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eddiediaaz · 6 months

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Hi! Can I ask how you did the double exposure gifs for your merlin set? They're beautiful btw!

heyy, thank you!! of course!

it's actually not very hard, the trick is to find the right shots for this. here's how i did it (reference gifset), under the cut.

for this tutorial i will be: — using photoshop cs5 on windows — assuming you know how to make gifs using the timeline — have basic coloring, sharpening, groups, and layer masks knowledge

I. CHOOSING THE RIGHT SHOTS

the ultimate trick to pull this off is to choose the right image. in order to do the double exposure, you need a silhouette shot that has these:

a defined and dark silhouette with a background that is not too busy

enough contrast between the silhouette and the background

the silhouette should take at least 50% of the space

not too much movement

here are a few examples of why they work and why they won't:

gwen: perfect example since this shot is already quite contrasted with a defined silhouette. there won't be a lot of work needed to make this one work.

merlin: not a great example because even tho there's a somewhat good contrast between him and the background, the silhouette is just too bright, not dark enough.

arthur: another good example, even if there are some bright spots on his face and armor. since he's not moving too much, you can definitely brush some black over him to make his silhouette darker (i'll explain/show later)

morgana: this one could work because the contrast is great, but of course her skintone is very bright against the black clothing. that being said, since the movement is not too bad, it could be possible to brush some black over her and move these layers with keyframes (as mentioned for arthur's example). i haven't tried it tho, but i think it would work well enough.

once you have your silhouette shot, you need another gif for the double exposure. what works best, in my opinion, are:

wide, large shots

shots with no to little camera movement (no pan, zoom, etc), but the subjects in the shot can have little movement of course

pretty cinematography/scenery shots

i find these are easier to find and make it work, it's not as "precise" as with silhouette shots. it's mostly just trial and error to see what works best with the silhouettes.

II. PREPPING THE SILHOUETTE

for the effect to work, we want a silhouette that's dark as possible. i'm gonna use the gwen and arthur shots as examples.

for the gwen gif, i started by sharpening, and then upped the contrast by quite a lot so her silhouette is mostly black, while retaining some nice details. i've used only 3 layers here:

selective color layer: in the blacks tab, playing with the black slider (value: +10)

brightness/contrast layer: added a lot of contrast (+61) and a bit of brightness (+10)

black and white layer: on top, its blending mode set to soft light and at 20% opacity. gives a bit more depth and contrast

then for the arthur example, i've also sharpened it first, and added contrast layers in this order (the skintone looks horrible, but it won't matter soon lol):

levels layer: black slider at 0, grey slider at 0.76, white slider at 104

selective color layer: in the blacks tab, black slider at +10

brightness/contrast layer: brightness at +1-, contrast at +47

black and white layer: on top, its blending mode set to soft light and at 20% opacity. gives a bit more depth and contrast

as you can see, half of his face is still quite bright. to correct that, create a new empty layer and put it between the gif and the coloring layers.

using a really soft brush and the black color, brush some black over his face and body on that new empty layer. you can edit the layer's opacity if you want, i've set mine to 71%. since arthur doesn't move much here, there's no need to keyframe this layer's position. for the morgana example, this is where you'd need to play with keyframes to make it work. here's where i'm at now after this:

you can always edit this layer later if you need, after doing the double exposure blending.

once the silhouette is all ready, you can put all layers in a group and rename it (i've renamed mine silhouette).

III. BLENDING

now the fun part! import the wide/scenery shot in photoshop, then resize it to the same height of your silhouette gif. make sure the gif is a smart object layer, and sharpen it. finally, bring this gif onto the silhouette canvas (by right clicking the smart object > duplicate layer). once you have both gifs onto your canvas, put the wide shot gif layer in a group, and set this group's blending option to screen.

you can then position the wide/scenery gif the way you like it in the canvas. this is how it looks for both examples after i've done that:

if the blending mode screen doesn't give you the best result, so you can play around with other blending modes (such as lighten and linear dodge in these particular cases), but generally speaking, screen is the real mvp here haha.

