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#ngl some of the background characters are really cool looking
elvendoodles · 2 months
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Farran's family branches in many vibrantly creative directions. BIOs under the cut
Sisota Meadowshade: Her resolve is as strong as the structures she designs and builds. Just don't ask her to read the client's instructions... she wouldn't understand them anyway.
Baqir Leafwriter: Baqir has put up his traveler's boots in favor of writing stories based on his travels in Elvendale and lands beyond. Rarely is he ever stumped by a question.
Farran Leafshade: Responsible and organized, Farran is most himself when caring for his house and garden. He is not afraid of getting dirty to make sure things get done.
Parno Leafshade: With fox-like wit Parno has become a favorite teacher at the local schoolhouse. Often seen teaching students or helping her father around the home.
Florance Leafshade: The gold sheep in her family, her lack of magical prowess is a sore spot. At least she has her gossip circle and mushroom garden.
Aicha Leafshade: Often skips school to adventure in the vast forests, finding all sorts of secrets. She knows every hidden cave, grove, and magical creature in the region.
Jeshan Leafshade: Honest to a fault, Jeshan is scandalized if lying is even suggested as an option. He loves learning as much as he can and often has to be torn away from his studies by Aicha, much to his dismay.
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kiwianacat · 1 month
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Aaaahhhh this was really fun but took ages, lol. Pretty happy with how these guys all look, quick explanation of my choices if you want them, although you’re free to disagree lol.
- A lot of my enjoyment of Mistystar comes from personal interpretation or even AUs of the character but that doesn’t negate the fact that’s she’s my favourite.
- I like Berrynose for the same reason he’s commonly disliked; he’s an asshole.
- Ngl when I started reading TBC I wasn’t big on Shadowpaw initially because I was worried he was going to be Alderheart 2.0 and I was happy to be wrong.
- Needleclaw is one of the many victims of being the sister of a male protagonist, I want to see more of her with more consistent characterisation.
- If you’ve read Yellowfang’s Secret you probably already know that Raggedstar is just an awful guy in ways that aren’t really directly addressed.
- I like my Rainflower design a lot even though it differs from canon (why are Crooked and Oaks parents both grey, it irritates me)
- Frostpaw’s cool, but she’s the 20th blue eyed, plain grey, she-cat protagonist, can we please get some torties thanks?
- Flipclaw’s struggles are deeply relatable and he’s just a funny, mellow background character idk.
- CrookedBlue = fun, good chemistry, angst
- StarSky = gross, weird power imbalance, she dated your son, Clear Sky’s the worst, whyyyyy
- I like Spotfur, I think she’s neat, grounded and would have a good although dry sense of humour.
- Idk it’s Bramblestar, what else do I even need to say here.
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randomyuu · 8 months
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there's a lover in the story, but the story's still the same
Ahh, don’t you love it when fear motivates your drawing mood? (not really)
That’s what I felt reading the scene that is drawn below. It’s fear for Yuuji but also feeling excited picturing an emotionless teen!Gojou so here I am. Always down bad for Vox’s Goyuu fics, aren’t I? *sighs*
Welp, here we go.
Title: there’s a lover in the story, but the story’s still the same
Author: @voxofthevoid
Second fic of the series there’s a lover in the story, but the story’s still the same
Pairing YuuGo, NSFW, please read the tags carefully before giving it a read... the usual drill ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_
!!! SPOILER FOR THE FIC !!!
Highly recommend you guys to read them first. Or not, it’s up to you honestly :v
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Usually I would gush about the fic but I’ve already done that under the fic itself so I just want you to know this comic is solely carried by me wanting to draw the ticking time bomb called teen!Gojou-post-discussion-with-adult!Ieiri. You could probably guess what they’re talking about :”)
The fear for Yuuji’s well-being started this, but Satoru’s cold eyes kept me going. I can’t get rid of it from my mind lmao
You can say drawing these kind of expressions is my jam   ( ̄▽ ̄)
I hope I did Satoru’s emotions justice haha
A bit of my thoughts and doodle below. Unhinged maybe, it’s midnight, I got more work to do after this, and my brain cells are barely hanging on. Haha I'm living the life-
I AM STILL REELING FROM THE FACT I MANAGED TO GET THIS DONE.
There are so many things I want to talk about in the process of making this. But after I typed it out, most of them sounded so unnecessary so I rewrote it a few times. I tried to make this as short as possible lmao
Typesetting and sketching are the roughest parts of this project. During these stages, I kept feeling everything I did wasn’t doing the scene enough justice, and it was frustrating. As I planned this project, I read a few doujins and noticed the font types scanlation teams use. There are so many of them, and each helped convey the tone of each image. Felt like crying when I realised I’m not knowledgeable enough to apply good typesetting, ngl. And then the interior design. Fuck, the frustration is so real. I am absolutely clueless about this kind of thing. Tracing lots of references because I have no perception of space makes me feel even worse. I knew first times rarely create a masterpiece, but I was not satisfied with my accomplishment and the feeling of failing to fulfil my own expectations hurt.
BUT.
Thank goodness most of the things I need to draw are Shouko, Yuuji and Satoru. Because dear g o d drawing them healed me. I found so much comfort in drawing Shouko’s long hair and Satoru’s eyes and drowning Yuuji in an oversized hoodie. The comfort zone of character drawing never feels so real lmaooo
Drawing them was so effective that I can look back at the backgrounds with acceptance. Hey, I did it! Not perfect just yet, but I did it!
Haha I feel like I’m losing my mind. I don’t know if it’s in a good way or a bad way. Guess I do have one or two screws loose.
Only for Yuuji lmao
(nah I just need sleep, or cooling down from the rush of having finished this)
It might come off as a surprise if you’ve only seen my art on Tumblr, but I’ve always preferred to draw feminine-leaning ladies. I’ve always loved drawing their curves, whether it’s the figure, the clothes, or the (long) hair. But I’ve grown to like drawing masculine gentlemen as well with their sharp edges and straight lines, and now my ladies start to look more androgynous lmao
Anyway, I was pretty stoked to be able to draw adult!Ieiri! I… I kind of miss drawing long hair so here have some more before you go on your day ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_
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bonefall · 7 months
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First off, obviously this is a WC blog so I won't go further but THANKS for the brief dunk of The Lion Guard, that's one of my biggest problems with the show. Second off, are you seeing this shit Elder Bones?! * Points at the Thunder Spoiler Thread at WCRPForums * Do try to avoid reading the posts that aren't chapters though, they're bad as usual for that site lol.
Maybe one day I'll grumble about Lion King on the side blog lmao.
Anyway... that spoiler thread. I try to take these threads with a pinch of salt, but... overall feelings are really getting negative. If I had a Vibes Barometer, the needle would be dipping out of positive right now.
We're 2 books away from the conclusion and I don't know if they have time to turn this around... and they chose to spend time traveling. It's partially a travel book, guys. Several chapters of pointless bullshit.
(Spoilers under the cut-- remember we are getting this secondhand from a spoiler thread. Some of this may turn out to be misrepresentation.)
NIGHTHEART STUFF
We start off where the preview left off. They jerk the shit out of your chain with Squirrelstar teasing but spoiler we DO got her
(CELEBRATORY SQUIRRELSTAR MUSIC)
We get a BrambleSquirrel screaming match. Please for the love of god divorce these characters, this is fucking insufferable
They also had to give Bramblestar a smug little gotcha moment where he's right about his argument, Squilf accidentally walks to SkyClan camp for the plot and it turns out that Bramblestar, the guy who was apparently supposed to have memory issues and brain fog, was right that Squilf forgot how to navigate her own territory
Im dead serious she like... accidentally walked to SkyClan.
This is a clever literary trick called bad writing <3
While they're there, Nightheart says, "HEY WASNT THERE A MEDIATOR THINGY? ISNT HE SUPPOSED TO SOLVE DISPUTES?"
*I look directly into the camera. Right at you. Reader I am glimpsing across the magical threads of the internet, directly into your soul.*
Leafstar
says
"I Forgor"
if this thread is to be believed. Then the canonical explanation for why Tree was not mediating up to this point. Is because every single cat around the lake. Including the geniuses who came up with a unique role JUST for the specialest little boy. Just fucking forgot about him.
(bestselling young adult series)
Do I laugh? Do I cry?
I think im unlocking the emotion that those lizards who shoot blood from their eyes feel just before a squirt
Anyway
There is also an absurd amount of Bramblestar winking at Nightheart and teasing him about his new mate and reminding the audience about how much Nightheart wuvs him. This is probably supposed to be charming?
it just feels unsettling, ngl.
It's even more Bramble Worship than normal, like the writer is trying really hard to stress how cool and awesome their special boy is :D and how dumb and mean his wife is >:( and it's so fucking forced.
They pad the book by having it be cloudy so that StarClan doesn't show up the first time they try to do the Squirrelstar thing
I kept thinking, "What if this wasn't a willing abdication?? What if the Clan didn't have a second chance to do this?? What if this was Nightstar 2 all over again and she died of plot convenience before coming back?! This dumbfuck system has fixed NOTHING"
Plumstone and Dewnose have a moment where they antagonize Nightheart over the fact he was chosen to accompany Squilf and Bramble to the Moonpool, because he just got back and it's not fair
And you know what? They're right actually
Nightheart huffs that Squilf was giving him a Chance To Prove Himself but he doesn't fucking get it! His whole life's been nothing but chances he threw tantrums about being offered or blew up through wrecklessness, like a spoiled brat nepobaby, and he keeps getting more and more
Meanwhile Plumstone here has been in the background just being this consistently steady warrior, and has never gotten a chance to shine
He also has a moment where he whines about Sparkpelt and Finchlight being mean to him in the past when Sunbeam shares they've been super nice to her.
Sunbeam offers that they're probably trying to make up for it and he agrees.
Folks. I REALLY. REALLY HOPE. That this ends with Sunbeam telling him, "Nightheart, you are the problem. They've treated me like Kin, and they treat their Kin well. Do YOU?"
Anyway something happens and suddenly Nightheart's on the trip with Frostpaw.
The rest of his chapters so far (at time of writing the spoiler thread is at chapter 14-ish) are traveling chapters.
The traveling chapters suck diet discount dick. They look like they were rejected submissions for the various travel shenanigans that happened in Riverstar's Home.
For me, this is the most disappointing part of the Thunder Spoiler Thread. I love Nightheart because I really like the idea of him learning to grow, consider his actions, and realize that he's actually been very loved in his life.
I like the impulsive Nightheart from Book 1 who doesn't know what's wrong with himself, shooting down every attempt others make to bond with him, making shocking descisions that frustrate the entire Clan and not realizing how much he gets away with. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, the writing could be a little clever for once.
But, no. On this trip he's still whining to Frostpaw about how his family "wanted him to be like Firestar" and this is treated as something Frostpaw is able to bond with him about, somehow, because Curlfeather wanted her to be a Medcat??? And now she's choosing to be a Medcat again anyway????
FROSTPAW STUFF
WC Writing Team: "Everyone is super invested in Frostpaw's story where she learns to choose her own path! Especially the idea that she chose to not be a medcat of her own will and made a brave choice for herself! Lets fix that"
Literally, I guess lol
Smoky Cameo. Fuck Smoky. I hate this character and I hate seeing his deadbeat ass.
Gotta love how Daisy's one major role in ASC so far has been to be a source of negative emotions for Nightheart, but Smoky gets to be the new Barley with a cutesy barn rest stop.
He calls for a human to come get Frostpaw because she's got wounds.
Like. Cat MEOW MEOW calling. And this summons... a magic vet?
She has the world's fastest field surgery, as if she's some kind of endangered wild leopard and a top-notch vet staff rolled out of a research truck.
They even inject her, by hand, with tranquilizer. Who the fuck carries cat tranquilizer around?
Is this barn in the back of a fucking vet office???
Does this universe have roving surgical vans that drive around and play music like an ice cream truck, waiting for cats to call them over?????
Frostpaw wakes up back in the barn
But now her neck wound is fixed and she's spayed.
