#also he's doing incredible subtle character work and there's so much to him that people just miss because they just Look instead of Watching
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every time someone is like "i'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop with orym" im like. do u not understand. he is just a little guy. he is continuing the long storied halfling tradition of being just a little guy like sam, frodo, pippin, merry, and bilbo before him. an overwrought convoluted backstory with a massive twist does not a good character make and if every member of a party did that it'd be so tired by the end. sometimes what you really need is just a little guy. to be there. to feel it all. to understand when no one else does. to carry the weight of the big big world on their small small shoulders. and orym? he is just a little guy.
#also he's doing incredible subtle character work and there's so much to him that people just miss because they just Look instead of Watching#he is so much more than just a little guy#but that would ruin the premise of this half joke post#orym of the air ashari#orym#cr3#bells hells#campaign 3#critical role#crit role#mine
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Lesson 1: "White Man Painted Black"?
Okay, I recognize that this is a strong foot to step off on! But! If you learn nothing else from this series, if you decide for whatever reason to forsake me: this is the ONE perspective I'd like you to take away!
You may have heard this quote before, when Black fans deride a character design as 'a white man with the brown bucket tool'. On its face, it means exactly what was said. But specifically, what it means is that we recognize that whomever designed the character drew the way they normally draw for a 'default' character in their mind- default usually meaning White/Eurocentric features- and they added a shade of brown within the line art to make that character now 'Black'.
Now if you're feeling defensive, wait just a moment! This discomfort is not inherently a bad thing!
I'm going to use both a 'real world' example first, to show you what your Black fans and peers are seeing, and perhaps you will also understand our discomfort!
(if anyone was curious, my folder for this lesson is titled 'brad' lmao and you'll see why)
(I'll have y'all know that I actually worked very hard to make Blackface Brad look mildly presentable lmao I'm sorry, I'm wheezing, I can hardly breathe looking at him 🤣)
You see how, despite knowing where this was going, and using one of the darkest shades of brown in my Skin Tones arsenal, you still know that that's Brad Pitt? That nothing about his hair texture, his lips, his nose, or really anything other than the palette change... changed? And you can still see that?
It's incredibly hurtful to be told that that's supposed to be you. You know it's not, you know why it's not, but rather than hearing how it makes you feel unseen and what they could do to be better (since they wanted to draw a Black character!), the artist lashes out at you.
And as an artist, you might have worked VERY HARD to do this! That might be a real handsome guy you drew!! But... is he really Black? Did you walk into it with the intention, that you were drawing a Black Character, or did you draw a character that just happened to be Black? It seems like a silly thing, but it matters!
Okay. I just finished laughing over Brad. Now let's get into some more perspective changes:
Now, imagine you drew a character. You want to make her Black, so you change the hair and skin colors. All right! You have your Black character... right?
Changed ONE feature about her? (You should obviously change more than one feature, but let's just go with the simplified example.)
What if, instead of just changing her palette, we changed her:
Hair?
There isn't nearly enough time in the world, let alone in this little scribble and blurb, for me to describe the IMPORTANCE of Black hair in Black character design. There are so many ways to do curls, afros, braids, twists, locs, SO MANY HAIRSTYLES!! Get used to searching in the 3C-4C hair textures!!!! I plan on doing an entire lesson or two on hair alone, but suffice it to say, Hair Texture is thee BIGGEST giveaway that you 'painted a white person Black'- from cartoon styles to realistic! It reveals itself in your writing as well- just based on how your character takes care of their hair, how your describe the texture, how other people might perceive it... it lets me know just how much research was done. Because we can have straight hair! But again, that's a conversation for a whole 'nother lesson so- come back later 👀?
Lips?
I love our lips, I really do. There's a long history of shaming Black women in particular for the way our lips look. So when I see them done in all their glory, it makes me very happy. Two-toned lips vary in shade and intensity, so make sure you're using references if you want to be 'realistic', but it doesn't have to be that hard. Even a little subtle shift like this in the design/story description lets me know that a creator was thinking about me.
Nose?
One thing I've noticed ever since I starting drawing is that... people in a lot of mangas/manhwas barely have noses! I admit, out of all the features on the face, the nose isn't the most important. I think they should be, especially when you want to emphasize that your characters look different! People have different types of noses! I especially want to gear this towards those with a goal of drawing realistic portraits and the like- there, the nose is ANOTHER dead giveaway. There are Black people with aquiline and straight noses- we aren't a monolith- but is that why you drew it? Consider why you went for that nose specifically. That's part of the intent, in all this!
Now, you might be looking at me and going "Ice... this is just character design". To which my answer is: Yes! It is! It feels so basic, and yet if you ask your Black friends/peers how often they've come across this feeling of not being properly drawn/written, from fanart to professionally produced works, it's unfortunately common despite how simple of a concept it is.
I hope that you can walk away from my first lil lesson with new eyes. Remember, it's the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!
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Balance fic recs
some of my favorite balance fics. various ages, popularities, and lengths. i’ve been wanting to do a rec list for a while!
caramel by nevereverever
The first time Taako is left alone, it isn't pretty. But their lives are stuck in a loop and people come back and die again and again and he wonders if there will ever be a time when he doesn't have to fear being left alone.
2.7k, Taako & Lup
Lup dies one cycle and then, years later, she dies again. But she always comes back. Hurt/comfort of the best kind.
Warmth by noxic
"It was a well-known fact among the residents of the Starblaster that Lup, Barry, and Taako slept in the same bed more often than not. It was one of those things that they just did without really talking about it."
2.1k, Barry & Lup & Taako
The BLT fic of all time. Quality platonic adult sleepovers.
Taako the Matchmaker by @fantasysamsclub
In which Taako tries to set up his sister. Events take place during Stolen Century.
11.1k, Blupjeans & Taako
Taako tries to set up blupjeans. Miscommunication ensues. Very sweet and funny.
red fishing line by @anistarrose
A routine performance of Sizzle it Up goes nightmarishly wrong, and at Lup’s bedside, Taako feels helpless. And when a red-robed guest appears before him, Taako doesn’t know how or what to feel at all.
3k, Barry & Lup & Taako
Also the BLT fic of all time. Excellent subtle Taako characterization, and my favorite depiction of the familiarity-but-not of being voidfished. Warning for major character death.
Sunny-Side Up by @barry-j-blupjeans
And the world?
The world loved Taako.
For once in his gods-damned life, people loved him. They didn’t care about all the flaws, they didn’t care where he came from or who he was before. They loved his food and they loved him. No one would ever quite be at Taako’s level and that was something he thrived on. There would never be anyone who could measure up. Taako deserved this happiness. He worked for it. He wasted his fucking life away for it.
5.7k, Taako
A wonderful character study, revolving around the role food plays in Taako's life. Fairly minor but impactful characters like Sazed and Taako's aunt are utilized in a very meaningful way. So well-written and warm. Warning for brief suicidal ideation.
On the Deck of the Starblaster by @papergardener
“What the… what are you all doing? We have work to do!”
It’s a justified reaction, Lucretia thinks, to finding your entire crew literally lazing about on deck not an hour into this new cycle.
“This one's on me,” Taako says. “It’s a new trend I like to call: taking a fucking break.”
Cycle Nintey-Five. Everyone’s maybe not doing so good and could use a little warmth.
6.5k, Lucretia & Taako
Near the end of the century, Lucretia is feeling rough. Taako pulls her out of her funk and initiates a much needed rest. Fantastic characterization, of Lucretia as a whole, and the loyal, warm side of Taako. Warning for mentions of a suicide attempt and suicidal ideation.
leaving, as an injustice by @anistarrose
When Mavis is eight, she starts finding her Dad asleep on the couch in the morning. Sometimes, he’s even all the way out on their tiny patio, with his head slumped onto a pillow atop the chess table, and bags beneath his eyes.
In one of their following games, he tells her about tactical retreats.
4.7k, Mavis & Merle
A study of Mavis and her relationship to Merle. Incredibly insightful into criminally underrated characters. Excellent Merle characterization.
