#〖 AESTHETIC: I FIND BEAUTY IN THE MOST COMMON DREAMS 〗 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

missholland · 27 days

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Farewell, a place once called home!

I was homebound this week for an illness recovery, and thought it was the perfect time to rewatch one of my ultimate comfort shows: The Untamed.

Some people watch stuff once. Some people religiously rewatch their favs because they discover something new each time. I'm certainly part of the latter clan, and I cannot believe I never wrote about Wei Wuxian (WWX)'s post-resurrection return to Lotus Pier before.

The second half of episode 45 throughout episode 46 is quite a journey on its own right: the setting, the aesthetics, the dialogue, the emotional weight as one of the biggest secrets finally came to surface.

A very long rambling analysis ahead so bear with me!

Considering the latter half of episode 45 was mostly consumed with Si Si and Bi Cao exposing Jin Guangyao (JGY)'s dark past, there were only a couple of Lotus Pier moments that worth mentioning.

As WWX and Lan Wangji (LWJ) walked through the entrance of Lotus Pier, I was immediately taken back to what WWX said to LWJ in episode 6 when they were healing their injuries in the Cold Spring. WWX asked LWJ to come visit him in Lotus Pier one day, and I bet the circumstance they eventually found themselves in episode 45 was far from what WWX thought the visit would have been like.

Let's also take another step back to episode 34, where Jiang Cheng (JC) interrogated WWX. WWX admitted that he wanted to go back to Lotus Pier even in his dream, but at the time, he had probably given up all hopes of ever making that come true.

What else is there? His master and madam died, his disciple elder sister Yanli died, he got expelled from his own clan. It was virtually impossible to prepare WWX for the event of episode 45 where he actually got to walk into Lotus Pier again.

Let's now cruise into the main event - episode 46! Fed up with how the big clan meeting went following the revelation of JGY's wrongdoings, WWX and LWJ stepped away from the front room and made their way around Lotus Pier. They were likely just wandering around at the time, as their concentration was totally occupied with finding out who might be the mastermind trying to expose JGY. Then again, it might as well be WWX's muscle memory as they somehow ended up right in front of the ancestral hall.

Despite initial hesitation, WWX eventually decided to come in and paid respect to his Master, Madam and Yanli along with LWJ. It's not the first time we saw this incredibly tranquil and beautiful room. It really was WWX's most frequently visited room, whether it was being punished by Madam Yu (story apparently travelled all the way to Gusu) or having heartfelt conversation with Yanli. WWX telling LWJ his childhood stories inside the ancestral hall was probably the most mundane sequence during this whole ordeal, and a small moment of normality for WWX before our resident killjoy JC walked in.

Yes JC, we know it's your house but surely yelling in the middle of the ancestral hall whether your family was resting in peace isn't a very good idea? Our WWX certainly didn't expect any less from all the unpleasantness coming out of JC's mouth, as since forever he only let his anger do the speaking and not the common sense. LWJ was ready to have a showdown, but WWX calmly told him to stand down and let it go.

But did JC let it go too? Of course not. He was irritated by WWX's calmness and tried to spill some more frustration to get the other to react. He clearly picked the right route to go down on by picking on LWJ and Wen Ning (WN). Worse, he proceeded to single out LWJ and insulted his commitment to WWX.

That prompted WWX to yell out JC's courtesy name Jiang Wanyin, a name we didn't hear very often throughout the show but in this instance it was most memorable, especially coming from WWX. That itself drew a clear boundary in their relationship at that moment, from brothers to mere acquaintances in the cultivation world.

WWX wasn't afraid to ask a proud JC to apologise, but all JC was gonna do is pushing the button even more. He took a very personal swipe at their confidant/soulmate-ship that led WWX to, quite uncharacteristically, violently held JC's collar.

Our dearest is giving JC what he wants! Although to be perfect honest, I thought it was quite hilarious that JC for whatever reason was confident he could take on both of them. WWX possibly since he wasn't at his finest during that moment, but prime LWJ though...?

Thankfully, WWX looked up and saw Yanli's name. He knew very well it would break Yanli's heart seeing the two of them like this. He's gotta be the bigger person (and fair enough, he's already knackered from being the lure flag for the puppets). As our beloved couple once again tried to leave in peace, JC decided to make it as hard as possible for them. Here he is, triggering LWJ's angry lover protector mode.

I love the swift but determined arm push LWJ did to JC a second after this to get him off WWX, then right away his expression transitioned back into anxious lover worrier mode. LWJ didn't even give JC a second look. He promptly escorted WWX away but was still super alerted to give JC a good old Piss Off for STILL ONCE AGAIN not letting it go.

Let's take a moment to admire this bittersweet yet romantically charged frame before getting the tearfest started.

Now, our sweet baby WN just flew in with WWX's Suibian sword, got a couple of hits from JC's Zidian but was still determined to stand tall and asked JC to unseathe Suibian. JC was angry and confused, LWJ was probably also angry and confused, WWX has fainted, so now WN is the only sane one and the voice of reason. His cold lack of reaction (because he wasn't surprised at all) placing next to a shocked pikachu LWJ and confusingly mortified JC was the perfect comparison.

LWJ's face tells me that as soon as he saw JC taking out Suibian, he was already somewhat fearing the reason behind it. He hasn't quite reached the destination yet, but he was on the way. After all, he's one of the most intelligent and knowledgeable characters in the story thanks to his sect's education. His eyes made it look like he was holding on a tiny glimpse of hope that maybe it's not true, maybe it's not the worst case scenario, but it was certainly mixed with fear that it might be.

It's very different from JC who's just completely out of the loop, no hint of any possibility that he might be able to work out what happened. If WN wasn't there to SPELL IT OUT, JC would just remain angry and confused for the rest of the episode.

As JC is still in deep denial, and WN precisely recounted the event on the mountain in great details where JC was tricked to go find Baoshan Wanderer who could fix his core, LWJ only had eyes on WWX. His ears were listening to everything WN said too, but his focus was on WWX while he did his own reflection on how he reacted to WWX abandoning swordsmanship in the past (the same way JC did).

All the burning questions LWJ had inside his head - why WWX no longer carried Suibian, why he made all these excuses to not get back into practicing swords, why he took on crafty tricks, why he had a change in personality and demeanour, why he behaved so strangely after getting Suibian back - they are finally answered. But in the most unimaginably painful and heartbreaking way. LWJ's trembling face and tears scream PAIN, the pain you feel when you know someone you love is in pain, but you are also aware that whatever you feel is only 1/10000 of their actual suffering.

Pain and anger come together time to time, and LWJ has heard enough. He just wanted to get WWX out of here, out of this hell of a truth. He made his feeling known by stamping Bichen loudly on the ground and took WWX away, once and all.

Our baby WN really shined here. He wrapped up this dreadful revelation by daring JC to find anyone who can unsheathe Suibian, but not before hitting him with possibly the last thing any human being as competitive and eager to win like JC wanted to hear - did you know you were supposed to beneath your disciple older brother forever?

WN kept his head down and let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't have done it since he promised WWX, but that was as much as he knew he had to do so. His guilt toward WWX was starting to hit him, but it was also obvious that a huge burden has been lifted off his shoulders.

We're now getting to the end of WWX's unexpectedly eventful return to Lotus Pier. Without JC's unreasonable pot-stirring screaming, we're finally given a lovely shot of Lotus lake at night with LWJ ensuring WWX's body not leaving his caring touch. I don't think we've had a proper conversation between LWJ and WN up to this point, and what makes it so special is that it's a genuine exchange between the only 2 people left who deeply care about WWX - a lonely anti-hero who's been walking alone on his deeply misunderstood journey for so long that it lasted through 2 lives.

Sweet WN also thanked LWJ for taking care of A Yuan and we got to learn about how LWJ managed to save A Yuan back then. It was sad but heartwarming knowing that WN was content with not disclosing A Yuan's past to him, as he's had a happy childhood and blessed life thanks to LWJ. Although, he acknowledges that eventually A Yuan would find out, just like JC did about his golden core.