She looks down at the fresh cut on her abdomen and is like "what's this"
Smoky: "dont worry abt it"
If Frostpaw is okay with being sterilized, this will be the first time in the series that a cat being fixed will be seen as a good thing
Which, irl, it is. To be clear. Spay and neuter your animals
But dudes, this is really massively unsettling me. It seems like she doesn't know what has been done to her. This has never been treated as a positive thing in this series before. In the last book she was talking about the sort of life she would like to live
Once again she has been stripped of her own choices in a massive way
And if Smoky apparently lives so close to a vet that they just come when he calls,
I have so many questions im losing my marbles
Why is Smoky not neutered
Why were none of his 3, possibly 4 wives spayed
Why are his kids not fixed
Why were his kits with Floss taken "when they were too young to even open their eyes" back in TNP if their humans are so loving and educated
SO EDUCATED THEY WALK AROUND WITH CAT TRANQUILIZER
Anyway through the power of the writers not caring anymore, Frostpaw can now talk to StarClan whenever she wants.
They have magically bestowed a connection onto her.
This is apparently something they can just do now. Maybe it's tied to near-death experiences or the vet or something
Remember Shadowsight having a whole thing about this at the end of TBC?
Remember Mothwing and how upsetting it was to have no connection to them and how finding Willowpaw was a big thing in TNP?
Yeah apparently they could just do this whenever. Sorry.
Frostpaw is just cool with this because fuck the last book where she found out she likes being a warrior
Agency? What's THAT
It's not ok if your mom encourages you to be a doctor nun, but StarClan rips your organs out and forces you to be their mouthpiece and that's peachy-fucking-keen.
Then she goes traveling for several chapters i want to commit crime
Riverstar does the usual alarmist moaning, "ooooouuugh this newest crisis could destroy riverclan!!! Oooooooooooooouuououou it's for real this time!!!!"
Everything's gonna destroy the clans. A light breeze has just reduced ThunderClan to rubble. A beetle has landed gently upon Harestar's nose, 34 dead 25,430 injured
Girl help frostpaw is being followed by clickbait headline ghosts
And, also, for no good reason, the ghosts can't just answer a question. Why? Who fucking knows. Never explained. They can summon Frostpaw into a Ghost Zoom Call whenever they want now, but they're forbidden from revealing anything useful.
Average autistic experience with zoom calls though, can confirm, that is what every zoom call ive ever been in was like.
Im serious though, she tries to ask Reed who killed him, he just says no i cant :(
She tries to ask where her mom is. They don't tell her she's downstairs.
Riverstar says nothing useful
I have never been more frustrated with StarClan as a plot device. This is actually fucking insufferable.
They're annoying enough when they send vague signs and prophecies that amount to nothing, but now they can pop up like shitty unskippable cutscenes and STILL add nothing of value to the plot
Something I was ENJOYING was how much more grounded ASC was compared to previous arcs, and that StarClan was back to being difficult to access directly. Gone. Goodbye.
SUNBEAM STUFF
The highlight of the book everyone leave me alone i need to speak directly to sunbeam
I like how she's finding more reasons than just Nightheart to stay in ThunderClan, but is also struggling with the shift in culture
It's in a Sunbeam chapter that we FINALLY get Squilfstar. Everyone say Thank You Sunbeam
If you even LOOK at the Sunbeam wrong I will smash you to death with my hooves
For once it actually feels like we're using the cast in ThunderClan. Cherryfall, Dewnose, Plumstone, Myrtlebloom, Bayshine, Finchlight, Sparkpelt, and Lionblaze all get some significant little lines to add to this.
In particular I like Cherryfall throwing a bit of a fit about being a senior warrior and acting high and mighty, which Sunbeam immediately dislikes because ShadowClan doesn't do as much posturing. It's fun to see how she percieves ThunderClan cats.
I have a softness for these sorts of stories though, to be fair. The idea of moving to a new place and having to adjust.
It's also neat that she's growing frustrated with how Nightheart has now ditched her THRICE.
Girl please steal his family and dump him.
Be a legend. Marry his sister. It would make you the queen of pettiness you would become my favorite forever
Ivypool's exams are also pretty neat, they all test teamwork abilities. I'm going to be happy when I finally get to read them in full, if nothing else, these trials have been delightful to see.
Anyway the next emergency gathering comes up and it descends into an argument
Dovewing gets to yell at Ivypool and tell her to back off <3 "You're not going to manipulate my mate through me, screw you"
Tigerheartstar and the other leaders eventually agree to meet with the mediator off-screen because the writers don't feel like showing us Tree's madd skillz which definitely justify having this unique role that we completely forgot about until just now
It doesn't accomplish anything meaningful because they only acknowledged the mediator role to make the fans stop complaining
Tigerheartstar agrees to not station more warriors in RiverClan territory but nothing else. Waow.
aaand Berryheart's planning something and Sparrowtail, Sunbeam's father, accidentally spills the beans to his daughter. I like this because I have always imagined him as a himbo
so... yeah. It's not looking great. I'm not having a good time in this spoiler thread. I am hoping that a fair amount of it is misrepresentation, because if it's what the leaker says it is, I'm not going to be a happy camper
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felassan · 1 year
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Some thoughts on the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf leak on Reddit which included screenshots & a gif along with text, under a cut due to potential spoilers for DA:D -
first: the usual set of disclaimers that accompany all leaks apply - might not be real, unable to verify at present, games change a fair bit between development phases and final release, take with grain of salt etc
Screenshots:
Weisshaupt, headquarters of the Grey Wardens, as a location which we will travel to irl and not in the Fade.. ngl I have been dreaming of this since 2010 [yelling]. really hyped. we previously speculated these concepts were of Weisshaupt. (compare the blue-ish domes in those with the blue-ish dome structures in the screenshots.) in some of the screenshots, Weisshaupt looked badly damaged.
Weisshaupt Library is extensive and was noted in Last Flight to contain a glass sarcophagus decorated with the horns of Andoral that contains the arms and armor of Garahel. BioWare pls.. Iet's see it :D and what if by 9:52 the Library or Weisshaupt also contains some relics of or references to the Hero of Ferelden.. 🥺👉👈 or that there are some references to Hawke's presence in Weisshaupt at one time kicking around in codex or notes or something..
Seems to confirm that Davrin ("Nobody dies on my watch! For the Wardens!") is a companion who can join us in the field. I wonder if we start out with him or get him early in the game, like Alistair/Morrigan, Cassandra/Varric etc. obviously for later game missions you can choose anyone to come with you usually so it could just be that, but perhaps this storybeat we're seeing here is set near the start of the game? and with darkspawn attacking Weisshaupt (confirmed as well in the text), the very heart of the order, imagine how Davrin's feeling (since he seems to be a rather heroic or knightly Warden).. :[
The other named and voiced character from that previous trailer was Bellara. if Davrin is a companion like we may be seeing here, it wouldn't be wild to suggest that maybe Bellara is too, given they were both featured similarly at the time.
"There's worse than darkspawn on the way" / "And the walls won't hold it back" likely refers to the dragon said in the text to also be attacking Weisshaupt? it some of the screenshots in the background there looks to be the silhouette of a great beast, maybe the dragon. their head certainly looks draconic.
ROOK? :D NOW WHO ARE THEY? another companion like Davrin? this makes three new named DA:D characters (as in appearing in the game itself) that we know of. Davrin, Bellara and Rook. the other possibility is what if Rook is the PC? is "Rook" a surname, title or codename? it's catchy, cool/badass, snappy, short, Hawke-like.
"Rook" imagery (brought up by the name): birds (Hawke had a bird motif), corvids (Antivan Crows..), the Skyhold Rookery (what if they were an agent or former agent of Leliana's? "Rook" would be a good spy codename and it would fit in with stuff like 'Rector' and 'Charter'.. plus it seems we'll have some link to the Inquisition remnants going forwards per TN etc), chess pieces (games of strategy, tactics, trying to outwit Solas, Solas manipulating events), the Tower tarot card and its meanings, and most interestingly [yodels]: the Red Book, the front of which shows a wolf aflame above a rook/tower. the Red Book link makes me lean towards "Rook is the PC"
What on earth is a "Spawn Boil"? darkspawn-associated, and "boil" carries both unpleasant + dangerous/unhealthy imagery, it doesn't sound good at all.. the Children in Awakening spent time in cocoons, they had hatchlings, and there are fleshy sacks of the Taint in previous games.. maybe the pulsing red dark thing we saw previously is a Spawn Boil (a pulsing or cocoon-like thing always gives me the impression that something might hatch or burst out of it, and boils can burst or pop..), and red lyrium has something to do with it, especially considering the following point
Lots of red in some images. not good. not good at all (as in, I'm in-universe worried. u know). the text refers to red lyrium. Varric, don't look 😭 in the image which includes "Destroy the Spawn Boils", the darkspawn are fuzzy so I'm squinting and could just be seeing things but they remind me a lot of these guys. hello, red lyrium darkspawn creatures! (also confirmed in the text) I guess that could be why we need to hurry and destroy the Spawn Boils, because red lyrium darkspawn come out of them or are powered up by them or trying to spread them or somesuch
UI may change between now and release (UI is often one of the last things done or tweaked in a game iirc) I think so I'm leaving off focusing overmuch on it just now. I like the purple though
seems like this playtest was being done on a console?
menus and similar: Map, Character, Companions, Skills, Collections (what's Collections, stuff like mosaic pieces?). an inventory 'bag'. equipment slots. accessory slots. skill slots. currency. are the bits next to the money going to be resource piles, like for crafting? the Grappling Chain warrior skill returns. considering this character is a Warrior, maybe the punching arm icon is for Mighty Blow? the Guard mechanic returns. Items can't be changed during combat. looks like there's multiple slots on the shield itself (for runes and upgrades?)
Item description: "A shield emblazoned with the Templar's symbol. It's particularly effective at absorbing impacts. This one has been enchanted by the Mournwatch" [!!!] "to grant additional resistance against Spirits".
"Level [x] Grey Warden"? Is that this character's background/origin, class, spec? Can the PC become a Grey Warden? Any relation to the 'factions background' fan-theory? Also this character is an elf! in the text the leaker seemed to say that this was who they played. So the PC is an elf, or race selection returns?
The armor and equipment etc looks cool
Also what's with the crumbling stuff in the background on the character menu, do you see that? :D It's like the crumbling of the Dreadwolf logo and promo art assets on the website. Fadey stuff and realitywarping-theories senses tingling..
in the image where there's a character who isn't wearing a helmet, the hair looks decent. that's something which is also mentioned in the text.
also in that image, what's with the purpley fire[?] stuff? purple lyrium? (red+blue=....) purple roots? also there is a green tint to the lighting outside in this image. I think this whole segment we're seeing (darkspawn attack Weisshaupt and something?? is going on) is this scene from concept art being played out on-screen.
very Wardenny doors with the griffons and the chalice. the closing door scene reminds me of the 'party closes the doors to the Temple of Mythal' scene in DA:I. also like the variety of characters holding the door shut & shown in the level scene. humans, dwarves, elves, someone who looks like they're a Qunari. does one of the dwarves look like Harding to anyone else, or am I tripping?
hhh the Grey Wardens put griffon decorations on their big lever.
Gif:
Warriors seem to have have a kicking skill or move, as shown by the foot skill icon and move executed by the character (text describes this as being like a drop kick)
Dead bodies on the ground which don't yet have their textures (that's normal)
More darkspawn
"Resilience"
More purple stuff
It looks or 'feels' like the snippet we saw from the trailer (Grey Warden-armor character doing Shield Wall)
Hard to judge ofc from a very short snippet that we ourselves aren't playing, but yeah the combat looks action-y (action RPG) and from this snippet at least I don't personally see why I wouldn't enjoy it or find it fine (everyone's different tho ofc ^^)
Text (body of post):
"I was honestly shocked when we got no gameplay reveal at TGA, as I was sure we'd get something considering the timing this video was shared with me" - this is interesting
OP notes that what the playtester played was early Alpha. DA:D completed its Alpha milestone in October 2022
Some elements missing textures, missing audio etc tracks with what was said in Insider Gaming's report
Story details: the segment was set within Weisshaupt. the PC being played here is an elf (this was apparent from the screenshots but reading "the player character was an elf" sent me to another planet with hype ok). ((I hope this means race selection returns)) I could be wrong but I'd guess that "Knight" was like, general fantasy world language the playtester was using to try and describe what the character they played was like to their contact, rather than in-game text for the character (in the same way as how "mirrored portal" may be eluvians)? A warrior, armed and armored in gray/silver with a sword, shield and helmet, you know? I'd guess the "knight dude" party member is Davrin (Davin - Grey Warden warrior, confirmed?). Lady dwarf companion confirmed?? (Harding? or Bellara?)
