#made this black and white because my god the lighting in that last scene is awful

[inconveniently-discorporated]

Today it's time for me to be heartbroken about Crowley and HIS version of events, because of course HIS version makes sense to him too.

The thing about Crowley is, he acts so nonchalant about everything.

Like, at first, he's simply just a demon. Sauntered vaguely downward and such, it's barely even really a thing, honestly -- it's just sort of his job title, y'know? Aziraphale's in one department, he's in another, that's just how it is. Like satanists, right?

But then the more the story progresses, the more we get the sense that there's something deeper than that. It becomes especially apparent with his plants, and how he puts the fear of God (then corrected by the narrator: the fear of Crowley) in them.

And these scenes, as many of you well know, have been theorized to be Crowley working through the circumstances of his fall. Projecting his emotions onto the plants, inflicting on them what was done to him. Processing what it was like to be on the other side of the curtain, maybe -- possibly try to figure out what could drive a creator to harm their own creations.

The details of the fall and what Crowley did, exactly, are unclear. The details of what Crowley knows about his own fall are unclear, because evidence could suggest that maybe he doesn't remember. But his perception seems to be that it didn't take much to be a demon.

What he does know, is that nothing lasts forever -- not even the grace of God.

But Aziraphale is different.

Aziraphale is an angel with very black-and-white ideas of what it means to be an angel, and what it means to be a demon.

But Crowley sees through it. From giving away the sword alone, he sees the cracks in Aziraphale's rigid thinking that allows the light to shine through. And he chips and he chips at that thinking -- he asks the kind of questions that probably made him fall in the first place -- until finally we get here.

God saw Crowley at his most innocent. God saw Crowley at his most joyful state of being. God saw him at his holiest.

God heard his questions, likely knowing that Crowley was expressing love in the way that he would want to receive it. Crowley says, "Well, if I was the one running it all, I would like it if someone asked questions. Fresh point of view."

God knew all of this, and then cast him out anyway. Unforgivable, that's what he is. Not to be forgiven, ever. Not to be loved -- not by God.

Then here comes along this angel (who he may or may not remember). This angel knows he's a demon, and talks to him anyway. This angel knows he's a demon, and listens to what he has to say. This angel knows he's a demon, and still looks him in the eye, sees the good in him, and forcefully tells him that HE still sees the good in him, even when God refuses to.

Aziraphale sees everything in Crowley that God could not, and that is something Crowley thought was lost forever.

So it only makes sense that when Aziraphale first burst in with his words all aflutter at the idea that they were going to go back to Heaven and change everything, Crowley felt this was something they couldn't do. Because he understands better than anyone, Heaven has the power to change the angel, the angel does not have the power to change Heaven.

It makes sense that Crowley gave him a chance. Crowley didn't exactly erupt with rage at Aziraphale. Yes, he was loudly against the idea and very disappointed, but then he goes, "Oh. Oh God. Right. Okay. I didn't get a chance to say what I was going to say, I better say it now."

He still thinks there's a chance. He's still giving Aziraphale a chance to back out.

He gives Aziraphale multiple chances. And every time Aziraphale will not back down. Every time, he thinks he hears the same message. The one he's always heard, the one he should know by now but somehow still hopes it isn't true.

Nothing lasts forever.

Not the universal star machine.

Not the grace of God.

Not the bookshop.

Not my acceptance of who you are.

Not us.

He doesn't hear the way Aziraphale remembers his joy and wants him to be happy. He doesn't hear how Aziraphale wants him and needs him and begs for him to be on his side. He doesn't hear the hope and the desire to be safe and together and in control -- forever.

He doesn't hear the way Aziraphale is lying to himself because we all know damn well he would live in a state of comfortable happiness if he could.

Instead, he hears this.

He hears that he is in need of forgiveness. He hears that he has done something to warrant it.

Only, he is unforgivable. Nothing lasts forever, but maybe that part does. Out of everything that never lasted, the one that did is that he is unforgivable the way that he is.

"Don't bother," he says.

Don't bother, because he doesn't hear Aziraphale, he hears God.

Don't bother, because maybe God was right.

#good omens #gos2spoilers #good omens meta #Crowley #the DEPTH of this scene #two characters speaking in entirely different planes of existence #two entirely different messages from opposite sides

[merymoonbeam]

Truth

just a compilation of quotes and some information. (Hofas spoilers but I cant add read more so just ignore the post if you want idk)

Mor quote from Acomaf:

She lifted the orb from its velvet nest. It was no larger than a ripe apple, and fit within her cupped palms as if her entire body, her entire being, had been molded for it. “Truth is deadly. Truth is freedom. Truth can break and mend and bind. The Veritas holds in it the truth of the world. I am the Morrigan,” she said, her eyes not wholly of this earth. The hair on my arms rose. “You know I speak truth.”

Acomaf Book Of Breathings

Unmade and Made; Made and Unmade—that is the cycle. Like calls to like.

Acomaf Book Of Breathings Prophecy

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me.

Acowar Elriel TT scene:

Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her.Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.(acowar)

Crescent City2 TT and Gwydion:

The male drew it, and Bryce flinched. Flinched, but—“What the fuck?” The knife could have been the twin of the Starsword: black hilted and bladed. It was its twin. The Starsword began to hum within its sheath, glittering white light leaking from where leather met the dark hilt. The dagger—.The male dropped the dagger to the plush carpet. All of them retreated as it flared with dark light, as if in answer. Alpha and Omega. “Gwydion,” the dark-haired female whispered, indicating the Starsword.(hosab)

Alpha and Omega meaning:

Alpha (Α) and omega (Ω) are the first and last letters, respectively, of the classical (Ionic) Greek alphabet. Thus, the phrase “I am the alpha and the omega” is further clarified with the additional phrase, “the beginning and the end” in Revelation 21:6, 22:13. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet were used because the book of Revelation is in the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek.This phrase is interpreted by many Christians to mean that Jesus has existed for all eternity or that God is eternal. 

In Hebrew, the word emet (אמת, meaning “truth”), is referred to as the “Seal of God.”[8][9][10] [Cf. Isaiah 44:6[11]] The word is composed of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The midrash explains that emet is made up of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, mem, and tav: אמת). Sheqer (שקר, falsehood), on the other hand, is made up of the 19th, 20th, and 21st (and penultimate) letters. Thus, truth is all-encompassing, while falsehood is narrow and deceiving.

Hofas Gwydion and Truth-Teller information

“The Starsword is Made, as you called it.” He waved an idle hand, sparks at his fingertips. “The knife can Unmake things. Made and Unmade. Matter and antimatter. With the right influx of power—a command from the one destined to wield them—they can be merged. And they can create a place where no life, no light exists. A place that is nothing. Nowhere.”

Hofas Gwydion and TT singing

Because the sword and dagger weren’t merely tugging now. They were singing, and all she had to do was reach out for them—

#elriel #hofas spoilers #cc3 spoilers #truth #I love canon you know? its just the best

[madisonfilmss]

If In 10 Years Time - austin x reader

Your previous relationship was one you thought would last forever. You had the picture perfect relationship. That was until he left to pursue acting. He said it was better for him to be alone until he figured out if the acting scene was for him. 

Apparently the Hollywood scene was just made for him because it had been a decade since you last saw him. 

Austin Butler was now one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood, booking roles left and right after his Oscar-worthy performance in Elvis and rightfully so. 

You had been keeping tabs on your first love for many years, seeing him in every role he ever had and admiring him from a distance.  You would always be proud of him, no matter what. 

A Few Days Later 

Today was your day off. Thank God. You had decided that you were gonna watch movies all day and stay in your pajamas. 

It was a few hours later and you were watching The Polar Express. It was November. It was Christmas as far as you were concerned. You decided to light up your fireplace and were drifting in and out of consciousness when your phone started ringing. You thought that the Caller ID read your ex-boyfriends name. That couldn’t be right. It had been a decade.  “Hello?” you ask cautiously. 

“Hi, Y/N. It’s been a while.” 

This can’t be right. 

“Austin?” 

“It’s me.” he responds 

“May I ask why you’re calling? It has been 10 years.” 

“Well, funny you should ask Y/N. I’m actually in town shooting and that got me thinking about you. Would you want to grab dinner with me while I’m here, if you’re free of course!” 

“Is that really the best thing to do Austin?” 

“What’s the harm, Y/N?” 

You pause, taking in his words “What’s the harm?” 

“Do you still live in that little house you were looking at when we were together?” he asks you. 

“How do you know that?” you ask, your eyes widen as if you forgot you were on the phone. 

“I always keep tabs on my girl, Y/N. Whether we’re together or not. Pick you up at 7?”

You hang up the phone, in disbelief that he still knows how to make your heart beat as if you're a teenager again. 

Nothing was going to happen. You couldn’t allow it. You knew the truth. If you let your guard down, even just a little bit, he would be in your heart and that couldn’t happen. You couldn’t take the pain of him leaving you again like he was bound to do. 

As you got ready for your night with Austin, a million thoughts went through your mind. 

Does he look the same? Does he still enjoy acting like he did when you were together? Is he still your home? Does he still love you as much as you love him, even after all this time? 

Those were questions for later on in the night. First, you had to pick out an outfit. 

A Few Hours Later 

You had settled on an outfit but the butterflies hadn’t settled in your stomach. The doorbell rings and you go into auto-pilot as you head toward the door. 

Austin POV

Y/N opens the door and she looks as beautiful as she did all those years ago, even better if that were possible. All I know is that I could see this view a thousand more times if I was allowed. She was everything I would ever need. My heart will forever belong to her.

Your POV 

I open the door to see Austin on the other side. I swear I could see him looking me up and down and he wasn’t afraid to show it. “You look beautiful.” 

He was dressed in just a white t-shirt and black jeans with his golden curls all messily atop his head. God, he’s so pretty. How could I have let him go? That’s gonna change tonight. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” you say as a smile creeps on your face. 

“You ready to go?” he asks 

“Of course I am." you reply 

As you lock up your apartment, you feel Austin’s hand take a hold of yours. 

“You were shaking. It’s okay. You know I’ll always be there for you, no matter what capacity.” 

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. With just the touch of his hand, he was able to quiet my unspoken fears. 

Once out on the road, it was like going back in time, singing to the words of the song playing on the radio. You and Austin had gone back in time, back to the loving teenagers you once were. 

At the diner you were excited to be able to really talk to Austin, seeing where life had taken him and hopefully seeing where you would fit into his life now after all this time. 

You sat there for a minute waiting for your food to be done but unable to look him in the eyes. What if I’ve changed too much? He won’t love me anymore.  

“Y/N.”  You look at him with wide eyes. “I know something’s wrong? What is it? You can tell me anything.” 

Why did I look down? He can still read me like his favorite book. 

“You want the truth?” 

“Always and forever.” he replies, looking at you like there is no one else in the room. That has never changed. 

“‘I’m just wondering why you randomly decided to call me? We didn’t end on the best terms.” 

He looks at you apologetically. “That was my fault. Leaving you was, no it is, the greatest regret of my life, Y/N. These past 10 years have been a whirlwind but whenever I get a chance to breathe, the only thing that comes to mind is you. You are my constant. The one thing that keeps me going.” he stops to take your hands in his. 

“You haven’t had relationships? What about Vanessa? Kaia? I keep tabs on you, believe it or not.” 

You see a hint of a smile creep on his lips. “They were there as a distraction. They kept my mind busy. I didn’t love them, Y/N. No matter what job I take, what new city I’m in, who I’m hanging out with, I’m wishing I had you there next to me.” 

You officially start to cry. 

“Hey, hey hey. I didn’t mean to make you cry, love.” 

“I promise they are happy tears.” 

You wanted to go back to your place and figure out what was gonna happen next. Austin being the gentleman he is, opened your door for you and drove you home. Getting into that car with him, it was like nothing had changed. Both of you fell harder for each other than you did the last time you were together, unknowingly to the other person. 

“Do you want ice cream? I know that you always had to keep a pint in the freezer for your after dinner cravings.” 

“You remember that?” 

“I remember everything, love.” 

“I have a pint of chocolate on the top shelf. I’ll share with you.” 

“Wow, you never shared your ice cream when we were together.” 

“There are some things that you don’t know about me, Butler.” 

A blush rises to his cheeks at the nickname. 

“Go sit down. I got this. 

You go and sit on the couch, turning on The Polar Express. 

While waiting for him to join you on the sofa, your overthinking creeps in. 

Is he gonna leave me again? Maybe this shouldn’t happen. I shouldn’t have said yes. He’s gonna hurt me again. 

He sits next to you and you give him a small smile but he can tell when your overthinking hits you. 

“Hey, hey hey. What’s going on?” He sets the ice cream on the coffee table to give you his full, undivided attention. 

“Nothing.” you say shaking your head, trying to change the subject.

“I know you better than anyone. I know when you get in your head. Talk to me.” 

“I’m scared Austin. I should actually say terrified. I don’t want to start this up again just for you to leave me again. I can’t go through that again. I won’t let myself go through it again.” 

“Do you know how much I missed you? Really? I laid awake every night for the better part of a decade because I couldn’t believe that I let my girl get away. I let you leave and I didn’t even try to stop you. That kills me. I understand that it’s gonna take some time for you to trust me again and I’m willing to do anything I need to do but I know for certain that I will do everything I can to prove to you that this is the right thing to do. Just tell me that you’re still mine.” 

You take a moment to look at Austin. The amount of love in his eyes for you is so evident but there is still a little twinge of doubt in your brain which is still at the forefront of your mind. 

“I don’t know Austin.” you say as you turn away from him. 

He just holds your hands tighter. “Y/N. Look at me when I say this to you.” 

You slowly look back toward him. “No matter where we are in our lives, you still have my heart. When you left, I shut down. I locked up my heart and you’re the only one who has ever had the key.”

#austin butler #austin butler imagine #austin butler fic #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler x reader #austin butler elvis

[ineffablegoblin]

Good Omens Season 2 | Aziraphale's Actions on the Gameboard

This has definitely been discussed in great detail, but it keeps playing in my mind every night, so I'd like to add to the discourse.

