#look up the hairstyle the way described if confused

[notspiders]

Oh, Honey! (Bumblebee! Reader x Monster! 141)

General Warnings: Mostly fluff. Reader is female and is described as rather small and chubby. Reader is clumsy. Reader has a very large family. Characters may act out of character. Poor grammar is likely. Cussing. Part 1??? Note: Monster! 141 belongs to @bluegiragi

~~~~

Price watches you through the window.

Truthfully, he isn't sure how he and his team ended up here. One day they were being chased by a bloody team of zombies/cannon fodder, the next- he's laying on this extremely cozy bed (although it is a bit small) with his wounds nicely patched. Soap has gone hunting with the other women. Ghost is satisfied that they're all safe in this... rather massive cottage and has been snoring away in the next room for the past hour. Gaz has told him that he's going to just fly around and keep an eye out- just in case if the enemies somehow find themselves through the dense woods and into this clearing.

They really were lucky, Price thinks. According to you, the woods were a force themselves. Navigating through it, especially at night, is practically impossible. Compasses don't work. There's no signal and, of course, any type of aircraft just fail here. The woods are miles long and unless you packed enough supplies- it's suicide to dive back in and try to find your way out. It's just that sometimes the woods can help you, and sometimes the woods just gives you Mother Nature's middle finger and kills you. So there's that.

Naturally, the team was suspicious.

1) The explanation made no sense. 2) They were just outnumbered by a ton of enemies and to stumble upon this welcoming lot is... well, it's too good to be true, yeah? 3) You and your family are just way too happy. 3.1) There are no guys in your family. Your mother stated that men generally just wandered in, the family would treat them, and then they go away by themselves after a few nights. 3.2) Honestly, all of you look the same. Maybe there's like, a difference in hairstyles, body types, and obvious age gaps between the women here and there, but Jesus… Gaz has already made the mistake of confusing you, your cousins, your many sisters, and other random girls multiple times last night. 3.3) Scratch out the 'massive cottage' you guys claimed it to be. It's a mansion. Your 'family' is very large. There are many aunts, other women, cousins, other girls that were adopt into the family- Just no men. All living under the same roof and might as well be an army itself with how efficient you all did your tasks.

That said, it's very rude to point guns at innocent, clueless civilians. You, an adorably chubby, little bumblebee-hybrid (identifiable by the two rather pathetic buzzing wings behind your back), opened the door to them last night and stared blankly at their guns before cheerily ushering them in without freaking your head out. Next thing they knew, they got some quality homecooked meals cooked and served before them, plenty of drink (the honey mead everyone shared is excellent), proper treatment with their wounds (with... herbs), and warm beds. Ghost had stayed up the whole night and snooped around (just in case) but reported nothing interesting except for a few old hunting rifles and some overdue library books. Yes, each girl did carry a tiny foraging knife, but he's pretty certain they could still punt them like footballs ten at a time.

Morning comes- the team properly introduce themselves without being too specific of their occupation. There was a great deal of oohing and aahing as Price unfolded his one wing. His smoke did cause one girl to faint and her mother quickly asked for Price to... stop. He did his best and has, for now, stopped smoking his cigar. Everyone just steered clear from Ghost. Many children were petting Soap's head and playing with his fluffy tail, and others were stroking Gaz's wings.

Despite all the attention, Price's gaze is always on you. Maybe it was because of the fact that he's seen you first. You were just the cutest out of all of them. He wanted to whisk you away just to squish every soft part of your body and have you cuddled up beside him in his nest back home.

He's sorely disappointed to be told that he needs to return to bed so that his wounds can heal faster. No matter. The window gives him a very nice view of the clearing outside. Some girls are tending to the farm. Others are beekeeping. Plenty have gone to the outskirts of the forest to forage or hunt. Soap has offered to go out with the girls and they gladly accepted his help. (Tomorrow, he'll get off of this bed and join everyone too.)

Right now, you're picking the berries in your garden. It's amusing to watch you. Sometimes you bend over to pluck a few pretty flowers too- he's gotten a very nice view of your plump arse here and there. He's watched you buzz your small wings to just barely get a foot in the air and pluck an apple off the tree. Oh, how he wished to simply go out to lift you up himself... Your weight would be nothing to him.

From his observations, he's smartly deduced: Your body is round. Your little wings aren't designed for distance.

He loves the way you'd burrow your nose into any flower. Sometimes you remind him of Johnny's eagerness by the way you'd get a bit too enthusiastic and faceplant into the bed of flowers to take in the scent.

Price watches you get up, bump into your cousin (or is it sister? Or is this another girl? He couldn't be arsed), and the two of you collectively squeaked and apologized at the same time. Adorable. Fascinating. Beautiful. He hasn't felt this way ever since the time he xaight the glimpse of the shiny Excalibur in that stupid rock.

The lunch horn has been blown. He's been told that today's meal would be freshly baked bread and creamy chicken with wild rice soup. There’ll be tea and coffee for the drinks.

Price wishes his lunch would just be you.

[cenorii]

Headcanons about Oldsker

I drew him quite a lot, so I managed to form an opinion about him. Yes, officially Oldsker exists only in our heads, but that doesn't stop us from coming up with something about him. Who is he? Read here.

— Of course, my main hedcanon is his appearance:

— I think Oldsker is the perfect version of Wesker, the final stage of his personal evolution. It's not only the result of his personal growth, but also the result of Capcom's labors to make a complete and final version of the character that will include all the notes and previous games, creating a coherent image out of all the vast information there is about him.

— Having limited himself all his life, Wesker was able to go all out after the volcano. Now that he wasn't bound by the confines of Spencer's upbringing, nor held back by the fulfillment of his dreams, he felt free. Now he was like a child who had been told by his parents to "do whatever you want." Wesker, who had never used foul language before, might start doing it. Wesker, who previously didn't drink and despised bad habits, might try them. Long hair and a different clothing style? He's just getting started. He's free and will probe that feeling in absolutely everything. Acting like a silly joker on the street? Easy. Create the image of the urban lunatic around him as a disguise? Oh yes, he likes that. He's free and his name no longer constrains him, because he'll change it too.

— I think Wesker got tired of having the same hairstyle for 50 years, styling his hair every morning, and so on. And he's already 61. Feeling completely free, like a teenager craving self-expression, he will grow his hair out and not care about styling at all. The only thing he will do with his hair is wash it. He doesn't even need a blow dryer anymore, just a towel, because now he loves himself any way he can. And he no longer needs to be "perfect" to like himself.

— He hasn't gotten rid of the habit of wearing sunglasses, but he really needs it to fit in with society. His eyes still tend to glow with emotion, and basically have an unconventional look. It's unlikely that colored contact lenses can override something so unusual.

— He doesn't forget about Chris. For Chris, Wesker's "death" means a lot, thanks to this event Chris realized that his fight was worth the lives saved. But for Wesker, this event is also very important. He has revised absolutely his entire life, changing the way he approaches it.

— Chris is his obsession. Wesker admires him, hates him, loves him, despises him, loves him, and so it is every day… every day is his struggle with feelings he is not familiar with, but tries to understand. Wesker has become free of any restraints, but the walls that were erected around his feelings still stand. And that's why he's such a noob in feelings, he doesn't know what he's feeling or how to describe it. That's why his relationship with Chris is so confused… He created Chris clones for some new purpose, but the purpose is just an excuse for his real attitude towards Chris.

— He continues to pursue his hobby and creates various weapons and names them after himself, paying homage to his "past life". Thanks to "Albert Wesker" he realized what he wanted out of life, and because of him he became the man he is today.

— I like the name Michael Baxter from this theory. I think that even though it's a weird nickname, it would be a great fit for Oldsker instead of his past name that was given to him by Umbrella and Spencer. He'd obviously want to stop being associated with "Wesker" because it's a dirty and disgusting project. But would he want to stop being Albert? Perhaps the name is too catchy and would expose his whole new image. So he would want to change his name completely, renouncing his past self.

— Oldsker hasn't changed, he's just become liberated and free. Perhaps there are scars on his body that have not been healed by regeneration, due to his powers becoming weaker.

— He probably knows Karl Heisenberg. It's unlikely to be any kind of close acquaintance, but they could very well turn out to be conversation partners by correspondence. Karl could be telling Oldsker about Miranda's plans, and Oldsker could be chattering unrestrainedly about Chris and his plans for him.

— Perhaps freedom would turn his head a little and he'd look for himself in completely unexpected directions. How about…writing a novel? Can this Wesker write NSFW about him and Chris? 😳

[pupkashi]

congrats on your milestone!! ^^ :3 Could i please request "why are you staring at me?" "you're pretty..." with naruto? i've been having naruto brainrot lately :<

thank u friend !! I’ll happily write for our sunshine boy :3 this is my first time writing him so i hope this isn’t too ooc </3 let me know what you think :]

join the party!

“should i cut my hair? i feel like it’s getting a bit long” naruto huffs, running his hands through his golden hair and ruffling it a bit, smiling when you smooth it down for him.

the konoha sun is beating down on the two of you, y’all blades of grass surrounding the small blanket you found yourselves on. you can’t help but notice how the way the golden rays of the sun look on naruto’s honey skin. his eyes seem to be a bit bluer than usual in this lighting, it makes you fall for him even harder.

“think it looks good a bit long like this” you smile, kissing his cheek and relishing in the way his cheeks turn pink, “you’d look good with shirt hair too though” your words causing him to pout, throwing himself backwards and laying on the blanket, a pout on his face.

you only stare at him as he rambles on about his hair, not completely sure what was saying. you could only focus on how pretty he looked. his pink lips moving as he spoke, nose scrunching adorably when he described how bad he’d look with his hair completely up.

“- what if i tried kakashi-sensei’s hairstyle? is mine long enough for it?” he asks, staring at you expectantly, his eyes sparkling as he smiled up at you, a confused expression on his face before he speaks up again.

“why are you staring at me?” he’s laughing a bit at the way you giggle at him, laying down next to him and brushing his soft hair out of his eyes.

“you’re so pretty” you sigh, a love struck smile on your face as his cheeks heat up once more. “you could cut your hair short as you want and i know you’d still look just as pretty” you mumble, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“wha- so suddenly?” he laughs nervously, still trying to get used to being complimented so often by you.

“cant call my pretty boyfriend pretty? what has the world come to” you frown, propping your elbow up so your cheek rested in the palm of your hand.