I do hope three squadmates as in DAO, DAII and DA:I hasn't been reduced to only two as this suggests. It's like that in ME so it's not the end of the world, but three friends is always going to be more fun and engaging, especially in a series in which the companions are always the high point
More story details: Darkspawn attacking Weisshaupt (as we see in the screenshots) is a big deal hello?? This is the famous Warden stronghold, their very HQ, being attacked by the thing they exist to destroy/protect the world from. explains why Weisshaupt looks wrecked. Wtf is going on??? scared.. Where is the First Warden in all of this? this is so not good. Especially given the red lyrium spreading and the red lyrium darkspawn. That isn't a surprise as we saw something to that effect in concept art and a trailer, but still. we in danger. "some have red lyrium attacks" omg. is there any connection between this attack on Weisshaupt and whatever weird stuff was implied to be going on at Weisshaupt in the DA:I epilogue?
The dragon is also Concerning.. like. Darkspawn attacking, with a dragon involved. That sounds like a Blight and an Archdemon. Is this the Sixth Blight? is it a Red Lyrium Blight? I'm reminded of this concept art. also HELLO?
"The objective is to fight through the Darkspawn to get to the library, but as you are doing so there is also a big ass dragon attacking from above. And the dragon creates occasional environmental and traversal hazards. It ends once you reach the library, close the gates," [this will be the door shutting scene surely] "and then come face to face with the dragon. It appears you are then supposed to try and chain the dragon up, but it ends before the player completes that." I guess the big lever we see has something to do with trying to chain the dragon up. Why chain it up?? I'm reminded of Ataashi in Trespasser, the dragon in Dark Fortress and the dragon in Absolution. I guess if it was a normal Archdemon, why would we be chaining it up? so it's not or there's something weird or something else going on
"Basically, buildings and whatnot are all modeled and textured but the skybox itself is very dark and makes it seem as though the entire fortress is underground, although it is clearly not. I suspect the skybox could contain some giant world event, similar to the Breach, they hadn't finished." - this is interesting and I'm once again reminded of this piece of concept art where there's something wild going on in the sky or air outside Weisshaupt
OP was told about the God of War (2018) thing, which is what was said on ResetEra. they also mention about little to no party control (or none currently), which is what was said in the Insider Gaming article and iirc was said on ResetEra
Does "completely in real-time" imply no pause button or tactical cam in this build?
Since there's an 'Armor' bar, maybe 'Guard' is actually the special bar that builds up allowing you to pull off a musou special move?
"I don't really understand the comparison to FF15's wheel. It's standard Dragon Age ability wheel." - this contrasts with the bit about this in the Insider Gaming article
Animation quality has drastically improved, jumping returns, warriors can parry and counter
Player's hair "looked glorious", "flowing and bouncing" omg. don't need to say anything here other than [yodels]
Text (comments from OP):
OP elaborates in a comment that the screenshots/gif footage is from an "early build, years old", and that the game is now "way past this state"
On the dragon's environmental hazards, OP expands: "Like the dragon spews fire on the ground requiring you to go around an intended path or blocks off a path so you gotta go up a ladder"
OP describes the level shown as linear
OP mentions in a comment that "Red Templars" are what's invading Weisshaupt, but given the darkspawn they mention elsewhere and in the screenshot text, I'm assuming they meant "red lyrium darkspawn" here and got mixed up?
More references to the devs looking at Gears of War (2018) as a guide when making DA:D, in terms of things like combat/inspiration (it sounds like that anyway)
general feel/thoughts: no way of knowing for sure but looks/feels real/legit to me. also I like the look and feel of it, am excited :)
also I rambled in places in this post sry. :'>
[source]
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Driving Habits -Savanaclaw Edition
Can they drive? If so, what kind of drivers are they? What are their car habits?
Characters; Leona Kingscholar, Ruggie Bucchi & Jack Howl
Content; swearing, mentions of road rage & near accidents
Author’s Note; NRC has a school radio for this (honestly a school radio would be kinda cool ngl), pretending that TWST gets our music from here. I get sappy over Ruggie & his Grammy.
Word Count; 500+
Find the Rest of the Series; Heartslabyul, Octavinelle, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, Diasomnia
Author’s Note; As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist
Leona Kingscholar
*Looks at Tamashina-Mina*
The best driver at NRC. It initially started as a means to get away from the palace; enjoying having some freedom.
What he listens to while driving depends on his mood; if he’s content and just driving around he doesn’t listen to anything, but if he’s feeling irritated he’s cranking up the sound and letting it drown out his complaints.
He has his phone on silent and it’s tossed somewhere in the back. If you’re pressed to get in contact, leave a message.
Doesn’t keep many personal belongings in his jeep, most likely just a pillow and a throw blanket for when he decides to have a nap somewhere. Cheka has left some of his toys from the time he snuck in, so he also has a booster seat since his sister-in-law nearly bit his head off for that.
Is easily annoyed by bad drivers, and will mutter insults at smaller offences. Will resort to flipping people off and honking if it’s more serious. The only time he got really angry and almost got out of his car is the time someone nearly t-boned him.
Ruggie Bucchi
A good driver has the occasional slip-up, but still good. Learned how to drive so he could take care of his Grammy and community. Leona gifted him the car so he can do tasks.
Listens primarily to the radio and CDs (I see Leona gifting him an older car). The CDs were discounted at Sam’s shop, or some of the parents from his community gave them to him. They mainly consist of classic rock, R&B, and ’80s-’90s top hits.
His phone isn’t usually on silent, since he’ll probably get a call from Leona or his other dorm mates. Also, he doesn’t want to miss a call from back home.
He keeps his car clean and doesn’t have many decorations. The most he has is an air freshener and a gift he got for his birthday one year. Keeps any coupons he can find in a ziplock bag in the glove box.
Just sighs to himself whenever someone is riding his ass or otherwise being annoying or rude. He’ll take mental note of the car plate depending on the circumstance and report it.
Jack Howl
Defensive driver and drives a bit slower than the speed limit due to his experience with black ice and bad winter road conditions.
He drives without any background music until he feels like he can handle being able to focus properly on the road. When he feels ready for music though, he probably plays a mix of everything but sticks mainly to something more mellow; he saves the fast music for working out and track.
His phone is on silent, and he is not touching it until the car is turned off. Plus Ace pings the first-year group chat so often that it would just prove to be a distraction.
He has a tiny cactus terrarium sitting on his dash (he super glued it down), and also has some other cactus and planted-themed items hanging about. He keeps a booster seat in his trunk in case one of his siblings wants a ride or he needs to pick them up (even if they’re old enough to not need it, he keeps one on hand).
Doesn’t get road rage, but does get disheartened from seeing irresponsible drivers.
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spacehostilityy · 1 year
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Okie well I can't shut up ever so I'm going to compile my thoughts here on Tumblr as I rewatch nnt fom the beginning !! Also pls feel free to scream and/or rewatch with me👉👈👀
Kinda long so more thots below the cut
Season 1, episodes 1-6
I forgot how good the writing and animation are in the first season, like they truly thrived under aniplex😔 the brief white blood period in I think season 3 shows us just how good we had it
I love seeing Hawk and Meliodas's relationship, and his star Boar earring😭 plus having the Boar hat as the main location is just so comforting !!
Also I JUST realized his name is hawk because of a ham hok😭😭 this is like when I realized toe mater's name was tomato at the ripe age of 18
I miss the holy knights being powerful. Like I get that the Sins are always more powerful than them, had a long way to go in terms of power ups, and meliodas straight up had most of his power sealed but like DAMN. They were so cool in season 1 !! Gil was such a badass😭 I guess I just wish that the holy knights powered up along with the Sins
Seeing the very first episode got me thinking about the original pilot Manga (chapter 0) and how cool it might have been !! Like I love the story we got, but I do think those versions of Mel and Elizabeth maybe would have been better than the ones we got😳 like I just really like Meli's original design, I feel like he looks a bit older, and chapter 0 Elizabeth is simply superior ngl. She's funny, brave, and assertive - a lot more like Liz and goddess Elizabeth, except funnier
The first half of season 1 has one of my fave intro and outros like damn I forgot how fucking cool they were. Some of my fave songs to !! (my all time fave is def howling from season 3 part 2 (i think lol) tho)
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Like look how cool this is !!! It reminds me of this pic from the manga
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Speaking of intros, I miss the title cards !! Like look how cute this is !!
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Everytime the fiddle (?) Music plays I get SO FUCKING HYPED BRO like damn Ik it's through all the seasonal and I'm so glad it is because it's rlly the perfect hype song - here it is on Spotify
Also Gil is such a badass in early episodes, I love his strength !! This moment is the fucking coolest and you can't convince me otherwise
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Overall, I think the attention to detail is just better, the sounds the armor makes, the animation and drawings (esp background characters), Meliodas just sounds a bit older too (and I have theories on his voice here if u want them 👀)
The whole perv thing is really exhausting really quickly. Almost surprised 14 year old me made it through this as the 2nd anime I ever watched and the 1st I watched alone
I feel like Diane got shorter through the seasons. Like she doesn't compare to Hawk Mama like she did in season 1, and I think that's a damn shame. Let my giant girl be giant !!
She's also a decent bit more violent and I enjoy that thoroughly. She's just a silly goofy kween😌
Also her original costume is superior, her boots are just👌
Just realized that Meliodas was like an older brother/mentor to Gil and now they're brothers in law 😭😭
Also young Elizabeth and Gil are so cute😭 I always forget that they grew up together too
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I love Hawk, but I feel like kicking him would just be so satisfying 😔
HOLY SHIT I forgot how badass Ban is when weren't first introduced to him !!
The humming while impaled and bleeding out he really is that girl tm
He's such a masochist. A damn if it isn't kinda hot.
Wow they really introduced Diane's body issues and then almost never bring them up again
Also my plus size Diane headcanon is so real like damn. Body issues girlies are being represented by her fr😔
Ban's slutty waist. That's it. That's the thot.
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Also his pre series hair. First season reminding me why I love Ban sm
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Lowkey miss the dragon handle sword. The broken blade was so cool:( Lostvayne still cool tho
I think it's so funny how they always wore their armor as holy knights, and yet anytime they wear armor in the present time line, it just immediately cracks off😭
Really anything except pants is going to be blasted off🤪
Okay SO in episode 5, when Ban is about to get his scar from the dragon handle sword, he tells Meliodas "you and me have been hanging together for a lot of years now." This scene takes place 12 years before present (bp). Does this mean Ban and Meliodas were friends before the formation of the Sins? Or was Ban the first after him and Merlin? Ban has been immortal 20 years BP, leaving 8 years in between present and the flashback. 8 years before this scene, Meliodas was still in Danafal/Danfor and would be for another 4 years. What does any of this mean? Idk, just thot it was intriguing lol.
Also how did I not notice this is the first time we see demon!Meliodas !! Baby's first sighting as an unnatural creature with otherworldly rage🥰🥰
Also the fact we never see the scar Gil gave him again lol. Plus him presumably needing to do demon mode so hellfire can heal him is actually rlly cool
Just thought about how Elizabeth laying her hand on his chest to check the scar was the first time in years his love touches him with gentleness or concern🥲🥲
The fact that it took me 6 years to realize that when Meliodas says he'll keep the promise he made to Elizabeth, even if she should die is referencing the promise he made to her originally to break their curses🥲😬😤😭😭😭😭
6'11 Ban thinking that he even had a chance in fitting in Jericho's armor is just so... him
Diane calling Elizabeth kiddo is so fucking cute🥺
Also they definitely get away with a lot more innuendos and swears. The words badass and foreplay in the same episode? Impressive
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lume-nosity · 7 months
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JFDSJFLDSKJF LUME HAVE I EvER MENTIONED STRAIGHT UP HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU LIKE YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON I ACTIVELY FOLLOWED AFTER MY FEW DaYS ON TUMBLR AND I WAS SO SCARED TO ASK TO BE YOUR MOOTIE BUT YOU WERE SO NICE AND I AM STILL TO THIS DAY SO HAPPY WHENEVER I GET A NOTIF SAYING THAT yOUVE SAID SOMETHING COMPLETLEY UNHEARD OF ABySYmAL IMPROBABLE AND PROBABLY SOCIALLY UNNACEPTABLE BUT I STILL LVOE YOU BECAUSE YOURE JUST BEING A SILLY GOOSE AND WE ARE ALL SILLY GOOSES ?!?!
this made me have the biggest smile ever and the day hasn’t even started yet.. that’s something. basically i just woke up and smiled really big :) it’s a good feeling but ahem. this’ll be quite long so bear with me.
