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marveldc-imagines-hub · 3 years

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That One Valentine’s Day Special (Captions)

Anon said: “Hello!! I saw that your wandavision requests are open and I had to request something! I’m so obsessed with Vis right now, it’s very bad. I can’t think of any specific plot ideas, all I know is that I would really love to see some fluffy Vision just head over heals in love with reader. Kisses, cuddles, all that jazz. Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️”

Anon said: “maybe a request where it’s valentines and the reader and Wanda team up to get really dressed up and make an amazing dinner to surprise Vision, but when he comes home and sees them both he’s so flustered that either like has a shutdown or faints? And then obviously Wanda and the reader panic and spend the evening taking care of him and also teasing him for being so adorable/fainting? Thank you!!!”

A/N: Combined aspects from both of these requests to make an ooey gooey Valentine’s Day special (which got belated because I lost half of the writing when I transferred it from doc to Tumblr post :’D)!

Don’t think this is the type of dressed up you meant but I hope you like it, either way! The type of nightwear I was going for with Wanda was something like this.

Subtitles/Captions Masterlist

Tip Jar

Word count: 7,117

Warnings: Valentine’s Day sap. Lingerie, passionate kissing, and everyone being flirty (nothing graphic). Reader makes a really, really, just terrible pun in order to compliment Wanda. This was edited very late at night, so there might be a few errors.

Tag list: @cyanide-mustard @badasspolygenderfriend (These were the only two on the tag list who confirmed that they wanted to be tagged in everything WandaVision-related; if anyone else on the Subtitles list does, just let me know!)

~~~

“Hey, Wanda?” You hollered to the woman in the other room. You were standing in front of the mirror in the Maximoff bathroom, adjusting the collar of the somewhat too-big shirt you wore.

“Yes, dear?” Your girlfriend hollered back from a couple of rooms away.

“While I definitely get the why we’re doing this,” you continued, tugging the shirt’s shoulders farther to one side, then back to the other, before giving up and moving onto your hair, “with Valentine’s Day and all, you know--”

Wanda piped up, probably to assure you that she was listening more than anything, “Yes, I do.”

You snorted. “--but is there a reason we’re doing so… much?”

As you spoke, you ran your hands through your hair, ruffling it to give it a bedhead type of look. You faltered a bit when your eyes settled on the ugly scar on your forehead that your hair couldn’t cover without being in a bizarre style. You frowned and dug a finger into the scar tissue, feeling very little other than mild pressure when you did so.

There was a pause on Wanda’s end. “You don’t think he deserves it, working so hard this past week?”

You reeled back, insecurity forgotten, and quickly left the bathroom. You walked down the hall to where Wanda was working on her own outfit in the bedroom she shared with Vision, rambling away, “No, no, no! I mean no as in no, you’re wrong, not as in he doesn’t deserve what we’re doing. Of course, he does! To be completely honest, he probably deserves it more than anyone in town--aside from yourself, of course--but… For example, we did a lot revolving around food and… Vis doesn’t eat.”

There was another pause and you halted by the closed bedroom door, mainly to pick a rose petal from where it stuck itself to the bottom of your stockinged foot but also because you didn’t want to walk in on your partner.

“But Valentine’s Day revolves around food quite a bit, doesn’t it?” Wanda said from the other side of the door. At this point in your relationship, you could pick up pretty easily how Wanda was feeling by her tone of voice. She spoke thoughtfully, which wasn’t all that concerning, but there was a certain edge to her voice that made you worried; she was going to start overthinking and scrapping the entire idea if you didn’t interfere soon.

You tilted your head from one side to the other while considering her statement before giving a nod she couldn’t see and responding, “I suppose you’re right there. Lots of holidays do, now that I think about it. Thanksgiving? Turkey. Easter? Candy. Christmas? Just… food in general.”

You glanced around as you spoke. You couldn’t see much of the house from where you stood in the hallway but you knew what to expect when you walked to the main part of the house. All of the house’s lights were off, save for a few lamps that washed the house with what would have been a low, cozy, get-comfortable-before-bed sort of light if Wanda hadn’t used her powers to turn the lightbulbs in said lamps from yellow to a red; because of this change, the dim light gave off a much more romantic energy that fit with the rest of your and Wanda’s decorating. Red, pink, and white rose petals were scattered all across the floor, starting from the front were, where Vision would be when he walked in after work and making a trail to different rooms of the house. One path led to the kitchen and dining area, where you and Wanda had spent a good part of the day preparing various sweet, Valentine’s Day- and romance-themed treats plus dinner and setting up the table with candles and flowers and a pink tablecloth that matched the pink rose petals. Another led to the living room, which was decorated in a similar nature. Thanks to Wanda’s ability to conjure, she was able to quickly clean up the area that was usually hidden under a mess of baby equipment, change the color of the throw pillows and blankets to the correct red and pink theme, and even had “floating” heart decorations that danced across the ceiling on transparent strings; the babies themselves were gone for the night, safe under Agnes’s care once she and you had been able to convince Wanda. Finally, a rose path, accompanied by ceiling hearts, led down the hallway until it made a fading stop at where were you currently stood, leaning next to the bedroom door. The bedroom itself wasn’t decorated and neither of you had really talked about the assumptions that could be made from looking at the trail, but what you had discussed was how many romantic movies Wanda was going to project onto one of the walls after dinner while cuddling would most certainly take place on the couch.

The third path was mainly to guide you down the hallway while Wanda greeted Vision from the kitchen. It was also to lead Vision to go change into his own set of comfy pajamas when you and Wanda would ultimately have to push him to do so after him grumbling about too tired to do so.

Poor thing, you thought while pushing yourself away from the wall.

Being the company’s fastest and best worker, Vision had become victim to Mr. Hart doubling his workload and as a result, the gentleman had been working like a dog for the entire past week. His days had consisted of getting up way too early only to go into work and be worked to the bone, then come home and relieve Wanda of the babies--regardless of her assuring him that she’d be fine while he rested--until he passed out on the couch sometime later into the night. You’d been surprised, after learning of his synthezoid identity, that he’d need to sleep at all but you supposed anyone would need to recharge after a day like that.

You, on the other hand, had racked up some vacation days and, after a chat with Wanda about the upcoming romantic holiday, decided to add an extra day to your weekend so the two of you could do something nice for her husband. You’d probably regret this on Monday but for now, you were just happy to have spent the day working with Wanda and were hoping the rest of the night went well.

Speaking of the woman, Wanda had been quiet for some time now, other than the sounds of rustling fabric. You decided now was a good time as any to get involved before she decided that she should do something completely different and cause all the previous work to go to waste, so you knocked. After getting a verbal invitation, you strolled in, only for a sharp inhale to almost propel you back to slam into the doorframe.

Wanda was standing in front of a full-length mirror against the far wall of the bedroom, anxiously fiddling with what little clothing she had on. She wore what looked like a bathing suit but was made out of a sheer, body-hugging, baby pink fabric and embellished with a subtle pattern of roses. Her back was turned to you but you could see from the mirror’s reflection that the piece still left plenty to the imagination with a more opaque version of the same fabric keeping her chest, the bit of fabric held snugly between her thighs, and even an upsidedown V-shaped panel that was framed by silky white bands and reached from the middle of her torso to the lower part of her hips covered. This lovely piece, clothing an even lovelier woman, was paired with similarly colored stockings of the same fabric, minus the rose pattern, and you were both surprised and amused by the addition of a string of pink pearls around her neck and one wrist with matching earrings and a pair of white low heels with a bow on the toe strap. Wanda’s hair was styled in loosely curled waves, making it look shorter than it actually was, and pushed back with a headband that could be mistaken for a minimal tiara, which was also embellished with pink-tinted pearls.

You knew that you were staring, flushed, and with eyes almost bulging out of their sockets--you knew only because you could catch part of your own reflection in the mirror, not because you could feel anything other than goosebumps-inducing tingles travel across your body--but it took Wanda laughing softly and catching your eye in the mirror to pull your slacked jaw off the floor and close your suddenly dry mouth. You eventually also tried to speak but not much other than a stammering “Uhhh…” came out and you gave up, instead choosing to scrub your hands over your face so you would at least look away.

Then Wanda dared to ask, “So, do I look okay?”

You stared at her again but this time it was one of disbelief. “I’m sorry, what?”

Wanda rolled her eyes and chuckled again at your utter belief before nervously running her hands down along a perfect set of curves. You fully believed she had no intention of torturing you by doing so but here she was, doing just that. If it hadn’t been for the awkward look on her face, makeup-free except for light lipstick and a little mascara, your gaze probably would have stayed with the path her hands made over her stomach and down to rest on her hips. You watched her gaze jump worriedly from one part of her body to the other instead.

“Look,” she continued, “I know I look okay, I know I look fine--”

Fine? Only fine? If Wanda asked you to strip naked and run through Westview while screaming her praises, you would do so without a second thought. Well, you probably would have done it regardless of what she was wearing but you wouldn’t be complaining about the extra bit of help.

“--but ever since the twins were born, I feel a little… hmph… wearing something like this.”

While you couldn’t possibly fathom how she could see herself as anything but one of the most beautiful living creatures ever, but you’d also figured out quite a while ago that she didn’t exactly see herself the same way you did. You chewed the inside of your cheek a bit before walking over and wrapping your arms around her; her own hands settled to rest on top of yours. You rested your chin on her shoulder and met her gaze in the mirror one last time.

“I suppose even goddesses have their insecure days, huh?”

Wanda laughed and rolled her eyes so hard you were vaguely worried about them rolling back into her skull. She lightly slapped your arms but still leaned back into your embrace as she scoffed, “Be quiet.”

“Wanda,” you said, “you had kids. You still look great. You look so good. So, so, so good. Insanely good. Earth-shakingly good. So pretty. Very gorgeous. Amazingly foxy. Incredibly stellar. Your mom body? Could demolish Aphrodite in a beauty pageant.”

You rambled on a bit longer before Wanda was smacking your arms again. She looked more at ease now, though, completely relaxed in your arms with her head leaning into the crook of your shoulder and one ankle loosely crossed over the other.

“Mom body.” She snorted. “Please, enlighten me further about this mom body I have.”

You quickly shook your head and gave her reflection a warning look. “Can’t. If I say much more, it’ll upset the gods. Every single one of them. I’ll be thrown into the pits for all the sinful things I’d have said.”

Wanda’s head fell back as she laughed again; you felt the tickle of her hair against your exposed neck as you grinned against her shoulder. When she settled again, you gave her a serious look, moved your lips to kiss the shell of her ear, then muttered, “But let’s just say you’re a foxy mama in absolutely every sense of the word.”

The woman in your arms erupted with laughter once more, though this time it was short and accompanied by a gentle slap to the cheek. Then her hand rested there, holding your head close as she leaned her forehead partially against yours.

“You and my husband,” she said with a little shake of her head, “and those ridiculous puns of yours.”

You nodded slightly in agreement, then tilted your head to peck her cheek. “That one really was just…”

“Awful?”

“Yeah, no, not good.” You chuckled and reached a hand up to poke her cheek. “Made ya smile though.”

Wanda hummed, squinting at herself in the mirror, then huffed. “I suppose.”

There were a few moments of the two of you just holding each other and soaking up each other’s presence.

Then Wanda just had to ask again, “Do you really think I look okay?”

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Wanda! You’re so pretty! You’re so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so--”

“You tell me I’m pretty all the time,” she pointed out.

“I have yet to be wrong,” you countered.

She looked herself over again. Tilting her head and glancing up at you from under her lashes, she said, “You could call me sexy.”

“I could,” you agreed, “Don’t want to make you uncomfortable though.”

Wanda raised a brow. “Did I not just say you could?”

You snorted. “Was my foxy mama joke not enough? Do you know what havoc me doing so would release onto the world? Would you want the gods to reject me because of my filthy language?” You leaned your head into her neck while keeping your eyes on hers. You waggled your eyebrows and lowered your voice. “‘Cause I’ll do it.”

Wanda made a face at you, scrunching up her nose and pursing her lips in the special, incredibly cute way that only she could. Then she smiled and ruffled your hair slightly. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you calling me sexy once.”

“Oh, nay,” you insisted, “if it happens once, it shall happen a million types! An unholy, unhinged, affectionate monster shall be released from its mortal prison!”

Wanda hummed thoughtfully and made a show of tapping her chin and tilting her head. “Okay, deal.”

You rolled your eyes and smiled. Giving her cheek another quick smooch, you said simply back, “‘Kay, you’re sexy.”

She smiled back at you and did a single clap. “Yay.”

“And, hey,” you said, tapping the scar on your forehead, “even if you weren’t a level of beauty that matched an immortal otherworldly being--impossible--at least you don’t have a scar on your face.”

You saw Wanda’s gaze soften in the mirror before she twisted around in your arms to face you. She gently took your face in her hands and your eyes fluttered shut as she leaned up to kiss you directly on said scar.

“I like the scars,” she said softly, “It means you survived something, even if you don’t know what it was, and I’m happy that you did.”

Your eyes blinked back open. “Why?”

“You wouldn’t be here for me otherwise.”

You huffed out a little breath, somewhat involuntarily, and were suddenly very aware of the fact that you two were practically tangled around each other now. You squished your nose against hers in a nuzzle and said in a lower tone, “Lucky you then.”

She dropped her hands from your face to wrap her arms around your neck. She matched your tone and bumped her nose back against yours, tilting her head a bit. “Very lucky.”

It was almost like a mutual decision when your lips crashed against each other.