Permission by vaguenotion
She’d been doing this on and off for the last hour, as if daring the men to catch up to them. Daring them to fight her. Every time seemed like a final stand. Here is where I will meet them, her shoulders said, hiked up around her ears. Here is where I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done.
But then Taako would grab her hand, and she would turn and see the bruising on his throat, the blood drying on his brow, the tear in his shirt. And she would grip his hand in hers and together they would keep running.
12.6k, Taako & Lup
My favorite depiction of the twins as children, both in character and realistic. Beautifully atmospheric, with so many small details that make the setting feel so real. Warning for assault and harm to children.
Come Hell or High Water by @nillial
“Taako,” Hurley asks, “where’s your magic umbrella?”
Taako looks behind him.
He had tossed the Umbrastaff in the path of a neighboring vehicle, which was beginning to catch up to them. He sees them now, far in the distance, and he sees his Umbrastaff, too, lying dangerously close to its wheels. As if on cue, he watches the tires crush it to pieces.
“Whoops,” he says.
-
Lup is trapped.
And then she isn’t.
---
In which Taako breaks his umbrella during the Petals to the Metal race, unknowingly freeing Lup, who is almost immediately captured by Kravitz. After becoming a member of the Raven Queen's retinue with Kravitz as her trainer, she has two missions: 1) find her family, and 2) ruin Kravitz's afterlife.
A story about enemies becoming friends and lost families finding their way back to one another.
197k (currently), Lup & Kravitz
Incredible characterization. I love the way Lup is written. Hilarious shenanigans, sweet friendship-building, and terribly sad sometimes, because it dives deep into the reality of Lup existing in a world that's forgotten her.
Very cold water on a very hot day by @keplercryptids
Sometimes a family is a nerd who can't swim and the crunchy-haired watersport inventor who teaches him how. Surfer lingo required.
3.1k, Barry & Taako
Deep dive into the beach year. Excellently in character, well-written dialogue, and a beautiful depiction of their growing friendship.
Children of Atlas by @papergardener
They’ve survived the apocalypse and now as far as they know, they’re the only ones left. Perhaps it was inevitable that they’d consider… repopulation. Lucretia writes up a weekly schedule to try and address that. Absolutely no one is happy with this.
76k (currently), IPRE crew
The premise for this one is incredibly offputting, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. The characterization and quality of writing is absolutely wonderful. I also love the attention to detail of the realistic difficulty of just surviving. Fantastically atmospheric, this fic dives deep into the uncertainty and fear of the first cycle, when the crew are all strangers, and the love that turns them into a family. Warning for extensive discussion of sexual assault.
Emissary Davenport by DragonWrites
A series of stories where Captain Davenport is secretly an emissary of Garl Glittergold, Gnomish god of pranks. And when you're a serious-minded captain on a mission to save all of reality, having a cheerful trickster god as your unexpected patron can get a little strange...
300k, Davenport
A series of four works set in an AU where Davenport is an emissary to the leader of the gnomish pantheon. My absolute favorite depiction of Davenport, ever. The first three works are explorations of Davenport as a character and the relationships between people and gods in a DnD world. The last, Lost Gods, is the best fanfiction I've ever read. I can't express how good it is. The attention to detail among myriad plot threads, the building of themes, the characterization across just about every single character in Balance, all come together to create 223k words of a genuine masterpiece.
#apparently theres some kind of comment thing going on and people were making fic rec lists so i wanted to throw my hat in the ring#bc a few of these are very underrated#yes theyre all gen. i don't care for shipping. sorry#mine#taz#taz balance#the adventure zone#taz: b#taz fanfic#taz balance fic#fic rec
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Book Review 70 – American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
I’m honestly not sure I ever would have gotten around to reading this on my own, but ended up buying it through the ‘blind date with a book’ thing a bookstore in New York was doing when I was visiting (incredible gimmick, for the record). The fact that it then took me a solid three months to actually finish probably tells you something about how genuinely difficult a read I found it. Not in the sense of being bad, but just legitimately difficult to stomach at points. Overall I’d call it a real triumph of literature.
Not that anyone doesn’t already know, but; the book is spent inside the head of Patrick Bateman, high-flying wall street trader and Harvard blueblood at the close of the Reagan era. Also a serial killer. The story is told as a series of more or less disconnected vignettes, jumping from dinner conversations at one exclusive bar or club or another to the brutal torture and murder of a sex worker to several pages of incredibly vapid pontification on Nina Simone’s discography. The story vaguely tracks Bateman growing ever-more alienated and out of control as the year goes on, but there’s very much not any real single narrative or cathartic climax here. - most stuff just happens (stuff that’s either incredibly tedious or utterly nauseating by turns but still just, stuff).
So yeah this is an intensely literary work (obviously), a word I’m here using to mean one that is as much about the form and style of the writing as about the actual events portrayed. Bateman is a monster, but more than that he’s just an utterly boring and tedious husk of a man, traits which are exaggerated to the point of being fascinating– if you told this story in conventional third person narration without all the weird asides, it would be a) like half as long and b) totally worthless. The tonal whiplash of going from an incredibly visceral depiction of Bateman cutting out the eyes of a homeless man to six (utterly insipid) pages on the merits of The Doors is the selling point here (well actually I think Ellis goes back to that specific well probably one time too many, but in general I mean).
Bateman is a tedious, unstable monster, but as far as the book has an obvious thesis it’s that he differs from the rest of his social milieu only in degree. A symptom of a fundamentally rotten society, not a heroic devil among sheep. The book’s climax, such as it is, involved Bateman getting into a drug-fueled gunfight with the NYPD, shooting multiple people in the middle of the street, and then stumbling home and leaving a rambling confession to every crime on his lawyer’s answering machine – but despite very clearly wanting and trying to get caught and face some sort of consequence or justice, people just refuse to believe that someone like him is capable of anything like that. (It’s not, it must be said, an especially subtle book).
There is, as far as I can recall, not a single character who gets enough screentime to give an idea of their personality who I’d call likeable. Sympathetic, sure, but that’s mostly because it’s pretty much impossible not to sympathize with someone getting horrifically tortured and torn apart (at one point a starving rat is involved). The upper crust of New York yuppie-dom is portrayed as shallow and vapid, casually bigoted towards quite literally everyone who isn’t identical to them, status-obsessed to the point of only being able to understand the world as a collection of markers of class and coolness, and totally incapable of real human connection. Bateman is a monster not because of any freak abnormality, but just because he takes all of that a few steps further than his coworkers.
The book is totally serious and straight-faced in its presentation, and absolutely never acknowledges any of the running gags that are kept up through it. Which shows impressive restraint, and also means that none of them exactly have a payoff or a punchline – it’s just a feature of the world that all the expensive meals at trendy restaurants everyone competes for tables at sound disgusting when you think about them for a moment, or that the whole class of wall street trader guy are so entirely interchangeable that ostensible close friends and coworkers constantly mistake each other for other traders and no one particularly cares. Or – and I’m taking this on faith because fuck knows I’ve got no idea what any of the brands people are wearing are – that the ruinously expensive outfits everyone spends so very much time and money on for every engagement all clash comically if you actually looked up what the different pieces looked like. The book’s in no way really a comedy, so the jokes sit a bit oddly, but they’re still overall pretty funny, at least to me.
I like to think I have something of a strong stomach for unpleasant material in books, but this was the first work of fiction that I had genuine trouble reading for content reasons in I can’t even remember. I’m not sure it’s exactly right to call the violence pornographic in a general sense, but as far as American Psycho goes the register and tone Bateman uses to describe fucking a woman and torturing her to death are basically identical (and told in similarly explicit detail), and all of Bateman’s sexual fantasies are more or less explicitly just porn scenes he wants to recreate, so. Regardless, the result’s pretty alienating in both cases – his internal monologue never really feels anything but detached and almost bored as he relays what he does, sound exactly as vapid and alienated as when he is carefully listing the exact brands and designers every person he ever interacts with is wearing at all times, or arguing over dinner reservations for hours on end with his friends and lovers (though both those terms probably deserve heavy airquotes around them). He legitimately sounds considerably more engaged when talking about arguing over sartorial etiquette. It all adds up to a really strong alienating effect.