MELONNNN MY SWEET FELLOW (NORMAL) XIAO SIMP LOVER I LOVE YOU TOO SOSOSOSO MUCH I’M SUPER GLAD I WAS THE FIRST PERSON YOU ACTIVELY FOLLOW WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED HERE!! DON’T EVER BE SCARED TO TALK TO ME ABOUT ANYTHING, POP IN MY INBOX, OR WHATEVER ELSE BECAUSE INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE IS MY FORTE (NOT IRL THOUGH THAT’S A GIVEN BUT YOU GET WHAT I MEAN)
I LOVE MAKING NEW MUTUALS SO NOOOO DON’T BE SCARED TO ASK IF YOU WANT TO BE MUTUALS WITH ME THIS GOES FOR ANYONE TOO BECAUSE I LIKE MEETING NEW PEOPLE HERE REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY STAND IN THEIR PLATFORM <3 JUST PICKING MUTUALS UP TO BE ONE OF MY CHILDREN PLATONICALLY BECAUSE SOME SEE ME AS A PARENTAL FIGURE (MAKES SENSE BECAUSE I’M OLD AND WRINKLING ALREADY MY INTELLIGENCE LEVELS ARE ACTIVELY DROPPING) OR JUST GOOD FRIENDS TO MESS AROUND WITH AND HAVE A GOOD TIME I SUPPOSE, SEE ME AS A PARENT, COOL, A NICE FRIEND, COOL, A TALENTED WRITER EVEN THOUGH I RARELY WRITE NOW, SURE YEAH, A CRAZY PERSON, FAIR, AND MORE
TO HEAR THAT I’M NICE AND ALL THAT JAZZ ESPECIALLY SEEING THAT PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY WITH JUST A FEW WORDS COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH MAKES ME HAPPY AND GIDDY INSIDE THIS IS SOMETHING I REALLY NEED TO HEAR, ESPECIALLY THIS ASK, SO THANK YOU MAN!! I’M NICE I DON’T BITE I PROMISE THOSE WHO KNOW ME CAN VOUCH
IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU’VE GROWN DURING YOUR TIME HERE BECAUSE I REMEMBER YOUR BLOG BEING GREEN AND CUTE AND ALL THAT! AND YOUR BLOG IS MORE ORGANIZED (MORE ORGANIZED THAN ME THAT’S FOR SURE) AND PRETTY AND COLORFUL AND YOUR WORKS GETTING A FEW NOTES BUT NOW YOU’RE GETTING THOUSANDS!! WHICH IS VERY MUCH DESERVED!!! LOVE YOUR WORK!!!! I FEEL LIKE A PROUD PARENT/MOM/DAD NGL IT BRINGS A TEAR TO MY EYE TO SEE MUTUALS GETTING THE LOVE AND ATTENTION THEY DESERVE FOR THEIR TALENTS
I KNOW I SAY THE MOST WILDEST, SOCIALLY UNACCEPTABLE, UNHEARD OF AND OTHER BIG WORDS THINGS AT TIMES (we love being silly) AND TO SEE SOMEONE BEING HAPPY OVER THEM IS JUST FHAHFHSGSDHSH???? WOOO SOMEONE ENJOYS SEEING ME BEING GOOFY AND OVERALL A MENACE TO SOCIETY LET’S GOOO
WE’RE ALL JUST SILLY GOOSES YOU’RE RIGHT, IT’S THAT NICE FEELING OF SILLINESS THAT YOU CAN’T SEEM TO GET RID OF (IT HAS TAKEN OVER ME AS YOU CAN SEE)
ALSO I SEE THAT YOU WERE STUDYING THE OTHER DAY AND STRESSING OUT GOING APESHIT ABOUT IT I WOULD’VE MADE THAT COMMENT LONGER HAD I NOT BEEN IN SCHOOL AND THAT DUMBASS CHARACTER LIMIT (WOW LOOK AT ME BEING SNEAKY WITH IT, DON’T TRY THIS GUYS UNLESS YOUR SCHOOL IS CHILL) SO I CAN SAY IT HERE!!! #LUMESTUDYTIPSFRFR ANYONE CAN USE THEM
IF YOU’RE STUDYING, TAKE BREAKS FOR LIKE 10 OR 30 MINUTES MAX BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT I DO WHEN I STUDY FOR SO LONG! DON’TTT EVER STUDY FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WITHOUT BREAKS THAT’LL HURT YOU A LOT (TAKE IT FROM ME, DON’T DO THAT IT’S BAD. 2020 ME WAS STUPID)
EAT A LITTLE SNACK BECAUSE YOUR BRAIN AND STOMACH NEEDS SOME FOOD TO FEED OFF OF TO FUNCTION, A DRINK TO HYDRATE FROM IT CAN BE WATER JUICE OR WHATEVER AS LONG AS IT MAKES YOU HAPPY! MAYBE EVEN PLAY SOME LOFI OR A STUDY PLAYLIST IN THE BACKGROUND FOR A COMFORTING VIBE :3 IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING ON THE MATERIAL THERE ARE VIDEOS OUT THERE, INTERNET IS YOUR BEST FRIEND IN STUFF LIKE THIS, MY GO-TO IS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY TUTOR AND BRAINLY!
OH AND SLEEP. I KNOW PEOPLE SAY STUFF LIKE ‘haha i’m not sleeping this exam is important’ BUT NO. SLEEP IS ESSENTIAL AND LOSING THAT SAID AMOUNT OF SLEEP COULD AFFECT YOUR WORK ETHIC THE NEXT DAY, I DID THAT ONE TIME AND MAN WAS I OUT, SO GET SOME AMOUNT OF SLEEP IF YOU’RE ABLE TO IS WHAT I’M SAYING. IF IT’S A REALLY SERIOUS EXAM THAT YOU INSIST YOU HAVE TO STAY UP FOR THEN I USUALLY TAKE A NAP AS SOON AS I GET HOME IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT TIME. THEN AGAIN, WHAT TIME YOU SLEEP IS THE TIME YOU SLEEP AND I CAN’T CONTROL THAT, I WAS JUST A LITTLE WORRIED IS ALL
SO UH YEAH THAT’S ALL I WANTED TO SAY IN THAT COMMENT! (IF YOU WERE WILLING TO READ ALL OF THAT LMFOSJFIE I WOULD WRITE MORE BUT I WON’T BORE YOU OUT AND SOUND LIKE A NERD) I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY AND AFTER THAT AND AFTER THAT AND WHENEVER THE DAYS PASS BECAUSE IT’LL GET REPETITIVE AND HAVE I WISH YOU A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF GOOD LUCK (YES YOU GET TO HAVE A SHIT TON OF LUCK NOW BECAUSE I BLESSED YOU NOW SO ENJOY THAT, I’M APPARENTLY THE EMBODIMENT OF GACHA LUCK AND NORMAL LUCK SO YEAH YOU’RE VERY WELCOME) LOVE YOU MAN TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF 🫶✨
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something-awful1 · 1 month
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my thoughts while rewatching all of Helluva Boss in honor of the S2 trailer PT 4 (help me)
THE CIRCUS - i'm not ready to relive this episode again - baby stolas is so cute omg - ugh fuck this guy - bro literally got the best job - this episode is so well written omg - "oh- that's an ugly noise son" lives in my head rent free - OMG BARBIE WIRE SPOTTED i think - awww love at first sight how sweet - young blitz is weirdly relatable - the great... PIRATE warrrrrrr!" - awww poor blitz, fuck his dad - DON'T YOU SMACK THE BABY - i hate paimon - okay wait but the pirate game is actually so smart, little blitz is a genius - stolas's fascination with imps is so cute - the chandelier scene is so cool visually - stapler and biscuit queen??? - okay i'm gonna make note of this now since i've already seen this episode, but i love how each of the three scenes starts with stolas looking in the mirror, gradually getting more and more depressed. this is one of the best episodes, really, you can tell how well thought out it was - fuck stella - love her voice though - HIS LITTLE "i'm fine" AFTER CHOKING ON THE ABSINTHE OMG - the goetia background characters are some of vivzie's best ngl - this scene lives in my head rent free oh my god - ngl this scene is like a little uncomfy - im uncomfy guys - where's the fucking consent (i get stolas is very CLEARLY willing but like.... c'mon) - imagine being bryce pinkham and having to record this - AWWW I JUST REALIZED THAT AFTER OZZIES THEY BOTH SCROLLED THROUGH THEIR PHOTOS - OWL IN A CAGE FUCK YEAHHHHHHH - ew its smella - bryce's delivery this scene is P E R F E C T - good on stolas for standing up for himself though - i love this episode
SEEING STARS - i vividly remember being in class when this came out and like audibly screaming - "how was i supposed to know you could spell? i've never seen you READ" i love him so much - poor octavia oh my god - M&M WATCHING THE CONFLICT OMG - why tf did he have cucumbers on his eyes - moxxie fat shaming counter: who tf knows what number we're on now - i hate the music sideplot thing with moxxie - okay wait i kinda don't like this episode - stolas is hot - stolas laughing at his awful joke is so wholesome omg - the loona flashback omg - "eh-" *throws watter bottle* - the one lady's boobs were on fire - octavia has some of the most heartbreaking lines omg - i love loona's va, idk who she is but i love her - oh i never noticed stolas's little teleporty thing that was cool EXES AND OOHS - help me - two seconds in and we're mentioning moxxie's weight again - THE HORSES ON THE WHITEBOARD - the poor children - this was a phenomenal episode, from what i remember - fuck crimson but his design is amazing - ew i forgot about chaz - i hate him so much - this episode is so green - I LOVE THAT MOXXIE AND BLITZ MET IN PRISON - this scene is painful - dicks in the walls - chaz makes me so uncomfortable oh my g o d - i skipped the song - blitz fucking chaz is so in character - this all sounds so negative i really do love this episode - like a lot - "I ObJeEcT!" is so silly - one of helluva's best choreographed fight scenes fr - i was like audibly sobbing when i first watched this - hey but bright side, blitz got a fucking cool jacket out of it
(oh my god i'm done i can sleep)
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dgdraws · 5 months
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My art year in review!
I learned so much this year and made a ton of cool stuff! These are my favorites from each month, but it was so hard to choose. A lot of stuff didn't even get posted--I'll be sure to at least post the ones that made it to this list!
It's amazing to see how much I've changed and learned over this year, and to see the things that are emerging as part of "my style."
Here's to another year of delight, creation, connection and fun!
Some monthly reflections beneath the cut, but here's the highlights:
I participated in 3 art challenges, Artfight, OC-tober and Huevember.
I made fanart for the first time!
I created a piece I conceived of before I started drawing
Made some big breakthroughs in techniques and skills in April, July and November
January: My first branch into full character design, Rodd is the culmination of training on Hero Forge renders to make dnd portraits! I was doing this cool thing with neon rim lighting, I should bring that back!
February: I saw a piece on here with this amazing glowing effect, so I color picked it and experimented to figure out what relationship between the colors was making it do that! The answer was saturation. This rose is meant to be glowing from within, and I think I did a good job for my knowledge level at the time! As Chuck Tingle would tell us, it's beautiful because only I could have made it in that moment on the timeline.
