#visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

I really like what Oda does with this little motif of Robin and her reflection in the train window between this chapter and the next. Chapter 360 and 361 both have a lot of cuts between the various groups as Oda builds the tension of the train’s departure. But unlike characters like Nami and Chopper, the little snippets of Robin are of a single moment drawn out over two chapters. Firstly Oda establishes the reflection in the window in chapter 360, then in 361 Robin actually looks at her reflection, which then transitions into her reflecting about her past with the Straw Hat Pirates

She’s smiling. These are good memories with good people, but Robin very obviously covers her eyes. Symbolically, she’s blinding herself. She can’t stand seeing her own reflection, or those memories. Maybe she’s trying not to cry, but we never get a good enough view of her eyes to know for sure. I think there’s a part of her that knows that the Straw Hats would fight for her, but she just can’t stand to see them hurt. She can’t allow herself to be hurt by them. 

And as the train departs we get this juxtaposition of Nami desperately trying to reach her while Robin chooses not to see, comforted by the lie that she’s told herself that if she allows herself to do this one thing that the Straw Hat Pirates will be safe from harm. 

You can see how this backfires on her later when it becomes clear that the World Government had no intention of keeping its promise to a pirate, but more than anyone else Robin should understand how the Government works. But right now that doesn’t matter. Robin has to believe, otherwise all this pain and sacrifice would have been for nothing. 

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch360 #ch361 #visual metaphors ftw! #~symbolism~ #nico robin #Oda's expression game is on point

[lilshitwayne]

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

oh anon, i'm the wrong person to play this game with, all my least liked fics are my faves.

Can you read my mind? I've been watching you - With only 3 kudos, this one was left to die on a beach but I dont care because I love it I love it I love it. It's a take on a post season 2 FTWS, where Sky is roofied by Isobel, one of Beatrix's sisters. It's a highly claustrophobic fic and I really like the metaphors I used in it, I like the visual they paint!

#this game is so much fun?? #fate the winx saga #fate: the winx saga

[nicnacsnonsense]

This may be a controversial take, but I am against Uncle Iroh’s glow up in season 3. Now, I’m not against him having a glow up, swole!Iroh ftw for sure. But I don’t like how they chose to do his character design once he’s in his muscle form. They gave him abs! Abs! Not a full on six pack, thank goodness, but there is clear definition in his stomach area. Horrendous. Absurd. Obviously Iroh’s design should have been based off of strongmen, not super cut body builders.

For one thing, bodies just don’t work like that. They’re already straining credibility with his ability to build that much muscle mass that fast and from the prison food they’re feeding him. (Where is he getting the protein? Muscles can just be made from nothing. How much chicken did Zuko sneak him???) But having him lose so much fat, especially so quickly? Nuh-uh, ain’t going to happen. And how is he getting that ab definition, is he dehydrated? Actually, you know what, he is in prison, so fair enough, he may be dehydrated. But the point that that’s not how bodies do stands.

And also making Iroh into a strongman look is thematically impactful too, as a contrast to Ozai’s bodybuilder look. Both strongmen and bodybuilders are seeking to build muscle mass and both are very strong, but there are some key differences. Bodybuilders are only focused on the aesthetics of building muscle and their training is very punishing on the body — as a feature not a bug — and as a result they are more prone to injury. (Side note: no shade on real life bodybuilders. If that’s a choice you’ve made for your body and not a metaphor for who you are as a person and a leader, then you do you.) Meanwhile strongmen are concerned with the more practical objective of getting strong. Their training is more considerate of their bodies’ limits and they are less prone to injury. I mean, the metaphor here is obvious, no?

Anyway, the tl;dr is strong!Iroh should have gotten to keep his tummy. I understand the practical visual shorthand they were going for and I don’t care. Team Protect Iroh’s Tum (we are now accepting applications).

#a:tla #general iroh #uncle iroh #team protect Iroh’s tum #the only requirement ​to become a member is to respect Iroh’s tum #however members are encouraged to protect and respect all tums #any flagrant disrespect of any tum will get you kicked out

[dribbonart]

Steven Universe Rewatch: Bluebird

Genuine question: Are we supposed to take this seriously? Is Future supposed to be taken more metaphorically or something? Why else would Bluebird act like this?

She’s just kinda crappy to Steve in an incompetent way, then she jumps to straight up murder/terrorism. It’s all so... inconsistent. Did she really just have zero plan whatsoever? The entire episode is all over the place.