naruto didn’t say anything, his brain too fried from the amount of times you’d called him pretty while looking like you were heaven sent yourself. he only managed to scoot over a bit, arms snaking around your sides and easily moving you so that you were cuddles close to him, your head resting on his chest.

the two of you were quiet for a while, watching the clouds pass overhead. you soaked in the moment, trying to memorize the way the sky was painted in reds and pinks, your eyes fluttering shut and smiling as you got a whiff of Naruto’s cologne.

it was peaceful, listening to the distant voices of people in the village, hearing the wind rush past the two of you, birds singing as they flew by. you wished the moment could last forever, not being interrupted by-

“so should i cut my hair?” his voice was louder than he anticipated, a sheepish smile on his face when he apologized for making you jump a bit.

“nah, i kinda like it like this” you mumble, face still resting on his chest. naruto didn’t say anything, humming in agreement and smiling. if you thought he looked pretty, he wasnt gonna change a single thing.

[r--kt]

Tenzo is a replacement for Obito.

From Obito's point of view.

contents | introduction · the essence · similar story: Jinx and Caitlin

[ I mention the similarity with Arcane here, but if you haven't watched it, you can just not read this part, the essence won't change much. ]

here's the thing: It's a headcanon, and it is simple in formulation, but a bit complex in explanation of the certain image. below I discuss the reasons for some of Obito's reactions during the war, and his perception in general.

if Kakashi and Obito had somehow happened to be in the same place once during the ANBU period, or if Obito had known about the members of Kakashi's team, he would be jealous of Kakashi for Tenzo.

not romantically jealous (it's up to you though), rather painfully possessive, with resentment and anger. and not in a vivid way. it's more of a gnashing feeling inside, clogged enough not to recognize it, but not weak enough that it doesn't affect anything at all. why would that even be? their kekkei-genkai, appearance and bond with Kakashi.

CH 317 on the left; CH 605 on the right.

Tenzo's mokuton is smooth, malleable, these are neat bars of wood, and Tenzo has no difficulty making large houses or complex thin figures out of them, such as keys or eyes (ANBU arc in anime) or cute figures (almost any scene where Yamato uses kekkei-genkai).

Obito's mokuton is broken and sharp, it's branches with thorns, which rather embody his frustration, instability and anguish. such wood is easy to use to injure, kill, block the way, isolate yourself from others, but not to build anything out of it. this can not protect gently (to make a shelter or a useful object), this mokuton can only attack. the detail parallels very well with the personalities of both characters and their connection with Kakashi, with how Obito perceives it.

no matter what Obito says, he's a good liar. the old bonds he had in his "past" life remain important to him. his anger at Kakashi in the war, among other practical reasons, is due to the fact that Kakashi dared to acquire new connections that are more important to him than that bond with Obito. at least that's why, among other things, Kakashi doesn't go over to his side (while Obito hoped he would, I'll make a post about it one day). and the connections Kakashi has, subconsciously or not, are perceived by Obito as annoying, as a disregard for everything they've been through together, for everything Obito went through. this is a resentment that provokes anger, the root of which is as follows: "you should not have new connections, you should suffer, because I am lonely and I suffer for you" (for others in general, but this one is the agenda).

his anger is sometimes about "I did so much for you, I gave you the most valuable things I had (life, strength, the ability to care for others), and you ruined everything, well, maybe not you, but I thought it was you at first... and now you, bastard, are trying to stop me?" but not about that today.

and that's why not only Tenzo would annoy Obito, but anyone else who's close to Kakashi. the man consistently selected the people most similar to his past experience, and here they are all around him. then Minato appears in the war. so why am I talking specifically about Tenzo, whom Obito may never have seen?

Tenzo's kekkei-genkai makes everything more confusing. This becomes something personal, which Obito perceives in the way described above. That's just an interesting parallel between these two.

And that's not to mention Tenzo's appearance. He is in some ways still looks like Obito, at least because of the silhouette, hairstyle, etc.

And what this can be compared to? Jinx and Caitlin from Arcane.

Arcane EP 7, "the boy saviour"

Of Course Jinx experiences it much vividly, it's her canon event. for her this storyline is more important than something like this for Obito, but the essence is the same. It is a feeling of betrayal from a person dear to you, who showed with all his appearance that he/she would be on your side until the very end. And it feels like you've been replaced by someone who's really more comfortable, or better at something, or more socially approved. And you're just a lonely sick weirdo.

It is not surprising that both Jinx and Obito treat Vi's/Kakashi's kind words or regrets as something annoying - subconsciously, among other things, they can see it as a mockery. They just don't really believe it.

so here it is. just the way I see all of this.

what is the role of this hc? to show the subconscious in Obito, which is constantly manifested in war through his action or inaction, through his words, through the way he manipulates, through illusions that he shows or sees himself. I like that about him. I like his big vulnerable uchiha heart.

[ I should have written some other post about Obito first, otherwise you will now decide that this is the only way I see him... ]

[empthy1]

JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY. marie moreau

warnings ➺ cursing?? reader is described as ‘dolled up’ and using chapstick but I tried to keep it pretty gn. anyway I love her sm she’s so babygirl. might do a part 2

Marie was already regretting agreeing to go out with you. Not because it was with you- she loves the nights you spend together, wrapped up in blankets on your small twin bed, movie playing on her laptop and snacks resting between you.

The problem comes when you go out, and she doesn't get to curl up next to you. When you go out to shitty clubs (she has no idea what they're like) with your untrustworthy friends (she doesn't even know who they are).

Maybe she's a bit jealous. More than a bit.

So, after you whittled her down with your begging and pleading, her desperation for your attention growing with every night you left, all dolled up, she finally agreed to go out with you.

Getting ready was enjoyable. You sat in her lap to do her makeup, helped her pick outfits and hairstyles. She listened, turned her head when you said? She was met with a hummed thank you, babe. When she finally picked her outfit, she heard a whistle and a looking good, gorgeous from your form, sprawled out on her bed. It was invigorating.

The problem came after you left. She met your friends— you were part of Golden Boy’s group, and that’s all she really knew. She stood by awkwardly as you greeted everyone, a shy wave directed at the group when you turn back to her— Luke, the Golden Boy, Cate, Luke’s girlfriend and Andre, his best friend (along with Jordan, that asshole).

The club is slightly overwhelming, bright lights battering at her eyes, forcing shaky blinks. The only constant is your hand in her clammy palm, guiding her to the table. You look so carefree, bright smile on your face as you plop down next to her. Almost too close. She can feel the heat of you.

“So, what… do we do now?” Her soft voice meets your ear, melodic as it mixes with the bumping club music. She sounds nervous, uncertainty lacing her tone.

“They usually do molly, or coke. Have a drink or two.” You respond, almost amused at her apprehension. Your body against her side, pressing close to speak right against her skin. She shivers briefly at the brush of warm air— then winces at the suggestions.

“…or we could just go dance.” Then you’re hauling her up, dragging her towards the dance floor. Her discomfort is washed as she stumbles after you, a smile spreading her face at the press of you against her front.

She didn’t notice someone following behind.

Jordan, horny as they are, is immediately pressing against your back, whispering something into your ear that makes you laugh and glance at the clingy couple to your left.

Jealousy. Burning, writhing in her gut. She can hear the blood rushing through her ears, feel how it rushes down Jordan’s body towards— she can’t even think of it.

She reaches out and snatches your wrist, spewing some garbage excuse she only half-hears herself. You’re pulled away from the party, from the flashing lights and Jordan’s form, a (cute) confused furrow between your brows.

“Marie, what the fuck?” You hiss, more curious than annoyed. She pulls you all the way to a lone hallway, only populated by a few stragglers, half-intoxicated already. She steels herself, willing the blood to rush away from her face, and thanks the universe that the mixture of the shadowed hall and her tawny complexion conceals the blush flaring across her skin.

“They’re an ass, you should let them touch you—“ Fuck. That really is not good reasoning. It might be the adrenaline, the confusing emotions swirling through her, but she just blurts—

“—do that with me. You should be dancing on me.”

Why did she say that? Her face burns with embarrassment at your resulting silence.

“Marie, are you…” You huff, head shaking slightly before your gaze turns up to her. Your eyes are so pretty. She can’t take it. She can’t push down her feelings, especially after seeing how much she can’t bear to lose you to someone else.

Her body crowds yours, pressing into the club wall. Lithe hands roam, pawing at exposed skin and sliding under clothing to clutch at your waist. Long locs shield you from the rest of the club, and zero your vision to just her.

“Can I… kiss you?” Please. She almost looks frantic in her desperation, gaze intense and breaths heavy. It only takes the softest nod from you, the barest hint of a yes and she’s surging forward to kiss her strawberry chapstick (that you stole) from your lips with a low, appreciative moan.

Soon you can’t think, not about Jordan, your friends, or the party you abandoned. Only her pillowy lips, slick with gloss pressed firmly to yours. She’s not very experienced, but god is she desperate, as if she’s trying to consume every inch of you.

Your friends will be fine without you, you decide swiftly, as you tug her out the back door, giggles echoing behind you as you greet the cool night air.

[ataraxiaspainting]

(troupe member of your choice) reacting to a cheating accusation

“this is all a game to you isnt it?”

decided to do this request with machi! <333

Warnings: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, thoughts of kidnapping the reader, manipulation, stalking, and implied violence (not on the reader).

Word Count: 800.

*~*~*~*

If there was one word you could use to describe the expression on Machi’s face, it would be nothing more or less than slight horror.

It’s ever so subtle, like how an astrologer would count the stars and find one missing, or find another new one that went unnoticed in the moments before it, no matter how small or insignificant it seemed then, in the past, or the present or the future. But you have learned to read Machi, have learned from how messy her hairstyles were to tell how annoyed she felt at your neighbors, have learned from what hoodie she was wearing to tell how much she spent on gifts for you. Most of all, you have learned how to differentiate the different shades of blue her eyes can change into, become, simply from how the sun hits or from how tired she is. You can read her, but can she read you?

When two mirrors face each other, what does one of them see?

What does the other one see? Will they see themselves, or one another?

When you look into Machi’s eyes, her eyes stare back at you too, don’t they?

“...What?” She’s confused, caught off guard perhaps, at your question, from how she crosses her arms in a defensive stance to counteract the glare from your eyes.