March: I spent a million years on every detail of this one, it has at least 5 clipping overlay/saturation layers for lighting, multiple line work groups and I want to rework that background but! I never felt more accomplished than I did when I finished this one. I learned a lot, especially about things I could skip or simplify. And the symbolism really pops off ngl
April: I read Gideon the Ninth for the first time this month and I immediately needed to draw Jeannemary Chatur, Cavalier of the Fourth House, the worst teen to do it. She's the first fanart I ever made and posted! I also discovered a new pen tool with this one, which CHANGED THE GAME.
May: This one is an idea I had written down before I ever picked up the tablet and stylus. I thought I might commission someone to make it, the image of it came to me so clearly during our VTM session I just had to make it real somehow. Well I did it! This is one I will come back to redraw in like 5 years bc I love the concept so much. Also rife with symbolism and inside nods to the Low Kings.
June: I made a bunch of ref sheets in the run-up to Artfight in July. Caleb hadn't even been in my plans to upload, but I had time and inspiration! I will be uploading this and a few more of him <3
July: This is one of my faves from Artfight! This character is Blueberry, by way of OrchidEatsBread on artfight. I have still never played... rainworld? But I love me a slug cat. In July I drew a TON of people, it really drilled anatomy basics into me and how to get clothes looking like actual clothes a bit more. Also solidified some things I would consider "my style" at the moment, like no irises, and my approach to noses and mouths and fingers!
August: Another fanart for the Locked Tomb series, I never posted this!!! Will be rectifying that soon.
September: I got really into javascript and css this month, and I made this to be a landing page image on my neocities website XD I'll get back around to that eventually...
October: At the last minute, I discovered OC-tober and the prompts from @/bweirdart, a worthy follow up to the rush of Artfight two months previous. I developed so much stuff for the Low Kings, including this drawing/character, Amayah/Girl-Z, who has been a figment of my pintrest board for 2+ years.
Huevember: Chasing that OC-tober high, I found Huevember! I did not expect to actually do every day, but it proved to be an amazing exercise! I learned so, so much about color, discovered amazing new brushes and techniques and found I really enjoy working in those one day capsules! I loved a lot of the stuff that came out of this month, including my highest note post ever!!!, but this one is still my phone background and I'm maybe developing an OC world around it. We'll see what happens in 2024.
December: I got hit HARD with the writing bug this month, so this was my only choice for this month but I WOULDA CHOSEN IT ANYWAY. I unlocked something here that I'm really excited to visit again, in fact I'm working on a companion piece rn! This is also fanart btw, prepare for me to get even weirder about this guy in the coming months.
If you've read this far, thank you so much! I have so much fun writing these little reflections and making my posts on here.
xoxo, wren
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idealisticrealism · 1 year
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TCL 2x12 recap
Yo look who’s back, literally like 6 months after the finale lol. So annoying when Real Life gets in the way of fangirling, but I’ve finally managed to get my priorities straight, so here it is.
For anyone who actually remembers anything about the finale, enjoy lol
Ah what very fortunate timing that Garrett just happens to be coming to see Luca at the hospital (with a teddy bear! Awww. He may be 80% asshole but he's 20% heart lol) riiight as Thony and Fi are led out in handcuffs. But ugh I do love Garrett and Thony's relationship and the fact that despite the way they often antagonise each other, they do always help each other out when they can. But lol at his long-suffering “What the hell did you do, Thony?” because lbr this is just another in a long line of ‘Thony Pulling Shit He Then Has To Fix’ kind of situations haha. And ugh he even tries to help Fiona too, because after learning the truth about Chris and spending a bit of time with them I don’t think he can dismiss them as easily as he used to be able to (because he's finally started to see them as people, instead of just law-breakers– the growth sure is sloooow with this boy, but it's there). But ughhhhhhhh Fiona’s pleading as they load her into the car?? Just crush my heart why don’t you??? (like seriously Martha Millan is a freakin’ powerhouse and we are so lucky to have her). And seeing Thony’s panic, though??? She’s definitely having yet another one of those ‘well shit if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions’ moments lol. She’s been through a few of those in the show– a significant number of which were literally within the last 24hrs lol– and lbr this probably isn’t going to be the last either. Oh Thony. Everything always has to catch up to you eventually….
Oh thank god RK backed out of drowning Nadia. He looks all bewildered and contrite now, like he doesn’t understand how that just happened…. Tbh this dude is legit unhinged, but I mean that’s not exactly breaking news considering some of the shit we’ve seen him do this season lol.  But ugh poor Nadia running for her life through the penthouse and begging Joseph to let her go, but still being trapped– talk about a gilded cage ughhh 
Ngl I got distracted for like 15 mins finding the filming location of the 'hospital', narrowing it down using the fast food signs that you can only just see in the background of one shot haha. But success, now there's another location added to the list. But anyhow ugh it makes me sad seeing Thony holding onto the teddy bear :(  She's still deep in her 'I fucked up' mode, and tbh though it hurts me to see her hurting, it's also kind of satisfying?? Bc she really has just been running around this whole time thinking she knows best– and to be fair, a lot of the time she does, like with trying to stop the ridiculous poisoning attempt– but that just means she fools herself into thinking she’s right all the time, and not listening to others or reaching out for help when she actually should. It's definitely a well-established character flaw, but it has been cool seeing her slowly starting to rely on and trust others more (even if she falls back into bad habits repeatedly lol). But at least she looks contrite here for not telling Garrett about going to Manila to bring drugs back for RK–  and tbh I'm on Garrett’s side here because if she’d told him, they could have busted RK for it, and this all could have been over.  But she was too focused on protecting Luca's medicine to think about the consequences. I mean I can't blame her for not reporting the Fentanyl, because she only found out about that like a few hours ago and she was a little too busy running for her life and then saving Luca to be thinking about calling Garrett to snitch lol.  But ughhhh Garrett’s offer that if they get the drugs and she testifies, she can get new, legal identities for her family– god, it’s everything she’s wanted. Like ok yes, testifying will absolutely mean risking her life; but to protect her family? To have a chance at a normal life without fear? To allow Luca to grow up with every advantage that he is currently denied? She'd do it.  (Though argh Garrett you don't have the best track record of keeping your CIs safe from RK! Maybe he's so determined bc needs this as like a do-over,  to get it right this time)
Ooooooohhhh Thony having to explain to Chris and Jazz and JD about how she got Fi arrested and that she's been working with the FBI. Chris is understandably more forgiving because of everything she did to protect him when Marco died, but Jazz is justifiably upset (She's like 13 and her mom might be about to be deported, of course she’s not taking it well) and ooohhh JD is pissed. I kind of love that he doesn't hold back the truth bombs from Thony–  in particular, that her blind mission to save Luca at any cost is tearing the rest of her family apart. Again, it hurts to see her copping it from all sides, but at the same time she needs it. I adore Thony but she needs to remember she's not alone anymore and that it's okay to trust others rather than try to do everything herself- especially when trying to do it herself and failing can cause a lot of pain for others 
Speaking of trusting others, I am very much here for the little mobster/FBI alliance happening rn with the two opposing power couples (Russo and Garrett, Thony and Arman) teaming up.  Ah, remember the early days when Arman was like the FBI's biggest baddest target? Now they're practically coworkers lol, like he even practically admits to the attempted murder of RK and the feebs are just like 'well that was dumb but whatevs' lol. And I just love this little meeting bc as ever, their priorities are all different– Thony wants to save her family (and absolve her own guilt). Arman wants to protect the two women he loves, including saving Thony from herself. Garrett wants to take RK down for Maya. Russo just wants Kamdar behind bars so she can finally be done with this shit haha. They may all have the same end goal (getting RK the hell out of the picture) but man they are not at all on the same page lol. I also love that literally the moment the feds leave, Thony is immediately back on her bullshit, ready to run straight back into the minefield that is RK’s immediate vicinity, so completely sure that she can manipulate him into giving her the info she wants and then let her walk away unharmed. Aaaand well I guess we can agree she did NOT learn her lesson earlier haha. Oh Thony, you're going to regret this, and lbr as always it's not going to be you paying the ultimate price for your actions. Of course Arman is all like *deep sigh* at this haha. You know that meme with the two kinda cartoony stick figures and one of them is holding the other's leash while the leashed one is on all fours going absolutely feral?? Somehow these two seem to take turns as to whether they're the one holding the leash or the one needing to be restrained lol. To prove my point, Arman is now trying to keep her from going ahead with her terrible idea by offering a terrible idea of his own–  killing Kamdar. Tbh I’m in love with the continued theme of these two of both wanting pretty much the same thing: to protect each other (and their families), yet trying to go about it in completely different and often conflicting ways. And ugh even though Thony's a Buddhist and hates the idea of killing RK (especially when there has already been more than enough killing/death in their lives lately), her biggest objection to the plan is that it could mean losing both Arman and Fiona (via jail and deportation, respectively). Whereas Arman sees it as the only way to definitively ensure that his loved ones are safe. He doesn't intend to be caught and jailed for it, of course, but if it happened, he'd be able to live with that, knowing that they'll be free from RK. (TRUE LOVE,  Y'ALL). And speaking of true love, I'm obsessed with the fact that literally as soon as the feds leave, Armony go from standing several yards apart to having practically zero personal space between them as they argue. Oh you two, please never change lol. And ughhhh the way they look at each other as he says "Do you really trust the FBI to protect you?" bc it carries such an undercurrent of I'm the one that you're supposed to trust. I'm the one who's  supposed to protect you. And ugh his "You don't understand, Thony. As long as Kamdar's breathing, none of us are safe" before he turns and walks away–  he's telling her that he's already made his choice, that keeping them (her) alive is worth any other cost. And hmmmm who does that remind me of? Perhaps a certain mother of a sick son, who is willing to do absolutely anything to keep him safe??? Ngl I love that she's being forced to realise what it's like to be on the other side of the equation… and now the question (as ever) is will she actually learn anything from it haha
Nope nope no seeing Fi in jail is awful. I appreciate that Thony immediately acknowledges that JD is right, and that Fi being in there is completely her fault. Though I do respect that Fi refused to blame her and was like 'we did it for Luca'-- because she loves him too, she'd do anything for him, and now she needs Thony to do the same for her kids.  And heck yeah that she calls Thony out on believing that she can manipulate BOTH Kamdar and the FBI, and that by trying she's likely going to get herself killed. Seriously there’s already so many voices in this ep that are trying to show her reason, but Thony is too far gone down the rabbit hole–  she can't see any way out except forward, so she's plowing ahead despite the warning signs. And despite that it's hard to watch, I love it, because it's so true to her character, and also so true of someone who is cornered in a situation and is completely panicking. Also yeah clearly the lessons of the past 24hrs remain unlearned lol
Ok I love that as soon as the feds get eyes on RK's apartment, Garrett immediately asks if Nadia's okay. Partly because he would hate the thought of another innocent woman being completely at RK's mercy, but also because he knows how important Nadia is to Arman and he doesn't want to see him lose someone he loves. Ngl I love that they're starting to develop a bit of a respect and understanding of one another… (aaaand now I’m gonna ignore the Russo/Garrett flirting in the rest of the scene bc ewww lol)
Okay okay okay I might be about to go on a bit of a spiral here BUT. Hear me out. This whole scene with Jazz being upset that JD didn’t marry Fi, and JD explaining to Chris about the requirements of getting a green card through marriage?? What is the point??? Like honestly what is its narrative purpose in the show– what made the writers decide to include it? Bc like okay it could be just to show how deportation rips families apart, and that the path to becoming a legal citizen is extremely challenging even in very worthy/legit cases. BUT I DON'T THINK SO. As JD explains, he and Fi no longer meet the criteria because she's been arrested, plus she's just been there illegally for far too long. But you know what pair WOULD meet the criteria??? A widow who is only a few months over her visa– which she overstayed due to EXTREME HARDSHIP (the exact reason that JD says can qualify someone for a waiver)-- and a never-actually-married American citizen, THAT'S WHO. Like ok maybe I’m way off base here but I seriously think that the entire purpose of this scene was to a) lay the foundation for us as viewers to know the marriage-for-citizenship idea is actually a possibility, and b) give Chris the knowledge that he can then pass on to Thony, planting the idea in her head that if she and Arman were to marry, she and Luca would be safe from deportation…. I mean c’mon there’s got to be something there, right? I'm absolutely convinced that if Thony doesn't already know about Arman's marriage being void (which tbh I don't think she does; she naturally assumes Nadia got divorced from RK) she's going to learn about it next season, and the marriage-for-citizenship plotline will follow shortly after.  And I mean okay I know I've been wrong in my predictions before, but I've also been right at times, and I feel this one in my bones lol. Watching this scene the first time was like being a kettle slowly boiling until by the end I was mentally screeching ARMONYMARRIAGEFORESHADOWING!!! ARMONYMARRIAGEFORESHADOWING!!!ARMONYMARRIAGEFORESHADOWING!!!!!!! lol
Phew. Anyway. Ugh my precious boy Chris offering to leave his home and everything he's known to go with Fi. But of course she refuses with 'everything I did, I did for you' and ughhh don’t talk to me about the parallels between Thony and Fi and the things these amazing mothers would do for their children. "The best thing you can do for me is to live the life I always wanted you to have" ugghhh why do Fi and Chris always insist on making me cryyyy
Oh Thony. Yet again walking straight into the lion's den… tbh for someone so smart she really does so many dumb things haha. But then again she is damn impressive with the way she can go toe to toe with some incredibly dangerous people and not only be fearless, but can talk them into doing what she wants. And now with RK she selectively uses the truth (the "everything I've done, I've done for my son"/"Arman helped me in the past but you're the one that can help me now, and I need this deal more than anybody"/"I didn't steal from you, Arman did"/"with all the corruption in the Philippines, people don't trust easily") to conceal her motivations and evade his questions. She never outright lies, which means he can't catch her telling one and turn on her. It's very clever (as is Nadia's subtle hint regarding RK's plans for the Caymans) but unfortunately, a man like RK doesn't get to where he is without also being very clever– and very paranoid.  