@inhonoredglory did a great job at characterizing Aziraphale, showing the Job connection, and connecting his decisions to Michael Sheen's emotive and powerful beliefs. It has put into words a lot of the feelings and thoughts I'd been having since I first saw the show (and I have been watching it every night on repeat like its a song). The different theories about Metatron, the book of life, and coffee are interesting and great coping mechanisms to manage that intense final scene, and who knows what Neil will reveal in Season 3, but they don't consider the bigger picture outside of Aziraphale and Crowley.

Good Omens is fundamentally about the ineffable game of life that God plays. It is unknowable and unpredictable. Season 2 is supposed to be a bridge between two very intense life-shattering events. Season 1, and the novel, focus on preventing the end of the world. Season 3 (unwritten novel 2) must be equally big, if not bigger. There has to be more to it than just a relationship at stake.

We can't simply forget the Heaven and Hell still WANT the end of the world. They still want a big war. They are willing to go to extreme lengths to do so, and they're exceptionally eager to bury their 'institutional problems'. Metatron himself says that he needs an angel to lead 'the second coming'. He definitely is being some sort of manipulative, but the trap of heaven is also an opportunity to make a real difference.

When we look at Aziraphale in Episode 6's ending, he is very clearly reluctant and torn. He shows as much in his facial expressions, his tone, his mannerisms, and even his words. He mimics the conflicted hand movements and behaviors that he uses when lying as he addresses Crowley. He is very capable of trying to hide things from everyone he deems dangerous or at risk. He does this with Crowley (when he discovers who the antichrist is) and with God (when She asks about his sword). He also says that he does not want to go back to heaven when he speaks to Metatron about the offer. He says, pained, 'I think I-" before agreeing that he does not need anything and leaving with Metatron. He is in tears at the decision he has to make. He takes an emotional look at his bookshop and the windows and all the memories he has made of himself and his books and his drinks and his Crowley.

He very clearly KNOWS that "the something big and horrible" is coming. His decision is him choosing Crowley and his bookshop and earth because 'nothing lasts forever' and it won't last at all if he does not do something about it. Minutes before this he was under threat of being completely erased from the Book Of Life by the Archangels. Who's to say they won't erase him if he runs away with Crowley? Give him coffee (agreeing to Metatron's offer) or give him death (the destruction of earth and everything he loves and Crowley and himself).

It is true that Aziraphale would NEVER willingly give up his books and precious words. He would never abandon Crowley. It is emphasized until the end of the show. But if his books and his stories and diaries are about to be lost in some big horrible event, shouldn't he try to save it? Is his bookshop not worth giving up momentary comfort for? Is his life with Crowley not worth that sacrifice?

It's all part of the game. I think Aziraphale understands that to beat the game, he has to play it by the rules and beat it from the inside. He thinks in a fairly black-and-white way (or light-grey and dark-grey way) and he clearly knows Crowley will not agree with him. His "I need you" is as powerful as Crowley's kiss.

Think about it. If he just abandons the game, he loses by default. He has no control over what the other players do. We like having representatives in policy making when we vote, right? We have legal LGBTQ+ rights in some countries because someone went into the room of decision makers and fought for it. He knows has to be in that room to make a difference, or else he risks losing everything. And it's not as if he and Crowley haven't been separated before.

I mean, let's say you have a partner you love and you both run a business you love and have friends you love, but it's illegal to be gay, and you're both very gay. Your partner says you both should just run away and move to a cottage and live and be gay together in peace somewhere remote because the government would arrest you or your neighbors might stone you if they found out. But you know that no matter where you go, they might always find you and kill you both. You like the business and friends and little apartment in the city that you share. Now, say you suddenly get an offer from a colleague, who you may or may not trust, to be involved in the law-making, and you know the bill on Gay Rights is being re-written and evaluated. As much as I personally prefer living in quiet cottage, I could very well see myself choosing to take that seat and try to make a change. It would let me keep everything I love. It would keep me and my partner safe. It would let me keep other people like me safe (ineffable bureaucracy). It would be the right thing to do; the good thing.

He and Crowley must both know that they love each other. They have loved each other in their own way forever, and have spent years apart and been just as strong at their next meeting. Aziraphale had heart eyes from the moment they met in heaven. They play a very intentional game of rescue and meet-up. Aziraphale is very capable of taking care of himself, and Crowley does not need to rush to his aid when he senses something is wrong, but they both do that whole dance anyway because it's their version of showing their love with the human expressions that they have comfortably tempted themselves to enjoy (food, alcohol, collections, plants, books, cars, etc.). But they can literally have forever together. Aziraphale believes that they can survive this separation, especially if it means saving earth and their relationship in the long-run. His face says that it was a hard decision to make. Why would they want to save the humans in the bookshop, and save Job's children, and save Elspeth, and then suddenly not care about all the people on earth? Aziraphale has gone along with death and loss when it was part of the rules given by god in the past, but he did not like it. He cares about the rules. Playing the game by the rules can let him make a change in a very controlled and safe way.

Aziraphale is complex and not perfect. He is a person with strengths and weaknesses. He may be influenced by trauma or manipulation or something else, but people often make big decisions for multiple reasons. Aziraphale picked his character and is rolling the dice. He has to play this game by the rules. Neil is (hopefully but also not hopefully) setting up the board for something far bigger than Season 1 and I am so excited (but not) to know what it is.

#in this essay i will #good omens #good omens season 1 #good omens season 2 #go1 #go2 #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #ineffable bureaucracy #metatron #neil #neil gaiman #something is wrong with me this has consumed my whole life and brain #thoughts #good omens series 2 #good omens s2 #anthony j crowley #good omens spoilers

[pens-in-a-jam-jar]

Castlevania Nocturne's Colors Aren't Just More Colorful

I watched Castlevania Nocturne and y'all are gonna hear my Specific Ass Takes. [full video transcript under cut]

[ The whole video plays over a background of a multicolor evening sky with a shooting star, and starts with a light blue silhouette of bunnies and a lantern. When the speaker begins reading, a cartoon bunny head appears ]

I'm working on a bigger video that I thought I'd have out, like, Last Week. Unfortunately, the scriptwriting stage is giving me disproportionate difficulty. So this week, to get something out, I'm gonna be making a small dissertation on the color work in Castlevania Nocturne to all y'all 'cause I watched it on Friday the 13th this fine spooky month.

Spoilers. Obviously. But like specifically I am Not arranging my thoughts linearly, you will get no incremental building to the bigger late game spoilers, they can come at any moment.

[ The video transitions to a speedpaint of a coloring page ]

Colors are by far some of my favorite things to see being used well and played around with, and even if the colors weren't expertly planned and were used for nothing except as a way to differentiate the characters, I'd still love just how much More Colorful Nocturne is compared to Castlevania The First. Something that especially made my brain go absolutely brrRR is the weird interesting thing they did with the color pink. How Anette says Eduoard called her soul pink but her favorite color was always green (the opposite) and it zooms in on him in his fancy green opera coat, which you cannot help but relate back to the tiny jewels Olrox's earrings have in them, and how they alternate between pink and green.

All three of them have the new world in common. All three of them come from horribly damaged communities, and while the girl who refuses to submit and discovers her command over magic as a result carries the color pink in her soul, the boy who uses smooth deception and a calm demeanor as his main tool in the liberation of his community is commonly wreathed in greens, but the creature older and more weathered than them both with no soul and no mission and no community left enshrines both colors in gold jewelry and dresses in deep saturated purples. As if he understands both those things to be important, so important, but he only has his pride and his history left of all that he used to have and hold dear.

But the pink doesn’t stop here because Drolta's primary color is this neon hot pink that only poisonous things are while Maria's primary color is a light soft pastel pink; Drolta willingly gave herself over to Erzsebet centuries ago while Maria was unknowingly primed as an ideal sacrifice for her, and is only saved by her mother, who wears black from the first moment of the series because she was always marked for death. And the Abbot, too, is defined by black because faith without works is dead! This is also why even though Mizrak wears the same black uniform as the other soldiers, the symbol of his faith emblazoned across his chest is white, for it is alive! And then still so many of his shots focus on the rich maroon of his absolutely gorgeous eyes. You are regularly drawn away from the black he chooses to put on by the harmonious colors his true body is made of, and hammered home by the fact he is one of the only characters we ever see in a state of undress! And who- who could it be who we see with him in that scene, where he's covering up all his pretty colors, and what- what could they be wearing still? What could they have chosen not to take off? What jewelry might they be wearing? Hm! Hm. Curious. You don't say!

It's almost like without his faith and his mission and his devotion to a living god through a dead man, Mizrak is alone, but without his ostentatious persona and vampiric menace and regality, Olrox still has the vestiges of that which he has lost forever. Interesting!!

Drolta and Maria aren’t the only ones for whom saturation matters. Not only can Edouard no longer be green after he is transformed because he can never be of that same service to his old community; as if to add insult to injury, his previously pastel sky blue eyes are now this unnatural electric blue. Which lines up really well with how the neon saturation that defines the pinks on Drolta's color palette also defines the greens on Olrox's color palate!! Unnatural creatures do not get to have natural colors. Yes, even if you really like them. Yes, even Alucard!

Alucard is a balance of stark white and colorless black with two amber eyes to anchor him to the world around him. This same golden-ness is present in the magic Maria and Anette use and the markings on Edouard. His two small graces in his new existence are to take the form of an angel and to be marked with the same colors that mark the magic and the faith which stands opposed to all that binds him. Maria sees nothing of value in the church, because her faith lies in herself and her cause and those who support her, and the church as an institution upholds oppression. Anette adorns herself in gold, and glows amber as she calls on her canonically divine magic. A magic of her ancestors and her community's religious practices, which go against the white man's God. Edouard even in the form of a hell beast touches other people's souls with his voice, which is why the vampires (soulless evil creatures) all hate to hear it so.

Then Alucard appears as a deus ex machina in the final moments of the season framed by an eclipse halo and devoid of color but for his piercing golden eyes. He is such a different Thing than anything else we have seen in this season that the established color language *must* bend to him. God only needed to say 'I AM', and Alucard only needed to appear. He himself is all white, he has been alive for so long that the living on in the face of this relentless world defines him; the sword he uses to kill Drolta, save the main characters' lives, and repel the vampire cronies is white and silver. He is life and he protects others’ lives. Yet his coat is black and he promises immediate death to his foes. Where has he been this entire plot: we don’t know When all this dying was happening: where was he? Where was this power beneath the black? Then finally, he says with his soft voice, “I hope I’m not too late.” And he turns to properly face us and we see for certain that his eyes are the color of devotion and magic and sunlight. Sunlight!!!

Speaking of sunlight, if I might detour from colors, when Erzsebeth has transformed into a thundercat, she says she despises the sunlight because it is worshiped and beloved by these inferior humans, and restricts the power of vampires, the superior beings. Now. We know that vampires are only stunned by crosses because the geometry messes with their eyes and befuddles their predator brains, so you would think The Christian God has almost nothing to do with the repelling of vampires. However, if something is properly holy and consecrated, neither demons nor vampires can touch it without consequence. The Belmont Whip is consecrated, and has been for hundreds of years. That holy water Sypha freezes does uniquely damage the night creatures. However, vampires can enter the church in Nocturne, and hell beasts could enter the church in that town that killed Dracula’s wife that I don’t care to remember the name of. The hell beast says it can do this because that church is not a house of God, and the things the priest does makes God puke. The Abbot welcomes Erzsebeth and her ilk in as messiahs and desecrates his own church with a machine from hell. These are sacreligious places run by people who do not truly follow the faith either willfully or in blind cognitive dissonance.

Now, it is shown in Nocturne that Vaublanc is very anti-spells on the plantation despite these protective spells and spiritual songs having nothing to do with The Christian God which he so fears. He cannot escape the cage of crosses that Anette makes for him, but Anette definitively does not follow The Christian God. Yet he is burned by these crosses when he tries to touch them. Because Anette is descended from a god, and this is that god’s material. Because this is a divine act. Because Anette and her magic through devotion to her religion are holy and consecrated.

Therefore: Is sunlight only corrosive to vampires because the very concept of sunlight and the sun is sacred to all humans to some degree??? Did humanity’s collective unconscious consecrate sunlight thousands of years ago and continues to this day to do that, and that is why vampires cannot walk in it??? ‘Cause I think that makes The Most Sense Actually.

And lastly for colors, we have my boy, my beloved, my darling, my second favorite, Richter Belmont in his most distinctive deep blues like the ocean we start the show beneath, like the water he stares into and walks through. Like the tears he cries. The way once his magic returns to him, his fire and his ice match his eyes and the colors he wears because of course they match: This blue *is* Richter Belmont. His magic is a direct extension of his self. It is his soul and he dons that pure white headband he previously tucked away and didn’t wish to look at when he makes the decision to go on living and to choose love and choose these people and make them his mission. He chooses to fight against evil instead of hiding from it, he chooses to extend his love and his soul out to these people and whatever cause they support, and because he chooses that, He Is More. The screen and the vampires are consumed by blue because He Has Become More Than He Was with this choice. His soul burns blue, the second hottest color for fire to burn after white.

Of course his is the only color palette that comes close to being as restrained as Alucard's, because Alucard holds magic and devotion and sunlight in his soul (because as we all know the eyes are the windows to the soul) and simply lives and lives and lives on and on to carry those things forward to the people with whom he wishes to share magic and devotion and life and death, and he makes this choice again and again and again every new day, every new year, every new century he lives. He has lived too long to be anything else but this being of magic and devotion and sunlight and life.

So too Richter Belmont carries his love and the love others give to him forward and forward and forward wherever it will take him, because yes water travels the path of least resistance, and yes it takes the shape of its container, but that is why his choice of who he aligns himself with is so important! He finds people he believes in and he allows them to shape him, to direct him, to have his whole soul. Other characters in Castlevania Nocturne believe in messiahs and gods and power structures and ideologies, but Richter Belmont believes in the people he loves and in the love in his soul. Blue is the color of love! Richter Belmont is made from love and not fear, and he must dispossess his fear of its power if he is ever to truly live!