Now as the conversation circled back to the golden core swap, LWJ asked WN a question that truly, you only ask when it's about someone you love. 'Is it painful?'. Not 'How did Wen Qing do it', but was it painful for WWX. What was the feeling he had, what was the pain he suffered, what was it like. It's not a sympathy question. It's something you want to know and empathise when your loved one goes through hard time. It's such a deeply specific and personal question, because when the person you love is in pain, you are too. You even want to feel it too, and LWJ is no stranger to that if we recall him leaving the same burn mark on his left chest as WWX had. Shame that this detail was never explained in the show.

As WN described:

'He should be sober enough to see the golden score which connects to the spiritual vein be separated from his body and feel the spiritual power die down little by little, until it is motionless and nothing can be felt'.

You can feel LWJ's pain peak as he was told WWX remained awake for 2 nights and 1 day with only 50% chance of success. As someone who deep down admires his soulmate's talent from a young age, what could be worse than having to hear that his other half had accepted to be mediocre for the rest of his life and never ascend to the top as he could have easily done?

Poor WWX regained conscious and realised where he was. Unsurprisingly, all of his Lotus Pier memories were tied with Yanli and he's overwhelmed by the image of her and flashback of their time together. What is home to WWX, the one who was trying his hardest to grow lotus somewhere as deadly as Burial Mounds? JC was his family, but not anymore. Yanli is no longer around, but till her death, she remained his family. She might have had married into Jin clan, but she embodied everything about Lotus Pier. Yanli is home. Yanli is Lotus Pier.

Seeing Yanli die at Nightless City was saying goodbye to the last person on earth who cared about WWX (or so he forgot about LWJ), which pushed him to giving up on his own life. So is Lotus Pier still home without Yanli? Is there even home without Yanli? WWX was barely treated like a proper guest at Lotus Pier. He was just someone who knew the way around, as home no longer hold the same meaning as it once did.

Lovely WWX was finally jolly again at the possibility of snacking on some tasty lotus seeds he must have missed dearly. Yet his little happiness was seemingly switched off by the rigid rule follower LWJ. If anything I was surprised that WWX agreed to give up the lotus seeds that quickly, of course not without sulking in disappointment.

But all of this only make the following moment even more glorious and poignant: the high and mighty LWJ who grew up obeying 3000 rules at Gusu Lan Sect literally picked a lotus with his own hand and give it to his soulmate, much to his shock and confusion.

At first I thought Well that's the least LWJ could do, has WWX not suffered enough, would a few (hundreds) lotus seeds matter that much. He's been in pain, he needs to be coddled and spoiled till the end of the world! So LWJ willing to break one tiny rule (tiny, comparing to all the others he broke because of WWX already) is a well deserved comfort that WWX needs.

But then it also hit me - it is an example of making compromise in a healthy relationship. WWX used to hold on to his wine and was willing to put up a fight for it, most of the time against LWJ himself. So why was it so easy to him to just have an awkward chuckle and drop the lotus seeds as LWJ didn't want to break a rule?

WWX compromised, as you would in a partnership. You don't have it your way all the time, you work together toward the same goal and there are times you're willing to put your partner's values above your own benefit. WWX, despite not fully happy about the decision, still agreed to give us the lotus as LWJ was uncomfortable. And in return, LWJ was okay with putting WWX's needs above his ingrained principle about 'stealing'. At the end of the day, it's not about winning or losing in a relationship. You win together and you lose together.

We really are spoiled with lotus romance in this episode!

But maybe... just maybe... LWJ doesn't know whether WWX would ever get a chance to return to Lotus Pier. Should this be the last ever opportunity, he would probably rather WWX's final memory of the visit not being JC's anger and resentment. In return, it is a rare carefree moment on Lotus lake, one his WWX's favourite places, eating lotus seeds with the only 2 people who still care so much about him and willing to go to the end of the world for him.

If this is meant to be a farewell to a place WWX once called home, while LWJ couldn't change the unfortunate circumstance that led to this challenging visit, he at least has done his best to give it a drama-free peaceful ending for the person he loves dearly.

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femmefatalevibe · 2 years

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Hi hon, could you talk more about finding my own ‘dream girl archetype’ & creating ‘my personal manifesto’ as you mentioned in this post? 💌🌹

Gladly! Some notes on creating your own dream girl archetype and personal manifesto are below. Lmk if you need anything else x

How To Build Your Own Dream Girl Archetype:

Reflect on your role models: These can be TV characters, celebrities, public figures, or, even better, those you look up to in real life. What qualities and characteristics about them do you admire and want to emulate? Is it their poise, work ethic, their personal strength, confidence, style, general aesthetic, lifestyle, cultural affiliations, career, and hobbies? Make a list of these people or characters with bullet points under each one. If you find a lot of commonalities and find certain qualities on multiple lists, place them on a separate list – this list will become the framework for your dream girl archetype.

Get introspective: After gaining some inspiration from those you admire, it’s essential to look inside yourself to acknowledge the characteristics and personality traits you like about yourself, your natural talents, skillset, and your motivation for wanting to become your dream girl – this desire for self-growth and perseverance should make it onto the list if you’re still reading this! Think about the compliments you receive, especially those that you regularly get from different people who don’t know each other. I find that these types of comments help us learn the most about how we’re perceived in the world. Add all of these characteristics, personality traits, talents, skillsets, etc. to your list.

Acknowledge your dark side: Get comfortable with your shadow self. If you have certain traits or habits holding you back from being your ideal self (i.e. people pleasing, self-sabotage, procrastinating, etc.), become curious and reflect on why you engage in these behaviors or uphold this mindset. Strategize ways to unlearn these characteristics and ways you move through the world that no longer serves you. Create a plan to dig yourself out of these self-destructive thought patterns and actions. Read books, speak with a therapist (if you can), and start journaling to come up with creative solutions to make changes in your daily life to prioritize yourself. Set up your environment in ways to help you win. Own your indulgent side - it makes you human. The sooner you align with your guilty pleasures, the better you get at indulging in them strategically. Have a small sweet treat every day if needed. Keep emotional distance from toxic loved ones. Make your feelings about your current hot hookup self-referential. Block out time to watch your favorite show.

Assert an active role in your life: Create healthy habits to make you feel good. Stop craving others’ approval – no one can be as happy for you as you are for yourself when you succeed. It’s okay to remind yourself we’re all a bit narcissistic – it’s human nature.

Construct your higher self: Once you’ve acknowledged the qualities you need to internalize to become your ideal self, discover the external qualities and habits you need to cultivate to build your dream girl. What does she wear, what’s her career, how does she speak, work through issues, engage in conversation? What are her habits like? Her morning and night routine? What does she read, watch, and listen to? What’s her social life like? How does she spend her leisure time? What does her space look like, her beauty, diet, and self-care routine? What quotes does she live by? Does she know other languages or about certain topics? How do others speak about her? Create as many inspiration boards and lists, journal entries, etc. as you need until you unlock all of these answers. You will know when some new characteristic, routine, or aesthetic resonates.

How To Write Your Personal Manifesto:

Essentially, this document (can be a journal entry, notes app entry, Google doc, etc.) is an amalgamation of your values, principles, habits, and boundaries. It’s a written reminder to yourself of who you truly are, decide to be, and promise to yourself to stick by your values no matter who tries to tear you down.

Create a mission statement of your ideal self and the qualities that validate this narrative. Essentially, practice the law of assumption by creating a series of personally-tailored affirmations that describe your self-concept and the woman you choose to be.

Write out all of the qualities listed above that you admire about yourself and emulate in your daily life. Affirm this self-concept. Feel free to use specific personal affirmations and attach related behaviors to your self-affirming characteristics (i.e. I make it my mission to show up with class and confidence in every area of my life. I’m mindful of how I speak to others, choose my words carefully – in person or in writing – and consider the feelings of the other person when engaging in conversation. I take my appearance seriously and aim to embody a seductive and alluring presence. I maintain a healthy diet, make almost all of my meals from fresh ingredients, go on long walks daily to take care of my body, tailor my closet with streamlined clothes made of high-quality fabrics that fit my body well, indulge in my makeup and beauty routines daily alongside wearing my signature scent. I’m an intellectual whose dedicated to learning more about the world every day – I read at least 10 pages of psychology, personal development, or a business-related book daily, etc.).

List out your boundaries and non-negotiables with yourself. Feel free to get specific with your boundaries to include all aspects of your life – with your work, family, friends, intimate relationships, dating, food, style, self-care habits, etc. Validate your needs. Add your ‘why’ to each of these boundaries and priorities to help you internalize them and to motivate yourself to uphold these standards despite any self-doubt or external criticisms.