“That friend of yours, Pakunoda… she’s with you a lot.” You don’t want to accuse your girlfriend of anything, but with how secretive she can be sometimes confrontation is the best solution.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You’ve also… been avoiding me.”

“Have not.”

“You have!” You blurt out, hugging yourself even tighter as you continue to weep. “If you don’t like me anymore, just say so! She’s prettier and wealthier and obviously is a much better fit for-”

“[First], please calm down.”

Machi simply notes that your insecurities are getting the better of you again.

But why?

Then, everything she has seen today while following you to work clicks into her mind, this breakdown of yours being the final missing piece in this puzzle. It’s definitive.

An investigation of sorts, to see which clues fit in what order.

A familiar face comes into her imagination. Two, actually.

Then… the number goes up all the way to twelve.

But the two original ones stay under bright light, while the others are cast in shadow.

The green-haired girl from your job, the one that always seems to pick on you, and Chrollo.

Her boss speaks first. Even in her mind, a landscape that is supposed to be only hers, he always seems to be the early bird, putting a few words in before anyone else could.

Machi, I think you are too merciful to obstacles. Continuing to be that way will only slow you down even more.

She thinks on those words. 

Impulses spread around her like a mist. Impulses she has kept down for so long for your sake, your happiness, whether that be putting pills in your food when you visit her or slicing the throat of that man who catcalls both of you whenever you walk by him at that park you like frequenting when the weather is warm.

Then that girl’s voice comes into her ears, and the mist looks red and sticks to her palms and stinks.

You’re such a low score. That girlfriend of yours can do much better.

The urge, as dark as blood, for Machi to tear everyone who has ever crossed you limb from limb.

“...I’ll be back.” She turns around, walking toward your apartment door, the needles in her jacket pocket feeling even colder in her hands. “We can talk about this later, alright? Just please calm down.”

“...Don’t break up with me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so-”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” She interrupts, gripping the doorknob so tightly she must focus on something else entirely to prevent her from breaking it.

“B-But then where are you going? If I’m not a good girlfriend just s-”

“Sh.” 

You sniffle. At the sight and sound, she is reminded of Pakunoda taking care of her when she was so young, crying and pulling on her sleeves, begging her to not leave her too. Those memories are bitter, most days, but sometimes they are all she can hold on to, to prevent herself from falling apart.

“Machi… you aren’t leaving me?”

“No. Never.”

“Then where are you going?”

She doesn’t answer.

You choose not to pry anymore, but the anxiety still gnaws at you from within.

Perhaps for a different reason. This gut feeling… It's horrifying. 

But you don’t know where this feeling came from. At least not yet, or maybe not ever, if Machi continues to have it her way.

[treasar]

Chapter 5 | Finally |

No way... Is that Jungwon?

It is a peaceful night as chilly winds are present like a wave of the ocean, calm yet fresh. A strand of her hair flies in the air with the help of a gentle breeze while she is zoning out. 

It’s thrice, visiting this field with a high hope of meeting the boys. But, unfortunately, luck is not in her hands. She starts to lose hope. Sometimes, her mind is telling her that what she can do is nothing.

She is forever trapped in this world… 

However, she keeps pushing herself not to give up. At Alteast there is a 1% that she will successfully finish her task and then, go to her home.

 Somehow, she feels like this night view is cheering her, giving her strength. She starts to like this place not as a place where she will meet the boys. But as a place where she can make her mind fresh. 

Tomorrow is the day she is going to move to her not-so-new school. She doesn’t know whether she is going to meet them or not. What she knows is that she has to try her best there more. 

Sure, she is excited about going there but, what if…

What if there are boys….?

Or maybe even Sooha? 

The war will soon break out for sure… 

Between the first vampires and that idiot vampire, Chris…

Then, what will happen to her?

Will she be at the academy? Or… what else? 

The sound of opening the gate snaps her out of her thought. Then, a pair of feet appear in front of her as she is near it. What a relief is that she is hiding behind the benchers so the comer can’t see her. 

She glances at her watch before gazing at that person. It’s almost past 12 p.m. That person sure must be the guard since no one is allowed to go out. 

A huge yet thin coat is hanging on his shoulder but, his hair… is oddly familiar to her. It’s like something inside her mind clicks that function her brain to recognise who that person is.

A wave of surprise and disbelief rushes through her body, rubbing her eyes harshly to make sure that person is him or not. “ No way… “ She whispers, still disbelieving.

She hurriedly shows up not wanting to make the same mistake as she did in her dream. “ Jungwon, is that you? “ She calls out as that person halts his step. 

She can’t even describe what she is feeling as nervousness, relief and something more rushing up. 

Those green eyes glance at her, which are perfectly paired up with his light grey hair, which honestly she thought was white. His tiny ponytail is making his hairstyle better. A strand of his hair fell on his tiny forehead, appearing his look more.

“ Handsome and intelligent “ is not enough to describe him. He is too looking for a common human with his attractive look. Moreover, she’s finally found one of them. 

“ I am sorry. I think you got the wrong person. “ Confused is written all over his face. That’s when it clicks to her that he is not Jungwon “ Oh, sorry. You look like a friend of mine. “ She nervously grins. 

Without getting a reply, he leaves, making the girl stunned. “ Wow, that’s a bit… rude. “ She frowns, watching his figure till it disappears from her sight. 

_

“ I am happy to hear that you are the one who is moving here. “ a woman, who guide her when she first arrives here, says. Alex chooses to stay quiet as she doesn’t know how to respond. 

“ I suppose you don’t need me to show you around, do you? “ The woman stops, and so does the girl as Alex nods in agreement. “ Alright then, I will be going now. Hope you will have a great first day here. “ The woman sweetly smiles at her.

Alex returns the smile. “ Thanks in advance, ma’am. Have a nice day! “ She bows. “ You too, Alex! “ The woman waves before leaving. 

She breathes in heavily as soon as she is in her new room. “ It’s so tiring. “ She pops down on the floor like a zombie. 

It’s currently 12 p.m. She had to continue her study there before moving here. So, no rest time is available for her. What she’s thankful for is that her classmates were bidding her sweetly along with her teachers. She felt like she is moving abroad for further study. 

Now, she can take a short nap or maybe a long one before starting her first day of school here. However, the coziness is helping her as her eyes become heavy. 

She doesn’t remember how long she falls asleep. But, a certain knock wakes her up from her deep sleep. When she glances at the clock, it’s saying sharp three. 

‘ Who can be here at this time? ‘ She groans, trying to ignore it but, the sound becomes louder and louder. So, she has to drag herself before approaching the door with heavy steps. 

“ I am coming! “ She shouts as the knock seems like it won’t stop until she responds. “ How can I help you? “ She peeks through the door with a tiny little bit of messy hair without opening it widely.

“ Oh, Alex. I am sorry if I disturb you. “ It is the woman, who sent her here. “ Hello, ma’am, “ Alex greets while fixing her hair with a paint of red on her cheek, embarrassment. 

“ Actually, I need you to do me a favour. “ The woman says. “ What is it, ma’am? “ She replies right away. “ Could you please show her around the school since she’s just moved here if you don’t mind? “ 

“ Sure, ma’am! “ She says without looking at the newbie. “ But, ma’am, you know… “ She comes closer to the woman. “ I’ve just moved here too. “ 

“ Oh, it’s totally fine. Everyone here knows that you are that girl. “ She whispers back. “ If you say so, I will help her, ma’am. “ She whispers back. 

“ Good! “ The woman commands. “ The girl here is going to be your new roommate and your senior. “ She states. 

“ She is Alex! “ The woman brings the newbie’s attention. “ Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I am Alex! Hope we can be friends. “ She sweetly smiles. 

“ Hello, the name is Sooha. “ That girl’s comment widens the girl’s eyes. ‘ Sooha…? ‘ 

She immediately looks up, changing her 90-degree position. Those familiar pink eyes are already looking at her with a hint of nothingness but, cold and sadness. 

The real Sooha, the princess and the main character of this story is standing in front of her.

The whole tour is so quiet that the sound of non-existing pin-dropping can be heard. Whenever Alex tries to start the chat, Sooha would always answer shortly as if she is not interested in it. 

Awakand and nervousness are the only feelings, that are presented in her. 

The trailing edge of the sun slowly disappears below the western horizon, indicating that the night is going to shine. Not too soon, countless stars and moon fill the dusk sky. 

She didn’t think that Sooha would be totally different from the original story. The mentioned girl is looking around but, not her as if she is a ghost. 

“ Senior, let’s stop our tour here. If you have questions, you can ask me. “ She gives her a small smile. “ Of course, thank you. “ She says shyly for the first time. 

“ Please call me by my name. You know senior sounds a bit… “ She scrubs her head out of nervousness. “ I am sorry if I act rude and cold. It’s just that I am not used to it. “ She lowers her gaze. “ It may sound weird. “ She whispers.

That’s when it clicks her. Sooha is not being treated friendly by others except Chris since she was young. “ It’s totally fine, Sooha. “ A genius smile assures Sooha. 

“Let’s be friends, Alex. “She smiles. 

_   

a/n: hey guysss, it's a short one for today! Hope you guys enjoy it! relogging and like are appreciated! If you guys want to help me choose the title for this story here!

[eunkimmie]

dr. feelgood | prologue

eddie munson x reader

chapter summary: eddie gets introduced to his new neighbor the day she moves in. the two seem like a perfect pair, and everybody sees that except for them.

content/warnings: fem reader, modern!st au, weed/smoking, fluff, slow burn, let me know if anything else needs added.

wc: 1.1k

series masterlist: coming soon

next chapter (one)

apartment tenants came and went—that was just the norm. college kids, small families, they were in and out all over the complex. usually eddie didn’t pay any mind because people moving in or out didn’t really concern him. although, whenever he saw his neighbor hauling boxes out to a moving truck, he started to wonder what kind of a person would move in next to him. he wondered what it would be like to have someone cool for once, instead of some boring rando, or, an elderly man who tells the apartment manager about his secret cat (fuck you, mr. phillips.)

the fact that the apartment right next to his had become vacant eventually got lost somewhere in the back of his mind, and he forgot about it. spent his days doing whatever.

eddie was sitting in his living room one day. it was his day off, so, naturally, that meant it was time to pack a fresh bowl and relax. buckley and harrington were over—it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence—and they had made themselves comfortable on his couch.