That scene was by far my favorite scene in the entire show. Just unequivocally. I think in part because that was the part where I expected Alucard to show up, ‘cause when looking up the voice actors I accidentally saw ‘James Callis as Alucard’ and I went ‘Oh my gosh! He really does show up! I was hoping he would show up but he really does show up! He’s obviously gonna make a big entrance!’ and so my anticipation of dear beloved Alucard meant I was very pleasantly surprised by Richter pulling a real Magical Girl Protagonist move and unlocking his magic through the power of love and overcoming your trauma.

[ The coloring page pans across the screen and the video transitions into the end screen ]

But did you know that I make these videos through the power of positive reinforcement and fits of passion? Did you also know I have a Ko-Fi page for those of you who wish not only to give me compliments in comment sections about my pretty voice and how my analysis has contributed positively to your experience on this mortal coil, but who wish to be like Raptorous77 and Random NPC Tartaglia Simp Extraordinaire who hath contributed moneys to me and my continued financial stability? I also have little incentives over there like the Kill Your Darlings Graveyard for scripts where I have waaaayyy too much to say and I have to cut stuff from for flow. I also am prepping a thing where you can chuck money at me to make screenshot edits of things like this Rolling With Difficulty/Paranatural thing I did for fun or the cover art I make for the Broadway Nepeta blog because I run that. If you wanna catch me announcing when my image edit endeavour goes up you can subscriiibe~ If I make it to a thousand subscribers by my birthday (I will give you one hint, I am a Scorpio) then I’ll, like… uhh… Make a community post where I will take requests because I don’t do requests otherwise. It’ll be fun, it’ll be a celebration~

Okay, that’s all from me, also I am definitely gonna be making a Castlevania Nocturne AMV to one of the Pretty Cure openings, mark my words. Take care~

[ There is a stretch of silence and the end screen faces out before a blooper snippet plays ]

Not only can Edouard no longer be green after he is transitioned-- … pff, after he has transitioned… He’s trans everybody! [laughs] Trans Rights!!

#castlevania #castlevania nocturne #castlevania nocturne spoilers #nocturne spoilers #richter belmont #castlevania annette #castlevania edouard #olrox #castlevania olrox #castlevania maria #media analysis #youtube video #Youtube

[persepor]

Let's talk about my favorite villains pt 1

Let's face it, sometimes the villains are better than the heroes or they are just as compelling as the heroes. So I want to go over some of my favorite villains which spans back to my childhood, I'll also put villains in quotation marks because some are framed as villains when they really are not (you'll see why).

So let's get into this!!

Eris

Eris is first on my list and- hoo boy! Do I love her so much. I need to re-watch this movie because the last time I saw this was when I was 8 or 9. First off she's a badass and I mean that, she has a plan and she'll do whatever it takes to make that plan work.

Eris is the goddess of discord, and she strikes a deal with Sinbad for him to get the Book of Peace for her. He backs out of the deal though, so she uses her powers to frame Sinbad for stealing the book. Sinbad must now track down the book and return it.

Eris' design reflects her personality and how she stirs up discord and chaos. She's designed as if she were simply smoke, with her form constantly shifting and being able to change her shape and grow. She can make herself tower over humans or make herself the same height as humans.

I always loved her for how she was simply herself while being an unforgettable villainess, her personality is unmatched and adds to why i love her so much.

Ramesses

If you haven't seen the Prince of Egypt please give it a watch it's really good. As someone who doesn't care about religion I feel DreamWorks struck gold with their adaptation of the story of Moses. They paint Rameses as a complicated villain with conflicting emotions.

Rameses doesn't want to let Moses' people go because he wants to uphold the legacy their family's dynasty has built. But, he wants his brother, Moses, back. This culminates in their sibling relationship shattering.

Rameses is not a black-and-white villain, he is 3 dimensional. But, he is still evil in wanting to keep the Hebrews as slaves. He is the reason all the plagues are set upon Egypt, resulting in his sons death.

Rameses is an interesting villain you'd have to watch the movie to really get what I'm saying about his character.

Ratchet and Madame Gasket

Putting these two together because they are a Mother-Son duo. Ratchet deals with things on the outside while his mother, Madame Gasket, deals with things on the inside with her chop shop. They both want to take over Big Weld Industry and the whole city.

These two are HILARIOUS, Ratchet acts as a sophisticated, well-put together person with a plan, but is actually a scared mama's boy. He has very hilarious scenes and lines, his interactions with his mother are also hilarious. One of my favorite scenes of his is the one where he knocks out Big Weld and says this: "Oh my god I'm as crazy as my mother!!....HYAH"

Madame Gasket used to terrify me as a child, and I can see why. She is ruthless in her approach while also being a doting mother to Ratchet. She collects 'Out modes' with her sweepers to turn them into metal to create new, shiny parts. She even got her husband out of the way so she can focus on her plan of taking over Big Weld Industries. A villain who will get rid of anything in their way is terrifying.

They are both defeated with Ratchet being chained up by his father and Madame Gasket being thrown into one of her machines.

Tatiana

A character that's posed as a villain but is put into that light. Yes she is wrong for Vinyl City's power outages, but she knew what kept the city going. She used to be Kul Fyra, leader of the rock group the Ghoulings.

I won't go much about her her because I want to talk about her in full but she is so well written. Am ex rock star that switched to EDM now has to deal with a musical revolution. She sees B2J's revolution as irrelevant because nothing will come of it.

As she points out they made the same amount of energy as EDM and that they went into this without a plan. They would put people out of jobs and cause a revolution from people who live EDM. She's the common sense B2J needed.

Fairy Godmother

You should not be surprised she's on here. She is an icon when it comes to DreamWorks villains. When DreamWorks villains are mentioned, she's the first one to be brought up.

She is portrayed as a caring individual but is a selfish person who wants her darling son Prince Charming to be king. She uses the fact Shrek took a potion to make him and Fiona human to her advantage. She makes Charming pretend to be Shrek so he can get closer to Fiona.

She also is a master manipulator, basically threatening the king to do what she wants him to do. She wants Shrek out of the picture because "Ogres don't get happily ever afters." She wants Fiona to have the picture perfect happily ever after married to charming.

Yes her entire scene at the ball is stunning. The red dress is so good and fits her character perfectly. The rendition of Holding Out for a Hero is absolutely a banger and is a go-to song of mine.

Iconic villain and has had a lasting impression on me.

Mother Gothel

I grew up with Morher Gothel as a character. Both her Disney and barbie version, which I'll talk a bit about here and in a dedicated post about early 2000s barbie. I love her character very dearly. We are talking about a gaslighting, manipulative person.

She kidnapped Rapunzel because of her hair, she doesn't love Rapunzel she loves her hair. Meanwhile, in the Barbie version, she's a cold, distant person who kidnapped Rapunzel as revenge. But we're focusing on the Disney version here.

She makes Rapunzel believe she loves her, makes the outside world to be dangerous, and manipulates her into thinking Flynn Rider abandoned her. She was willing to murder to keep Rapunzel's hair to herself. As all she cares about is her beauty and youth.

She is a master manipulator and an amazing villain as well.

Preminger

Ah Preminger one of the best Barbie villains. A villain with a great plan that fails miserably. A villain with hilarious scenes.

Preminger wants the crown to himself amd at first plans to marry Annaliese. But when that goes wrong, he tries to marry the queen. But that also goes wrong.

He has hilarious scenes such as him knocking on the cabin door to see if Annaliese is still locked in there. To the hilarious scene where he almost faints when finding out the princesses wedding will be next weak.

Preminger is the most loved barbie villain for a reason. He's dramatic, funny, and cunning. His sidekicks are hilarious and give a lot of laughs. His dog is also a great component of his character as he is an extension of Preminger.

End

Well that's the end of part 1, I have 4 more I'll discuss in part 2 so keep an eye out for that.

#perse's writing #let's talk about.. #sinbad legend of the seven seas #eris sinbad #prince of egypt #ramesses #robots 2005 #madame gasket #phineas t ratchet #nsr #tatiana nsr #shrek 2 #fairy godmother #mother gothel #tangled #barbie preminger #barbie princess and the pauper

[thrashkink-coven]

Lucifer came to me last night.

He must have intruded on a dream, because I remember I was standing in a grocery store, taking to this cashier and buying apples. The cashier then looked straight at me, completely blank faced, and started saying Lucifer’s enn “Renich Tasa Uberaca Biasa Icar Lucifer”. I remember saying something like “huh? what was that?” and then the cashier opened her mouth, and a big blast of white light erupted from it. Strange.

I was then in some kind of a temple, surrounded by candles with lots of incense smoke in the air, and what I think was snow falling from the roof. And I was laying in a shallow bath filled with blood. It covered me up to my chest, and my hair was soaked in it. It was a very ethereal scene actually, I should try drawing it. I’ve more or less become immune to images of blood and gore as my work progressed with Lord Cerbere, so I wasn’t alarmed in any way. Not sure what that says about me lol.

Then there was Lucifer, who appeared as a beautiful androgynous figure with long black hair, enveloped in gold and white light, sitting at the other end of the tub with only his feet in the blood. He was absolutely stunning as always. His voice came as a whisper, it was deeper than usual, and he said:

“Did you you know that Pain is a God?”

I shook my head no.

“Oh, It very much is, It is a God who is tethered to the Dark Side of your Mother.”

I believe that he was referencing Goddess Venus, Inanna, the mother of pleasure and love.

“You know this well, don’t you? The God of Pain is the Dark Sister of the Goddess of Pleasure. It follows her wherever She goes. There is the mortifying ordeal of being known before one can be loved and cherished, is there not?”

I remember he moved closer to me, and I could feel his touch along my chest and cheeks. He felt like a warm flame.

“And there is also pleasure in this world, made more delicious by the prospect of pain. To edge oneself through suffering to be rewarded with absolute pleasure is often referred to as sadomasochism. Are you a sadomasochist, my love?”

Looking back on it, this scene looked very gothic. Lucifer is an incredibly alluring and sensual energy. We were embracing each other there, covered head to toe in blood. I’ve never thought of myself as a sadomasochist. I don’t really have a pain kink. Actually, I’m extremely averted to pain in general, so I said no.

He touched my chest, which in this place did not resemble my chest in the waking world. I had top surgery scars and tattoos, and it was a beautiful sight, my dream body. It made me feel something very intense. Orgasmic.

“Oh, but you are, in some ways. I’ve been with you all your life, my love. I have watched you grow into the proud, beautiful creature that you are now, and will continue to be. I have seen you through every agonizing moment.

There is a horrific pain that comes with owning flesh that you do not desire, the terrifying ordeal of being judged for what you are, and the violence in destroying the parts of yourself that do not serve you. You wear the blood of your own suffering proudly, the history of your trauma, as rites of passage, and in this act, you honour the God of Pain.”

Lucifer and I have talked about transness before, usually in reference to my insecurities around dysphoria. But never before has he approached me and spoken about it in this way. I felt deeply understood in a way I never have. My chest felt very warm, and he consumed me with a bright, exciting and loving energy. I was so overjoyed that I began to cry. I was shedding tears in a state of grief and happiness. I don’t really know how to describe that feeling. I felt the crushing pain of all the dysphoria I have ever felt; all those angry, agonizing nights alone, as well as the peaceful beauty of euphoria; every piece of confidence and power I have ever felt, both at the same time, and somehow, they were almost indistinguishable. My senses were completely overwhelmed, and I just fell into Lucifer’s embrace for support. He soothed me.

Love, Grief, Pain and Pleasure, I was.

“What are you now?” he asked. I was too consumed to give an answer.

“You are ecstasy. You have honoured the God of Pain, and you will honour It until you are no longer. It has made you a vessel of Pleasure. This is a True Pleasure that many may never know, only to be bestowed through the tribulations of this Pain. Love for the self that exceeds the pain of the flesh is holy, divine in nature and practice. Remember this now, you will make your body violently and passionately yours. In these acts you will know the duality of the divine. You are a living, feeling thing, experiencing the unbearable torture and the eternal bliss. Both are infinite in you. Mistake this not for a curse, for it is a holy blessing. This is what makes you mine. This is why you are a child of the Goddess of Love. This is why she takes you queers as her chosen people. Understand this, your pain belongs not to you alone. It is the blessing of a God who bestows you sweet suffering in order to achieve the ultimate satisfaction. Become accepting of this pain, and you will be the inheritor of the Truest Pleasure.”

I was a mess. Crying and laughing all at the same time. Leviathan had mentioned something to me about having to go through trials of Pain through my initiation with him, as I had gone through trials of Death with Prince Cerbere. My extreme aversion to physical pain made me really nervous about that. But now I see exactly what he was talking about. I have known a great pain that is unique to my trans and queer experience, and it is agonizing. I didn’t need to have my hands cut off or my skin peeled off to understand that pain. It is more violent than that could ever be. More lonely and frustrating. Embarrassing. Shameful.

Lucifer continued to comfort me, saying:

“Oh, my dearest love, you are my sweet devotee. Wear my pride. Keep it with you always as a reminder of this principle. Be Proud. Be Prouder now than you have ever been. You are Pride and I am within you. This is why you are mine.”

We sat in silence for a while. I can still remember what his hands felt like on my hair, comforting and soothing me while I worked through these feelings. Lucifer admitted that there is great pain in my future, as I continue discovering and inventing myself I will come to know it well.

“Pain will encourage you to fight, to struggle and to improve. It will reveal your most vulnerable self, and your darkest shadows- and you will live through it, and you will be wealthy in pleasure, this I know.”

