonal series that I hope you'll all adore; I'll also be planning out carrying over my Twitter work. No definite timeline on that yet, sorry - have the last bonus wallpaper instead.

As always, thanks for sticking around! I hope this was as special for you as it was for me.

[supernaturalist1234]

so I’ve seen discussions about the new Sanders Sides updates. and, since I am physically unable to keep thoughts to myself, I’m going to make a post about it.

half the fandom has been really excited, and the other half has been skeptical, and almost afraid. with a varying range between of course. because all these promises have been made before. and it’s been a year with little more than silly updates, some short side content. most of which has been on patreon.

what’s been mentioned a few times in posts I’ll bring here too, is that this year has sucked. I certainly haven’t created much of the content I wanted to. keeping up a sizeable fandom and making regular content would destroy me, no questions asked.

Thomas has been dealing with a lot, and that’s just what we’re aware. I’ve seen some people say “he owes an explanation”, or at least to stop promising, and to that I can say I 100% disagree. content creators are called content creators instead of “businesses” or “shows” or even “influencers” (though some also fall under that umbrella) or anything like that for a reason. we don’t know what’s going on. if there even is anything going on. and that is fine. he deserves that space.

and I think if it were just this year, people might be a bit more lenient, the way I am phrasing it. or at least feel better about staying in a fandom that may very well be dying. but it’s not. there have been plenty of content droughts since the start. this fandom lives almost purely on fanon content, and that is a fact. anyone who says that no one would work if we didn’t pay them has clearly never been in fandom before. and that’s part of why it’s so hard.

anytime I think about the time Thomas takes to make content, to take breaks, I have a thought at the back of my reminding me that I haven’t. and neither have most others. when the new episode came out I drew Sanders Sides fanart almost everyday single day for a week straight. I have made designs and comics and even animations and animatics almost consistently from Nov-July. I took palette requests for free and gave completely finished pieces for it. have I been great the whole time? no, of course not. but I’m not getting paid. not even as a fan content creator. and there are so. many. others. who do twice as much as I do. and i’m exhausted.

and having content dangled like this constantly, having promises made and broken, having a lot of the content we do have put behind a pay wall. it makes you want to quit. and, to avoid sounding like a therapist, it’s important to have space for that too.

but it’s also not really fair. from my point of view. I’m here because I love it. because my thoughts were nothing but the sides and all that can be done with that world. and Thomas might… not. that’s not to say he doesn’t love the content! or Sanders Sides or doing youtube or anything like that. but I’m saying that even when I am absolutely in love with a project, even when it consumed all the rent free brain space it could, even some it couldn’t… I get bored. and I have felt that if I posted a different project, that if I worked on something else, that if I didn’t dedicate everything to this project. then I was betraying someone. myself, namely. some of the followers who like that content. and this has included TS works. forcing myself to work on it goes to burn-out.

maybe it’s also unfair to discuss myself in the context of Thomas. I’m a different person, I’m doing this for free, I haven’t been making content for that long, certainly not original content. I don’t have a fandom waiting on this content. not mine specifically, anyways.

if Thomas chose to move all his projects entirely to patreon, I would be disappointed. I would be sad, because then I really would move on from this fandom. he won’t, of course, but if he did I don’t think I would blame him either. because choosing so you get consistently payed for all of your work, on a regular basis, and having one-on-sort-of-one interactions with fans that you can stress about less, that sounds fantastic.

maybe it’s because I’ve already moved on, in a sense. not fully, of course. but I exist within a space where I will be happy to make content, when I have time again. but I also have other things to do in my life. other fandoms, other things to move on to. that’s pretty rare, in these circumstances.

so, final thoughts? it’s nuanced. Thomas deserves this space, we deserve that space. content is promised, content is deserved. support is asked for, support is. not necessarily deserved. that’s freely given. content possibly unpaid for, not deserved. explanations beyond what’s given, deserved if only in the context of promises broken.

I’m not leaving Sanders Sides fandom quite yet. I might make a little sketch once a year, might like and reblog old content constantly, might write little one-shots every few months. but I’ll still be here. even if I’m also elsewhere. and I can make that promise, because I know not many will be disappointed if I can’t hold to it. if any.

[maddiicake]

Why Both FMAB and FMA03 are good and should be treated as Independent Stories:

I will go on the record of saying that Appreciate and Love FMA as a whole and love both series for what they are. And while it may sound like a broken record saying things like this... there’s still hateful words against those who like one over the other. So, I’m here to make this post addressing that both FMA2003/03 and Brotherhood are great in their own way and should be respected as their own individual stories.

Also warning there will be obvious spoilers.

What I liked about the Original (FMA03/2003) Series:

I watched 03 before delving into Brotherhood, and even before reading the manga. Now, I know Brotherhood and Manga fans are the small minority of the fandom, while 03/2003 fans make up the majority. That being said, many of these people simply can't get used to 03 after watching Brotherhood.

However, for me, I was happy because: A) I got more FMA to watch, and B) The differences in 03/2003 simply made it even more fun to watch, so for it was no trouble getting used to this anime.

But if I were to be specific of what I liked, I’d say I liked the following about FMA03/2003:

Characterization of the Protagonists and all the 'good' guys: The show heavily focuses on the relationship and tragedy of Elric Brothers, and 03/2003 portrays it much better with such a deeper level. The relationship between both brothers is intimate, and it feels like a genuine sibling bond. I also enjoy the fact that the anime shows that even if Ed follows his ideals, he, like any human, can break away from them under severe pressure, which was beautifully shown in the 5th laboratory arc. As for other characters: Scar in this version is a total opposite of his Brotherhood counterpart. He is written realistically in the 2003/03 anime. His absolute hatred for the military is more legit, and he feels morally grey in this anime. Izumi Curtis for me was also portrayed better in this version. Meanwhile, other Characters like Roy, Winry and Alex felt the same to me throughout both versions--so, not much change there.

Worldbuilding: The 2003/03 anime does a fantastic job at portraying the widespread effects of war and politics, Alchemy, etc. and how it has affected the people of the FMA World. For example, in Episode 16, “That Which is Lost”, Ed meet, a guy who had lost his limb while working as a soldier and was reluctant to use an automail prostetic because he wanted to “retain his wound”. Now, this episode itself was more so filler and didn’t really matter to the main plot of the story in itself; however, I feel that it was added to series to portray the depth of the FMA World, and how everyone has different reactions to the events that happened in the 2003/03 anime. Also, many of the events and how they unfold in this anime seem to parallel the middle east, which just makes all this feel realistic and provides some occasional social commentary which is quite nice. I also like how the first few episodes take their time to slowly and, with great subtlety, develop their world.

Thematic Depth: FMA2003/03 is dark, grim and kind of realistic--more so compared to Brotherhood. While, both versions of the anime deal with some important and mature themes, FMA2003/03 takes it to the next level. The 2003/03 series focuses on the Law of Equivalent Exchange, and shows how putting blind trust in it is a terrible thing to do. The show also focuses on how obsession, a denial of reality, and the inability to move on can be a bad thing. Moreover, sometimes life just simply isn't fair, and we should accept it; however, always try to improve what we have. All in all, we have to understand the consequences of our actions. That life is uncertain, and sometimes we don't get everything, and even we pay a price for it. All of these themes mixed in with the meaningful dialogues and the dark tone, made me appreciate this anime. For example, in episode 48, when Roy and Ed talk for the last time, that’s the pivotal point that brings all these themes together.

A Good Start: The Show had a better start than Brotherhood, simply because 1). We have more time with Maes Hughes and Shou Tucker, and 2). The Liore arc. Despite BONES studio and it’s tendency to create anime too early *when the mangaka is barely halfway through their series), they made it work, and, with the material they had, the 2003/03 series was given enough time to bloom. The 2003/03 series was simply immersive and very emotional, especially during The Curtis Arc, as an example.

Soundtrack and The Art Direction: I feel like both are equally good. However, I will go on the record of saying that I don’t think “art style” is what makes a series, nor is it an important factor. It’s nothing more than glorified “eye candy” However, for the sake of argument (especially since the “art style” is the first thing that “03 Stans” mention) I’ll be adding it in here. Both the 2003/03 and Brotherhood series have some amazing and beautiful orchestral OSTs in their respective soundtracks; thus, it added to the immersion of their respective series. In FMA2003/03, the color palette is very unique, sometimes it feels dull but it just suits the dark tone of the series.

All in all, I am impressed by a lot of aspects of the 2003/03 anime series, but as much I love and respect it, there are lot of things this anime messed up and I will note that as well.

The antagonists were... Meh: While I really love and enjoy the direction and depth BONES Studio added to the Homunculi... some of the other antagonists could have been better (or just not added at all imo). For example, Frank Archer... he has no reason being there except for convenient plot device to the point it feels forced. Though, him becoming that weird cyborg always makes me laugh just because of how dumb of a character he became because of it. Speaking of which, him becoming a cyborg was just... weird. It was like the Studio staff were trying to make him “cool” by making him into some crossover of The Terminator and Two-Face from Batman, but it just failed. As for Zolf Kimblee... He is still sadistic and likes making things explode, much like his Brotherhood Counterpart. But... that was it. Other than that, he was just boring. Him and Archer were both just the staple 90s Kids Cartoon Villains; not much to them except “Muahahaha I’m evil”. Now Dante... I’d say that she’s a good villain to an extent. Her as a villain is very subjective within the fandom, depending on who you ask. While I believe that she could have been just as great a villain as Father, her character was rushed and her goals were a bit vague and unexplored. I like how, like with Father, she had ties Hohenheim; however, that backstory and those connections were introduced a little late. So, in the end, she just came across as more of the generic Vindictive Ex-Wife, and just a generic female villain. As for the Homunculi... I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I LOVED their portrayal in 2003/03. They were the “saving grace” of the entire team of the villains within the 2003/03 series. My favorite of the bunch were Lust and Greed--namely Lust, because of her ties with Scar. Envy came at a close second, but only seemed so because of a way to back up Dante as a villain, and the other Homunculi seemed a bit more underdeveloped as characters. 

The Plot's quality drops after episode 35- Okay don't get me wrong. The first 35 episodes for me were 100/100. After that? a 60/100. Why? Because everything after that point feels contrived and feels forced. It's as tho, they are trying to do everything they can, even if it doesn't weave in, to make the brother's life miserable. Archer doesn't die and pops up, with his automail? Alphonse is there to be turned into a bomb, and become a philosophers stone. Okay, but why does this feel so forced? Also, can we talk about Nazi Shit? Now, I feel the brothers being separated is the perfect ending to this anime thematically and I have nothing against it, but A Nazi gate? Why? It was so sudden and pointless. It was never foreshadowed. They just showed it to make it as tragic as possible, because they didn't know of any other way to twist the plot, without convenient and totally forced plot devices. Also, How can Dante make Gluttony Mindless? Why is Juliet Douglass's Secret so obvious, when it can be fatal if leaked? Plot- Holes, Also, why are the Homunculli named the way they are? It just doesn't make sense. Also, FMA's Plot has an air of mystery to it, but it doesn't execute properly. I don't hate the end, I just felt disappointed, because the buildup towards it was terrible.

Now, I give a bit of grace concerning how the plot sort of dropped off and felt rushed halfway through, as well as the characters being underdeveloped and rushed. After all, Studio Bones was making up the majority of the material and took it in their own direction. Some factors to all of these cons in FMA2003/03 could be because of the Studio’s lack of a budget to flesh the characters and plot out more. Or, they had created so much additional material for this series that it became overwhelming.

As a writer, I can attest to the fact that “Character Overload” or “Element Overload” can either make or break a series, depending on how you handle it. That being said, there need to be a balance when it comes to these factors.

However, FMA2003/03 ended around 2004-05, So what we got is what we have.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on to the analysis of FMA: Brotherhood:

Characters: There isn’t a single character in this version of the series that I can choose as a “favorite”. Because, honestly? I lile them all. They’re all well developed and lovable in their own way, and have their own demension of depth to them. No, they’re not as deep as they aare in FMA2003/03, but from a writer’s perspective, that helps keep a balance with the overall plot of the stories. Now, some minor characters were just outrageous, but not to the level of boring (like 03!Kimblee and Archer), for example...  Darius and Heinkel. There isn’t a vast difference in Brotherhood’s and 2003/03's cast of characters. However, if I had to note a difference, FMA2003/03′s characters were are more on the edge of realistic and Brotherhood’s were just... Loveable. However, that doesn’t mean that one counterpart of a character is better/worse than another. Both are quite memorable in their own way. Of course, in my opinion Brotherhood's villains are just better than 03's villains. Sure, the Homunculi aren’t given as much depth, but, they have redeeming qualities near the end of their time (i.e. Envy, and GreedLing). When Father was first introduced... his character made me think of how Dante started out, and I was worried that his character would end up just as rushed and he would just be the generic cliche Shounen villain. By the Promised Day Arc, however, I was surprised. Yeah, Father was still very shounen-y villain, but still a pretty darn good villain. I feel his backstory, and how he discarded all his human qualities which led to the creation of Homunculi was well put together, and I felt the concept how he created Alchemy in Amestris, while Hohenhime helped build Alkahestry in the east was well put together, and helped build the world of FMA (literally). To put it simply, his character was much more interesting than Dante, because it was fleshed out more. The Homunculi were awesome as well, Lust did her job, Pride and Wrath were simply awesome, GreeLing's development from an anti-villain to anti-hero was exceptionally well written and not the cliche anti-hero, which I can appreciate. Envy is the character you love to hate. And Gluttony and Sloth did their Part as Well. While I enjoyed 03′s portrayal of the homunculi, I felt like they only fleshed out some for that series (i.e. Lust) while others were just left to fall flat. With Brotherhood, all the Homunculi were evenly balanced out in their characters, not too much depth and not too little. Solf Kimblee was still the sadistic baster, but at least his entire personality was more explored this time, and I liked how they portrayed his psyche as an added affect to why he has his views.

Plot: Bortherhood’s plot was more fluid and weaved in seamlessly. As a lover of all things continuity... Brotherhood did it right, and every time I find an analysis of a teeny tiny subtle continuity detail (i.e. Ed’s gash on his forehead that lasts a few episodes), I get a writer-gasm! Sure, there were few plot devices and filler here and there. But the plot in gneeral wasn’t rushed or choppy, nor did it leave any holes in it. The way Brotherhood portrays it’s plot is to keep you as engaged as possible, adding some silly comic relief here and there to balance out the dramatic intensity every so often. Unlike 2003/03 where is was just one depressing and dark element after another, Brotherhood added in the comic relief points not and again to give it’s audience a break. And, that’s what I really appreciate, and think is a great story writing technique. All in all the Brotherhood series is literal binge-watch material

A Great Shounen: Many Shounen anime have their Arcs for the purpose of portraying the progress of a character, and keep introducing new villains; however, depsite this, there is rarely a sense of mystery, intrigue or a moving plot in a Battle Shounen Anime. What Brotherhood did was just that, except make it more digestible (and not super long like Naruto or One Piece), and added a great thematic exploration. For a shounen it was quite deep, the plot structure was more like seinen, and characters were awesome. In a way, we got everything we could in a Shounen anime that only lasted a little over 50 episodes: Depth, plot, characters in a shounen.

Thematic Exploration: Both FMA 2003/03′s and Brotherhood’s themes are the same, but Brotherhood makes it a bit more lighter. All the while, it also manages to raise questions on additional themes: revenge, truth, knowledge, sacrifice, worth of a human life, and many other things.

Soundtrack and Animation: Same as the analysis in the part of FMA 2003/03, and, once again... I will restate that I personally don’t believe that art style is what’s important to a series. It’s nothing more than glorified “eye candy”. However, for the sake of this analysis, I will be adding it in here. While Brotherhood’s art style and animation is more simplistic, it’s much easier to create those dynamic poses and expressions on an animation level. While FMA2003/03 did have it’s dynamic moments, it was mostly only during battle scenes or the really heavy moments in the series. Brotherhood maintains it’s art style through the series and keeps it a balance, so that some scenes aren’t too much animation but also not too little. And, both FMA2003/03′s and Brotherhood’s OST Soundtracks are beautiful orchestral pieces that really add additional effect to a scene that the respective series are trying to portray.

A sense of conclusion: A lot of Shounen Anime get prematurely cancelled, most Seinen end in a bittersweet manner. That’s why FMA2003/03′s ending with the fate of the Elric Bros was a bit more preferable for those who like a more realistic ending. But, I enjoy a story with a more conclusive ending that wraps all the plot points up together without leaving too many holes. Yeah, the “happy ending” of Brotherhood is cliche, but “happy endings” wouldn’t be “happy endings” if they weren’t. Not to mention, those types of endings are rare, because people really don’t want to write them, and, when they do, they’re rarely done well. Ed’s entire charcter arc wrapping up to where he swallows his pride as an Alchemist and gives up his Alchemy to bring his brother back is both wholesome and satisfying, because, through the show, it shows his progression and growth from beginning to end. And, having an arrogant character obsessed with Alchemy give it up and learn to humble himself because of it.. it’s really uplifting.

Now let's talk about the Cons within the Brotherhood series, they aren't a lot, but still, they did affect my experience quite a lot.

Overuse of Comic Relief: While the use is a nice balance to the already dark and dismal atmosphere of the series, it felt a bit overused. So much so that some emotional moments were inconvenienced by the use of that kind of humor. It was a bit much and created dissonance with the tone the scene was trying to portray. Now, it worked more in the Manga, because of the more visual gag of it, but, sometimes the visuals within the manga don’t translate as well to an animated one.

A Rushed First Half: While FMA 2003/03 began “In Media Res” with it’s first episode and then started a “flashback episodic arc” with the next handful of episodes.. Brotherhood just jumped right into it. While, yes, it was a better balance to not have the characters’ depth right at the beginning (slowly revealing it as the show goes on), the first half of Brotherhood was 0-100 through just the first few episodes. To the point it feels like the audience has to catch it’s bearings. But, once you get on the same page, it’s enjoyable from there.