eddie was just in the middle of grinding, mid sentence, when he heard a loud thud, and then, “god damnit!”

now, eddie wouldn’t really describe himself as a nosey neighbor, but irregardless of that he was quick to run to his door, closing one eye and sticking the other to the peephole. it took him a few seconds to work out the right angle.

“who’s out there?” robin asked, craning her head to look out the window.

eddie shrugged. “dunno. i forgot that the people next to me moved out, i guess someone finally rented it.”

outside he would see, standing on their shared porch, a girl. looked generally around his age, and she had just dropped a box on her foot. would it have been the gentlemanly thing to do to help her, or at least offer her an ice pack? yeah, probably. but he couldn’t do that, eddie thought. then she would know he was snooping.

didn’t seem to matter, though, cause robin was in the process of shoving eddie to the side, then proceeded to swing the door open and beeline towards the stranger.

“hey!” robin chirped. “you need some help?”

you had shimmied the box off of your now throbbing foot before looking over at the voice, face visibly startled by someone essentially popping out of nowhere. the only words you could muster in your sudden confusion were jumbled strands of “uh’s” and “i’s” before you were able to collect yourself.

“no, i—there’s no way i could ask you to do that.”

robin proceeded to wave her hand as if to say, “nonsense.” and, before you knew it, robin was picking up your dropped box of shoes that had been lazily thrown in, haphazardly. she nodded her head towards your door, waiting. you blinked once before fumbling dumbly with your keys and pushing the door open.

normally, you weren’t prone to letting strangers inside your place, or letting them help you move as a matter of fact, but you were a bit dumbfounded. for whatever reason, the girl looked trustworthy to you with her forward yet laidback demeanor.

two brown headed boys scrambled out of the door the strange girl had emerged from. both looking a bit awkward and wary. they seemed to try and signal to their friend who was currently placing your box of shoes down against a wall.

“im sorry for my-my friend, over there,” one of the boys breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck. funnily enough, both men looked like they came straight out of the 80’s, one with denim on denim and the other with an almost identical hairstyle to that of van halen.

“no, it’s um,” you paused before waving your hand. “it’s cool. nice to know i have chill neighbors. or, actually, do you all live in that apartment?” you gestured to the door. it wasn’t unheard of for a group of three or so to occupy a single bedroom apartment, but you couldn’t personally imagine doing so. you already knew that bare apartment was gonna be full with random little impulsively purchased trinkets before long.

“no no no,” the denim boy said. “just eddie.” he gestured to the guy with the eddie van halen hair—you wondered if that was a coincidence or not.

eddie stepped into view and took a look at you for the first time in clear, and not from the wide angle of the peephole. you looked albeit a little taken aback from what just happened, but you also didn’t seem to mind going with the flow. he could appreciate that. your skin was tattooed with various designs down your arms—the left arm looked like a collage of stick n pokes and some amateur doodles that contributed to your patchwork sleeve.

“nice ink,” were eddie’s first words to you. he gestured to your left arm. “you do that side yourself?”

you gave him a tight lipped smile. “yeah. i bought a tattoo gun when i was like nineteen and went kind of overboard. got some i did myself on my legs, too.”

“no, it looks sick.” you let out a small thank you before the conversation seemed to trail off. it was awkward, definitely. meeting three strangers that were probably maybe a little too nice to wasn’t exactly an every day occurrence.

“sooo…” in an attempt to alleviate the tension, you offered your name. they had offered theirs in return, and you learned that the other guy was steve, and the girl was robin. and as robin promised, the three strangers had helped you move your few boxes and your mattress with no bed stand up the stairs and into your apartment.

steve rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the scarcity in the room. “you expecting a furniture delivery?”

you shrugged. “no. i didn’t really plan that far ahead.” steve only responded with a confused stare. you smiled, albeit a bit tersely. “i kind of just up and moved. kind of just planned to figure out the rest if i actually found a place.”

eddie admired that aspect in people. people who took their days once at a time—those were the kind of people who could roll with the worst of the punches.

“um. anyways,” you took a deep breath, offering the trio a genuine smile. “you guys didn’t have to help, but i really appreciate it. i should probably start deep cleaning this place, and there’s no way i’m letting you help me with that. but, if it’s cool, can i give you guys my number?”

“of course!” robin was quick to exchange her phone with yours, the two of you typing in your mobile numbers before steve offered up his phone as well. eddie grinned, quick to pull his phone out of his back pocket and hand it to you. it wasn't long after before you thanked them for the last time and held the door open for them to leave.

eddie would have to remember to text. always nice to play it friendly with the neighbors.

[animehouse-moe]

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Episode 3: Hidden Inventory 3

I'll be the first to say it, this episode is markedly better than the prior two. It's better in quite a few different ways, though is still peppered with quite a few complaints. Would I say that things are looking up? Probably not, no. Would I say there's a chance at this adaptation getting better as we go on? Quite possibly, yes. It's a very weird spot, but this episode does well almost because it doesn't try to be Jujutsu Kaisen, rather it tries to move as far away from it as it can, and it's in the pieces that are central to JJK that you understand something is wrong. Confusing yes, but hopefully I can break down my thoughts into more detail with this post.

I like to call what I've just described the "Tanya The Evil Effect". It's an aspect where the depiction of a story and its events ends up so far deviated in tone and experience, that when under good direction and work you can still value and appreciate it as something disparate from the source material.

The episode director isn't in over their head this episode, Gosso isn't hamfisting excessive and incoherent direction into the content at large, there's just a lot of stuff that greatly divorces this episode from Gosso's vision at large, and is part of why it remains successful.

I still think there's things that are silly and pointless changes for the sake of cutting corners, like this sequence of Kuroi and Geto talking where they're static in the anime vs in motion in the manga. It's just one of those simple things that provides context and agency to the situation. Why would Geto and Kuroi be standing still if Amanai is in danger?

If you take a closer look at the episode, it's actually quite odd. There's a lot of direction that's bog standard, just characters in frame standing still. But then you get random bursts of direction that are surprisingly solid, like this piece of Amanai behind the fence/bars, symbolizing her isolation and feeling of being prisoner to her role as the Star Plasma Vessel. Arguably one of the only scenes that makes proper use of the change of scenery from the rooftop rendezvous of the manga.

Anyways, onto Okinawa. I'm disappointed, but also surprised. Incredibly sad to not see Gojo's summer hairstyle on display, but I also feel like with a lot of these scenes, this is the closest we'll manage to S1/manga humor parity.

Alright, back into disappointment mode. Very sad that they didn't include this pose/panel for Haibara and Nanami. Why don't we just continue to strip the characterization and style of this cast more, MAPPA? Also, poor Haibara man. Nanami's already a lost cause sadly, but I at least had a bit of hope for Haibara in spite of the early showings of their character design. Even worse than I was expecting to be honest. The energy and slightly goofy nature just does not exist within him in the anime.

Have to shout out my boy Asta/Tadano though. Love seeing Gakuto Kajiawara getting more and more VA roles.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Okinawa. This is now a drama anime, plain and simple. The framing/layouts/etc are all very much drama leaning, and it's well done. It's just that compared to what the manga offers.... it's, well, decidedly not it. Also, unsure why, but random scenes in the episode are very low-res? I know Tumblr compression does not help at all, but this scene in particular is incredibly grainy and odd. There's also something wrong here in how dull Gojo and Geto's colors are in the shade compared to how vibrant the scene is in the light. I wouldn't call it bad compositing, but the color design doesn't feel quite right. I mean, the second image is of them in the exact same spot under the shade, but it looks so much better? The environment art is sharper in their vicinity, the character designs are more detailed, there's proper shading, and the colors seem way more accurate/realistic.

Maybe I've just gotten used to the poor compositing/coloring of the series to be honest, because at first glance I didn't actually think it was as inconsistent as I'm finding it to be.

Also, shoutout MAPPA hating on Geto again man. This dude is just stepped all over through these episodes and it hurts me so much. His expressiveness is totally stripped away from him and replaced with some hollow smile that I'm sure anime onlies can even tell carries no weight. Like please tell me, who are these two people in the anime??? It just hurts, and it's the tip of the iceberg for the issues with faces and expressions.

Personally speaking, I think this one is the biggest failure from MAPPA. They literally did this exact defeated smile Geto loves to wear in JJK 0, and they can't repeat it for S2? It's just so painful to see them totally mismanage the characters despite having simpler designs so they can "be more expressive".

That's enough bemoaning what's happened to poor Geto, allow me to return to why this episode is actually better (though it only really borders on good) than the prior ones: that drama feel. They extend what's displayed in the manga of Amanai and co's Okinawa trip, and it's pretty well done. I'd say as a manga reader though? I don't really care, and I don't think it adds a great deal to the experience in the first place with how they chose to add things. The scenes are pretty and some of the best displayed in the episode though, of course. The good old MAPPA special of placing insane effort into original pieces while giving the source material the cold shoulder.

Okay, one little piece of criticism (though it's actually sorta big). MAPPA just can't keep their little paws off of messing up characters for some reason. It's a simple thing, I know, but it's also why I'm complaining about it. There was no need. No need to have Amanai place her hands behind her back, to do something that her character never did even once in the manga. But they do, and it changes the tone of Amanai simply walking through an aquarium, to Amanai placing more thought in the experience. A very frustrating and needless change that weighs down the actual potential displayed in the sequence at large.

Anyways, what makes this piece of the original adaptation good? Well, the use of the symbolism of fish was already strong in the manga thanks to Gege, as its used to further show Amanai's isolation and the lack of a group that she can exist alongside/be with. That part remains clear in the anime thankfully. The piece that adds to it though is the parallel between the aquarium and its customers. They place the idea of Amanai's isolation compared to the fish on top of the people visiting the aquarium. Sounds a little odd maybe but I'm bad at explaining, but the point is to show the isolation Amanai feels from seeing the fish (and whales) in the aquarium as a palpable and noticeable thing that she actively experiences.

Of course, I'm not without complaints, but I feel like it's easier to let it slide if you don't look deeply at this sequence. If you see it as something untethered to Amanai's character, the weird extra cuts of the fish swimming freely in the aquarium is fine, but putting it alongside the context of Amanai's character it's pretty confusing and excessive. Why spend all that time fixating on the movements of the fish trapped in an aquarium, relegated to their current fate? Feels like a tone deaf movement for some odd pursuit of artistry that neglects the function of the sequence.