Having been prone to the feeling of floaty dizziness as a result of your migraines, the feeling itself wasn’t particularly jarring. What replaced the usual undercurrent of pulsing pain, however, was what made this dizziness feel heavenly instead of hellish. When you kissed Wanda, it was like immediate intoxication but instead of booze, it was the taste of the gloss on her lips and the strawberry flavor that still lingered on her tongue from your cooking session earlier that day and the mix of citrusy sweetness from her perfume and shampoo that made you think of candied orange slices whenever you inhaled. You’d always be too busy to mentally describe it while in the moment, far too concentrated on committing whatever part of Wanda’s body that you were touching to memory via your grazing fingertips and adding new scents, words, feelings, images, and whatever else to the catalog of things that reminded you of her in your head, but when you thought about the love-drunk dizziness that followed the initial intoxication after the fact, you equated it to being a little tipsy and stumbling into a warm home. Only this time, home was a woman whose arms and mouth kept drawing you back for one more kiss, and then five more, and the thing that made you tipsy was the way the air crackled with invisible electricity and magic, and the look in her eyes when your eyes fluttered open after parting.

While time seemed to slow to a stop during your and Wanda’s moment, it hadn’t actually done so at all. This was proven when you heard the front door begin to open, causing you and Wanda to practically leap away from each other. She stared at you with wide, startled eyes and you couldn’t help but note your handiwork; her entire face and neck were flushed a deep red, her hair was significantly messier than it had been previously, that the lip color she’d been wearing had been partially transferred to your mouth.

The admiration could only last a moment. “You’re supposed to be in the kitchen.”

“I’m supposed to be in the kitchen,” Wanda repeated. “My lipstick is all over your face.”

You brushed a thumb over your bottom lip and it came away with a glossy pink. “Your lipstick is on my face.”

Wanda stood in front of you, suddenly frozen except for flitting eyes and hands grasping at the air while she tried to think of something. Then, with a couple of snaps of her fingers, she remembered her magic a moment later. “Oh, I can just-- You look amazing, the shirt’s a nice touch. See you out there!” She snapped once more and disappeared in a puff of red smoke just as you heard the front door swing open and Vision’s voice drifted down the hallway.

“Darling, I’m ho-- Oh.”

Then Wanda’s voice also bounced back your way from where she was probably now perched in the kitchen. Her tone was one part frazzled, two parts cheery, and five parts flirty teasing as she spoke. “Hiya, honey! Whaddya think?”

You drew your attention from their voices to the mirror that you now stood in directly in front of. The outfit you wore wasn’t nearly as polished as Wanda’s, but it had its intimate charm. While the two of you both wore stockings, that was where the similarities stopped. Your stockings were a sheer brownish-black and you wore no form of shoes with them nor any other accessories aside from your lightly ruffled mess of hair. In contrast to Wanda’s overall body-shaping attire, the pair of high-waisted silky shorts that you wore were flowy and loose, and instead of the shorts’ matching tank top with uncomfortable lace straps, you wore one of Vision’s pajama shirts that was a similar shade of red with vertical yellow and dark brown stripes. Posing a couple of different ways for yourself in the mirror, you were pleased to find the red and yellow were an almost match to Vision’s skin and the glowing gem in his forehead; with a little more pondering, you were a tad upset that the shirt you were wearing had yellow stripes instead of yellow spots.

If it had spots, you thought, I could look like a strawberry with a thigh-high chocolate dip.

Pleased with your look otherwise, you aimlessly moved about the bedroom before hovering around the doorway where you could almost make out the rest of Vision and Wanda’s conversation. The plan in place was that Wanda was going to give Vision the itinerary for the night--gifts and cards, dinner, because there was food to be eaten whether Vision ate any or not, an indoor movie theater that Wanda would magically whip up, and the rest of the night spent in romantic snuggling bliss--and then would give you a cue. When the actual process of getting the gifts came about, you were to bring said items to the living room, being somewhat of a surprise gift for Vision in your own right. You glanced towards the bed, where a white clothing box wrapped in a red ribbon sat with a trio of cards, one each from you and Wanda and one Wanda had made on behalf of the twins, who were still too young to do much on their own.

You couldn’t be sure whether it was because Wanda had slipped up and mentioned you--it was much harder to hear them from the other part of the house after their loud introductions finished--or if Vision, clever and curious man that he was, had caught on to your and Wanda’s plan already and decided to uncover it ahead of time. Either way, you suddenly caught a glimpse of Vision turning down the hallway, hovering a few inches off the ground to probably preserve the rose petal trail underneath his feet, and jumped away from the doorway before he could see you. While you couldn’t quite make out what Wanda was saying, you could hear a slight strain in her voice as she tried to get Vision to back down from his cause, to no avail. You only had a few moments to think of something and you decided to hop onto the bed and get comfortable in a casual sitting position, moving the small stack of Valentine’s Day goodies and looking coolly off to the side just before Vision floated into the room.

The soft thud of Vision landing on his feet your attention back over to the doorway and you saw him standing there rigid in his work suit, his gaze roaming over you before respectfully glancing away--only to be slowly dragged back less than a minute later. After watching this process continue a couple more times, you decided to tease him.

“Oh, hey there, crimson toaster oven,” you quipped nonchalantly, reaching up to toy with a stray piece of hair as you did, “how was work?”

Vision’s eyes settled on yours as you watched him with a cocked head. You expected some sort of reply, and for a moment he seemed like he was about to speak. Instead, though, he settled into an almost completely frozen state, jaw clenching slightly.

At first, you were amused. Then you realized he was quite literally frozen, nothing moving aside from the whirling of gear-like shapes in his irises, and your facade broke down a bit.

“Vis?” you questioned, sitting up straighter and moving the Valentine’s Day gifts aside, “you okay?”

No response.

You frowned and got up to walk over to him. “Um, Wanda?”

The Sokovian woman appeared a moment later shimmying around Vision’s form to stand next to you.

“Is he okay?” you asked.

“Oh, dear,” Wanda murmured. You watched as her gaze turned red and she looked him over, using her powers to check that his internal functions were still working properly. Eventually, her gaze stopped at his face and after squinting at him, Wanda said, “Ah. [Y/N], it appears we broke him.”

“I’m sorry?” you choked, “Broke him?”

Wanda seemed much less worried than you felt about the implications of Vision being some form of broken. She instead smiled and stepped up to him, giving you a simple “Yep” before pressing her fingers to his temples. Her eyes flashed red again and a second later Vision’s body sagged into a much more human position. “There we go.”

You blinked and watched as Vision shook himself out, flapping his hands and then rotating his arms and neck with a grumble.

“Ah,” he said, “much better.”

You eyed him. “Everything’s chill then? His gears got, ah, de-gummed, so to speak?”

Wanda snickered. She was now tucked against Vision’s side and helping him shimmy out of his jacket.

Vision seemed to remember where he was and what was going on because his eyes flitted from Wanda to you and back. When he settled a bit more, he looked at you both in turn, his gaze making a slow, deliberate path down both your and Wanda’s bodies as he took in what each of you wore. Finally, his eyes jolted back up to meet yours, and he responded in a low, gravelly voice, “Well, right now, I’m doing absolutely marvelously.”

You grasped that everything was back on track again and a smirk graced your face. “Well,” you said, clapping your hands together and turning back towards the bed, “as long as the short-circuit didn’t fry anything, the step of the night is gifts.”

Then you were being dragged back to Vision’s side by your wrist and he had an arm around both your and Wanda’s waists. “Now, just hold on there, [Y/N]. Shouldn’t I get to spend some time with my lovely partners, especially after seeing all the effort they’ve put in? Besides, I haven’t even gotten to compliment you about your looks.” He paused and pressed a kiss to Wanda’s temple, then nuzzled the side of your neck. When he moved his head away again, he eyed the way your shirt hung loosely off your shoulders. “Is that my shirt?”

You and Wanda shared an amused glance. She’d told you earlier that day about the anniversary-Hart family dinner mishap she and Vision had had when they’d first moved to Westview, the same day you’d met the couple, and how Vision and the Harts had come home to Wanda wearing an intimate nightdress that had made Vision more than a little flustered; the story is what sparked the idea for the evening’s current attire. She ignored his comment about you wearing his clothes and decided to nudge him back to the plan as hand, brushing a hand over the suit jacket now hanging from her arm. “I don’t know about that, honey, your eyes were certainly saying something.”

Vision pouted and hummed, probably trying to come up with another reason to keep hugging you and Wanda close to his body. After a moment, he chirped, “Ah, well! I brought you each something and something for the boys, and I left everything out in the living room. We can’t open gifts without all of them, what a pity. We might as well--”

“I have an idea.” Wanda interrupted. When you looked from Vision to her, she was still smiling but her eyes sparked with a playful warning. She freed herself from Vision’s hold, much to the tall man’s dismay, and walked over to the bed. She picked up the cards and tucked them under the arm that also held Vision’s jacket, then brought the clothing box over and held it out to you. “How about I go and make sure the food is warmed up and the table is set, then get all the cards and things into one place while, [Y/N], you give Vision the one gift he should still have.”

You raised a brow as you took the box from her and watched her saunter to the door, consciously moving out of Vision’s range. “You don’t want to see him open it?”

“I saw you open one I bought for you, you get to see the one you bought him,” Wanda said simply. “And I have a feeling that we’re better off if we’re not all in the same room until things get back on track, Vision might run the risk of shutting down again.”

You gasped dramatically and pressed your free hand to your cheek. Looking at Vision with wide eyes, you whispered, “How will I warm my bagels?”

Vision narrowed his eyes and made a grumbling sound from so deep in his chest you could feel the rumble where you were still held against him. Said sound and Vision’s overall reaction so far made you perfectly happy with the idea of the night derailing a bit off course, but you knew how much of a stickler Wanda could be when she made a plan and this was just as much a night for her as it was for Vision or you.

With no further objections, Wanda walked out of the room. The heels she wore gave her a sashaying step and neither you nor Vision were particularly upset as the two of you watched her go. Then the door was shut and you two were alone.

“So,” Vision said slowly as he turned his attention fully to you, “this is what you’ve been up to instead of going to work today.”

“It is indeed,” you confirmed, “and before you say anything else, I know full well what I’ll be getting into when I go in on Monday.”

“I hope so. You’ll be working harder than I have all week.”

You hummed and chewed on your lip as you thought. “Maybe… I could just… quit my job…”

“Hah!” Vision laughed and waggled a finger at you. “No, no, no, no, no. If I have to endure it, then so do you.”

You grinned and turned away from his finger as if to avoid his complaint. He chuckled and tried to catch your eye, rambling away about Oh, the work we shall both do, but you merely twisted away further, feigning beautiful, blissful ignorance. You even went so far as blocking Vision’s face from your sight with the box you held, which made Vision break off briefly to laugh again.

“--and then, maybe someday you will come home,” Vision continued, catching you in his arms again and tugging you close to him, “and see both of your partners, looking very fetching and being even more wonderful than usual because they’ve set up and entire romantic evening, not only because it’s a romantic holiday but because they specifically wanted to plan something to help you relax after a particularly busy week.” He paused, then added, “And it might even be a little better for you than it will be for me because you actually get to eat the food that’s taken up the entire kitchen.”

You tittered, tilted your head in mock thought even though Vision couldn’t see it, and then lowered your chipboard shield just far enough for your eyes to poke out from over it. “Mm, now that does appealing. Just one question though.”

“Of course, darling.”

You waggled your brows at him. “Which outfit will you be wearing, Wanda’s or mine?”

Vision smirked just slightly but it was enough to set off a volcanic eruption of heat throughout your entire body. You felt his fingers suddenly brushing against yours as he started to gently pry his gift out of your hands.

He said, “Depends on what’s in the box.”

He snagged the box from your hands, revealing your blushing face, but instead of opening it right away, his arm moved around your waist to be with the other once more. He pressed his forehead against yours and you felt a different sort of warmth as the golden gem in his forehead touched your skin. He tilted his head closer still to nuzzle his nose against yours then--

You quickly turned your head away again, flashing him a wicked grin when he stared at you, dumbfounded. You draped your now free arms loosely around his neck, fingered brushing lightly against his neck and fiddling with the collar of his button-up shirt. You shuffled closer to him to eliminate what little space left there was between your body and his, looked him in the eye, and teased, “Careful now, Mr. Maximoff. Wouldn’t want to knock another screw loose in that gorgeous, handsome head of yours.”

Vision’s low chuckle vibrated in his chest, feeling almost like a purr against your own body.

“Or,” you added, “knock one too many screws in?”

“[Y/N].”

“Wind the gears too tight?”

“[Y/N].”

You looked at him innocently; the irritated scowl on his face was contradicted by the mischievous twinkle in his pretty blue eyes. “I can keep going.”

“Oh, I’m very aware of that,” said Vision in that grumbling voice that would probably make you implode every time if it were his regular speaking voice, “but we are never going to get out of this room.”

“Interesting hypothesis,” you said with a very serious nod. “You are welcome to test it or stop me at any time. Now, where was I?”

It took a smirk and a raised brow to kick Vision back into gear but then you were grabbing his face and laughing against his mouth as he all but threw himself at you.

Kissing Vision was quite different than kissing Wanda, although no less addictive. Wanda’s kisses always felt needy but not in the way that one would think. Her kisses always felt like she had been lost up until the very moment your lips would touch hers, and then she was finding refuge and trying to absorb every bit of warmth and comfort that came from the way her mouth melded against yours before the kiss ended and she was alone and lost again. She almost always felt soft and sweet against you but you could feel a wild, restrained power brewing just underneath, and her power seemed to draw out and entangle itself with a power of your own, whatever that power was; the kisses never seemed to last long enough for you to figure that piece out.

When you kissed Vision, you could never get the idea that you were kissing someone not totally human out of your head, but in the best way. One of your favorite things to do whenever you kissed him was to run your hands over his skin and explore every single uniquely intricate thing about him, like the way his skin somehow felt soft and dense at the same time and how it was just slightly textured with lines and grooves that felt inhuman or the way that he didn’t really have a heartbeat or a pulse but rather a gentle constant rumbling of whatever gave him life doing its job, and sometimes this rumbling would jolt or slow depending on where you focused your ministrations. No matter his current state of being--exhausted, flustered, distressed--he was always strong and steady under your hands like he was ready to catch you if you suddenly misstepped or fly you to safety at a moment’s notice should the need arise. You couldn’t help equating the way his mouth worked against yours with the phrase “built to please”; he was always curious and searching in the way his hands and mouth roamed, and he seemed to get the most pleasure when he figured out exactly what you needed and did that--and he was much more often than not oh so very right.