So what’s the Point of this Ted Talk-esq FMA Post?

I’m sick and tired of seeing 03 Stans  and MangaHood Stans fighting each other over just the smallest detail, especially when 03 Stans decided to bring leftist politics into it for no reason.

Personally, I just appreciate the fact that both series exist, ever since I've got in the franchise, it has become a part of my life, and still to this day is part of my life. Sure, I’m forever going to be part of this fandom.. but, I still see the beauty that peeks through the ruins and ashes of destruction now and then. I appreciate both series. Sure, I do prefer Brotherhood more, and get called a “Nazi” just because of it (ironic considering FMA: CoS was the movie sequel to 03... -__- ) , but 03 was excellent as well in it’s own way. It was very involving while FMAB was engaging. Both shows are something which you can learn something from and get attached to.

All in all, comparing both shows is okay, that's what I did here, but having a debate over which one is better isn’t just inherently bad... it’s TOXIC. Both series have their pros and cons, and they’re starkly different from each other. They’re two sides of the same coin. But, most importantly they are extremely important and impactful, so Pls don't have death battles over which one is better, don't say bad things about any fanbase, be respectful, and most importantly watch both and try to appreciate them. Because trust me liking both is a pretty darn good feeling.

[maladaptive-ninja-returns]

It’s The Avengers (03x07)

Loki x Reader Avengers The Office AU (Slowwwwww Burn)

Season 3 Episode 07: Team Death Match

Series Summary: Living in the Avengers facility post-apocalypse in a better timeline   Tony Stark has decided to capture every moment by pulling The Office on the Avengers. All of housemates are pretty used to the idea except for you, who had just come here to finish her degree, and the newest member- Loki.

Warnings: i don’t know what trope this is but I got inspired to write this after listening to a song THAT I DIDN’T EVEN ADD IN HERE!!!!

Word Count:Ever felt your skull was heavy one day? Out of the blue? Like your forehead and your upper jaw did not seem like they were handling their weight really well. They just want to lie down and then they have the audacity to NOT sleep at night. This has been happening to me for the past five days.

MASTERLIST in bio, darlings. Tags are open (check bio)

The pitch-black shifted out from a fog, the lens trying to find its focus as a figure appeared in front of it. Then two. Then three. A groan could be seen leaving you as your body tried to find the arms of gravity while your head tried to come back from some dream-like spin. But gravity had other plans and so you swerved a little to find your face moving closer to the ground till a something strong broke your fall. That something strong being Loki's arms holding tightly onto your waist. The touch of cold arms across your scalding stomach was more than welcome by your roiling brain. "Aaah," you sighed with a stupid grin stuck on your face and your barely opened eyes rolling back, "coooold." It was no work for the God to hold you like that but he knew you would go back to sleep if he kept your burning back stuck to his crisp body. And so, without a second thought, he let go of his hold on you, letting you fall on the grass with a yelp and a thump, followed by a groan. The camera recorded his no-fucks-given face.

Loki: *resting bitch face* What. I'm the God of Mischief.  Not God of free air conditioning. *camera pans in* I condition when I please.

"Ow! What the-" you grunt and try- in not any way that would look graceful- to get up- "ahh my butt!" The camera recorded Loki wearing his maroon jacket, the one that flowed with its length- over a black v-neck and equally black denim. "Get your butt up, you traitorous witch. I am never getting stuck with you anywhere ever again." Your furrowed brows could tell you were confused at Loki's words, but they were not as confusing as the greenery underneath you and a tarp over your head shielding you from the scorching star overhead. The shed around you housed wooden tables, crates and surprisingly a lot of weapons on them. "What the hell is happening here?" Your previously spinning head wondered if it felt into another dimension when you hit the ground. "You," Loki pointed his finger right into your face, startling you where you stood, "you are the hell that is happening!" You stood there, your mouth agape, trying to bring out a sound that would reflect the amount of insult you were feeling right now. "Excuse me? What in the flying f-" Loki interrupted you, his palms rising in the idiot-sandwich pose. "Why did you have to touch the video game?! I told you specifically to NOT touch anything while we are in the shop, did I not?!" Standing there motionless, the camera slowly zoomed in to watch your facial expressions reflecting the workings of your brain to recall what Loki was talking about.

Twenty Nine Minutes Earlier "I don't care how weird this planet is, Loki, when you see an antique shop, it is an unspoken rule to check it out. Because a- it always some old stuff lying around and b- it might be haunted." Loki walked in through the door first, looking at the camera. "Says the woman who runs towards her room after switching off the lounge lights," he mentioned to the lens, getting a passing smack on his torso from your figure walking out of the frame. "Hullllowww!" You called out to...no one. "Is there anybody there? Any living or dead? We are walking in your shop looking at your antique stuff." "I'm not with her," Loki imitated your tone, getting an eye roll from you. Lulu settled around your neck like one elongated fluffed-up scarf, not really that eager to explore. Around the four of you was a treasure trove of unidentified and expectedly unfamiliar objects catching your eye from everywhere. There was even a preserved head of what looked like some ancient elk behind the counter- more in a meditative state than dead. Trinkets lay on shelves for the audience to look- one more mesmerised and the others- without any eyes. So to speak. Loki was the only one who did not believe they didn't have an observer. "I don't like this place. Y/N, come on. Let's g-" The camera was already recording the green and red glitter waves coming from the little palette you had touched, sucking all of you in, making the camera go dark before coming to the present.  With the realisation in your eyes and confusion in your brows, you looked at Loki. "Okay, but how was I supposed to know that little old cassette would Jumanji us here?!"

Flashback The recording shows you looking at the cassette while the lens zooms in to the alien inscription shifting to give way to the words writing Jumanji. "Oh! This one says Jumanji!" You tell the camera before picking it up.

You: *suck on your teeth* *guilt in your eyes* *scratch an itch behind your ear* Yeah I should've seen that coming. *watch something out of the frame* *start running with fear in your eyes* I'M SORRIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE- *the lens catches Loki's running figure coming to get you*

"Thanks to you, we are stuck in some netherworld with guns and no way to escape. There are no exits to this boxed hell for all I know," Loki sighed in frustration, giving a rotten look to the guns in front of him. Lulu stood with a tilted head on the table looking at the guns with curiosity, raising a paw to touch them before Loki slowly brushed that furry little limb away, making you press a smile at the tenderness of the situation. "Oh, there is no way out. This is more of a confined match space," you acknowledged out of the blue like just remembered something. The pause reflecting on Loki's face did not give you any clear indication as to how you were feeling. "I-It's the Death Match playground from PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," you added quietly, before biting your lips. "The last game I played before we all got on a surprise ride to space." Loki narrowed his eyes at you. "So, you are telling me we are in a live setting of the last game you played." You barely shrugged and pushed your chin in as a 'meh, maybe' gesture. "You are absolutely right." A scream escaped your lungs from the husky and somewhat pervy voice from your right, jumping away and right beside Loki, your hand catching his arm for protection against that albino creature with dark eyes standing there like a monster straight out of your nightmare. The change in Loki's stature to a rigid front- while still letting you hang on to his arm- reflected that the God knew something. "Oh, I should have known." "Should've known what?" You didn't. And you wanted to be included "It's a Djinn." "Oh! Oh..." The recognition changed into revulsion faster than the Djinn could say its name. "Yeah. These filth-ridden creatures know nothing but cause chaos whoever they touch. Don't you, Djinn?" "I have a name, Silvertongue," the white one said without blinking, making you wonder if actually had eyelids to blink. "Okay, you guys have to stop calling him Silvertongue," you huffed, "like I've been with this guy for almost a year and there is nothing Silver about him or his tongue. Neither has he been any good at manipulating anyone from our family." Loki looked at the camera with disbelief.

Loki: I have a reputation outside the household, woman. *looks around in caution* *comes close to the camera to whisper*  Do not spoil it! *Your half-assed deep-throated laughter from out of the frame echoed through space* 

"How surprising," the Djinn looked at you with an intense glare through his hollow beady eyes, "for the God who wrecks cataclysm wherever he goes to have a companion." "Okay, Oxford Dictionary," you chuckled, "let me stop you right there. He has a lot of companions. It's just right now, we'll have to make do." If that smooth-skinned Djinn has brows, he would be raising them at you while the camera panned in on his face shifting from yours to his. Loki shook his head, raising his hand a little as if trying to pause the entire conversation. "That's not what he m-" he turned from you to the Djinn- "that is not what she means-you know what, never mind. Get us out of here." No one would have seen it if the camera did not zoom in at the slight smirk on that bare line of lips on that pale face. "Oh, but I cannot do anything, Silvertongue. Your-" he tilted his head at you with creepy eyes, making you shift closer behind Loki- "companion started this play. You will have to finish it. Or die trying." "You mean we have to play this game?" "Of course, we have to play this game," Loki sighed, closing his eyes. "NO! I suck at this game! I'll die!!" You grunted through your teeth. Loki groaned, trying to tear the skin from his face. "Why could you not have played Sims or Untitled Goose Game or ANIMAL CROSSING?!" You scoffed, your open mouth hurt at that comment. "Well, I am sorry for trying to get better at it because SOMEONE would not SHUT UP about having good reflexes FOR SUCH A PITIFUL GAME! And for your INFORMATION, Sims die too if you don't care for them on time!" The embers of anger seemed to slowly melt away into uninvited surprise. "What?" You nodded long enough to let it settle in before turning to the Djinn. "So, I guess we have to score points by killing the peeps from the opponent team? Forty points or ten minutes whichever gets over first, right?" The Djinn lowered his head a little in agreement. "If you win, you will walk out of the game unscathed. If you lose, you will die." That slow blink of 'excuse me' coming from you was enough to tell the world what your insides were going through right now. "But there's only two of us. It would be an unfair game if the opponents are a full team of four, don't you think?" "You may choose from the creatures that come to your mind. Once you do, a team will be formed on the other side of the field to match your strengths and weaknesses." "Natasha. We pick Natasha." You had never seen Loki come to make a decision so quickly. And just as he said the name, a golden wave washed over in one corner of the shed to bring to life an avatar matching Natasha Romanoff right to the mole. "Excellent choice," she stated, already choosing her weapons, while you stood there flabbergasted.

Back in the lounge, Natasha smirked at the camera while everyone nodded in agreement with the decision. "Smart man," Sam added, "I would've picked her too." Tony, on the other hand, stood there, fully offended. "Rude."

"Okay, who else? Who else?" you jumped where you stood. "Who can compensate for my very poor reflexes, stay alive and shoot people dead. Oh, and there are grenades in this game too." The camera looked at the two of you find this new wave of relaxation on your furrowed brows as a name came up in both your minds. "Bucky!"

"Super rude!" Tony declared at the screen. "Tony, you were never the first option. It's deadly combat," Steve stated with a chuckle. "Neither did you, Steve," Nat stated matter-of-factly. "It is a battle of guns, not sassy-grandpas." A howl went around the lounge as Steve looked at the camera in muted surprise. "Why didn't they choose Clint?" Pietro wondered out loud. "I can think of many reasons! One of them is that the first person Clint would have killed would be Loki," Tony quipped, getting a cheer from the archer and his coffee mug.

"Okay," you jumped some more, inhaling and exhaling audibly, "okay. Let's do it." "Don't jump-" Natasha checked the ammo and put the clip back in the M416- "you'll cramp your leg." "No, I wo-OW!" "Here, take this sniper, this pistol, this machine gun, grenades, and this pan," she added, handing you the stuff while putting what you could not handle in a backpack for you. "Try to kill as many as you-" Her voice was drowned by a grenade exploded in close proximity, sending Lulu down the table to hide. "Hey," you looked at the Djinn, "take them out of here, somewhere safe." Bucky worked like a well-oiled machine. First, he picked up the UZI to strap the dangerous little baby gun to his back. Next, he got his hands on the M762 and felt a low whistle come out of you. Bucky went on to equip the 762 with a scope, a grip, and a suppressor. Next came the pistol, with the same attention to detail and extra parts as his previous big guns. Last came the grenades, that went into his cargo pants. You stood there with your sniper- not even held correct- looking at Bucky and then at the camera with nothing impressed eyes.

You: I have no idea about weapons but that one looks dangerous. Actually, anything in Bucky's beefy muscle-y arms looks dangerous. Even icecream. Like if we both went out for ice-cream and I got teased by some filth on the street, he would jab the cones in their mouth and make them vomit blood. *smiles* *camera pans out and focuses behind you to show Loki pause loading his gun to look at you with horror in his eyes*

"Well, we got ten seconds," Loki mentioned, scrutinising the Groza in his hand quite subjectively, "let's see who our opponents are." Lulu and Javie (along with his camera) were already out of the shed and standing over a platform twelve feet high with a view of the entire place from the edge of the boundary, just like an umpire in a tennis match. They could see you four coming out to take a look at the enemy. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," you groaned, "I can't KILL THEM!" "'Sup, Nat." "Clint." "Hey guys," Peter waved through his Spider-man costume with a Scar-L in his hand that started slipping down till his hand came back to lift it up. "Well, this is awkward," Rhodey announced. "Hey, uncle Rhodes," you waved quite defeatedly. "Where's your fourth teammate?" Something cracked the sky and the clouds rumbled till a figure came down with a boom, vibrating the ground with his superhero landing. The little sparks coming out from everywhere. "Sorry I'm late," Thor announced, being handed a gun by Rhodey. "You had to ask," Loki growled at you.

Four Minutes Later Blue Team (You): 10 Red Team (Them): 20 The camera is hovering over the shed to see the four breathless teammates respawning and sitting down for a minute in their self-declared timeout. "Okay, we clearly cannot let you go out there in the front," Nat announced in your direction. Loki nodded in agreement. "Out of their twenty kills you have died fifteen times. Fifteen, Y/N." "I told you I am bad at it," you cried, "I can either reload my fucking gun or run away from the enemy. I CANNOT DO BOTH!" "Move your feet. I told you this last time too. Move. Your. Feet!" Loki pressed in your direction. "We need to come up with something else," Bucky added, "or this will the last thing the two of you argue about." You and Loki looked at each other with some concern reflecting in your eyes before Loki's gaze transformed into one of confusion as he watched you surely lie down and shoot, the bullet grazing right past his ear to kill a mad Thor- shooting anywhere and everywhere- point blank with a headshot. There was confusion. There was a surprise. There was even a little admiration in three pair of eyes. "H-how did you do that?" Bucky asked what everyone else was thinking. You shifted your gaze between the three eagerly-waiting teammates. "Uhh...I just laid myself down, aimed through the scope and took the shot. It's easy when I'm not moving. I just told you that," you shrugged. Loki could feel his head tilted in some thought while his eyes were stuck on you. "Okay. I think I know what we need to do."

The first one to come out of the shed was Bucky, his guns at ready as he slid across the length of the ground to take out Rhodes and Clint. "Now, Nat!!" He yelled and three bullets were all it took to take out Peter and Thor, right in the skull. "Go! Go! Go!" She shouted, and you and Loki went out in the other direction. Loki gave you cover while you climbed the roof of the little  outlet by the shed and positioned yourself to take the shots from there." "Bucky! Rhodey at your ten! Nat! Slide into the warehouse for cover. Loki, Thor's climbing the eagle point." Rhodey slid away from Bucky's attack but did not see the scope aiming for him from his back, killing him right there. "Yes!" You grunted before yelling, "sorry uncle Rhodey!" "Don't give your position, you dumb woman!" "Right, right," you shook yourself and let your team tell you the position fo the enemy through the comms.

Three Minutes Later Blue Team: 38 Red Team: 30 "I'm outta ammo!" Nat yelled into her comms. Bucky shot down Thor. "Here ya go!" he announced, letting the Black Widow gather the loot before progressing to the other side. "I'm out too!" Loki declared, discarding his gun to leap forward and take down Rhodey by grabbing his waist. Using his own gun on him, Loki tsked. "Nothing personal, Rhodes." But the next thing was a bullet through his skull as Clint shot from the rooftop of the shed. First Loki, then Bucky and then Natasha. You could see your teammates respawn in the shelter, the anxiety of having the gap being filled so quick getting on your nerves. "The grenades," you mind shot the words out of your mouth before your brain could comprehend them. "The grenades!" Taking two of them out, you swung them towards Bucky, who ran up the ramp of an old engine and yeeted it to the other side, in return getting hit by Peter's swinging figure carrying Loki's stolen Groza. Three seconds later a bang was heard on the other side, with one more kill in your kitty and the score coming to thirty-nine. Peter was still running towards you, the web shot to the top of the shed to make a turn to where you were settled, aiming dead on for you. Loki and Nat covered the other side. Bucky ran forward with more of his grenades. "KILL HIM!!" Loki and Nat yelled in your direction, not realising that Clint has changed his position and now was settled on the top of the gazebo, shooting them point-blank, bringing the Red Team's count up to thirty-seven. You aimed for Peter and fired; only to find the rifle empty. "Fuck," you gasped, "fuck fuck fuck I'm out. I'M OUT!!" Time moved slowly. Real slow. Peter's swinging figure got closer by the minute while he reloaded his AKM in the air. Loki, Nat and Bucky respawned in the shed, frozen with fear in their eyes as they saw you struggle from where they stood till your eyes moved towards your waist and then back at Peter. A screamed began to form in the back of the throat as Peter's toes found the edge of the metal you were standing on while the pan in your hand found Peter's face, impact so hard that it came with nothing less than an intention to kill. The graphic show of blood sputtering in the air as Peter's body felt itself go back and down on the ground while your eyes remained shut tight, waiting for the bullet to hit you. The silence that proceeded after the smack was defeaning. And the sudden alarm overhead declaring you winners even worse. But the elation it brought was delayed, though late than never. "We won?" you asked. "We won!" Loki answered, more surprised than you. Every other character disappeared save for you and Loki. And without much thought, you jumped with shrill excitement in your voice from the roof right into Loki's arms. "WE WON!!" you shouted on the top of your lungs while wrapping your legs around Loki's arms, who was riding the same wave of victory as you. His arms wrapped around you tight while he howled to the moons. "I cannot believe we won!" you declared through the tears of joy while holding Loki's face in your arms. "I know! Me neither!" He acknowledged your buzz with his own, laughing along with you. What the two of you did not notice was the change in your surroundings, the playground shifting back to the little antique shop with Javi and Lulu standing right next to the two of you, watching the laughter shared between you two die down slowly but your positions still remained the same. Your hands cupping Loki's cheeks and his arms securing your waist, holding you safely. The chortle that now turned into heavy smiles seemed to carry this weird current in the air between the two of you. So enchanting and curious that even when the smiles seemed to fade, you two still stood there gazing into each other's eyes. "Looks like luck was on your side." It was the Djinn's voice that broke this new trance and you feel yourself getting red hot as Loki helps you down.