IV. COLORING

now that the double exposure effect is done, we need to color the gifs to bring them together. i went with simple coloring here, simply enhancing the colors that were already there. just make sure that the coloring layers for each gif are in their respective groups. here's how i've colored both examples:

gwen silhouette group: i added a gradient map layer on top of the contrast layers in black to green and set the blending mode to color

scenery shot group: multiple coloring layers, with a green color fill layer (blending mode set to color), with a layer mask so it only affects the top half of the gif

for the arthur gif, i did something very similar but with warmer colors. i didn't use a gradient map for arthur though:

arthur silhouette group: i made the yellow warmer, closer to orange/red, with a hue/saturation layer, and added more vibrance. didn't feel like it needed a gradient map layer here though.

wide shot group: basic coloring layers to enhance colors from the merlin & daegal shot, and an orange color fill layer set to the color blending mode.

at this point you're pretty much done. just need to add some final touches and typography (if you want).

V. FINAL TOUCHES

a small and completely optional detail, but i wanted to soften the edges of the wide gifs. to do so i've duplicated the smart object gif layer and removed the sharpening filters (right click on smart filter > clear smart filters). put this layer on top of the other smart object layers (but still below the coloring).

then with this same layer still selected, go to filter > blur > gaussian blur... > 10px. this will give you a very blurry gif, but we only want the edges of the canvas to be softer. so add a layer mask to this layer. with a very large and soft brush (mine was at 0% hardness and about 800px size), brush some black onto the layer mask to remove the blur in the middle of the gif.

you can play with this layer's opacity or gaussian blur amount if you want (by double clicking on the gaussian blur smart layer filter). here how both examples look with this gaussian blur layer:

you can also mask some of wide/scenery gifs if you'd prefer, so it shows less outside of the silhouette. just put a layer mask on that whole wide shot group and brush some black or grey on the layer mask. it's what i did for the gwen gif, with a very soft brush and i set the mask density to 72% (i kept the arthur one as is tho):

and that's how i did it! hopefully that was clear enough :)

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wonderingwhyiam · 9 months

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[GOS2 SPOILERS] About that Kiss...

I was looking at Mr. Gaiman's reply to that one ask about kisses and how he said "if you haven't got it by then you'll never get it". And I was thinking about all the gifsets and imagesets and meta posts unanimously calling the kiss Crowley's confession. But it's not a confession, at least not the confession of love that it's being taken as. (For that, we need a lot of context, but beware because it's a while before I get to the actual kiss.)

First: Aziraphale and Crowley have been in love, if that's what we can call the transcendental connection between two supernatural entities, since basically the start of the show. It's always been canon, they've both known about each other's feelings (think Aziraphale saying that Crowley gets so happy when he can rescue him, think Crowley accompanying his angel through the whole magic show song-and-dance because he knows Aziraphale is doing it for him). They're certainly not under the impression that their affections are unrequited.

Second: Crowley may know that Aziraphale loves him, but he also knows that Aziraphale's understanding of him and of love in general is different from his own. Crowley has understood that neither heaven nor hell are entirely black or white, and that's one of the reasons he wants to stay on Earth (along with many others). But Aziraphale hasn't, and a central theme of many S2 scenes is Crowley trying to show Aziraphale that the 'heavenly' way isn't always right. This leads to an ongoing conflict between them, one which neither of them acknowledge and Aziraphale doesn't even seem to be aware of.

To put this into perspective: think of that one friend, relative, partner, whatever of yours who is in a toxic/abusive situation. Think of your frustration that they just don't understand how bad it is, because they've never known any other way of living. And if you've ever been in the same situation and gotten out, then you know that it takes a lot of mental effort and willpower to realise that you need to get out instead of trying to improve it from within.

Now let's go back to Crowley. He, like the audience, finds it obvious that Metatron is only manipulating Aziraphale back into their control. Aziraphale just seems so naïve for thinking that it'll be better from the inside. Doesn't he see that Crowley and his bookshop and the Earth are where he'll be happy?