While Wanda felt wild, Vision felt grounding. When you were kissing Wanda, you were so focused on her body and yours and the energy that wrapped the two of you up in a magical cocoon that you felt like you could start bursting at the seams at any moment. Kissing Vision got you much more out of your head, to the point where you were merely exploring him as much as he was you, which led to the occasional knocking of teeth or finding a ticklish spot that caused the kiss to break into giggles and teasing; maybe you would go back to kissing or maybe the two of you would slip into a conversation so seamlessly that you wouldn’t even notice until a couple of hours had already passed.

You often wondered if, when you weren’t around and your partners kissed each other, if either of them felt the same thing that you did. You wondered even more often how Wanda and Vision felt kissing you.

This time, though, it was Wanda’s voice from a couple of rooms away, muffled but noticeable, that finally broke the two of you apart.

“Any day now,” she hollered, although there was no trace of irritation in her tone. “It’s not like we only have a few hours left to celebrate Valentine’s Day or anything.”

Vision’s face scrunched up and he eyed the wall that separated the kitchen and bedroom via another room in between. “Mm, she’s got a point.”

You pursed your lips and squinted at the wall as if you would see red magic permeating it if you did so for long enough. “Do you think she X-rayed us?”

Your partner let out a short little chortle as he disentangled himself from you and looked over the box he’d managed to hang onto during your kissing session. “Even if she did, not like it’s going to be any different once we’re all in the same room together.”

“Good point,” you said. “Mm, more kisses.” You were still curious, though, so you hollered back to Wanda, “Hey, magical girl, did ya see me kiss your husband?”

All you got was a laugh back, which had you smiling.

Then you turned back to Vision, who was toying with the box’s bow, and said, “Alright, Vis, happy Valentine’s Day. Now give me your tie and your pants.”

You and Vision joined Wanda in the dining area shortly, Vision now dressed in a dark blue set of silky pajamas that matched your own shorts of the same shimmery fabric. Wanda had lit the candles not only at the dinner table but also around the rest of the house and she’d set proper places for three at the dinner table, although only two of the places had been served with simple dinner and various sweet, gaudy treats. After the three of you sat, Wanda gave Vision his cards: a beautifully designed one with a poem on the front and a lengthy handwritten letter on the inside from Wanda, a handmade one with bad Valentine’s Day puns and flustered ramblings all over it from you, and a “hand-drawn” one from Tommy and Billy that had really been drawn childishly by Wanda again as the babies were still too young to do so themselves. As he’d mentioned earlier, Vision had gifts of his own, which included a Valentine’s Day cupcake of your favorite flavor that he had snuck from work for you, cards and flowers for each of you, and a pair of inversely colored, Valentine’s Day themed stuffed puppies for the twins. With Tommy and Billy mentioned, Vision questioned their whereabouts and was surprised that Wanda had even let them out of her sight, though somewhat appreciative.

Dinner was next and went fairly quickly. You and Wanda ate a late dinner while the three of you conversed, mainly about Vision’s day and overall week but also you and Wanda explaining how you’d planned and prepared for the date without Vision being any the wiser. Vision made a comment that he, as an incredibly smart individual with a very expansive range of knowledge, should have noticed something sooner, which led to another bout of teasing from primarily you about how he’d fried his batteries when he saw his partners dressed up in pretty clothing and one of his shirts. Then topic conversations bounced around aimlessly for the rest of the time until both you and Wanda had cleaned your plates and even helped yourselves to some of the other goodies. Vision absolutely refused to let either of you do cleanup work, so you convinced Wanda to go change into something a little comfier--“At least take off those pearls and heels. Don’t really mind the rest of the outfit, though.”--and then went over to prepare the living room for movies by bringing over a few more treats to snack on, cleaning off an area for Wanda to magically project movies on the wall without clutter, and turning the couch into less of a decorative scene and more of a nest of red, white, and pink pillows and blankets.

Finally, the three of you settled onto the couch with Vision in the middle. That wouldn’t last for long, though, as you each grabbed a blanket or pillow and shifted yourselves into a big, fluffy, snuggle pile. You and Wanda managed to end up squished between Vision’s arms, where both of you could comfortably rest your heads on his chest. You could also slip an arm around Wanda and absentmindedly run your fingertips underneath the hem of the pajama shirt she now wore--another of Vision’s; it was a light blue and white striped button-down--and over the rose patterns of the sheer fabric hugging her hips. Instead of starting the movies right away, the three of you laid in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other’s company.

Vision briefly had to unwrap his arms to stretch and yawn, the yawn something that wasn’t entirely necessary for him. After placing them back, he murmured, “We don’t normally celebrate these types of things, do we, Wanda?”

Wanda’s eyes fluttered open; you had been watching her lay in quiet, cozy peace and she smiled sweetly at you when she caught you. “Goodness, no. We’ve proven time and time again we’re not exactly the remembering type when it comes to holidays. Holidays, events--”

“Anniversaries,” you offered with a little grin. “Especially those that coincide with meetings with bosses.”

Vision groaned softly. “A minor disaster.”

“Ended well though,” Wanda pointed out.

“And provided the idea for this whole thing,” you added.

Vision hummed thoughtfully and you felt his hand run down your back. “That so?”

“You getting flustered over sexy nightwear?” you said. “What potential.”

Wanda snickered. “What potential indeed. We broke the man.”

“Well,” Vision grumbled, his arms tightening slightly around both of you, “I assure you I’m doing fine now.”

You whispered into his chest, “Only because Wanda put on a shirt.”

Your trio broke into tired chuckles, which then faded into warm silence. It continued for a few moments before Vision pointed out that the movie-watching part of the night didn’t necessarily need to happen.”

That you sitting up and reaching for a movie list you’d compiled much earlier in the day.

“We must watch at least one movie,” you demanded, “and that movie is Grease.”

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realmonsterboyhours · 4 years

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Anguism (GodNaga!Beej Lore Post)

This is something I’ve had in the works for a while. I wanted to expand on GodNaga!Beej’s lore, and the religion practices Scarabee would use. Please note that this is a false practice, created so we wouldn’t end up offending anyone who practices real religion when we talk about Scarabee. Everything you will need will be below the cut! Trigger warnings: Mention of blood, mention of violence.

Anguism- A religious belief system worshiping Betelgeuse/Beetlejuice, an eldritch abomination. Also known as a “God of serpents”

(Anguis = Snake/Serpent in latin since he predates christ)

Origin of Betelgeuse:

Born from the explosive creation of the second brightest star in the constellation Orion, Betelgeuse was the product of a spare fragment of the star colliding to the planet earth which had disrupted a snake den. Thousands of years later an earthquake shook the remains free from the rubble of the long-forgotten den. What was released was a horrific creature, half-man, half-snake.

In his search for purpose, the beast found refuge in cave systems where he resided for thousands of years that unbeknownst to him was rather close to where a small settlement of early humans would eventually reside. Revered for his strange shape, and his immense power it wasn't long until the locals had begun seeking him out for protection and prosperity.

In return for their praise and sacrifices, he offered the humans protection, and for centuries he served them. Night after night he would watch out for the members of their small town, returning children lost in the forest, blessing crops, and livestock. The people worshiped the serpent for generations, passing beliefs, prayers, sacrifice ideals, and the likes down from father to son and so forth.

As time moved forward and with the rapid spread of Christianity, the few faithful followers took to his shrine where they wrote everything they could in books, scrolls, and tomes. The history, and practice all were archived and stored in a small temple where worshipers would come to pray or leave their offerings.

Misfortune struck the village when they were attacked, raided for their ‘false God’, and the settlement was burnt to near ashes. All remaining members of the religion were taken by those who lead the raid, never to be seen again.

In a furious rage, the serpent emerges, thus begins a great wipe of carnage and destruction. The snake god had taken on a form even his most devout followers would likely have not recognized. Those who witnessed it had gone mad, or simply dropped where they stood, their minds not able to comprehend what they had seen. The rage took place for days, those who were ordered to try and subdue the monster lost their lives, like lambs to slaughter until the great beast settled after day three.

Shocked and appalled by the state he found his beloved village, he retreats, with the last of his strength he retrieves the books and scrolls and hides them away within his own temple, protected with the last of his magical ability before he collapses, only to wake seasons later bound in chains to a large pillar in the broken remains of his once-grand temple’s atrium, where he remains, locked and powerless for centuries, hidden away in the ruins of his only home, defeated and left with the weight of guilt of his followers' lost lives and his inability to protect them.

Practice Belief:

The main focus of his belief is based on trust, blind obedience, and sacrifice. In return, you receive a benevolent God, and those who earn his favor will be gifted with immortality, or an afterlife to serve him.

Worshipers:

Anyone can worship this God, but the hidden knowledge often times makes it nearly impossible to hear of or practice so the religion is quite small. Worshipers gain favor over time in their trust, tasks given to them by the beast. Sacrifices and gifts are also required. This ‘level’ makes the majority of his worship. Most followers of his fall under this category. In basics, you simply serve him, and in return, he will help when called upon.

Devotees:

Devotees are a group of individuals that have earned his respect. These individuals are blessed with the ability to see their God first hand, or may be requested or summoned when he may need. He may telepathically visit these followers with insight to their future, if they are in danger, or other things similar.

Marked:

Also known as ‘priests’ of his religion.

Those who are marked have earned his highest favor. In a way, he has claimed them with a mark that will bond those marked with him forever. Those who are marked may expect eternal life serving him. Those who are marked would be offered the knowledge written in ancient times. Special powers would be granted, typically powers manipulating shadows, or altering one’s own body are gifted. “Priests” or those who are marked will be taught the serpentine language that is exclusively distinct to the beast. Only the most devout, trusting, and self-sacrificing would ever be considered to be marked.

Tools of practice:

Tools of practice are very aligned with an eclectic pagan. Divination tools and ceremonial daggers are primarily used tools. Presents and gifts from the beast should also be used in practice, including protective jewelry and collars from him. The use of alcohol is also strongly suggested, and nearly every spell, and offering to the serpent includes dark alcohols. Of all tools used it is important to note that intent, trust, and faith will always be the backbone of this religion. Those who cannot simply trust cannot worship this deity.

True magic versus spell working:

There is a stark difference between true magic, and spell working within this religion.

Spell working can be done within any level of this worship. Spell working would include making things like spell jars, candle magic, divination, offerings and prayer.

True magic is only accomplished by those with the serpent’s mark. Users of true magic are gifted from the serpent himself and typically have abilities that control shadows, or manipulate their own form at will.

Common historical offerings for Beetlejuice:

-Gold, jewelry, coins, money, jewels. -Small offerings of virgin blood. He was known for feeding directly from them or through small vials. -Livestock, raw red meat, hearty breads -Alcohol -Personal letters of devotion -Acts of devotion could be protecting those at risk, protecting and caring for the shrines, caring for snakes.

Common modern offerings for Beetlejuice:

-Dark alcohol. -Red meats and hearty breads. -Coins and special trinkets. -Acts of devotion include protecting those in need, caring for snakes, and if allowed visiting him, or communicating with or praying to him.

Common themes or repeating imagery:

-Snakes, crows, beetles -Green, black, white, gold -Elements of earth and fire -Bones and ash/soot -Mist/fog -Autumn -Bogs and open fields -Shadows -Broken glass/chains/broken stones -Old books -Dark blood like that found in veins -Things repeating in threes -Ouroboros

The mark

Being marked by the serpent God is something akin to a marriage but not in the traditional ideas. It binds you two forever, it shows both himself and the recipient just how much they mean to one another. The mark is given usually in private, a small ceremony between the two may be held, usually pertaining to drinking, sharing a meal, sharing some form of promises and then finally the mark is given when the serpent bites you and pours some of his own power into the recipient. The mark heals quickly and the bite leaves a very small marking of a snake on the skin of the one he marked, that spot will work as not only his vow to you but when either party touches the mark the other will feel a warm feeling spread from it. It can be used as a sort of built in security system that the God uses to warn the recipient of danger. Very few have ever been marked, he does not take it lightly. In current official lore Scarabee Shoggoth is the only surviving marked/priest, and in the past only three others had ever been marked who were taken away during the attack on his temple. He to this day does not know what happened to them, their marks have long since gone cold, and their life force had gone during his years of unconsciousness. He mourns them greatly and every 100 years on the anniversary of what he presumes are their deaths he pays respect to his lost followers.

Information about Betelgeuse/Beetlejuice himself.

Appearance:

His most typical appearance is as naga, about a 10 foot tall. His tail is thick and constrictor like, black and white stripes that are slightly iridescent in certain lighting, with black ventral plates. His upper body is large, he has quite a bit of muscle from the way he moves around, large arms, broad shoulders, and well defined back muscles. His chest is also quite strong. His stomach has a lot of muscle but a thick covering of fat that makes him look quite chubby. He has long black hair that falls down past his shoulders and chest, usually to rib length. Can be straight or wavy and messy. His hair is styled in a half shave with a few braids that are beaded with gold. His ears are pointed, he has two small black horns on the top of his head that curl in and back. He's got several piercings, and wears almost exclusively gold and emeralds. Around his waist is a black and white striped cloth that he can be drawn without.

It should be mentioned that he can control his form at will. He can make himself smaller, bigger, human, naga, snake, or otherwise strange monster form that is unfit for human eyes.

In his human form he is tall, similarly shaped as his naga form in terms of body size. He typically wears dark colors, favoring blacks, gold, and dark green or jewel tones. His hair is still long, coming to about his collar bone.