Alright, on to the next butchered character/sequence! Toji and Gojo. Man, I knew what to expect considering they showed viewers as much of the "good" stuff as they could, but I didn't think it was going to get this weak.

I knew Toji was going to suffer, but I mean, how different can you really get and still call it the same character? What a weird shit-eating grin in the anime versus the far more creepy and naturally twisted smirk that rests on Toji's face. It's just incredibly bothersome to see them fail so miserably with reactions that are so important to characters.

And I mean, they do it again, and again, and again. The whole flashback sequence is meant to be played off like horror, and up until the reveal is well done. It's got tension, a cheesy horror soundtrack. It's got the potential to actually do something with the appeal it's aiming for, but it ultimately fails because what is Toji's reaction here? It's supposed to be the thing that he fears/despises/disgusts, but all that shows on his face is plain surprise? Compare that to the manga, and you see how flat and lifeless this reaction is.

Okay okay last one before I move on. What kind of pose is this? He's so relaxed and standing like he's already superior to Gojo, like he knows he could win effortlessly. It is absolutely not the pose and expression of a man set to go up against arguably the most feared sorcerer of his time.

Anyways, action and stuff. I don't think it's terrible. As I'd already established though it's not JJK action. It takes well done choreography and layouts, and reduces it to flashy cuts that viewers can barely piece together in time. What's more worth talking about is how dim and over processed the sequences are. They just end up looking so out of place no matter what MAPPA tries to do. Also man, the S2 OST really does stink. Even in a tense action sequence there's just zero heart in it. Such a massive flop compared to the electric work on S1 and 0.

Okay, yes, Keiichirou Watanabe's animation for Gojo's Blue is well done. But, if the camera wasn't having a seizure I'm sure it would be better received. Of course, same issues in regards to the prior statement about action with the dimming and over processing too. Wastes a lot of potential that the cut had to be a genuinely great piece of animation in the context of JJK. It still undeniably is, beneath all of the additional oddities that bury it, but it's pretty far removed from JJK.

If you want to understand what I'm saying, take a look at Hanami vs Yuji and Todo (Watanabe did the cut of Hanami's massive branch attack). Yes, the compositing is better for Gojo's blue, but take a look at the camera work. How much effort it places into keeping the duo in frame, how hard it tries to keep things cohesive and easy to follow. It's a night and day difference that shows the importance of a director in delivering the best version of someone's animation.

Anyways, here's Gojo's Blue sequence, as a video. Too long to make into a reasonable quality gif, and also insanely flashy and all over the place so nicer than having seizure material auto-play in two places at once.

Alright, so uh, Gojo dies, Toji pulls up with the gat and domes Amanai right in front of Geto, following it up by announcing that he killed Gojo. And then the episode ends. Honestly? I loved the ending just cause I know it'll cause so much chaos for viewers.

The episode overall though? It's weird that I think it noticeably better than the prior two when I've complained about so much, but maybe it's one of those things where the closer you get to being correct, the more faults you find in the thing being examined. Regardless, it feels like Toji's been incredibly nerfed from a viewer's perspective compared to the manga (alongside Geto and plenty of others), and honestly I had next to no hype for their actual sequence because it all felt so disjointed. The pacing of it felt off, and the action just didn't grab me with it's super flashy, highly processed, up close and personal so you can't quite tell what's going on combat. I'd say it's still a flop compared to what S1 would offer in comparison for big moments, but it's also done better on average when compared to the prior two episodes.

Pacing is of massive concern now though. We're three episodes in, with a total of five. It took us three episodes to make 8 chapters total, and we've got 6 though more likely 7 chapters of content left to cover for this arc, with only 2 episodes remaining. "Oh that's not too bad", except for the fact that there's the massive upcoming fight alongside us still having to get through Toji vs Geto. Even with the 6 instead of 7 chapters, even if they don't add any original content, they're speed-running at a minimum of 3 chapters for the last two episodes, which is pretty damn bold.

Is Hidden Inventory/Gojo's Past going to hold on and make it to the end in its current state, or will it rush itself to an early grave? Next episode will certainly be the deciding factor, but whatever it is, I'm not exactly hopeful of where we're going to be left.

[bloomboxygo]

Melodious' Design Review! (With tier list)

No matter what I'll say next, I cherish all of the wonderful Melodious Monsters that grace YGO with their presence. However, with a more subjective but analytic view on designs, or vibes... Some will come to be better than others. Even so, this'll just be an occurrence to talk about every Melodious.

Well, in order to make an image thumbnail I'll first post the Tier List. You can go do your rankings here if you so wish!

...And now, let's properly review each Melodious, starting from the bottom.

-Ahm... (Some criticisms, but still fine!)

Tamtam

Honestly, the thing that bugs me about Tamtam's design is her outfit's color scheme. It's a mix of somewhat muted colors, most prominently the aquamarine on her puffy shoulder pads and thigh guards contrasting with the red around her blue corset, all because these two want to be decorated with gold as opposed to the orange over the aquamarine. It's just weird looking, and makes for a green-ish and red combination that, while striking when saturated, doesn't work super well when subdued. But, while the fact that she's the only Diva with an instrument, and named after an instrument, is weird, her tamtam has overall a really nice color scheme (gold on that purple-red is really good).

Solo

Honestly, there's not much bad at all with her, it's just two things: her face looks kinda kiddy-ish and small and I don't know what's up with the bandages on her arms. They're not consistent with the ones around her legs which at least sell themselves more as a decoration. Did she hurt her arms out of her being destroyed by battle a lot? Eh, who knows. The rest of her outfit's nice enough, but I especially like the hair that looks like a winged greek helmet.

Adorable (Great designs!)

Opera

You know what I said about muted color schemes? Opera's dress actually works very well because a more muted lilac is more delicate and a great contrast to Opera's pink cotton candy hair. It's also complemented by the structure of the dress with its multiple veils and the light pink cloud with blue notes that seams the bottom of it, as well as the wings on her back, give her an adorable feel. Could do something about the breastplate though, the way it's placed it plain looks... Odd.

Score

An admittedly harder one to describe... The surface seems to be plain white with some gold and purple, but there's so much more beneath the surface. Many details which I find both cute and puzzling at the same time. I remember saying it before in a post which I think got deleted, but she has many space-like elements in her design: her antennae and Team Galactic hairstyle, her purple undergown, her "cape" which looks like a wave crash... Many elements. She's quirky, cute, but a bit confusing.

Serenade

What a pretty, autumn-colored lady. It's a very warm coded color scheme that's pleasant to look to. Her skin provides a light contrast to that scheme, being violet as opposed to the yellow and orange of her dress and the pinks of her hair and headpiece, and it really brings a tender sense of warmth to her, fitting for a serenade. If anything, my only nitpick here is that the dress is a bit overdesigned: I dunno what the pink decoration on her left arms aims to communicate visually, and I don't like the green on yellow too much.

Soprano

Now this is what I'd like to call a well-rounded design. Nothing too amazing, but no personal complaints! That white toga underneath the dark blue armor with the orange tips really sells the "greek" idea of the muse here. Also an interesting choice that they decided to cover her eyes. Whether she's blind or that's a costume choice, we may never know. Her headpiece and hair are also more fantastical than the rest of her design, which I have a hard time interpreting, but I don't think I necessarily have to.

Bloom Prima

This is another design I have no particular complaints of. Being a Bloom Choir Monster means she has a specific design theme to convey, that of the flower imagery. I feel like Bloom Diva does a better job a bit in all aspects at communicating that and with her design in general, but that more colorful, vivid color palette is more fitting of a youthful figure. Also her hair is really elaborate and kinda looks like two flowers in itself, and dark blue is an inspired color choice to contrast with the dominant yellow. Also the shoulder campanula boomboxes are a nice touch.

Bloom Harmonist

A VERY elaborate design in a role that is... Quite its own, so it's not tied to any previous imagery besides the flower theme. Her dress makes for an overall very pleasant and delicate color scheme, with an aquamarine main presence that meshes really well with the pink, as well as the green and softer gold accents. Also her plain look in her face (for lack of a better term, contrasting her with the Melodious' various skin colors), works very well with her flowing intricate hair and pretty, pretty flower at the top.

Couplet

OOOH MAAANNNN

Sometimes the analytical part of my brain has to be the one to decide. By heart, I adore Couplet. And my complaint... Admittedly is hard to parse. Because... Dang, her design is just kinda all over the place, isn't it?

Well, not entirely. There is an obvious mirror with her and Refrain that comes with the plated parts of her dress. If you put these two together, you essentially form Soprano's armor in form. I think it's super cute and valid that these two complete each other in their designs. Still... The color scheme for everything else is... Wild. Mostly the blues on her puffy skirt are there to complement the blue and gold on her plated parts. But then there's various oranges, purple, a hint of black in her undershirt, her green skin and pink hair that aren't really present anywhere else in her design... That color scheme might have just been the point, to make her kinda look wild in contrast to Refrain, but probably there could have been a more colorful scheme because admittedly, besides the blue, it's kind of muted. Anyway, Couplet's pretty, she can dress how the heck she wants and I'm sure she's really happy about it.

Also another thing she shares with refrain are her back rainbow neon wings. I love them, they're so pretty, and it makes me kinda mad they've never been drawn. They go so well with their designs, especially Couplet's.

Flowering Etoile

OOOH I DUNNO MAAANNNN

This is undoubtedly the hardest placement for me. And the hardest one to see for most of you guys, I believe. Just A tier? Am I still hung up on the whole bottom half of her dress being too much? YES. Yes I am. There's a serious imbalance on how much there is at the top and the bottom. An elegant pink ballerina suit with music and gold accents, contrasting with the bottom filled with flowers, an alternate star mail, a layer of what looks like leaves under it, star ribbons and big top knots. And it's all just... Kind of hard to really understand because I get that there are supposed to be tons of references there, but it's just too much! Or... Is it? The card art showing all that bulkiness in full display doesn't help. So much so that most fanarts I've seen don't go for that full view of her, rather drawing her from the front, in which the star mail and everything besides her flower aren't that visible and it looks easier on the eyes, OR... Only draw the top part of her and the flowers on her hips. I believe it would have looked better if they unified the bottom part with that Yuzu flower theme. It's imperative that it stays on and I believe they're a really nice addition to the design! But what if it was just that flower gown? Or what if they went extra into it and make that a full flower dress? Though I guess that would make her have a harder time moving as she's a dancer...