But from Aziraphale's point of view, a figure in extreme power who he trusts to be correct has just told him that he can have all three of these and more. Aziraphale has come to see that his coworkers and/or superiors aren't really good (remember the end of S1), but still believes that the side of Heaven is good overall (an example is the grave-digging bit). Textbook forgiveness of your abuser, but let's not get into that. A 'perfect' solution (bringing his partner into Heaven aka the abusive situation with him so that they can 'redeem' it and as an added bonus pull his partner out of a situation which Aziraphale thinks is bad) has just appeared. Why isn't Crowley seeing it?

So finally, third: what is Crowley going to do? he's been trying to get his angel out of this mindset for literal millennia, but Aziraphale still thinks that Heaven is unilaterally good. Aziraphale still tries to deny his love for Earth, despite his every action pointing to the opposite (such as the fact that he literally preserves books for as long as possible, but says 'nothing lasts forever' as if he's okay abandoning it all) and still thinks that Crowley would come to heaven if he could. At this point, Crowley knows that his millennia of love and effort aren't enough. He is starting to feel like they'll never be enough. And we get him putting on his glasses, shutting himself off, making some last-ditch attempts to remind Aziraphale that he's losing all of Crowley's faith and vulnerability towards him by repeatedly choosing Heaven. Not just that, he's losing the magic of humanity as well (no nightingales). Aziraphale says he needs Crowley, so why does he never try to understand him? Why does he always call it "tempting" and never accept that maybe there isn't a single definition of Good?

That kiss isn't a confession; there's nothing to confess. They've both thrown all their cards on the table and none of them match. It is not an "I love you." It is an "I love you, but." I love you, but I can't keep trying and waiting and trying and waiting only for you to choose your abusers every time. I love you, but your constant denial of my good intentions has worn me down. I love you, but I'm tired.

And so Crowley leaves. He'll wait, of course, with his Bentley, but he can't keep taking the first step and then being told he's going "too fast for" Aziraphale. And when Aziraphale once again chooses his own familiar hell in heaven over everything else, what else can Crowley do but accept it?

#bonus: why does aziraphale say 'i forgive you'?#i like to think he's forgiving crowley for what he thinks is crowley's inherent evil #like an 'i forgive you for not understanding that heaven is the better option'#even though it's aziraphale who doesn't understand what the offer means #anyway yeah sorry if this essay has already been done #i just had to also get it out of my system #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #ineffable idiots #aziraphale #crowley #crowley x aziraphale #good omens s2 spoilers #good omens meta

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lukearys · 5 months

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aren't the Velaryon girls twins? why is only Baela's name considered for the succession? besides daemon rhaenys also favors baela because of the dragon or am I tripping? I understand corlys not wanting to change the succession because he had already offered it to luke but after he died corlys should have named the girls as his heirs idc ...... anyway forgive me for rambling thank you for grandma rhaenys's quality content if it's not too much to ask can you make a gifset of rhaenys/laenor rhaenys/laena's relationship?

muah

Velaryon girls, anon? Targaryen girls.

1- Apparently the dragon twins aren't twins in the show lol.

Possibly Rhaenys only mentioned Baela's name because she is the oldest.

2- This show is very inconsistent with the writing since Viserys said that Rhanyra's children who succeeded her would inherit the Targaryen name, Rhaenys could use that argument and say that Baela's heirs would inherit the Velaryon name through Laena.

3- Corlys not wanting to name Baela as his heir makes perfect sense to me. At the end of ep2, when Corlys is talking to daemon, a lot of his proud personality is showing and I think he has a bit resentment towards the Targaryens, he says that the Velaryons are an older family than the Targs but they they weren't dragon lords so they had to take risks and work hard at sea to gain recognition and power.

TO ME Corlys didn't want all his hard work to go to another family much less a Targaryen. That's why even after Lucerys' death he didn't name them and after Raenys' death he asked Rhaenyra to legitimize the Hull brothers.

But as I said earlier, Rhaenys could have used Viserys' prerogative and changed Baela's surname and tried to fight for Baela, I don't like how Corlys easily shuts down Rhaenys and imposes his own desires over hers in the show.

4- I tried to make a gifset of Rhaenys&Laenor and Rhaenys&Laena but there are simply no interactions between them, just a brief moment in EP1, it's unbelievable how in the show they left family relationships in the background. But I made a gifset with Rhaenys talking about Laenor and Laena, I'll post it soon.