After some more time, I thanked him and he thanked me. He told me that I was to continue my work with Leviathan. He explained this lesson would usually be an intense and incredibly painful initiation ritual between Leviathan and I, but Lucifer decided that he wanted to do this lesson with me instead. My understanding of this concept as a queer needed to be delivered uniquely, in a way that only he could give me.

This experience ended with me exhausted, laying back in the blood and allowing myself to just float. Eventually I went under, and blood filled my ears and nose. I knew then that this was my own blood, I was laying in a pool of myself. My pain and my pleasure. I surrendered to all of it.

When I inhaled the blood into my mouth, I breathed in air, and I was back in my bed, awaking from my sleep. When I looked in the mirror this morning I felt different in a way I do not know how to describe. I’ve always wanted top surgery, my date has been pushed back multiple times due to medical shenanigans. I sometimes feel like I am being tortured…

Something about this suffering will make the day that I finally look in the mirror and feel complete all the more euphoric. So until that day, I will continue to honour this Pain, and wear my Holy Father’s Pride without shame or fear.

I am ecstasy.

Thank you, Lucifer.

and thank Me, for being who who I am.

#witchcraft #magick #occultism #pagan #demonology #paganism #witch community #witch aesthetic #witchblr #grimoire #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #trans pride #gender dysphoria #tw dysphoria #lucifer offering #lucifer devotee #lucifer deity #luciferian witch #lord lucifer #luciferian #theistic luciferianism #leviathan deity #deity work #deity worship #deity witchcraft #lefthandpath #inanna #aphrodite deity

[chaosandwolves]

Happy 911 day

Today I offer you this gif edit set with my original poem "your name on my tongue"

I wrote this poem after watching 6x10

I hope you like it.

Full poem and image description under the cut

Your name on my tongue

like burning embers

choking my lung

I tie your heartbeat to mine

come hide in my soul

Let my body be your shrine

I press my breath into your veins

hold on, my love

give me more than remains

I don't care about your destiny

I won't back down

when god asks for my testimony

The reign of this pain

My blood on your lips

I won't let it be in vain

I'll make the stars align

I shift the universe

But I won't cut this line

I won't let you die that young

I will fight the gods

with your name on my tongue

[Image description:

A set of 3 gifs, 1 picture and 3 gifs again. Each one has one verse of the poem written on its middle in a white cursive font which opacity has been lowered to blend into the gifs. The gifs are each made of two scenes merged into each other and partially overlayed.

Gif 1: two scenes from s6 ep 10. On the left there is Eddie shouting "Buck" when he spots him hanging from the ladder. It merges into Eddie on the right who arrives on top of the ladder shouting , "Buck".

Gif 2: on the left Eddie can be seen clipping the safety rope into Buck's harness before he goes up the ladder in s6 ep 10. The gif on the right shows Eddie from s4 ep 14 when he tells Buck that he made him Christopher's legal guardian. Specifically the moment he says "by you"

Gif 3: both scenes are from s6 ep 11.on the left Eddie is shown doing CPR on Buck while he's being wheeled into the hospital. It merges into the right where the camera swings from the ECMO machine over its tubes to where they're connected to Buck to where he is shown lying unconscious in the hospital bed.

Picture: A black picture with the fourth verse of the poem written on it's middle.

Gif 4: On the left there is the scene of Buck standing with a shocked expression and blood all over his face from the shooting scene from s4 ep 13. On the right a distressed Eddie from s6 ep 11 is shown how he looks after Buck who's been taken into the hospital after they've given him over. There is a tear on his right cheek.

Gif 5: the first gif is mainly on the left and overlaying the other gif partially on the right. The scene is from s4 ep 05 where Buck is alone in the fire trying to safe the person trapped there. It shows Eddie grabbing the rope Buck uses and his Eddie looks then down at Buck. On the right Eddie is shown how he tries to pull Buck up on the rope in s6 ep 10 on top of the ladder.

Gif 6: the left gif is from s4 ep 14 from the "legal guardian" scene and shows Buck looking up at Eddie in surprise when he says "Because, Evan". On the left bottom corner which shows a part of Buck's chest there is a block font in white reading "Evan". Its opacity is lowered to blend in well.

The gif on the right shows the scene from s6 ep 11 where Buck's limp body hangs from the ladder and there is rain and the light is changing into red, probably from the lights of the firetrucks. It's the moment when Eddie shouts "Buck" for the last time before he starts lowering him. In the right upper corner there is "Buuuuuck" written in the same font as "Evan" in the bottom left corner.

Image description end]

#Buddie #Buddie edit #poetry #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911 on fox #6x10 #6x11 #it took me entirely too long to figure out how to make the gifs looking the way I want them to look #yes I taught myself gif making using photopea over night #chaos writes poetry #chaos gif edits #Buddie poem #Buddie poetry

[rebelwriter99]

Did I anticipate making a post after every episode of the Bad Batch I have watched thus far? No. No I did not.

Was that 25-30mins of my life such a quietly understated emotional rollercoaster that I am literally reeling enough to write this post a good 9hrs after I watched it? Yes. Yes it was.

I was impressed that this time they let Crosshair carry an episode on his own. Season 1 had ‘fun death defying adventure of the week’ energy mixed in with ‘harsh realities of colonialist imperial takeover’ and the tonal shift could be a bit jarring. Honestly, I think it was intentionally so. Crosshairs actions need a foil for context really and in season 1 the only established comparison characters were the batch so it made sense. Sometimes though I wished I could just sit with each set of characters for some extra minutes.

But this time-they went for it. And it was stunning. Contrasting Crosshair, who wants to lead, with Cody, who has vast amounts of experience leading a sizeable chunk of the army, was fantastic. Especially with Cody still mostly in white, with his signature self still evident even if it’s faded, to Crosshair, who is now a black blank slate until he takes off his helmet. For goodness sake the marks around their eyes are even on opposite sides. One carved by war, the other painted by choice. They also have an interesting difference in perspective set up right from the get go.

The two conversations in front of the memorial are to me, Cody feeling Crosshair out, and then having made his mind up. Cody, in my mind, has already decided he’s leaving. I think he’s trying to decide if he should ask Crosshair to come with him or not, and that’s why after he knows Crosshair doesn’t need medical care anymore (he was abandoned for a month?!) he quite rightly assumes he might not fancy being an imperial for much longer. At some point in the conversation, Cody is facing the light of the memorial, and Crosshairs face is in shadow. You know-just in case that light and dark symbolism hasn’t caught onto its job yet. I’m in heaven.

And then the action sequences. God but this whole thing was a punch in the gut. Instinctively you’re rooting for the clones against the droids. Because of course we are! We know the drill! And so do the clones-it was admittedly very very wonderful to just be able to enjoy clones being spectacular for 10minutes. It was like a clone wars run down-even the classic the gunship lasted 5mins cliche was well utilised. We’ve seen this scene a thousand times-and it was so old and so very very new. We’ve never really seen a group of regs operate without a Jedi against droids in a sequence this long before which was really evident when driodika show up and you just about have a heart attack instead of thinking ‘eh they’ll be scrap in a minute’. And Crosshair being fantastically impossible was breathtaking-and then you suddenly couldn’t breathe.

The whole time I had to remind myself ‘no this is the Empire now! They can’t succeed. Otherwise what will happen to all these poor people?’ And then the power of the clone army being trusted by the galaxy to protect everyone becomes evident. If I’m used to seeing these images and thinking ‘go clones! Save the galaxy!’ then how many billions of people on hundreds of worlds would do the same seeing it on galactic news with a bit of imperial spin? The whole sequence just leaves you feeling vaguely ill. You’re desperate for the Clones you care about to survive-but if they do? What will happen to so many others?

Cody was always going to be my favourite when he appeared-because I am an older sibling and he just has that energy so he’s always been my favourite. Whoever wrote him in this episode-I take my hat off to them. Because him and Crosshair are almost indistinguishable when they interact with droids (classic clone-scrap them in spectacular fashion). As soon as you throw an organic in the mix-he’s so himself. And you could see the different experiences of Cody, whose lost a lot of brothers and dives after the injured with little thought to his own safety, and Crosshair, who we know has never lost any of his squad in the most permanent sense of the word. Them and the civilians just took me right back to Ryloth-you can almost see Cody waiting for them to be relieved, to look to him for safety, but instead they’re terrified of him and it doesn’t sit well.

And he NEGOTIATED.

Writers I love you. I love that he succeeded. And I love that he refused to go back on his word. And I love that he left before the consequences of that refusal inevitably catch up with him. (He’s his Jedi’s Commander force bless you sunshine you tried Obi-Wan would be so proud of you.)*

We see the TK troopers becoming an occupying force through Cody’s eyes. To him the TK troopers could be replaced with droids and he’s seen that picture a hundred times before. And instead of arriving on a gunship to fix it, he’s walking onto one to be taken away having enabled it. “It Rhymes” and all. He knows this isn’t his place anymore. He knows he has brothers out there who believe the same as he does. A good number will probably follow after him.

But another memorial scene. And he knows Crosshair won’t be one of them-at least not yet.

I really really hope that we get a finally moment with Crosshair though. That he will be ordered to do something, and it will be a line he won’t cross. And then he will need out. Hopefully. Maybe. I’ll keep my toes crossed.

Also please may we see Cody at least once more. Preferably not dead or imprisoned. Just so we know he’s fine? Please?

* (actually coming back to this 5mins later there must be an “Anakin” *cue deep sigh* moment other than the mandalore arc where this scene actually plays out. Obi-Wan refuses to kill but Anakin does because orders vs Obi-Wan’s preference for diplomacy)

[please forgive the stream of consciousness abuse-this had to go somewhere! And Tumblr is where fandom ramblings tend to land 😅]

#star wars #the bad batch #commander cody #tbb crosshair #the bad batch spoilers #tbb season 2 #tbb spoilers #gods this episode was a masterpiece and nobody can convince me otherwise #I’m so excited about where this season is going #between Echo Cody and Crosshair there’s a lot set up to work with #and whatever the hell Rampart and Rex are doing long term #ahhh! #do I have to wait a week?!

[meimi-haneoka]

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 68: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Hello hello everyone!! Here we are again, one month later, for the third chapter of the future volume 14, chapter 68!! Maaaan I gotta say I got pretty excited with this chapter, at some point I’ve started screaming while I was reading it (thank god I was alone) and I believe it’s been quite some time since that last happened 😂 This chapter is heavily focused on my four favorite characters, which I had predicted they’d be the focus of the “final confrontation”, so I guess that’s only normal. God, I love them all so much and I notice that even more with chapters like these. I also found myself to wish even more desperately for season 2 of the anime, because maaan, the scenery of this chapter is particularly breathtaking. I dunno, it might be because I imagined all of that animated, and my breath caught in my throat, but it would really be so wonderful to see all of that moving with pretty lights and sounds someday. I can definitely, definitely feel we came to the crunch of this story with this chapter.

Curious to know why? Follow me under the cut, but not before taking a look at the gif of the month! 😂

The Color page

Ladies & gentlemen, the third SyaoSaku color page in the span of 6 chapters 😂Is somebody trying to make up for something? 😂 Aww, I have to admit that when I saw this color page for the first time some hours before the chapter release, it made my heart all warm and fuzzy 🥰it’s really nice CLAMP decided to revive that beautiful scene of chapter 23 in a color page, it’s such a sweet and important memory for these two. It was a very happy moment, and here CLAMP decided to bring this one step forward by allowing Sakura and Syaoran to hold hands in a lover’s hold, with their fingers intertwined. 🥰 But this was also the scene where we’ve heard for the first time how unwavering Syaoran was in his resolution to not let Sakura feel any sorrow. Yes, sorrow, 不幸. A word that would become so crucial and important later on, and which is recalled even in this chapter through Momo’s words. This color page is also connected to what happened in last chapter, when Mirror was explaining why Flight decided to help them, and recalled precisely this scene. Lastly, I think this color page illustrates perfectly the strong bond that connects Sakura and Syaoran together, which gets once more reiterated in this chapter. It’s interesting to note how the color palette of the outfits they are wearing here is different from the one used in the anime! I find both versions charming, to be honest! Pink is my favorite color but I appreciate the anime’s attempt at making Sakura wear something that’s not pink 😁 The JP text here says “Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun’s date in the sky….with Mirror and Flight!”.

What is happiness to you?

The chapter starts with Sakura, seemingly asleep in the void, hearing a voice asking her what is happiness to her and why she’s always been able to say that “everything will surely be alright”.

By now, we already know whose voice it is. Reminds you of something? Of course it does! Not only it is the "mirror" of how Chapter 65 started, kicking off this “story” inside Clockland (that time it asked about sorrow, this time about happiness), but it is also a recall to how Momo introduced Sakura to her “hint” back in chapter 50. Everything keeps reconnecting and going full circle, folks.

Turns out, Alice briefly fell asleep and wakes up, finding herself on a gondola, together with the Red Queen. As she opens her eyes, we’re made partakers of the beautiful scenery that unfolds before her: on both banks of the river they’re navigating, there are huge shelves full of books, and the wood of the shelves morphs into tall trees. Little black & white roses, seemingly the Queen’s crest, are nestled into small lamps, illuminating the way. Alice wonders about the voice she believes she just heard, and although she’s sure to have heard it before, she can’t quite recall who it is.

First translation difference here:

ENG: “I don’t know. But...I can’t shake the feeling I’ve heard it before” JP: “I don’t know. But...I have the feeling I’ve been asked the same thing before”

The difference here is given by the word 聞かれた. It is true that the verb 聞く means both “to listen” or “to ask”, but when used in this way, it definitely means “been asked”. After all, Momo was indeed asking her something. I found this part a bit confusing because all Alice was talking about in the ENG was “hearing a voice”, not that it spoke to her. So the Queen asking her if it was important felt a bit weird. What’s important, the voice? No, she’s indeed asking about what the voice asked to her.