Or an idol? It's kind of a thing I also noticed with Couplet and Refrain, but Etoile most of all looks more like an idol than a classical singer, and it's just a thing I can't overlook. Yuzu and idols haven't really stuck together much, so I dunno about that inspiration. Unless the Mikiyo Duel which was glossed over in the anime had that much of an influence. Despite all of that, I can't really put her low. I just cannot.

SHE'S JUST SO ADORABLE!

Like I said, the top half of her outfit is perfect and her hair, while a little wild, contribute to that comforting, feminine, and graceful look perfectly worthy of Rata's words "Color scheme of a warm hug". At a glance I can just FEEL it. And again... Fanart might have helped here because it focused on her top half.

She looks just like the right person to comfort and soothe you. Bit bulky at the bottom, but she's still a goddess.

SPLENDID (Fantastic designs!)

From now on, I've pretty much got no complaints.

Shopina

The main deck Maestras will be almost put together because they have quite a bit of similarities when it comes to the style and clothing. They're very much inspired from the IRL composers, especially with the hair. Shopina's style feels slightly lighter than Mozarta's, it's a bit hard to describe: The dress is shown to have softer fabrics and a blue overall color scheme with some whites, which translates will with her light blue hair and lilac-pink skin. Also she has an ethereal piano. And back harp wings.

Mozarta

Mozarta's color scheme and dress feels stronger than Shopina's, with more plated parts adorning the gown, as well as a red scheme with gold accents. Also the conductor's baton is just perfect for a Maestra and she's the OG in that. A detail I really like about her is the lines underneath her eyes. It's something that just made me speculate future design philosophies behind other Melodious Monsters. And I like her simpler harp wings better than Shopina's.

Canon

In terms of color scheme, now I kinda see why I thought Couplet was a bit much in color. We kinda have that here, but more focused. Blue and black on her checkered skirt, and mostly purple on her bust, all complimented by a pretty gold mask. Also her hairstyle makes her look rough, like a blue flame, but graceful at the same time and I think it's how she moves with it (in the anime).

Elegy

Oh, gorgeous. It's probably due to her elegance in her pose and demeanor, but I think she is. Purple color scheme with green skin is a really neat contrast, and I kinda like that her green hair's... Kinda messy looking? I dunno, it just looks cuter.

Sonata

Well, we're getting to the OGs now. I think when it comes to "greek muse" Sonata's the fundamental one. Very uniform in color and maybe a bit too simple in her style, but a scheme that very much works nonetheless. Even so, I like more uniform designs and she pulls it off really well.

Aria

And hey, her dear companion! The actual OG in a sense, carries that same sense of semplicity, and I guess pulls off the look of also looking somewhat like a dancer with her dark brown outfit over her bronze skin, a pleasant contrast. She gets a bit different with it with her gap on her belly as well as that big cloth wrap around her hips, but the scheme works with her design. Also bronze and purple with her hair... She really has a cute face!

Refrain

We have Couplet's companion right here. I tried to keep the two close in the tier list (that's why they're not ordered within the tiers) because they do truly complement each other. Refrain contributes the other plated parts, as well as a different styled pair of rainbow back wings, more rigorous and simple than Couplet's.

And it really seems to be a design philosophy to contrast the two. Refrain has quite a bit going on in her design, but she keeps it somewhat uniform in her color scheme, maintaining various hues of red that are also present in her hair, with a hint of orange for the dress (also keeping gold and silver accents) and yellow for the hair, and not only that, she wears an elegant and sleek full dress at the bottom as opposed to Couplet's poofy skirt. Very well kept overall.

Schuberta

Ooh mama.

They were probably pushing a bit with this design, I'll admit. Both well-endowed and her poofy dress makes her look... Curvier... For a lack of a better term.

Even still, the design has gone quite a bit away from the other Maestras while still... Being one in spirit. The hairstyle isn't quite the same, opting for a wild luscious redhead style that isn't quite like Schubert's, but that would be kind of hilarious to translate 1-on-1. But it really looks like flames. Her gold mask also accentuates that different look, while keeping the eyes full like the other Maestras to keep that distinction in design. The dress is also different as previously stated, more uniquely decorated, having a red pentagram that spirals on a black dress with orange tips. Also her baton kinda looks like a fencing sword, which I found really neat.

Anyway, gorgeous design. Even though the ornaments on her shoulders and hips are a tad weird.

SSSUBLIME (Creme of the Crop)

Well, we only have two left and you should already know who. Let's get to it.

Bacha

OOOOH MAMA!!

Out of the new Melodious designs we've gotten, this is the real KILLER out of the bunch. Just. Gorgeous.

Could be because of my affinity towards these Maestras and how classy they look, but she takes it a step further by putting a spin on a concept that I feared would be represented and making it the main draw of the design, and just plain sublime on its own: a darker Fusion that could very well be a play off the Parasite Fusions Windwitch and Lyrilusc got, as if she's reenacting it.

I wouldn't have wanted to ever come close to that concept due to the whole Parasite thing angering and disgusting me, but she manages to pull that darker look with aplomb. Pure black dress with gold ornaments is a brilliant, tried and true color scheme, and contrasts with her pale blonde hair, pale white body and red eyes super well. Not to mention the transparent dark veil behind Bacha and that crimson under-dress right at the bottom are just the cherry on top of that design and the angle really shows off all of her dominant presence.

It all creates an inspired menacing look that offers a unique spin on the generally bright and light Melodious designs.

Bloom Diva

Even with all that said, and with the tiers not being ordered, people who know me knew I'd put her on the top. Heck, I've done an analysis of her already. And the design was a section of that analysis.

And yeah, despite all of Bacha's praises, I'll always have Bloom Diva as my favorite. Yes, even in design. Much of it still stands out today in her Maestra-like traits she inherited from Mozarta like whole azure eyes and marks underneath, her simple, yet elegant dress with some flower inspiration. THE FLOWER STAGE IS STILL THE MOST INSPIRED CHOICE THEY'VE DONE WITH MELODIOUS. I love it to bits, and it makes her stand out among all other Melodious Monsters.

What else can I say, really? You'll of course find more in the link, but I'm still very fond of Bloom Diva, her design, and what she represents. All making for a soothing, elegant and adorable experience with a hint of power and fright. Wonderful.

Anyway, that's it for me. Ranking Melodious Monsters probably isn't even that fair for me because I will cherish anything Melodious. I can't bring myself to dislike even one of them, no matter how they are.

I'm sure not many will agree with me on this, but that's okay. Tastes and all, that's really how it should be.

So, who are your favorite Melodious?

[captain-of-silvenar]

🛁💁‍♀️👠 for yera and/or kerasil, your pick :3

I did Kerasil earlier today, so I'll do Yera for this one!

🛀🏿 Is bathing a luxury or a chore for them? Are they a long, sybaritic soak sort of bather, or a just-getting-clean sort?

BATHING IS A LUXURY. After spending weeks, or even months, on the road living in the dirt or woods, in sleeping inside caves and dungeons, all Yera can afford at times is a wet rag or just living in her own sweat for awhile. Nothing she hasn't done in her long life, but it certainly isn't always the best when you roll up to an inn or tavern and you can hear the folks flinch away from you.

Yera used to be pretty efficient with cleaning before she got into her wealth. Just wash in the lake, or the river, make sure to get all the leaves and dirt out of her hair, and she was golden. Now that she actually owns a house and the funds to have a bathtub, a warm soak is the best thing in the entire world.

That's not to say she is only a bathtub soaker anymore. It depends on the mood and how convenient it is to do so, but if given time and space Yera will always choose having a warm bath over anything else.

💁🏾‍♀️ What is their hare care regimen like? Do they color, straighten, curl, or otherwise change their hair regularly?

Yera would say she takes great care of it. She combs it, cuts it even, makes sure to get all the dirt and leaves and bugs out of it. It's a distinguishing part of her features so it has to be taken care of.

If you ask Lydia, she would truthfully answer that it is haphazard at best, and looks more grey than white most days.

There is a reason Yera keeps her hair short and a low maintenance hairstyle. It's not that she's neglectful of her hair, just that she feels that just a quick finger brush and keeping it clean is enough for her needs. So long as it's not sticky or falling over her face annoyingly it's alright in her books.

It's not horrible looking, but once Lydia learned that her Thane was basically dunking her head into a barrel of water and calling it there she knew she had to do something.

So now Yera has a dedicated hair care regimen that is required at least once a week by order of her housecarl (Lydia can be pretty forceful when required). It's a really nice bone comb that Lydia got her for, and Yera takes great pains to make sure the comb is well cared for and never chips.

Lydia wishes Yera had the same dedication for her hair, but it's the thought that counts.

Yera also doesn't really change the hairstyle, nor dye it despite how different it looks and how easily identifiable it makes her. A blind bosmer woman with pure white hair is pretty easy to narrow down, but her hair is a feature of her person. And Yera will be damned to let anyone tell her how to change or manage her body in a way she doesn't agree with.

👠 Do they coordinate their outfit and accessories carefully, or just wear any old rag that passes the sniff test and their most comfortable shoes? Somewhere in between?

To shift how Yera takes care of herself again, she does take great care in coordinating her outfit. In the beginning she only had one set of clothes and armor so she just cared about those being in good condition. Now that she has a house and money to spend on outfits she likes accessorizing again.

It's been over 100 years since Yera last saw colors, but she still remembers them and which one she likes the most. This usually falls into reds, yellows, the occasional blue paired with darker colors, and obviously gold when affordable.

Lydia helps out putting the clothes together and describing them to Yera for selection. Then they're put close together in the closet so that there is less confusion as to where they are.

Boots are organized from utilitarian to comfort on the rack for Yera to decide on a whim to wear that day.

Accessories are in a dedicated jewelry box with extra dividing sections Yera can organize to her liking.

You won't find Yera wearing precious jewels or dressing up in a gown, even in important social events. She still prefers function over fashion, but there's no reason to not get those plush cotton pants at the market today. Lydia, please, they're a different color this time and they feel so soft. We have so much money, what's another pair of pants to us?