Personality:

Rough, abrasive, and more than a bit full of himself. He can be selfish and jaded, he's quick to anger, and he's quick to punish. He very much embodies the act first and ask questions later. He can be a bit quick to jump to conclusions and can be very hard to get to know. Can be quite a trickster, often cat-like and chaotic. He gets a sick rise out of terrifying newcomers just for fun.

Things to consider for self-ship:

Obviously this is completely open ended for you the reader/viewer/shipper to do whatever you wish with the story or ideas you have, but these may help you make some decisions!

He is meant to sort of have a pre-existing relationship with Scarabee. They are in fact some sort of romantically inclined. Proving your loyalty to Scarabee would likely bleed over to the deity over time. Self shipping with Scarabee and GodNaga!Beej as a poly deal is a common mode for sure, however, if poly isn’t your thing or you don’t want to ship with Scarabee at all, you could just as well meet him without Scarabee’s help. He’s open ended for the ease of the reader to write/draw/hc/or do whatever they want. It’s also important to note that while he is rough and abrasive, he is not incapable of feeling emotions like love, and lust and the likes, he us just far less likely to experience it than others might. He tends to get a bit confused by affection, and isn’t quite sure what to do with it, but it IS a massive ego boost for him.

Trivial facts:

-We nicknamed him ‘Snubban’ for “Snake Husband”. -He has a potent aphrodisiac venom. -He can and will give you a golden collar or bracelet if you don’t want to be marked, or just if you offer yourself to him. -Nicknames from him are typically akin to small animal names like “Rabbit” “Mouse” “Little Pet” “Lamb” etc. -He does in fact shed! Usually once a year, often gets real bratty and princess-like, making Scarabee come down to help him with the shed since it’s so itchy. -He usually stays within his temple, but he does in fact visit the estate as an extended universe character, and also has been known to simply venture out to see what humans are up to in his human form sometimes. -Scarafaggio and him would have crossed paths in their time on the earth. We’re still ballparking ideas on that. -My HC for his voice would be similar to Thresh from League of Legends. -

#Hax HCs #Lore Post #GodNaga!Beetlejuice #GodNaga!Beej #Naga!Beej #Naga!Beetlejuice #Snubban #Lore #Scarabee #The Conglomerate #Extended universe #anguism #blood #violence

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theanimeview · 4 years

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Beware of the Brothers! - The Twins That Aren’t Twins Analysis

I recently read some of the comic Beware of the Brothers! (그 오빠들을 조심해!) and my eyes were drawn to the clothes and what they could mean. I was really interested in the two youngest Ernst children, Hari--the adopted daughter--and Eric--the twin without a twin.

If you’ve read the story, you know that Hari was brought in, at first, as a replacement for the daughter that the Ernst family lost. Quickly, Eugene puts an end to the “replacement” fantasy of his parents and luckily we never went through the common trope of Hari being miss-named, which would have undoubtedly been more traumatic for everyone of the characters. Instead, the story progresses quickly, allowing Hari to adjust to her restarted life as the adopted child of a noble family. It also allows me to get to the point I want to make in this review of the fashion choices by the creator(s) of the series.

Tell me, what do you think of when you see a pair in matching outfits? If the people look alike or are children, I generally think twins or siblings. I mean, I have two nieces that are a little more than a year a part who are always dressed the same by their mother. It’s a thing. And, as a middle schooler I regularly found myself “twinning” with my besties. As an adult, especially consider the media I consume, I noticed couples wearing matching and complimentary outfits--a topic I believe I have mentioned before but will mention again here.

Matching outfits and complementary outfits are my favorite in any visual media. I particularly love matching outfits in comics since it usually symbolizes one of two things--love interests and or a mental connection with another person. You see it often in uniforms or coupled outfits, and when the pairing or unit is in distress, the first thing that is usually replaced, thrown out, or lost is that matching element.

Which is why I am fascinated by Hari and Eric in Beware of the Brothers!.

The two youngest siblings are not twins even though they really do look like it in many regards. We know that Hari is almost a spitting image of the late Ernest daughter, save for her eyes, based on other images, but still they have no blood relationship with each other as far as we, the audience, know and as far as they, the siblings, know. The Ernest couple never mention a lost cousin, a bastard child, or anything else, so in all regards Hari really is randomly a spitting image of their late blood relation and yet not one. This is actually a major point of strife among the four siblings (three blood related boys and Hari) in the beginning, ESPECIALLY for Eric who lost his twin.

Eric and Hari, therefore, do NOT get along in the beginning. Arguably, it takes these two the longest to come to terms with each other over all. In fact, Hari admits to them being down right violent with each other at first--with the two going so far as to kick, trip, and push each other. Additionally, we see that being compared or thought of as twins is really strikingly hard on Eric when the one time it does happen in the series, he runs away:

But it’s hard not to see them as such when you look at how they are dressed and behave as the work continues.

Early in the series, they always wore different clothes, example:

Hari has a pink and grey color scheme in the image above, while Eric is wearing blues and white. The costumes aren’t complementary colors, they don’t match and they’re obviously different designs even in chibi style.

But in the moment they are compared as twins, they look like this:

Their colors are in the same family and the the designs are similar--more so than when compared to any of the other siblings--and, they’re both missing front teeth in this scene. They were dressed like twins in that moment. Definitely with a variation of color, but ultimately very close.

Then we see the pattern repeated once they grow up.

For example, here they are as teens:

And again:

Even in later scenes as children:

Did you notice the pattern?

The two are wearing clothes in similar color families. Eric and Hari wear matching patterns, with Eric having a darker corresponding color to Hari’s pastels in most shots. Even in the last image where they stand as children saying goodbye to the Vestia family, Hari and Eric are the only ones in a blue color scheme from their household. If she wears light blue, he wears dark. Her dress has pink flowers on a blue-grey background, Eric wears a dark blue grey coat with a darker pink ascot. Finally, in the image directly above, Eric is wearing a lavender-blue in between the two lavender-blues of Hari’s outfit.

They match.

We see this style of matching/complimentary color schemes with the Vestia children too:

The off-whites of the two siblings are the same, the blacks are the same shades and both on their legs, the grey toned vest (boy) and dress (girl) are similarly tinted from the same purple-pinkish family.

It actually feels very telling in this scene that Hari is closer to the two blue-haired siblings than her three brothers as Hari’s pinks match well/complement the purple-pink tinted grays seen on the Vestia siblings (more so than with Cabel’s blues and browns or the other boys):

What could this mean?

Are Hari and Eric meant to be shipped based on their outfits? I vote NO (strongly). Instead, I believe it suggest a kinship that they share which becomes stronger than with the other brothers.

Perhaps the two are “astral twins,” born at the same time but to different parents or perhaps they simply represent a gemini set of paradoxes or conflicting ideas--at least, that would be my theory.

They are twins who aren’t twins and they both, whether they want to admit it or not, have a strong connection that comes across in Chapter 36 as we find the two awake in the middle of the night talking where Eric asks Hari whether she likes Johan or not. It shows their differing opinions on the subject of discussing likes/dislikes and, even though they aren’t in matching outfits, it’s pretty clear that more and more they have a strong mental connection that doesn’t feel inncestrious or sexual.

I really hope that the creator develops more on this, preferably not leading (as the cover image at the top seems to imply) to a harem of brothers. I think a found-family story is much better served when Johan is such a capable romantic lead.

But what are you all thinking? How do you feel about the twins that aren’t twins idea? Let me know!

#그 오빠들을 조심해!#Beware of the Brothers!#analysis #theory #dresses #fashion #clothing #twin #twins #twins that aren't twins

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fyexo · 4 years

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191220 K-Pop Stars EXO Reflect on How Far They've Come — and How Far They'll Go

As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future.

Chances are, even if you didn’t know it at the time, you’ve seen the members of the legendary K-Pop group EXO before. Their musical prowess speaks for itself, but even beyond that, their careers have taken over TV, fashion, celebrity culture, and more in the past year.

Maybe you've seen rapper and multi-instrumentalist Chanyeol, 27, shaking hands with Zendaya at Paris Fashion Week. Or perhaps it was breathtaking dancer and rapper Kai, 25, cracking 7th place on British GQ’s Best-Dressed Men of 2020 list. Or singer and composer Lay, 28, becoming Calvin Klein’s first-ever Chinese global ambassador. You might’ve watched rapper and youngest member Sehun, 25, on Netflix’s detective program Busted, or glimpsed leader and vocalist Suho, 28, waving from the red carpet as an honorary ambassador of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao. These are just a few of the places and memories that stamp the proverbial passport of EXO’s lives this year.

It’s been an equally powerful year musically for EXO too. With two members — Xiumin, 29, and D.O., 26, — currently completing their mandatory military enlistment and Lay promoting in China, the remaining six members of EXO have explored their own individual musical identities in 2019. Power vocalist Chen, 27, released two solo albums that chronicled love and heartbreak through mature, heart-warming ballads, while Baekhyun’s groovy solo album, City Lights, broke the highest monthly sales record for a solo artist in South Korean chart history with over 500,000 copies sold. Sehun and Chanyeol teamed up this summer for the debut of EXO-SC, EXO’s hip-hop sub-unit, while Baekhyun and Kai joined forces to “jump and pop” in SM supergroup SuperM.

As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future as they reunite to promote their sixth album Obsession.

It’s December 4th, 2019, and the six members are dressed in thick, woollen, neutral-toned sweaters and trenchcoats to protect themselves from the arctic winds billowing throughout Seoul. There’s a warm camaraderie to their interactions as they laugh amongst themselves and take sips of their iced coffees. The atmosphere feels comfortable and familial, born from an understanding of each other’s mindsets and quirks that has been learned organically over the group’s career.

“It’s been seven years since we debuted and we’ll be hitting eight years next year; that’s a long period of time,” Chen says. His humble, calm demeanor is a balm for the rest of the group who cling to his introspective thoughts. “We reflected on our past journey and tried to make improvements in this new album. It’s been a grateful and fun time.”

This desire to continuously push boundaries both musically and creatively has been at the crux of EXO’s identity since their debut in 2012. Originally split into two groups, EXO-K and EXO-M, EXO performed their shared discography in both Korean and Mandarin in an effort to appeal to two major music markets simultaneously. The groups came together in 2013 to release their debut album, XOXO, and the album’s repackage released later in the year saw EXO’s popularity hit a fever pitch with the funky, dance-pop single “Growl.” Since then, each of EXO’s last five albums have sold over a million copies in South Korea alone, earning them the title “quintuple million sellers.”

The group is not only a staple in South Korea but across the globe too. From performing in front of the world at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics to becoming the first K-Pop group to have their faces projected on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, EXO has stamped their name in the annals of pop history with their devotion toward their music, fans (called EXO-L), and each other. As they’ve matured over the years, that dedication hasn’t wavered.

“In our early years we just played together, whereas now we’ve grown up and matured,” Baekhyun replies. The singer’s personality is brighter than his shining white hair, and he thrives on the reactions to the jokes he makes throughout our chat. “We share a lot about where we’re headed in life, what we want to do for the upcoming album, and discuss how we can come together closer as a team to improve our teamwork.”

That tight-knit teamwork manifested itself in multiple ways throughout this year. From congratulating each other on Instagram like Lay did for Baekhyun’s solo debut to Xiumin and Sehun emceeing Chen’s solo album press conferences, the members have made it a point to support one another with every milestone they achieve, both individually and as a group. It also took center stage as the group embarked on their fifth world tour, Exo Planet #5 – The EXplOration, this July.

Part of the decision to go on tour, according to Suho, is because it makes the fans “happy,” which in turn makes EXO happy; this treasured time spent with fans also one of the reasons why the group worked tirelessly to release their new record in between their jam-packed personal schedules.

“Since the year EXO debuted, we’ve released an album every year. We’ve never skipped a single year,” Suho answers. With attention-grabbing ruby red hair, the leader holds himself with a quiet confidence and classic charm. “Even though it wasn’t a formal promise we made, it’s been a tradition to release an album each year, even if that means we have to make the promotion period short. Everyone’s been having hectic schedules, but it’s very meaningful for us to spend the end of the year with the fans.”

Heavily rooted in the group’s constant state of reinvention, the concept for Obsession sees EXO face off against their evil, superpowered doppelgängers X-EXO. Superpowers have been a common thread that has tied EXO’s music video multiverse together since their debut single “MAMA”, with each member utilizing their own signature power ranging from Chanyeol’s pyrokinesis to Kai’s teleportation abilities. When X-EXO arrives ready to destroy the planet in the group’s music video, the result is an explosive, superhero-style brawl between good and evil that leaves viewers enthralled.

In the lead up to shooting the music video, EXO emphasized the importance for both of their characters to have their own distinct, contrasting identity. While EXO dressed in weathered, straight laced black cargo pants and berets as if ready to march into war, X-EXO celebrated their eccentricities with jewel toned hair colors, white eyelashes, and uniquely cut clothing that bridged the gap between menacing and seductive.

“Our main focus was to draw a big contrast. All of us thoroughly discussed with our makeup and hair artists to bring that contrast, almost to the point of exaggeration,” Chanyeol says. He’s as jovial as his bubblegum pink hair and is openly expressive with his emotions, which light up his face whenever he speaks. “We tried to make X-EXO look very dark. EXO, on the other hand, was the good, righteous EXO like what fans have seen in the past. They came easy and naturally.”

“Like Chanyeol said, we discussed thoroughly with the makeup, hair, and costume team so that you could see the contrast right away,” Kai continues. Conscientious and thoughtful, Kai surveys the older members before answering so he doesn’t interrupt them. “Our attitudes also play a key role because they add to the strong visuals. Since it was a video, we all tried to make our performances convincing. X-EXO showed something that EXO had never done before — something mischievous.”

Amongst the members, X-EXO wins in a landslide over the team they liked the most.

“X-EXO had a stronger visual impact,” Baekhyun explains. “Personally, I wish that we made the plain EXO look cooler. That would have been right, because EXO was supposed to be the revolutionary army against X-EXO! I feel like they were visually weaker; I wish we had expressed more passion as EXO.”