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drconstellation · 4 months

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Brazil and The Dream of Escape

I was delighted to find in the Xtras that the machine created to be used by Furfur to use to find out how many demons Shax could requisition for storming the bookshop was inspired by the movie Brazil. This is another nod to Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, who directed this film, and who almost directed the failed GO film in the 1990's.

I love this film. Always have. Yes, I was around when it came out in 1985. I'm that old. It's always been in my top 5 favourite films. And its totally relevant to Good Omens.

Brazil can be described as a dark dystopian story based on the novel 1984. It doesn't have a happy ending, but its funny, horrific, ludicrous, romantic and timelessly beautiful all at the same time. Its so iconic that when ever I see its influence in other productions its been unmistakable.

It stars Jonathan Pryce long before he was a James Bond villain or the head Sparrow in Game of Thrones, a comedic turn from Robert de Niro and a handful of other famous faces that you are bound to recognise, such Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm and Jim Broadbent.

Pryce, as Sam Lowry, lives in a world that is strictly controlled with paperwork that comes in multiple copies, where people are routinely arrested and tortured and a long running unexplained terrorist campaign sees bombs explode in the most random of places. Sam has dreams of a beautiful woman floating in the sky, and he is a sliver-armoured winged hero trying to rescue her. He eventually finds that she is real, and finds out her name through various means via his work and contacts. He tracks her down, but that is where it all starts to unravel as she is mixed up with an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.

Its easy to see the common themes and elements that run through the film with GO: the desire to run away and escape (that doesn't work,) a totalitarian authority controlling the masses, propaganda, piles of paperwork, an undercurrent of rebellion, torture and abuse, forbidden love between classes, a villain hidden in plain sight.

There is an art deco aesthetic to the film that also carries over to other films and shows it has influenced, and the busy work floor scene that stops on a dime to watch the tv show de jour while the boss isn't looking is one of the highlights of the film.

It was a reference of this that caught my eye in the Cohen Brothers modern fairy tale The Hudsucker Proxy, where they copied the busyness of the work floor for their mail room scenes, but also the art deco aesthetic. That's another film that is always in my top five films, and could go a round of comparisons with GO - its got time stoppage, an angel appearance and a near-godlike manipulator.

It also appears, surprisingly, in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The casino at Canto Bight is Brazil inspired, in the way its introduced to us, its decor and the music. I know some people hate this film because of what they did to Luke, but I love it, the whole thing is just utterly gorgeous to look at.

And if you've watched any of Loki recently, since S2 of that show finished not long ago, you would also seen some influence from Brazil in the retro look.

I love the classic art deco style. my grandparents had an art deco house that I spent many of my childhood hours in. The style itself is a clean, unadorned look, and often is meant to give a look of movement, speed or strength. A classic example of this is the Bentley, of course, which comes from the height of the art deco era in the 1930's.

Hell is the other place we see the Brazil influence in GO, where is looks like it's constantly several decades behind the times, with overhead projectors and manual typewriters and odd looking not-quite steampunk contraptions.

Brazil is available to stream on Disney at the moment, if you'd like to take a look. I highly recommend it, its one of those influential films that once you know it, you see its long reach in the most unexpected places.

#good omens 2 #good omens meta #good omens analysis #shax #furfur #terry gilliam brazil #monty python #the bentley #art deco

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centrally-unplanned · 1 year

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I always find the 'semiotics' or symbolic language of media interesting from an evolutionary perspective. Recently online there was a bit of a discussion about run cycles in animation; a guide to running written by Hayao Miyazaki from back in 1980 for which we had the text due to its inclusion in collected-writings book Starting Point has been missing its original accompanying visuals for all this time. Someone (Rebekah Machemer) found and scanned those drawings so now we have the complete work:

Very cool stuff, and really great to recover any lost production media like this. In the essay itself Miyazaki gets a bit philosophical - why care about running animation at all?

Above all what is most important is what one wants to express through the act of running…Men of strong resolve, who are wearing heavy armor and carrying swords, should run in a way that weak extras cannot. The running of surging masses on fire with anger, the running of a child doing his best to hold back tears until he reaches his house, the running of a heroine who has forsaken everything but the desire to flee—being able to show wonderful ways of running, running that expresses the very act of living, the pulse of life, across the screen would give me enormous delight. I dream of someday coming across a work that requires that kind of running.

On the one hand this all resonates; make the character visual, express their identity through motion, etc. On the other hand...girl who runs like this? I don't run, like, at all! It's not a common occurence in my everyday life to see a single person running, and if I do it is 99% of the time someone working out. I am pretty sure when I do run its way less an expression of my Forsaken Herione vibes and instead an expression of my 12-hours-a-day-on-a-computer workout routine.

-How you think you look running

-How you actually look running

What I am not saying here is that Miyazaki is wrong or anything to care about running. Instead I am saying that when he discusses how beautiful the act-of-running is, that is only partially coming from observing reality; it primarily comes from animation as a medium. Animation's value-add is the art-in-motion, you want the screen to be expressing itself to the audience through movement. You as an audience member want to see the animator themselves express their own aesthetic to you through that movement. There are a million ways to make that happen but running is one of the strongest; its character focused, universally applicable, common *enough* that you know what it looks like, you can make it diegetic to a climax if the plot demands it, etc. It makes sense for animation to utilize it, and it does - more than just animation, film all over does! It's a universally common symbol in the language of film with decades of meaning built into it.

But that meaning does not first come from real life, it comes from those demands of film-as-a-medium. In all likelihood no one has ever emoted a climactic meaning to you while running, or after running, you don't have a frame of reference for that. When you, as a viewer, are emotionally moved by the act of running, you feel that because film as a medium taught you to feel that. Compare it to how animation/film often focuses on the eyes and mouth for expressing emotion - that is not an invention of film, that is how real human beings communicate, when talking to a person you focus primarily on their eyes and mouth. The semiotics of film's language around eyes is built primarily from real life, which is much less true for running.

What is cool is how much of a semiotics of running animation has been built up given its origin within the demands of the medium. Miyazaki had a hot take and a desire to see artists push the craft as early as 1980; since then I can think of hundreds of running cycles artists have put their own touch on. I think of these as real Artist moments - it is something that the craft leads you to that you become obsessed with perfecting, existing for its own sake, something that interplays between observation and pure creativity. I can see these scenes now outside their own story, as the use and evolution of language. Which is neat!

#animation media theory

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italiangothicwriteblr · 2 years

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Updated Writeblr Intro!

Making a new intro to be my pinned post, because I haven’t updated my old one in a while!

⚡️Basics⚡️

Joy • she/her • cancer • bisexual • ISTP • 20 • 18+ blog

🌹More Necessities 🌹

What to expect: I’m currently drafting my first novel, so I’m a bit of a rookie to the writing ropes. My learning process is being documented through the blog—this time three months ago, I didn’t know what a comp title or a conlang was! I especially love worldbuilding and character development, and I’m always down for ask days and tag games (even though it takes me forever to answer, since college is kicking my ass). Don’t feel limited to ask days- I always welcome random asks, messages, and chatting! Moodboards, aesthetics, and character playlists are some of my favorite things. I’m slowly branching into writing nsfw content.

I’m a high fantasy writer—I like the freedom of creating a new world and not being constrained by the rules of ours. That said, I’m also a history major, and that bleeds through into my writing a lot (my main WIP is Ancient Rome inspired!). I love writing about love, and most of the time I’m a sucker for a happy ending. The romantic subplots of my series are my pride and joy.

In terms of reading, I love fantasy, historical fiction, fairytale and myth retellings, and anything in a royal setting! I’m open to almost anything, though!

Now, onto the WIP!

My main WIP is an adult fantasy series called City of Marble.

+ Very large and very queer cast. I have more OCs than I know what to do with, and not one of them is straight

+ Ancient Rome inspired fantasy world, with some Italian Renaissance influences

+ Soft magic systems, court politics, and traveling around a beautiful fantasy world

+ I love my very smart characters who are also incredibly dumb. I’ve got at least five of them.

+ I am weak for in-universe writings of any kind. I’m slowly planning epigraphs for every chapter.

The main CoM trilogy focuses on my MC, Novellia, and starts with The Traitor’s Heir.