Throats are cleared. Greetings are shared with Lulu and Javi. A respectable distance is set between the two of you and ears are lent to what this white dude has to say now. "So, we are free to go now." Loki's voice commanded more than requested. The bowed his head. "You can leave with your free will. While you are here, you can buy something from my shop too. If I may interest you in-" "Nope," you state and turn to walk out of there without another word, everyone else following you- Loki being the last person out of the shop but not before he has given one good look at the Djinn.

The final smack with the pan left everyone speechless, their first thought being to make sure Peter- who sitting smack in the middle on the sofa- not taking it personally. But they were more astounded when the final score was declared and the boy lept from his seat to yell in celebration of the victory. A second later, everyone else was yelling with him, going crazy at the screen, dazzled by the final blow. In between the loud celebratory howls, some Avengers missed Scott and Peter looking at the screen when you jumped into Loki's arms and wrapped your legs around him. They also missed these two give out a shrill cry of some latent emotions resurfacing and Scott fainting at the mere scene of watching you two so close while Peter seems to find it hard to breathe, wheezing for air. The camera focused on Natasha looking at the two of them with a slight wrinkle in her brows before turning to the camera

The Lounge Scott sat with a laptop, working on something with quite the concentration that worried a very hungry Peter and Bucky making footlongs in the kitchenette. "I've never seen him this serious. Even when he's working with Banner or Stark. Or fangirling hard around Steve," Bucky whispered to Peter. Peter too nodded in agreement while sprinkling olives on their subs like Saltbae. "You think he's reading fanfics and finding character faults again?" Bucky wondered for a second before clicking his tongue. "Nah. He is always cooing at new writers and pushing them to keep writing. I'm sure this is different." "Scott, what's up?" Scott looked up from the screen at Peter and Bucky coming to him. "Oh, nothing. Just correcting some things here and there in Loki's Sim town. Odin kinda died in Asgard Island because that dude was too stubborn to go to the toilet that was cheap. Frigga is taking care of her garden and pets. And here we have the facility where Clint is only allowed to roam the outside. Look he has his own next in the backyard." "That's pretty cool," Bucky mutters seriously. "Yeah, isn't it? And here are others inside. These are the dorms. Nat and Banner are a couple and for some reason, you and Steve are living in the same room." The camera panned in on a look of two-second horror on Bucky's face before reverting to its normal self. "What?" he forced out a laugh, scratching an itch on his neck, "why would we be sleeping together?" Scott shrugged and Bucky shot a glance at the camera before going back to looking at the screen. "Why would Loki keep the two of y-" "Not relevant," Bucky declared, "moving on!" Both Peter and Scott exchanged a look with the camera before doing so with each other and then finally turning around to look at Bucky. "Oh my God, Bucky," Scott whispered. "We have another OTP!" Peter whispered, bumping fist with Scott without looking.

[edorazzi]

Well, here we are again! Twitter said yes to a review post for a Miraculous magazine that suddenly showed up in my local area. ‘Tis the season after all, and by that I mean someone bought it for me as a joke birthday gift and I was way too happy about that.

I’ve done previous reviews of the Miraculous Christmas calendar, Easter egg set, superhero fashion dolls and action figures, so let’s dive into the unknown world of merchandising yet again!

(As always, if you enjoy my posts, please consider checking out my Twitter page or supporting me on Patreon for lots of bonus content!)

4 FREE GIFTS! PACKED WITH ACTIVITIES! MEET THE KWAMIS! PRANKS & LOLS! CUT-OUT MEMES! FANGIRL ALERT! NAIL ART! 100% OFFICIAL! I’m overwhelmed! It feels like I’m having a seizure just from the packaging!!! 

I should preface this by saying I haven’t bought a magazine like this in years. Possibly ever. I read things like the Beano, Animals & You and the odd Disney Princess zine when I was a kid but I have no idea what to expect from a free-gift-packed kiddie magazine in 2019. If the outside is anything to go by we’re in for a wild ride.

I’m noticing that it says “Miraculous #20″ on the back. Does this mean I’ve missed 19 previous issues? I’m genuinely a little upset by that. My local area is a complete dry zone for Miraculous so I haven’t had the chance to pick these up.

First step: let’s separate everything out and get a look at these freeeee giftssss. Except they aren’t free, because this magazine was like £3.99. This does seem to be the current trend - it’s kinda rare to see any kids’ zines without the excess packaging crammed with ‘free’ stuff. Is it really too expensive to just produce the magazine? Probably, in this economy.

Chat Noir is revealed on the cover! He was on the back of the plastic jacket, but it’s still nice to see the kids as a front-cover duo. Apparently we’re going to learn to draw Pollen, too, which sounds fun. I’m actually liking the look of the gifts as well, but we’ll get into those in a minute.

This hairbrush............. is adorable. Oh my god. It’s pretty cheap and flimsy but it functions the way it’s supposed to, and the Ladybug design has been taken into account in a better way than “it’s red/black, that counts” (lest we forget the UTTER BULLSHIT of the Christmas calendar, and YES I’m still mad about that). I don’t know how well I expect the outer sticker to last, but if it can take a bit of wear and tear this would be an adorable little travel brush. Nicely done, lads!

These nail stickers? Also adorable. They remind me of the kiddie makeup sets I had when I was little, back in the early 00s when plastic stick-on nails and decals were all the rage. Are they still a thing? That’s nice to know.

There are 13 designs (that I can count) - a Queen Bee mask, Chat Noir pawprint cake, macaron, cupcake, heart-print cookie, Ladybug stud, flower, lightning bolt, love heart, Marinette heart, bee, fox tail and star. The majority are directly related to the show and that makes them feel special. No Carapace though? :(

I’ve put a little Marinette heart on my furthest finger. At the time of typing this up (about a day later) it’s still firmly in place. I haven’t really knocked it around, granted, but it’s not flimsy enough to fall off after five minutes either. It’s also really cute to look at. Guess I’m still a decal-loving 2004 girl at heart......

These stickers though!!! Wow! They’re those holographic and slightly-puffy kind and they feel like pretty good quality, and the designs are so cute! I can’t fault these, they’re absolutely adorable. I immediately want to stick them everywhere.

So I’ve stuck them everywhere. I’m especially proud of the light switch pun. My room looks GREAT.

I saved these “mystery stickers” for last because I’m weak for the thrill of mystery bags, and there wasn’t anything on the packaging to indicate what kind of designs to expect. And OH!!!! OH, IT’S MY BOY!!!! Look at him!!!! 

I made jokes with the Christmas calendar about all the Chat Noir items being stolen ahead of time, but that’s definitely NOT the case with this magazine. I have been SPOILED with the presence of my cat son.

These stickers are similar to the sticker sheet (and the Chillin’ Out design is reprinted), but they’re puffier and non-holographic. I’m deeply allured by the “decorate your phone or tablet” suggestion on the packet, but I’m going to see how the previous stickers withstand the wear-and-tear of my laptop lid before adding any more. If I damage these beautiful Adrien stickers I’ll be devastated.

Those are our free gifts! They’re actually very fun and cute, I’m really happy with them! I guess now it’s time to get into the magazine itself...........

I genuinely almost forgot the magazine was the main part of this package. I figured I was done, but we’ve barely even started! Here’s a splash page of the kwami. Kwami with a capital K? Kwamis? I still feel like it should be singular-lower-case-k-kwami. I’ve never been happy about this “miraculouses” business either.

But is that--

It IS!!!! It’s Nino!!! 

I guess this is the new flavour of Miraculous tie-ins. Now they’ve broadened out to a full team we’re seeing a lot more of Adrien alongside the girls, and Nino is the elusive hero who shows up once in a blue moon. At least this time his name isn’t in the title of the gotdam show.......

Anyway, I can see I’m supposed to draw my “fave Kwami”. Better get to it.

Felix just wants a break. Just one break. But not in this magazine.

Speaking of seeing more of Adrien (and, tragically, less of Nino), this is the kind of splash page I want to see! Both kids are here! The banner themed with Marinette’s signature flowers is a nice touch too; that’s associated with her arts ‘n’ crafts in the show already and it makes sense to apply it to the creative portion of this magazine too.

I LOVE the promotion of Chat Noir nails as something the little girls buying this magazine will definitely want to try. I’d expect them to do Marinette vs Ladybug nails, but instead we get a boyish option! Hell yeah!

I’m a little confused by the Queen Bee masks apparently going on the Chat Noir nails though. I guess they’re friends? Is this secret AdriChlo confirmation? Watch out, Marinette, Kagami’s not the one to be worried about.

SURE WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME TURTLE STICKERS FOR AN ALL-BOYS THEME BUT I GUESS NOT HUH

Next up is a short merch catalogue (why would you put the big bold arrow pointing right to the underoos.....). Would those Chat Noir socks come in my size? Asking for me.

Then there’s......... this page. FANGIRL ALERT. God. It’s like the Ladyblog, if only the Ladyblog ever gave a heck about reporting what Chat Noir’s up to.

THE SPELL WAS BROKEN AND THE FANDOM IMPLODED WITH JOY.

I really have to wonder what age range this is meant for. Do kids know what a “fandom” is? Do little girls consider themselves “fangirls”? I guess most kids have enough internet access to figure it out these days (all the hashtags and LOLs and memes speak volumes), but I can’t imagine being young enough to fit the target range of this magazine while also knowing these terms. I dunno.

(Also, the definition of ‘implosion’ is ‘an instance of something collapsing violently inwards’, so I’m not sure that’s the word they’re looking for. Unless the return to the status quo in Dark Cupid and the continuing stagnation of the love square was enough to make people quit in frustration? Probably.)

I’m filling it in, of course. Because I must.

I gave up on the pre-approved ratings system pretty much right away, but I think this is an accurate rating of my LadyNoir opinions. 

I might be kinda cynical about it here, but I am actually pretty fond of how this magazine sells Ladybug and Chat Noir as a couple. The show’s portraying it as very onesided lately, with Chat pining over Ladybug who has absolutely no interest in him (Glaciator was a TERRIBLE episode and I’m still hurting from it), but reading this zine I’d guess they were already dating. It’s cheesy, but in a nice way.

I have to laugh at “the most amazing thing about this super duo is that they always look out for and protect each other” though. Chat’s usually pretty focused on LB, sure, but there are endless instances of LB using Chat as cannon fodder and just generally abandoning him to get mauled by akuma while she carries out her personal private plan to save the day. Maybe we’re just focusing on the better-written episodes, huh?

Moving ahead. I’ve been dreading this page since reading “Plaggs Pranks & LOLs” on the back of the packaging. I feel hatred in my very bones just looking at it.

I like that there’s ONE instance of the term “ladybird” in the joke column. This is a UK-based magazine and that IS the word we tend to use over here - “ladybug” is an Americanism - but it’s like they’re worried kids could have got to the middle of this magazine about a superhero named Ladybug and then not understand the bug jokes. Maybe whoever was writing this page slipped up?

OH NOOOOO. MARINETTE, NOOOOOOOOOO.

THIS IS WHY FELIX GOT RID OF YOU, PLAGG. THESE ARE ADRIEN’S PROBLEMS NOW.

(mmm whatcha saaaaay)

I mean........... YEAH, I guess, but we absolutely did see Plagg destroy Felix with an entire shelf of heavy books. I guess he’s nicer with Adrien. It’s all fun and games until someone has a nervous breakdown in the library.

I do love the concept of Tikki getting glitter-bombed by Plagg through the mail. She just curiously opens up the little letter which got slipped into Marinette’s purse, and-- WOOSH. One entire wall of Mari’s room is glittery except for a little Tikki-shaped silhouette. 

Next up is a two-page comic which is absolutely adorable! Look at those little chibis! The warm and soft colour palette! This is nicer than most of the official Miraculous comic book art I’ve seen, I hope they keep giving this artist work.

Nino’s here too (and he looks great!), and I like the touch of Marinette and Adrien playing as each other’s superhero characters. Adrien even wins the match, though I guess there’s something to be said about Ladybug beating Chat Noir (again)...... 

It does raise the question yet again of where this tie-in merchandise is coming from! They’ve had action figures, a movie, music video features, now an arcade game... Who’s getting the royalties here? Who’s profiting? Is this how Fu can afford to buy all those rare ingredients for the magic potions?

Over the page we have an activity to Design your Secret Lair! Right away I love the Marinette theme of the page, the soft pink and flowers, and the drawing space looking like a page in a binder with marker tabs and everything.

I have to design my secret lair, of course: 

What do you think? I’m very creative. I’ll need an adult to send in the drawing of my hideout but I think I’ve really got a shot at those unicorn headphones.

Now we’re on to puzzles and character pages. I don’t know what ol’ Gabe is doing trying to meet a 13 year old girl in the dead of night without telling anyone, you’d think if he’s got that much free time on his hands he could be spending it with his son.

I don’t know how those points in Ladybug’s power profile are awarded or what they mean, but you can tell this is a fan magazine. Official sources would have put her at a 10.

Standard House of Villains page! Most of these were good episodes but I’m deeply offended Riposte isn’t on here. Maybe her motives weren’t dramatic and cartoonish enough to be up in the ranks with Glaciator and Gorizilla?

“Cat Noir’s dad is also the evil Hawk Moth”, huh? I mean that’s not WRONG, but is it really something to put in his power profile when Adrien doesn’t even know yet??? Feels like we’re kinda jumping the gun on the poor boy. What if he picks up this magazine?

Apparently he’s one point weaker than Ladybug (seriously???), two points faster, equally as agile, one point less skilled and two points less cool. Despite all those lesses he still comes out at an equal 9, which is a relief! These kids are a team, putting either of them below the other would have been a big no.

I did the colouring page too, naturally. Je suis un artiste.

Now we’ve got a page fresh from the Ladyblog, a Miraculous quiz! Not a lot of excitement, but it’s nice to see Alya getting her own section.

I like that the qualifications of “you could be Ladybug herself!” are knowing what city Marinette lives in and what school she goes to. Well done, Mari! You’re doing your best!!!

TEACHER I AM SO HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I gotta say, I’m not so sure about decorating donuts with fondant. I’ve never tried it so I could be wrong, but it feels like rolled icing instead of frosting(?) would be too heavy for an entire donut. The texture is totally different.

I mean I guess if you’re going to load your kids up on sugar you might as well go all the way. They’re going to look like they’ve eaten something horrible with all that black fondant, but they’ll have fun. Adrien would love these.

WHERE’S NINO. THIS IS JUST UNFAIR. You’ll have four out of five heroes, then a double of Marinette and Tikki? Maybe this just goes to show how little memorable dialogue Carapace has.

Though if “Spots On!” is Marinette’s dialogue and not Ladybug’s, why are the other transformation phrases attributed to Rena Rouge and Queen Bee instead of Alya and Chloé? Surely they could have picked something better for Marinette to justify having her on this list twice instead of Nino.

The next page brings us one of those flowchart quizzes! And ouch, yet again the absence of the other heroes is obvious. I can understand not including Chloé here since she’s technically not a “friendly” character yet, but no Nino? Alya and Marinette are close friends, but Adrien doesn’t really hang out with them without Nino around. Having the three of them together just seems strange.

I do like the little fashion page! They’re all cute and affordable and easy to find on the high street here. I’d love to see how other issues of this magazine are structured; is there a different fashion spot every time? Styles to channel each individual hero would be adorable.

Moving on to a tutorial for a Ladybug notebook! I would have made this, but I didn’t have the time nor a notebook to stick it to.

Between this and the donuts, it seems weird that these designs are based on, like... an actual beetle, eyes and antennae and all. Shouldn’t it be Ladybug’s symbol? These come across more like “fun animals” arts ‘n’ crafts instead of themed after Miraculous specifically. I think if I made this (or decorated the donuts) I’d miss out the head and match the spot pattern to Ladybug’s symbol. 

The hidden message design is adorable though. I can see this being a craft kids are super proud of.

Another activity page! I didn’t have a go at these but they’re pretty standard. It’s cute that the coded message designs are the same as the stickers and nail decals!

Also, apparently Ladybug’s ‘secret’ is “LB mask + heart + CN mask”, which was (somehow) stolen by Volpina. Is that the secret Hawk Moth was talking about earlier in the magazine? Is he blackmailing Ladybug with revealing she has a crush on Chat Noir? How did Volpina ‘steal’ this secret? Is LadyNoir finally reciprocated???? THIS IS A WHOLE EPISODE IN ITSELF, I NEED ANSWERS--

Next page we have an ad for another girly magazine (Quizzes! LOLs! Celebs! Cringes! Puzzles!). I think I’ll pass, no matter how appealing that giant microphone pen is. 