Lol Garrett you really should have put a tail on Thony to prevent her from pulling this kind of shit, but too late now! Guess you also never learn lol. Also hi there Miranda Kwok having a little cameo like she did in 1x01–  the woman sure likes her luxury vehicles haha
Yassss I loooove Garrett calling Arman because he might be the only one with the information to save Thony.  And ugh even the way Arman answers the phone– there was a time when he would have answered with annoyance or disdain, but now he sounds uncertain, like he knows something is wrong. Probably because Thony is usually the one who does the communicating between them, so the fact that Garrett is calling him directly proves that something bad has happened. And ugh the way he springs into action immediately, probably kicking himself because he should have known that Thony would put herself directly in Kamdar's crosshairs rather than let him go ahead with a plan that was almost certainly doomed to end with him spending a lifetime in prison. They're both martyrs for each other– both clinging to the hope they can walk through fire and come out the other side to where the other will be waiting– and ngl I'm SO HERE FOR IT.  Lol at Garrett trying to tell Arman to stay away though; like did he ever for a second really believe that he could tell Arman–  Arman who became a rat for Thony, who went to jail for Thony, who murdered an innocent woman for Thony– that Thony was in danger and that he WOULDN'T immediately go after her???? Like okay to give him credit I'm sure the likelihood occurred to him before he made the call but he knew that whatever information Arman could give him was worth the risk. And ugh when Arman pulls the caddy up beside him he basically immediately hands him a vest (after making an annoyed comment about Arman not listening to him, of course) and then his "Come on. Let's go pretend to be on the same side" and uggghhhh I love themmmmm. But lbr they have been on the same side for quite a while now, which is the "Protect Thony at all costs" team and I’m obsessed with it 
Oh Thony. Thony ‘The risk I took was calculated, but man am I bad at math’ De La Rosa. You've been incredibly lucky til now to be able to find your way out of some of the worst situations, but I think now the alarm bells (or are they funeral bells?) are finally starting to ring in your head. And suddenly you're thinking Arman was right. Fi was right. Garrett and Russo were right. I should have listened. But it’s too late now and uggghhhhhh RK calls her out on lying to him about the drug interaction that nearly killed him and tbh I wish we could hear more of her trying to explain herself (but the camera is focused instead on my new favourite pair of enemies-turned-allies haha). But ugh then we see her make the mistake, not that there's really any way she can avoid it: she lies.  She lies and he knows it. He’d suspected it before, when she was weaving her story purely with carefully targeted truths, but now he knows, and she has to die. (We've seen repeatedly this season how paranoid he is and how much he hates and fears being lied to). I appreciate that he's not without honour, though; he'd be dead without her, so he grants her her family's lives in return. Joseph too seems to have enough honour that he hesitates before pulling the trigger, and that hesitation is what saves her life and costs him his own– which ngl I'm a little sad about, because I liked him and I always hoped he was going to end up choosing to help Armony take out RK. Anyway I love that it's a team effort that saves Thony's life; not only the two men who care about her, but also she herself, when she knocks Joseph's gun away. The writers could have had Garrett or Arman shoot Joseph the moment he lifted his gun, but they didn't; they had her fight for herself first. This whole show they've shown us time and again that Thony is a fighter, and that she’ll never give up. (The only time she ever refused to fight for herself was when Arman was forced to choose between saving her and Maya, but tbh I think she knew from the start what his decision would be, regardless of what she said or did).
But aaaahh anyway there are so many bullets flying and ugh Arman and Garrett are working so well as a team (my boys!) and then it happens.  One little stumble is all it takes, and it hurts that it's Thony who makes the mistake. It was her fault that they were all there in the first place, and now it's her fault that she and Garrett are stuck in the open, exposed and vulnerable and under fire. And he makes the split second decision– if he crouches to pull her up, all the fire will be directed at them both, making her more likely to be hit. So instead he stands over her and fires back, making himself the target, knowing that Arman will swoop in and get her out of there. And it works! Except there’s just ooooone small problem ugh. Honestly, it’s been what, like 6 months since I first watched this? and I still have trouble believing that a) they really killed him off and b) that I’m actually so sad about it?? I know I’ve said it many times before, but: he was a jackass, but he was our jackass. And though he caused plenty of problems of his own, he was there for Thony when it really counted, especially once they got to know each other a bit more.  And ugh having to watch Thony watch him die, and then to go straight from his death scene to watching Thony walking into the hospital, carrying the bear he got for Luca? Like damn why must this show insist on hurting me. (Ngl though I wish we’d gotten to see more of the aftermath of his death– I would have been very down to see Arman pulling Thony into his arms and comforting her while the body was being carted away lol).
Wait is that the same kindly Filipina nurse who spoke to Fi in the waiting room? If she was an ER nurse she would definitely not be up on the wards with an admitted patient. But whatevs, it's irrelevant. The social services lady barely reacted to Thony coming in, so I guess Garrett must have got in touch with them earlier to clear her. Does this mean that– in regards to her at least– all is basically forgiven and she can just take him home when he’s better?? Or does she just have visitation rights?? This show can be very unclear lol. But ugh all is obviously not forgiven for Fi :( seeing her in jail with the kids is rouuughhh. Her line “Sometimes you need to do what you know is right in your heart, even though other people say it’s wrong” has a similar ring to “Not the right way or the wrong way, but any way you can”; it’s a sentiment we’ve heard from pretty much all the main characters (Arman, Thony, Fi, Garrett) in some form or other, and is definitely one of the major underpinnings of the show. God her teary eyes though and the way that JD is so quick to reassure her that he’ll look after the kids and ughhh why does this show insist on making me cry????
And the trauma isn’t over because now Thony is going to meet with Russo at the FBI, finding her in Garrett’s office which is filled with all his clutter and his photos of his kids and his collection of brightly coloured stress balls and novelty pens, and ugh I love the subtle character details here because now I think about it, he was often tossing around a ball or something in his scenes at the office. Tbh as much as it hurts, I love that Russo calls Thony out on her role in Garrett’s death. She basically says he was a slippery bastard that could weasel his way out of anything before Thony came along and dragged him down with her, and lbr it’s not inaccurate?? I mean he did take stupid risks anyway, and the bad guys probably would have caught up to him eventually, but still.  Maybe Russo is especially angry because she still wonders if Garrett did have secret feelings for Thony, and whether Thony might have taken advantage of that, despite her clearly having eyes only for Arman (Russo isn’t blind; she’s seen them together, seen the risks they’ve taken for each other). Or maybe just having someone to blame helps with her own grief. But even as she calls Thony out for everything she’s done (again, deservedly, because Thony has pulled a lot of shit and has mostly managed to avoid the consequences until recently) she agrees to help her and Fi, because that’s what Garrett would have wanted. Just in case anyone forgot that this is a show about love, and about the lengths people will go to for the people they love (even after they’re gone), here’s a little reminder ugh.  But of course nothing can just go smoothly in this show, so the moment Thony starts to record the statement that will help free Fiona, they discover RK has posted bail and is about to jet off to the Caymans…. and now the race is on.
Lol Nadia is pissed about basically being kidnapped to go live a life of luxury in the Caymans, but like… girl, go with him and then smother him in his sleep and take all his money?? It’s the perfect crime haha. Ngl I do find it funny that he’s all like, ‘you tried to kill me, I tried to kill you, now we’re all good’ lol– lbr the man has never been particularly stable. But oh daaaamn the plot twist of the airport ground crew suddenly turning on them and shooting his guards– I had a brief moment of thinking the FBI had gone completely off the rails with this one before the roar of the motorbike engine made it all very suddenly and very sexily clear. And oh how I love to see my boy winning again, kicking the shit out of the man who has spent weeks tormenting him while he pleads on the ground. The gun coming out was a mix between ‘yessss do it’ and ‘noooo you’ll get caught, leave him to the FBI’ but then he turns and offers it to Nadia and I’m??????  Like at first I was like ‘dude wtf why the hell would she want to do that and have his blood on her hands, that's not a gift'', thinking there was no way she’d want to risk any involvement in his murder– but then I got schooled haha, because clearly a) Arman knows her true nature far better than me, and b) she is still REALLY pissed about the almost-drowning thing. And suddenly I’m remembering the story about her as a teenager, holding a corkscrew to a guy’s neck for stealing her tips, and being reminded that Nadia’s vicious streak runs deep. The look of pure satisfaction on her face is hot intense; Arman may do violent things but as far as I remember we’ve never seen him take pleasure in it, whereas Nadia…. I could see this awakening something in her, a greater ruthlessness in her pursuit of power, but I guess we’ll see…......
Omg the FBI chopper touches down literally only moments after Nadia and Arman ride off, and it seems impossible for them not to have been seen and recognised, but apparently not?? Wow the feds really need to get their eyes checked haha. Though from the look that Russo and Thony exchange, they know exactly who did it anyway– well, not exactly, because they’re definitely both picturing Arman being the one pulling the trigger, but still, they've got a Morales in mind
Damn okay Queen Nadia of La Habana here in her red lipstick and red dress with the shoulder pads looking like she should be sitting on a throne next to Satan himself. Tbh I think I was right about killing RK awakening something in her; this woman looks ready to destroy anything and anyone that stands in between her and her kingdom. And as Arman asks, “So how does it feel, walking in here now, being your own boss? Not having to answer to anybody– not Hayak, not Kamdar…” you can practically hear her addition: Not you. Especially when he uses the words ‘all ours’ to refer to La Habana, and she answers “You mean, it’s all mine.” and the look on her face…. Like boyyyy you created a monster, and heaven help you when you try to walk away from her to be with the woman you love, because she is going to rip you limb from limb. But anyway, all of that aside, literally what are they doing there anyway?? I mean I’m not an estate lawyer, but even I know that there is legit NO WAY that she would be allowed to just take over all of RK’s holdings. He died in suspicious circumstances, which means all his assets would be frozen while the investigation was ongoing– and they would certainly not just be handed over to his estranged wife, particularly one whose current partner is known to have had an extremely hostile relationship with RK and even made a previous attempt on his life. Like in what universe would they not be at the very top of the suspect list here????????