WIP Tag

Summary:

Novellia de Rege grew up hunted. Between being born magical in the hostile nation of Circi, and her mother’s exile leaving her alone with her vile father, she had always had a target on her back. For a while, she’d found safety hidden away in the country, until her brother betrayed her by exposing her powers to the tyrannical regime of South Circian Imperatore Basilio. Forcibly separated from her family, and alone in dangerous territory, things seem bleak. She meets and forms a bond with Northern Imperatore Enrico, and his niece Livia, but this comes with it’s own set of problems. Even in the less violent North, aristocrats don’t want the taint of associating with sorcerers. If Livia learned her secret, it could be her end.

“Keeping secrets is a survival tactic”

I’m also working on a CoM prequel, The King and The Fool

WIP Tag

Summary:

Enrico Accursio never expected to do anything great with his life. But when he visits the imperial court and meets Leonidas Greco, that begins to change. Leonidas and his best friend, Niccolo, dream of leading the empire into a second Golden Age. Enrico soon finds himself and his friends at the center of a scintillating court. But can all that glitters stay gold?

Giacomo Gallo thinks he’s had an okay life. He’s grown up a commoner, but he was born with powerful magic most people can only dream of. However, he’s growing to resent it, because even in idyllic Circi, magic is distrusted. Myths about the evils of sorcery fly around even the most open-minded circles. Luckily, he’s taken under the wing of aristocrat Basilio Vecellio. Basilio’s power can protect him, and all he wants is a few favors in return. Seems more than fair, right?

“I’m not a villain, you shouldn’t have treated me like one”

Other Tags:

OC Intros

Worldbuilding-- Worldbuilding questions

OC Asks--questions I get about my OCs

OC Faceclaims

Other Links:

City of Marble Discord Server:

Spotify

City of Marble Taglist: (Interact here or message to be added/message to be removed): @theprissythumbelina @writeblrfantasy @bittenthehand @pertinax--loculos @terrisredrose @calicojackofficial @evethenovicewriter @houndmouthed @faithfire @ceph-the-writing-spook @rose-bookblood @pinespittinink @aohendo @flowerprose @perasperaadastrawriting @marrowwife @jessica-writes22 @lockejhaven @mr-writes @dreamywritingdragon @tc-doherty @did-i-do-this-write @inkingfireplace

@ryns-ramblings @wildswrites

@writeblrsupport

@wip-nook

#heard we were rbing our intros #updated with link to the oc intros! go check them out!

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i-did-not-mean-to · 10 months

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A real beaut'

Dear @fishing4stars, here is your story about a really ugly ship.

As evidenced by a discussion with Shadow on the server, Círdan is one of the only characters I consistently write Gen stories for.

So, hooray for love that is neither romantic nor sexual in nature.

Words: 1k

Characters: Círdan

Prompt: Seaside (and an ugly ship)

Warnings: A very ugly ship

At first, Círdan had taken immense pleasure and pride in the construction of ships that were not only uniquely suited to the difficult crossing they would have to brave but also breathtakingly beautiful to behold.

Through the ages, he had perfected his techniques, managing to create ever more elaborate and stunning vessels while keeping to a reasonable and steady rhythm.

Yes, he was justly proud of the fruits of his personal development and lovingly executed labour.

Unfortunately, he was not spared the terrible realisation that befell most quasi-immortal beings: after a certain point, the inevitable stagnation raced the just as inexorable boredom to the finish line that would determine which one would ultimately destroy a dream and enterprise so consistently and faithfully pursued through the years.

Moreover, fewer and fewer elves arrived at the Havens to be granted passage into the West—Círdan could only surmise that almost all who wanted to leave had already done so.

All that was left for him to do was to wait endlessly for those who were still holding out for an improbable miracle or who did not let haste and common sense overrule their obscene desire to witness the tragedies and heroics of this declining age.

Torn between his sense of duty and his dismay with both his plateauing skills and the tardiness of his people, Círdan spent long days musing about the matter of shipbuilding with all the intense focus and harried sadness proper to one so old.

"Well," an elf who passed by the now quiet and dark workshop almost every day joked, "why don't you make it a really ugly ship? Challenge yourself and your well-honed skills and tastes, why won't you?"

"Ugly?" The mere idea of wilfully, consciously creating something aesthetically displeasing jolted the old shipwright wide awake in an instant.

As ludicrous as the idea sounded at first, he could not deny that there was a strange but enchanting draw to the very concept.

All his life, he had abided by the rules—patiently bearing the brunt of others' mistakes without so much as complaining—and he had never dared even consider deviating from what was strictly expected and needed from him in the name of frivolous pleasure and wicked humour.

"I shall try," he agreed and gave the passer-by a friendly nod.

As he walked along the murmuring sea, he found that he could not put this new project out of his mind.

Of course, he would hold off on depriving any willing soul of a vessel for as long as he could, but, secretly, he had to concede that it would be well-deserved if these dilly-dalliers arrived on the Blessed Shores on a ship so misshapen and unlovely that the Valar themselves would be shaken out of their peaceful stupor by the incongruous cacophony of shapes and colours.

Thus, finding no rest in any other activity, Círdan set out to find the most mottled of trees for his planks.

Throughout his more than respectable lifespan, he had known many a people and had been granted the honour of becoming intimately familiar with their visions of beauty.

Ever ambitious and dutiful in his craft, Círdan consequently decided to cobble together the most despicable and appalling elements he could think of in hopes of creating a proper eyesore.

Drawing from the sheer endless inspiration of his long life, he paid homage to friends and foes by going against every rule—written and unwritten—that defined and decided loveliness.

As the sun wheeled its way across the sky through endless days of labour, he toiled relentlessly, warping the mottled, irregularly grained wood into grotesque shapes and splashing garish paints haphazardly on boldly exposed structural elements.

Often, he was found laughing raucously to himself—as unlikely as it had seemed at the outset, Círdan felt his love for his craft revived and his own soul reinvigorated by this absurd contraption that soon grew to positively obscene dimensions and made him happier than many a gorgeous vessel he had made before.

When he finally stepped back to admire his handiwork, he had to suppress a shiver of delighted distaste—truly, he thought, this ship was a testament to his skill as much as to his bravery. It was absolutely hideous.

“Unusual style,” a young apprentice declared upon glimpsing the monstrosity. He cocked his head in earnest interest and let his hand travel along the hull slowly. “It must have been so hard to get the right fit. I surmise that she can make the crossing?”

Círdan frowned in vexation. He was a shipwright, not an artist and—no matter what challenge he had taken on within his mind—he would never have created something that would not fulfil its primary function excellently.

“A true masterpiece,” the lad exclaimed and went on inspecting the vessel eagerly. In his eyes shone a fierce love for both his craft and his master, and so Círdan could hardly resent him for having completely missed the point of this enterprise.

Círdan was, naturally, sincerely taken aback by that reaction—thus far, he had been well pleased with his shockingly unpleasing work but now, he started to doubt himself. Had he lost touch with the tastes and predilections of the times so utterly that he had been indeed mistaken in his conception of ugliness?

Moreover, the group of elves arriving at the Havens to cross the ocean never to return displayed a similar level of unprejudiced awe. Dazed, Círdan felt his hand being grasped and shaken vigorously in congratulation for his daring and innovative creation.

Sitting by the ocean, his feet in the water, Círdan watched his experiment drift out onto the open sea—she moved beautifully, as expected, because every incongruent piece had been hand-fitted into a clashing kaleidoscope of ill-assorted but meticulously balanced efficiency.

Despite all his ambitions, the ship was loved by its passengers.

Closing his eyes as he leaned back against the warm sand, Círdan decided that—one way or another—he would take this as a win.

@fellowshipofthefics Here's number 4/5 for this week.

I love the server, I love the prompts, and - of course - I truly love y'all!

This is entirely dedicated to the FOTFICS server and the brilliant people in it!

Lots of love

#og post #fotfics july event #fotfics summer stories #Círdan #Week 1 #Seaside #IDNMT writes #fanfiction #writing #tolkien writing #jrrt #Fishing4stars

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holygroundgone · 1 month

Text

2ha Plushie Review and Preorder Speculation

I'll be judging all the 2ha plushies that I am aware of by several different metrics: Face, Body (referring to shape and design of nipples/symbols), Clothes, Overall Aesthetic and Availability (as of 3/10/2024) My judgements in these other than availability will of course be subjective and graded along my own tastes and preferences, listed in no particular order:

Omodoki 0.5 20CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 (body embroidery unknown) Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (Zero paws out of five)

Starting off with my white whale, my unattainable first love, beloved moonlight dazzling beauty and perfection...