Anyways, speaking of sex and violence – perhaps because my main exposure to the story before this was tumblr making memes out of scenes from the movie, but I was pretty shocked by just how explicitly awful Patrick is ‘on screen’. The horrible murder, sure, but also just the casual and frequent use of racist and homophobic slurs, the pathological misogyny, the total breakdown he has at the idea of a gay man being attracted to him and thinking he might reciprocate – all of these are entirely in character for an asshole Wall Street ‘80s Guy even if he wasn’t a serial killer, but it’s still oddly shocking at first to see it so thoroughly represented on the page. It makes how comparatively soft-pedaled the bigotry and just, awfulness, of villains in a lot of more modern books stand out a lot more, I suppose? I have read a lot of books that are in some sense About queerness and/or racism in the last year, and no one in any of them holds a candle to good old Patrick Bateman.
Part of that is just the book being so intensely of its time, I suppose. The New York of this book is very much one of the late ‘80s, incredible wealth living side by side with social rot and decay, crippling poverty everywhere and a society that has to a great degree just stopped caring. Absolutely none of which Bateman or any of his peers care one bit about, of course – they’re too busy showing off the latest walkmans and record players, going to the newest clubs, and just generally enjoying all the fruits of Reagan’s America. Recent history has made the fact that Bateman’s personal idol is Donald Trump almost too on the nose to be interesting, but in 1991 I’m sure it was a bit more subtle in how telling it was.
Anyway, yeah, horrifying and exhausting read, triumph of literature, my god did Easton Ellis hate America (this is a compliment). Now time to go watch the movie!
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I just found your blog and I love it SO MUCH! And I was wondering if I could PLEASE request Bale?? Bruce wayne and Jason Todd Dating Rich reader hcs??
Bruce Wayne/Jason Todd x Rich!Reader Headcanons
-Credit to the gifs owner - Please be specific about characters wanted in headcanons and read request rules -
Masterlist Navigation
Bruce Wayne
Bruce would probably find it easier to be with someone who grew up in a similar way he did, except from the trauma he faced. He doesn’t mind how much money you have because he’s going to want to spoil you regardless and doesn't see your financial status as a cause for concern unless he suspects any shady business.
If the two of you have a pretty similar lifestyle in terms of finances then he isn't going to need to introduce you to new things life galas or the way he handles business during the day. It may also help you be more understanding of the minimal time he has to spend with you privately due to already having witnessed the amount of time and effort it takes for someone in Bruce's position to keep things running smoothly in their businesses but also while ensuring their own privacy.
Being from a wealthy and well known family, there is definitely going to be a lot of publicity surrounding the two of you so being followed by reporters and anyone working for any tabloid newspapers and magazines will be expected when you're spotted in public. Bruce would greatly appreciate it if you kept things private, if you went and told them a lot about him or actively looked for the publicity then Bruce wouldn't keep the relationship going for any trouble and leaked privacy that might come from it.
Bruce prefers the meaningless but highly meaningful moments he has with you, such as quiet dinners together or getting ready for bed (more like the early hours of the morning once he comes back and is able to rest for a short while). He doesn't find any genuine joy from doing anything flashy or going out of his way to do things that are "impressive" if you aren't going to enjoy the simple and quite tired side of him. Anything he does that is flashy is essentially just for show and to keep up the persona he's built.
Regardless of this, Bruce is still going to spoil you quite a bit, but he would just do it in more subtle ways, or if he does doe something extravagant he would prefer to keep himself humble and quiet (leaving his big public shows just for any publicity he finds to be necessary or expected of him). You'll usually find he'll refuse you from giving any presents back and may even sneak things into your collection of clothes or jewellery rather than presenting to you outright if you start getting sick of his constant apology presents (apologies for being busy and missing dates, or having to cancel plans last minute).
Jason Todd
Jason might be slightly put off at first when he finds out that you're rich. He doesn't want to be responsible for getting someone who may have been sheltered for a lot of your life into danger (if that were the case) and he also hasn't had many good experiences with other people outside of the family who are accustomed to having a lot of money. As long as you're humble about your wealth and don't make it the focus of your life and personality then he should get along fine with it.
In no way would Jason want to become public, or at least known for dating someone who comes from a well known family; he values his privacy more than enough to keep himself distanced from Bruce in public already, he doesn't need things to backfire by being photographed with you. If the two of you are going to date, then he's going to keep it incredibly private and keep things quiet until he's literally unable to continue doing so.
Jason will actively avoid all tabloids and reporters like they were the plague, and in no way can you convince him to behave any differently. No matter how happy he is with you in private, other than the people who know you both extremely well there will be no record of him being near you at all. Not only for privacy reasons, but to also keep his tracks covered and to keep you out of danger in the long run.
He will be more than happy to take you out on dates in places he has fully control over though, and will make sure neither of you are bothered in these places giving you both complete privacy. He just needs to be in control of the situation, if he's able to ensure things go to plan and aren't interrupted by anyone trying to find out who you're with or taking photos of him when they aren't supposed to then all will go smoothly.
Just because Jason doesn't like showing off with money doesn't mean he won't spoil you. He'll literally go out of his way to get you anything you ever want, even if you're left confused where he gets the money from (because it's definitely not happily from Bruce) but he won't let you get concerned about any of that. He'll essentially ensure you keep living the rich life you're used to as he continues to live on cheap take out and hiding his night life from you for as long as possible. He can clearly afford it though, just look at all the gear he constantly has.
#bruce wayne#bruce wayne x reader#bruce wayne x you#bruce wayne x y/n#bruce wayne headcanons#jason todd#jason todd x reader#jason todd x you#jason todd x y/n#jason todd headcanons#dc x reader#dc#dc x you#dc comics headcanons#dc comics#jason todd hc
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my thoughts on the lovejoy merch
tldr: i'm disappointed in the lovejoy merch. it doesn't promote their band and should have at least included their logo somewhere. i think anvilcat needs to be pushed as a character of the band, and have mocked up some of my own designs that i think would work better.
lovejoy has gone about this merch drop like a cc would - trying to make subtle references and items that people wouldn't be 'embarrassed' about wearing in public. this is not how band merch works! not only a money maker, band merch is key for promotion and advertising.
think about nirvana, metallica, the rolling stones. their logos are SO iconic and recognisable because they were used fucking EVERYWHERE! it SCREAMS their name. the lovejoy merch doesn't say their name ANYWHERE, and instead only pushes the name of their record label, and i have absolutely no idea why they landed on this (i know it's are you alright themed but cmon, why are you pushing that motif more than your band name?)
before i get into what i think they should have done, let's talk about what they did:
fucking inconsistent long sleeve: anvil cat records logo is alright but the shape of the anvil isn't readable. i'm always a fan of sleeve details but the lyric choice feels a bit immature (?) overall pretty boring
anvil cat records short sleeve: this is a worse version of the previous logo. the cat has no detail and and makes the anvil even less readable. and again, why are they pushing the record label logo instead of the band's?
it's only available in black and white which is very basic and i think would have worked better with a red/maroon print to fit the are you alright theme.
jimjam pocket: really not a fan of this. from a distance it's a yellow long sleeve that you're paying £35.00 for. up close it's a tiny print of a dog character that honestly i don't think works well enough to printed (fine as album artwork but like this just looks like a black smudge lmao). movin on bc i don't want to think about this one anymore
socks: i like them. unique item to sell. designs look alright - not much else to say
pebblebrain jumper: this is BY FAR the best product and you can tell that they have put the most effort into this. it looks high quality and is quite impressive that they've been able to make it. this is the only item i was considering buying (the price put me off) i'm not mad that this isn't explicitly promoting the band bc you can tell they were making it from a fashion pov more than a 'listen to our band' pov
so overall, it's a disappointing merch drop. i understand what they were trying to do since it was promoted as a 'one year celebration' merch drop, and so making an item for each ep (and the knee deep cover?) makes sense to mark what they've released since forming as a band, but i think 90% of their focus (and budget) went into the design and logistics behind the pebblebrain jumper, leaving the other products to fall short.