And here I ask you to pay particular attention to the font of the Japanese version, as I predicted in my last post. Because here, for a moment, we see a “magic effect” around Sakura, and then she replies “Yes. Something very important.” WITH A REGULAR FONT. This means Sakura is talking as her real self here!! Again, triggered by important matters, she regained conscience of her true self. But unfortunately that lasts shortly, as she looks up to the Cat, standing on a bridge between shelves, looking down on her in a very…..pissed off way.

I mean, look at his clenched fists here! 😂 That unfortunately sends Sakura back to her Alice role. As the two girls continue navigating the river, Kaito talks to Momo, who keeps appearing only as a voice and not physically. I want to point out that not only here, but throughout the chapter, the ENG translation put a lot of “filler words” that skew the perception of the tone of certain characters. Of course, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, I don’t even need to point out who these changes affect the most.

ENG: “Perhaps I can convince you not to give Alice here any hints? Here I thought the guardian of the book wasn’t to assist the players”

JP: “I would like you to refrain from giving any hint to Alice. I thought the guardian of the Book couldn’t help any of the characters?”

In the ENG version, with that “I can convince you”, Kaito sounds vaguely threatening. Like “if you don’t do as I say, I’ll convince you by force”. In the JP version, there’s none of that. Kaito still speaks with his usual polite tone to Momo, while still being clearly annoyed at her. Annoyed doesn’t mean he has to suddenly become an as*hole to her. And even when Momo replies, explaining that her line was said merely as a “facilitator” (this very same English word is included in the furigana of the 進行役 word) of the Book, she doesn’t use neither “boy” nor the overly salty tone she’s got in the ENG version. Yes, sure, I was highly amused by the way these two bickered in the ENG translation, but I have to be impartial and say when things aren’t really as they are presented. STILL, the scene is so hilarious because Kaito is beyond pissed 😂(for his standards) and he replies “I beg to differ” but decides to prioritize following the girls, as he can’t lose sight of them.

Books are "Our Story"

Alice looks at the immense library that stretches along the banks of the river, and notices how many books are there. The Queen says that books are very important in this country, and Alice asks her if she likes books too. I would like to think Alice was instinctively brought to pose this question because Sakura’s subconscious knows this is Akiho. Of course the Queen answers she does, because books were always by her side. Just like the real Akiho. Meanwhile, the gondola enters a part of the river where the trees above are interwoven more and more, until it looks as if the girls are entering some kind of “tunnel” or “cavern”. I found that eerily beautiful too (I need to see this animated!!!!!). While the two girls get off the gondola and reach a shelf, the Queen explains that books are people’s “memories”. And they serve as a “record” too. Seeing as “record” (記録) is indicated between brackets, I can’t help but think about the relative Record Card. But what these books “record” in them? The Queen says: “Somebody’s feelings. Their hopes. And the magic they’ve weaved. Many [stories] are recorded in them”. Alice utters the word “record”, probably as if it reminded her of something…. Then she asks the Queen if the book she’s holding is her favorite one. Try to zoom in and pay attention to the magic circle depicted on the cover of this book. Looks familiar? Yes, because you have seen it before.

The version on the cover of this book seems slightly more elaborated, but there’s no doubt it’s the magic circle belonging to the members of the most ancient magical clan of Europe, collectively called by me as the “Squid Clan”. It is kinda surprising the Queen grabbed specifically this book, and with some friends I was musing on which underlying meaning this library could have. Does it store the records, the stories of all the people who tried to use Momo’s book? After all, we’ve been told that her book records the life of the owner. If that’s true, then maybe we could infer someone from Akiho’s clan tried to use it, at some point? Regardless, the Queen replies that this is not her favorite book. Her favorite book is Alice in Clockland. And here pay attention, dear readers, because as she utters the name of the book, the font in the Queen’s speech bubble is back to normal!!

This is not the Queen anymore, AKIHO is regaining control of her consciousness! With nonchalance she lets go of the book she was holding, which goes back to its place in the shelf. Alice points out:

ENG: “That’s my name…” “Perhaps. But it is the title of your story” JP: “That’s my name...and yet, it’s the title of a book you have”

As you can see, the ENG translation completely misunderstood who was talking in the second bubble of this panel. It is not Akiho, despite the bubble being close to her (there’s no tail pointing at her, indeed), but actually still Alice. Alice is confused because a book belonging to the Queen is titled with her name. So this brings Alice to question her own identity. And the true identity of the Red Queen in front of her. Akiho replies that she doesn’t know, because she’s forgotten her previous name when she entered Clockland. But there’s one thing she remembers. It’s the one thing no magic could ever make her forget. Before entering Clockland, she had a [special person]. Here it is again. That 特別なひと I fussed so much about during last chapter. It seemed such a trivial thing and yet I knew it wasn’t, because this is a specific term with which the story is indicating the person someone loves. That’s why it was important to me, I think this is going to be very important to understand the story, and fortunately this time around they translated it correctly. Akiho, talking with a regular font and all, seems to regain a hold of herself more and more. Thanks to a mutual on Twitter I even realized that her pronoun changes from 私 (watashi, in kanji) to わたし (watashi, in hiragana), which is the usual way her pronoun is written when she speaks as Akiho. THERE IS a difference there!! She remembers about the girl she’s got in front of her, too. She tells her that she had a name more befitting of who she is, actually, Akiho says that she’s just the embodiment of the thing she was named after. (This part was translated in ENG as merely “it was your name” and I don’t think they really got the beautiful praise she was giving to Sakura). “Just like a flower that blooms in spring”

Catfight part 2?

A shriek echoes in the library, it’s our Syaoran, the REAL Syaoran, yelling Sakura’s name!!!

He cut through the fake environment created by the book with his own sword, but Kaito wastes no time in appearing in front of him, out of nowhere, praising him for managing to stay inside the book, but affirming that having two Cats is really inconvenient for him (taken literally from the JP text, as opposed to the more arrogant way the ENG decided to translate it with). Kaito tries to grab Syaoran, but as he does so, we find out it was the Mirror Card who had taken Syaoran’s appearance, and it’s now back in the hands of the real one!! Sakura FINALLY recognizes her Syaoran, regaining her own identity once and for all, thanks to her beloved one. As some of my japanese mutuals have pointed out in their own reviews of the chapter, it’s really beautiful that the trigger for both girls waking up from the role they were playing is the person they’re in love with. Syaoran apologizes for being late, and Sakura can’t contain the tears, realizing she couldn’t remember who she was, but she was able to free herself of the spell when he called her name! Syaoran says something really important and poignant, and Mokona sensei gives the entire page to Syaoran to indicate how fundamental this is:

JP: “The only Sakura there'll ever be for me is [Kinomoto Sakura]”

Kinomoto Sakura, with her full name in kanji and all (he usually calls her in hiragana, but here the moment is solemn, you know!). He might have been put under stress and been tested with the whole Mirror thing, but Syaoran will always find his way back to his Sakura. No matter what. Sakura is so very comforted by that. But someone else is just not as comforted…. Syaoran regained control of the Mirror Sakura Card (again with that “Mirror Clow Card” in the ENG translation!! THE CLOW CARDS DON’T EXIST ANYMORE, FFFFF--!!) and even dispelled the Mirror new card, effectively undoing Kaito’s disguise, who goes back to his real self. At this point, we should have all four protagonists of this story with their true selves, no one is playing a role anymore. But Akiho is suspiciously quiet and unresponsive to all of this mess, and Mokona sensei avoided drawing any expression on her, covered by the veil. What is going on with her? I hope everything is fine, but I have the feeling something….might be going on with her….something related to the Squid Clan. Kaito notices that Syaoran managed to bring a sword in this place, storing it inside of his body, and it is likely a skill he acquired during his time back in Hong Kong (not, as the ENG translated, “You’ve grown during your time back in Hong Kong”, that could refer to his physical growth but this is not what Kaito is talking about here). He wonders if it was thanks to his mother’s gift, the divination, or if it was just his own good fortune. Of course Syaoran has to wonder how Kaito knows about all of that. He replies that Syaoran is...quite famous in the circles he runs in (that “young man” was merely added to fill in that bubble, Kaito isn’t being arrogant with Syaoran here. None of the condescending “boy” or “young man” you ever see in this chapter in English is truly said by the characters in Japanese). He says that “the most ancient European magicians” are particularly interested in the Li Clan’s movements. After all, the Li Clan’s got family lineage in common with that of Clow Reed, and indeed that European Clan is particularly spiteful towards them. So, if we ever needed it, we got confirmation that the Squid clan is particularly spiteful towards the Li Clan due to their connections to Clow Reed. When I’ve read this confirmation spelled out like this, I couldn’t avoid going back to think about my theory that the Squid Clan is actually the Reed family (noticed how they never reveal the Clan’s name?), the other branch of Clow’s family on his father’s side. It would kinda make sense if you consider the natural competition there might be between the two families, which have such a famous magician in common in their lineage. It’s still a theory at this stage, but I admit I did let out a shriek or two 😂.

Kaito’s watch suddenly cracks some more, and as he witnesses that, he says he really needs to make Syaoran leave, because he’s got no more time. Again, the ENG translation made Kaito sound condescending and arrogant with his “I have no time for this, you see”, when actually he was merely hinting that his life span is almost over. This is also why you see Syaoran startled by his affirmation, cause it seems he might be having a hunch about it. Syaoran realizes that Kaito is about to start something, so he summons Mirror and uses it on Flight (which was there with them on its own) to prepare “doubles” of it to give to both Sakura and Akiho. Apparently the interaction of Mirror with Flight gave also Syaoran a pair of beautiful crystal wings that just looks like the ones on Mirror’s back.

Syaoran sternly affirms that “I will take them back with me” (again, the ENG unnecessarily specified that he would bring Sakura with him, but the truth is that there’s no subject in the JP text and Syaoran gave a copy of Flight to Akiho too, so he’s very intent on bringing her outside along with Sakura. Therefore, why infering that he’s only focused on his girlfriend and doesn’t care about what happens to Akiho? Excuse me, but that’s not our Syaoran. He would never discard an innocent girl like that, and it makes sense because he doesn’t know about Kaito’s real intentions yet). Kaito confidently replies “I won’t allow it” (the ENG here made him say the more arrogant “No, boy. I’m afraid you aren’t”).

And with this huuuuuuge cliffhanger, chapter 68 ends here, in anticipation for the confrontation we were all expecting! I don’t think it will last for long, if they ever manage to start it, that is, cause Akiho’s behavior is kinda sketchy and I’m afraid a certain clan will soon “enter the chat” in their own way.

This chapter was really exciting for me, I enjoyed it from the first to the last page, and I feel it really reiterated how “identity” is a HUGE thematic in Clear Card. It’s very important to not lose sight of who you truly are, and our loved ones can help us remembering that at all times. In fact, both Akiho and Sakura “wake up” from their roles thanks to the memories of their loved ones. I applaude both girls for escaping the influence of this powerful spell, it must have not been easy. Particularly, I commend Sakura because despite being under the influence of it, she never stopped making questions. THAT was the indication that her real essence, her soul, was fighting tooth and nails to regain control of her own reality. She wasn't merely accepting and taking in everything that was in front of her. And I congratulate Akiho too, because she got herself freed from the spell without having any magical powers, only with the strength of her feelings and memories. The physical and metaphorical lifting of the veil was a super powerful image to me. I found it absolutely beautiful and it spoke to me more than a million words. Bravo Mokona sensei. Under that veil that kept her "in her role", there wasn't the somber Queen anymore, but the sweet and warm Akiho we always knew.

Syaoran was super cool and I think CLAMP delivered what they promised in their Space of some months ago. I’m sure his role isn’t over yet and we’ll see more of him. Please remember that, under his fired up appearance, Syaoran is a very loving and caring child too. He knows what compassion is and I’m sure he’ll give an evidence of it in the last chapters of this arc. While being of course annoyed at Kaito’s behavior, I reaaaally can’t bring myself to be mad at him, seeing how tired and desperate he looks (and sounds) in this chapter. The pocket watch, at this point a symbol of what he’s got left to live, breaks even further and that must have cornered him even more. I once said “Kaito looks like a wounded animal to me”, and wounded animals tend to become really aggressive when they feel under threat. This is what scares me a little bit about him. It’s evident that “failure” is not an option for him, so he has to complete his mission before he dies.

At this point, the only one who can truly stop him is Akiho, and I’m praying that she eventually can gain control of the situation before it’s too late. Sakura can help, of course, but I’m sure the only one who can weaken Kaito is Akiho. The one he’s doing all of this for.

Of course, there’s Momo too. Although she’s clearly got her hands tied, she’s resorting to any kind of tricks to steer this in the direction that will avoid a tragedy from happening. At this point she’s doing it in Kaito’s face too (and he’s not stupid, he notices that but doesn’t want to argue about it right now) and I find that so hilarious, among the seriousness of the situation. She really seemed to me like a mother who was trying to hide spinach in her son’s meatballs, denying that she’s put any of it in them. 😂 All of these characters are so lovable and they’re doing their best for someone else, just like CLAMP said in their latest Spaces.

Another small thing I want to point out is that we still have no “last chapter in 2 issues!” or anything like that announced on the color page. Maybe they want to wait for the very second-to-last chapter before announcing it? We’ll see.

Well, this post is already quite late by my standards so I will leave you here for now, and as usual I await your asks in my inbox to talk about this or that aspect in particular! As usual, a quick reminder of the dates for the next chapter, chapter 69: December 25th, on Bookwalker and Azuki(digital, ENG) December 26th, on Clamp-fans (digital, JP and other languages) December 28th, on Nakayoshi (paper and digital, JP) January 1st 2023, on Comic Days (digital, JP) <- if they don't modify this I'll probably be late again with my chapter post 😭

Let’s hope we’ll get an extraordinary chapter as a Christmas present!! See you on Christmas day!! 🌸

#cardcaptor sakura #card captor sakura #ccsakura #clear card arc #sakura card captor #translation differences #ccs spoilers #chapter 68

[slowdiived]

Hi hi! i really love your fics sm!!!

can i request?? Jealous Kurt because Bobby is getting a little too touchy with s/o?

no need to rush, take your time!!