Omodoki 20cm Taxian-Jun plushie in his full glory, with husky ears and his mian guan and elegant shoulder pads and most importantly (in my heart) golden haitang pin from his initial manhua design. His impetuous and insouciantly fanged childish expression is charming and precious, wielding the immense and unavoidable charisma of the emperor of the two realms, he is truly perfect in all ways.

I mean no offense to the omodoki 20cm Chu Wanning that is his counterpart, the headpiece, hair and clothes are all good, face shape is also good, but in my heart I want to see CWN with golden eyes, so my interest is diminished.

Unfortunately, demand for these is high and supply is low. I have searched many sites in states of unattractive desperation- just about every permutation of carousell, taobao, mercari (US and japan), reddit, discord servers, individually messaging danmei merch sellers..... I have suffered buying him on aliexpress only to be told that he was given a wrong address... and would be Destroyed by the post office. In a fit of rage and tears I went to the post office at my soonest possible hour only to find the seller had sent an empty slip of plastic (scam). This post is also a call for help. If you own him I will spend many dollars and also my soul to possess dear precious sweet Taxian-Jun. I will write you anything you want, draw anything you want, give up my dignity to see him in person with my own eyes 🙇

As of right now, if you want to own these plushies, give up all hope and dream for a reprint.

Omodoki Wedding 20CM

(not pictured- CWN's wedding veil)

Similar to the 0.5 dolls, the wedding dolls are similarly difficult to find in terms of availability, though I have not seen as much hunger and desire to own them from others and myself.

The clothes and headpieces are quite nice, however in my eyes the faces leave something to be desired. I'm even less invested in blue eyes Chu Wanning (though from a canonical standpoint wherein the only description I remember is black, blue as a common and iconic portrayal of white cats makes sense. However I repeat that golden eyes Chu Wanning is my favorite, mirroring Tianwen and the color of his spiritual constructs as well as being a perfect complementary color to Mo Ran's purple) and Mo Ran's eyes are also looking somewhat on the blue side as well.

These dolls lack charisma.

Face:🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 (body embroidery unknown) Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾 🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (Zero paws out of five)

Midsummer Night 20CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

I actually own these- excellent clothes, excellent clothes and accessories (if you buy both you get the collar and leash!) excellent concept... To me they are perfect. Charming expressions, charming faces, hair embroidery...

The clothes are very high quality and come with wonderful details such as Mo Ran's clothes resembling a maid uniform decked out in cute little bells that jingle- provocative and inspiring of what might cause such bells to jingle raucously. It's peak boytoy outfit hours, giving the sense that the designer was intricately fantasizing about the midsummer night's dream in question as they designed it.

The body embroidery is exquisite-

Nipples AND intricate and gorgeous flower womb tattoos? Sign me up, brother. But they also come with a secret:

Their cute little plush butts bear the pawprint of the other's color. Truly the most intimate and erotic plush dolls that have been made yet.

And the best news? They're incredibly available right now as far as I know- ebay, aliexpress, anime/danmei goods online stores. Grab them now before they're gone!!

The only reason I can imagine to not buy them is that you're not into the bdsm subby Mo Ran vibe going on here, to which I say... Buddy, whose midsummer night's dream do you think this is?

That being said, they're not necessarily representationally perfect in terms of portraying the characters in terms of wearing more modern clothes that aren't the same as outfits from the novel. Also, I think I saw something implying that they're meant to be 2.0, and if that's the case Mo Ran is just as milk pale as Chu Wanning, which is mid from that direction.

For fun, I put him in a maid dress 💖

MOFANS 20CM

Face:🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 (body embroidery unknown) Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾 Availability: 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Taking a bit of a dive... I'm not certain if these dolls are more available due to possibly still being in print (mofans seems to reprint more often/better availability than omodoki) or if they're just not particularly popular.

I'm not a fan of them myself- this type of hair in particular is incredibly unattractive to me, though someone might enjoy brushing it (?) The faces aren't horrible, though Chu Wanning's pout is a little awkward. Not particularly charismatic.

I grant extra points to the clothes for having two separate outfits available- basic brocade robes and the more done up robes in the picture, complete with cute little cat purse for Chu Wanning. However, especially in comparison to the omodoki 20cm 0.5 outfit for Mo Ran, his outfit here leaves something to be desired, especially in absence of his mian guan.

If you like them, go ahead and get them, they're available in most places, even on mercari last I checked, but personally I have no interest in adding them to my collection.

(I don't know the source) 20CM

Face:🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾 Availability: 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Similar to the last dolls, these can be found fairly easily. However... Why would you want to? Sold at roughly the same price as the above dolls, the quality is just not there. Cheap looking clothes, cheap looking but admittedly fluffy looking hair, and while Chu Wanning's face is passable Mo Ran is an uncomfortable abomination.

If there's one thing I can praise, it's that they apparently have little butt marks-

and normal heart nipples and paws on hands and feet, but it's just not nearly as endearing as the midsummer night dolls' body embroidery.

Plush Wonderland 20CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Just recently becoming available with full photo proofs, the plush wonderland dolls are ones I ordered but haven't received yet!

I'm being somewhat strict on clothes, first of all, because these are not clothes that were designed for the ranwan dolls, rather I believe they are clothes available on taobao and made by cosmile? Not fully certain, but it's clear that the effort hasn't been put in in that regard, so I'm somewhat disappointed, especially having bought the clothes before having seen them. I'll definitely be spending more money on aliexpress looking for suitable clothes for them...

Furthermore, when it comes to the body embroidery...

I'm not a fan of the weird and incongruous animal symbols. No nipples? No belly button? I feel like it'll look weird if they're in outfits that show the chest. However, the paws are good, uniformly pink.

With my criticisms aside, the other particulars of these dolls are excellent. The hair embroidery in particular is some of my favorite, especially for CWN. The faces are adorable and lovely, the little sparkles in their eyes are very precious, good charisma. Mo-Zongshi having a slightly tanner skin tone is good! And the fact that you can get all three is absolutely everything to me, unbelievably satisfying and pleasing, thank you for giving me life.

And when it comes to availability, they're available right now! In addition, I don't know how Plush Wonderland is when it comes to reprinting, but I have a feeling that these will be some of the most readily available ranwan plushies yet. And can you really beat that with the price they're at? You can even buy them with skeletons included.

(unknown) 20CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾 (projected) Body: 🐾🐾🐾 (projected) Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 (projected) Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 (projected) Availability: (preorder)

Only just recently becoming put up for preorder on taobao and aliexpress as a design without proofs, it's difficult to foresee how they'll look without said proofs. However, the design is certainly appealing! A point deducted from face for Chu Wanning's face lacking character, though the gentleness might be enjoyed by some.

Also, I prefer nipples instead of these chest symbol type designs. It remains to be seen!

Kadokawa 20CM(?)

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: (body embroidery unknown) Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (0 paws out of 5)

So unavailable I can barely even find information on them from googling, I have the luck of having bought them through japanese mercari (they're still in a warehouse waiting to come home🥹)

They gain an extra point in clothes despite the basic outfits looking just a little cheap because these dolls also had available fluffy kitty and husky outfits with little purses!!! come on!!!

I'm ambivalent towards CWN's black eyes here, however his expression and everything going on with Mo Ran's face are so adorable with their little eyelashes that it doesn't even matter.

Despite being listed as 20cm, they look smaller than the 20cms I've seen in person, which is not a problem for me but should be noted regardless

Omodoki 13CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: (body embroidery unknown) Clothes:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (0 paws out of 5)

Another omodoki plushie that cannot be found outside of split second secondhand purchases... 🥹

10cm (and adjacent sizes) hold a special place in my heart for their extra cuteness due to being smaller than the 20cms. These in particular have very cute faces, though the blue eyes Wanning is certainly a drawback for me.

MOFANS 10CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: 🐾🐾🐾🐾

Recently reprinted and available once again, these precious little babies can be yours! I recently bought my own and am planning to get them tiny little maid uniforms, as well as another little Mo Ran for non-display cuddling.