This commercial is the sort of thing I wanted from Future. Checking in on our beloved characters and seeing how they’ve grown and changed.

Peridot clearly approves of this plan to get compliments.

This implies that Bluebird did enough research to find out about TPing things, but fell just short of figuring it out. 

Never noticed that nightmare Steven in the top right before. 

What’s up with this design? She’s British, so is the hair being the Beatles or something? The shirt and pants look like they just randomly added some clothes.

The splotchy colors remind me of corruption. It seems to be implying that it’s not a good fusion, which is supported by the ending. I don’t think we’ve seen gem colors bleeding into each other like this before.

Four legs is interesting. I tried to do it with a fan fusion, but I couldn’t make it work.

A subconscious reminder of Greg’s hair’s importance.

Steven and Amethyst have the same drawing style.

Best joke of the episode.

I assume this is a deliberate callback to Garnet saying that Lion being related to Rose was pretty obvious. 

A nice moral. It might be unfair to kick out Bluebird, but you don’t have to have a “legitimate” reason to not want someone in your house. Your comfort matters.

This prank works. I like that Amethyst supports it.

OK, THIS MAKES NO SENSE. Why did Amethyst make this drawing. Why AND HOW did she get it inside a sealed bag of chips. Why is her drawing style worse and different than before. Why did she start drawing Steven without telling him, but leaving them around where he’d find them. Why the stink lines. This is lame sitcom writing.

We’re to assume that Amethyst coincidentally started to draw recently, only for this to happen in such a way that Bluebird arrived at the exact time to get Steven’s goat. There’s no plan whatsoever, it’s just a coincidence.

Cool replacement painting. I suppose it’s a Vidalia? Oh man, if there was a poster of this, I’d be dearly tempted to buy one.

This episode also has that thing where we check in on each character in sequence. Bluebird just happens to be doing something with each of the main cast just as Steven bumps into them. 

She has a malicious plan for Steven, but is also, (coincidentally?) hanging out with the main characters doing nice things that can be misconstrued as malicious. There’s literally no reason for her to make a cake, help Garnet stretch, or watch movies with Greg. It’s just an excuse for Steven to jump to the assumption that Bluebird is a bad person, which turns out to be true anyway.

The van being parked inside the house is a cool visual. Are we to assume that they warped the van while it was still driving? That’s fun.

I like when people are dumb but confident. Team Rocket FTW.

This is incredibly petty, but Greg should be hanging straight down. The line of the house is straight down, so he should be hanging parallel with it.

I like that Greg gets a moment of heroism. Stealing a gem’s weapon and cutting himself free is the most action he gets in the series. (Other than with Rose, wah wah.)

I don’t know why they decided to make him lose his hair. 

Just two angry idiots being dumb together.

I like Bluebird’s saber. It fits the weird design.

Ridiculous overkill. I’m not complaining, I’ll take any fusion I can get. Never noticed the wedding rings before, that’s cool.

I love the way Amethyst and Pearl are cool with being held up like this. They could just hang out here. Ooh, does this count as a Pearl’s butt episode?

Unreformed villains are such a rarity in the series, I like that these two never stop being jerks. She’s so phony about being redeemed, it’s fun.

Nice moral.

This episode is an adequate execution of a bad structure. These episodes where the story just checks in with all the characters in sequence for no particular reason always irritate me. Bluebird is too all over the place to be a legitimate or interesting character.

There are still some good jokes, it’s not terrible.

#Steven Universe #Rewatch #Pearl's butt #SU Rewatch

[thelittlefanpire]

100 days of writing // day 36-48!

thanks to @the-wip-project for putting this idea together. tagging @kinetic-elaboration @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold @hopskipaway and @dylanobrienisbatman.

I meant to post this last night….Wow, the days really fly by, huh? Almost halfway through this project and I have not written a single thing!! Soooo time to switch to a totally new project! Thanks to @troped-fanfic-challenge for a brand new story idea! I’ve been working on the moodboards for this event for quite some time but I hadn’t allowed myself to think about it personally…until now!

Going to use some previous questions to guide this post!

How do you start a new story?

First Brainstorm the Prompt.