With every album, EXO releases a bold title track that shatters the current K-pop paradigm, like the sinister “Obsession” or the reggae, EDM hybrid track “Ko Ko Bop." The remainder of the tracks on the albums typically allow EXO to explore new genres and make them their own, which range from hip-hop dance tracks like “Ya Ya Ya”, which samples ‘90s vocal trio SWV’s “You’re The One”, to heart-fluttering ballads like “Butterfly Effect."

Kai’s favorite track on the album is “Jekyll," which he loved from the first listen. “It starts off like a sweet R&B song, but the chorus suddenly changes into this shouting, which I think is in line with the duality expressed in the album,” he says. “I immediately thought that we could show a very different type of performance for this song — I can’t wait to perform this on stage and show the fans.”

“I like “Obsession” the most,” Sehun answers. Although under the weather, he makes a point to attend the interview to support his older members. “It was good enough to make the title track, so it’s my favorite.”

Chen picks the dreamy “Groove” because: “I love all the other tracks, but this song made me wonder if I could pull it off when I first heard it because it was such a different genre. It was challenging while recording it, but I love the result. It’s one of the songs that I feel most attached to.”

Chanyeol also fell in love with “Jekyll”, but is also partial to the similarly haunting reggae track “Trouble”. “The song came out to be great; I think we pulled it off pretty well,” he says happily.

“‘Day After Day’ for me,” says Baekhyun. While the other members have been discussing their favorites, he’s been silently exchanging silver rings with Suho. He nicks Chanyeol’s wire-rimmed glasses and puts them up his face backwards, reveling in the laughter he receives. “The song reminds me of a certain type of weather. I like songs that remind me of something — a song with a theme or story. ‘Day After Day’ does that for me.”

“I was going to say the same,” Suho says, shocked. A mischievous grin spreads on Baekhyun’s face. “Stop it,” he teases.

The room is whipped into uncontrollable laughter as Suho jokingly grasps the collar of Baekhyun’s sweater, as if he’s about to wrestle the other singer mid-interview. Suho’s faux fury only makes Baekhyun’s smile grow wider and he lets out a loud ahh, ahh! before Suho lets go.

“It reminds me of rain!” Suho complains, but a smile is working its way across his face too. “That’s because the lyrics have the word ‘rain’ in them,” Baekhyun dryly quips. “Choose something other than ‘Day After Day’,” Kai urges in between laughs. “Day after tomorrow? Two days after tomorrow?” The laughter doubles.

In the end, Suho chooses “Baby You Are." “The song uses band sounds and I really like the sound of the guitar,” he answers, before replying in English: “The intro is the best!” He flashes an assured smile and gives a thumbs up to further prove his point.

“The intro is your part!” Chen lovingly chides. “It’s because you sang that part!”

The most emotional track on the album is “Butterfly Effect," which is a direct callback to the group’s 2013 song “Don’t Go” (which literally translates to “Butterfly Girl”). The song, according to Chanyeol, was selected as a way to thank fans for their unwavering support over the last seven years.

“After viewing the different universes portrayed in EXO’s albums, you’ll be able to see a connection between Obsession and our previous records,” Chanyeol says. “In songs like ‘Don't Go’ and ‘Butterfly Effect’, there are butterflies that resist the Red Force [the canonical evil force mentioned throughout EXO’s music videos] and protect EXO. To us, these butterflies represent our fans, who are always beside us no matter what. They are why and how we exist.”

He continues: “Because of our fans — through their love and support — we are able to overcome any difficulties [we face as a group]. This is probably one of the biggest messages that we wanted to share on this album.”

Prior to their debut seven years ago, the members’ goals for the future were heavily built upon their dream to debut together. Chanyeol recalls that, before they were ever officially called EXO, each member was bonded together by a “common goal to create good music as one” as well as their frequent discussions while training to “work together for a very long time."

“At the time of our debut, we had achieved nothing and everything was up in the air. We talked about working together for a long time, hitting number one on the chart, winning awards, and more,” Kai replies, tone contemplative as he leans closer. “Personally speaking, when we eventually achieved all those goals, I realized, yes, winning awards and being successful is important, but more importantly being able to perform happily as an artist is what mattered the most. There were times when I obsessed over our sales record, stages, and something tangible, but now my goal and dream is to be a happy artist, being satisfied with what I do.”

At the end of Kai’s answer, EXO breaks out into a hearty round of applause. Kai bashfully shines on the encouragement with a soft grin. “He’s like a supervisor,” Baekhyun teases. Chanyeol concurs, “He’s like a CEO!”

Looking ahead, EXO’s goals for the upcoming year aren’t the grandiose, tangible achievements of their youth, but rather to keep the promise they made to each other all those years ago: to make music together for a really long time. “I’m wishing all the members’ health and happiness [in the future],” Chen says.

“Being able to perform for a long time as one, being able to meet the fans for a long time…” Kai reflects. “That’s the most important.”

source: emlyn travis @ Teen Vogue

#exo #suho #baekhyun #chen #chanyeol #kai #sehun #t: info

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dailyexo · 4 years

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[INTERVIEW] EXO - 191220 Teen Vogue: K-Pop Stars EXO Reflect on How Far They've Come — and How Far They'll Go

"As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future.

As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future as they reunite to promote their sixth album Obsession.

Amongst the members, X-EXO wins in a landslide over the team they liked the most.

“I was going to say the same,” Suho says, shocked. A mischievous grin spreads on Baekhyun’s face. “Stop it,” he teases.

“The intro is your part!” Chen lovingly chides. “It’s because you sang that part!”

“Being able to perform for a long time as one, being able to meet the fans for a long time…” Kai reflects. “That’s the most important.”"

Photo links: 1, 2, 3

Credit: Teen Vogue.

#EXO #EXO K #EXO M #191220 #exo im #exo k im #exo m im #p:news #t:news #fs:teen vogue #comeback:Obsession

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gymn0pedist · 3 years

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On Erik Satie and Venezuelan Folk Music

Today on the ‘Metropolitan Blog of Art, of Song, Satie the Conductor’ blog we will be comparing two musical pieces; “Aubade” from Avant-dernieres pensees by Erik Satie and a traditional Venezuelan folk song performed by a Hungarian artist Arani Zoltan, who specializes in folk songs. These two amazing songs are linked together by meter and harmony.

Erik Satie lived from May seventeenth, 1866 to July first, 1925. He was a French composer known for writing gentle, calm, and deliberately non-German music. It is important to note that he used harmonies that were way ahead of its time. For example, many of the chords and harmonic choices arose in popularity in American Jazz. His work had influences on various composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, and Cage. You can divide Satie’s works into each decade of his life. In his twenties he wrote his early piano pieces, in his thirties he wrote primarily cabaret songs, in his forties he wrote satirical piano pieces, and in his fifties, he had a very varied output of pieces including ballets, socrate, and songs and piano pieces.

The country of Venezuela has a rich culture and history surrounding music. There are even laws to allocate 50% of radio airwaves to folk music. Much of the folklore came from Llanos, which is the inland prairies and farmland of Venezuela. The musical traditions from there became known as musica llanera. Musica llanera became an expression of Venezuelan folklore that embraced their traditions and culture through dances and instruments that reflected this. The most popular form of musica llanera being the joropo, a style that has poetry, singing and dancing being incorporated and very essential to the form. During the latter half of the twentieth century saw the rise in a more modern style of musica llanera with more modern instruments and more modern subject matters. This style of music is mostly Mestizo in origin with a lot of syncopated rhythms.

The first link between these great songs is meter. For people listening, it is very clear that in “El Tigrito” has its beats grouped in 3. Because of this we know it is in a triple meter; we transcribed it and we found that it does fit in a 3/4 time signature. The top line is the melody for the introduction to the song and is played with a guitar. It is a very clear triple meter to the listener.

It is good to note that both pieces are in simple triple meter. Any time you see “simple” being referred to in meter it just means each quarter note can be split into two notes. Now, that sounds a bit more complex than it is. Just think about simple triple as “one and two and three and.” Where the “and” is the second half of the quarter note as you can see below. (picture courtesy of musictheory.net)

The tricky part about the Satie piece is that it is barely notated, especially not even close to being notated in the traditional sense. He leaves out bar lines, key and time signature. As you can see below, you can barely even read the original manuscript.

Since this piece is supposed to be a satire, he didn’t bother to notate it and later copies of this respected this. but clearly this piece uses triple meter, all the pieces patterns repeat after 3 beats. You can see what I mean with a cleaner version of the sheet music below. After listening, naturally, you would want to place the bar lines after 3 beats as there is clearly a pattern.

We placed the bar lines for you, but they are traditionally omitted to make it authentic as possible (although Satie would like to notate it less). Clearly if we place the measure lines in, we can see that it is divided by 8th notes making it simple meter. Both pieces also have a very simple bassline while the melody and chords carry it making the texture of both songs very similar, making these songs more similar than we would have thought.

We are excited to find that both songs use similar meter. Even when Satie hid his time signature, we are happy to see how similar these pieces are.

The second commonality we found is harmony. The harmony is linked by added tone chords and extended chords. But- what are extended chords? “Extended chords (or higher numbered chords) have notes in addition to the basic triad. These are called extensions”.3 The added notes from extended chords add interesting colors to the traditional harmonies we normally listen to. Jazz musicians really enjoy using chords like these; It allows composers to use more interesting chords while still staying in a key. We are very excited to see two different artists from around the world use the same technique.

Satie is very famous for doing this technique as you can see below, in one of his most famous pieces, the Trois Gymnopédies. This was very unorthodox at the time and he was really the first to do use this type of harmony until jazz.

Satie used these techniques a lot and especially in Aubade, where it very much defines how the harmony functions in this piece. This piece is very much like the Gymnopédies. He uses the bass notes to show the root note and show stability, while the chords he uses may not match traditional tonal functions, but they give a very atmospheric feeling. According Taruskin, (page 68) this type of writing is considered “completely arbitrary sonority [sound] without any ’inherit’ or mandated tonal function” Taruskin also mentions that Satie uses a “strictly diatonic melody”. The only fancy thing it does is that it has some accidentals, we can see how simple Gymnopedie is here in measure 21:

Satie mirrors these concepts from the Gymnopédies in Aubade to a T. As you can see in Aubades bassline it’s very tonally simplistic and diatonic. As the key is in G, we can see its nothing more than just root notes and other notes in the key, most notably the note D, nothing tricky or anything fancy. We annotated the music with the scale degrees to make this easier to read.

Similarly, El Tigrito uses a simple bassline to convey the root notes of each chord. The chords go I-ii-V in C major as seen below.

Congrats if you noticed that the D minor chord in the third bar, because yes, that is a typical D minor triad, but! The chord implied after that isn't your typical D minor triad. if we compress the notes with the D from the bassline, we get this implied chord, which is a Dm6.

Now if we do this with all the chords, we can see what chords, and what chords they implied to really spice up this song!

Now if we compare these techniques to Aubade, we can see it uses the same concept albeit a bit differently. Satie still used the bass notes to signify the root notes, but instead the bass is the melody, and the chords are used repetitiously to add structure throughout the song, making it more like the bass and chords have swapped jobs.

But if we add scale degrees and give names to the chords, we can see how much weirder this song can be. We added ties to the half notes so you can better visualize the implied chord.

Ok so let's break down these weirder chords to make them sound less daunting. A D6 chord is just a Dmaj with just an added sixth! Not that intimidating right? This Gmaj9 is a little different though. It can be called a Gmaj7 BUT because the A is there its technically a Gmaj9. Most importantly is that some notes are implied – which is common in many extended chords. When you play this song, you don’t just play it as a Gmaj9, you play a D major on the right hand with a G on the left hand for the bassline/melody. The bass adds tonal structure to make the song more stable. Satie used these 2 chords but instead of using them more so as a chord progression he uses them to get different voicings and colors out of the already used chords, even more so in the latter half of the song.

The main difference between how El Tigrito and Aubade use the added tones is the intent and purpose of using this technique. El Tigrito is a folk song that probably used added tone chords not even on purpose, it's not trying to make a statement or to wade against the flow of mainstream music at the time, it's meant to be a folk song, and Satie isn’t trying to make a song for everyone to sing along to, he’s making a song that makes a statement against the strictness of German music and the climate of music and art in the late 1800’s. Aubade and many other of Satie's’ songs are made very deliberately and intricately, with no offense to El Tigrito and folk songs, but this is very much the opposite to El Tigrito. El Tigrito uses this more discordant tone to its advantage due to using multiple instruments to get a more rich and fuller song that adds to the sadder subject of the song.

In conclusion world music and Western music aren't so different. While music has a perspective for each song’s culture and time it was made in, they’re not all so different from each other as we discovered. The links we found to these songs cannot be said for all world music to Western music, but similarities will always be there. The one thing I can say against comparison this is that western music theory isn’t the best metric to analyze and compare world music due to lacking the proper perspective of the culture that’s not western, and/or has no influences from western music and culture. But either way, it's very interesting to see music the differences in different cultures art and how despite these cultural differences we can embrace what we all truly love: music.

Sources:

Avant-Dernières Pensées: Aubade, Youtube, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPVnAAOaIHo.

“Columbia and Venezuela.” Music of Latin America and the Caribbean, by Mark Brill, vol. 2, Routledge, 2018, pp. 288–297.

Folk Music from Venezuela - El Tigrito. Youtube, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzBUzjucWu4.

Martino, Ralph. “Extended Chords - 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths.” Accessed December 10, 2020. https://www.practical-chords-and-harmony.com/extended-chords.html.

Sadie, Stanley (ed.), and Alfred Leslie. “Satie, Erik. .” Essay. In The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 515–19. London: Macmillan, 1980.