There are small details here and there that prevent them from being perfect in my mind- no paws on the feet, Wanning's hair making him look particularly unwanninglike, their silly little dudous (?) looking somewhat like diapers (offset by their adorable little cat and husky bibs) and now that I'm thinking about it mofans seems to portray cwn with a non haitang peonylike flower which is disharmonious... However, they're so cute that I can't hold it against them, the faces are particularly adorable.

They're soft, they're fluffy, they're sweet little babies.

Omodoki 10CM

Face:🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾 Availability: 🐾🐾🐾

With somewhat sporadic availability (though they seem to have restocked on Plush Wonderland), these tiny squishy little things had a glow up for me when I realized they didn't just have grey little bodies- those are dudous.

Rest assured- they have cute little plush butts. (photo from my boy waiting in the warehouse for his daddy to pay child support (shipping costs))

They're very simple in terms of face and body, which I wouldn't consider much of a plus or a minus however compared to other entries on here it feels somewhat lacking. In addition, it's blue eyes CWN, so personal deduction from me.

(unknown) 10CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (preorder)

A preorder available on aliexpress and taobao that just recently got a proof photo, these sweet little boys are adorable. The clothes are just little bibs, so there's not much to say there, and it's surprising to see a Mo Ran with a middling eye color compared to his Wanning counterpart- they look somewhat on the blue side, but I know I'll be preordering these when I have the money.

(unknown) 12CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (preorder)

Another taobao/aliexpress preorder, this time without proofs, I'm not the biggest fan of the (presumably) printed on little caped dumpling body type plushies as opposed to full bodied nude with clothes plushies, but the designs for these are cute enough for me to want to preorder.

@half_som 10CM

Face:🐾🐾🐾 Body: 🐾🐾🐾 Clothes:🐾🐾🐾 Overall Aesthetic:🐾🐾🐾🐾 Availability: (korean interest check)

Recently posted here for an interest check (the demand survey specifies that it's for domestic korean purposes and that there will be a US GO demand survey, however as far as I know there is no GO as of right now and so I'm planning on buying with a proxy service for now)

With very simple cute design, I'm the most excited and interested in getting all three CWN TXJ MZS together, especially pleased with MZS's tan skin.

#2ha #truescholar.txt #i was originally planning on including manjuus and the little kadokawa tsums however I ran out of images at just the right time #also i'm tired having written all this up #i may add the extra little plush-like non dolls later

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sho-minamimoto · 5 months

Note

6 20 23 Sho

1 7 8 23 Shiba!

Sho

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Hmm.... hard to say since Sho is just. completely batshit. I guess the easiest and most obvious answer would be that we're both artists and like to find beauty in aesthetically strange things. But I dont think i have a single thing in common with him personality wise LOL

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

I think susukichi and sho have extremely similar temperaments + quirks and if they weren't on opposite sides of The Conflict they'd get along great. I said once before that Susukichi would be the Sho Minamimoto of NEO if sho literally wasn't also already in the game. Their vibes are super similar and they both want to have a fun time.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

This one marketing image from when the anime was airing is the funniest thing in the world to me. like. why the fuck is sho even here. he is in no way buddies with anyone in the hachiko gang (during this specific timeframe anyways) there is literally NO logical reason for him to be posed alongside this specific group of characters here. This image from sho's pov is just him + guy hes actively trying to kill + guy he's stalking only bc he's joined at the hip with the guy he's trying to kill + guy he met twice and beat the shit out of one of those times + 2 people he's never met or interacted with before ever. On a marketing level its clear they just wanted to include him with the main characters simply bc hes a super popular character among fans but it's makes for the most unintentionally hilarious image ever.

Shiba

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

First. he's extremely funny and dresses like a harlot. Second THE LAYERSSSS Shiba's primary motivation is like a puzzle that the narrative gives you all the pieces to and then invites you to solve. Not in that the game doesn't tell you what it is At All, it says as much that he's on a powertrip towards ascension, but it's difficult to wrap your head around Why until you deliberately examine and unravel each of his relationships with the other shinjuku reapers: how they affected him, what their side of the story is, why they're emotionally estranged but still sticking together, etc. I enjoy that you have to take the time to put it together yourself, but also the full picture you get once that puzzle is complete is one that i enjoy immensely. The fact that the core of shiba's plight is rooted in his relationships (or lack thereof) is very true to the spirit of twewy and I greatly appreciate that they applied all this to the game's main villain AND gave him a chance for redemption on top of it. His final scene is one of my favourites in the game and really sticks with me.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

The memes. Shiba's so easy to meme on its great. I have a folder of shiba memes on my desktop whenever i see a new shitpost or edit i Have to save it. im glad he gets clowned on so hard. Shi Basuks Cok lives in my head rent free. I wish shiba's va did small comms like I've seen other voice actors do sometimes bc i would pay him money to hear him voice act that post as Shiba for real. But i can dream

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I know i like Just finished talking abt how much i love the shiba memes but i also dislike how Majority of what i see of shiba is Just the memes and jokes. I wouldn't go as far as say i despise them at all (or i wouldn't have a folder of shiba memes) but I think its disappointing that i hardly see anyone actually take him seriously as a character or give him any consideration for analysis. Or not as much as I'd like to see, anyways (when i do see it it fucks hard though.) I also get the impression sometimes that some people take delight in the memes + clowning on shiba specifically bc they think he's just Not well written or interesting which bums me out a little.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

this clown shiba edit i made a yearish ago. i hold it close to my heart.

#initially for number 20 i was going to answer sho/coco bc i think their canon dynamic is hilarious #but its hardly the ideal friendship for him. its the ideal friendship for ME as a spectator.#i think if sho was open to relationships w other ppl the main thing he'd want out of them #is just someone to bounce off or entertain his wacky thoughts and ideas with. of which i see susukichi being more receptive to than coco #any other character would either be confused or terrified or just be like ''yeah ok sure whatever dude''#ask #twewy #neo twewy

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docolives · 1 year

Text

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND… OLIVIA ANN HARTMAN

we used to laugh / flora cash 🎧

blood & muscle / lissie 🎧

keep climbing / delta goodrem 🎧

livvy is … the quintessential horse girl, red-bottomed shoes, crisp white linens on body and beds, family dinners, a soft heart, a determination to move mountains, a glass of wine in a manicured hand, that single tear in the corner of a blue eye, ocean sunrises, a best friend and sister all in one.

There's something to be said about the siren call of horses. Of all of the things that Livvy and I might have in common, our love of those is the biggest, most tying thing. A lot of people who know me online probably don't know that I was the owner of a (retired) thoroughbred racehorse, which was a literal dream come true of mine. I grew up like a lot of kids, fantasizing about having my own horse. I read the Thoroughbred series religiously, wishing that I could be Ashleigh Griffen, I knew movies like Black Beauty and The Last Unicorn by heart, watched Spirit over and over again... and that's the biggest thing that Livvy has taken from me. My horse girl days heavily inspired Livvy and her personality. We also share a love of soft pinks and the sounds of the ocean. It's just that it's our love of horses that fuels is: me to play Livvy, and Livvy to make them her life.

In relation to my other characters, I would say that Livvy is my princess. She grew up in an old money type family that has been in Merrock for years and years. I took a lot of inspiration from that sort of aesthetic: a character who wears high end fashion with Louboutin heels, never goes out without diamonds in her ears, paints her nails, has a lip gloss in every nook or cranny she can find... but has that quiet intensity to her that can burn if you get a little too close. Where Nari is a woman who is loud and outspoken and laughs at everything she sees and radiates sunshine and rainbows, Livvy is the kind of woman who is one step ahead of you mentally and has already figured out the question before it's been asked... but with a smile on her face and a polite word for everyone she comes up against.

My friends also inspired Livvy! I so badly wanted to play a character that would have strong connections to my friends, since she was coming in later down the line -- she was the wife of a dear friend's character, and the sister of Erin's Mandy; because Emily and Claire were born to play siblings! Because of Livvy's connection with Mandy, family became a strong, grounding point of who Livvy was, because of her connection with Nathan, love became something she desperately sough out, but always seemed to be struggling to find. The face claim of Claire Holt did inspire some things in Livvy, too -- her sense of wit and humor, her love of fashion (Livvy very secretly did modeling gigs years ago as a gentle nod to Claire always joking about being a model).