I used to want to write different Movie/TV AUs constantly and now I mostly function through trope prompts! So for this particular WIP, the prompt is a visual moodboard, and it has strong Harry Potter AU vibes. I looked through my HP folder for some ideas because I really, really want to write the Bonus Character but I don’t actually have an full-fledged HP plot ideas in my t100 arsenal. My only HP ideas are all about gritty, dark modern witch hunts with hidden magic AUs or Dramione AUs. Those did lead to an idea and then the Bonus Character led to another. I slept on it and eventually my brain started to roll a plot around.

Next make a Moodboard. See below*

Then come up with a Title. I have a running list I like to pick through and it’s usually pretty easy for me to mold my new ideas into one of them.

Write a Summary.

And BAM! New Story!!! I’ve got an opening image in my head so I need to write that down sooner rather than later.

Make a new moodboard.

Just a piece of the rework I did on the TROPED: VISUAL Round 1 Moodboard. Not shown is the other character in this pairing/dynamic and the main setting! I am a very visual person so I really love creating moodboards for my fics! This HP one has the coolest vibes. Sorta Spoilers below the cut!

What’s an an old idea that you've discarded?

I loved reading @kinetic-elaboration’s answer to this. And I totally AGREE!! I never completely discard an old idea. When I switched fandoms after a 7 year hiatus, I began converting any leftover WIPs to my new fandom.

A lot of ideas move places frequently on the writing counter. New ideas are quickly chopped up into moodboards, titles, and possible summaries. Prompt ideas with a deadline get seasoned with outlines and notes. Most pressing WIPs are put on the front burners to be cooked up and ones I don’t have interest in go on the back burners. Sometimes things get returned to the pantry? (Aye, a Chopped Metaphor, ftw!)

Back Burner WIPs:

Soulmate Wedding Dress AU

Sweet Home Alabama AU

Sea Mechanic Selkie AU

Chopped 1.0 Final Fic

Octavia Reincarnation fic

Pantry WIPs:

College AU - 6k

Band AU - 5k

Infidelity fic - 7k+

BBB19 fic - 4k

+ a few under 1-2k

All of my ideas are stored in a list in a Google Doc and the only ones I’ve actively discarded were vague TROPED ideas like, a Canon Spec Ring Fic and a Space Opera R+J Bellarke AU. One had a moodboard but I recently deleted it because I don’t actually want to write it any more. Most of my ideas I believe I’ll write in time and I would never want to get rid of them. Just in case. I’m waiting on that inspiration and motivation.

#100daysofwriting #tlfwritingthoughts

[thezodiaczone]

June Forecast for Pisces

Ease into summer with an extra dose of self-care, Pisces. The Sun is in Gemini and your domestic, emotional fourth house until June 21, putting you in the mood to nest and rest. Lighten your social calendar—and your workload, if you can. Even if your job is hectic, slow down and add a personal touch to everything you do. This is a better time for building bonds than locking yourself away to beat an insane deadline. You need (and deserve) some extra support, especially since your feelings could fluctuate hourly during this emo time.

With the Sun moving through the bottom of your solar chart, focus on fortifying your foundations, especially with home and family matters. Spring-clean, declutter and redecorate Chateau Pisces. Let your creative and crafty side come out, in the kitchen as well. Find some healthy but nourishing summer recipes that you can make in 15 minutes or less (Pinterest’s visuals will get you inspired) or check out meal-delivery services with organic ingredients. With chatty Mercury also in Gemini until June 12, your home could be a revolving door of guests, from visiting relatives to friends who stop by and end up gabbing with you for hours. This month was made for movie nights and potluck dinner parties. Think: cozy and casual camaraderie FTW!

The June 13 Gemini new moon opens a new six-month chapter for home and family. If you’re considering a move, this is the perfect day to begin a serious search, put the word out for a roommate or to list your property with a reputable agent. Set your sights on the corresponding October 23 Gemini full moon, as seeds planted today could take until then to fully manifest. The fourth house rules women and mothers. A key female or a maternal figure could play into events now, perhaps opening doors for you or sparking up an important conversation.

Father’s Day is June 17, and if you’re celebrating a favorite father figure, keep the plans simple and practical. The moon will be in Leo and your sixth house of service and health. Opt out of the decadent brunch that puts everyone into a cranky food coma. Instead, get out in nature for a hike or picnic, or help him with a household task that needs to get done, like gardening, organizing or walking the dog. Spend time doing simple activities—preferably outdoors if weather permits—then maybe put something on the barbecue and serve it with a big salad or grilled seasonal veggies.