so what should they have done?
lovejoy already have an incredibly designed logo, and i am beyond confused as to why they haven't used it anywhere - especially when they're celebrating their first year as a band! it's literally your name!
slap that on a t-shirt and you can call it a day - it makes so much sense and i really want to know what the thought process was behind not using it. not only is it literally the brand you're trying to promote - it's a good looking logo!
they also have this amazing cat skull logo (which i'm a huge fan of) this is a WAY BETTER representation of anvil cat, and helps to convey the genre and tone of their music. it relates perfectly to are you alright and is instantly recognisable. it will stay in people's minds, but the only way to do that is to USE IT.
speaking of anvil cat, i made my own designs for him. imo, he should be the (face? mascot? character?) of lovejoy. the bird is a bird. the dog is annoying to look at and was created for a cover. the anvil cat has a story and the possibility to have a personality for fans to know and love and associate the band with. he directly links to the lovejoy's biggest song that started their whole career. he has a huge potential to become an icon for the band as well as a marketing tool.
my mockups are messy but they get the point across. look at him! the crossed out eyes, tongue hanging out, and the exposed ribs from the anvil! it makes sense! but get this - lovejoy have already experimented with his design, here he is, a small icon used in the centre of the poster promoting their halloween show.
i think that's all my ramblings for now. sound off in tags or replies what u think. am i completely wrong and should be burned at the stake for insulting precious band? maybe. but i mean it in good faith. i wouldn't care this much if i didn't want them to succeed
#lovejoy#lvjy#long post#wilbur soot#ash kabosu#joe goldsmith#mark boardman#love joy#long long rambles about merch#nothing ever changes#i feel very passionate about merch designs#and marketing in general#especially when they charge a lot of money for products#that either dont look good#or dont serve their purpose
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A Sign Of Affection Episode 4: What Kind of Voice
Boy oh boy there is a lot to talk about with this episode. Incredible production, incredible boards, incredible plot and character developments- it's got it all. So much so that it's hard to really put it all into words, but I'll do my best.
First off, let me talk storyboards. Yuta Murano has been insane with this series, boarding every episode so far- and he's been killing it, hell, even carrying it on his back (since he's the series director as well).
Anyways, point being that Murano has been incredibly intelligent in regards to boarding with this episode. How, you might ask? Spacing. The whole episode really hammers home the idea of space, both around characters but also between them. Murano leans heavily into the wider layouts like you can see above, but similarly uses first person perspective to create a strong awareness of the space between characters to help provide more feeling to Yuki and Itsuomi's relationship.
One super easy example is Kyouya and Itsuomi's late-night interaction. The combined use of first person perspective between the pair, as well as the wider shots between to show the empty space around them, really highlights their nature as friends incredibly well. He also really likes using doors and whatnot to frame the characters, and I love it.
Hell, I'll take it a step further too. See how Itsuomi is able to see Kyouya's face, but Kyouya can't see Itsuomi's? That's intentional, and shows how open Kyouya is vs how closed Itsuomi is. Very very great work.
And then there's this example with Shin and Emma. It's really subtle, but we never get a first person shot from Shin within. Even with Emma's singular first person shot he's slightly off center. The whole interaction is framed as Shin being there for a reason other than what Emma feels he's there for. His body language and demeanor, the way he reacts to Emma's words, there's considerable distance between the pair, and that gets illustrated very easily with the table in front of them.
Of course, my favorite pieces of this are with Yuki and Itsuomi. No barriers, no space between the pair, all of their shots really sell the idea of the empty space that exists around them as a pair.
I also just love that Murano has Itsuomi's personality down so well. He always strikes the exact same pose when focusing on talking with Yuki
Speaking of him, I love how catty he got with Oushi earlier on in the episode. Really fun addition to his very playful but reserved personality.
But lets rewind and dig a little deeper into that whole sequence.
Oushi, once again, really shows off his true colors a little too blatantly when talking with Yuki. The easiest comparison to make is the fact that Oushi is hitting Yuki's head while Itsuomi only ever pats it. Combined with the sign language for "cute", you really get a grasp on the challenges that face Oushi. Does he not pat her head because he knows what it means in sign language? It's hard to say, but paired with how he plays with her hair I think it's pretty easy to say that he does have some awareness of those things, and it probably comes from Itsuomi.
Anyways, moving forward again. While questionable behavior that does highlight Itsuomi's more... challenging side, I might say, the interaction between him and Oushi is really really great.
Firstly, because Oushi tries to use his familiarity with Yuki and sign language to put down the people around her so that he can take the top spot, but also because Itsuomi claps back and completely destroys him.
Of course, when it rains, it pours, so there's plenty of other character interactions in this episode.
Really, it's something that I'm incredibly critical about with my slice of life and romance series. The world itself is very wide, and people have more than a few friends. Being able to express that while preserving the core intent of the series can be challenging, but it makes a massive difference in overall quality and breadth.
And A Sign of Affection aces that aspect. Kyouya and Rin, whatever Emma's got going on with Itsuomi, then of course Oushi as well. There's a solid cast of characters that exist to surround Itsuomi and Yuki, and even more that exist in the periphery. It makes it feel so much more alive, and creates far more interesting dynamics that can ebb and flow based on which characters appear and where.
Though obviously, the main focus is Yuki and Itsuomi here, so that's where the majority of the effort goes, and it's entirely worth it. Just even simple things like Oushi only being seen in a crowd today vs Itsuomi being isolated when with her.
You might say that's just how the visuals shake out, but obviously a Costco isn't ever going to be that quiet so the idea is that because of Yuki, the focus is on Itsuomi so we don't really see much of any background characters.
Add on top the incredible sound design, and in this episode voice acting, and it's just a flawless experience. We as viewers experience the world in a surprisingly different fashion to Yuki, and the episode highlights that with things like the tone of Itsuomi's voice.
Incredibly simple and small details pepper this episode and the story at large, but they end up insanely important to comparing and contrasting the viewer's experience against Yuki's, challenging us to think and view things through her (very cute) eyes.
Anyways, let's put the icing on the cake here with animation and other work.
We know that this production is hand-obsessed due to the sign language, but that quality extends to other aspects. Being a very reserved and casual series there's not a lot of room for impressive animation, but the episode still finds way to show off with cuts like Shin cutting hair here.
Similarly, 2D vehicles? It's really a whole other flex. The requirements for keeping such a detailed object on model, all while in motion is really really incredible. And there's a surprising amount of those cuts in the episode.
Overall, A Sign of Affection continues to hit home run after home run with each episode, and delivers an experience that is only possible because of the medium. Creative to the max, it does everything in its power to elevate the source and create and entirely unforgettable experience. Saturdays really have been great this Winter season.
#a sign of affection#yubisaki to renren#ゆびさきと恋々#yubiren#yuki itose#nagi itsuomi#anime and manga#anime#anime reccs#anime recommendation#anime review
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Strap in boys, this is a long one.
So I was looking back through the pages of the manga and I noticed something very interesting about Hyuse. It's a really subtle thing but it's been blowing my mind all the way to Saturn and back.
I had to split this post up because of the Tumblr picture limit so if you want the full version you can find it here.
When we first meet Hyuse, he's in the Aftokrator Away Ship, dressed in Aftokrator's military uniform, surrounded by fellow soldiers. And he looks like this:
Look at his hair. It's neat and tidy, slicked back to be smooth and out of the way. It's very round and flat and well-behaved, almost like it's been polished.
Soon after this, Hyuse is instructed to go out and fight Tamakoma-1. So he does. He goes with Viza and he fights Tamakoma-1.
But Tamakoma-1 isn't easy to beat. In fact, they're quite hard to beat, and Hyuse is encountering some difficulties. Their techniques and weapons are new, unusual and unknown to him - he's being exposed to how Meeden works for the first time. And his hair... scruffs just a little bit.