“You said you’d fix this. You promised.” Ughhhhhh this ep is definitely giving me so many satisfyingly painful scenes of Thony facing consequences lol; this time it’s Chris getting rightly furious with her when she fails in her promise to save Fi, blaming her for Fi’s deportation and even implying that Garrett’s death is her fault too. And as much as I wanna hug Thony and make it better, I also feel kind of like a parent who is watching their child learning an important lesson haha. It may hurt, but it’s necessary. I am glad though that JD didn’t join in on the attack this time– lbr he’s already made his feelings very clear to Thony, so now is the time for him to hold the family together, rather than throwing blame. Chris choosing to stay with Thony and Luca despite his anger at Thony is interesting; his argument is that Luca needs him and ‘he can’t keep losing everyone’ which is fair I guess, but lbr I feel like the writers just wanted Chris there at the house with Luca so next season Thony can be off running around with Arman without the audience worrying about her committing child neglect lol.  But ughhhh then Luca wakes and sees them all and asks where Fi is and they all look away and great now I’m crying again
Oh no no no you can’t have this mournful song playing over Fi getting led out of her cell and taken onto the plane, and Thony at Garrett’s funeral watching his son cry and Russo having to hand over Garrett’s folded flag to his widow/ex-wife??? And then Fi crying on the plane and Thony sitting on Fi’s empty bed??  No?? No thank you???????????
Honestly I thought that was going to be the end of it right there, but of course it’s not. Because it always comes back to this; to Thony and Arman and their connection. I love that she marches straight past the long line for entry (clearly business is booming once again, looks like Nadia works fast) and she barely spares a glance for the girl at the front desk, who probably saw her and just thought ‘oh the other boss is here’ lol. And ugh the way he’s mid conversation yet basically senses her there in the doorway and turns, just like he did way back in 1x02 when she brought Luca to him. And she doesn’t bother to come closer, or to say anything at all– just meets his eyes for a second and then turns and walks away, already knowing he’ll follow. And ugh follow he does, without a moment’s hesitation, entering the office only a couple of steps behind her even though it’s clear he’s not looking forward to what he’s about to hear– judging by the thunder in her expression, it’s not going to be fun lol. Ngl I love that she yells at him, bc partly she’s calling him out for his role in Fi’s deportation, which is fair, but bc I feel like she’s also using him as an outlet for her anger at herself (“Fiona’s gone because of you”/”You need to fix this”). It’s the things she feels towards herself as well as towards him, and tbh her coming to him is her fixing it, because she knows she can’t do it without him. She needs him, needs his help not only in regards to his resources and connections, but also just his support, because she can’t handle this burden alone. I love that the first thing he says, the only defense he uses, is that his actions kept them all safe– because that’s what he needs her to understand. Yes, Fiona was taken, but in his mind, her being sent back to her homeland and her parents, alive and well, was not such a terrible price to pay when the rest of them got to walk away knowing they were safe from RK once and for all. Tbh though, I actually think he had been expecting and even hoping for this visit, had anticipated Thony coming to him and making this very demand, because it only takes him a moment before he offers up the solution– like he’s already thought it all through, like he came up with it even before he went to kill RK– and it’s now only a question of whether she’ll agree to it. His “Nadia can’t find out about this” is such a telling statement too, because it shows he knows how precarious his position is; it’s now Nadia who holds the power, and if he crosses her in some way, she’ll shut him out. And then what use would he be to Thony, with no money or resources? There’d be nothing he could do to help get Fi back and make this right, and he’d fear that that helplessness would cause Thony to turn away from him and look elsewhere for solutions, abandoning him now that he had nothing to offer. Of course that’s not at all what would happen– Thony is absolutely just as gone for him as he is for her– but the poor boy still can’t see it, and so he's scrambling desperately for anything that will be able to get her to stay. 
And speaking of how gone she is for him, oh god her reaction to keeping it all a secret from Nadia– you can tell she hates this, hates feeling like the dirty mistress being snuck out the back door to avoid being seen by the jealous wife. It’s another reminder that Arman belongs to someone else, not her, just like the night when he showed up with the keycard after ‘reconciling’ with Nadia, when he broke her heart at her own damn suggestion. And because he’s just as clueless about the depth of her feelings as she is about his, he misinterprets her pain as disagreement with the plan, which prompts this blessed line: “Thony, unless you trust me (…) in how I do this, I can’t help you” and god I am NEVER getting over that tiny pause after ‘trust me’, because it’s not just about trusting his plan. It’s about the fact that he feels she lost faith in him, that somewhere along the line she stopped trusting him and looking to him as her protector. She’d trusted him 100% though the heist they’d pulled on Hayak and Noah, enough for her to stay around even when he’d been in jail. She’d trusted him at the motel when they’d dealt with the manager. She’d trusted him when she’d agreed to help him move the drugs, and trusted him after Cortes' death when he’d said they would find a way together to trap RK with the drug deal and satisfy the FBI. She’d still trusted him even after he’d had to murder Maya. But then he’d been left with no choice but to follow her suggestion and go back to Nadia, and suddenly the distance between them seemed to keep widening, with her need to protect her family and his need to protect Nadia putting them repeatedly at odds, and then Luca got sick again and she turned to Kamdar for help instead of him. In Arman’s mind, Thony had pulled away from him after he’d gone back to Nadia, even though he had only been following her direction and he’d only done it because there was no other way. And so now he practically pleads for her to trust him again, and she pauses for a split second, staring at him, before giving the answer that nearly knocks him off his feet: “I never stopped trusting you.” And damn, with the intense way these two are looking at each other, it’s easy to wonder if this conversation is really only about trust... because right now ‘trust’ sounds a hell of a lot like it’s just a placeholder for another very strong emotion, and the way he stares at her when she tells him she never stopped? The tone in which she says it, like he’s a fool for thinking she ever could have stopped? Like ok look I may be waaaay down the rabbit hole here but I simply can’t watch this scene without feeling like the subtext is being screamed so loud that it’s drowning out everything else
And don’t even get me started on how she says she knows he did this to protect her. Her. Not ‘us all’. Just her. Because it’s the truth, isn’t it? He might have said things about ‘none of them’ being safe until RK was dead, but we know who his real concern was; the woman he had never even wanted RK to know about in the first place, and definitely never wanted him to meet.  And honestly, look at the timing– it was only after she drew RK’s attention (back when she delivered the money, she was easily dismissed as a nobody, but when he learned that she was causing division between Nadia and Arman, she very much became somebody of great interest) that Arman became determined that RK needed to die, especially after RK showed he wouldn’t hesitate to kill her, and after she’d had to send her whole family away to protect them while she stayed behind (“Kamdar’s watching me, I can’t run”). He’d wanted RK dead for a long time, but would have never risked attempting it, not until RK threatened the one thing that Arman would go to absolutely any lengths to protect. And ugh the way she holds his gaze so directly as she tells him she knows he did it to protect her, and then: “You have to understand. I need my family back.” like she’s telling him she can’t focus on anything else, or anyone else, until her family is reunited and she’s been absolved of the guilt she currently bears. I know lots of people were disappointed with this scene because there’s no physical contact and no outward declaration of feelings, and as much as I would have died over that, I still love this scene because of its intensity, and how it feels like a conversation within a conversation, showing how well these two know and understand each other that so much can be said while actually saying not much at all. 
But okay excuse me I was not prepared for my dream of Mob Boss Thony to suddenly become a reality already??? Like god the way she carries herself is so different, her voice so cool and unaffected as she stands in front of these two uniformed men– these IMMIGRATION OFFICERS, literally the very people that she as an illegal immigrant has been hardwired to fear– and basically tells them that they work for her now. And then she tells them that she’ll be bringing someone back into the US with her??? And then just walks right on out of there, absolutely rocking her power outfit (what’s the bet that she was thinking of Fi’s advice from back when she had to go meet with Cortes, about looking the part so she could feel the part) and oh god Arman is there by the caddy waiting for her; her partner and her protector, keeping the promise he made: that they would see this through, together. Don’t mind me I will just be over here making dying whale noises into eternity
Anyway okay like I said, I really do get why some fans were disappointed with this finale, because sure, I also would have loved to have seen some kind of physical Armony interaction (ngl, the lack of a kiss this season did catch me by surprise, but tbh it also makes sense given the circumstances). But man, what we did get in terms of Armony interaction was intense and layered and sets us up for such an amazing payoff for next season. And that was something that really struck me, all through this episode– the entire thing feels like a second act. I hadn’t realised how used I was to each individual season of a show kind of having its own little self contained feel to it, because this??? Watching this, I became utterly convinced that after S1, the showrunners actually wrote and pitched the plot of S2 and S3 to the studios together, and right now we are just halfway through that story. Like yes S2 had its own arc, with Armony being caught between Kamdar and the FBI, and if needed the ending could stand on its own with the two of them literally driving off into the sunset together with a plan to make everything right, but tbh the whole thing also has the feeling like we just watched a chessboard being set up with all the pieces being put into place, and now the game can start. Honestly the writing and planning in this show blows me away and I can’t wait to see what S3 brings us ugh
Okay anyhow that’s more than enough rambling from me, so if any of you made it through this after several months of hiatus: cheers and I’ll see you in September haha
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A bit late but *glares at tumblr* it's better be late than never ey?
But here is my 2023 art roundup! :D
General retrospectives under the cut per month if anyone is curious 😘
Jan: This was a gift I made for a buddy of mine! It was of his oc that the friend group collectively simped for and cultivated together, as a family. He's a great lad and a starting point for me to use stock textures for the general look of my art
Feb: An older design of my Miraak, but I really still like this piece. It was the starting point of me trying to learn how to draw characters interacting together. While I do think I can improve in some aspects, I still think it holds up really well and looks super cute!
Mar: Ah, gore. This was the beginning of me doing a 'soft' art style. It's of a melting Emperor Belos for the Tales of a Tyrant Zine (I believe the link is still active for access to the pdf? If curious, I should still have it around somewhere. It's pretty sick ngl). I really like this piece, it helped me deal with my imposter's syndrome in the group of Amazing artists as they really liked this piece of mine! And generally I love drawing gore
Apr: This was a commission for someone on tumblr! I used my softer style for this piece and had fun figuring out how to make the light imposing but not loose the main colors and details! Also fun fact - I had a friend pose for me holding a sign so I can get GOOD hand references as google was no help
May: Ah the first full drawing on Krita. This was a test on the art program as Autodesk Sketchbook was no longer working for me on desktop (tho I still use it for my ipad art!). It's of my HOK who I don't talk much about as they're just a Dude. Sorry Jhyth, I should do more with you
Jun: This bitch. Elyden I adore you, you're my favorite oc and one of my longest lasting ones but. . . It took so damn long to get a good design with him that showed his personality and wasn't a pain to draw. I really like his design here, I think he looks wonderful
Jul: A commission done for my Skyrim fanfic's editor actually! She's pretty cool and greatly improved my writing skills! And she paid me to draw a mudcrab in Sovngarde! What more do you want? I love this piece too as I learnt how to do backgrounds in my style that won't kill me in my detailed art style
Aug: Another commission done for a friend of mine! It was based off a doodle I did of his oc as a gift but he paid me to finish it as a full rendered piece! :D I got to draw a tiddy window and an evil throne!!!
Sep: An art collab I did with a friend of mine! Where we split the image in half and drew each other's ocs interacting! It's actually the same dude as the Jan's piece. I both hate loved working on this. His hands gave me so much trouble
Oct: My second favorite oc's revamped design, Lorelei <3 I love her a lot and I really love her design. I think it fits her perfectly and you can tell what she's about immediately by just looking at her. I adore this lady (also fun fact, she's the older sister of Elyden!). This drawing means a lot to me as it was me figuring out that I like drawing character references only in more fun poses in a sense
Nov: Funny thing, I finished that drawing yesterday. But it's a reference of my Rahgot! I chose this as my Nov piece as I feel like it was when I was getting better at character designs. In terms of practicality, function, aesthetics, colors, and visual language
Dec: A commission for an old friend of mine that I knew since...fuck me, I think...6 years? He wanted me to draw an antagonist for his body horror gundom ttrpg campaign! Even though he doesn't draw, his designs fuck so hard and I'm so glad I got to draw one fully <3 I love this piece and I think it was a great send off to the end of this year
I feel like I exploded in improvement this year. My skills and my methods for art became more practical and made my life a bit easier in general in the process (especially in the coloring department). And I cannot wait to see what I'll make for next year :D
Thank you all for coming with me to this journey <3 and have a blessed new year
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moopadoop · 2 years
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So i’ve finished the project and although im not entirely happy with the final product 2d is a lot easier to imitate than i thought. With more time and practice i think i can actually make a full animation in this style! Ive posted some of my favorite progress pics below the cut.