The second half of the month slows the action even further, as Neptune and Mars turn retrograde, bringing the total retrograde planet count to five since Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto are already in reverse. Neptune, your ruler, will be retrograde in Pisces from June 18 to November 24, prompting an internal review. With the foggy planet making a U-turn in your first house of self and identity, you might (rightfully) question the trajectory you’ve been taking this year. Examine everything from your priorities to your appearance to where you’re spending your time. Are you getting the ROI you want? If not, Neptune retrograde could deliver a wakeup call. As the planet of sacrifice, Neptune can tempt us to give too much of ourselves to others. But there’s a limit to your compassion, especially if it starts leaning toward codependence. If you’re feeling tapped out while everyone else is thriving, put your own metaphorical oxygen mask on first.

You’ll need to, because from June 26 to August 27, energy planet Mars will turn retrograde, spending the bulk of its backspin in Aquarius and your twelfth house of rest, healing and closure. Your vitality could be especially low, as Mars turns your attention to processing some heavier emotions or dealing with a transition of some kind. This summer could be powerful for deep work with a therapist or healer, as your subconscious will be especially active and the retrograde will focus your attention on the past. Where are you holding onto resentment, fear or anger? It’s time to finally let that go by getting down to the root of anything traumatic or scarring. If you’re dealing with health issues, explore the mind-body-spirit connection rather than just treating the symptoms, as they’re likely to have a strong emotional component.

Heads-up: With stressful Mars in your sleep sector, getting a full night’s rest could be a challenge. Your mind will race, and you could toss and turn, perhaps even having a few nightmares. The best antidote is an evening ritual of self-care. Take a small walk, meditate, hop into the tub (the twelfth house rules water) and put any backlit devices away a couple hours before you hit the pillow.

One day to rally is June 28, when the Capricorn full moon illuminates your eleventh house of groups and networking. Get out and hit an industry party. With status-driven Saturn hovering near the moon, you could mingle with some VIPs tonight. A team effort might come together triumphantly. If you’re launching anything, especially a digital endeavor, this tech-savvy full moon will give your efforts a viral boost. But make sure you’re fully prepared before you make any big debuts. Better to do it right the first time than rush something mediocre into the public eye.

Love & Romance

For the first half of the month, ardent Venus is sashaying through Cancer and your amorous, glamorous fifth house. Until June 13, your tempestuous temperature may be hotter than the mercury outside! Allow yourself to revel in the attention, and, if you’re single, to follow your bliss wherever it leads you. You’ll be feeling attractive and sexy, eager to flex your flirting muscles with anyone who might be an eligible contender. One of the best days is June 2, when the cosmic coquette forms a beautiful trine to fantasy-spinner Neptune, which is heating up your sign. But watch for jealousy and possessiveness to raise its green-eyed head on June 5, when Venus swings into a testy opposition with control-freak Pluto.

Meanwhile, lusty Mars is lingering in Aquarius and your twelfth house of daydreams and deep inner feelings. If you let yourself—and let’s face it, you don’t need much encouragement—you could really be feeling those flames of desire. Enjoy the fantasy but make sure the object of your affections is trustworthy under these illusory beams.

The red planet in your confusing twelfth house can add some disruptive energy, like digging in his heels when the better course of action is to let someone go. One of this month’s attractions might be someone who isn’t available—or might that person be you? Stress can mount when you’re keeping secrets, so think before you act. This is a great time to acknowledge any codependent behavior, and to start to cut the cords when Mars turns retrograde from June 26 to August 27.

On June 13, Venus will enter Leo for three weeks, lighting up your sixth house of organization and healing, dialing the wild party vibes down a notch and pushing you to prioritize a more practical and reliable side of love. And since all love starts with self-love, give your body some TLC!

Venus will clash with three planets before the month is out. First, on June 14, she’ll square erratic Uranus in your security sector, driving up worry and doubt. A week later, on June 21, she opposes Mars in your subterranean zone, possibly bringing some old buried emotions to the surface. And finally, on June 25, she’s at loggerheads with expansive Jupiter, which could make you feel pulled in too many directions. When all else fails, Pisces, climb under the covers with a good book and escape the madness.

Key Dates

June 14: Venus-Uranus Square Control is a turn-off any day, but as Venus clashes with liberated Uranus, the slightest whiff of it will send you running. Avoid playing life coach with your love interest. You don’t have to “fix” each other or give unsolicited advice. Whatever happened to just having fun?