Thank you (*＾3＾)/～♡

-K

love’s a two way dream (kurt kunkle x fem! reader)

i love making all these requests cannon to my story LMAO but warnings for alcohol and some smut references :)

bobby threw a huge party for his 18th birthday. he invited you and kurt, excited for it to be the last party where kurt had to babysit him.

you both got ready at your apartment, the theme was ‘space cowboy’ which gave you a lot of different ideas. kurt wore a pink cowboy hat you had got off amazon a few years back. you giggled at how cute he looked, he was just happy to wear it because you liked it. he also had on just a white t-shirt and jeans with the classic black vans. you wore a tight tank top with high-waisted shorts and cowboy boots that went about mid calf, white socks poking out a inch past the end of the boot. you had on a cowboy hat with pink cow print on it.

you had done your makeup, fake eyelashes and all. you knew a lot of pictures were gonna be taken so you made sure you looked good. you and kurt took a few selfies to post and then left.

“y-you are so pretty,” he placed a warm hand on your thigh.

you thanked him and then went to post your pictures on your story. he soon stopped the car at a red light and looked over at you again.

“i think i might d-drink tonight,” he admitted, his voice shaky.

“really?” you asked with surprise running through your tone.

he was very open with the fact that he didn’t like to drink or do drugs. he even quit vaping after someone he knew got popcorn lung. he made it clear it wasn’t his scene and he didn’t want to turn out a loser like his dad.

“it’s a really special occasion,” he smiled, pressing the gas once the light turned green. “i mean it’s bobby’s 18th birthday, that is special. i won’t have to babysit him anymore.”

you giggled at how excited you were that you would be able to drink with kurt. you had never done that before, always feeling awkward that he had to take care of you. now you guys could both be sloppy and giggly together.

you both arrived early, parking the car and bringing a few cases of white claws in. kurt placed them on the kitchen table and bobby came out of the living room to say hi. he was wearing some stupid nasa get up with a cowboy hat.

“nice hat, kunkle,” he smirked. “you look good.”

he was being a sarcastic shit.

“fuck off bobby,” you said to flip him shit. “i picked it out.”

bobby giggled and gave you a high-five.

“god, your girlfriend is something else man,” he leaned over to kurt. “still don’t know how you pulled her.”

kurt rolled his eyes and quickly placed his hand in yours. they continue to talk for a little bit and you crack open your first drink. you often drank alcohol fast so you took big swigs, mindlessly watching kurt and bobby bickering over something that had to with fortnite.

they soon went their separate ways, bobby starting to play some music and getting his party lights all figured out. people started trickling in and you stood with kurt, both drinking and giggling.

he got two white claws in and he was already acting goofy. he was stumbling a bit, his hands needing to hold onto your hips to ground himself. you finished your fourth and grabbed another one. he decided he wanted to sit down so you took him to the practically empty couch.

kurt kept trying to touch you in front of everyone but you had to stop him so no one saw.

“please,” he whispered in your ear. “i wanna feel you (y/n).”

“baby, we can do that in your car or bathroom l-later,” you slurred out. “let’s just chill out then go have more fun okay?”

“fine,” he pouted with a funny sad face.

“i love you,” you smiled trying to get him to be happy.

“i love you!” he kissed your temple.

bobby soon came over and sat down next to you.

“hey (y/n),” he had a drink in his hand.

“uh hi bobby,” you said with a bit of hesitation. “how’s it feel to be 18?”

he laughed, “i’m not 18 until the clock strikes 12 am.”

you nodded your head to show you understood him.

“how come you are with kurt?” he asked drunkenly.

you furrowed your brow and laughed in disbelief. you looked over at kurt who was on his phone. you assumed he didn’t hear and was thankful for that.

“because i’m in love with him…”

“no you’re not,” he laughed, taking a drink from his can. “you need someone who isn’t fucked up like him.”

you just give bobby a confused stare.

“yeah, i think you are the fucked up one,” you rolled your eyes and turned to look at the ceiling. “always such an asshole.”

“god i love it when you degrade me like that,” he sayid in the most sarcastic cocky tone you had ever heard.

you bust up laughing, slapping your leg from the enjoyment. kurt swung his head to stare at you.

“what happened?” he asked, trying to understand why you were in a laughing fit.

“it was n-nothing,” you manage to choke out as you giggled.

he got nervous at the fact you were laughing that hard with bobby. only kurt should be able to make you laugh like that. he placed his hand on your thigh and you placed your hand on top of his out of instinct. he kept his attention on bobby, making sure he wasn’t pulling any shit.

“shouldn’t say shit like that,” you look back at the boy. “you are still 17, ain’t no way bud.”

he pulled out his phone and shoved his lock screen in your face. it was now 12:02.

“c’mon baby, i’m 18 now,” he tries to say in a sexy way that just makes you gag.

kurt squeezes your thigh, trying to control his anger of bobby hitting on you. he leaned over to shoot him a death glare.

“what the fuck dude?” kurt asks, his fingers deeply pressed into your flesh but not enough to hurt.

“it’s not my fault your girlfriend is so sexy,” bobby tries to hold your knee but kurt swats his hand away.

you got nervous at the interaction, sitting stiff and not saying a word. you wanted bobby to go away and find someone else to creep on for the night. you were getting flustered from how angry kurt was getting. you know he would’ve been so passive if he wasn’t drunk, but the assertive dominance had you wet right then and there.

“c’mon,” kurt stood up and tugged on your hand. “let’s go.”

you looked up at kurt and smiled wide, standing up to follow him. before he starts walking, he pulls you in to kiss him. he grabs your ass and melts into you passionately. you didn’t know that he had kept his gaze on bobby the entire time.

you pulled away and he led you to the bathroom. you both got in and he slammed the door shut.

“you’re mine,” he said with this low growl you have never heard come out of him before. “all mine.”

his gaze were dark, eyes low. he started kissing your cheek down to your neck, biting you just enough to leave a few hickies. you whimper and paw at his hair, shocked by his actions. you loved every second, you wished kurt got jealous more often.

his hat had fell off and the string held it on his back, giving more access to his head. he pulled away and looked at you again with those big dark eyes.

“i’ve never seen you like this, kurt,” you say with excitement. “it’s sexy baby.”

he leaned down and kissed you again, his hunger for you taking over. he motioned for you to sit up on the sink and you carefully got up, cautious to not hit your head on the medicine cabinet. you then wrapped your legs around him as he kept making out with you, his tongue deep into your mouth and whimpers coming out of the both of you.

“i’m all your’s,” you pull away to whisper on his lips. “i am your girl.”

he brought your lip between his teeth and you moaned out.

it was all quickly ruined by someone knocking on the door and yelling at you two to hurry up. kurt gave you one last kiss and helped you down, you both opening the door and leaving.

he kept a hand plastered to your ass the rest of the night.

#joe keery #kurt kunkle #kurt kunkle fanfiction #kurt kunkle fic #kurt kunkle x fem reader #kurt kunkle x reader #kurt kunkle/reader #kurtsworld96 #spree #spree movie

[merymoonbeam]

Alpha and Omega

In HoSaB we learned that truth-teller is twin blade to Gwydion/Starsword

The male drew it, and Bryce flinched. Flinched, but—“What the fuck?” The knife could have been the twin of the Starsword: black hilted and bladed. It was its twin. The Starsword began to hum within its sheath, glittering white light leaking from where leather met the dark hilt. The dagger—.The male dropped the dagger to the plush carpet. All of them retreated as it flared with dark light, as if in answer. Alpha and Omega. “Gwydion,” the dark-haired female whispered, indicating the Starsword.(hosab)

What is interesting about this scene is that Sarah used "Alpha and Omega" for them.

And I searched what Alpha and Omega means.

In Christianity it means:

Alpha (Α) and omega (Ω) are the first and last letters, respectively, of the classical (Ionic) Greek alphabet. Thus, the phrase "I am the alpha and the omega" is further clarified with the additional phrase, "the beginning and the end" in Revelation 21:6, 22:13. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet were used because the book of Revelation is in the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek.This phrase is interpreted by many Christians to mean that Jesus has existed for all eternity or that God is eternal. 

and we have the truth-teller scene with Elain and Azriel (which is an important scene as you can see in this post> Truth teller)

Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.(acowar)

so we have:

•Azriel and Elain being light and dark, and Gwydion and Truth-teller are white light and dark light.

we also have:

•Elain as the lovely fawn with blooming spring behind her. Fawn symbolizes new beginnings, good health and innocence, and spring symbolizes new beginnings, rebirth and life.

•Azriel as death. pretty self explanatory.

•Alpha and Omega as "the beginning and the end"

•Life the beginning? and death the end?

Going back to Alpha and Omega meaning...

In Judaism it means:

In Hebrew, the word emet (אמת, meaning "truth"), is referred to as the "Seal of God."[8][9][10] [Cf. Isaiah 44:6[11]] The word is composed of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The midrash explains that emet is made up of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, mem, and tav: אמת). Sheqer (שקר, falsehood), on the other hand, is made up of the 19th, 20th, and 21st (and penultimate) letters. Thus, truth is all-encompassing, while falsehood is narrow and deceiving.

First, middle and last letters of Hebrew alphabet—Aleph, Mem and Taw. They together make the word "emet" which means "truth" and we have truth teller. We also have... Dusk’s truth.

An isle of near-permanent twilight, the home world of her breed of Fae … A land of Dusk. “Dusk’s Truth,” Bryce breathed. It wasn’t just the name of this room that Danika had been talking about with Sofie.(hosab)

Dusk Court. And there was a prophecy about starsword/starsword and its twin knife.

“It’s another of the Fae’s countless inane prophecies,” Bryce muttered. “When knife and sword are reunited, so shall our people be.(hoeab)

There is also an interesting story about the word emet.

In Jewish mythology it was the word emet that was carved into the head of the golem which ultimately gave it life. But when the letter aleph was erased from the golem's forehead, what was left was "met"—dead. And so the golem died.

we can again see that there is life-death situation going on. With Alpha and Omega meaning emet, emet gave golem life and with erasing the first letter—Aleph—the gollem met its death.

#elriel #alpha and omega #alpha omega

[prestonmonterey]

TLT UPDATE!! BEFORE I GO TO BED

(gods im so tired...)

@vincentaureliuslin @tatsumisheep3

no photos today so heres my cat :P

OPENING NIGHT!!! it went super well!!!!! (i think)

it was PA night so the understudys were percy and annabeth and they killed it!!!!!! :DDDD

also my director gave me a compliment today so im in a good mood (it was somethin along the lines of "you finally did a good job as cerberus" but ill take what i can get...) (i still have beef with him but.. whatever....)

its crazy how fast this show is going and that itll all be over after sunday,, but also i am SO tired bc we literally spend more time at school than at home this week :(

also getting a lotta acne bc im not used to wearing this much make up every day :P

but hey at least ill get to rest a teeny bit on the weekend (just in the morning TwT bc we have matinees)

also my parents and some of my friends are comin tomorrow so they BETTER FUCKIN BUY ME CANDY (i really really really want candygrams... one of the stage managers got like 4 boxes of candy i am so jealous...)

also also also we did the legacy robe last night before preview night and my friend (and mother /ij) got it :DDDD very happy for her

um um um i felt like i had more to say but idk this is already a lot and i cant remember things im kinda tired :P

oh i finally got my camper necklace!!! the beads were missing for like a week but they were just on the table in the costuming room... anyway my friend made it for me during tech class bc shes so so sooo sweet <3 (while i was in math trying to force my friend to study... *stares at neeks* /aff) i got four beads that kinda almost make the ace flag!! (black for tech, silver for the fall play, light blue for this show, and purple for my grade)

idk if i explained it before but all of our necklaces represent how much theater we've done,,, bc its kinda like how long we've been at camp. theres a bead for each grade based on our class colors, and the tlt bead, so everyone gets at least 2. theres also beads for each of the past musicals and plays at school, and a black bead if youve done tech, and a white bead if youve done leadership :D some of the seniors have like most of their necklace filled because of how many shows theyve done

heres another cat pic to keep you engaged and reading this /hj

also also also many many thanks to my wonderful actor and tech friends i would not survive without them (especially thanks to tech bc they have to put up with us actors... /hj) its poseidon's actors first show i think and they have a LOT of quick changes so their section of the rack is,,, kind of a mess. also the lamp for the oracle scene has broken multiple times i think already... and i already left my make up bag out yesterday and my watch in the cubbies today TwT we are a hot mess

my graphic design teacher was acting today :D (the farmer in drive is a teacher role, and they switch out every night) and i love him being so absolutely perplexed by the energy circle before show :333

also i remembered to put setting powder on for the first time,,, and... i forgot that my mom is SO much paler than me TwT (i was very washed out...) so ill probably stick to spray for the rest of the week :P

sorry i really am rambling tonight...

ok i will probably hopefully do at least one more update after strike on sunday!! (depending on how tired i am,, i might just curl up on the floor and sleep after the sunday show actually...) unless something goes horribly wrong,,, then ill probably post about it too

good night!! i need to collapse in bed and try to save up enough energy for tomorrows show :3

have a wonderful day/night and remember to hydrate! (or you'll die straight...)

#marble musings #tlt update

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

tti episode 18

“Last time on Total Takes Island: the campers built their very own bikes- and unicycles- and competed in an all-out race to the death! Julia discovered some… particular information about Scary just in time for them to hit the dock. Unfortunately for her, no one else believed it. Max and Michael made up and some seriously juicy gossip was shared about a certain fellow competitor. Will anyone survive today? Will Patrick inexplicably win invincibility again? Find out now- on Total! Takes! Island!”

Every few minutes, the projector light flickers, causing the black and white movie to disappear on the screen ahead. It’s certainly one way to break the mood, and thus no one- with the exception of McLovin and Staci- seems particularly scared. 

“Ew,” Ass comments dully as the teen couple on screen is hacked to bits by an axe. They return to their book- a thin survival manual- and lick their finger to turn the page. 