[what-thisiscrazzzy]

I realise that for a while on here I talked about wanting short hair or wanting shorter hairstyles (still without the bob style) bc gender feelings. And the gender stuff is still true but I now have longer hair and it’s weird bc I’m comfortable with it bc I still know how I feel but like it’s obviously ‘feminine’ to others. When I was younger I had long hair, way longer than this, and while I didn’t have the words I definitely still felt… separate from womanhood? Like I still associate with it but also it doesn’t sit as comfortably as it ‘should’. Now as an adult it definitely isn’t the word to describe my experience with gender, not fully. It’s weird bc even with long ‘feminine’ hair I still make sure I cut the front bits a bit shorter so when it’s up or it sits in a specific way I can see it as those floppy haircuts you’d see guys have in like the 90s. And I think I look… not androgynous but confusing? Idk. I keep my hair long bc I like the curls and waves. I keep my hair long bc I like to fidget with it. I keep my hair long so I can dye it. I keep it long so I can hide behind it.

I don’t see woman in the mirror I see me. And all the confusing and conflicting ideas that make me a person. And I don’t look in the mirror 24/7 so I just see my 5 year old maroon converse, my cuffed and out of style skinny jeans (bc anything slightly baggy makes me look short), the sleeves of my jumper and the floppy bits of hair at the front. Hair is weird bc it’s me but it’s not always the me that I want people to see.

[gentle-author]

WORDS

Words.

Those little noises that human beings have managed to bring to life for everyone to understand their weird surroundings...

Words.

Τhose tiny mumbles that push people to the edge of their success, dig them into daydream beliefs and spontaneously lead them to the cliff of their ends...

Words.

Those trivial grins our mouth makes and suddenly changes the whole world...

-Our whole world.

Every meaning we thought our vocabulary had found out. Every reason why overthinking has taken over us.

Every... -"us"...

Words.

Sometimes words are just not enough.

Sometimes words mean nothing.

Sometimes our most important skill

-speech-

...is the most insignificant of all the reasons why someone would undoubtedly call our species "special"

-by, in the end, calling our echoes "special"...

-what an irony, huh...?

Words.

The way us

-uncontrollably mysterious type of writers- bleed on soft, dangerous paper every night, trying to figure out our triggering, yet excitingly curious minds...

Words...

Words...

Words.

Who doesn't love words?

Who doesn't adore these little, unbearable noises that we make up every single day since the day we were born...?

Words.

Words speak louder than everything.

..right?

Words are able to save people, devastate buildings, press unreliable buttons, speak the truth, change reasons and confuse seasons. ..right?

"Right..."

Yet... wrong.

Sometimes feelings perhaps speak louder.

Louder than the storms passing by every upcoming winter.

Louder than the earthquakes deserting the whole city.

Louder than all types of sirens.

Louder than you...

Louder than me...

Louder than every possible insomniac, single or taken existence.

Sometimes feelings cannot compare to words. Words can lie.

Easily...

With no sense of guilt.

Words can hurt.

Cut.

Deeper than a sharpened scary knife.

Words can freeze your bones and lead you to death.

Mentally... at least.

As far as I'm concerned they can't cause strokes... can they?

The "genious" technology may show us someday... but till proven otherwise, I can confirm that words are as dreadful as decent liars are. That's why they get along so easily. Liars lie.

Words also seem to lie...

But feelings?

They could never hide the truth.

Never.

And that's what makes them so special if you still think this "word"

-if not a sense-

exists.

The idea of love captured by a slightly green forest in your face, leaves blown away softly by the drizzling rain somewhere mid- July. Countryside.

Sweet loneliness.

It's just so tempting to go inside that awe-inspiring, endless forest.

Tempting to finally run along with the colourful, pale leaves and face up the true feeling of pure and utter happiness.

With what kind of words could you possibly describe that feeling, if not with the words of the soul, initially represented in your plain look ?

The idea of success captured in a tremendous amount of dark, furious waves coming all to drag you in the depths of your only ally, who's apparently not the ocean, but yourself...

That self that you let drown in anxiety and caused its only harm

-its self-harm-

leading you to the void, making you wonder what's like actually feeling something, while whipping away those little, careless but shivering rivers in your cheeks.

With what kind of words could you possibly describe that feeling, if not with the words of your inner surface, initially represented in your rosy cuticle?

The idea of running away captured in a sloppy hairstyle that's ready to come for you, anytime..., any day...

Maybe when the sun sets for good or the birds go to sleep after their daily... lovely

-if not annoying yet-

concert.

That ripped, black t-shirt covering your chest-bones and those highly appreciated black jeans of yours which have suffered every kind of isolation and fear or abandonment, but still, headed-up, are waiting patiently for yourself to order them to run, to ease, to pass away... violently...

With what kind of words could you possibly describe that feeling, if not with the words of the barely breathing material you hold onto, initially represented in your powerless strength of your casual existence?

The idea of pushing yourself to the limits in order to find the real reality of your unreal fairytale, trying to escape the meaningless and staring aimlessly towards the plane that finally crashes in front of what... you can't really tell is you, but in the end, it has always been you... waving and nodding positively at the eternal gates of heaven, living through hallucinations so as to stick to your relatable feeling of feeling nothing, that feeling that is not quite as empty as you would admit touching the sky is... which seems to be faker than yourself, or maybe... your hidden one...

With what kind of words could you possibly describe that feeling, if not with the words of the faded brownish moon you're looking up to or the illusions of your unfortunate, abused reflect of it, initially represented in your innocent soul?

The idea of living a whole life in a cage, full of naughtious flowers and scented candles, believing in stolen ideas and lost opportunities, waiting patiently for yourself to accept its indifferent difference between you and the monstrous world...

Trying to escape the reddish cage in order to heal...

Lying in a pink or purple leather landscape that lights up every time you touch it... Feeling its presence every millisecond that passes by your white silk hair....

With what kind of words could you possibly describe that feeling, if not with the words of your laddish actions against a gloomy instrument, initially represented in your pure feelings?

...

Words.

Five letters that someone, somehow, stuck together someday, somewhere... in the middle of exploring

-the unknown-

you could hesitatingly guess- and identified them as some kind of "special", without really trying to deepen in the deepest meaning of this insignificantly deep word...

...

Words.

Hesitated letters that stuck together and follow us around

-everywhere-

trying to convince us that we need something, everytime...

-not exactly telling us what that is-

when in reality, we only need to find ourselves, giving up every once in a

while, struggling to push the words

-and failing miserably for once again-

away...

...

After all, is there any doubt that words are the exact synonym of pointless?

[thebigbidea]

I've vaguely mentioned her in a previous post but here's my Welcome Home OC/ Self-C. Her name is Emira. Emira Eagerly. Emi for short. Alike me, she uses all pronouns, (she/he/they), and is genderfluid. Oh! And after realizing her design was alike the Joyfuls, i decided she'd be related to them somehow. Like, first cousin once removed, maybe?.

Anygay, this is just an art/info dump to get her out there, i didn't feel like curating a post to get likes, so yuh.

I'll be using she/her pronouns for Emi only so it doesn't get confusing xd // the green text is kinda like the words i exaggerated while theoretically talking

Here's my first real sketches of her <33

Ignore the crappy Julie drawing lmao. I made a poopy mini comic about Emi getting a haircut.

I do heavily multiship WH characters. Mostly me multishipping Wally x Julie, Julie x Sally, and Wally having a crush on Eddie (the other characters i ship aren't multiships, just regular ones like Poppy x Howdy and Frank x Eddie). This is all to say that i also multiship Wally alot. And so, i both hc him as pan and ship him with my own OC (and some other peoples' OCs that are really cute). I also hc Wally as having a bit of a preference to guys, sooo, when Emi cut her hair, Wals was like awooga.

And yea, that's basically what the mini comic was. Emi cut her hair and this caused Wally to start crushing a little.

Colored!!

I think atp i did figure out that i wanted Emi to be a fashion designer/ seamstress.

Other outfits!! Yippie!! - I really love the party outfit. The shoes, ahhg! I wish they really existed.

Hehe, lil (crappy) sktech :·)

Oh yeah, i kind of had the idea of Wally drawing out the patterns for Emira when she was overwhelmed with ideas and didn't know where to start on an outfit. She'd just waffle about her ideas with Wally. Probably assumed he was drawing an apple or something, but oh? What's this? You drew a whole template for the dress i was rambling on and on about!! Thank you, Wally!

Her house :·)

AHHHH i love this drawing!!! Em and Emi, Emira and Emira, she and he, they and they, idc how to describe it, just.. genderfluidness!? And also, the outfits!! I just loved drawing them, I'd hella wear them irl. Especially the belt. I wish i had that 1970s belt irl!! I also loveee how she has longer hair and shorter at some point, meaning i can basically give her any hairstyle i want in my art!! It doesn't have to be consistent (unless it's a comic) - :·)) // this took me about 3hrs. And i barely took any breaks, that's how much i enjoyed drawing her!! Ahhh!!!

I was just looking through Pinterest and got the inspiration!! Well no, not just that. I failed to mention b4 that I'd like to think in the WH Halloween special, Emi attempted to dress up as a biblically accurate angle.. but it scared the kids tm (not actually, it mostly scared Frank) so she changed!! Her alternative costume was a clown!!. - And while, no, i didn't draw her as a biblically accurate angle, i did still make her an angle!! :·)

I do like this drawing, butttt my original sketch was way more expressive than this one. My second sketch was definitely more stiff, however i still went with it bc the first sketch was kinda wonky when flipped. Whoopies!!

//

Now i can ramble about Emi wayyyy more. I have so many more headcannons, comics, and crappy little drawing not shown here but this post is getting to long!! Buh bye, now loves <33!!!

[tbooks79]

Review of “Recitatif”

 Toni Morrison intricately manages to make race an absent element in a story where the latter is hugely valuable. “Recitatif” allows the reader to visualize the characters beyond race, while also forcing us to face our own biases by attributing traits to these characters based solely on what we know of and how we perceive them. Who’s black? Who’s white? No one has been able to answer these questions yet from what I found throughout my research, as Morrison makes it almost easy and impossible at the same time. Yet the beauty of this story doesn’t even lie in the greater message, it is in the little details. The way she achieves the confusion of the reader by carefully dropping hints throughout the dialogues and interactions between the two protagonists. Where one might link Roberta’s eccentric activism to blackness, and Twyla’s judgmental mind to whiteness, others might say it’s the opposite. The following paragraphs will be an attempt to find out what exactly is Morrison intervening for in this story?