Satie, Erik. Avant dernieres pensees: Aubaude. 1989 https://ks.imslp.net/files/imglnks/usimg/0/0b/IMSLP585394-PMLP19654-satie.pdf

Satie, Erik. Avant dernieres pensees: Aubaude (manuscript). 1915. https://ks.imslp.net/files/imglnks/usimg/0/0b/IMSLP585394-PMLP19654-satie.pdf

Satie, Erik. Trois Gymnopedies. 1896https://ks.imslp.net/files/imglnks/usimg/7/75/IMSLP03213-Satie-GymnopediesOrEd.pdf

Taruskin, Richard. “Getting Rid of Glue.” Essay. In The Oxford History of Western Music, 64–68. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

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mastcomm · 4 years

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She’s Your Guide to the Sound World of Fluxus

On a recent afternoon in the newly reopened and reconceptualized Museum of Modern Art, about a dozen visitors gathered around a table to listen to an old tape recording with the singer, composer and scholar Gelsey Bell.

The recording documented a 1959 concert of works by students of John Cage at the New School. Students in that class would go on to become important members of Fluxus, an interdisciplinary collective of artists who — inspired by Cage to focus on open-ended instruction-based text works and the music of everyday objects — created influential drawings, publications and compositions in the 1960s.

While visual artifacts from MoMA’s substantial Fluxus collection have been given a spotlight over the last decade, including in exhibitions of the work of Yoko Ono and Carolee Schneemann, the sound files in the museum’s possession have not. That’s changing this year, in a collaboration between the departments of education (which operates the new “creativity lab” on the second floor where the listening session was held) and drawings and prints (which houses the bulk of the Fluxus archive).

When MoMA was looking for an artist to help guide visitors through these sound artifacts — the sessions continue on Feb. 6, March 5 and April 30 — it selected a wide-ranging musician who is, in many ways, a contemporary heir of the collective’s ethos.

Ms. Bell, 37, has been celebrated for her performances in the highly conceptual (and textual) operas of Robert Ashley and Kate Soper, including her coming “Romance de la Rose.” She has also starred on Broadway, in Dave Malloy’s “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.” Her work engages with drone music as well as with free-improvisation textures familiar from the outer reaches of experimental jazz.

“There’s a moment where you discover there’s another way of doing things; it’s freeing,” Ms. Bell said in an interview after the listening session, about her first encounter with Fluxus. Though she grew up familiar with the standard repertoire, thanks to a mother who was a classical pianist, Ms. Bell said that the collective’s work opened her to new paths of creativity.

“My desire to sing in a way that’s appropriate for Broadway, that��s not going to go away,” she said. “But I discovered John Cage and Fluxus at the same time. And it just totally upended what I saw as possible, not just for what I could do, but for how I could enjoy anything, aesthetically.”

At MoMA, she played Dick Higgins’s “Constellation for Five Performers (No. 1),” which had been performed twice during the 1959 concert. In the first take, a low-frequency buzz indicated radios being switched on. This sound was followed by a synchronized, fortissimo cluster of notes, coming simultaneously from two pianos. Composition complete.

Or was it? The second iteration of the brief work sounded similar. But this time, the quick assault of tones from the pianos issued from higher up in their ranges. The difference between the two versions — together, just a minute long — brought a wave of laughter, more delighted than incredulous, from the listeners around the table.

“The fact that they performed multiple versions is so telling about this aesthetic, that there’s many many ‘right ways’ to do this,” she said. “And the weirder and more creative you get with it, actually, the better it’s going to get.

Two recent recordings make clear that Ms. Bell is a natural guide to MoMA’s Fluxus audio holdings. The first is a spellbinding live recording of “Improvement (Don Leaves Linda),” captured during the opera’s 2019 revival. The collaborative approach that is necessary in Ashley’s operas can be seen as flowing from Fluxus practices.

“Anything Bob made, he talked about how he’ll only work with geniuses on his pieces,” Ms. Bell said in an interview, citing in particular Ashley’s early years with the ONCE Group, another 1960s collective. “Even in his later work — which is much more of his single mind — you can tell there’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen.”

And a new album by the Chutneys — the free-improvisation trio in which Ms. Bell provides vocals — reveals multiple layers of Fluxus influence. (The trio will perform at Roulette on Feb. 13.) You can hear tendrils of Ono-style vocalizations in Ms. Bell’s contributions to tracks like “Protein.” And the same Cage-derived, found-sound aesthetic that fueled Fluxus can also be heard in the range of choices made by the trio’s drummer, Fast Forward.

“The last piece on the album, most of what he’s is playing, all that time, are bicycle handles,” Ms. Bell said. “And they’re just the most beautiful, resonant bicycle handles you could ever imagine. I feel like that kind of searching — for getting sound from anywhere — is very much from the Cage tradition, and you can see that connecting with the Fluxus stuff.”

For each of the listening sessions at MoMA, Ms. Bell has isolated a collection recording of particular note, which she will tie to subsequent generations of artistic practice. (Future listening sessions will include works by the saxophonist and composer Darius Jones, as well as the Art Ensemble of Chicago.)

“For the next one,” she said, “what I’m most excited about is a recording of this concert from Douglass College, of Dick Higgins’s ‘Thousand Symphonies’ and Philip Corner’s ‘Fourth Finale.’ I think all the people involved thought there’d been an audio recording that had been lost. So when I found this, I started emailing with Philip: ‘You should know, MoMA has it. It exists.’”

Similarly, Cage’s “Class of ’59” tape was one that stopped Ms. Bell in her tracks when she came across it, during her dozens of hours of research in the MoMA archive. “That class is so legendary,” she said. “You read and read about it.”

Might there be more possibilities for these Fluxus recordings to be heard after the listening sessions at MoMA conclude in April? Ms. Bell hopes so.

“I have dreams about taking some of these recordings and putting them into a form that can be released to the world,” she said. “I’m not a record producer, but I can recognize when stuff is good and when I think other people are going to want to hear it.”

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kitreadsbirdmen · 5 years

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An Encounter with Duality

An Analysis of Birdmen Flight 048′s chapter cover

As the current arc kicks into high gear, the flock gathering new allies left and right in their search for the 7 Wings, the reintroduction of a former ‘foe’ brings things to a satisfying start. Fiona has had a remarkably rocky start with our main cast so when Takayama sweeps her away into the front of their mission as a pivotal ally, we are left with only one panel– a context-less chapter cover following her cliffhanger addition to the cast– to make sense of the moment and further define her role in the narrative. What’s more, this scene is depicted in such a manner, utilizing allusions to two notable works from Western Artistic Canon, that it comments on the nature of the most elusive and important character yet: Takayama Sou. By modeling the scene of Fiona’s encounter with Takayama after Marianne Stoke’s 1900 painting Death and the Maiden, while simultaneously presenting a portrait depiction of Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in the background, Tanabe illustrates a conflicting duality of good and evil resulting ultimately in ambiguity. By first drawing visual comparisons between this cover and the named alluded works, the respective analysis will inform the deeper implications of this scene and the characters involved.

A Demonic Invader:

Death and the Maiden depicts a young woman’s late night encounter with a winged being clothes in black and raising a hand to her alarm. This motif of pairing a symbol of purity and life, such as a young woman, with such an apparent opposites as the embodiment of death was common in Renaissance paintings, exercising the fragile relationship of these two dichotomies. We see this painting invoked in the above cover, Takayama approaching Fiona in her bed, as death so does to the girl. Fiona’s pose emulates Stoke’s Maiden, holding the blanket up to her chest with an expression of alarm. Even her elaborate fashion sense permits her to wear a dated night gown that resembles the Maiden. The almost contrived presence of feathers from Fiona’s down pillows invoke the feathered nature of Stoke’s death– a detail that Tanabe’s Seraphim can’t achieve by nature of their powers. Takayama’s looming pose paints him as Stoke’s death angel easily, while also hearkening back to the ominous associations the public granted him early on in chapter 6:

Malignantly painted, Takayama becomes this force of nature, feared by men and notably, this young girl.

The context of the encounter is paradoxically more positive than presented. Takayama seeks out Fiona to complete their ensemble and prepare for the grand mission of gathering the 7 Wings. Whereas it can be assumed that Stoke’s painting illustrates the injustice of a young girl’s brush with death, Tanabe’s cover works as a positive force in the narrative, moving the plot along in an agreeable direction and liberating the girl from Eden in hindsight. Yet the overwhelming tone of an uninvited presence, consuming Fiona’s space, covering her in the ominous black of his wings, and eliciting her apparent surprise, tells the audience at first glance that this is a potentially sinister moment. It aligns with the constant ambiguity of Takayama’s actions to date, questioning his intentions and his motives to the point of frustration.

There is a foundational sense of duality in Stoke’s painting that isn’t properly translated to the cover, but felt in the deeper analysis. While acting as an inevitable force of nature, Death hold out its hand in gentle reassurance. This is something that Takayama does not mimic, but by virtue of his heroic actions and pacifying moments prior to now, we are reminded of his capacity for genuine good that belies the ambiguity of his actions.

A Divine Guest:

While a noticeable feature in the background of the scene, the identity of the portrait is one of importance. Best visualized in the volume release of the chapter cover, the audience glimpses a small section of a greater work:

(picture courtesy of @hiurasouji )

From the distinctive sunbeam’s the portrait was identified as a cropped version of Bernini’s famous statue, Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Observe:

This statue, completed in 1652 and resting in the Roman Catholic church Santa Maria della Vittoria, depicts a scene from an autobiographical text, penned by the female subject of the work, a nun named Teresa of Avila. The episode denotes her religious euphoria during an encounter with an angel

I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron’s point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.

Chapter XXIX; Part 17, Teresa’s Autobiography

The notable parallel here revolves around yet another winged being visiting a woman. The differences put Takayama in comparison to not an ominous force of nature but a divine being of great power and purpose. Unlike the Stoke’s painting, this encounter is at face value a strikingly good and joyful thing. It serves to thus paint Fiona as overwhelmed with the otherworldly power and mission of her visitor. An appropriate reaction to Takayama’s unfathomable presence that she earlier remarks. Though it can be said that Fiona’s parallels to the painting are diminished in the nature of the cover’s framing. By cutting off the portrait to only show the arm of the visiting angel, space and composition restraints aside, the metaphor is weakened. Takayama’s connections to divine forces are as abundant as his more sinister comparisons.

This final page to chapter 29 invokes the same style of religious lighting as the Bernini statue while placing Takayama in a messiah role to the public. Ominous features notwithstanding, what is a remarkably ‘good’ visit from an angel proves with an inlaid duality that it is just as thematically gray as the Stoke’s painting furthering Takyama’s ambiguous alignment.

While an autobiographical excerpt, the symbolic nature of the nun’s divine encounter that Bernini depicts implies an undeniable sinister nature to the event. Teresa’s episode makes note of the angel’s spear, which appeared to be “thrusting at times into [her] heart” and blanketing her in “excessive pain” that paradoxically turns to the titular ecstasy of the encounter. It is no accident that the spear in the portrait is what is most clearly seen in within the cover, highlighting this contradictory sense of pleasure and pain, violence and good will, with the actions of our Takayama.

An Overwhelming Moment:

There is an argument to be said that Takayama is clearly acting on the agency of some unknown power. The allusions to those forces have the potential to work beyond simple catalysts for tonal reception. In regards to the actual plot elements at hand this cover serves to give us insight into Fiona’s emotions. The ambiguity between the two allusions paints a sense of uncertainty with Takayama and the present mission. It also serves as a potential reasoning for her clear attachment to him. Before this moment, Takayama interacts with her two seprate times, both in negative and hostile contexts. The first time is after Eishi Awakens and he performs a Force Link.

This is an act that is clearly distressing to Fiona, leaving her crying, begging her innocence to him, all with the lost agency of her wings forcibly sprouting. She leaves this scene with a sense of understanding of Takayama, noting the unfathomable nature of his mind and the newness of the emotions he felt through Eishi. Later on he again engages her in a similarly hostile manner:

(dont mind me just doing the work of god dear fiona)

This hijack that he does is the definition of invasive. These two moments then get topped off by the bedroom raid making the audience question her emotional state. It is apparent during this chapter and the next that Fiona doesn’t bond well with the other Seraphim but instead clings to this serial offender of her agency.

and then later she only permits Takayama to touch her shoulder:

(minor post 049 spoiler)

And this seemingly contradictory behavior I feel is justified in the context of the cover of flight 048. By connecting her to the subjects of these two works, her complex relationship with this force is explained. Teresa’s experience with the angel is overwhelming, while also serving to affirm her faith. The Maiden’s encounter with Death is a commentary on the inevitable nature between the two. The fear and reverence are two parts of the same the same coin and the duality of Fiona’s encounters paint her relationship with Takayama with the broad strokes of religious worship or natural comprehension.

In the end we are left with the great mystery of Takayama, a character that exceeds the labels of good and evil while acting in the stark presence of the protagonists. The use of Bernini and Stokes work in one depicted scene proved to emphasize this and ally Takayama with further connections to greater powers. And within the more present understanding of the story the cover enlightens the audience with a backdrop for this confusing relationship so quickly formed between Fiona and Takayama.

All in all we ask ourselves:

why u so fukin confusing takayama?

This was written on 7/5/17 when the chapter was released in the Japan. After so much waiting, it was finally translated and I can post this. This mainly reflects my perspective at the time and is in now way influenced by spoilers.

#birdmen #birdmen analysis #flight 048 cover analysis #birdmen meta #forgive this for egregious mistakes

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fuanteinasekai · 5 years

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Thnx 4 your reply, & I too wondered about that Natsume/Taki moment, Sensei might've tried to give it a spin. But remember this quote? "I feel like I'm chasing characters around with a sketchbook & megaphone" (1st vol) She follows their natural course. She also made sure to show Taki/Tanuma/Smol Natsume act similarly to Taki/Natsume/Kai & tied the stories, Taki: "yes! thats the field we made flower crowns" but Natsume didnt remember her or that moment. Tanuma/Natsume tho? *waves at your meta #1

Hi! I love this ask!!