Julia rolls her eyes, picking at her cuticles while glaring back at Bonnie every time they turn to hush Ass’ sarcastic remarks. Staci and McLovin are shaking and holding hands- not in a romantic way, since they’re too busy screaming in fear at every jumpscare. 

Michael walks back from the mess hall, hands in her pockets. She smiles as she sits next to Max. “Hey,”

He smiles back. “Hi,”

“Everyone shut up, we’re getting to the good part!” Bonnie whisper-shouts, putting a finger over their lips. 

“You’ve been saying that for the past two hours,” Ass rolls their eyes again, peering over their book with that same condescending stare. 

“That’s because the whole movie is good,” they snap. “Now shut up!”

The psycho chainsaw killer on screen chases the final girl through a wooded area, revving his weapon and slicing through the undergrowth. Bonnie watches in excitement just as the protagonist jumps off a cliff, but grabs onto a branch just in time. The killer follows, but falls onto the tracks below and gets crushed into a million pieces by an oncoming train. 

Bonnie cheers as the screen fades to black. “Best. Movie. Ever,”

“It was fine,” Max says. Bonnie glares at him. 

Patrick walks back into camp from the forest, and scans the scene. “Did I miss the ending? I was taking a tinkle?”

Michael raises an eyebrow. “A tinkle?”

“Yeah, you did, but I have this whole thing memorized so I can relay it to you if you'd like,” Bonnie says. 

“No need. I’ve seen it a thousand times. It’s one of my favorites,”

“It’s sooo good,”

“Oh my God, would you two pretty girls go paint your nails elsewhere?” Ass rolls their eyes. “The movie is over, okay?”

“You didn’t have to come,” Julia mumbles. “We could’ve just stayed in the cabin.”

“And let these losers discuss strategy? I don’t think so. Come on, let’s leave,” Ass stands, grabbing Julia’s wrist and dragging her behind them. 

Bonnie rolls their eyes in sync with Michael as the two disappear. The sudden sound of an engine revving makes everyone jump- even Patrick and Bonnie.

“Did you guys hear that?”

“Ha-ha,” Max says.

Michael cuts in. “No, I heard it too. It sounded like a boat engine,”

Bonnie looks towards the lake. “But who’d be running the boats this late?” 

The campers- nix Julia and Ass- creep over to the docks, just in time to see the boat of losers speeding away, with Chris and Chef inside. “Um. Weird,” Staci says before looking down. “What’s that?”

Staci picks up the newspaper they left behind and reads the headline. “Hooked psycho killer on the loose,” McLovin’s eyes widen in terror. “Be on the lookout for a man in a hockey mask with a hooked hand, carrying a chainsaw.”

Staci squeals in terror and drops the newspaper. Max rolls his eyes. 

“Okay, first of all, that does not sound like a real newspaper headline. Secondly, this is so obviously fake,” he says, picking up the paper and tossing it into the lake. Staci glares at him. “I’m going to bed.”

Michael grabs his arm before he can walk away. “Wait! This could be a challenge!”

He sighs, then steps back to her. “Fine. So, what do we do?”

“Well… if this is a horror movie themed challenge, then I should be in charge,” Bonnie says, putting their hands on their hips. “The first ones killed in every horror flick are the ones who go off alone.”

Staci looks at McLovin. “Julia and Ass,”

The campers look at the ground nervously. No one speaks until Max finally says what’s on everyone’s mind. “Well, I’m not going to go get them,”

“If anyone’s going to get them, we’re going as a group,” Patrick says. “The goth one is right. Being alone is the number one way to go.”

Bonnie smiles appreciatively and turns back to the group. “Let’s worry about that later,”

---

“Can I borrow your chips?” Ass asks, waving their hands around to dry the clear polish on them. 

Julia rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t count as borrowing if you don’t give them back,”

“Oh, whatever. I skipped dinner and now I’m hungry,”

A rustling from outside quiets them both. They look at each other. “Did you hear that?”

Ass shakes their head. “It’s just that corny B-movie getting to us. It’s probably just those posers Bonnie and Patrick trying to be funny,” they return to their pedicure, filing down their toenails while Julia sighs. 

“You don’t have to be so negative all the time, you know. You could’ve just said “it’s nothing!” or “it’s probably just a squirrel!” and without that weirdo tone. You’re such a fake. I bet Ass isn’t even your real name,”

“Okay, first of all, you sound so dumb right now. Secondly, did you actually think that was my real name? My name is Natalie,”

Julia blinks. “Why do you call yourself Ass?”

“It’s ironic, duh,”

The door handle begins clicking from across the room and the two turn to it, eyes wide. Julia backs up a bit and Ass sets down their polish as the door flies open and Chef- in a hockey mask, carrying a chainsaw- jumps in. 

The two scream.

“Take her, not me!” Ass yells, throwing Julia to the ground and running out the door screaming. 

“Hey! Jerk!” Julia yells before Chef picks her up by the back of her shirt and carries her out. 

---

The remaining campers have gathered around the campfire pit, sitting on the logs in silence as they pass the time by listening to Bonnie explain the plots of their favorite horror games (with McLovin’s shoehorned commentary every few sentences). 

Michael turns to Max. “I’m honestly just considering walking into the woods and letting the psycho hooked guy kill me at this point,”

“You gotta stop saying stuff like that. You want to win,” Max instructs, pointing at her. “Remember, if you say it enough, you’ll believe it. Repetition is key to memorization, which is vital to internalizing positive messages.”

She sighs. “Alright, Mr. Psychology Major. I want to win,”

“And?”

“I want to win, and no one’s gonna get in my way,”

“Hm… could use a little more confidence, but better,” he says, smiling. "We'll practice more later."

From across the circle, Staci breathes heavily, legs crossed. They hold up a hand for the millionth time. “Um, I still really need to go to the bathroom,”

“Not unless three or more people have to go,” Bonnie reminds them, pacing around the campfire. “Let’s not waste our mileage just yet.”

“But I really, really have to go,”

McLovin holds up a finger. “I can take her if you want,”

“Um- absolutely not,” Patrick says. “You two out there alone is the equivalent of a giant neon “KILL ME” sign. Don't be such a pushover."

McLovin frowns as Staci squeals. “PLEASE!”

Bonnie sighs. “Ugh! Fine! Patrick and I will take you so you don’t get lost or killed. The rest of you, stay here!”

McLovin, Michael, and Max look at each other awkwardly as the other three leave. 

---

The walk to the bathrooms is quiet, aside from the crickets and occasional owl hoot. Staci half-walks, half-jogs (as Bonnie insisted she not run too far) until the communal building comes into sight. They dash inside. 

Bonnie and Patrick sit outside the door, looking around the dark for any signs of activity- after a while of nothing, they relax. 

“So, you’re into slasher flicks?” Bonnie asks. Patrick shrugs. 

“Some. I prefer psychological horror,”

They chuckle. “Why? Is cheesy special effects gore too much for you?”

“No!” 

A sudden rustling comes from the bushes behind the building. The two pause and look in that direction for a few moments before turning back to each other. 

“Man, my friend Caesar would’ve loved this challenge, he likes this campy crap,” Bonnie says. “I wish he was here.”

“Kitty would’ve, too,” Patrick adds. “They never showed up at Playa des Losers, though, so I really don’t know.”

“You guys never found them?”

Patrick shrugs. Another round of rustling catches their attention, and they once again stare in that direction. Suddenly, out from the cabins, Ass comes bounding behind them while their backs are turned, screaming and waving their arms, startling Patrick into running away on all fours and leaving Bonnie behind. 

“Wait!” they shout, watching him skitter off into the woods. When they turn around, Chef is standing right in front of them. 

---

Patrick runs through the woods, now on two feet, huffing as a shadowy figure follows him through the underbrush. He shrieks in terror as it pounces on him, sending him face-first into the dirt. 

He groans as he sits up, but instead of a masked chainsaw killer, it’s just Kitty. 

“Kitty?” he asks. They smile. 

A spider runs down Patrick’s arm and he shrieks, backing up and shaking his whole body. Kitty grabs him, holding him still and allowing the spider to crawl onto their open hands. They set it on their shoulder and it disappears under their clothing, to which they have no reaction. 

Patrick stares in shock. “You’ve been on the island this whole time?” 

They shrug. “I got lost,”

“YOU SPEAK?!”

“Sometimes,” Kitty says, watching as the spider crawls out from under their sleeve and up their hand. “Mal pushed me down this cool old well in the woods a few weeks ago, and it was sooo nice and quiet I didn’t want to leave.”

“You’ve been living in a well?”

“It’s only a little moldy,”

Patrick shakes his head. “This is insane,”

“Yeah! What’re you doing out here, anyway? You got eliminated,”

“They brought me back. Challenge,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Or something like that.”

A sudden rustling in the foliage nearby catches both of their attention, and when Patrick looks back Kitty is gone. Chef leaps out of the bushes seconds later, revving his chainsaw and laughing wickedly. 

---

Staci hums to themselves as they remove their headband to fix their hair, but as they catch their reflection in the mirror, they pause. 

---

STACI: “If I’m being totally honest… I was hoping coming to the island would help foster a stronger connection between myself and the original Staci, but I feel like… almost like my own version of myself now. I’m still Staci… I think… I don’t know, I’m just so much more, too!”

---

She pulls her hair back into a ponytail, leaving the headband behind, and steps outside of the bathroom, still humming. It takes her a few moments to see that everyone is gone but Ass, who’s hiding on the roof. They hold a finger to their lips as Staci looks up. “Where’d Bonnie go?”

Ass slides off the roof of the communal bathrooms and grabs Staci’s wrist, dragging them along back to the camp. “I don’t know,” they explain. “But there’s some total psycho killer on the island and he already got Julia!”

“I already knew about that- where are we going?”

“Mess hall. We need to arm ourselves! We’re probably the last ones left already…” Ass says, then smiles. “Which means only one of us will be getting the million.” They let go of Staci and begin running off, leaving them behind. 

“Hey!” 

Ass approaches the mess hall door, smiling back at her. “You snooze, you lose!” They shout, opening the door just to see Chef inside, revving his chainsaw. The pause for a moment and then scream. 

---

Julia, Bonnie, Patrick, and now Ass and Staci sit in the equipment tent as Chris watches over the cameras and chuckles. 

“This is so embarrassing,” Bonnie groans to Patrick. “How could I be out second in a horror challenge?!”

“I was third, if it’s any consolation. The real question is how are those pansies still in?” he points at a monitor displaying footage of McLovin, Max, and Michael sitting around the fire, not having moved since Bonnie left. 

---

“So, safe to assume that they’re dead?” Michael asks, turning to Max. 

“D-dead?!” McLovin quivers, pulling his knees up to his chest. 

“No, not dead, no one’s dying. We’re still on camera, see?” Max points to the camera recording them, blinking red. “This is a part of the show.”

“H-h-how can you be sure?”

“I just said- nevermind,” Max sighs. He turns to Michael and lowers his voice to a whisper. “Wanna leave him here to die?”

“I don’t have a problem with that,”

“I can hear you!” McLovin yells, starting up a loud round of bickering between the remaining campers. But all three fall silent as the sound of approaching footsteps come from the path back to camp. The three look at each other nervously and stand, backing away from the trail. 

“I’m too young to die!” McLovin shakes violently. 

“Oh, get over yourself,” Michael snaps. 

“You get over yourself!”

Max glares back at them. “Both of you be quiet!”

Chef runs out of the woods, swinging his chainsaw around and charging at Max in front of the two. He falls backwards and covers his face with his arms as Chef sprints over. 

“NOOOO!” Michael shouts, running in front of him and slamming her entire body weight into Chef. He yelps and the two roll back down the slope towards camp, disappearing from the campfire area. 

At the bottom of the slope, Chef takes his mask off and coughs. “Jesus, you got a lot of power for someone of your size,” he stands, wiping the dirt off his pants. Max comes running down seconds later and helps Michael up. 

“Why did you do that?!” He half-asks, half-shouts. 

She pulls a twig out of her hair and shrugs. “I know how important this game is to you. I didn’t want you to lose,”

“You would sacrifice your win for mine?”

“Yeah, I mean…” she smiles. “You’re my friend, right?”

Max smiles back and the two stare at each other for a few seconds before Chef rolls his eyes and picks them both up, dragging them back to the equipment tent. 

“And we have our winner!” Chris announces to the fallen campers, pointing to the screen in which McLovin is rocking back and forth on the ground and sucking his thumb. “McLovin wins invincibility- the rest of you, I’ll see at the campfire in a sec!”

---

“So… everyone have a fun night?” Chris chuckles. The campers glare at him. “Yeah, I thought so. Nonetheless, here we are again! McLovin won invincibility, keeping him safe for tonight- Bonnie, Patrick, and Julia- you’re all safe, too,”

“Staci- you got two of your fellow campers killed tonight cause you couldn’t hold it. And Max and Michael, you two are just plain unpopular,” he laughs. “Nonetheless, the next marshmallow goes to… Staci,”

Chris tosses Staci one of the remaining marshmallows. Michael and Max both pale and look at each other. The host beams at the tension, then clears his throat. “Max, you’re-”

Max stands. “I’ll go!”

The campers gasp, and Michael rises to her feet as well. “What?”

“I’ll go! I forfeit!”

“Um, is that even allowed?” Ass asks, putting their hands on their hips. 

Chris grins. “Usually no, but I’m not stopping this while it’s going. You sure about leaving, buddy? Cause you won’t come back- ever!”

“I’m sure. Let Chel stay!” he insists. 

Michael turns to him, eyes wide “But… the competition! You-” she stammers, looking at him.

Max takes her hands in his own. “There are more important things,”

“Well,” Chris chuckles a little. “That settles it. Chef?”

Chef walks over, picking Max up like he’s made of feathers and carrying him over his shoulder down the docks. Michael follows close behind, yelling for Chef to slow down until he finally stops with a sigh. 