      She begins by giving us a look into their childhood where the racial ambiguity was not hugely present yet, and by having Roberta and Twyla both share an equal amount of space in the story. However, where the idea of race is not yet apparent within this part of the story, she heavily relies on the description of their mothers to give us an idea of what Twyla and Roberta might look like physically. Twyla’s mother “likes to dance all night” (244), which hints at the fact that she might be an exotic dancer. If we were to use this little detail to assign a color to Twyla, it could be said that this activity is partaken in by a lot of adult African American women, especially at this time when there was a still a lot of progress to be made when it came to inclusivity at the workplace, or even the lack of jobs available to black people in that time. Twyla’s mother could be a representation of an African American woman using her body as a source of income. This interpretation of course comes from personal biases, considering that Morrison merely uses descriptions such as “She had on those green slacks I hated and hated” (p.246) and language such as “That bitch” (p.246) to portray the mother without outwardly saying if she’s either black or white. Now, in an ideal world where these could be attributed to anyone, Morrison is perhaps consciously playing with the reader’s mind by introducing the mothers in a chapel, though one is more religious than the other, religion is inherently very important to both communities, and there are also people who do not care for it within both races as well. This just leaves the reader to figure out the answer by themselves.

    Where Morrison is stingy on the details about their physical appearance, she makes up for with vivid imagery, and descriptions of food and environment. When the girls meet again a couple years later, she describes Roberta’s hair as “her own hair was so big and wild I could hardly see her face.” (p.249) Morrison keeps up with the same push and pull throughout. Where the reader  must figure out whether to assign this physical feature to one specific race or not. And the answer is no, you can’t. Wild hair was common in the 90’s to, again, both communities. In this case, any other word would have made a much bigger difference. For example, “kinky” or “curly” or “wavy”, but “wild” refers to a broad idea of hair, which is not specific to any one race. But there’s also the stigma around textured hair on black people. One of the most interesting, but often unspoken rules amongst people of color (specifically black people) and white people is that the former group often repels the idea of their hair being touched by the latter group, because oftentimes the gesture is done in a very ignorant, and judgmental way. There’s also cultural appropriation, which is often misconstrued for cultural appreciation, and when black hairstyles are often judged on black people, and praised on white people. Therefore when it comes to  Twyla sometimes pointing out how “the wrong people get the good stuff”, it could be assumed that she was in fact addressing this double standard. Which again will more than likely push the reader to picture the character as a black woman.                            

And obviously, the most interesting interaction between the two protagonists was their verbal fight during the protest, when both Twyla and Roberta are both faced with the revelation that they are now both completely different human beings. In this scene, Roberta’s activism could easily be attributed to a specific race, but again, Morrison tries very carefully to render the whole situation race free, and let the reader use their own biases to justify each character’s actions. The passiveness of Twyla might be interpreted as though she’s clueless about social movements, and is comfortable enough with how things are, and that type of passiveness is often attributed to white people, yet at the same time, Morrison pushes us back again with this short dialogue: when Roberta says to Twyla “I used to curl your hair”(p.257), and the latter responds “I hated your hands in my hair.”(p.257). This is probably the most straightforward detail we get from the whole story in my opinion. One that could lay all the speculations about race in this story to rest.

      When Roberta says, “I used to curl your hair” (P.257) it sounds like she’s being defensive about basically being called a bigot by Twyla. Just as many people use the “I am not a racist, I have a black friend” excuse when they are being called out on certain situations. As if having curled Twyla’s hair somehow gives her pass to be ignorant    Here, I believe Morrison is using their reactions to try and give us an idea of their race. That’s what makes this scene such an important part of the story, is that it is where the familiar push and pull from the author is done at its best. She starts off by making the reader think something but by the end, they’re thinking something else.

     In Recitatif, Morrison not only allows the reader to see past race, but also she makes us conscious of our own biases, and realize how we might be able to perceive some actions and attribute to someone from a specific race. After making us think over all of our assumptions, she leaves us to imagine a world where race is not the basis of one human’s life, and should be far less significant  than what society makes it out to be.

This work is my own, except for the work cited         

[yifangtheanimator]

Live Project: Youth Reality

This project is briefing on 13th November. We are delighted to work in a group with Youth Reality which is a charity organisation focus on abused teenagers who will got damaged on emotions, coercive control and financial abuse......

The project is aim to allow us making a film to show a specific story in four choices. Our group including Princeley, Lee, Artur and I, Yifang. As a group, we are deciding that we will do the story of coercive control.

Script

Leah was invited to a party with her friend which she was excited to go. Leah is getting ready for the party and tells her boyfriend she is going out. Her boyfriend then asks about men being at the party and when he found out there would be men at the party he said she is not allowed to go anymore as he doesn't want her anywhere near other men, especially not at a party. Leah's boyfriend trashes her make up and pulls her her away from the beauty dresser saying she is not going anywhere. Leah's friend arrives at the door to pick up her friend for the party and the boyfriend answers the door saying that she is not feeling well and she can no longer come, the friend is confused as to why Leah didn’t say anything over the phone and the boyfriend says she is now sleeping. The friend hears a voice in the background that sounds like Leah and the boyfriend is quick to usher the friend away from the house. The girlfriend is then upset about what happened and the boyfriend says she should be grateful that she is not going to have to be around men she doesn't know or trust all night and that her friend is a bad influence anyway and she shouldn’t want to hang around with people like that.

The story is mainly describing Leah the abused girl is preparing to go to a party with her friends in a night, and her boyfriend is going to stop her from going to the party when he know there might have other men will arrive. In order to stop Leah, he broke Leah's cosmetics. He forced Leah to stay at home, and when her friends came to pick her up, her boyfriend lied to them that Leah couldn't go to the party because she wasn't feeling well. Although Leah's friends thought this was a bit suspicious, they left anyway. Obviously, Leah's boyfriend has a strong desire to control. He didn't think that what he did was wrong, but that he was protecting Leah from unknown risks.

Based on the story, Lee made an initial storyboard for us to think and analyse how will the animated film looking like. She is talented on making storyboards, it is easy to understand the relationship of people in the frames.

Storyboards made by Lee

Then, we got a chance to meet on Thursday, 16th November as we decided on the briefing day. We have discussed about the storyboard that Lee made, and considering if we could add more frames of the outside view for the house in a different camera angle. In addition, we talked about character designs. Lee mentioned that she want to do the male character who is basically the abuser, and we decided to do the abused female character in our own way, and show them on 20th November to our tutor Steve May and the charity staff to see if someone's idea are better for us.

Screenshots of discuss on character design

Influenced by Princeley's hairstyling, we discussed different types of hairstyles for abused people. Ultimately, in order for the animation to work smoothly, we all agreed that it should be kept as simple and easy to draw as possible. In other words, less is more. Also, red hair is subject to majority vote. Therefore, the abused person will have short red hair. Based on that, I did a style frame for the character to see if the style is suitable.

Character Settings: Leah by Yifang

Based on the script itself, I did some analysis on the character of Leah who is abused female character by her boyfriend (even though we are consifering if we can change him to a girlfriend, in order to catering for equality and diversity).

In my way, I started my analysis on some basic settings on the character.

From the sentense Leah's boyfriend trashes her make up and pulls her away from the beauty dresser... It is clear that Leah had a boyfriend, and he got a very strong desire to control Leah. Because of the relationship between Leah and her boyfriend, I will take a guess they both are adult. On the other hand, Leah have some cosmetics, which means she might like to dress up, or at least she know how to dress up herself. This is also the performance to show that she may appear to be outgoing. She had a few friends and they made an appointment to go to a party together, this can also be a proof to show the outgoing of Leah.

In conclusion, Leah as an abused character in the story and she is a normal girl. The only character who got problems is the abuser, which is Leah's boyfriend. He is also the cause of the conflict in the story.

After a group meeting that we discussed about the collaboration on making the animated film and what we need to do for each group member. By a chance, I got some thoughts about the story ending when Leah is texting 'I need help' to her friend after her friend leave Leah's home. With supporting of Artur's storyboard on his notes, I tried to make the first draft of the story ending part.

First Draft - Ending of story by Yifang Wang

Character Design - I made the character design for Leah's friend who will be knock the door for collecting Leah to the party at the end of the story. We did not name her yet, maybe we don't need to. On the basis of the character, I have design her by following the style of Princely and Lee. It is important to keep it simple and similar art style. Overall I really enjoy this step on making characters.

Character design - Second Draft: Asian girl

After discuss in our chat group, we think my first character design is too similar to the abuser Catherine. In order to avoid confusions when the two characters stand in a same frame, I decide to design an other character who will have a black hair with a ponytail on her hairstyle.

During this time, Lee have made a finalised animatic that supporting the final part I am currently doing with silhouette of characters. Based on her updated animatic, I made the final part well and ready for represent to our client.

After the pair for the job to each of us in the group, I started to make the outdoor scene with Liah's friend that the character I design, named Sophie.

Outcome

The finished digital 2D animated film we made for the hand in, which is including voice over by girls we have invited to dubbing with and the members in the group have tried to combine our art styles into one style.

Self-reflection

Personally, I think our work is went very well and there are only some tiny rough scenes in the film are looking not perfect. The whole journey of the live project is went busy but fully satisfied, I am enjoying to work with the other members in my group especially they are talented on making animation. On my own part of works I think what I did is great. At the beginning I have tried doing rough sketches on characters but also trying to deeply understand the character itself in the story to infer their appearance and clothing based on their personality and behavior.

On the other hand, Artur is good at on planning subjects so we decided to let him to be a director in our group. He proved it because we can always get talk together before the day we need to show our progresses. In my opinion, we are perfect team on the structures and planning jobs. However, it is also a fact that we even did not decide our character designs in the first 2 weeks even the other groups are already start to make their film. As a result, our team was in a hurry when we making the film in the final week. We were always worried that there was not enough time for us to complete it, but we did not want to reduce the quality of the animation too much for the sake of efficiency. We were once in a dilemma.

Totally, we have finished the film and the outcome is looking great. After the crit day we hand in our film, we got some suggestions that is definately can help us make the film visually better. I feel very appreciate for the teammates who helped me to work with the animation and thanks my tutor gave me a chance to work in the group. It is quite different than the group project I have experienced last year because this time our members are very opinionated when it comes to decisions and discussions, it is great so we can face to challenges and solve all problems we got. I believe this experience will be my important treasure in my coming academic life, even in the workplace.