Career-wife, I was torn between a pediatrician and a physical therapist or a veterinarian when creating Livvy; I knew that I wanted her to be someone who helped and healed others, and had original settled on pediatrician when I realized it would be easier to build connections with others in the same field... but instead wrote it into her (somewhat tragic) backstory of having a lover who lost a child when she was still a very young woman, herself. Ironically, I had chosen physical therapist around the time that I broke my foot and uh, had to consider doing that. It felt right! I actually don't like anything medical-related, which is why I'm slowly transitioning her away from working in offices, to working with horses. My desire to play a healer who makes lives good again is so much more achievable around the smell of leather and hay.

There was a sort of 'second round of inspiration' for Livvy that kicked in once she was once again a single woman figuring life out, which is when Livvy 2.0 was born. Girl boss Livvy. High standards Livvy. Love yourself Livvy. Her personality did change a little bit, in which she was no longer afraid to go after what she wanted and be who she wanted to be, instead of the princessy girl most people were intimidated to get to know and talk to. That inspiration, I took from who we all wish that we could be. Strong, independent women as beautiful inside as they are outside.

Livvy's personal life is, mostly, personal. Originally, she was supposed to fix her marriage and go on to have babies and live a happy life -- things don't always work out, and instead, she ended up filing for divorce. But the original inspiration was two people who had broken in every conceivable way, but were mending and fixing things day by day. These days, my inspiration for her love life is a girl who thinks she just wants to have fun and not care about relationships or connections, but deep down, is lonely at night. Not me, necessarily, but people of that age bracket who tell themselves they're fine, when really, they want more out of their lives. Friendship-wise, Livvy was inspired by those girls in high school who were popular with everyone: the cheerleaders, the math nerds, the choir girls, the witchy types... simply because she was kind to them, maybe a little quiet. That translated well into adulthood. And, of course, she's a cat person. I'm a cat person. If you guys haven't figured this out yet, you pretty much will in time.

Oh, and listening to a lot of music by women -- Livvy's playlist is one of those playlists that's like, 90% songs by women. It's hard not to be inspired by songs by women about heart break or standing tall, or figuring things out as they go.

#merrocktask #all about livvy

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laracastrowrites · 2 years

Text

Inspiration: "The Sandman"

It feels good to find a new piece of art that can inspire us.

That is what I found in The Sandman, a story about stories that tells us about the human experience through the lens of anthropomorphic personifications of challenging or abstract concepts that we, as humans, have to deal with throughout our lives (or deaths). It is a classic, outstanding comic book series written by Neil Gaiman, and now, it's also a TV series by Netflix; and after falling in love with the show, I had to start read the comics, of course.

As a writer, the thing that gets me the most about very well done meta stories like The Sandman is being able to feel the passion the author has for storytelling, which is something we both definitely share.

With that in mind, one of the aspects I find the most interesting in Sandman is that Morpheus is rarely the protagonist of the stories depicted in the comics; he is the common thread that connects them all, but he's rarely their main star. As a whole, we could surely state that storytelling is the main character of The Sandman, with its rotation of protagonists and metanarrative text.

Other aspect that I'm a big fan of is the family drama. The Endless form this big family of seven siblings that just cannot get along very well when they're all together (let's just say that the family gatherings are not events they're looking forward to). Some people would call it a "dysfunctional family", or, as Neil Gaiman himself would put it: it's called a "family". This particular aspect also serves to bring more humanity and relatability to these powerful, inhuman beings, therefore we don't feel too detached from them. But also, it's always fun to see the different dynamics between these characters when all of them are together.

And the aesthetic? It speaks to my soul! The goth influence on the design of the characters, the bizarreness, grotesque, blood and gore, but also the beauty and elegance of the art is mesmerizing, attention grabbing. And on that note, we should give props to all the artists that worked on the comics, such as Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jim Thompson, Shawn McManus, Dave McKean and many others. And as far as the show goes, I loved its visuals, with the majority of them being amazingly executed (and the casting was incredible, by the way! Side note: I just can't get over Dream's voice!)

But moreover, the big concepts that this story develops such as: Dream and Death being close, Desire and Despair being twins, Desire and Dream being foes, and the influence of dreams in our lives, are great, deep ideas to debate over and think about, with tons of space to wonder.

So wonder I did, and now I'm writing new stories that, hopefully, one day, can be as inspiring for other people as Sandman is for me.

P.S.: After I understood the context of the image above, I've never been the same again. A Game of You is a masterpiece!

#the sandman #sandman #the sandman netflix #neil gaiman #mr sandman #netflix sandman #laracastrowrites

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roses-and-lightnings · 1 year

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5 Things You Never Get Tired of Writing

@lizzy0305 tagged me??? I’m IN TEARS! 😭😭

rules: list five things you never get tired of writing. it can be tropes, themes, characters, phrases, whatever brings you joy. then tag five people!

1) Self indulgence

I write a lot about myself and my own feelings, but aside from that, every single thing I write has to have a dash of me in it, otherwise it doesn’t work. I write based on my own features, my own personal experiences and tastes, my feelings and morals and vision and craziest dreams. I am guided by them. Anything else feels extremely outworldly.

In fanfic I’m a specialist in trying putting myself in someone else’s shoes, so my writing of a character that’s not mine will mostly be built on empathy and sympathy and common/canon knowledge about the character and their universe.

2) Details

Adding details is my way of telling how passionate I am about my writing. I like writing about scenarios, sounds and appearences. It’s important to me what’s my character sees, listen, touches, smells and tastes, how they move on the scenario that moves with them, what they know and learn about the world they live in, but mostly, I spend entire paragraphs nonstop writing about what’s in a character’s heart. How they feel, what they feel, their thoughts, how and why they act like they do, how their bodies react, their intentions, everything.

3) World building

It’s too fun to research and make the rules, or find something in canon that matches perfectly with how you intended to do your fiction (or change it entirely because of one misplaced thingy that feels odd). Things like “soul science” were invented, and a spell called Vitae Florere that literally blossoms life on those who are nearing death’s door.

4) Character lore

I may or may not have written the story, but man do I have a paper for each of my 87 original characters, listing their backstory, physical appearence, character development, personality, personal flaws, talents and hobbies, their sexual orientation, birthday, zodiac sign and astrology chart, their aesthetics, which season of the year they like most, which color and element I associate with them, their deepest, darkest secrets... it doesn’t matter if they only have a single sentence worth of screen time!!!

5) Dialogue

If I can’t make it writing the whole paragraph, or the rest of the story, I absolutely love the talking my characters do, just their lines and their speeches (man I love writing accents and archaism in speech), without a proper context. It can end on something deep, beautiful that holds a lot of meaning for the eventual context I am definetly GOING TO write haha

Or it can be something like:

(My character and her relatives walk into a bar)

“What would you like to eat?”

”Your mom.”

- Taken of an actual draft

I’m tagging @brightredsunset800, @icarus-aetius @luendland @danpuff-ao3 and @mrviran

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mayermayer65 · 2 years

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singleroot0 · 2 years

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The Smart Way To Remodel Your Kitchen

Content

Lighting

Kitchen Cabinet Door Ideas

Can I Use Latex Paint On Metal?

Gorgeous Kitchen Remodel Ideas

Add A Touch Of Metallic Hardware

Solid hardwood is milled from a single piece of wood and hence a completely natural material. It is more adept at handling temperature and humidity changes. Relaying the kitchen floor is both a time- and money-consuming process but few things give a new life to kitchen renovation like a new floor. Don’t make the mistake of swapping out high-quality wood windows for cheap vinyl replacements, however, especially in a majestic building with lots of old-house character.

Tips for Remodeling a Modern Kitchen "/> Not only have the new-age appliances changed in how they can be used, but they have also changed in the way they look too. In order to thoroughly enjoy your finished kitchen remodeling, ditch that 25-year-old refrigerator and opt for a stylish sleek one that matches the decor and theme of your kitchen. Over time, kitchen interiors may start seeming a bit dull and the overall appeal might just be lost. This is why you must indulge yourself in new luxe appliances for not just the novelty in aesthetics but also the general utility of the space. In general, remember the latest appliances are not only more efficient, but they are also more ‘beautiful’ to look at. If you are planning to sell the property, check with local property agents to confirm whether investing in new appliances will fetch you a higher price for the property. This is a great design element to incorporate when designing a kitchen because it works with different décor styles and finishes. Wood countertops make a lovely and practical addition to any kitchen. Butcher block counters help warm up an all-white kitchen, and they can add a sense of hominess and coziness as they age because they get nicked and scratched beautifully. An island where the countertop spills down the sides, or a waterfall island, is a great way to add a sense of sophistication to your kitchen. A waterfallkitchen island is a beautiful addition to any kitchen.