Money & Career

Take it slow, Pisces. Not only is the Sun in Gemini and your homey fourth house until June 21, but go-getter Mars is powered down in its sleepiest position, traveling through Aquarius and your twelfth house of rest and closure from May 16 until August 12. Pace yourself and be careful about burnout, which is a danger during this powered-down time. Focus on finishing what you’ve already started instead of overloading.

With Mars and your ruler Neptune turning retrograde at the end of June—joining three other retrograde planets—you’ll want to be highly selective about what you say “yes” to now. Mars in your twelfth house of hidden agendas could bring mixed signals and even conniving coworkers who are jealous or not above-board. Watch out for resentments and rivalries brewing—and keep firm boundaries so you don’t end up as the target of someone’s misplaced wrath.

The June 28 Capricorn full moon spotlights teamwork and technology. This is the one day to come out of your cocoon to network or launch something viral online. Take a disco nap then head out to that rooftop midsummer mixer where you might bump into an influencer or run into an old contact who could make a helpful introduction.

Key Dates

June 27: Sun-Saturn Opposition Close the opinion polls—and your email and social networks—and affix your nose to the grindstone. You love your friends, but under today’s grating opposition, someone may cross a line and say something hurtful. Keep your personal life private. And you definitely don’t want to be talking about this at work!

Love Days: 15, 19 Money Days: 26, 8 Luck Days: 23, 6 Off Days: 17, 21

#pisces #Monthly Forecast #astrology #horoscope #zodiac #pisces monthly

[opbackgrounds]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, in a visual medium like comics physical distance can be used to represent emotional distance. Oda uses this angle in particular a lot, as the low angle makes the physical structures of Enies Lobby super imposing and emphasizing the gap between them.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch389 #visual metaphors ftw! #visual storytelling

[opbackgrounds]

Nice bit of character acting for Robin. She sees the Straw Hats, but closes her eyes to them, symbolizing how she’s still closed off

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch391 #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

So on an abandoned ship, Franky abandons his own vessel, his body and identity, in order to create himself into someone new. It’s just a shame that this new version of himself choses only to dismantle, and not create ships

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch358 #franky #backstory shenanigans #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

He means this both literally and metaphorically 

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch366 #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

I know that the change in weather is super important to the upcoming plot, but I like it more for how it helps add to the mood and tension of these scenes. Just look at those ominous clouds as Iceburg gives the Straw Hats their final time limit for getting Robin back.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch360 #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

I know it’s the waves of the Agua Laguna, but I love the framing of the first panel. It’s almost as of the conviction of what Luffy’s saying is bringing the Galley La lads to their knees

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch364 #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

This whole sequence is pure hype, in some ways unnecessary, but it also is another literal example of Luffy (and by extension Zoro) doing the impossible, in an arc that’s about the Straw Hats doing the impossible 

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch367 #~symbolism~ #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

It’s appropriate to have Spandam reintroduced in this scene sitting at a chair/table made of stone and reminiscent of a castle literally surrounded by weapons. 

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch365 #the devil's in the details #visual metaphors ftw! #that chair would be so uncomfy

[opbackgrounds]

I’ve said it before, but physical distance often symbolizes emotional distance in a visual medium like comics. As the top panel shows, there’s actually a bridge nearby for Chopper and Sanji to go over to Robin. Instead Sanji in his desperation goes for a more direct route--which Chopper naturally can’t follow--and is too bogged down by the waters of the canal to reach Robin before she runs away

Contrast with how the scene progresses at Enies Lobby, with a bigger, even more insurmountable chasm separating Robin from the rest of the crew.

If we take Nami’s later speech to Iceburg literally, right now there are too many doubts, too much mystery for the Straw Hats to go after Robin with their full strength. Emotionally speaking, that’s the big difference between this scene now and what we’ll see later on in the future.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch340 #~symbolism~ #visual metaphors ftw!

[opbackgrounds]

This works a little bit better in the anime and probably the colored manga since there’s, well, color, but there’s some pretty great environmental symbolism by having this argument happen at dusk. We’re closing in on the darkest moment for the Straw Hats, and (seemingly) at the end of one of the keystone friendships within the crew.

#opbackgrounds #one piece #ch331 #Environmental Storytelling #~symbolism~ #visual metaphors ftw!