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So the thing that ended up taking me the longest was the normal editing. I was able to get a pretty smooth half shadow look here, but otherwise it’s still very rough.
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the one thing that i learned the most from it tho was the importance of tris when building the shape of the shadows into the face. If you want a clean divide you have to make a path and edit the normals to follow that path. Although even with additional tris it was hard to get the shadows to follow the path as nicely as i wanted (you can see this in the forehead....) definitely needs work.
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Face shape drivers are also something that i learned heavily affected the final look of the character. The right is with face drivers and the left is without. How it works is when the camera is a certain angle from the head the shape key will activate, making the mesh shift along with the camera. However because the mesh is changing to look good to the camera from an angle the front view looks really funny
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Because the viewer will only ever see the camera view in an actual animation, how the front view looks when the camera isnt looking at it doesn’t really matter. Still looks goofy tho
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This is how the final project ended up looking, and ngl i got really lazy at this point. On the bright side now I know that i need to work on making 3d backgrounds, so expect to see more of that in the future.
 This project also got me really into the 80s anime aesthetic so im probably gonna lean more into that. I’ve been specifically looking at a lot of sci-fi stuff (the kind with the really cool helmets and machinery) but i dont know if ill have the time to do something as in depth as this project. We’ll see i guess! 
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nono-bunny · 2 years
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A few years ago my friend group all got into Log Horizon, so naturally, I gave it a shot, and it rocked! However, I stopped fairly early on because we were planning on having a watch party all together, something that, ultimately due to how many things we planned on watching and doing together... Never quite ended up happening, and I ended up sorta quietly dropping the show without really meaning to
But!! Now I've picked it up again and. God it still absolutely rocks, and Your Song is STILL one of my favorite anime EDs, it's just great!
Anyway, this is all to preface that I'm still in season 1 so things might change or be actually properly adressed in the show but! Ngl, one of my favorite parts so far has been watching the Dread Pack (I looked up their name), aka the PK party encountered and demolished early on by Shiroe, Akatsuki and Naotsugu... Just quietly carry on with their lives after their defeat without resentment, and trying to find a place for themselves in this new world without hurting others any longer. Like! They can be seen quietly turn away without violence when spurned by elitist guilds before the round table was formed, just chilling together and enjoying the revitalized Akiba, and Rikopin (the cool looking swashbuckler girl) is the first to try the crescent moon burgers... And she subsequently seems to rope in her friends into operating a food stall with her!!
Like. I just really, really like seeing this sort of thing? It's just a very quiet, yet very powerful character redemption arc for that group- some people are bound to remain assholes, especially when defeated, but those folks ultimately decided to change themselves and the way they chose to live from then on when they were confronted for it. To me, seeing them constantly in the background finding their own place in the world was the REAL indicator of the round table's success at transforming Akiba
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duckwithablog · 7 months
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The lurker anon reappears! Thank you for answering my questions, and I’d love to hear the backstory of your macaque theme!
Also, I forgot to label myself. Silly me. Mmm 🤔… perhaps peach🍑 anon if it’s free? Because- unrelated to the cute and cheeky monkey man- I really, really love peaches!
YOO hello again!! And yeah, 🍑 anon is free!! I haven't tried eating peaches but they look so aesthetic,, the only peach flavored thing i tried was a peach drink and i ordered it PURELY bcs of LMK HHAHSHSAH
time for some blog lore..... THIS IS GONNA BE KINDA LONG AND RAMBLY SO BE WARNED-
Before this account was made, I actually had a different tumblr account for personal use (I never log into it anymore though lol) instead of writing. I was in the LMK fandom at the time, so I was reading x reader fics EVERYWHERE I could, from wattpad to tumblr to ao3.
And wouldn't you know it, when I was scrolling through the tags on tumblr I saw someone promoting their newly written fic they made on ao3!! I read it, loved the premise, and left a kudos and a comment (I think I left a comment? I'm not sure, I was a lurker as well when it came to reading HSDHSD).
Not too long after, I was scrolling through their blog and saw a post of them asking for any possible writing friends to interact. I thought 'hey!! i can write!!' and promptly sent them a dm. We chatted over our brainrot of the stinky monkeys and we grew to be pretty close writing buddies!! I even got to come up with a ship name for a pairing in the fic (the pairing was Macaque and Y/n, and Y/n in the fic was a baker, so I proposed the ship name 'Mooncake'. Still super proud of that ngl!! I'm pretty sure I made one for Wukong and Y/n too, but I forgot what it was </33 Mooncake was just so iconic to me).
We bounced off ideas from each other, and I sent them posts about Wukong (they were a Wukong Apologist and honestly, slay), and one of them actually managed to influence their characterization for him in a later chapter!! I was even writing my own LMK x reader fic at the time, and while I gave up on it after a while, they were the first person to ever read the first few paragraphs and gave me their thoughts.
Eventually, I had an urge to make a whole blog dedicated to x reader writings because I was inspired by them to make one, and when I told them they told me to go for it!!
Here's where the important bit comes in: This person's blog was themed around Sun Wukong. They're a Monkey King lover, they fucking love that stupid smelly monkey man!! So I told them "hey wouldnt it be funny if my blog was Macaque themed so we could match?" and they went "DUDE"
And boom!! That's the reason why my blog is Macaque themed!! I went through a LOT of custom tumblr themes (you know where you open someones blog and instead of being the regular tumblr blog layout its a totally new one that they customized themselves? Yeah that was me), meanwhile my friend just stuck to a simple 'Wukong pfp + header and orange background'. I think that matched our character themes really well HAHSAHSAH
Unfortunately, I'm sure that my friend is not working/active anymore. Their last post on tumblr was them apologizing for the lack of updates because of art school, and that was it. I don't know how long it's been since I checked up on the fic, but when I did, I found that their ao3 account was orphaned. So it's probably safe to assume that theyre not coming back to their tumblr acc either.
But still... I kept my Macaque theme. Even when my LMK interest started to fade and other media took over my brain, I refused to change it. Idk why, sentimentality I guess? It just felt wrong.
I have no idea where they are now, honestly. I just hope theyre doing okay. They were a super cool person, and I loved their fic and I loved talking to them and I loved being their friend!! Even if they probably wont see this post, I just want them to know how much of an impact they had on me. It was because of them I made this account, and got into writing requests and fics. And even if that didn't work out, they got me back to writing in general! They were an awesome person and they deserve everything good in life!!
Augugh this got sentimental... My bad!! Ngl, I've been secretly waiting for someone to ask me why my blog was Macaque themed, but the chance of that happening was really slim so I held the Blog Lore™ in. BUT NOW I CAN FINALLY SAY WHAT IVE BEEN HOLDING IN FOR YEARS RAHHH
Thanks for asking this, btw 🍑 anon!! Sorry if this was so rambly and long, my mind do be like that (incomprehensible to decipher sometimes). I'd love to see you pop in some more, if youd like!!
Oh!! And since ur a Wukong lover as well, you should read their fic!! It's unfinished, but I think you should give it a shot. The chapters are long, the writing style and interactions between characters are great, and the development and pining is well done!!
I realize that this sounds biased, but ermm..... IDC GO READ THEIR FIC!!! (/nf) Kudos and comment bcs they deserve it!! Even if they dont get to see it, I'd like to at least cheer them up on the off chance that they do.
Here's the fic!! And their tumblr acc too, because they make some pretty banging drawings for their writing!!
@butternut-zippersqaush
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saviourkingslut · 9 months
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okay but curry can we PLEASE talk about how fucking PHENOMENAL like action Mihawk is. Had me on the brink of mental collapse 24/7 bc I kept thinking about his magnificence- he knocked it out of the PARK GODDAMNIT!!! Who's your fave from the live action cast and what are your thoughts?? Personally I think it's very good, I just wish Sanji's arc hadn't been cut (tho Don Krieg sucks as a villain, ngl, kinda happy Mihawk got rid of that bitchboy so easily ☠️☠️☠️), but other than that I'm SO proud of everyone involved, they really put in lov and dedication and respect for the series, I'm looking forward to more!!! How about you??🌸🌼🍀
ok full disclosure lest anyone think i have read the manga or seen the anime: i haven't, it's way long and i've never felt particularly drawn to it. HOWEVER i've seen my fair share of (shounen) anime and when i saw they were doing a live action of one piece i really thought it was going to suck bc the live actions always suck. boy was i wrong. everyone working on this from screenwriters to cinematographers to costume department to the actors themselves clearly love the source material and knew exactly what they were doing, and the vibe is Exactly Right. it's camp and fun and a little stupid like shounen anime tend to be and it fully embraces it and so it feels completely natural. of course the cat-themed pirate crew hiss and wear knife-gloves. of course there's characters with blue and green and whatever colour hair. of course the officers in the marines have personal Themes. we don't need any explanation, the world is just like this. and it's balanced exactly right so the more emotional, serious aspects of the story carry the weight that they need to without feeling out of place.
also, as a someone who hasn't engaged with the manga/anime, i think the series cut away/kept enough of the original material to come out of it feeling well-paced, understandable to newcomers and filled with fun recognisable bits for long-time fans. perhaps this meant, as you say, cutting out some pieces of character development/background that might have been enjoyable, but it's a well-made sacrifice bc it prevented the story from feeling too bloated. i think it was just right like this: gave us background on everyone and simultaneously left room for the story to process, without too many things at once to focus on. you could still sense that it was based on a manga bc of its little arcs - usually two eps with a minor boss to beat each time, and a bigger, badder boss at the end of the season. so i feel like keeping that theme in a narrative sense also really helped to make it reminiscent of the material it draws from and made it well-rounded and well-structured overall.
ANYWAY. mihawk. oh my god. i rewatched his scenes. multiple times. he was gorgeous. effervescent. insert the lady gaga meme. again i haven't engaged with the og material but i know these kinds of manga characters and there's so many ways to do them wrong but steven john ward really said 'i was made for this role actually' and he served absolute cunt. definitely up there among my favourite characters in the show - and that's saying a LOT bc im obsessed with almost everyone in it fr. they made me like the fucking clown (i hate clowns) buggy is genuinely incredible. the main cast? what the hell dude. they just found luffy living irl like... genuinely what the fuck. iñaki was born to play him and he did it so wonderfully - guy who is fatally optimistic but also insane and it works. nami's really cool as well - i've heard/read some stuff abt the writing of women especially in the earlier parts of the manga (woman in shounen main character group syndrome) but i think she was solid here and her interactions with the rest of the cast were great. also usopp! is so cute! so much potential to not have that kind of character work out in a real life adaptation but he's so lovable
and on that note the fucking. interactions amongst the main cast? im sobbing screaming crying they're everything to me. the way they're so supportive and proud and protective of each other and yet they talk shit the whole time too. there's so much chemistry among them and they truly do feel like people from different backgrounds who (sometimes reluctantly) come together and would do anything for each other. like real friends who have fun and make fun of each other too, it's a great dynamic and they really hit the mark there.
as to who's my favourite, well, as i said, mihawk's definitely up there, and im a simple hoe - i love zoro. but i think i enjoyed sanji's scenes the most and not just bc of his ass. heard he's kind of pervy in the og material? well the direction they took him in the live action where they kept the 'imprints on woman' but is overall sweet about it and generally less moody than he is in the anime/manga was a great direction i think. he's supremely enjoyable as a character. the accent? the facial expressions? the smiles? the jokes? im on my bed swooning and giggling and kicking my feet he is so fucking funny and i want him so bad. 'apologies madam i didn't see you there.' 'oooh back for seconds must have liked it' i literally re-watched every scene he was in at least once. his kicks were so nicely choreographed too it was really satisfying to look at, very clean (taz did god's work on his training). sometimes at home ill be doing nothing in particular like ill be standing in the living room and i'll mutter to myself 'cotelette. collier. epaulé. poitrine.' and go on with my day he lives in my brain rent free.
so uhm yea i think the series is really good and 1) sanji 2) mihawk 3) zoro if i had to put them in order i think lmaooo
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