#how dare the writers go against my hc that rhaenys is a woman with a strong and stubborn personality #who easily convinces corlys to comply with her desires #ask #anonymous

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arielana · 2 years

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Really, Michael?

A ficlet for Michael Guerin Week 2022, Day 1: “Is that how you wanted this to go?”

Very inspired by various “did you get probed”/“probe and tell” gifsets and the thought of Michael and Kyle as potential future brother-in-laws.

“Seriously Valenti, if I’d known the person you were making ’getting probed’ jokes about was my sister…” Michael takes a swig of his beer, very pleased with the scandalized tone he manages to pull off, and taking great joy in the way Kyle instantly turns beet red and starts to splutter, giving Michael a betrayed look.

“What? That’s not what— I— I didn’t— You were the one who said—” His eyes flicker desperately between Michael and Isobel. “Is, I swear—”

It’s almost too easy. Valenti’s clearly let his guard down now that they’re practically brother-in-laws. This should teach him. Michael half turns towards the kitchen to hide a satisfied smirk as Kyle struggles to put a sentence together, but he’s of course immediately stopped in his tracks, deer in headlights-style, when he’s met by an unimpressed look from his husband, eyebrows arched, back from picking up the wine much quicker than Michael’s expected.

Damn.

Alex has certainly perfected his ’Really, Michael?’ expression, Michael notes, and he puts it to good use. If Michael thought he was well acquainted with the look before, it’s nothing compared to life as a married man. (Despite Michael generally being very well behaved, if he can say so himself.)

He tries to look innocent, shrugging lightly. What does Alex expect from him anyway?

He is being nice to Valenti. Like, whose idea was it to invite him and Isobel over tonight? It most definitely wasn’t Mr Alex ’Ugh, other people. Let’s just get takeout and watch a movie on our own’ Manes (Guerin he corrects himself, a pleased little shiver running through him. Each time.)

Because really, Michael is making an effort—being a good brother, a good host—in fact, he’s making what he knows is one of Kyle’s favorite dishes tonight (and isn’t it crazy that he even knows that?) A little light teasing should definitely be allowed, just enough so that Kyle doesn’t get too comfortable. Michael’s had to listen to enough self-righteous lectures—ok, some pretty good advice as well, he has to admit—through the years. Michael should get to torment him just a little. It’s only fair.

Isobel huffs, and Michael turns back towards the living room.

“Oh sweetie,” she says airily, stroking Kyle’s arm, “don’t worry about him. You’re doing amazing.” She flicks her ponytail back, rolling her eyes. “He’s just sulking because he and Alex are a boring old married couple now. He wishes he could get a good probing.”

Michael hears Alex practically hiss behind him.

Ignoring them, Isobel resolutely grabs Kyle's face with both hands and pulls him in for a kiss with way too much tongue for a dinner with family. Michael would never.

After a long minute, Isobel steps back with a pleased hum, lovingly patting Kyle on the cheek before releasing him. He takes a few wobbly steps backwards, clearing his throat and trying to regain his composure, while Isobel calmly smooths her hair back and checks her lipstick, after giving Michael a smug look.

Ok, well Michael should have seen that coming he guesses. Isobel refuses to be embarrassed by anything sex related. And he loves her for it.

“Is that how you wanted this to go?” Alex mutters grumpily as he comes to stand next to Michael. “We could have been cuddling on the sofa by now, instead we’re stuck watching your sister make out with Kyle, and being insulted in our own home. ’Boring’.” He spits out the word with as much disdain as possible.

Michael just grins, not sorry in the slightest.

First of all, he can’t think of anything better to do with the rest of his life than getting to be a boring old married couple with Alex. A dream come true, really.

And second, he knows exactly what happens when his husband’s competitive streak is activated, and there’s no way Alex will idly stand by and accept the implication that Kyle Valenti’s sex life is better than theirs.

Michael’s in for a wild night once the others have left, if he plays his cards right.

“It’s ok, honey.” He places a chaste kiss on Alex’s cheek, humming thoughtfully. “I guess it’s true what they say—the magic has to go eventually. Routine can be good too.”