“You’re insane for doing this,” Michael says, looking up at Max as he hangs over Chef’s shoulder. He shrugs. 

“You're my, right?”

Michael beams at him before standing on her tiptoes and kissing him. Chef rolls his eyes, but waits until they’re done to throw Max on the boat. He pops back up, dazed and bright red as Michael runs to the ends of the docks. 

“I’ll win for us!” she says. 

“No, win for yourself!” he yells back. “I’ll be waiting!”

The boat starts up and speeds off, leaving Michael behind. Chris walks up to her and pats her shoulder. “Man… can someone call the marketing guys, I think we got our couple for the season!” he turns to the camera and grins. “Who will be heading home next time? And who will survive to see another day? Find out tomorrow on Total! Takes! Island!”

#tti #total takes island

[too-much-sunshine]

Could u maybe give me like a description of how u think some of the photos from the photography / model (I forgot what it’s called) scenes were like? (Clothing too and that stuff)

I wanna do fanart and I thought that’d be a cool place or start but u can honestly give me any scene to do art on (like if u have a preferred scene ud wanna see art of specific photo thing of them js tell me)

Oh my gods oh my gods bestie you cant just SAY that its like a dream come true!! Literally you could draw anything and I would love it sm!! Ahhh You are so cool bestie.

Of course I can explain those for you if thats what you wanna draw!

I will say that next chapter does have descriptions of a few of those photos! So below the cut will be kinda spoiler and also super, super, super long post cause I'll include some quotes for you! <3

So! My editor and I were literally talking last night about scenes that we just see so well. I imagine this fic as a movie while I'm writing it, so to me everything is visualized very well but there are two specific scenes that I can just see so well and think would be very cool to see! (please do not think you have to do this! Its fanart so do what you want to do! Have fun with it!)

First I will go over the outfits I think. Just a reminder of their old and new outfits as their typical Hero outfits do change halfway through the fic so far. Grian first describes HotGuys outfit as:

"his normal patrolling outfit. A black tight-fitted shirt with his signature blue and orange logo plastered in the center of his still gasping chest and baggy black pants cinched around his calves. He had his bow clipped to his back in a way that could not be comfortable to lay on and his quiver attached to his thigh. And of course, dark framed sunglasses"

And Grians original Hero outfit (the first version Cub gave him) is:

"...motifs of HotGuy while being different. Like that fact while HotGuys is mostly black, this is mostly white. It was sleeveless, tied around the neck with a bow in the back. There were white fingerless gloves stretching up past the elbow and halfway to the shoulder, these also had bows. A pair of high-waisted white baggy pants cinched around the calves much like HotGuys yet these were sent over a pair of orange fishnet tights. A belt held them above the hips with a heart-shaped belt buckle with the blue and orange of HotGuy.  White combat boots tied to look together laced up with orange and pink laces. Resting on the head was a pair of pink sunglasses, heart shaped. And to finish off the look, there in the center of the shirt was a rounded off version of HotGuys logo, it almost looked like a heart."

I will refer to these both as Version One! Because we also have Version Two! Scar:

"The taller one has HotGuys current Superhero outfit, with a few tweaks to it, such as a few pink details that used to be black around the waist... changed to look more like Grians."

Grian:

"...Changes made to the outfit that he noticed were there when he first saw it. It did have less bows, such as the gloves now being smooth all the way up. The one in the back of his neck stayed, but with an added latch so if it came undone then the top would still stay on. The fishnets also changed from orange to light gray, probably to break up all the bright colors."

Grian never ends up ever wearing Version One. But there is a few times we see Scar still in his Version One.

Those are the outfits I'll reference during these scenes that I see!

The first one that comes to mind is actually described in the next chapter! It would be cool to have your idea on it before you know my description, but the picture that was taken while Grian was grimacing before remembering himself as they left the Hero Tower!

" ...he pulled his heart glasses down over his eyes, dowsing the world in a pink tint... he was bombarded with what felt like hundreds of flashing lights. Disorientated, he held tighter onto HotGuys arm tilting his head up to try and catch his face... HotGuy was looking away from him and into the crowd. He had his other hand lifted, waving and smiling so bright he commanded attention...

A few braver reporters shoved at Cub, pushing their cameras and microphones in Grians face, making him pause his steps pulling HotGuy with him.

His first reaction was to grimace at the audacity. He's just some guy, no need to push and be rude. But then he saw the flashes go off and he remembered himself.

This is what I said about it in the last chapter, and I do describe that picture in the next one. But if you like this one Id love to see how you see it!

Both CuteGuy and HotGuy are in their Version Two outfits here! And have similar looking makeup on!

"Dramatic wing with some more intricate, yet simple lines around it, along with an orange and pink gradient eye shadow. Finishing off the look with some mascara on his bottom lashes only. He also applies some pinkish lip tint to his lips."

If you dont like that one (I wont be offended if you dont! <3) I just love the scene where Grian is sitting, doing his makeup on the couch while Scar is preening his wings from behind!

"...Without another word, or look at Scar, he turned around with his back facing Scar. He heard Scar shuffle as well, probably sitting crisscrossed like Grian.

Hesitantly, Grian moved his wings off the ground and onto the couch behind him for Scars reach. He felt Scar slowly place his hand on the outside of his wing...

...He changed the subject, grabbing some eye primer and a few brushes. He felt Scar placing his hand back onto his wing, starting to actually straighten his feathers. Grian... moved onto foundation and eyeshadow, trying to keep his mind off it."

I just like the idea of them being very domestic and just best friends. Its probably one of the biggest extension of trust so far in the fic and it just feels nice.

Here, they are also in their Version Two. But dressed down. I mention that Grian doesnt have his boots or quiver on. I imagine neither does Scar as they are just having a quiet morning moment.

So, those are the two I see the most. But you also asked for a description of a few of the photos from the photo shoot! There are a few that come to mind!

The main outfit that Grian is in for a few of the photos is described as:

"It was a cropped pink and red hoodie sporting the HotGuy logo over his heart. The sleeves were a bit long so they poofed out around his wrists with white cuffs. His stomach was covered by a pair of high waisted joggers. The string belt was tied off with a heart shaped bow above his naval. Scar pointed to the slightly heeled pink and white combat boots resting to the side of the shoe box. He had also handed him a pair and heart shaped sunglasses that tinted the world in a rose hue."

Both he and HotGuy are also wearing makeup!

"...applying a pinkish blush over Scars cheeks including his nose; a call to Grians look where he used red to make him look almost cartoon-like. Then he took a blue pencil and drew a star right below his right eye, matching Grians pink one. On the other side he drew a pink heart, again matching his blue one. 

Taking a step back, he nodded satisfied. Leaning back in, he added a few much smaller stars and hearts around his cheeks making them look almost like freckles,."

HotGuy is actually in his Version One for these pictures. I like to think that Cub had to go over a few things after he realized he messed up with Grian and also made Scar a bit upset as well. So by this point neither of their new outfits were ready yet.

As for the pictures themselves, half of the whole shoot is taking individual pictures such as headshots and full body shots that catch what Grian looks like and what the public can expect from him. In these hes tense but trying hard to look professional and kind. Smiling nicely at the camera, and when hes posed full body he has his bow pointed at the camera or to the side with a serious face.

When hes with Scar though, he finally is told hes too tense and to have fun. Which basically means Scar is being goofy to the camera to try and get Grian to laugh. But the photographer mostly catches when Grian is rolling his eyes with a smile, making him look a bit like a troublemaker. And when him and Scar are posing together, thats shown even more as Grian is purposefully making himself a nuisance to Scar. Getting in the way of the camera or taking his bow from him or pointing his own bow at him making Scar raise his hands in faux fear.

(A few specific ones I imagine are HotGuy pointing at the camera with a bright smile, while CuteGuy leans on his shoulder looking at the camera with his arms crossed and a sly smirk. Or Grian on the ground as Scar extends his hand to help him up, both are laughing. I also see Scar smiling and 'checking himself out' in the camera while CuteGuy is behind him pointing his bow at him while he doesnt even know.)

I mention him having a few outfits changes and those are stuff like, white and blue skirts with white tights underneath and whits knee length boots. A mix of shirts with either HotGuy or CuteGuy logos on it. He is dressed in what I feel like is a mix of Arianna Griande type look but functional superhero outfits.

Something I struggle with is keeping the balance of Grian being masculine and feminine. He is secure in how he dresses and the things he likes. But societal wise, theres still a little bit of pressure there and he knows that. What is a little bit of a spoiler, but will say, is that these photos, when released to the public, are meant to pain Grian is a mischievous and troublemaker look. And its a good thing. Him and HotGuy are pinned against each other as opposites two times over. Their colors are opposite, and to the public, so are their personas!

I hope this helps! I went a little bit on a tangent there so sorry! Please dont feel like you need to do any of this! I just hope I was able to help you with the compilation of quotes for you too look at! And sorry this took so long to answer!

If you need anything else please to be afraid to ask! And I cant wait to see anything you create! <3<3<3<3

#woftl #woftl spoilers #SunShineTalks #Maybe I'll draw them myself too! #draw my on fanart lol #thank you so muchh

[astralartefact]

after all that happened you still think they made nymeia, the incest sister god, look like manah on accident????? it was 100% an accident

FFXIV 6.3 Thoughts and Feelings - Heavy Spoilers (kind of turned into a weird rant? sorry)

First off I feel generally pretty positive about 6.3, I liked it, Euphrosyne was nice, I'm not in a 'Everything is going downhill' mood at all, I'm thriving, Bunny Boys finally have short hair, I'm super excited for Eureka Orthos (bc of the music q.q my favorite ff theme is comingggg)

...but...

I'm hardly the first person to point out that the writing in 6.3 was... pretty meh.

And I had a bit of a thought about why it felt like that, because on the surface, I'm fine with what happened. I like Zero and her arc about making friends and her starting to care about others, I like the reveal that the twelve + 1 are Venat's group (When they pointed out that the thirteenth god might be the moonwatcher I legit gasped, I don't know why, I began to care about this guy at some point and didn't even notice)

But like. All of the writing was kind of flavorless, which made it a bit boring tbh.

Zero learns the magic of friendship through another mo-cap eating animation bc people liked the Graha Burger scene i guess (what is it with Endwalker and animating eating please use that cutscene budget for something else I don't want to see it anymore)

Rubicante and Cagnazzo exist I guess. I love their designs and fights, but the other two had a little bit more build up and it shows imo. (We fought Scarmiglione twice, Barbariccia had a quest of voidsent being absolutely terrified of her arrival, with these two we only have "I have a plan Cagnazzo, come with me")

All of the Twelve are friends :) No conflict, no chaos, just happy people being absolutely unnuanced nice and non-controversial :)

Instead of actually learning about the gods we get to meet a weird cultist as a nod to 1.x whose conflict felt like we already did that thrice (at least i hope that was a reference, bc if it wasn't then why???) and we got a crumb of Krile development. Which is good and I love her. (I hope the 6.5 raid reveals her new outfit, If she isn't our company for the last raid I will be upset.)

I guess there's a lack of superfluous-ness in this patch that's usually there. Like in Lapis Manalis, one of the group (I think Y'shtola) goes to the village to search for lore/information/whatever. Usually the game would let you do that. "While Vrtra is sad, let's check out this village." And then you get to go around and the writers spoon feed us the lore we crave so much. It's superfluous in a good way.

Like imagine we go to a new place, we need to find something out, Y'shtola is with you when talking with a local. That local tells you "And as everybody knows Light Aether is black!" Cut to Y'shtola doing /ponder. "Interesting. Thank you for your time." The conversation ends and Y'shtola pulls you to the side and explains to you what exactly you were supposed to get in that situation. Actually, Light Aether is white, so why do they think otherwise? Here are some hypotheses based on the lore we know that either are correct or will explicitly be ruled out later on.

Of course we could also come to all those conclusions ourselves - and in another questline game you would be expected to do that work for yourself. And in my opinion both of these approaches are perfectly fine - But since ffxiv generally does it one way it needs to be done on purpose if you suddenly do it differently. Especially if you suddenly stop doing it from one patch to the other in the main story.

But this time Y'shtola comes back and tells you: "No, I looked and there's nothing here worth mentioning." Get a barrel and carry some fuel. You don't get to learn more about Galatea the Puppetmaster or Drusilla's home or some weird new piece of Reaper lore. Go and reread the three notes in the Dungeon if you want that. We have stuff to do so go ahead and waste play time with this engaging filler quest.

The gods say "Yes, what people tell, feel and think about us affects us and our being." And then nothing happens. No examples given, even though several are kind of right there and it's a lot weirder that they don't adress them. Not even something basic like "Althyk and Nymeia are siblings, some people think they had children together, but that's actually not true." And of course nothing like "For example, Nophica and Halone were actually good friends, but the stories of the people literally created hatred between them and turned them into rivals, even though nothing actually happened between them."

I am bitter they erased their feud. Justice for Nophica.

Anyways, that's a lot of words to say "It was fine." To me it's at most a worrisome precedent, but I doubt this will continue? Again, the general outline is fine, it's just filling the gaps between it that didn't work out great. They probably just took it easy on this patch or something, who knows what happened behind the scenes. Maybe XVI needed help with something, maybe somebody quit, we'll never know.

And even if this continued, the music and the art design continues to amaze me and they'll have to do a lot of things wrong to make me consider dropping this game anytime soon lol

#ffxiv #ffxiv spoilers #nymeia #manah #drakengard #yes i just drew one again #one is just taller manah what can i say #i just bought a fantasia only to change my diety to althyk. #and then they give her red eyes. #i should have seen that coming. #she was my number two bc i have a weakness for fate symbolism #but then i was no that would be on the nose take her brother #fine i'l pay for another fantasia... it's penance for my sins of doubt #also can i just say i'm over the whole voidsent sculptor stuff #he doesn't have to be referenced literally everywhere #the community already acts as if it's some obscure arcane discovery to remember that existing when it's brought up frequently online #also if you know where the card i drew is from you're a real one