And a “Miraculous Identity” quiz! Tikki’s apparently super fickle with her wielders, three seasons of relentlessly praising Marinette and now she’s telling us we’re the Chosen Ones. You can’t fool me with those big ol’ eyes.

My inner superhero is Marvellous Fox, by the way. Though yet again I’m noticing we don’t have turtle options...................

And on the back cover... the memes. Oh, sweet lord, the memes. They’re hashtag-SoRelatable! And I can cut them out to keep! Oh boy!!!

Is this what kids do when they have limited internet access? Cut fresh memes out of magazines and carry them around? I need to know.

That’s a very sinister Ladybug at the bottom of the page though. What’s-- What’s she going to do to me if I don’t cut out and keep these memes. Ladybug what are you going to do if I d--

Well that brings us to the end of the magazine! And yet again I’m surprised by how much time it takes to just put a bunch of photos together and write about them.

This is a neat little magazine all in all! The ‘free gifts’ are pretty nice, there’s a fair amount of content and the whole thing is pretty cute for young fans of the show. I could see myself buying this again - if it ever shows up on shelves, Miraculous is so scarce around here that I fully expect it to disappear again after this one issue - just for the free junk, but it would be interesting to see how they’d structure different issues too!

I notice we never did get that promised tutorial on how to draw Pollen; the one advertised on the cover. Was the “draw your favourite Kwami” activity supposed to cover that? I’m not sure that really counts.

If you got this far, thanks for joining me on this Miraculous journey! We’ll meet again whenever I get another piece of weird ML merch to cover. Bien joué!

[venus-says]

Aikatsu on Parade! Episodes 14-15

Otome says "POP TYPE RIGHTS!"

I don't really remember why I kept avoiding watching these episodes for the past two weeks, but I'm genuinely happy I did because I had the best time ever watching these two episodes together.

There's not much to say about the two since they were more or less filler and they didn't try anything bold, but much like with its predecessor, on Parade thrives on the more slice-of-live/filler episodes and these two are an excellent example of that. I think on Parade does it even better than Friends because they're not limited to a certain amount of characters so when they want they can put together a good number of interesting idols to interact, have the nostalgia factor play in, and still create a very fun story to just sit down and relax.

And if you're a fan of pop type idols, like I am, these two episodes were an absolute delight.

Episode 14 we had the best Stars unit, Yuzutto Lillie, takeover Ako's tv show having Raki, Honey Cat (!!!), Nina (!!!!), Mikuru (!!!!!!!!!), and even Haruka as support! And gosh this episode was a JOY to watch. Just the fact they brought Nina back was a huge deal breaker to me, I really love her and sadly she didn't get that much time to shine during her season so to me that's amazing. The same can be said about Haruka, I'm not one of her biggest fans but I do think this show has treated her very badly so seeing that they didn't forget she exists somehow brings some peace to my heart. XD

I'm not gonna lie and I'll say that I thought it was a bit weird they brought up Ema's issue with small animals again since to me this was something that she had already got over with, but that isn't a huge problem, the scene was cute, I love that shot they had with her and Ferry so it's all good. Speaking of weird things I also think that the transitions between segments during the show felt a bit awkward at times but I understand that with 3 performances per episode it gets hard to make things feel smooth all the time, again it wasn't a big detriment, I had lots of fun with their segment with the owl and that crazy quiz show that had THE MOST ADORABLE CHIBIS EVER so I'm fine.

Speaking of the performances, I think this is one of the few times where I was okay with the 3 lives format (this applies to episode 15 as well). We got to see You x I again which was something I needed SO BAD after the Let's Find It spam we had in Friends S2, we got to see Nina perform again which is absolutely great seeing she performed only two times in OGkatsu, and I'm always excited to see the best rendition of Animal Carnival being performed (tho I'm not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed they didn't perform in those unit coords they received in the arcade game).

While 14 gave me the most fun, actually 15 was my favorite out of these two.

This was kinda a drama episode with some extra flair to it, it was incredible. I wish we had seen PowaFuwa Dreamin's creation so that this conjunct event didn't feel so detached from everything, but once I got over this it was just a bomb of joy. To begin, they did nostalgia here in a very subtle way, the event happened at the same park where Honey Cat decided to form their unit and Pop'n Popcorn was there to remind us that's a product Otome endorsed before, which I liked a lot I think whatever comes next for Aikatsu they should go by this route whenever they wanna reference past seasons.

We had some top-notch interactions here between each unit that gave another special charm to the episode. Like, Shion went to live like an ear of corn for a day in order to make the popcorn better, it's so absurd it's impossible to not love it! Shion is truly a gem, she deserved so much better. Another very nice thing was seeing the kids inquiring Ako and Kirara on why are they a unit when they seem to hate each other so much, I appreciate a show that has some level of self-consciousness to it and its problems.

also, THEY DIDN'T FORGET BABY PIRATES EXISTS AND THEY PUT THEM HERE EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T NEED TO. T-T (honestly, the life of a Baby Pirates fans is so sad, look at me being so happy with only scraps that they gave us)

But the best thing about this episode was without a doubt the play they came up with, it was so fun and they also showcased the talents of all members of both main units in the production so it was amazing. And of course, the Three Goddesses was amazing. As y'all know I'm not the biggest Pure Palette and Yume fan, but they here acting as superheroes together was perfect. And the performance??? Gosh, that was wonderful, I loved all the effects, the song is pretty good as well, everything there was perfect and I wish we could get more.

As empty as these episodes seemed, they still had good lessons for Raki here which acted as the cherries on top to crown these awesome episodes. In the first we had Raki learning the importance of smiling and wanting to make your audience smile, and in the second we finally saw Raki seeing the value fans have for an idol and this is the thing that made me like episode 15 more than 14. I've mentioned on twitter that Raki had no interactions with fans, all she had was contact so far was with other idols and all she was doing was absorbing experience whenever she went, and I like that the show noticed and mentioned that, of course, this can be just lampshade hanging and the show will move on without touching on this again but these were great episodes and I'm on a very good mood so I wanna be hopeful about it.

And I think that's it for today, as I'm writing this episode 16 has already come out with subs but I haven't watched it yet and since I'm trying to get my schedule back on track I'll release this post as it is and do a separate post for 16. Anyway, what are your thoughts on these episodes? Let me know in the comments. See ya~

[sanrionharbor-blog]

Sansa and Tyrion’s Character Arcs (Part I: Tyrion)

Being a writer, I’ve been pouring through Shawn Coyne’s The Story Grid over the past two weeks. One of the points he makes is that every part of a story–from beat to arc–has the same 5 elements: inciting incident, complication, crisis, climax, resolution.

And being as obsessed as I am with Sansa and Tyrion of GOT in particular, I thought I’d use the hey-day of the series season finale episodes to indulge in some character metas. 

We’re going to (mainly) focus on the inciting incident.

So, not only does GOT have an overarching inciting incident/complication/crisis/climax/resolution that it’s moving towards, but each season has them, each episode/chapter has them, each  subplot has them, and each character has them.

According to Shawn Coyne, an inciting incident promises one thing: “…the ending.”

So let’s dive a little deeper and see what Sansa’s inciting incident and Tyrion’s inciting incident tells us about them. I’m writing separate posts since they’re both long–first up is Tyrion!

Tyrion

To start on a side note that will eventually get to the point:

I really wonder if show-Tyrion and book-Tyrion can come to the same conclusion. 

Book-Tyrion is much more morally grey than show-Tyrion, for one. They make different decisions after the Purple Wedding (in the show Tyrion is notably celibate whereas book-Tyrion hits an all-time low and is not above sleeping with drugged-up, unresponsive prostitutes–though he manages to empathize with them, he still uses them to run from his own darkness). 

Now, I’m equally invested in both versions of the character and believe they have the same arc/themes overall. So on one hand I can see them playing out beat-by-beat, just with different palettes, if you would, but only because of the power of the inciting incident:

So, an inciting incident does more than promise an ending–it sets the character on a path of no return. So, more than a character’s introduction, it’s when their story first goes down an irreversible path.

Furthermore, an inciting incident is called an incident for a reason: it’s not necessarily a decision made by a character, but something that happens to him (but more on that in a minute).

Tyrion’s Introduction

First we’ll note Tyrion’s introduction in the book:

“Jon found it hard to look away from [Jaime]. This is what a king should look like, he thought to himself as the man passed.

Then he saw the other one, waddling along half-hidden by his brother’s side. Tyrion Lannister, the youngest of Lord Twyin’s brood and by far the ugliest. All that the gods had given to Cersei and Jaime, they had denied Tyrion. He was a dwarf, half his brother’s height, struggling to keep pace on stunted legs….one green eye and one black one peered out from under a lanky fall of hair so blond it seemed white. Jon watched him with fascination.”

Later, still in the same chapter:

“The dwarf grinned down at [Jon]. ‘Is that animal a wolf?’

‘A direwolf,’ Jon said. ‘His name is Ghost….what are you doing up there? Why aren’t you at the feast ?’

‘Too hot, too noisy, and I’d drunk too much wine,’ the dwarf told him. ‘…might I have a closer look at your wolf?’

…he pushed himself off the ledge into empty air. Jon gasped, then watched with awe as Tyrion Lannister spun around in a tight ball, landed lightly on his hands, then vaulted backward.

Ghost backed away from him uncertainly.

The dwarf dusted himself off and laughed. ‘I believe I’ve frightened your wolf. My apologies.’”

They talk a little more, and it’s interesting to note that Tyrion isn’t threatened by Ghost, merely fascinated, and he correctly deduces that Ghost is more shy than harmful, despite Ghost baring his teeth. This could be foreshadowing that the Lannisters will have dominion over the Starks soon, but Tyrion was never a player in that. Despite his loyalties to his family, he was the one that reached out to Jon when he saw Jon was crying, he was the one who bonded with Jon at the wall and honored Jon’s request to take care of Bran, he was the one who took the time to design a saddle for Bran, and who later treated Sansa with dignity despite every cultural and social protocol having taught him to do the opposite.

No, I think this has more to do with Tyrion’s fascination with direwolves, and perhaps the Wolf, in general. I also believe it’s foreshadowing (not the deliberate kind, but the instinctual kind that most writers aren’t even aware of), to Tyrion’s possible later loyalty/ally status with the Stark’s. More on that when we get to his first POV.

Tyrion’s First POV Chapter

The very first POV that features Tyrion ends on this line (I know most of you have read it before):

“When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment, Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.”

And then there is Tyrion’s first chapter written in his POV–where certain details stand out to me [all emphases mine]:

“Somewhere in the great stone maze of Winterfell, a wolf howled. The sound hung over the castle like a flag of mourning…something about the howling of a wolf took a man right out of his here and now and left him in a dark forest of the mind, running naked before the pack.”

That’s the opening of Tyrion’s first POV. No lion metaphors here. Instead, Tyrion briefly imagines being part of a wolf pack–is he running in front as a leader, naked and free and accepted, or because he’s being chased down, naked and hunted and vulnerable? 

Regardless, the chapter ends here:

“‘My sweet brother,” [Jaime] said darkly, “there are times you give me cause to wonder whose side you are on,”

Tyrion’s mouth was full of bread and fish. He took a swallow of strong black beer to wash it all down, and grinned up wolfishly at Jaime. ‘Why, Jaime, my sweet brother,’ he said, ‘you wound me. You know how much I love my family.’”

For some reason, Tyrion is metaphorically identifying with wolves. These exchanges also tune us into the hint of whimsy and empathy in his character, which co-exists with his book-smart/world-weary outlook. 

Still, neither of these moments include Tyrion’s inciting incident. No, Tyrion’s inciting incident is a direct result of ASOIAF’s inciting incident: the moment Catelyn Stark receives a letter from her sister Lysa Arryn about the death of Jon Arryn, Lord Paramount of the Vale and Hand to the King.

This is powerful stuff in itself, even if the death had been natural. But we’re about to be lead through a political spiderweb that’s being spun over a dark, fuzzy expanse; and we can only make out what that darkness is when the spiderweb isn’t so clearly in focus: Winter, and not just any Winter, but the Long Night. 

This is all happening at once, and Tyrion is actually an early witness to the complementary foci of ASOIAF:

Myth: He visits the Wall with Jon Snow and, while he doesn’t encounter any wights, he does encounter several people who’re convinced about such things. He’s skeptical, but we learn over time that Tyrion is a closeted romantic. Sure, he’s reading up on the lives of Maesters and pouring through ledgers and history books half the time–but he’s also obsessed with true love and handsome knights and dragons.

Humanity: He’s a casualty of Jon Arryn’s murder and Catelyn Stark’s having been deceived (though Catelyn acts heroically based on what she believes to be the truth). He’s kidnapped by Lady Stark and forced to stand trial for two murders he did not commit. This is his inciting incident. It’s what gets Tywin to declare war on the Starks and what inadvertently puts Tyrion in the pathway of both Bronn and Shae. It leads him to his newfound confidence as a military strategist, even as a pseudo-knight, in subsequent battles–including the one that costs him his nose, and any illusion that his looks could be improved or his stature increased by acting like a knight. Acting like a knight (like Jaime, like the son his father wanted, like the heroes Tyrion grew up reading about) did not win him the approval of Tywin, the adoration of the people, the reality of knighthood, or the true affection of any lady. And we know how his story goes from here.

But none of it would have happened without Tyrion’s Inciting Incident. And he had no choice in the matter either. This was his point of no return.

So, what are the themes established here?

Themes from his introduction:

-Even though he’s compared unfavorably to his brother Jaime, who is described as “what kings should look like,” the POV ends with Tyrion standing “tall as a king.” So, in a word, kingliness. 

-His intro through Jon’s eyes establishes him as larger than life, despite his size. He’s breezy, irreverent, whip-smart, aware of his status (as a Lannister and as a pariah), and even surprisingly acrobatic (or at the very least self-sufficient, and possessing the element of surprise). He’s also empathetic–he gives Jon advice on how to navigate the world and finds common place between them. Remember, he’s a noble and Jon is a bastard. He’s under no obligation to treat him kindly. It’s simply his character; one of Tyrion’s better qualities. 

-In short, Tyrion fulfills a role as: outcast (dwarf) and elite (Lannister noble), adviser (or Hand), jester (“Generations of capering fools in motley…’), and, at least inwardly, a king. And all of these are mythical archetypes and play well into the fantasy tropes that GRRM is exploring, deconstructing, and reconstructing.

-I also highlighted the part about Tyrion’s one black eye and one green, and his hair so pale it was almost white. This has less bearing in the TV show, obviously, but many of these clues not only point out his physical otherness, but can symbolically point to:

Looking at the world from two perspectives

Divided loyalties (the green eyes of the Lannister’s, and that one dark eye–dark like the Stark’s?)

Or does it represent a divided lineage?

B/C, though I’m not sold on the theory, one wonders if the “Tyrion as the third head of the dragon” isn’t hinted through his white-blond hair? Yet another secret Targaryen?

Themes from his first POV chapter:

-Tyrion finds it easy to identify with the Wolf (and yes, with a capital ‘W,’ encompassing the Starks, the direwolves, the archetype). And throughout the story he easily empathizes with the Starks, despite the Shakespearean-level rift between his family and theirs.

-He loves his family. But he is also separate from his family. 

-Tyrion’s strength (and weakness) will be his mind

Themes from his inciting incident:

-I see themes of justice/injustice, truth/deception, and acceptance/prejudice.

-In fact, Catelyn Stark seizes him with these words: “…I call upon you to seize him and help me return him to Winterfell to await the king’s justice.”

-To return to Winterfell. 

-To await the king’s justice.

Tyrion: The Ending Is In The Beginning

So this essay has been largely book-focused. The biggest differences between book-Tyrion and show-Tyrion, in the first arc anyway, are simply Tyrion’s sex appeal. Let’s be honest. In the show, his introduction comes by way of brothel (and it’s also a way to introduce the show-only character, Roz), whereas in the books it comes by way of unfavorable comparison with his brother. Peter Dinklage is also very handsome, and I’m not complaining AT ALL about his casting (because I love him), and D&D had a limited range to pick from anyway, but Tyrion in the show is more attractive and that colors several scenes–especially the ones with Shae and Sansa.

But it doesn’t matter that much in the end. Because the point is that Tyrion’s arc isn’t about his overall attractiveness (but physicality, yes). Tyrion is still playing roles that are traditionally given to conventionally handsome characters, not just to outsiders or “monstrous” archetypes. 

So the interesting part is that his looks play a tangential role, but not a main one. His physicality is always at play, but not so much his attractiveness. For example, both show and book Tywin hate that their son is a dwarf; the ugliness of book-Tyrion is just the T.P. at the bottom of Tywin’s ill-fitting shoe. Again, tangential. It changes the palettes of book and show Tyrion’s overall story visual, but not the actual shape of their story.

So regardless of the differences between the show and the book, Tyrion’s ending can still be found in the book A Game of Thrones’. And not only because that’s a universal law of storytelling (the inciting incident promises the ending) but it’s exactly what George R.R. Martin has confirmed. 

So what can we infer about Tyrion’s ending from his beginning?

Here is where we find Tyrion at the end of season 1 of GOT and in his last POV in the first book of ASOIAF [all emphases mine]:

In the wake of Jaime’s kidnapping, Tywin has just told Tyrion he’s sending him to King’s Landing. 

“It was the last thing Tyrion Lannister would ever have anticipated. He reached for his wine, and considered for a moment as he sipped. ‘And what am I to do there?’

‘Rule,’ his father said curtly.

Tyrion hooted with laughter. ‘My sweet sister might have a word or two to say about that!’

That part about Cersei seems more pertinent now that we’re heading into Season 8 of Game of Thrones and she’s a prominent villain. She’s at least a major obstacle in Tyrion’s current story line (and, in fact, always has been). 