The glint in Alex’s eyes tells him he knows exactly what Michael's up to, but also that it’s definitely working. Oh, it’s on.

#mgweek22 #guerinweek22 #michael guerin #alex manes #malex #kyle valenti #isobel evans #kyle definitely didn't probe and tell #but let michael have some fun with it #alex says 🤨#malex fic #my fic #roswell new mexico

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ailendolin · 8 months

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saw that gifset of thomas hiding his wound from alison.... the norne implications...... thomas constantly hiding his wound from nigel. sometimes with his hand, or standing in/in front of things or just straight up turning away. but it makes him seen distant to nigel and he gets upset/down about it until it all comes to a head and thomas explaons and nigel is like i am LIERALLY covered in the plague i can handle a bullet wound you are Beautiful

Oh yes, the Norne implications ...

This little moment of Thomas trying to find the perfect pose says so, so much about him. He's so clearly worried the bullet wound will make him look unattractive so he presents himself in a manner that allows him to hide it, if only for a moment. He knows it's the first thing people notice about him - and perhaps this is another reason for why he is so vocal about his emotions because they take the attention away from the wound but that's a post for another day. This scene shows us he's self-conscious about it, at least in a romantic context.

So yes, I feel like he would try to hide his wound as much as possible when courting someone, no matter how silly it would make him look. In his mind, nothing probably could be worse than the person he loves seeing that bloody patch of ruined skin. At the same time, his love could literally look their worst (like Alison the morning after the party) and he would still find them as beautiful and radiant as the sun. Because once he gives his heart away, he loves whole-heartedly.

And this - this is one of the reasons why I love Norne so much. Because you get two people who are visibly marked by death but deal with it in completely different ways. While I think Nigel would feel a little insecure about his looks (but more in a general way because he's a peasant and Thomas is not), we know he embraces the way he looks. He calls himself fabulous which is a word Thomas, I think, would never use to describe himself. So you get Thomas who is trying his hardest to hide his wound from Nigel and Nigel who doesn't understand why Thomas always flinches away from his touch when his hands stray up his sides. I feel like this would lead to quite a few misunderstandings because how is Nigel not meant to think that Thomas finds his plague sores revolting after all?

And then all the insecurities are laid bare during an argument, and when Nigel finally realises how terrified Thomas is of loving and losing him, of not being enough, he points to himself and says, "If you can find me beautiful with all of these sores, then is it so hard to believe that I find you beautiful as well, bullet wound and all? That I love you with all my heart? That I want to hold your hand in mine and never let it go?"

It is hard for Thomas. It's hard to trust again, to love and not expect to be betrayed in a heartbeat or discarded for someone else, someone more handsome, better with words, cleverer. But he tries to be brave, tries to let Nigel see and touch the most vulnerable parts of him. He tries again and again until one day he no longer flinches when Nigel's loving hands settles on his waist, his thumb resting just shy below the wound.

#i did not mean for this to turn into a meta post and then something that is always a ficlet but I hope you enjoy my rambling thoughts anon #thomas thorne #nigel the plague ghost #norne #bbc ghosts #ask

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sweetestlamb · 1 year

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The Best Revenge

Author's note: I saw a beautiful gifset from @seawherethesunsets and it's been a beautiful trip down the rabbit hole ever since. This drama really swayed my heart and I just needed more happy moments of my stray cat couple together.

Summary: Camping can be in tents. 🏕

Drip.

The rain cascades down in soft patter hitting the tarp that Dongjin had so effortlessly and diligently put only moments before the rain storm began. He had purposely came camping knowing it would rain, said he enjoyed listening to the sounds of drops on the tent.

She hates the rain.

When she was young and lightning would clash in the sky like two kids battling with pots she would run into her father's room and straight into his arms. And he would be waiting, arms open to catch her and soothe her with a large hand on her head and melodic hums in her ears.

She hates that the rain brings back happy memories, hazy recollections that seemed like another life that she couldn't get back no matter how she wished.

It hurt in a crevice of her heart that she refused to acknowledge. The same heart that she tried to turn stone cold since she was seventeen and it shattered for the first and last time.

