#jewelry review

[sugar-makeup]

HELLO I did it! I'm loving all the lil pieces so far

Dying to know where that ring went tho 😭

[alisonblackmanadvicesisters]

Style Story! Boost Your Chic Quotient in 2024 With Fab Things

Advicesisters.com has suggested all sorts of gift ideas for the past month. But now, there is  just New Year’s Eve and 2023 is over.  Now it’s time to start thinking of new ways to boost your image. This style story offers some affordable and effortless ways to add style and fashion to your life. I love the wear-with-everything top from Sophie & Hailee. This style story also has a fabulous…

[koreplus]

wow kim how d

ref i found on pinterest

[good-pokemon-center-reviews]

[phoenixyfriend]

I want to plug two Etsy stores that I recently had amazing experiences with.

I realized I needed a shawl pin, and all of mine were on another continent... so I decided to search out small crafters in Serbia, and see about purchasing from someone in the area because yay, small, local businesses! The ones I found weren't at any craft fairs or the like, but they did have open Etsy stores, and when I ordered from there, the sellers at both shops were incredibly sweet.

The pricing on these products is high for the area, but is very reasonable by American standards. I would expect pieces of this quality to be priced at least three or four times higher in the US, so if you're trying to support a small business and get some impressive jewelry without breaking the bank, while still paying a fair wage for the area, these are a good option.

(This isn't sponsored or anything, I'm just really happy with these shops and products and I like promoting things that bring me joy. It's the same energy as when I do fanfic rec lists, honestly.)

The first shop is Didulishop, from which I got this lovely spiral/coil brooch.

The photo really undersells the warmth of the bronze, but the color is more saturated than it looks here, and the stones are nice as well. The coiling of the piece lends a lot of visual complexity to it while looking refined and elegant, but it's pretty understated, so if you're like me and need something to hold a knit cardigan together, especially in a professional setting, this is great!

The other shop is Tangledworld. I actually got three coordinating pieces from this shop since it's much easier to order while I'm here and I don't know when I'll be returning to the States): a bracelet, a necklace, and a brooch.

I absolutely adore these. As you can see, these are a different kind of complex from the other brooch, but the art nouveau swirls are absolutely gorgeous. The pendant in particular is beautiful, and reminds me of a highly stylized Greek lyre, and while the product image showed a chain, I'm actually really happy with the hammered choker that I got instead. I didn't have any in my closet yet, and having this as my first one is great.

I ended up going into 'leaving a review' voice, but anyway. Check these folks out.

[skylilac]

this book is acruakly soooo disappointing

[vampyrgrl]

bone rosary by vampyrgrl styled by lexia

[cheapgirlyfinds]

Chunky Heart Costume Rings 💛

[scarletstitchstudios]

My full review and collection of crochet tutorials for the pride month pattern collaboration I did with Hemptique! Let me know what you think of the designs.

You can take 10% off Hemptique orders with my affiliate code "SCARLET10"

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1104 review

If you want evidence of how in-focus Kuma and his family have been in recent months, look at the list of recent chapter titles. Bonney, Kuma (as himself, "daddy," "Kumachi" and describing himself as a pacifist) and Ginny are mentioned in every title since chapter 1096. Characters in chapter titles is by no means a new thing, but so many who are so closely related in so many back to back chapters feels like an outlier.

Kuma opens the chapter with a punch that's well worth the wait, counting both the post-New Years days off and the long flashback build-up to this moment. It's beautifully composed and drawn as well, full of dynamic speed lines that fully emphasise the impact and with incredibly clean panelling that doesn't let anyone or anything distract from a moment that had to be all Kuma's. This is chapter two of 2024 and it's already guaranteed to be a frontrunner for best panel/spread of the year. One thing I'm not seeing much discussion about is the panel on the bottom right, where we see Saturn's eye narrow into a glare even as his face folds around Kuma's fist. Where many are saying Saturn won't be that much of a powerhouse, relying on regeneration rather than defence and durability, this moment of defiance shows that Saturn knows how to take a punch without losing his focus.

Lucky for us, it's an incredibly strong punch that sends him flying even if it doesn't fully break his concentration.

The Marines' lines emphasising the horror of a slave, at the very bottom of the pecking order, attacking a man at the "pinnacle of the world" makes me think of the Emperor Card game in the excellent Kaiji - in which the emperor dominates the citizen cards, who themselves look down at the slave card. But played right, the slave can be the most powerful card in the game, as it has nothing to lose, and can attack the otherwise immune emperor. For a moment here too, the slave stands taller than any free man. Also Kaiji is something everyone should watch because it's great.