Lighting

We suggest you get a professional inspection or at least put a bumper amount on your budget for the unexpected. A new cooktop, range, and refrigerator will make a kitchen feel new at a relatively low price point. New appliances are low risk updates that always deliver, especially if they match and are stainless steel.

Adding storage space is a common add-on to bathroom remodels, whether you have a sprawling master bathroom or are looking to find new shelves in a tiny bathroom. Over-the-toilet shelving, a storage closet or hanging cabinets are all common installations to add storage capacity in a bathroom. As with any home improvement project, kitchen remodeling is an exciting project that many homeowners end up overspending on. If you want to get the most value out of your investment, learn the current market trends to determine whether a high-end, mid-range, or low-scale remodel makes the most sense. If your goals can be met by a mid-range remodel, there’s really no need for you to spend more for a high-end project.

Kitchen Cabinet Door Ideas

Or maybe you’re looking to open up your kitchen to the rest of the house for an open floor plan. Whatever the case, we suggest turning to a professional kitchen designer to help you create a way to get everything you want in your dream kitchen. You may also these modern kitchens are just the sanity find our Beginners Guide to Remodeling a Kitchen to be a helpful resource. There’s a professional out there for just about every facet of a major kitchen remodel, from granite countertops to custom kitchen cabinetry to managing the entire project itself.

The size and the nature of the kitchen island are often dictated by what purpose it will serve.

This light fixture adds a whimsical element to the otherwise modern kitchen design.

The cost of a luxury kitchen remodel varies quite a bit depending on your location, the materials and appliances you choose, the size of your space, and other factors.

Counters offer a great opportunity to create a fashion statement, and the price ranges are as varied as the styles.

She incorporated antiques, Venetian plaster walls, hand-fitted herringbone floors, and new wood ceiling beams finished to look as though they'd been there for generations.

For avid cooks, seasoned hosts, and busy families, your kitchen is probably the center of your daily life—and a place where both form and function are of the utmost importance.

Be sure to give ample time to plan for the project and incorporate marketable features like light countertops and cabinetry, plenty of storage, and a kitchen island. That way, you’ll end up with a kitchen remodel worthy of your home’s most sought-after space. From cabinet hardware to wall art, kitchen towels, and soap dispensers, every little design feature in your luxury kitchen should be carefully chosen. If your kitchen is big enough, consider adding a second island to your renovation.

Can I Use Latex Paint On Metal?

The design above uses its kitchen sink as its central focal point from which everything else works around. When remodeling your kitchen, it's always a good idea to invest in new appliances. 'Reduce the amount of energy you consume in the kitchen by upgrading your older appliances to more energy-efficient versions. Give yourself time to feel comfortable with your decisions and to make decisions that are easy to build on. Both Habitat for Humanity and Starlight are companies that will come and take cabinets free of charge, if you donate them. They’ll then use these cabinets in lower-income homes and projects.

The NKBA expects voice- and app-controlled lighting to become commonplace in the kitchen, in addition to dimmers and motion-activated lights. If your kitchen is dark and dreary, consider adding skylights or floor-to-ceiling windows to brighten the space naturally. For a romantic traditional look, French doors are the style of choice. These hinged, swinging doors traditionally are used in pairs and open from the center. If possible, they should open to the inside, although this does require allotting door-swing space. They are pretty much subdued so they don’t get in the way while you move around your kitchen in a hurry. But they do add an aesthetic appeal so your kitchen looks beautiful and keeps on par with the rest of your home décor. You can also use pendant lights for mood lighting for date night or some neon lights for party-time. Quartz countertops are a much better solution for your needs.

We’ve rounded up the tried-and-true ideas, and sorted them by room. Our design team is ready to listen to your goals and start a conversation about your renovation needs. Moving water and gas lines is a lot of work, not to mention expensive. If possible, keep pipe-connected appliances and fixtures where they are even if you replace them with new ones. However, your contractor should still check the pipe and plumbing work to ensure that they are in good condition. L shaped layouts are kitchens with two walls perpendicular to each other. Do you want to warm up your kitchen space but don't want to paint cabinets or buy new countertops? An easy way to create a warmer feeling in your kitchen is to replace your current hardware with gold hardware. Gold cabinet pulls and handles can drastically change the feel of your kitchen. A black backsplash is a unique design element that can create a more moody and sophisticated feel in your kitchen. Using a black backsplash in your kitchen can also add contrast to white cabinets and countertops.

#Modern Kitchen Remodel Ideas #How to Remodel a Modern Kitchen #Tips for Remodeling a Modern Kitchen #Advantages of Remodeling a Modern Kitchen #Modern Kitchen Remodeling Tricks

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klarsynt-arc · 3 years

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emil edits / mutuals may reblog

“ my first vision was a storm. i was twelve. i saw my mom die. i remember everyone always talking when they thought i couldn’t hear— you know how adults treat kids like for some reason what they say around them doesn’t matter. they’d say i was lucky cause at least i wasn’t there. but i was. i’m always there. ”

#〖 FILE: EMIL KINDELL 〗#〖 AESTHETIC: I FIND BEAUTY IN THE MOST COMMON DREAMS 〗#anyway #〖 FILE: ALICE KINDELL 〗#parent death tw #car accident tw

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akyivanov · 2 years

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𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 | 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑𝟖

Tɑkɑshi Mitsuyɑ & Drɑken friendship

- my analysis -

This chapter destroyed me, on the one hand I'm happy because Wakui put everything I wanted, but on the other hand I suffer along with Mitsuya. Takashi was characterised very well and his friendship with Draken is one of the most beautiful in the whole manga.

From start to finish.

I don't know whether to thank Wakui for making me suffer so much to read and find all the details listed here and reflect on the friendship between the two of them. Have you ever noticed how much they have in common?

Not just the tattoo, for example even a single earring on their left ear.

Earring that Mitsuya has now removed.

Or, the same style in what they were wearing.

Apart from these aesthetic details, the friendship between Draken and Mitsuya is very deep. They respect each other, they love each other. Mitsuya has always seen him as an important person ever since she met him. He said it himself, from that meeting as children he started to follow Draken's footsteps everywhere.

And Draken knew it, knew Takashi's esteem for him well. Takashi would have followed him, would have offered his help at the idea of him being in a new gang, would have given him his support at every opportunity.

Draken knew this so well that he prevented it in advance.

I think the dialogue under the snow is one of the best they had between them, it comes to light how much Draken loved Mitsuya. He told him he wanted to join a gang because he trusted him completely, but he also told him not to follow him, to fulfil his dream. Draken has told him in the past "You are a good person, being a delinquent is not for you", he would rather see his friend realise his dreams than throw them away.

After all, Draken knows Mitsuya's skill very well, he was the first to appreciate it by getting a tattoo with his design.

Just seeing Luna worried and Mana scared says a lot about how much he is suffering. He has always put them first, before his own needs while he now ignores them. Before this chapter we've never seen Takashi so cold about them, so unreasonable and twitchy.

Mitsuya has always been an emotionally strong person. Always with a smile in the face of life's difficulties, always ready to help others. Now, Takashi is broken inside but he doesn't break down. He goes ahead to realize Draken's last request as soon as possible without thinking about himself. Now, his smile has faded away. Twin dragons forever with one half because the other can no longer be followed. Chapter 238 hurts so much, but it's the perfect chapter to express how much Takashi loved Draken as a friend.

Tɑkɑshi Mitsuyɑ & Drɑken friendship (pt.2)

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers manga #tokyo revengers 238 #chapter 238 #mitsuya takashi #takashi mitsuya #ken ryuguji #draken #takashi and draken friendship #takashi needs a hug #goodbye takashi smile #draken we all miss you #tears tears tears #I don't know if I can handle another chapter like that #Takashi came back sadder than ever #twin dragons #forever

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