She'd been successful until him.

She lifts her eyes from her sausage sizzling away in a metal pan to watch his long body as he stands still with his head tilted towards the onpour. He's beautiful. There is a lightness to him now that she never thought could be possible a year as she watched that dejected back walk away time after time.

The humidity leaves his bangs wet and partially plastered to his forehead, her gaze lingers there before traversing down the slope of his nose and convening on his chapped lips. Further transfixed as a pink swipe leaves them glistening and moist. She recognizes that bubbling in her stomach now.

Hunger.

"What are you staring at?"

She blinks slowly as his low voice cuts through the loud silence of the rain and not much else.

"You. I don't want to forget a thing. I want to look at you until I get my fill."

But that's a lie. There's no filling the void in her chest that remained when she walked away from him that dreadful day.

Her ears perk at his low chuckle, more tightening in her belly.

"Your sausage is burning." He teases nodding at the meat hissing in front of her.

And with a curse she shifts her gaze poking at it with a chopstick and thankful that it didn't burn too much, it was still edible. She bits a large piece and hums at the succulent array of flavors that burst on her tongue.

"Mmmm."

She takes another hardy bite and chews until his prolonged quiet catches her attention.

When their eyes meet the contact is electric, a live matter that surges from her heart and fills her body with anticipation.

"Is it good?"

He watches her swallow and his Adam's apple bobs in reply. His expression is too bright and she feels caught under his gaze.

"Delicious. Do you want?" She holds the meat out towards him and gulps as he accepts bending those infinitely long legs and sinking his teeth into her offering with a low grunt of satisfaction.

They haven't kissed since they decided to do.....this. Again. Seeing him again was enough for her, being here with him is more than enough but watching him this close, only a breath away from her has her feeling greedy for things she's never yearned for before.

"You're staring again."

That's new. Him teasing her and smiling so brightly it's as if he's trying to make up for lost time. He has the perfect lips, made for smiling. But perhaps that's not all. She can think of other activities they would be great at.

"What's on your mind?" He's level with her now, finally taking a seat beside her.

She feels her face flush in embarrassment but knows that if she utters the words on her mind then at least that feeling can be shared between them.

"Your lips and activities they would be great at."

Her assumption is correct and his cheeks redden at her insinuation but he never looks away, bold as ever. Not backing down.

"Independent activities or paired ones?"

She doesn't miss his eyes lingering on her own lips but the moment is broken as a thunder grumbles in the sky, they both jolt back as if pulled back by invisible strings.

They awkwardly go back to eating in silence and she pretends not to notice as he rocks his chair a bit closer to hers until their knees are brushing against each other and she can feel his warmth all over her like a blanket.

"Is that my shirt?"

She glances over her shoulder, long strands of her hair following as she turns her head.

She feels naked under his intense gaze sweeping up and down her figure, she's wearing his shirt and not much less. She had her own shirts of course but she was allowed to do this much, he was hers after all.

"Mmhmm" she responds airily turning back to arrange her bedding, fluffing her pillow and smoothing the sheets.

"If you continue this I might have to go out and stand in the rain."

She doesn't turn but she can feel the heat of his words caressing her ears. He was closer than he was before.

"Don't. You'll get sick." She responds with steel in her words.

"I feel sick right now. I can't think straight."

Bliss blossoms in her stomach, aching at the longing in his voice.

She doesn't know how to reply. This game is not one she's accustomed to.

"Turn around." She twitches at the light command in his voice but almost bursts into laughter at the hesitation on his face, it's so easy to read him now. That's new too.

"Come here." He reaches for her, cupping her cheeks in this warm steady hands and she lets out a dizzy breath as he draws her closer still.

"What do you think?"

She's dazed at his sudden questioning and all she wants to do is close this damn gap remaining between them. Pry his mouth open and stick her ton--

"About camping in the rain? It's not too bad right."

He smiles down at her and she stops second guessing herself with an equally bright grin she nods, "It's amazing. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else with anyone else."

And as his eyes are widening from her confession she makes her move, dragging him down to meet her and stealing his breath. Kissing him is sparks and comfort all in one, like coming home after a long journey. She presses even closer eager to taste all he has to offer, thirsty for him. Starved even.