But more importantly is his father’s command to rule. Tyrion Lannister is groomed for rulership throughout his story, and this will probably be his destiny: whether that come in the capacity of being king or some other kind of leader. Perhaps there won’t even be an Iron Throne at the end of all of this, but Tyrion, worldly and well-traveled and ruthless and empathetic as he is, could be a spearhead for a new political system. Perhaps the Magna Carta of Westeros is coming? 

Let’s hark back to Tyrion’s inciting incident. He was going to await the king’s justice. What if the king’s justice turns out to be Tyrion’s justice? And Tyrion, after being held accountable all his life for things he had not done wrong (though not being punished for the things he has done wrong–after all, he’s no saint), will find his justice by a king, someway-somehow. Either with Tyrion as said King, or by being Hand to just such a King, or even, tragically, by finally facing a justice he cannot escape–at the hands of a king. (Or Queen). 

Tyrion’s arc will end when he is finally taken off trial. He thought he’d finally made it when he was free of his father’s (physical) shadow and when he found full acceptance (he thought) with Daenerys. But here’s where Tyrion’s theme of divided loyalties comes into play. He’s been struggling with finding where he stands throughout his storyline. Even when he was advising for Dany, he was still hoping that Cersei had the capacity for change. I think what he loved most about Cersei was her motherly instincts, her children (sans Joffrey). And he probably does feel guilt over Myrcella’s death. So Tyrion is seeking justice; he wants Cersei’s baby to live because he loves him/her instinctually, because it “atones” for the other children, because blood runs thicker than water, because he won’t be the reason the Lannister name is snuffed out. 

“…To return to Winterfell and await the king’s justice.”

In Season 8, Tyrion does return to Winterfell. If there were a third trial (orchestrated perhaps by Daenerys or by Cersei), it would probably take place at King’s Landing or the Dragon Pit, but there’s still the fact that Tyrion’s story is inextricably linked with Winterfell. 

He is particularly bound up in the stories of Bran, Sansa, and Jon. And in a series inspired by the War of the Roses, he could be the link that brings the Lannisters (Lancasters) and Starks (Yorks) to true peace. To finally establish justice and resolve the conflict that started this whole saga. 

Tyrion has been denounced in two trials and made to suffer consequences to his agency and reputation, despite the deception at play. His agency and reputation still need restoring. He still has neither of these things with Daenerys. 

He needs to emerge victorious from a third trial. Whether that third trial is literal or metaphorical.  It’s very possible that Tyrion will finally stand trial for a murder he is guilty of: Cersei could put him on trial for the murder of Tywin Lannister, and Tyrion will have to face the spiritual shadow of his father and the reality of his guilt once and for all. 

This third trial will establish Tyrion’s character; it will close his arc. Whether he dies physically or not, he will be spiritually enlightened/restored. 

And I’d have to agree with Peter Dinklage–that would be a really beautiful end for Tyrion Lannister, however it plays out. 

(Please share your thoughts as I am OBSESSED with Tyrion theories). 

(Next Up: Sansa Stark). 

[hysydney]

Half sick of shadows …

I’ve always wanted to draw an analogy between an episode of MFMM and Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott, the tale of a woman imprisoned in a tower on the Island of Shalott, cursed to remain inside to weave tapestries of the life she cannot be part of, and cannot even look directly upon*. 

(*Yes I know I’ve not only ended a clause but a full sentence with a preposition. This is something up with which you will have to put.)

W M Egley, The Lady of Shalott, (1858), City of Sheffield Galleries

The poem came to mind in finding a thread among the themes and tones of Death by Miss Adventure. This post complements one from a long time ago looking at the colour palette, so for those in need of a cure for insomnia, it’s here. Egley’s famous depiction is also reminiscent of the tones and colours of the episode.

This episode is about Mac.  Her personal and professional worlds collide, as her competence is questioned because of bias and intolerance. It is an episode of secrets hidden away then emerging and confronting. And it’s not only Mac held captive, metaphorically, in towers of dark anguish. 

In the poem, the Lady of Shalott lives in shadowy isolation, the grey of her imprisonment contrasts the implied colour of the world outside:

Four gray walls, and four gray towers Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle imbowers      The Lady of Shalott. 

Mac’s feelings are imprisoned as she calls in her friend to investigate a suspicious death in a factory where Mac provides some legitimate, and some illicit care to the factory owner and workers. 

The opening scene hints at imbalance:

Mr B:  Apologies, Miss, but Doctor MacMillan is here.

Phryne: It's a bit early for a house call.

Mr B: She doesn't seem herself, Miss.

Phryne: Mr Butler! Forget the big breakfast. This calls for a pot of strong coffee, and Mac will need a... stiff drink. 

Go on, take your medicine. Let me be the doctor for a change.

Whilst Phryne takes charge, she is ignorant of the true reason for Mac’s need for a fortifying whiskey.

The Lady of Shalott preserves her safety by staying within the confines of her tower and not participating in society’s activities.  This provides a metaphor for  Victorian concepts of the woman’s role, expected to be the protector of the home, where she embodies the pure, the mysterious, the unthreatening, the proper:

No time hath she to sport and play:  A charmed web she weaves alway. 

Mac doesn’t fit with society’s expectations of a woman’s role, so preserves her safety by imprisoning her feelings, locking them away, even from her closest friend.

Mac: Her name was Daisy Miller. 

Phryne: Did you know this girl?

Mac’s response avoids a direct answer to the identity of ‘this girl’:

Mac: I attended when they rang the emergency bell.

Tennyson’s poem found popularity with morality-obsessed Pre-Raphaelite painters like Waterhouse, Hunt and Rossetti, whose depictions illustrate the tension for women, seen as the saviours of the domestic realm, between their private desires and the reality of their social responsibilities.  The Lady of Shalott abandons her social responsibility in pursuit of love, and perishes for her impropriety. 

Hunt (below) portrays the consequences of turning away from duty and yielding to the temptations of the world rather than being removed from its material realities.

She left the web, she left the loom She made three paces thro' the room She saw the water-flower bloom, She saw the helmet and the plume,         She look'd down to Camelot. 

W H Hunt, The Lady of Shalott, (1842), Manchester Art Gallery

Aunt P voices the views of her class and of society more broadly in terms of tolerance of difference or the lack of it.  Both she and Roger Gaskin, the factory owner and later victim, are members of the board at the hospital where Mac is a physician. Roger Gaskin bought his way into acceptability and this is considered of greater significance than supporting women in need of clinical care and contraceptive guidance.  She has no qualms about threatening Phryne’s continued involvement in the murder case, a warning  which has renewed significance when Gaskin becomes victim number two:

Aunt P: Do you have any notion just how much money Roderick Gaskin has donated to the hospital? 

Phryne: He didn't strike me as a particularly charitable type. 

Aunt P: My dear, when a member of the manufacturing classes attempts to buy respectability, who am I to say him nay? ... You'd best warn the doctor that... that this is not the first time a complaint has been made.

The board has been made aware of the doctor's more... unconventional activities. What she does behind closed doors is a matter entirely between herself and her maker. But Mr Gaskin has heard rumours that she has been giving un-Christian advice to some of the girls at the factory, and he will be reporting this to the board if you continue your absurd crusade. 

Mac provides a medical clinic for the female workers at the factory but also established a relationship with Daisy, the first victim, something she is unable to reveal to Phryne.  Phryne must detect this herself.  Realising her ignorance of her friend’s feelings is as hard for Phryne as it is for Mac to admit.

Phryne: You loved her. And you suffered in silence while I showed you those photographs of the blood on the machine.

Mac: What could I have said? ... I went to Daisy's funeral service. Her mother came and thanked me for being such a good doctor. I was so much more to her than that.

Mac was invisible to Daisy’s family as anything other than her doctor.  The lady of Shalott too is an invisible figure.  Not only is she imprisoned and isolated on an island, separated from Camelot where she is heard but not seen, but she is not described physically, nor even given a name.

Underneath the bearded barley, The reaper, reaping late and early, Hears her ever chanting cheerly, Like an angel, singing clearly,       O'er the stream of Camelot.

Even prior to Phryne’s realisation of Mac’s involvement with Daisy, Phryne has  an altercation with Jack as Mac becomes a suspect in Gaskin’s murder.  She has to defend Mac’s character:

Jack: We know Gaskin threatened to make her life difficult with the hospital board. 

Phryne: That's hardly enough for her to kill him. It's true that Gaskin disapproved of Mac's attitude, but so does half the world, the wrong half, if you ask me. And Mac's used to sailing close to the wind.

And speaking of Jack and Phryne...

Phryne too is hiding demons, imprisoned by the guilt of Janey’s unsolved disappearance.  Murdoch Foyle, Phryne’s nemesis, has contacted her from his prison cell, seeking a bargain, the truth about Janey in exchange for his freedom. 

Despite the personal anguish she feels in receiving Foyle’s letter, she masks her feelings when confronting Jack back at the factory.  

Jack: I see the threat of a trespass charge hasn't discouraged you. 

Phryne: If I were easily discouraged, you would have frightened me off on our first crime scene. 

Jack: OUR first crime scene? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you agreed to leave this one to the police. 

Phryne: You're never wrong, Inspector. Just a little behind the times. Roderick Gaskin won't be pursuing this complaint. 

Jack:  If you're good, I'll keep you informed. 

Phryne: Give my regards to the tea lady. 

She does, however, confide in Mac,  This is a poignant exchange given Mac is not prepared to share her own source of distress. Here Phryne abandons her customary logic for pathos, as Mac, despite her own tragedy, provides unequivocal advice:

Phryne: He wants me to visit him at the jail. 

Mac: Tell me you're not going. 

Phryne: Perhaps he wants to tell the truth about what happened to Janey. 

Mac: Or perhaps he's just toying with you. The man is evil. You've made sure he's locked up. Now just forget he ever existed. Stay away from him, Phryne.

The Lady of Shalott appears to accept her lot, her imprisonment, her need to weave the world she cannot directly see:

She knows not what the curse may be; Therefore she weaveth steadily, Therefore no other care hath she,       The Lady of Shalott....

and further

But in her web she still delights To weave the mirror's magic sights...

Phryne too rarely provides signs of the ever-present wretchedness she endures at the loss of Janey. But there are moments, just like in the poem, when the lady admits her frustration with her circumstances:

'I am half sick of shadows,' said     The Lady of Shalott.

The lines are reminiscent of Phryne’s words to Jack in a later episode, when she asks Jack to Guy and Isabelle’s engagement party, Foyle’s shadow ever-present:

Your invitation. To Guy and Isabella's party. As my partner ... You still have a murder case to solve and what better way to gather information than to mingle with the crowd? Besides, I need you to remind me not to be afraid of shadows. 

Phryne, against Mac’s advice, visits Foyle.  More imprisonment imagery as both seek release.

The nature of the Lady of Shalott’s curse is not explained, but to stop weaving, to look outside, would set the curse in motion. She becomes increasingly aware of the life that flourishes outside, reflected in the mirror:

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, An abbot on an ambling pad, Sometimes a curly shepherd lad, Or long-hair'd page* in crimson clad,       Goes by to tower'd Camelot: 

* !!

Then one day she is struck by the reflected image of the handsome Sir Lancelot riding by en route to Camelot.  

His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode; From underneath his helmet flow'd His coal-black curls as on he rode,       As he rode down from Camelot. 

She goes to the window, a glance at Lance, and the curse is fulfilled.   She has moved from slavery and imprisonment to freedom, but the transformation is also her death.

She leaves her tower and floats in a shallow boat to a watery grave, the knight left to muse over the beauty of the unknown creature. 

G E Robertson, The Lady of Shalott, (1864), private collection, Michigan

Now I’m not suggesting any such tragic analogy to this MFMM episode. But Phryne is no longer hiding the reality of her circumstances from Lancelot Jack, and in their fireside heart to heart (as it were), Jack won’t advise, but insists that she has it within her to break Foyle’s curse.

Jack: I hope you're not asking for my help. 

Phryne: But I am. Tell me not to place myself above the law. Not to let a killer loose because I want the truth. Tell me there's a greater good than my own need to know. 

Jack: You never listen to me, anyway. 

Phryne: Humour me. 

Jack: You know what to do.

[beaniegara]

11 Questions

tagged both by @yaboybergara​ and @ricky-goldsworth​ which is great because that gives me 22 questions mwahhahaha thank you folks!! <3 

RULES

1. always post the rules

2. answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

3. write 11 questions of your own

4. tag 11 people you want to get to know better (or however many you want)

now, see, I don’t know what to ask........ so I’m gonna be a little shit and tag folks to pick 11 of these 22 questions and answer them too. nini and gray pls don’t sue me for reusing your questions, thank fdgkfndgfdsk I’m tagging @kaylotta, @queerunsolved, @haunted-gays, @thatmademadej, and @i-am-ghost-proof-baby <3 if yall wanna do it, of course. no pressure.

this is incredibly long (and uncomfortably honest). let’s go lesbians let’s go

first, nini’s questions:

1. How many pets have you had in your life?

one. I’ve always wanted them but my mom and I have always lived in tiny apartments and had no way to care for a pet so it wasn’t until I was 17 that we adopted a kitten!! his name was merlin and he was the laziest, moodiest lil ball of fluff I’ve ever met. I.. had to give him away a year later because we moved to a place even smaller that wouldn’t allow pets so long story short I’m scarred for life and don’t think I can ever take any more pets without feeling guilty to my bone 

this is merlin btw I love him with all my heart and he now lives in a farm. as far as I know anyway.. :(

2. Do you believe in destiny? Why?

mmm interesting question. weird, metaphysical theories aside, I don’t believe anything is set in stone per se, but I do believe that some things are just... meant to be? in a way? for example, you can’t tell me ryan and shane weren’t meant to be friends and find each other in such an unlikely place as they did. one of my mottos, completely stripped from context because it’s from a rather pretentious tv show, is “the universe is rarely so lazy”. meaning that good things happen for a reason, and that you trailed that path for that to happen. yknow what I’m saying? I can’t really explain this without writing a 10 page essay because that’s just how my gemini ass thinks 

3. If you could chose one person on the great beyond, would you take the chance to talk to them? 

you mean someone who has passed away? oh yeah, I would talk to my grandmother. she was raising me and died when she was 4 and that changed not only my entirely life but our whole extended family dynamic... so many questions.

4. From all your hobbies, which one would you love to make a living of?

oh man, writing. I’ve been dreaming of being a writer ever since I was 9 or something. never panned out but that would certainly be the dream. if I could work with videos, subtitling, tv shows, cinema etc that would also be dope as hell!

5. What’s your favorite color palette to wear?

fkgjfsdgiusfdksd I have no fashion sense whatsoever, idk? I do like to wear dark clothes (because weight..) and reds (because pale).

6. What’s your opinion on queerbaiting?

I don’t have the time for it. for starters, it’s something that usually comes from people with very poor writing skills that can’t come up with plots interesting enough to keep viewers/readers hooked in. that already says something. no offense to anyone who is a fan of shows like these, but when it’s mostly written by white men I just don’t have any high hopes for it. you can ask flavs what my reaction was like when I realized the character I had headcanon’ed as wlw in hannibal was actually a wlw. I couldn’t believe it, because what???? since when does that happen, especially in a show run by a white man??? kjdfghsjgd 

I think this is part of a bigger conversation but my point is, don’t fall for it. I know it’s all part of the fight for representation, asking big names to produce big shows with lgbtq+ characters in it and so on, but for the love of god, watch something else too!!!! let GOT rot and die!!!!!!!!! look up different, smaller, cheaper shows, that’s where you find lgbtq+ content creators!!!!!! there’s so many wlw webseries out there, you wouldn’t believe it. you have a choice. don’t give any more of your time and love and word-of-mouth to shows/movies that clearly have no interest in being more diverse. they don’t deserve you. 

and that’s not to say any of it is on us. quite on the contrary, they’re using us. but aside from calling out their bullshit, we do have a chance to boost lgbtq+ content creators. don’t let them fool you into thinking they’re doing you any favors, or that they’re our last chance so we should be paying attention to what they’re doing/saying. fuck them!!!! you can’t queerbait me because I don’t trust you or give you the chance to do it. and you can shove your very straight, very white shows where the sun doesn’t shine, @ hollywood.  

7. Is there a language you would love to speak?

french and korean, mostly. I can understand a little bit of both, but I really wish I was fluent :( oh, will to live and learn, where art thou...

8. Do you have, like, a dream so wild you think it’s impossible?

kjgnsfdkjhjjs having enough money to support myself and my mother??? I don’t have any big, wild dreams, I think. just.......... living comfortably would be a+  

9. How many AUs of your own life do you have in your head?

oh man. I keep thinking about living somewhere in idk iceland or scotland just like... tending goats or something. that’s the most comfortable version of myself I can think of.

I also like to imagine if I could handle being a film director, because that sounds like fun. maybe a screenwriter? anything creative in films, really. 

there’s also the unattainable dream of having a wife and idk maybe adopting a kid? and we’d just. support each other. and love each other. and that’s just. I. [cries]

I like to think how things would be if I were actually hot and not socially awkward.. I’d be someone completely different, basically lol 

10. If you were to meet your younger self, do you think they would think you cool or not?

oh god, younger me would hate present me D: I had such high hopes for myself, I had lots of dreams lol never in a million years did I think I’d be where I am today...

11. Not a question, but please add something postive about yourself, something that you love about you.

IDJFSSIODUGSDFKGDSJ IT’S LIKE YOU KNEW I’D BE A NEGATIVE FUCK, NINI. I................................ I like that I have an easy time with languages? or with classes in general. I like to learn from people, I’m just really unmotivated to leave the house lol 

now onto gray’s q’s:

1. What’s your favourite music video of all time?

straight-up impossible questions right out of the gate huh I SEE YOU, GRAY. I SEE YOU kjdfgjfsdhgkdsjfs

I’ll have to go with a few,

“prototype” by viktoria modesta is just GORGEOUS. I can’t get over this video & song and it’s been years.