Just a little bit messier, not a lot to really matter. Could be just the effect of an intense fight.
Then he meets Jin.
And then he fights Jin. And after fighting Jin and learning that his fellow Aftokratans have left, he looks like this:
Those back spikes weren't like that before, were they? No, after having fought with Jin and being told he's been abandoned by his comrades, Hyuse's hair is definitely scruffier. (Also, doesn't that crack look weirdly like he's... crying? Food for thought.)
So Aftokrator loses and Hyuse is taken prisoner, and when we next see him, it's here:
Posture slouched, hands in his pockets, hood over his head. A very clear anti-social stance. He doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want to talk to these people, he's pretty much doing this against his will. So he's reluctant, and he's hiding.
This is a common thing with Hyuse. It's how Ashihara communicates the distance between Hyuse and other characters to the audience; if he doesn't want to be there, he puts the hood up and he hides. And it's kinda interesting that the behaviour that is associated with Hyuse hiding is also the behaviour where he covers his hair.
His hair, which went from almost-uniform neatness in Aftokrator's ship to a ruffled mess after being on Meeden.
Do you see where this is heading? Let me keep going.
After the Aftokrator invasion, Hyuse spends some time among Tamakoma Branch as per Border's way of keeping him prisoner. He barely talks to any of the people there, but that doesn't mean he doesn't interact with them. He's still in the same space as them, sharing the same environment, so he continues to gain exposure to Meeden and its people, and he bonds particularly with Yōtarō.
Following this, the next major event in the story is the Galopoula invasion. Towards the end Hyuse meets with one of the Galopoula soldiers (Reghindetz) and demands to be taken with them so he can return to Aftokrator.
Hyuse fakes stabbing Yōtarō in order to convince Reghindetz of taking him with them, but Reghindetz flips out a completely grills him.
Chapter 135 is the first ever chapter to be titled with Hyuse's name; it's incredibly important to his character, and this panel is the centre of it. It takes up half the page it's on. Ashihara wanted to make it very clear to the audience that this moment for Hyuse is absolutely critical - and it is, because this is a major turning point in Hyuse's character growth. He's just had the blatant truth of what it means to be left behind by Aftokrator thrown right in his face.
And you wanna know what Ashihara chose to highlight in such an incredibly crucial moment for Hyuse's character?
His fucking hair.
His messy, fluffy, scruffy hair that looks absolutely nothing like it did when he first arrived in the Aftokrator ship. His hair, which has gone from neat and orderly and controlled to wild and free just from being on Meeden.
But the absolute wildest part? Hyuse looks like a teenager now. The more his hair fluffs up and gets scruffy, the more Hyuse looks like a normal everyday teenager who just grew up on Meeden/Earth. It's insane. It's surreal. It's absolutely off-the-walls batshit bonkers and Ashihara is a bloody genius.
It doesn't stop there either, because the very next thing that happens is the first time the audience gets to see Hyuse put on Lambyris. And lo and behold...
Hyuse, using Lambyris and wearing Aftokrator's military uniform, has scruffy hair.
Ashihara could've just made it so that Lambyris automatically gives Hyuse neatened hair, and excused the previous scruffiness with "he was in a fight". But he didn't. Instead he chose to show us Hyuse putting on Lambyris while looking like a normal teenager, and have his trion body load in with god damn scruffy hair.
What happens afterwards? Well...
Hyuse hides again.
Notice how he took the hood off when facing Reghindetz? He was confident then, self-assured. He had a plan and he was gonna act on it. Now, that's all been crushed. He's back to square one and worse, he's been confronted with the fact that he's been abandoned.
There's a distinct pattern to Hyuse's hiding. Whenever he's faced with something that shakes his world view and/or hurts his pride, he puts his hood up. He creates a second shield for himself and he uses it to cover up his key defining features. This isn't just anti-social behaviour, it's a defence mechanism.
The Aftokrator invasion? No hood, but the moment he's taken prisoner of war it's there. Aftokrator lost and then left Hyuse behind, and he's hiding how he's hurt by that. On top of that, he's being manhandled by Border.
Confronting Reghindetz? No hood, he didn't feel like he needed it. Post-Galopoula invasion? Hood up, head down, won't sit near anyone but Yōtarō. He's having to rearrange his whole perception of himself, Aftokrator and Meeden and it sucks.
And thirdly, confronting the Border Executives. In order for Hyuse to get back to Aftokrator, he needs to join Tamakoma-2 as their second ace, and help them get onto the Away Mission team. To do that, however, he needs approval from the heads of Border - which means he needs Osamu to plead his case.
Notice how, by having him sat down, Ashihara made Hyuse shorter than Yūma in this panel? How Hyuse, who's normally the tallest out of Tamakoma-2, is depicted as smaller than their smallest member? And even more than that, how Osamu is now the tallest?
Where Hyuse is normally the guide, the advisor, the more experienced one that the others turn to, in this situation he is the one reliant on them.
And look, he's regressed. He's gone back to that flat-eyed stare he had when we first saw him in the hoodie, sat in the back of the car.
He's been placed into a situation where he is basically powerless and completely dependent on others to survive, and in response all of his defence mechanisms have gone back up. He refuses to emote properly and only talks when he feels it's absolutely necessary, and the hood stays firmly on - hiding not only his hair but his horns as well, the key defining feature of his Neighbour heritage.
But Mikumo succeeds in getting Hyuse approved for Tamakoma-2. And Hyuse, incidentally, goes back to being depicted as the tallest of the four of them.
From this angle, it also appears that he's no longer slouching. His confidence is slowly coming back.
So at long last, in Chapter 150/151, Hyuse joins Border. He rocks up at the induction ceremony in a customised C-Rank uniform, hair fully exposed and scruffy as ever.
#it's turtle time#world trigger#wt meta#hyuse#this is only part 1#link to the whole thing is at the start
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Aroace Alastor
Hoo boy here we go- This one might make some people mad at me, so I'll preface by saying I do not want to start a fight and as long as you respect my business, I'll respect yours. But let's get this over with-
First off, I genuinely don't understand how some people can see the Ace-In-The-Hole quote and still believe that Alastor is only intended to be asexual and not also aromantic. Yes, the term Rosie used for purpose of the pun was 'ace', but can we look at the context of that moment before jumping to conclusions?
Rosie, motioning to Charlie: "Oh, who's this you brought with you? Come now, Alastor, she's much too young for you! Oh, I'm just kidding. I know you're an ace in the hole!"
Her original statement implies nothing sexual, only that he's involved in a relationship with Charlie, and she follows it up with why she knows that couldn't be because he's an 'ace in the hole'. I don't think you have to read too far between the lines to see that.
I would also like to say that when Vivienne has spoken about his orientation before, I recall her saying that she didn't want to confirm him being aromantic so that she wouldn't 'ruin anyone's fun', which I just feel like is an odd thing to say if she wasn't already explicitly picturing him as aroace. If she thought he had romantic attraction, why wouldn't she just say that? What fun would that ruin? I also feel like keeping things like this ambiguous just to appease the shippers is a little weird, but I digress-
And to those of you who I know are saying "But aromantic people can be in relationships too!!" *deep inhale* yeah I know. I'm not gonna pretend you're not right about that, but there are also aroace people who have exactly 0 interest in romance or sex at all. This is the part of the post that really is based on how I interpret certain moments, but to me he is absolutely one of those people. I don't really know where people get any vibes of him being interested in that stuff. I have never once looked at him and thought "Yeah I could see him in a romantic relationship with *insert character here*". Even aside from attraction in general, since that's what we'd be talking about at this point anyway, he just seems like the kind of guy who'd rather work and live independently instead of relying on anyone, whether practically or emotionally (which is also probably part of the reason he never joined the Vees, but that's another topic entirely). Hell, I'm pretty sure he's in heavy denial about even developing any kind of care or friendship with the people at the hotel (ie. the episode 8 scene with him and Niffty).