First, it actually hadn’t occurred to me that the Kai story was chosen as a reference specifically because of the “faux parents” comparison. I assumed it was just because it was the only location besides Taki’s house we had any reference for. But we’ve never actually seen Tanuma fishing, and that was one of his memories, so there’s no reason Midorikawa-sensei couldn’t have made up something similar with Taki. In retrospect, it does seem a little much to be coincidental.

On the one hand it’s slightly worrisome, since Tanuma and Taki have basically negative romantic chemistry in this story, whereas Natsume/Taki was at least plausible. So it could be read as supporting Natsume/Taki through contrast. On the other hand, I’m not sure how you would reconcile that reading with the rest of the story. There’s so much implied intimacy between Tanuma and Natsume, and the cleaning cupboard is an incredibly domestic choice of location for Natsume to recognize. Like, you pretty much have to be a very close friend to be involved in the household on that level, haha. I’m still not ruling out Taki as wife—heteronormativity is a powerful force, and I’m wary of letting my guard down. But yeah.

Second, I love that you bring up her writing style, ‘cause I was literally in the middle of writing about it. I hadn’t actually read that particular author’s note yet, but it’s exactly the impression I got from reading between the lines of her other notes:

描きかた

「こういうシーンのあるこういう流れの話を描きたい」と思って、それに合う子をそこに放り込んで動いてもらう。メガホン片手に追っかけていってスケッチする、という感覚で描いている気がします。特に学生さんのお話は。

そこは右だー、左だーと指示を出しながら追っかけていって、セリフや動きは任せる感じです。なのでネーム中はかなり疲れますが、とても楽しいものでもあるのです。

“The Way I Draw”

“When I think ‘I want to draw a story with this kind of scene and this kind of flow,’ I pick a kid who fits, throw them in and put them to work. I feel like I’m drawing intuitively, as if I were trailing after them with a megaphone in one hand, sketching. Especially in stories about students.”

“I feel like I’m trailing after them while directing, ‘That goes to the riiight, that goes to the leeeft,’ but leave the dialog and labor to them. Because of this, I find the preliminary work exhausting, but really fun.”

This is pretty much exactly what I was getting at with the “Taki test” thing, just reversed. My theory with the Kai story was that she chose a setting and environment where Taki could break through romantically, then dropped her in to see what would happen. So rather than picking a character for the environment, she picked a specific environment in order to give a character an opportunity to evolve in a specific way—and then let it go when that evolution didn’t happen. That’s my theory, anyway.

This is the bit I was already working on:

Midorikawa-Sensei did not originally intend this series to have any sort of character or relationship development or emotional arc. At all.

If you read her early author’s notes, she’s fairly up front of about this. I get the impression she’s basically a folklore nerd who wanted to write stories about yōkai. So she cloned one of her male protagonists, gave him the Book of Friends to justify all his yōkai encounters, and slapped him into a shoujo manga. It was supposed to be a series of independent yōkai stories bound by a single character, much like Mushishi but with a different tone and more strongly centered on existing Japanese folklore. She flat out says this in the author’s notes for the first chapter:

可能なら読切シリーズとして描きたいと本心を担当様にお話しして描いた作品です。

“This is a work I drew while telling [the editor] that I truly wanted, if possible, to draw it as a series of stand-alones.”

*pauses to laugh hysterically*

Shigeru-san was supposed to be “like Columbo’s wife,” always alluded to and never seen. Reiko was just a device to set up the Book of Friends, not a real character. Tanuma was supposed to click with Natsume instantly, without any angst, presumably so that Natsume would have someone to explain things to. If you compare the first twenty chapters to those that followed, you can see how recurring characters used to be mostly in the background, and yōkai dominated heavily. Natori stories were disproportionately common because he (as an exorcist) was part of world-building, and because it was easy to write him and yōkai at the same time. Now these yokai-dominant stories are the exception, rather than the rule. These are all still yōkai stories, of course, but now the yōkai largely serve as vehicles for the stories and emotions of humans.

Unfortunately for Midorikawa-sensei, she’s clearly the type of writer who lets her instincts play a role in her writing. This is visible even without her direct admission. So when characters started acting in unexpected ways, she let them. And now, despite having originally planned absolutely no plot arc at all, she has at least two major ongoing plot threads: the question of Natsume’s grandfather and how it ties to the Book of Friends (possibly separable from “how to return all the names”), and The Thing with Tanuma.

One of the interesting conclusions we can draw from this is that character-centric stories she’s “wanted to draw for a long time” are not stories she has always wanted to draw. If Reiko was originally just a plot device, then Souko must have been invented later, probably in response to some sort of plot development. *cough*Tanuma-related*cough* To a lesser extent, it’s unlikely that Ito-san was planned from the start, either. Unlike a series that was planned out and structured from the start, we can’t assume that foreshadowing or a particular theme started early. We have to be really careful about what kind of assumptions we make, and about how old our sources are.

To me that actually makes all this more fun—trying to figure when something changed, when she gave in to a particular theme, and so on. I do think she’s been leaning into the choices her characters have made, but she’s not necessarily up front about when that started, or exactly what that means. It’s an extra challenge.

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doctorbluesmanreturns · 5 years

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Essay on my opinion about shock humor and gore in animation under the cut, please note that everything stated in this post is my own point of view and that I’m not setting myself up as an authority who thinks that his word is somehow what everyone should think (*cough* Nostalgia Critic *cough*) but this is a topic which I have thought about for a bit so I wanted to write about it and get my own views straightened out.

Basing your whole career on shock humor is a bad idea. It gets boring after the first time and generally you need to have more types of humor at your disposal to be able to have a well-rounded career in comedy. It’s the equivalent of jump scares in horror--they can be done well and used to great effect, but only if your film isn’t just “Jump Scare--the Movie!”

In animation aimed at adults, shock humor ABOUNDS, and there’s a stereotype that it has to do the joke of having a character get seriously injured and have it be really gory. This is something that is especially prevalent in things that have come out since the 2000s, with the idea being that in order to push the envelope of what’s acceptable on TV, we have to show more gore than ever before, and the whole underlying joke of this is:

“haha, cartoon man bleed!”

The basis of this joke is simple: since classic cartoon characters don’t usually get seriously injured (see Who Framed Roger Rabbit where the fact that the Dip can dissolve toons where nothing else could harm them is a major plot point), reversing the idea and having actually realistic harm come to them is somewhat funny because it’s unexpected.

The problem is that animation has expanded to the point where death and violence are a major part of them anyway depending on the film (look at something like The Lion King or Into the Spiderverse), and that people have done this same “joke” so many times that all of the shock value has disappeared and it’s boring.

But let’s look at classic cartoon violence for a moment and see why that works and why it’s funny, before looking at how some adult-oriented shows treat violence.

When most people think of cartoon violence they think of Looney Tunes, the series that perfected the convention. In the world of Looney Tunes, there are several rules about violence that are more-or-less consistent throughout:

1) Only the character who INSTIGATED the violence gets injured. In the Wabbit Season/Duck Season shorts, Daffy is specifically trying to get Elmer to shoot Bugs because it’s actually Duck Season (cue a ton of fake Rabbit Season signs placed all over by Daffy). Everyone has experienced something like this at some point in their life, someone going out of their way to hurt them in some way, so it’s cathartic to see Daffy try so hard to hurt Bugs only to fall into his own trap and get shot OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITHOUT LEARNING.

2) The injuries are almost never serious or life-threatening. Daffy gets shot a lot but all that results from that is his feathers are blasted off and his bill pushed into a different position on his head (and in one memorable instance, his entire head got blown upside-down somehow). This is because for the majority of human beings, seeing blood gushing everywhere isn’t funny, it’s disturbing, so while we want Daffy to get his deserved comeuppance, we also want to see it happen in a way that is more humiliating than harmful, to paraphrase Chuck Jones (who should know). Occasionally characters are killed in massive explosions but this is usually presented as an ironic twist at the end of a cartoon (the audience finally applauds Daffy after he blows himself up, but as his ghost rising towards Heaven laments, “I can only do it once!”) and they’re back to wreak havoc once more in the next one.

The problem with the “haha cartoon man bleed!” joke is that it destroys everything that makes classic cartoon violence funny in favor of shock humor. The characters who are hurt AREN’T bad people getting their comeuppance and their injuries AREN’T comparatively mild enough that even when they are the villain it’s not funny to watch. And then they just wipe away the consequences in the next scene anyway so there was no real point to maiming the character that gruesomely if you’re not going to own it and have them be dead for at least the rest of the episode.

While this specifically is what people are usually riffing off of when they have blood and gore in their cartoons, not all shows aimed at adults do this, and there are different ways to approach violence that go beyond “haha cartoon man bleed!” that more content creators should make note of.

1) In The Simpsons, some violence is cartoonish and consequence free (Homer strangling Bart for instance, or Sideshow Bob’s numerous run-ins with rakes, cacti, and other various items familiar to Wile E Coyote), while others are serious (Mr. Burns ended up in the hospital after being shot, Homer was in a coma after being blown up and also thought that he could die after eating incorrectly prepared sushi), but that tends to be based more around the tone of the event in question, so it’s flexible enough to give the writers some leeway. And in the Treehouse of Horror annual Halloween specials, the joke isn’t just that the characters are dying but that this goes against all of the rules of the world of The Simpsons and therefore the excesses that they go to are ludicrous.

2) In South Park, the tone is generally more like real life than The Simpsons, with fantastical elements stuck in for good measure (Trey Parker and Matt Stone having been inspired by urban legends surrounding the titular community that they heard while growing up). Seemingly belying this though is the running gag of Kenny’s deaths in every episode, something which Parker and Stone later abandoned because it got too tedious to try to come up with funny new ways to kill him. It was later retconned into his parents being cursed by Cthulhu so that every time he dies, not only is he reborn but everyone’s memories of him dying before are wiped clean. What Parker and Stone are good at with South Park is in using shock humor as social commentary--their whole movie is about their view of the quixotic nature of censorship and how parents will blame the creators of content not made for children when their kids see it rather than being good parents and being a part of their children’s lives, and this carries over into their treatment of violence. While their creative decisions aren’t ones that I agree with most of the time, I can still see that they are actually putting thought and care into their work, something that absolutely can’t be said for everyone in the adult animation industry.

Which leads us to

3) Family Guy and the rest of Seth MacFarlane’s oeuvre. Family Guy is what happens when you take the Treehouse of Horror segments and divorce them of the context that This Is Not Normal, and add in South Park’s shock humor as social commentary without the social commentary. The result is something where one of the primary jokes is “haha cartoon man bleed!” when the tone is more like a weird heightened reality and therefore it doesn’t “land” as that sort of joke except in the fact that it’s animated. Peter Griffin and the rest are so very clearly not “cartoons” in the way that Daffy Duck or Wile E Coyote are, so it’s basically like if you had a live-action film where people kept getting grievously injured but also erased the consequences of that for the next shot. This is the apogee of lazy writing on par with MacFarlane’s other stock joke, “haha animal and baby talk!!!”

4) In The Venture Bros., we’re basically treated to a live-action show that is animated, and violent death is a HUGE part of every single episode since the premise is “adventure series with kid sidekicks but done with real world rules”. The joke is that if people acted like characters from those old books and shows did in real life, they’re either incredibly stupid or violent psychopaths. It’s still shock humor, and it’s usually not particularly well done beyond “BLOOD!!!!!” but it still beats out Family Guy because the joke isn’t just “haha cartoon man bleed!” but rather a social commentary about our world. (The fact that their view of the world is EXTREMELY nihilistic is a topic for another day.)

5) Similarly, the “lore” of the game Team Fortress 2 has a ton of violence but differently than The Venture Bros., where morality is only found in the naive title characters and even then it’s more a product of them being too stupid to have a different worldview, most of the main characters of TF2 aren’t actually evil. They just happen to have the job of Blowing Things Up and Killing Enemies, and the comics even make it clear that in their world, there’s a difference between having that job and being an evil person. They’re also the only franchise on this list who actually do jokes featuring gore that go beyond the fact that it happened and are more akin to the “splatstick” style of Peter Jackson’s early films, which whether or not that’s something you can stomach gives them a point for more creativity.

All this is a very long way to say that people involved with the cartoon industry need to realize that expecting the joke of extreme violence to be funny in and of itself is both a bad strategy and is making it so any hacks can write a show without putting any thought into it and it gets approved because that’s what shows “do”. And creators need to realize that just because South Park or The Simpsons did something, you can’t just copy them while getting rid of the context that actually made the jokes land and expect to have something good.

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shabowyer · 2 years

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Rosa Johan Uddoh

I first heard of Rosa Johan Uddoh during the height of the very necessary black lives matter protests, she is a back British influencer, writer focused on black feminism and self love, she is an artist whom utilises a great deal of collage, painting, sculpture and film to challenge extremely significant issues surrounding racial issues. I was pleasantly suppressed to have Rosa as our first artist as i was familiar with many of her works since I previously went to see her exhibition in Liverpool.

Rosas most recent project in 2021, was an extremely impressive exhibition to which truly captured my attention; the project, ‘practice makes perfect’ now, this was a series of works challenging oppression to which is still as prevalent in todays society as any which is why she utilised and depicted many significant figures in black history, including countless Balthazar's in One piece I am particularly mesmerised and fascinated by entitled breaking point, this collage is so large and projects an empowering community sense, truly depicting the incredible steps taken by Uddoh’s black female hero’s. Now, the reason I believe this show to be so impactful on many levels is due to the inclusion of the school, she had young teens help her to create performance pieces and works in support of diversity, equality, the teaching of different cultures and black history is still a subject that is not being pushed enough in to curriculums and on top of this having Uddoh do it in such a creative way makes it significantly more impactful for the school really helping them grasp the issues at hand and history through literally performing themselves.