“jackpot” by block b looks creepy as shit but the context makes it such a clever yet fun video. take into account that these guys were screwed over by the kpop company that created the group, and that the lyrics talk about hitting jackpot in an industry that’s savage to say the least. to me this video is a visual representation of what a dangerous trap entertainment companies are in the kpop industry, and it also ties in with the groups’ story of being made into dolls by a company and then telling them to fuck off in the end lol 

“treat me like your mother” by the dead weather. I don’t know why I just love it. (cw: gun violence)

“emperor’s new clothes” by panic! at the disco. I MEAN, LOOK AT IT.

“manyo maash” by puer kim. I just love the aesthetic?

honorable mention: “tick tick boom” by the hives because that’s a banger. ba dum tssss.

2. What’s a favourite memory of yours?

I have plenty of good memories, thank god. I think one of my favorites is just hanging out with my friends in 2008-9; one of their older brothers was driving us around town, we were listening to the white stripes at full volume, singing along, all sitting pressed up close together in his shitty car. man, my teenage years would’ve been fantastic if I had stayed there with them!! 

3. Do you play video games? If so, which one’s your favourite?

I DO!!! I mean, not as much as I’d like because a) no money to spare on games/consoles, and b) I suck at basically everything. but I’m obsessed with paladins these days, and I’m also a big fan of LOTRO. I like horror games--mostly the resident evil and silent hill type--and fps. I grew up playing some tomb raider, medal of honor, resident evil... oh, those were the days. 

4. How did you first get into [your fandom of choice]?

with bfu it was that kind of thing where I’d see a meme or two cross my dash and it was always this ridiculous screenshot, or those “that’s it, that’s the show” kinda things with dozens of thousands of notes... until one day I was incredibly anxious, and I needed to watch something or I’d never finish the assignments I had for college. so I just thought “oh hey I should check out that unsolved thing people like so much, it’s buzzfeed so it’s probably good bg noise to work with” lol and it did work, and I did finish my assignments, and that means that I first watched the show barely paying any attention to it because I was busy doing something else. but ryan’s and shane’s voices helped me relax and to this day they still help a lot with my anxiety, to the point that I need to keep coming back every minute or so during episodes because I get distracted just listening to their voices and not absorbing a word lol

5. How did you first get into fandom in general?

uhh.. well, I was a big “pottermaniac” (that’s how I called it) since I was 9, but that was before I realized fandom was a Thing on the internet too. I remember when I was maybe 10 or 11, I entered a chatroom (god, those were wild) just in time to see someone saying in all caps HARRY POTTER IS GREAT AND YOU’RE ALL DUMB FOR NOT SEEING IT or something fkdsjgfdugfsdk and it was this girl using the nickname fawkes. she was older than me, I think that 15 or something, and we exchanged addresses (!!! how am I alive!!!) and were pen pals for a while. but it took me so fucking long to actually find the fandom online that I think my first brush with it was with the arctic monkeys forum I found online in 2008, where I mistakenly said I liked “the muse” and people laughed at me so I never went back to it lol then in 2010 I found out about kpop and that’s when I really dived head-first into fandom life. took me long enough (tbf I was very against the notion of being a “fan” because I was an idiot).

6. What’s at the top of your bucket list?

great fucking question. no idea. I guess.. traveling overseas? if we’re talking wild, distant things. but closer to my reality, getting a job that pays me at least the minimum wage disjgdfgkfsdk #fuckinternships

7. What’s something not many people know about you?

I love dancing and miss it like hell.

8. What’s your favourite medium for storytelling - movie, book, television, musical, comic, internet video, video game, something else? Why that medium?

ohhhhhhh this is an interesting question. as much as I love writing, and think that’s one of the best things we humans have ever come up with, I do love.. musicals? not necessarily theater--although that’s great and I’d sell my soul to see chicago live--but I love the idea of telling stories through music. I really wish we could bring back the custom of telling stories orally, and through music, and that we could as society agree that collective singing is beautiful and should be reintroduced in our day-to-day lives. sure listening to (1) artist singing is great but hAVE YOU TRIED SINGING ALONG DURING A CONCERT WHERE EVERYONE ELSE IS SINGING TOO? best fucking feeling in the world. 

we had two bands in brazil, in different periods of time, that were so incredibly famous they’re still cornerstones in our music history. one was legião urbana, some folk-ey rock band that had a couple of songs telling these really long stories that I LOVE with all my heart. faroeste caboclo is our bohemian rhapsody, most people my age or older know the lyrics to it. and mamonas assassinas was this comical (?) rock band that sang dumb, fun songs that usually told stories too and that was the best. I miss that kinda thing. 

9. What’s your favourite food?

red meat, mainly churrasco. but I also can’t live without chocolate milk AND the whopper. capitalism has me by the stomach.

10. Do you have a joke to share?

fjgfsdgskfdgfsk I don’t.. it’s been so long since I last tried telling a joke, I don’t think I know any?

11. What song/artist helped you through your struggles?

pitty has been a big part of my life for some 14-odd years now. “be ok” by ingrid michaelson and “starlight” by muse were my anthems when depression hit hard during my teenage years. the white stripes has also been a constant, with gems like “blue orchid” and “a martyr for my love for you” turning into sort of theme songs for certain parts of my life. choi sam helped me through college. and even though they were a huge disappointment to the point that I stopped listening to them altogether, block b gave me a good 4 or 5 years of distraction from life.

[naynah-pinsence]

Episodes 3 - 6. 

Episode 3: Swaying Thoughts

1. Where was Hanon living before moving in with Lucia?

2. I find it interesting that Taro has a very muted, neutral color palette! He’s the love-interest of two brightly-colored mermaids. I wonder if that was done on purpose? While it’s interesting, I’m not sure if I like it. He’s a pretty soft-spoken and gentle guy, so making him visually softer with neutrals makes him less noticeable? It totally works for his character, I just don’t really vibe with it I guess.

3. Hanon does not seem to recognize Rina. She was able to identify Lucia pretty quick, and Hanon and Rina are both Atlantic mermaids? 

4. Kaito only has his left ear pierced. It’s double-pierced.

5. Gaito gets some pretty good TV service on the ocean floor.

6. Gaito drinks wine from a goblet like a good villain. This implies the castle has an air bubble magic inside OR the wine is upsettingly dense.

7. Lucia understands Jennifer’s song, which is sung in English. How does mermaid language compare to human language? How do they learn?

8. Taki just dropping this on us. I don’t think she ever elaborates on the tale’s details? Who is the “Sea Princess”? Bc in context ya’ll are talking about the Green Princess. Another cool thread ignored.

9. Jennifer and Richard speak to each other in Japanese, not English. Yes, I am aware this is nit-picking.

10. I’m not sure why Eriru never tries to cover her ears again?

11. Man, the lip movements do not match the song lyrics as well as I remember.

12. Rina sees Lucia and Hanon in their mermaid forms post-battle. Girl, did you just watch?? I assume that Rina is able to figure out who Lucia and Hanon are at this point.

Episode 4: The Lonesome Princess

1. “Cool house you got there. Too bad your parents are dead.” Private Investigator Rina has no chill. I mean, I get why but good lord.

2. Lucia is no longer concerned with a Kaito x Rina ship. “This isn’t the mood of lovers.” Yeah, Rina is like a second away from brawling.

3. Also, If Rina thinks that Kaito is Gaito, why is she being so upfront about it? Like, wouldn’t it be better for her to not be on his radar? 

4. Rina is wearing her school uniform. It is not a school day.

5. Ah, the finger-licking scene. Homeboy practically burst through the wall ala the KoolAid man, shirtless and ~sexily wet from a shower~. Why was this a thing in the 2000s? I remember some other show on Funimation doing a finger-licking scene, but the guy was teaching the girl how to play guitar, so he didn’t have to KoolAid his way to fanservice.

6. When Kaito returns the green bead ring to Lucia, he reassures her that there is nothing going on romantically between the two of them. He’s pretty emotionally intelligent for a teen. 

7. Rina, who thinks Kaito is Gaito and probably knows that Lucia is a mermaid, watches the two of them. Is she just waiting for “Gaito” to reveal himself? Is she ok with using Lucia as bait to follow “Gaito” to his palace?

8. Gaito caresses Noel through the glass container. I hate it.

9. Yuri is officially introduced; she says she is working on tracking the Arctic Princess. Gaito seems ok with her leaving that task to work on confirmed mermaid princess sightings. 

10. Kaito, Hanon, and Lucia, do not dress up for the occasion. RIP to an excuse to draw fancy dresses.

11. Hanon gets backstage very easily! 

12. Taro seems to feel the effects of Yuri’s hypno-piano before Hanon. Pretty sure that it’s canon that mermaids are super sensitive to music, so shouldn’t she be bothered by it first? Lucia and Rina notice before anyone is 100% hypnotized.

13. Hanon, whose only knowledge of the situation is that Taro said the music makes him a little tired, transforms. Possibly in front of Taro? It’s not clear, but last we saw her, she was standing right next to him. Lucia also transforms before there is any apparent danger. Rina, who has seen Yuri before, is the only one who should be able to know that the music is evil piano music. She is also the only one to not transform immediately.

14. Post-battle, Lucia and Hanon stay to make sure Taro, their music teacher, is ok after passing out. Kaito and Rina, who are also Taro’s students, just kinda bounce. Rude.

15. Hanon acts pretty formal for a second there.

16. Even tho Rina no longer suspects Kaito of being Gaito, seeing as he fought back against the hypnotized people, she should still be suspicious of him! It should be strange that one human seemed immune to the human hypnotizing piano!

Episode 5: An Icy Kiss

1. I love Hippo’s suit. Where did you get that little dude?

2. ON THAT NOTE. How old is Hippo? Wiki says “appears early teens in human form.” That’s not an answer! He talks and acts like an older mentor figure, until he’s suddenly got a human form, were he looks like he’s 10-12. He then has a romantic fling with Yuri, who also ~appears~ 10-12. Are you an old man who crushes on a child, or are you a kid who just acts old? I’m really hoping for the latter. Honestly, it feels like Pink wrote him to be an older mentor figure, but then did a ret-con on his apparent age for a romance subplot.

3. Hippo is afraid of big beautiful women.

4.  Hanon and Rina have a bonding moment over trauma. In Hanon’s flashback, she doesn’t see her kingdom get attacked. It is implied that Rina and Noel both saw theirs.

5. Lucia gets lost, trips down some stairs, and falls on Kaito. His first reaction is to flirt. Get it boy.

6. Lucia is legitimately impressed that Kaito understands dolphins as well as he does. 

7. Kaito wears a thumb ring on his left hand. He only bedazzles one side of his body.

8. Can all mermaids send telepathic messages to sea creatures, ala Aquaman, or is that just for princesses? 

9. I like that Izuru took the initiative with this mission! It’s nice to see motivation instead of just following orders. The motivation isn’t great. She’s like, an adult woman gunning for someone 18 - early 20s. Wiki has no confirmed age for her. Izuru’s “his heart belongs to me” thing was uncomfortable when I was 13 watching these episodes in 3 parts on youtube and it continues to be. I will be 100% making Izuru a maternal character in the rewrite.

10. Honestly surprised/forgot that Maria wasn’t introduced as the villain this episode, just bc of the title? Maybe “icy” could also translate as “cold”, which makes more sense in context of the aquarium glass kiss?

11. Gaito drinks red wine from a champagne flute like an idiot.

12. THEY SING SPLASH DREAM.

13. The reality of Lucia’s love triangle with herself suddenly hits her very hard.

Episode 6: Light of Love

1. Maria seems to be the only Dark Lover that Gaito actually calls for, instead of them just showing up for him. It’s not disclosed what she was working on before she got called in. I’m going to assume that she was working with Yuri to find the Arctic Princess.

2. Heavy implications that Gaito and Maria are in some kind of romantic relationship. I don’t think any other Dark Lover gets his attention the way she does. 

3. With future knowledge about Sara, I am honestly surprised how openly Gaito flirts with Maria and caresses his cryo-frozen (I guess??) captives! Sara is kind of a jealous/possessive type. She would super not be down with this behavior!

4. Gaito’s bathing scene implies the magic air bubble thing again.

5. Nikora seems pretty stoked to tell Lucia and Hanon about a mermaid and human relationship legend. I don’t think that she has expressed an opinion about mermaid and human relationships at this point, but as Lucia’s caretaker, maybe she should be more worried about the bubble death? It is still not clear who in the cast believes in bubble death.

6. Bubble death is bad lore. I think the only way that it even could be canon is if a mermaid only turns to bubbles if she reveals her human identity as a mermaid (or vise-versa), which is a very specific caveat. 

7. The legendary mermaid and fisherman are Lucia and Kaito colors!

8. I like the gag where Lucia and Hanon fight over Madame Taki’s crystal ball bc “she sees MY romance. no MINE!” When it’s pointed out they can both visit the cave, they then fight over who doesn’t get the ball. Madame Taki just watches.

9. IS THERE VENTILATION IN THAT HUT?

10. I think Kaito’s VA does a good job conveying the confusion and desperation in the line “There’s no way you’re the same person, right?” The line could have easily been read in an aloof kind of way, which wouldn’t be out of character for Kaito, but this is a way better take, in my opinion.

11. Kaito should be able to put 2 and 2 together at this point! He refers to mermaid Lucia as “the singing girl” (I don’t think he has seen the Idol form at this point?). If Lucia didn’t know anything about “the singing girl”, then she wouldn’t get mad at him for “always talking about her”. Additionally, this is the first time he has opened up to anyone about “the singing girl”. Use your context clues!

12. Let’s get this out of the way: The kiss-slap scene is not a comfortable scene, but it’s not the same uncomfortable as I was talking about with Izuru. I think, especially considering the target audience, that the kiss-slap scene shows the audience that someone you care about can hurt you, that you can hurt them too, and that something you might want might feel wrong (Lucia wants a kiss from Kaito, but this wasn’t what she wanted). Lucia takes time by herself to think, then confides in Rina. Nobody calls Lucia a crybaby. Rina starts to talk smack about Kaito to cheer Lucia up, but when Lucia asks her to stop, not only does she stop, she reassures Lucia that she is able to make up with Kaito. She even goes to the candle cave, despite not having a candle of her own. Now, I know that Rina states that she is there bc she suspects an attack, but I also think that she’s there to support Lucia.

13. For a cave that is underwater like 90% of the time, it sure has no algae or other stuff on the walls.

14. Kaito goes to the cave so he can apologize to Lucia. Again, this teen is emotionally mature. He doesn’t act like he was just in the neighborhood or anything like that. He really just wants to apologize.

15. When it starts snowing/hailing in the middle of summer, everyone seems mildly inconvenienced at best.

16. The background stars in Hanon’s transformation sequence are noticeably smaller than the ones in Lucia’s. Rina’s are slightly smaller.

17. They sing Legend of Mermaid again. I dream of splashes. Honestly, I had remembered getting Ever Blue and Star Jewel earlier?

[sprayingdrips]

Week 7: July 4 - July 10

Its 30 minutes passed midnight on a Monday and week 7 was a lot too.

I worked the entirety 4th of July the weekend plus more days. 

I watched more movies and am in the middle of watching Seven Pounds. But what’s crazy I started a 16 episode K-Drama, 16 hours total this drama has and still have not finished it. I like it but I think I figured what I don’t like about it. I think I have three or four episodes left.

The drama is called Abyss and regardless I do actually like it and will continue watching it. What it don’t like about it are typical things in all stories but its the way it’s played out. The male lead is creepy. Not the best way to put it but he’s on this weird crush land crash where he’s definitely been for a while but he got engaged. Not saying this scenario is not possible but it just... not executed well? Male lead always had a crush on the Prosecutor Go but Go introduced him to his now ex-fiancé. The flashbacks we get of him and the fiancé are that they are so in love but also I lowkey got a marrying for money vibe from her and was not mad about that. I think the way the break up was done was well thought out because it sounded suspicious because why would you say that stuff in that way especially if you were in it for the money. And being truly in it for the money, would me she would have the power to maybe manipulate him into getting plastic surgery because he is so in love with her. An ugly face does not stop the majority from chasing a bag. After all that shit that went down in episode 1 we get “ugly” to “handsome” male lead. And the reverse happens to the cocky female lead (Prosecutor Go) because she was cocky. 

Now there is only so many episodes but they are an hour long each. And as they try to solve crime and hide from a murderer (largely kinda bad at both). The male lead tries to kick it off with Prosecutor Go because his ex fiance is a cheater and liar and he still likes Go. (SHE DID WHAT SHE HAD TO DO. I DONT BLAME HER. ) Which is were the problem lies. A serial killer who is targeting nearly all of yall is on the lose and you still tryna kiss someone who said no. Like she did initiate the first one if I remember correctly but uh idk about continuing it like this. Its some weird forced thing and I just don’t see any chemistry. Maybe if GO’s character was created differently? We mostly get flashbacks about how cocky she is about her looks. I slightly don’t blame her but then it’s more of yeah i’d ignore a group of a bunch of men trying to ask me out everyday. Which makes me wonder how Go and the lead know each other? Like they show them in middle school? together and he knew about a math problem better than her but there’s no explanation to the separation from then to the other flashbacks. Like he’s in the group of men always following her trying to ask her out but then in one episode she's like “nooo i gave you the box of chocolates because I liked you duh. so obvious.” like it really ain’t and the scenario he said is really more believable that hers. The flashbacks line up to what he said. It’s not surprising that Go would get so many boxes of chocolate that she wouldn’t just pass them around for others to have.