The only ships I see him involved in with people he doesn't hate (so ignoring RadioApple, RadioHusk, and StaticRadio. But to be real, maybe the fact all his main ships are enemies to lovers coded says something about the whole situation, but that's just me-) are Charlastor - which I will not even try to discuss here, people aren't gonna like this post as it is - and RadioRose. Rosie and him would at least be fair, if it weren't for one thing (which is also personal opinion on my end), and I don't know exactly how to word it. I'm tempted to say she has wingwoman vibes? But she knows he's aro, so that's not the right word, but there's vibes of like, she probably did act as a wingwoman before she realized that about him or something.. There's also something about her joking around like "Oh this is the girl? You have a girlfriend and I'm only now meeting her?" is almost giving motherly behavior. Idk man they're just besties to me, I could see them in a QPR though (not that they'd probably label it that way, considering the word queerplatonic is likely just complete gibberish to Alastor lmao).
So to summarize: It feels incredibly likely, if not practically canon, that Alastor was written with aromanticism in mind, even if Vivienne refuses to explicitly state it. Subtext and not-that-subtle implications can say just as much about a character as word of God, especially when that God has explicitly told us why she won't confirm or deny this information. Do I think any of this will stop people from shipping him romantically with literally any other character? No ofc it won't, and that's okay, that's just what fandoms do. I do think there's something to say for the fact the one aroace (or even at the very least asexual) character gets constantly shipped with everyone else in the cast, but this post is long enough I think. The only point of posting this is that I wanted to get information out there in one post to say "Hey, let's look a little bit past the surface for a second before saying there's no proof of him being aromantic"
Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you at least took something away from this
#*prepares to be metaphorically burned at the stake*#i will also say i have a complicated relationship with staticradio#if its one sided thats fantastic but the moment alastor reciprocates feelings im out#will probably make a post on that too at some point#hazbin hotel#alastor#aroace alastor#rosie hazbin hotel#platonic radiorose
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I still really like the way DunMesh introduces Kabru's party. Where they're clearly set up to be foils to our main party but not in a way that the narrative is pointing at them and saying "These guys suck and you should hate them!" They could just as easily have been the main characters and have the Touden party introduced second and it would have worked just as well IMO.
Cause I think a 'lesser' show would have set up characters like them as unpleasant jerkwads that you immediately can't stand. Maybe Mickbell is like that but even then he comes off more like a "funny asshole" than a genuinely detestable person. But the show goes out of its way to show that Kabru is incredibly smart and perceptive and knows and trusts his crewmates. The fact that he stopped Rin with a kiss tells me the two must be pretty close (it was pragmatic but I don't think she'd have reacted that way if they weren't at least on good terms, her main gripe was the illusion magic making Kabru look like a fish).
Plus, even though his reasons for going after the Touden party are /wrong/, he doesn't know that, and has no reason not to believe they've acted maliciously against his crew. So even while his party innately has it in for our heroes they're not bad people.
There's less that we know about Shuro and his current party and so it's harder for me to glean exactly what's up with him, but I also don't think he's set up as a 'bad person we're supposed to hate' either. I think the fandom is a little hard on him for his one-sided crush on Falin too - for all the "she's just like her brother" jokes she really isn't, not "exactly" at least. Falin seems a bit better at masking than Laois and has a better gauge for handling people, which makes her more "tolerable" in their eyes, hence why more people are willing to "tolerate" her monster obsession.
I know that Shuro has/had feelings for her and that it didn't go anywhere but that's...fine? There's no indication he acts entitled or pushy or doesn't respect her feelings or boundaries, and just having a crush on someone isn't a morally bad thing. I haven't seen the "outburst" when he and Laois fight either so I dont' have a lot to say here, just that I relate heavily to Laois, but I dont' think Shuro is bad for not speaking up on his dislike of him either.
As much as I desperately wish more people would tell me when they have a problem with me, how awkward is it to have to tell someone that to their face? How do you even say that? "By the way, I find you really annoying and can't stand you, I just want to clarify that so you stop assuming we're friends," I would love for someone to let me know but also imagine having to be the other person. I wish there was a nice way of saying it (and Shuro DID have a "nice way" of "saying it" but Laios is too autistic to pick up on subtle cues)
I still kind of hold the opinion that every character in DunMesh is some degree of autistic, but it's possible Laios is like the one guy who never really learned how to mask beyond "never talking about his special interest in public".
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The Beautiful Subtlety of TCF World-Building
I could write an essay about how magnificent it is. In fact, I probably already did. However, it always hits me again, every time I re-read it.
Just look at this moment.
-Human, do you want to loot these magic devices?
“Aigoo.”
Cale was flabbergasted. […] Rather than trying out these gambling magic devices that resembled slot machines of his previous world, the Dragon instead wanted to steal the device and break it apart in order to see how it worked.
Cale did feel a sense of satisfaction, but feigned ignorance as he asked.
“Why?”
[…]
-What do you mean why?! We need to figure out how they work! […] And then I will be able to take all of the money from here! I will use 1 silver coin from my piggy bank in order to rake it all in!
Cale’s expression turned stiff.
A dragon really was amazing. Raon was thinking even more practically than Cale.
Cale seriously considered Raon’s suggestion before seeing someone put in 1 copper coin, which was 1 cound in the Caro Kingdom’s currency, into a machine and then turning away.
Resignation, anticipation, desperation, obsession, and despair. Cale didn’t want to take the money that was gathered through the collection of all of these emotions.
Wouldn’t it be better to steal from wealthier people if he was going to steal?
-Chapter 187
It's such a small moment, I didn't catch it at first. But did you see it?
Did you see how Cale considered Raon's offer, because it's in-character for him to like the idea of free money... then immediately turn away from it? Why would he? What is it about gambling that disgusts him so much?
Cale dislikes gambling because of his abusive uncle. And we don't learn about that until much, much later:
“Wow, really?”
It was at that moment.
Choi Han overheard a voice that made him stop on his way inside the mart.
Two women were standing by the discounted items located outside. They were frowning while chatting with each other.
“No, Mr. Kim really fell deep into gambling?”
Mr. Kim.
Choi Han couldn't help but stop whenever he heard that family name.
"Exactly! He's asking anybody he knows if he could borrow some money from them! Apparently his eyes look hollow and he reeks of alcohol!”
“My goodness. Unnie, then is Mr. Kim Seung Jong not working?”
“How can he work when he’s like that?”
The older looking middle-aged woman snorted and shook her head before lowering her voice.
“But isn’t there a kid in his house?”
“Ah! I, I heard that he brought his distant relative!”
The woman who was chatting with her covered her mouth with her hands.
“My goodness… then-”
“Ah. That is a bit concerning.”
-Chapter 736
We don't learn until Choi Han's indignity test that Kim Rok Soo grew up with an abusive uncle. We only heard about him being orphaned and spending time at the orphanage before that point. I'm not sure if his uncle was ever mentioned at all.
Cale is someone who obviously cares about family a lot. Clearly, his uncle is a memory he tried his best to suppress.
Because he is someone who can never forget, but is able to pretend to forget everything he doesn't like.
That is some excellent world-building, right there. The most amazing part is how far ahead the author was planning. Think about it!! The subtle moment about gambling happened over FIVE HUNDRED CHAPTERS before it became relevant to the story!!!
This author is incredible. I admire them a lot.