Her hands dig into his hair, her hips lock into his own, her tongue takes control of his mouth thrusting and swirling.

As the rain continues to fall around then, she decides this will be her memory of rain. A happy memory that won't hurt.

His love has already given her the strength to forgive and although she can't forget her past she can choose how to live in her present.

She's choosing happiness and never looking back.

#call it love #call it love kdrama #kdrama fics #I'm obsessed #dragged me from my slump #woojoo x dongjin #stray cat couple

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hoper-of-farflung-hopes · 5 months

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And another, related thought!

I am thinking about the difference, if there is one, between me being the Doctor as a kintype, and me being the Doctor as a combination of a hearttype and an archetrope.

I think possibly all three apply to me, but I don't know if that's a thing really? Or if it's possible to somehow be fluid between them?

Sometimes it definitely feels like I am The Doctor, specifically, the individual time lord with specific experiences. I tend to feel like people are talking about me when I see them talking about the Doctor, and I often end up using "I" when talking about the Doctor in my own head.

Sometimes I wonder if it's more of a hearttype though, because I don't have clear memories, and because I honestly don't think I fully understand the difference between the two anyway. I still enjoy interacting with fandom to an extent - I like gifsets and art and memes, and sometimes even fanfic, though I'm extremely picky about it. And sometimes it does feel more separate from me in some ways, for some time, before flipping back around to feeling like me, first person.

In either case though, I think the Doctor is also an archetrope.

I think of stories often as layers. There's the layer we actually see and interact with in this world, that is written and made by people. There are biases and limitations of the format and conflict or jokes added to make something a good story.

I tend to also think of another layer underneath that though, the "real thing", or the idea that the writers were trying to get to. It's obviously impossible to verify, and therefore varies from person to person, but I think it helps conceptually for me to separate the two.

For example, in Star Trek, the Federation in the actual show is often flawed. This is sometimes because the writers were flawed, and sometimes because they wanted something to happen for plot reasons.

But beyond that is the ideal of the Federation as a utopian future for many species to come together and to create a society that has high standards of living for those within it, and which is generally peaceful and equitable and focused on exploration.

That, to me, is the level on which archetypes live, and it doesn't always line up with the level on which a show actually takes place, but I don't think it's less real.

With Doctor Who, I think the Doctor is firmly established as an archetype, in addition to a person. That's why the War Doctor didn't call himself the Doctor, and why there are so many plots involving other characters taking on the role of the Doctor.

In the course of the show, I think the Doctor as an archetype is a summation of the ideals the Doctor as a character reaches towards and tries to live up to - not just moral ideals, like helping people, being peaceful, and solving problems mostly by thinking and talking about them, but also things like curiosity, hope, childish joy and wonder, and an openness to new things. I'm not sure that's a perfect summary, because I don't think anything is, but there is a definite something there to reach towards, and I think that's something that is established in the show as an archetype that multiple characters aspire towards, and that the Doctor semi-intentionally created to try to live up to.

So sometimes I feel like I'm the Doctor in both a literal sense and an archetrope sense, and sometimes I feel like I'm the Doctor in an archetrope sense but hearttyped otherwise. I do tend to lean towards the first most of the time, but it's nice to have the second to bind the two together when it gets confusing, I guess.

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jimint · 3 years

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"[On his 'Black Swan' solo stage] I think predebut Jimin would be very proud of who I am now. He would have made even greater efforts if he had seen himself now proudly doing solo performances as a member of BTS".

happy birthday, park jimin (95/10/13) ♡ (cr. dwellingsouls, jiminglobal, minimoniT_T) bonus:

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panharmonium · 3 years

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THAT is the importance of an adult who Understands.