Also the lead is..He’s just not smooth about and is so bad at reading the room when its a good idea to do it. Sometimes he does it in front of his ex and it gives off this weird trying to get back at you vibe when it just does not hit because his ex did all of that to protect herself and her mom from a crazy serial killer. Like the serial killer shows up near all of them and he only worries about Go like they’re both so into each other but they’re not. And he does that whole I’m a manly man I protect and it just does not fit him. 

I think most of my problem is that he’s moving on in the weirdest way. Like maybe if went out and partied first instead of having this my-fiance-dumped-me-i-tried-[redacted]-and-say-its-all-of-Go’s-fault-but-I-lived-and-now-im-super-handsome-let-me-try-to-get-back-with-my-fiance-because-something-was-off-about-that-call-and-she-said-she-was-pregs-oh-saw-her-get-hit-buy-a-truck-revived-oh-she-said-where-Go-was-located-and-almost-got-her-killed-im-mad-wtf-and-shes-not-pregs-:(-oh-she-did-all-of-that-bc-of-her-mom-i-guess-ill-help-but-fuck-her-i-still-like-Go??? Can this be a little more healthier please?

Anyways, the plan for this week is to legit stretch everyday. Blender donut or frog. Crochet more clouds. I forgot to mention I crocheted a cloud. I don’t know if I mentioned that last post but I did it on Wednesday during a zoom with my roommates and it was near the end. and make one more palette and post them. my orginal plan was five palettes and post but damn the dishes are still not over. also this collage video idea and more jobs applied to this week than last. Honestly turning in four in one day was a lot with the systems going on.

I have work later today and my first ASL 2 test (bruh already???)

[eilisfrasernapier]

Film Narrative 2: Fiction Project Critical Reflection

In making ‘Move On’ our main source of Inspiration came from visuals, initially using a Pinterest board with a couple of images to get started. As we added to it the idea it became much clearer how it was going to look. For one of the characters in this project ‘Tom’ I got a lot of inspiration from men’s fashion from the 1940s/50s as this is the time period where he was from. This meant I got to explore costume from this time period and ensure its accuracy.

Our process began with presenting and bouncing our ideas off of each other. We selected Natalia’s idea which we thought was the strongest.  We had further discussions to get a greater understanding and depth of how we wanted the story to pan out as and the roles we would undertake. I wrote up an initial logline and synopsis to share with the group. These were received well, and Natalia (writer) went on to write the first draft of the full script. Throughout this creative process we continued to do weekly calls to give updates on where we are at and to ensure we are all on the same page and offer comments and help.  

After working with the writing aspect when doing synopsis and logline I focused on my duties as location manager by finding locations which would fit with our story, that were also somewhat realistic in the case that it would be possible to film this in the future. I found around seven potential locations based in Edinburgh that I thought really worked with our concept. From there Olivia (director) shared her two preferred locations from my selection, Checkpoint’ and ‘Nauticus Bar’ as back-up. I made colour palettes of our chosen location ‘Checkpoint’. With the locations decided my next responsibility was to go through the script and consider production design and other materials we would need. This work included making a mark-up script which described location, characters’ features, props, costume, sounds and making simple moodboards showing visual examples of required props. Tom was our post-production editor but we as a group assisted.  Using feedback from the ‘Rough cut crit’ (see earlier post), changes were made to the final edit.  Tom had sent in an initial draft of the final cut and was happy to include suggestions we had for him in the re-edit.

Helpful feedback was given in early stages in tutorials to improve the script and overall project. Advice included remembering it is a 3-minute script, and doesn’t have to show specifically a beginning, middle, and end. For example, a good moto is to ‘arrive late and leave early’ and it is about seeing how late you can arrive with still having the story make sense and be interesting. Another way of considering and researching this project was to think about ‘bottle episodes’ which are only shot in one location and focus on the dialogue. An example I found of this was a Breaking Bad episode ‘Fly’ in season 3 episode 10; just about the whole episode is shot in the meth lab with Walt, Jesse, and a fly.

From the crit feedback in terms of pre-production paperwork the folders were organised well which was appreciated. The synopsis and logline were also received well due to had it having details of project information at the top such as team member names, genre, title.

Synopsis was said to have been successful in the sense of being intriguing giving a sense of a how the story will go. One of the script mark-ups was seen as slightly confusing in terms of formatting, although good that there were abbreviations for shot framing. The biggest issue was that it started a shot 2 which is confusing for the reader. However, the shotlist and the marked-up script matched up in terms of shot numbers which was good and overall feedback was really positive for the shotlist as it had a good selection of framing which shows we have covered the scene well. In regard to the storyboards, they showed framing and the intentions of the shots well. We also had very detailed artistic storyboards that gave a really good indication of the tone although didn’t include all of the shots.  Our Lighting plan showed a clear idea on how we are planning to achieve this and our moodboards showed some really striking, interesting images.  Next time we should have notes on why we choose those shots, what do they reference in the script. Overall, our pre-production materials showcased a lot of the development processes throughout all the documents.

In terms of audio edit for ‘Lethe’ the most feedback we received was that the overall dialogue levels need to be higher by making the clip gain higher; there were also come sync and panning problems. I don’t know much about this as I am very new to sound design and it was Natalia who was doing the practical side to this edit but this is something I need to get to grips with and understand better. I also learned that in general no matter where a character moves on screen, the levels are kept the same.

On the visual edit the overall feedback was that it was a nice edit, the pace was good, and Tom (editor) had done some really smooth L cuts and J cuts that allowed some sections of dialogue to be very well. One critique we did get was that there were some shots that were held for too long on dead space. However, I would challenge the statement that we held on the person in the other bed for too long. I personally thought this was a good choice as this is somewhat important to the story, and it is therefore justified to hold it on them.

I think we worked extremely well together; it was collaborative and supportive space. All departments worked together to create the end product we all wanted. I cannot recall a time where we didn’t work well together, the only thing I could possibly say is when we would discuss work via messenger at times it could be slightly unclear what one person is trying to convey, but this was easily fixed with a video call.

I have learned a small bit about sound design, but I still find It a realm that is very complicated, and I am glad I have had my first experience seeing how Pro tools works, learning about beat sheets and how they help when laying out what your film is going to include. I learned about details required to be included in production designers marked-up script. I continue to try and understand editing.

[mind-body-and-spirit]

I’m bored ignore me

Describe your current mood/feelings

I feel awful. I’m so unhappy in my current situation and I got a glimpse of what it’s like to be outside of it and I can’t wait to make that happen.

Which is your favourite country that you’ve been to?

Ireland probably.

What are the first things you notice when you look at/meet someone?

Smile and usually eyes but I haven't been great at that lately.

Have you ever been in love/are you in love currently?

I have been in love, I’m not currently.

Are you currently in a relationship?

I am not. 

Would you ever date someone online?

I’d date someone that I met online but not someone I couldn't be with in person.

Is there anyone of your friends that you would ever consider having sex with?

Yes.

Sex in the morning, afternoon or night?

Night is more my thing.

What side of the bed do you sleep on?

Left.

Have you ever taken your clothes off for money?

LOL no.

Would you choose love or money?

Right now, money probably except for one person that I would choose over that. 

When did you lose your virginity?

When I was 18.

 Do you prefer men or women?

Men usually but gender really doesn't matter to me. I’m attracted to personalities.

Do you have a sex playlist?

No but I’ve heard someone else’s and I am totally into it.

When was the last time you had sex?

Saturday 🙊

Has anyone ever gone beyond your personal line of respect sexually?

Yes.

Where is the most romantic place you would want to have sex?

When I picture romantic sex it’s usually in a bed, sooooo.

Where is the weirdest place you would want to have sex?

Balcony.

What would you do if you were ever caught having sex?

Depends who caught us.

Would you ever go to a bar just to get sex?

I’d go to a bar to flirt.

Has anyone ever tried to pick you up in a bar?

Yes.

Would you have sex in a movie theater?

YES that’s so risky I dig it.

Would you have sex outside?

I would as long as its not dirty.

Would you have sex in a bathroom?

Probably.

Does anyone have naughty pics of you or are you on film?

There’s pics of me out there.

Have you ever had sex with someone and called them the wrong name?

Not physically said it but I have thought of someone else and almost said it.

Would you ever use ‘toys’ in bed?

I would.

What would you do if your partner suggest a threesome?

I’m down.

How many people have you slept with?

5.

(1/2) If your lover/crush were in your bed right now, what would you do?

Sex probably.

(2/2) Then?

CUDDLE he’s great at that and probably talk a lot. 

What are your favorite bands? 

Set it off, Beartooth, Grayscale, As it Is, Mayday Parade.

What are your favorite singers? 

Barret Wilbert Weed, Taylor Louderman, Carrie Hope Fletcher, I’m obsessed with the Broadway stars right now.

What are your favorite albums? 

I’m LOVING the Mean Girls Cast Recording right now, also Dear Evan Hansen and Heathers. Only Human by Calum Scott is pretty good, and The Greatest Showman.

What are your favorite songs? 

Would You Be So Kind - dodie

Someone Gets Hurt, Revenge Party, World Burn, I’d Rather Be Me, and Apex Predator all from Mean Girls

Requiem, Waving Through a Window,and You Will Be Found all from DEH

And I’m gonna stop now because this list could go on forever.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? 

Oh gosh. Can I cheat and say Warped?

How did you first find out about your favorite band/singer?

Okay top two: I found SIO by accident at the mall in Hot Topic in 2009. Loved them ever since. And I found Barrett through Heathers.

If someone asks you what music they should check out, what are your go-to recommendations? 

Usually SIO unless were talking about musicals.

What was your first concert? if you haven’t been to one, what do you want your first concert to be? 

Omg Hilary Duff when I was like 8 probably.

How do live performances, whether they’re from your friends or professionals, tend to make you feel? 

SO HAPPY

Singing in the shower or singing in the car?  

Both but I sing in the car more. I only sing in the shower when I’m home alone, but I love that more cause acoustics and the steam is good for the voice.

If you could pick one instrument to learn how to play, what would it be? 

Trumpet!

What is your singing voice like? what singers do you remind yourself of? 

I’m a mezzo/alto. I try my hardest to be like Barrett tbh.

Have you ever been involved in any music programs? which ones and for how long?

Uh yeah like all through high school and college.

Which instruments do you know how to play? what’s your skill level? 

Flute/picc - advanced but I’m probably a bit rusty since I haven’t practiced in a while.

Piano, guitar, and ukulele - self taught/beginner

How do you feel about video game soundtracks? 

I like them if they’re super dark/edgy cause it’s fun to dance to.

What soundtracks do you enjoy listening to the most? 

Mean Girls, Heathers, DEH, Man of La Mancha, basically any musical.

How do you feel about musicals?

You’ve probably figured this out already but I live for them.

What are some songs whose lyrics you relate to? 

Would You Be So Kind - dodie

Are You There? - Bare (taken out of context, of course)

parts of Beautiful - Heathers

Breathe In Breathe Out - Tich

I’d Rather Be Me - Mean Girls

Someday - Zombies (taken out of context)

Do you prefer songs that have good melodies or songs that have good lyrics? 

BOTH. I usually really like songs that feel good to sing (good melodies) but I will download and listen to a song just for the lyrics.

Look at your country’s song charts, listen to the first unfamiliar song you can find, and share your opinion on it.

Billboard Top 100 said Psycho - Post Malone. And I hated it. 

Any cover versions that you think are better than the original? 

Chandelier - PVRIS from Punk Goes Pop

Uptown Funk - Against The Current & SIO

How often do you listen to music? 

Literally every day.

How do you feel about classical music? 

I love it.

Would you ever want to have a career in music? 

I think it would be fun but like realistically probably not.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is music to you? 

16.5 I couldn’t live without it.

How do you feel about rap music? 

Not a fan.

How has music affected you as a person?

It’s been my life since like 6th grade so it pretty much made me who I am.

What songs do you listen to when you’re sad?

I just listen to Mean Girls all the time

But sometimes Bare bc sad

What songs do you listen to when you’re in a great mood? 

Still Mean Girls.

What songs do you listen to when you’re getting ready for sports/to work out?

Anything from Mean Girls (do you see a trend here?)

What is your favorite movie?

The Kissing Booth was good, The Greatest Showman, I mostly listen to music.

What are you currently watching on Netflix/Hulu?

Skins UK (for the second time)

What shows have you finished?

13 Reasons Why, Grey’s, The Fosters, Misfits, Skins UK, Dance Academy, Degrassi, Backstage

Do you binge watch shows on Netflix or Hulu?

Netflix if I can find a good one. Hulu is for episodes that I missed when they aired.

What colour palette are you most drawn to?

Cool tones. Blues, purples, silver, but also rose gold.

What other country would you move to if you could?

Ireland or England

Which accent do you find most attractive?

IRISH

Would you rather be able to shapeshift or teleport?

Teleporting would solve a lot of my problems.

Would you do a destination wedding? where at?

Does Disney World count?

Dream honeymoon?

....Disney World.

Which celebrity’s voice do you wish you had? 

BARRETT

Would you rather live on a beach, mountaintop, on a farm, in the city, or in the forest?

The middle of a big city.

Do you still want to be what you dreamed of as a kid?

No I wanted to be a marine biologist and work at Sea World.

Would you rather live in a functional tree house, a rustic but renovated barn, and old stone cottage, a tiny house, an antique victorian character home, or an artistic cob home?

Antique victorian character home with an updated interior that's modern but still preserves the charm.

What do you want your life to look like in 1 year?

Living in a big city (preferably Baltimore or DC) and having a real job.

4 favourite youtubers?

I've really been into Shane Dawson and the squad lately. Also Soph (Sophdoesnails), Shelby’s DCP vlogs, and Sophie Lousie

What would your absolute dream partner look like?

Goofy smile, bright eyes (not necessarily in color, but like they light up when they’re excited and have life to them), taller than me, got meat on his bones

What would your absolute dream partner be like?

Sweet, an absolute nerd, adorable, knows how to charm the heck out of me, ambitious (I’m describing someone if you haven't caught on yet)

7 names that you really love?

James, Amelia, Sophie, Noah, Riley, Madison/Maddie, Samuel

Do you like your name? what would you change it to if you could?

No I hate it, I’d change it to Elizabeth which is my middle name. 

What is your biggest but most impossible-seeming dream in life?

Living in the middle of NYC

Do you collect anything? why’d you start?

Tsum Tsums because they’re cute af and I can’t resist, and I really want to start collecting pins.

When you’re hanging out in your room, do you usually sit on the bed, a chair, the floor, or somewhere else?

Bed.

How many pillows are on your bed?

6 because I bought all of the pillows for the apartment aside from the two he brought and I took them when I left.

Do you share a room with anybody? Have you ever (as in long term, not a sleep over)?

I don’t currently, but I shared with Lexi when were little, I had roommates for 3/4 years of college, and I shared with Nick in our apartment until the end.

Are there any posters or artwork on your walls? What are they?

I have an SIO poster, a One Direction poster, posters of the 5SOS boys, and a Callahan family crest from Ireland. (I really need to redecorate).

Where do you keep your clothes?

Dresser and closet (and the laundry basket of unfolded clothes that never seems to get emptied)

What color are your walls?

Purple.

Is your mattress on a frame or the floor?

On a frame.

What position do you sleep in?

On my side usually but I can sleep in all positions really.

What’s your favorite part of your room?

My bed.

What’s your least favorite part of your room?

It’s a god damn mess right now and that it heats up with the morning sun so it’s always hot.

How many hours a day on average do you spend in your room?

LOL way too many.

Have you ever been told that you spend too much time in your room/never go outside/live in your room/etc?

Yeah all the time.

Is there a desk in your room? Do you actually use it for homework?

There is and no I literally don’t but I should.

Is there a tv in your room?

Yes there’s a TV in my room.

If your bedroom could look any way you want, forgetting cost and practicality, what would it look like?

Clean and Tumblr-y

Do you put stuff under your bed?

I don’t try to but stuff ends up under there.

If you play an instrument, do you practice in your room or somewhere else?

When I was in college I rarely practiced in my room. If I do practice now (rarely) I do it in the living room.

Do you charge your phone next to your bed?

On my bed.

How many windows are in your room?

Just 1. 

Do you have a private/connected bathroom?

No I wish.

Do you keep makeup, jewelry, lotion, perfume/cologne, and hair stuff in your room or the bathroom?

It’s in my room. I keep it all in the Alex 5 drawers from IKEA.

What is your dream job?

HR but I’ve also been super interested in marketing lately? Also interior design or wedding planner.

What’s your favorite sport to watch on TV?

Baseball but also hockey? I’ve never been a hockey fan until I started watching the Preds in the playoffs this year and I’m totally into it now.

Who is your favorite athlete?

Nick Castellanos 😍

Have you ever been in love?

I have.

Do you currently love someone?

It’s unrequited and complicated so I just say no usually.

Do you want a relationship?

Not right now. In the future, yes.

How long was your longest relationship?

Over 2 years.

How long does it take for you to know you love someone?

Not long.

Is it special to you if your s/o meets your parents?

Depends on the situation. Like for my exes it wasn’t but if I started dating someone in Tennessee it would be different cause my parents live 500+ miles away.

Do you watch Game of Thrones?

I’ve watched parts of it.

Have you ever been to Michigan?

Lived here for most of the 22 years I’ve been alive.

Have you ever went on a road trip with a boyfriend?

Nick and I drove back to Michigan once but we were mad at each other the whole time so there's that.

Do you support abortion?

I have no say over what someone else does with their body.

Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

Introvert hardore.

Glitter or feathers?

GLITTER

Daisies or buttercups?

Daisies

Have you ever self harmed?

Yes.

Are you more rational or emotional?

Emotional lmao.

What’s something you love to do but feel guilty about after/during?

Inevitably someone makes me feel bad every time I have sex with someone I’m not dating. 