...Also, poor Cale. No wonder he didn't want to rob casinos. The idea of gambling is at the very least a source of minor trauma for him 😢
#tcf#trash of the count's family#lcf#lout of the count’s family#cale henituse#cale#tcf cale#kim rok soo#character analysis#world building#tcf is amazing#tcf chapter 187#tcf chapter 736
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while i'm feeling stabby let's talk about action scenes in the percy jackson show (bc i refuse to let this go i refuse i do)
bc the actions scenes otherwise were not unfortunately memorable for me i'm going to be talking about the first and last ones and why they don't work both on a cinematic level but also on a character level. did i want to address the disappointingness of the st louis arch fight? yes. but literally cannot remember it beyond the fact that it was disappointing. which says a lot imo.
so. let's start with the mrs. dodds fight shall we?
i'm going to say it. taking away the sequence where percy assumes that he's wrongfully in trouble kills a bunch of subtle character work in the series.
in the books percy has a short monologue at the beginning where he starts off with "am i a troubled kid?" and so the lead up to mrs. dodds attacking him does several things. we, the reader understand that percy didn't (consciously) do anything, so we feel the unfairness when he's pulled aside - this scene asks us, the readers, to sympathize with the kid, not the authority figure. it sets up a fundamental theme in the books, that authority figures, and more specifically adults, can be challenged, can be wrong, can be terribly unfair to children. and this is important considering the protagonist of this story is dyslexic and has ADHD???
and they take it out. and it's really really galling.
there's so many other things that i could say about the character work in this scene. so many, like the fact that mrs. dodds' monologue about the gods is misinterpreted at first to be about the school - setting up the connection between the school administration unfairness and the gods unfair attitudes towards their children. like the moment when percy thinks that it might have been his ADHD acting up when mrs. dodds got up the stairs quicker than humanly possible. there's also less foreshadowing for mr. brunner being chiron, like the pen turning into a sword isn't even properly shown hello the pen suddenly having magical properties could be completely divorced from mr. brunner gifting it to percy.
there's just. a lot. of character work I'M LITERALLY SCREAMING IT'S NOT EVEN A HARD SCENE JUST PLEASE WHY IS THE SHOW ALLERGIC TO TENSION LIKE PLEASE
but they don't add in the conversations, they don't add in the moment of self-doubt, they don't add in mr. brunner. mrs. dodds just approaches menacingly. in broad daylight. like sir. the mist can cover a lot but it showed ares as a kidnapper. it doesn't make that much sense that it completely erased people's perception of mrs. dodds. like please.
(also idk if this is disney, but i think that it was incredibly frustrating that they really just removed percy's being treated as a delinquent and as a troubled kid. the show begins with the monologue but the monologue is kickstarted by percy being at "Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York." HELLO??? you could have had the exact same monologue but you change it for subpar themes????)
ok so it doesn't work on a character level.
does it work cinematically?
HELL NO.
this scene has already been torn to shreds and back (BUT NOT ENOUGH) so i'll be short. EVEN THE SPY KIDS HAS IMPACT SEQUENCES. ONES THAT LOOK REALISTIC MIND YOU. there's no impact. percy isn't pushed down by mrs. dodds, he just. trips? ig? silently? without any noise? ahahaha the lack of noise??? someone else has already mentioned the lack of noise but yeah once you hear (or don't hear) it, you can't un-hear it.
ahahahaha
ok but surely the show improved as they went on, as the filmed more etc etc. sure. but like. also no. (and also though i'm sure they did film these episodes in order lets also keep in mind that filming is not always linear)
ARES FIGHT SCENE WOOOOO LET'S GO
ok i did lose the video (i looked for it i swear, i took 30 min trying to look for it, which really isn't that long but yeah) but a lovely tumblr user here (i think i know who it was but i don't want to be embarrassingly wrong) edited the ares's fight with his internal monologue and an awful recorder rendition of that one song from the titanic and it really does encapsulate my thoughts. but yeah if you aren't familiar with the video.
when i was watching the final episode i swear i was trying to turn all critical brain functions off but it was really hard for me not to notice the increasing amount of time that ares just lets percy get up. i just watched dune (second part) so i was spoiled for good fight sequences but something i did notice was that in dune, when there is a pause in a fight it is FOR CHARACTER REASONS. the characters are DELIBERATELY NOT ENDING THE FIGHT. and that was not the impression i got from ares. it really wasn't.
and that took away from his authority/menace as a god ngl.
so yeah was the fight better than the dodds fight. 100%. like 500%.
does that make it a good fight sequence.... ehhhhhhhhhhhh....
(why did the scenes with luke have more tension than the ares fight hello)
and character wise. assassination. all the assassination. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CULMINATION OF PERCY'S CHARACTER ARC AHHHHHHHH. sorry. but like this was the point at which percy decides he's done running. and stands up to ares with all the taunts and quick thinking that we know him for. unfortunately the show thought itself better and erased that theme ahaha.
so this really is just a fight for the helm. no big reveals, no reading the actions and emotions of a god, no strategy, no trying to get to the water and ares stopping him. like
WOULD IT BE SO HARD TO JUST FOLLOW THE NICE LOVELY SCRIPT THE BOOKS GAVE YOU FOR EXAMPLE: shot of percy looking at the water, shot of ares looking at percy looking at the water, maybe a pan to the water here, percy moves towards, ares blocks. YOU CAN IN FACT SHOW BATTLEFIELD STRATEGY IN A MOVIE. BC BATTLE STRATEGY RESULTS IN STRATEGIC FIGHTING. WHICH IS WHAT THE VISUAL MEDIUM IS SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD AT. RIGHT? RIGHT???
ahahaha sorry just feeling stabby i don't really know why. anywho off to the senate meeting. i'm running a bit late but i did rsvp with a knife sooooo
#pjo show crit#percy jackon and the olympians#ahahaha i'm back from my extremely long hiatus#this post is dedicated to all the lovely people i see on my dash#who post lovely amazing introspective analysis of pjo
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glass onion is like. just such a flop compared to the original knives out. it has a bunch of crap elements, dropped everything that made the original any good, and revealed that those parts of the original were likely accidental.
the whole thing with klear is hilariously bad, and beyond being a really weird smear against an actually good green energy medium, is portrayed as dangerous in an incredibly idiotic way. 'the hydrogen gas explodes in household piping' why would it be piped into people's houses. do coal power plants have conveyors of coke they load into your house. do solar farms truck lithium batteries over. 'he wants to use it to fuel a manned rocket!' what do you think every single rocket runs off. clue: it's the most abundant element in the universe and also it's called hydrogen
in the original, too, the thing that gave it so much energy was the class gradient between marta and the rich family, how the rich family's common interests drove them despite their ideological disagreements. in glass onion the exploited victim the rich people all turned on is… also a rich person, whose claim to their shared fortune isn't 'she's a working-class illegal immigrant whereas the others are all money-grubbers', it's, instead, 'actually she was the one who wrote «Children = NFTs» on a napkin', and, instead of facing deportation and wrongful arrest for murder, she was facing… having her shares in her startup devalued
it's apparent that the focus on the class gradient between marta and the others was essentially a fluke - that the real conflict was in fact between different attitudes amongst the ruling class, with the poor only as a prop, a piece to be captured by one side or the other. the fight was always between which rich people were in the right - even benoit blanc, who seemed to drop in from outside the class struggle, has a highrise new york apartment with a balcony. marta getting the house can be read as a statement of real position on class struggle, but in retrospect, only circumstantially - in reality, it's just a wider, somewhat more metatextual version of the less-subtle 'blanc has the one working-class character in the movie follow him around saying which of the rich people deserved Legitimately to own the company'. the point, really, is that Harlan wanted to give her the house
and just like. at the end of the day, while 'actually, everything was just really stupid, there was no complex or interesting mystery, it was the guy who obviously did it and who we saw do it' might be subversive, it's not actually good
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I think it honestly just depresses me that Qui-Gon has become this character that fandom either turns into a saint or a villain. He's either this perfect "Gray Jedi" who is more enlightened than anybody else ever who can do no wrong, or he's an abusive selfish monster too focused on being right all the time to care about anybody but himself.
And it's too bad, because Qui-Gon is honestly one of my favorite characters. TPM was the first Star Wars film I ever saw, and part of why I will defend that film with my life is because of how much I enjoy Qui-Gon as a character. Yes, he's unorthodox sometimes. Yes, he takes risks. Yes, he can be kind-of an arrogant bastard sometimes. But he's hardly a villain or a monster or some kind of incompetent buffoon. Qui-Gon trusts his instincts and the Force above nearly all else, which allows him to make split-second decisions that he doesn't even entirely understand himself. He doesn't know exactly how things will turn out, but he trusts that it'll eventually work out so long as he keeps following his own instincts and letting the Force guide him to what he should be doing.