Another thing I admired, was Rosa’s attention to detail, passion and overall respect for the topics stating she even hired and worked alongside a research assistant to help not only educate Uddoh extensively prior to passing on the information to the school during her exhibition yet also to ensure as much accuracy as possible including delving into accurate outfits and locating all the Balthazar from as far back as possible (1400s) to later collate and proudly display in an educational manner on walls “reminiscent of primary”. This exhibition was not only a visual display of a significant topic that needs to be heard more, especially by young people in the school system, yet it was an entire production and arguably the most positive and essential movement seen which will hopefully have inspired school systems to reevaluate what and how they teach motivating the new generation to express and celebrate their own identities just like Rosa.

Delving into Rosas earlier works I learnt she has also been pushing for black feminism to be a mainstream topic of discussion through working alongside the BBC as well as with many iconic British celebrities and personalities some of whom feature in her works, early on there was a great deal of comedy within her works I thought it to be reminiscent of Dimitri Vrubels piece depicting a kiss between politicians (vladmir Putin and Dmitry medvedev) similarly to this piece, a humorous take on a significant topic and source of issues in our world, a great deal of Uddohs similar pop culture inspired pieces are parades of the source such as a puppet of Megan Markle or Boris Johnson imitation of his rapping in very whacky costumes and situations whilst always subtly hinting and referencing a narrative of race to promote a serious message, some performative intermissive pieces also referencing African heritage e.g. hair styles/types.

One of my favourite pieces I found out doing further research is entitled brown paper bag, this really captured my attention and truly educated me on how Uddoh constantly thinks about her heritage and identity, she references the similarities between her skin tone and a paper bag and how they are treated similarly, poorly, suggesting this is an ingrained element of our society. ‘this was a performance short film essentially exploring Uddohs notion that those with a skin tone lighter than that of a brown paper bag will be treated better than those darker this is absolutely the horrific truth which is present even in todays society. This was a truly impactful piece to observe and I thought further about the symbolism of a bag being used, or being discarded, it floating away and being up in the air just as how the topic of racial inequality is currently ‘up in the air’. Overall, like I previously said this provided me with a brand new understanding of the tragic reality that forces Uddoh to even conceptualise this piece, questioning her and the black communities perceived worth, this was a poignant piece to which I really hope challenged people to reflect and understand how mentally, emotionally and physically difficult it still is to be a member of the black community in 2022.

Uddoh is an essential member of the art world right now and I truly admire how she is consistently sharing and exploring the empowering messages of radical self love and black feminism.

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megatontiddies · 3 years

Text

Alwine OC stuff 2

In order to flush out some ocs I'm gonna borrow this info sheet made by @willowiswriting!

The first one I post is gonna be Alwine but then later today, hopefully, I'm gonna introduce my second OC who will be a vital character in The Waters of March.

So anyways this is pretty long so under the cut it goes!

THE BASICS:

Name: Alwine Elenora Fries

Nick Names: Winnie (most common), Al, Allie

Age: 24 (234)

Gender identity: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual

Role in story: Sole Survivor

Hair color/texture: Dirty Brown, Long to Medium Shag Cut with Gentle Curls

Skin color/texture: #ccaf85, softer texture the woman was good on moisturizer and sunscreen prewar

Eye color: Green Hazel

Scars: Deeper scar that trails from left side of chin to upper right side of lip, long claw tracks from deathclaw encounter trailing from lower right torso to center/left of chest

Other notable features: Old Lines style tattoo in center of her back, Mole on right cheek

“Default” outfit: Pair of military green cargo pants and white tank top usually paired with combat boots and her old military holotags from prewar. In colder months she wears a leather bomber jacket.

EXTERNAL/OUTWARD PRESENCE:

How do they move and carry themselves? Pace, rhythm, gestures, energy?

Fairly proud. Alwines time in the military, despite being primarily a mechanic and not seeing much front line action, has trained her to walk with purpose and pride. Shoulder pinned back, high chin, legs shoulder length apart and ready to move at a moments notice. Although, she often moves her hands while she speaks and being quite quick on her feet make her appear energized and animated.

How much physical space do they use, active and at rest?

Alwine is fairly small in height, a modest 5"3, when she's resting she requires little to no space. She sleeps comfortably almost anywhere. In combat she similarly doesn't require too much room to maneuver although it's probably safest to give her space. She may be short but she's built like a rugby player. Double recommended for when she's in power armor.

How do they position themselves in a group? Do they like to be the center of attention, or do they hang back at the edges of a crowd?

Wallflower all the way. But she isn't afraid to take charge when necessary.

How does their size or build influence how they use their body, if it does?

As stated above Alwine will not hesitate to tackle you like its a game of rugby. She may be short but she is fast and built like a brick. Her small height, on the other hand, makes it easy for her to flank her enemies. It also helps for the element of surprise. More than once has she simply plowed into an overconfident raider. She has learnt to throw her weight around.

What are they like in motion -– in different environments, and in different activities? What causes the differences between these?

For most combat situations think bull in a china shop. In stealth missions, however, she is surprisingly nimble. She has a preference for long range combat but if pressed is equally confident in close combat. That 'in-between' area for long and short distance can be a weakness for her. Because of this once long-range is no longer suitable she will work quickly to close distance between herself and her foe(s). If she's in a domestic or civilian setting she is surprisingly quiet and quick. Likely due to her height she can easily slip out of a crowd if necessary. Unfortunately, Alwine is quite bumbly and clumsy. On several occasion she has bumped into someone, or something, she shouldn't have or tripped in combat.

How do they physically engage with other people, inanimate objects, and their environment? What causes the differences between these?

For human contact Alwine keeps her distance for the most part. She avoids touching/ physical contact unless she is completely comfortable with said person.

For inanimate/ environmental contact she will constantly explore through touch although not as much for wildlife.

Alwine is naturally touch sensitive and finds it easier to explore the natural world around her by touching. That being said because of this sensitivity she becomes uncomfortable making contact with other people as she finds it can be too intimate. Mostly she worries about making others uncomfortable through her own touch.

Where and when do they seem most and least at ease? Why? How can you tell?

Alwine is most at ease when she feels completely alone or in some cases alone with close friends.

She's least at ease when she senses that either herself of those she cares about are in danger. Alwine is also very uncomfortable in large groups of people as she finds it overwhelming. She is also very uncomfortable in water as she cannot swim.

It's fairly easy to tell when Alwine get's uncomfortable. She basically becomes almost completely mute save for a few choice words/ sounds. She will also position herself either beside/ behind whoever she is traveling with standing much more closely than she normally would if she were completely comfortable.

How are they vocally expressive? What kind of voice, accent, tones, inflections, volume, phrases and slang, and manner of speaking do they use?

Tonally, Alwines voice is a bit lower but still distinctly feminine think Jennifer Hale but with a very slight southern drawl. Her voice doesn't fluctuate much in pitch and can come off an monotone or flat which can be difficult to hear if one is not trained to it. To her benefit it comes in handy when dealing in precarious social situations. When necessary she can, and will, raise her voice but very rarely.

How are they bodily expressive? How do they use nonverbal cues such as their posture, stance, eyes, eyebrows, mouths, and hands?

Her posture is fairly stiff, again, military-esque. Alwines big on eye contact no matter the scenario. She's a big believer that the eyes are the windows to a persons, or creatures, soul. Her eyebrows are only really indicative of whether she is thinking or stressed in the form of a furrow. Her mouth is probably the most expressive of her facial features from smirks to snarls. Like stated above, she's very animated. If her hands stop moving while she's talking that's a very good indicator she's about to start swinging them.

INTERNAL:

What is their greatest fear?

Death. Not her own though. The deaths of those she loves and cares about terrify the daylights out of her. Close second is water.

What are some misbeliefs about the world?

That good is inherent in all people.

What is the best thing about their life?

Danse.

What is the worst thing about their life?

Her own child but she don't know that yet. Beyond this, probably the world blowing up in nuclear fire and her husband getting capped. Also giant bugs.

What do they most often look down on people for?

Lack of Honor. Alwine can even respect raiders who are capable of keeping their word but anyone who uses deceit to get what they want is abhorrent.

What makes their heart feel alive?

Action of all kinds. To be in movement or roughhousing is the peak of excitement for Alwine. Also, storms by the ocean. Alwine has a soft spot for Far-Harbor because of this. She is also in love with sunrises on the deck of the Prydwen.

What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?

Small actions that let her know she is thought about. Anything between trinkets that remind the person of Alwine to small personal actions based on what she's said in the past. (ie. sneaking extra snacks that she said she likes, books that she misses, mods that she's been looking for etc.). The last person to make her feel this way was Danse.

How do they manage their energy, exhaustion, tension, or other strong emotions?

If she's more energetic then she'll try to work it off either through workouts or hard labor that she can do around settlements or the Prydwen. Exhaustion is cured by coffee or Nuka Cola if they're available. If not available then the nearest hole to crawl in to sleep is the best cure. Alwine ignores tension hoping that more work will wear it off.

What energizes and drains them most?

Alwine finds stressful situations to be most draining (such as hostage situations or anything that could result in bystander/civilian death) as well as long periods of social interaction. Once the element of extreme danger has been removed, however, Alwine finds anything with the smallest hint of danger to be invigorating.

What kind of inner life do they have — rich and imaginative? Calculating and practical? Full of doubts and fears? Does it find any sort of outlet in their lives?

Definitely rich and imaginative. Alwine is naturally curious harboring a childlike wonder about this new world. She's practical but prefers optimism. Calculating but if she doesn't like the odds she'll pretend everything's fine. This can come off as overconfident but deep down she's screeching. Her inner turmoil are difficult to read and she's good at hiding them. Most have to pry it out of her.

Do they dream? What are those dreams like?

Alwine has always had lucid dreams. Fortunately for her they are still mostly 'dreamlike' and cryptically strange. On occasion they do take the form of realistic night terrors waking her up in a fit of action. Good or bad she remembers every dream. Prewar she used to keep a dream journal.

Are they more shaped by nature or nurture — who they are, or what has happened to them? How have these shaped who they’ve become as a person?

Nature and Nurture both affect how we develop psychologically especially during our early developmental stages. Generally, once a person develops a set concept of how the world works it can be very difficult to break that short of horrific trauma. That being said, when the bombs blew up and (almost) everyone died Alwine has surprisingly kept her moral and ethical standards. If anything she's become a bit more socially unhinged. So nurture? I think? This one was a bit too confusing for my overthinking little pea-brain.

(Potentially ignoring the plot if it wouldn’t normally play into their life,) what kind of person could they become in the future? What are some developmental paths that they could take, (best, worst, most likely?) what would cause them to come to pass, and what consequences might they have? What paths would you especially like to see, and why?

that would be spoiling ;)

Does their perception of who they are align with how other people see them? Why or why not?

Alwine see's herself as mostly just an average joe. A little awkward but trying her best. She thinks she's unassuming. When first meeting her, in a relatively safe space that the commonwealth can provide, you might think the same. But, if ever seen in combat or a life and death situation this perception is starkly contrasted. She appears almost graceful. At least up until she falls flat on her face or straight into you (or an enemy). Surprisingly light hearted/ always smiling she radiates a calm and happy energy yet is also dead serious when appropriate. She hates leading and doesn't see herself as a leader yet seems to always take charge and show exemplary coordination and tactic in the heat of combat.

Top three things they value most in life?

shaun, danse, friends, laser rifle

FUN:

What’s their favorite book, movie, and band? (Modernize them if it’s a fantasy setting)

A real fun gal at parties, Alwines favourite book was an outdated encyclopedia about dinosaurs.

Her favourite movie is The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. She loves old westerns.

Similarly she enjoys old western music. Johnny Western, Lorne Green, Marty Robbins, and Patsy Cline are just some of her many favourite singers.

Favorite color?

Juniper Green

Least favorite color?

Anything neon

Favorite food/cuisine?

Soups. Any soups and all soups from anywhere. Preference for spicy brothy soups but will not complain if its anything but.

What associations do they bring to mind? Words or phrases, images, metaphors or motifs? Why?

Rainy days. Rain on pavement and deep wood moss and dirt. Second hand cigarette smoke on a warm summer night. A warm house on a cold evening with the smell of hot supper wafting from the kitchen over a woodstove fire. Knowing eyes. Cedar bark and pine. Slivers on the hands. Drunk laughs. A dog at the foot of a bed. A firm grip. A cold rock in the hand. A hot breath on your neck. The tenderness of a bruise. Lilacs in the rain. Stiff shoulders and muscles. Bare feet in dewy grass. A heavy blanket. A warm smile.

Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why?

Her Laser Rifle. It's quiet, strong, and deadly against almost everything in the commonwealth. She also carries an assortment of small gifts and trinkets on her person from various friends.

Describe three typical outfits for them, top to bottom.

1. Casual Gear: Black or White tank top, Green military grade cargo pants, Leather combat boots, and military heavy plate armor on top.

2. BOS Gear: BOS Jumpsuit (usually the top is zipped down and tied at the waist when in a 'safe' area or on the Prydwen), White or Black tank top, Leather combat boots, BOS grade heavy plate armor on top, BOS dogtags.

3. Casual wear (only when in 'safe' areas such as sanctuary or diamond city): Plaid overshirt, white tank top, heavy blue jeans, belt, leather combat boots.

What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life?

Al or Winnie. In practice, Winnie is more commonly used than her own name.

Describe their daily routine.

Wake up early (around 4-6 am), eat breakfast, check over armor and weapons, do daily tasks/missions, eat dinner, modify/repair armor and weapons, go to bed (around 9pm-12am)

Their go-to cure for a bad day?

A quiet night in. Either relaxing in the arms of another or sleeping off her misery. If it's particularly aggravating she'll need some kind of physical activity to work out her anger.

#Alwine #Worldbuilding #Character development #this took way too long #10$ says that even when I start writing I'll still forget how I set my charters out to act

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