Have you ever had sex with someone you weren’t dating (but had feelings for) in the hopes that they would ask you out later?

Lol, not for that reason, although I would love it if he did ask me out.

Do you ever turn your phone off because you don’t want to talk?

The only time I ever did that was after Ashlyn died because I was mad at Nick because he wouldn’t stop playing video games with his friends to come over.

Have you ever been to a gay pride parade?

Not a parade but I went to the pride festival in DC this past weekend.

Would you take your dream job if it were out of the country?

More than likely. I’m in a position where I could right now.

What is your zodiac sign?

Libra

What do you like to do when you’re home alone?

Sing very loudly.

Should the guy always pay for the date?

No. I’m hella independent and most of the time I hate when other people pay for shit.

What kind of music calms you down?

Most music calms me down.

Who did you last go to a park with?

I went walking on a path/river thing with sunshine this past weekend. It’s not really a park but like idk?

Have you ever been robbed?

My iPod got stolen when I was like 12.

When was the last time you were on an airplane?

Last week.

Are you currently crushing on someone? 

Yeah.

Do you think your crush likes you back?

I actually don’t know how he feels? I know he liked me at one time and then a thing happened and we accepted that we couldn’t actually be together but then we were together and it felt really right and I don’t know how he feels now.

Is anyone currently crushing on you?

Other than him probably not.

Have you ever been in a long term relationship? 

Yes two.

Have you ever been asked out? 

Yes.

Have you ever asked someone out? 

I've pushed someone to ask me out but that’s the closest.

Have you ever kissed your crush? 

Yes.

Has your crush ever kissed you? 

Yes. 

Are you more of a flirt or a hopeless romantic? 

Both

Do you have a crush on the person you last kissed?

Yes.

Have you ever confessed your feelings knowing they were unrequited? 

Lol story of my life.

If the person you like/love was with you right now, what would you say/do?

Um we would probably be cuddling and talking or kissing honestly. 

Have you ever broken up with someone? 

Yes.

Have you ever been broken up with? 

Not officially. Only for a break and then he begged for me to take him back.

Do you like cuddling? 

I LOVE IT

Have you ever had romantic feelings for a best friend?

That’s usually how it works for me.

Tell me about your crush:

Hair color? 

Brown

Eye color? 

Brown or green(? I’m pretty sure they’re brown and I suck I know)

Age?

We’re the same age but he will not tell me his birthday so

Build? 

He’s a little bit taller than me, he’s not scrawny but he’s not big either, like the perfect dad bod.

Clothing style? 

He barely has any clothes. He wears like jeans and t shirts and shorts he can find on sale basically. 

Stereotype? 

He's a TOTAL nerd and I’m so into it.

Hobbies? 

Computer stuff. He likes techy stuff and board games.

Are they your type? 

I don’t really have a type. He's got a killer personality and he’s SO sweet and charming and that’s what gets me. 

When did you started liking them? 

Like January I think?

Do you talk to him/her everyday? 

Not everyday.

Do you talk about them to your friends? 

Yes Colby lets me talk about him all the time.

Do you like hearing their voice? 

Yeah, it’s nice.

Do you like receiving text messages from them?

Um, yeah? That seems like a weird question.

Do you like their laugh/giggles? 

His laugh is adorable. 

When you see them, are you shy? 

NO he makes me feel so comfortable. I’ve never felt so comfortable around someone I wasn’t dating.

One day will you be with him/her?

Honestly, probably not but maybe?

Do you get jealous when he/she talks to the opposite sex? 

No. This is weird, but we actually encourage each other to get out there and be with other people since we really can’t have each other and we’ve accepted that.

Will you wait for him/her, to be yours?

I honestly don't want anything right now, so I’m willing to wait for now. Once I’m settled and know what I want in life I’ll move on if were still not together. 

Are they more shy or outgoing?  

He's outgoing

Y'all have the same group of friends?

No 

Does your crush smell nice?  

I mean, yeah. He doesn’t wear cologne or body spray or anything but his normal human smell was nice?

Does your crush have a nice smile?

That goofy smile tho (yes).

Are they kind to you?  

Yes he is SO sweet it hurts.

Are y'all considered friends or acquaintances?  

We’re friends. 

When’s the last time you saw them?

Saturday.

Do you have their phone number?  

Yeah but we usually talk through snapchat.

Is your crush talkative or more of a listener?

He's a talker but he’s a good listener too.   

Can they speak more than one language?  

90% sure he can speak at least some German. 

Where did y'all meet?  

Work.

Do they live close to you?  

No. He's literally over 500 miles away.

Have you ever been to their house? How about their bedroom?

Yes and yes.

Do you even vaguely believe your crush is interested in you? 

I answered this earlier. It’s complicated.  

If given the chance, would you have sex with them?

Yes.

Have you ever hugged or kissed your crush?  

Yes.

Ever seen em naked? Do you wanna?  

I have, and I wouldn’t say no to doing it again.

Does your crush have long hair?  

No it’s super short.

Do you think you’ll lose contact with your crush within 5 years?

I hope not but maybe.

Is your crush more naughty or good/innocent?  

He can be both.

Is your crush gay/straight/bisexual/transgender?  

When I asked him he said “bi-ish” so 

Is your crush a freak? Sexually speaking…

I’d call it adventurous and experienced.

Is your crush a virgin?  

No.

Do they have any pets?

No. 

Do they have a job? If so, where do they work?

Yes he has a job at a company which I’m not going to name. 

Do you know if they have an STD or not?

If he does he hasn’t told me, and it’s kind of common courtesy to tell someone you have an STD if you sleep with them sooooo   

What kind of music are they into?  

Um, rock probably? He also likes musicals so there’s that. 

Their fave color? If you don’t know just guess

His favorite color is blue (even though he’s blue/green colorblind). 

How long have you known em?  

Less than a year.

Their fave type of food? Guess if you don’t know

I don’t know but probably like burgers cause he tried to take me to a bar for food. 

When will you see your crush again?

Quite possibly never which is literally awful to think about. Hopefully sometime in the future.

Is your crush extremely confident?

He’s pretty confident.

What’s ultimately stopping you from making them yours?

Distance.

[straykatfish]

Apart from the challenge of finding someone other than yourself to draw and a landscape that isn’t the parked car outside your front window, lock down works quite well for a distance student used to the vacuum of no physical peers to work with.

So far, that’s got me to the end of the Drawing 1 module, and almost to the end of Practice of Painting. All of them now subject to digital rather than physical assessment. My Drawing portfolio will be formally assessed in July, without the anxiety of sending all those precious items off in the post and hoping they all come back – at which point, after moving on somewhat elsewhere, they’re likely to qualify as embarrassments.

OCA has undergone a metamorphosis since COVID-19 struck and emerged from its rather dated egg as a more nimble, albeit a bit wobbly on its legs, new millennial. Some staff have had personal tragedies and probably some students too. This is a shitty time.

So, at times of trouble and stress, what’s a girl to do? Crack on, that’s what.

First, let me introduce you to a video series fronted by Tim Marlow who takes us on very manageable tours of significant artists over the years. There are two series, both via Amazon Prime and called Great Artists with Tim Marlow.

Next is an ongoing series coming via The Arts Society. I have no interest in glass but the absolute joy in Mark Hill’s voice and face as he describes the history of glass making is a delight. To date, just Hill’s and Sara Dunant’s on history of art and literature are the only ones posted, but the schedule includes short talks on collecting, Turner and the £20 note, Beethoven’s fit of rage (can’t wait for that one!), and Aboriginal art from May 19th.

Then there’s The Lonely Palette, an audio podcast written and fronted by the extraordinary Tamar Avishai, an art historian and past adjunct lecturer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This woman cuts through artifice and pomposity like a warm knife through soft butter. Lots of episodes going back to 2016, all bite sized.

Now some actual late-onset-painting-degree-student art.

Still life. Acrylics on duck cotton. Really it should be stapled onto something firm but the stapler I ordered wasn’t up to coughing up anything but bits of bent wire so it’s pinned!

A small detail crop showing texture.

I liked this but also it felt a bit twee so I took another run at it. Still duck cotton but this time larger and darker. It felt more solid in these colours.

Details.

By the time we got to portraits, COVID-19 had really taken hold, but you’d never tell from my selfie expression …

These two are about mood.

and led to this, an acrylics version of a drawing I’d made earlier from an internet photo.

Then this – another remarkable face drawn first then painted.

The next task was to portray a figure in an interior. This is based on some sketches I did a year or so ago of our local Hub, a cafe attached to the Baptist church down the road. It’s closed to customers for now while it serves as an actual hub for volunteers supporting our community through this crisis. The picture reflects the emptiness many of its elderly clientele must be feeling now it’s not available to them. Somewhat of a Hockney tinge to this maybe?

And in complete contrast, here I am inserting myself into the clean room at NASA/JPL’s Mars rover lab. Why? Well why not!

This exercise called to a narrative. These are four separate canvas boards indicating the passage of time by the colour of the brickwork while the elderly man gradually retreats from the window. Isolation can be as much a killer as a virus.

Not COVID-related at all. Much! Taken from a selfie I’d labelled ‘who do I speak to about this PPE’?’

Now we’re onto landscapes, or more accurately, windowscapes as that will be the limit of any exploration for the time being. I may have been channelling Monet for this and I apologise whole heartedly to his spirit.

I often find that a second (or third) version of a painting turns out better than the first which, in the past, I’d have been very happy to accept. So, there’s another iteration of this one underway – here’s a taster.

  Links to my OCA blog

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/04/26/part-3-assignment-3-portrait-or-self-portrait/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/04/19/part-3-project-3-exercise-2-telling-a-story/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/04/07/part-3-project-3-exercise-1-figure-in-an-interior/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/part-3-project-2-exercise-4-conveying-character/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/27/part-3-project-2-exercise-3-mood-and-atmosphere/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/21/part-3-project-2-exercise-2/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/part-3-project-2-exercise-1-self-portrait/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/part-2-assignment-2-still-life-subject-to-editing/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/03/part-2-project-4-exercise-2-simple-interior-perspective/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/part-2-project-3-exercise-5-still-life-in-colours-reflecting-mood/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/03/01/part-2-project-3-exercise-4-still-life-complementary-colours/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/02/24/part-2-project-2-exercise-3-still-life-natural-objects/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/02/23/part-2-project-2-exercise-2-still-life-with-flowers/

https://conboyhillpainting.wordpress.com/2020/02/18/part-2-project-2-ex-1-still-life-sketches/

    Busy, busy, lock down busy Apart from the challenge of finding someone other than yourself to draw and a landscape that isn't the parked car outside your front window, lock down works quite well for a distance student used to the vacuum of no physical peers to work with.

[johannaadriaansen-blog]

How to Strategically Use Instagram Highlights

Instagram highlights. Are they dead or are they thriving? Are they serving your account or are they a waste of time? Instagram highlights are kind of like

hashtags

in my opinion, they aren’t going to make your account blow up but they are part of Instagrams key features and should be used properly!

WHAT ARE INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS?

Instagram highlights are a way to save Instagram stories passed. Users were getting frustrating that the valuable content they put on stories was getting deleted after a mere 24 hours. So Instagram created highlights. Highlights are the row of circles you may see below the bio on someone’s profile. They are essentially albums of Instagram stories sorted into specific categories of your choosing. I’m here to share with you today how you can use Instagram highlights effectively to convert profile views into follows and continue to drive traffic back to the content you’ve worked so hard to create. So how can we strategically and effectively use Instagram highlights?

KEEP YOUR HIGHLIGHT CATEGORIES ON BRAND

I did a little highlight audit recently and realized that some of my highlight topics, while fun, were not on brand. I had an entire Instagram highlight called ‘Eats’ which, to be honest, had a lot of great food tips and recipes in it but it doesn’t align with the content that I regularly post. So I had to kick it to the curb. It’s crucial that your highlight categories actually match with content you consistently share and ultimately drive more people into your business in some way. Maybe that means saving stories that have swipe ups to your blog. Maybe you have a behind the scenes highlight that shows your creative process as a maker and directs people to your etsy shop. Maybe you have a highlight featuring testimonials from past clients.

Speaking of, I’d LOVE to get a

follower testimonial

from you! Feel free to put me under lifestyle *wink wink, nudge nudge*. I had another highlight called travel, and while it was nostalgic for me to tap through and reminisce over past trips it wouldn’t be accurate for someone coming to my page to see, because a Travel highlight suggests I share travel content, which I do, but it’s not the type of content that drives my business forward. At the end of the day we want to make sure our Highlight titles are serving our audience and serving our business not serving US or our personal entertainment. Make sense?

MAKE AN INTRO OR WELCOME HIGHLIGHT

I don’t know about you but when I’m looking at a new profile I want to know WHO is behind it ASAP. Who is the person behind the pictures? What are they all about? The first thing I do is click their most Instagram recent story, hoping to find a clip of them talking so I can meet their personality. If they don’t have a story live I go to the highlights and click one that peaks my interest. If I can find video content of them talking there is a way better chance I’ll follow. So what Highlight topic can we have that promotes this connection? A couple of weeks ago I had this idea that it would be cool to have an ‘intro to me’ highlight where I quickly talked about who I am, what I’m up to and how I show up on the ‘gram. But, the only way to make this highlight is by of course physically posting it to Instagram stories which might feel a little random and awkward. I went on stories and prefaced it by explaining what I was going to do and then jumped into the intro. I created a new highlight called “Welcome” and then added the appropriate clips.

MAKE HIGHLIGHT COVERS

Highlight covers are a great way to bring a branded element to your page because you can create a color scheme. If you have a website that has specific colors you definitely want to use the same colors. This is to create cohesion in the experience as someone moves from your Instagram to your website. If you don’t have brand colors but your feed has a color-vibe this is a good place to start. You can actually use Canva’s color palette picker. Canva also provides for you the actual color codes which makes

making your highlight covers

way easier! To make your own highlight covers with solid colors, simple graphics or text head to

Canva.com

, make a free account, then create a new design with the dimensions 19020 x 1080. You can simply change the background color to one of your brand colors, export the files and air drop to your phone. Or get creative by adding elements or font to the cover. HOW TO ADD HIGHLIGHT COVERS WITHOUT POSTING TO INSTAGRAM STORIES Once you have your new highlight colors as jpeg. files you can add them to a pre-existing highlight WITHOUT having to upload them to your Instagram story. Remember back in the day when we had to tap through everyone’s highlight covers? No more! Just click a pre-existing highlight, select edit, edit cover, upload from camera roll! Pro Tip: You could also make solid color highlight covers by taking a photo within Instagram stories, selecting the paintbrush tool, choosing a color and pressing and holding for three seconds. Save this new solid color image to your camera roll and upload to a highlight as I explained above. Highlight covers make your page look clean and organized, don’t skip this step!

KEEP THE NUMBER OF INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS TO A MINIMUM

Users are likely not going to scroll horizontally through your highlights. Ideally you want all of your topics visible from your profile view. And since highlights are organized by which was most recently updated they are always changing in order. If you don’t update your 9th highlight for months it will be stuck in the back and likely not seen! Ideally we prioritize and aim for a maximum of 5 highlight topics. IF you have more highlights, and maybe that makes sense for you, you CAN bring a highlight to the front of the list. You’ll have to go into your Instagram stories archive, chose a recent slide and add it to your highlight. It’s okay if it’s not an actual fit because you are simply going to remove it from the highlight right after. Save the highlight and then go back in and delete the slide you just added. Doing this will move this Instagram Highlight to the front of the row without affecting the contents of the high light!

USE HIGHLIGHTS TO REPURPOSE CONTENT AND CONTINUE TO DRIVE TRAFFIC

So once we post an Instagram to our feed it pretty much gets lost into the abyss within 48 hours. That caption you worked hard to write, and that image you spent time acquiring is basically a dead zone now. Not ideal! Just the same blog posts and podcasts can be promoted and SHOULD be promoted more than once! So we can use Highlights to bring a little extra life to these things. You could have a blog post Instagram highlight where you save stories in which you featured a blog, even better if you are over 10K and have the swipe up link. You could also save stories in which feature a podcast episode if podcasting is your thing, and of course you can create a highlight out of your Instagram posts if you post them to your story. So what we often see is users posting their new post to their story, with a huge sticker covering the images and a call to action that says tap here or new post. I would recommend taking it one step further and adding a bit of text that describes what they will get or read if they go to that post. Once you have this in place you can save this story to a highlight and then as someone is tapping through your highlight they can kind of navigate to the type of content they want to see. For example, I have different Instagram posts that I have posted on my story saved under highlights called ‘IG Tips’, ‘For Influencers’ or ‘Freelance’. So if someone looks at my feed they are going to choose a photo that catches their eye. BUT if they look at my highlights they can find content based on what they are interested in. And that is the entire goal!

THE BEST WAYS TO USE INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

To recap when it comes to strategically using Instagram highlights you are going to make sure that the highlight topic, title or theme is actually on brand for you and in alignment with your content. Your also going to make some pretty highlight covers through Canva.com or within Instagram stories itself and also make sure those are on brand and cohesive with your blog or website if you have one. Third you want to get a little uncomfortable, get on camera and make a Intro to you highlight! Please tag me if you do this because I’d love to see what you’re up to. You can even blame me in your disclaimer story and say “hey Johanna is making me do an Intro story so that I can save it as a highlight, here goes!”. And then you can do your intro and it will be amazing! Other things to keep in mind are that you want to keep the number of highlights you have to a minimum and lastly create highlights with the intention of repurposing content such as IG posts, blog post or podcast episodes. And while I’m thinking of it, if you have in your bio you could actually write a little call to action that directs people to your highlights maybe something like ‘check out my highlight for how to work with me’ or ‘check out my cooking highlight for easy breakfast recipes”. Whatever makes sense for you! Alright friend that’s all. for me. today.