And that's SUCH an interesting character with really unique motivations! THAT'S what he means when he says to live in the here and now, to just trust that things will eventually work out if you keep following your instincts and the Force's will if you can hear it. Don't overthink it too much to the point that you talk yourself out of doing the right thing, even if you don't know why it's the right thing yet.
For people who aren't Force sensitive and who don't have that kind of connection to the Force, I imagine working with Qui-Gon could be immensely frustrating because he's so often doing things that SHOULDN'T work out for him and seem completely contradictory to his goals sometimes and maybe even entirely crazy, but then they just KEEP working out. A few hours, days, maybe even years later, Qui-Gon gets the last laugh. Imagine how frustrating that is to someone who can't hear the Force! All logic says this dude should keep losing, and somehow he just keeps getting proved right!
The level of faith he has is incredible, the amount of trust he has to place in others because of this is also incredible. It's not just Anakin, either, he has to do this with Obi-Wan, with Padme and Sabe, with the Council, even Dooku when he's younger.
And I love his relationship with Obi-Wan, the faith he has in Obi-Wan's abilities and the level of comfort and familiarity with each other that they've clearly built up over time. He can say something to Obi-Wan that to the audience (or to an outside viewer) might seem like it's only a half-formed thought, and yet Obi-Wan is completely able to understand what Qui-Gon means by it. They work together really well, Obi-Wan knows when to step up and when to let Qui-Gon follow his instincts. Qui-Gon trusts Obi-Wan when Obi-Wan does choose to speak up and often treats Obi-Wan as more of an equal partner than a subordinate. I love the subtle line Qui-Gon walks between allowing Obi-Wan enough independence to learn and grow because Obi-Wan is an adult who is clearly nearly ready to head off on his own anyway, and continuing to guide Obi-Wan because Obi-Wan is still his student and that's his role. I love how quick Obi-Wan is to tease Qui-Gon and how easily Qui-Gon chooses to take it when it happens.
Qui-Gon is SUCH an interesting character and it's really sad that fandom just keeps choosing to mischaracterize him no matter which direction they go, removing any and all nuance from him and the part he plays in the narrative.
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James Potter Dating Headcanons
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- Credit to the images owner - Please be specific about characters wanted in requests -
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James is going to constantly flirt with you and try his best to come across as charming before you agree to date him. He's desperate to show you how much he likes you and the affection he has for you, so the more you ignore his attempts to gain your attention the more outgoing he's going to be.
He definitely doesn't like the fact that other people may also try to date you or show you affection in the way that he does, so he'll definitely go out of his way to either scare them off or prank them so much that they'll get the hint to stay away from you. He doesn't see himself as doing anything wrong, but will apologise half-heartedly if he feels like you're upset with him because of it.
The rest of the Marauders will be keeping an eye on you for when James isn't around, even if it's just to get some hints as to the things you like or finding people who might know things about you so James can bring them up in a conversation with you. They'll try their best to be subtle, but after knowing them for so long and being aware of what they're doing it becomes pretty easy to catch them out.
James uses obvious and often pathetic excuses just to spend more time with you, such as simply asking you for help on an assignment or studying when you're well aware that he's more than capable to do it himself. He never pays attention to the work he's supposed to be doing when you do agree to study with him, and you'll often have to call him out for just obviously staring at you.
When the two of you are dating, James is incredibly sweet and affectionate. He expresses this in different ways but he mainly prefers just to have you constantly close and with him whenever you can be. He's always going out of his way to do things for you with as much effort as he can put into the things he does, and he always seems to give you little gifts at the most random of times just because he couldn't help himself.
James also doesn't mind PDA, but there is a limit as to how much he'll do. He loves having his affection and love for you on display, and despite having some immature behaviour at times, he'll never go too far as to make people uncomfortable as to how romantic or affectionate he's being with you around other people.
He does become very protective when it comes to you, especially if there are people he doesn't like around. You can always tell when he's annoyed or planning some mischief so it's usually best to get him to leave before he gets himself and the other Marauders in trouble. He can also become overbearing when he hasn't seen you for a little while, to the point where you may have to drag him off of you due to clinginess (but that's only because he missed you so much).
James would never be with someone if he wasn't planning on being completely committed with you, so as soon as he starts to like you he'll start to plan his whole life ahead of him with you. He'll be very vocal about this when you're finally dating each other, and he'd like to have a plan for the future with you having your say about what you want too so that he can make you as happy as he can.
James has some of the best friends he could have ever wished for, but even he struggles to be vulnerable around them sometimes. He does open up to them, but he likes to confide in his troubles with you first before bringing it to the Marauders. They can be pretty quick to jump into action and he just wants someone who can help him see reason before planning to do anything about the situation (especially if he's emotional in that moment).
#harry potter#marauders#marauders era#the marauders era#the marauders#marauders x reader#marauders x you#marauders x y/n#marauders headcanons#james potter#moony wormtail padfoot and prongs#prongs#james potter x you#james potter x y/n#james potter headcanons
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Hi, can I please ask for some of the essays about the cemetery talk and what we were supposed to take away from that scene? If you feel inclined, that is 💕
well i don't know if i can write an essay exactly bc tbh i still don't know for certain what we're supposed to take away from that scene. but i do know the tone of it was completely different to anything we've ever seen for buddie before and it also lasted so much longer than most of their scenes have before??? like i just went back to rewatch it to refresh my memory and it's 3 minutes???? that is an incredibly long scene for two characters to have in an ensemble show when they're literally just talking and it's not strictly moving the plot forward
but to try and break it down a bit:
i find it fascinating the way eddie reacts to buck talking about natalia. that weary, almost irritated, "really?" when buck admits he'd met up with her followed by the "dating somebody you rescued, you know what never ends well." it's So Different to the snarky way he used to react to taylor. like when he'd make comments about taylor you knew he was mostly joking or at worst, just being a little bitchy. but he sounds genuinely frustrated when buck brings up natalia. the closest thing i can compare it to is that it's a more muted version of "his fiance's abby" and we know eddie knew how deeply buck was affected by losing abby so it feels a bit like eddie is potentially annoyed bc he knows buck will probably get hurt again???
then you have buck saying the whole "i think she sees me" bit which echoes so much of buck's overarching storyline and his struggle with love in the past. and i know some people call this eddie's 'oh' moment but i definitely don't consider it an "oh i'm in love with him" moment. i feel like it's more of an "oh he doesn't see that i see him too" moment, if that makes sense?? and i think there probably is a bit of frustration with that for eddie given that the will scene is eddie as loudly and demonstratively as he can saying "i see you" y'know? nevermind all the little ways he proves he knows buck
and tbh i think my favourite part of the scene is actually the last 60 seconds because first you have eddie saying "you haven't been the same since it happened, but then again how could you be?" and it's just!!! 1) it's literally him proving he does see buck and probably knows him better than anyone else and 2) there's a very subtle hint of realisation in his voice when eddie says "how could you be" as if he's been convincing himself buck is fine this entire time (maybe post-couch nap) only for him to now realise buck really, really isn't.
tHEN he says "you don't have to be anything for anybody" and it might be my favourite words to ever come out of his mouth tbh because it's just once again emphasising the gentle way eddie lets buck be?????????? "i had to do it" "i know you did", "you knew i wouldn't" "i knew you wouldn't". eddie is So Good at offering buck a reprieve whenever he needs one and he's usually the person best able to break through all the noise in buck's head to make him understand that he's fine just existing as himself.
aND THEN eddie makes the comment about how going through near death experiences change a person and all i can think about is how after eddie's near death experience he made the decision to tell buck about his will after keeping it a secret for a year and how he never actually answered buck's question about why he kept it a secret in the first place and i have to ask, eddie diaz what changed in you???????????
combine all of that with the fact their outfits mirror what they wore in 5x14 and the absolute irony of eddie saying dating someone on a call never works out only for him to pursue marisol two eps later and just- i don't know if they pivoted bc there was a fear season 6 would be the end of the series or if the last few eps were always supposed to go the way they did but this scene in 6x15 raises so many questions and i feel like i don't have the answers to any of them skjahd
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