The self-destruct reveal is a bit weak. It's not quite the copout I feared when Vegapunk pitched a personality switch in the flashback, but it still feels a little unearned for Vegapunk to have just fooled Saturn so easily after he said he'd check. I wonder if a translation difference could have set the right expectation for how this played out - something like "killswitch" instead of "self-destruct," so that it could be interpreted as as either a killing mechanism for Kuma or an emergency shutdown on a machine, turning Vegapunk's move into more of a semantic deception rather than an outright lie told to the audience.

The hug with Bonney isn't as dramatic as the punch, but it's just as earned and just as cathartic. Like when she debriefed with Vegapunk after the flashback, Bonney becomes a little girl again to emphasise her vulnerability in the moment. It's simple, but it takes the father-daughter reunion to the next level.

Love the visceral detail of Saturn's regeneration. If I had any faith in the anime it's something I'd be excited to see in motion because you could do some cool, messed up things with it. His powers are still hard to pin down. Even with his body full restored, the paralysis has worn off for the main characters and it's not clear what steps it will take from Saturn to set it up again. I did enjoy Sanji and Franky getting to casually land hits on him now that Kuma and Bonney have set the precedent.

Borsalino continues to be an enigma. I'm falling on the side of him holding back and giving the crew breathing room when he can get away with it, then fighting seriously when his boss's eyes are on him. I think he knew, from Kuma's punch, that there'd be no going back and no slipping out of this one anymore, and the line about darker glasses at the end is a very telling piece of dialogue for the character. I kinda wish the illustration packed it up a bit more though. That would have been a good time to reveal some genuine sadness in his eyes, but he retains his trademark neutrality all the way through.

With the advent of the Buster Call, there's no chance of this arc not being in its endgame. The question is, how are we going to distinguish this arc from the last time the Strawhats faced one of these? Perhaps we'll see them mount more of a defence and push back instead of wrapping up their fights and fleeing the burning island. Or maybe the presence of Saturn and Borsalino alone is meant to be this one's defining features.

I'm setting my hopes high for the next few months. Egghead has been on so many levels a breath of fresh air after Wano, and now it just needs to stick the landing to cement its place among the series' best. After proving he's still got it in the flashback department, I've got a lot of faith in Oda to bring this one full circle.

My Wordpress

[sugar-makeup]

Day 8!

These tiny green earrings!

I haven't worn these yet, which is probably because I don't often wear studs, BUT i like the shade of green

[doublesama]

Sabo and Bonney team up to rescue Kuma at the Reverie. Since Luffy has such strong ties to the revolutionaries, it's easy to forget they and pirates aren't typically allies. Which other pirates do you think would team up with them?

READ: https://doublesama.com/one-piece-episode-1118/

[auntboujie]

Just a good book stack to soak up the rest of summer

[kordeliiius]

Two Admirabilis-centric doujin that were sold in-person at this year’s Resplendent Jewelry and were listed online afterwards; below are my general thoughts + their respective store links!!

涛に散り洋に舞う (TL: Disperse in the Waves, Dance in the West) by mitobe

The first half serves as brief glimpse into Ventricosus’ life on the Moon, framed through a conversation with Phos. It delves into her personal anxieties that emerge via distorted nightmares, then follows with the unfiltered sorrow of losing her people to domestication. The latter half takes place towards the end of her life and is told thru some of the most breathtaking watercolor I’ve ever seen. The boldness displayed here is what drew me to mitobe’s artwork to begin with, and I’d say even if you can’t read the text, the price is worth it for the artwork alone. The ending was rather bittersweet as well, but to be honest I found sweeter than I expected!

Store link Artist’s Twitter

アクレアツスの余生 (TL: Aculeatus’ Remaining Years) by Hisame

Story about the Admirabilis (specifically Aculeatus) adapting to life on the Moon post-revival, which is something I've been DYING to see ever since the reveal. While the author’s take on the scenario is more lighthearted than mine (with occasional depressive notes), I still enjoyed reading it! This premise coupled with fleshed-out Barbata&Acu interaction was a major selling point. Granted, their relationship is a huge departure from my take, seeing as it’s purely platonic here. That being said, do you have any idea how stoked I would’ve been to see other folks writing them in any capacity 3 years ago?? I truly love the treatment they’ve been given, and how they’re able to find common ground despite things™. The art style used is intentionally reminiscent of Ichikawa’s style and I think those of you craving something simple out of her complex world would get a kick out of this.

Store link (it’s on BOOTH as well; I’d buy it straight from there instead of using a proxy tho, that landed me with so much trouble) Artist’s Twitter

[thegoodekarmaco]

Dragon Bookmarks?

Dragon bookmarks <3. Available at 3pm PST today (6/16). Snag them here!

[daeryn]

OP 1064 SPOILERS

kuma’s a lunarian i’m calling it rn