one of the things that i always come back to when i think about sasuke is that sasuke has virtually everybody in the village fooled. you couldn’t find a more messed up kid in all the hidden leaf if you tried, but you wouldn’t know it to look at him, because he can’t afford to acknowledge or display weakness - firstly, because weakness means he isn’t strong enough to take on itachi, and secondly, because signs of struggle on sasuke’s part might mean that an authority figure tries to involve themself in his life, and sasuke doesn’t want anyone interfering in something he sees as a personal quest. he doesn’t see himself as a child who needs to be looked after by adults; he sees himself as an adult in a frustratingly small body, and he wants all the other adults to leave him alone and let him do what he needs to do. he doesn’t want meddling. he wants everyone who has the power to potentially keep him from getting what he most desires to remain oblivious to his true state of mind, to not look too closely, to never see a child in distress, because if he ever lets on that he doesn’t have his shit together, it’s possible that one of the leaf’s less negligent grown-ups will swoop down on him and start trying to intervene/“parent” him, which to sasuke’s mind just means “get in the way.”

sasuke, who has long felt like he’s already an adult dealing with adult problems, won’t tolerate that. so he masks his issues, to the point where he has virtually everyone around him completely deceived. his regular schoolteachers don’t worry about him - he’s a high achiever, he gets perfect grades, he’s top of his class in everything, he doesn’t make trouble. his classmates don’t worry about him - they buy the ‘i’m so cool, nothing fazes me’ act and worship at his feet, even as he demonstrates that he wants nothing to do with them. the rest of the leaf village doesn’t worry about him, either - they see him as a source of village pride (and a source of entertainment/drama, like when they’re all so excited to watch The Last Uchiha fight for their nation during the chunin exams). even though sasuke is so messed up on the inside, the exterior facade he presents to people is specifically designed to prevent any wondering about how he’s doing. as far as the world can see, he’s doing Just Fine (and while everyone is busy not wondering about his health, he can get down to the business of getting his revenge).

sasuke’s strategy for relating to other people is, essentially, the opposite of naruto’s approach. naruto, in his early childhood, draws as much attention to himself as possible, causing all sorts of mayhem, in the hope that someone, somewhere will see him. he makes trouble and causes problems precisely because he desperately wants someone to acknowledge his pain, and that’s how he ends up landing iruka as an adult support figure, because iruka notices what’s happening and decides to get involved. sasuke, in contrast to naruto, doesn’t want anyone to acknowledge or even notice his pain, because if they do notice it, they might try to stop him from pursuing what he thinks is the only way to alleviate it. that’s not an acceptable outcome for him, so instead of making a scene and calling attention to himself, he hides in plain sight.

sasuke doesn’t want people to get involved in his life. he wants to be left to his own devices. he doesn’t think he needs (read: deserves) anybody’s help, and some tiny part of him knows that a Responsible Adult might raise their eyebrows at what he’s doing to himself, so he uses his “high-achiever, too cool for school” persona to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. and he almost succeeds - until kakashi enters the picture. kakashi, who can’t be fooled. kakashi, who has known from Day One, Minute One exactly what goal is driving all of sasuke’s high achievement, and who knows that sasuke is NOT okay, in either the head or the heart. kakashi, who in the above gifset can tell that sasuke is having a crisis without even turning around. kakashi doesn’t need to be shown evidence before he gets concerned. he’s known from the very start that sasuke is struggling, because he lived through similar pains and tried to cope with them in similarly unhealthy ways (remember: “useless things like emotions only get in the way”/“having too many ties in this world will only lead you astray” + “everyone you’re talking about has already been killed”/“they’re all dead...because i wasn’t strong enough to save them”).

sasuke still tries to put up the front. a few scenes prior to the above gifset, sasuke is the one who is making fun of naruto for freezing up - you’re not hurt, are you...scaredy-cat. and he completely fools his peers with his attitude - sakura’s got stars in her eyes, naruto’s super jealous; both of them think sasuke’s So Cool and Super Powerful and Not Afraid of Anything!

but when sasuke himself is confronted with a serious, imminent threat to his life (one against which his supposedly “advanced” skills are useless, one from which he can’t protect himself; aka, one where he’s suddenly reminded that he’s actually a twelve year-old genin and his safety is out of his control, just like it was the night his family was murdered), he’s the one who panics. the other kids are scared, too - but sasuke completely loses it. he almost kills himself to get away from the intensity of his fear. *cough* it’s the ptsd *cough* but anyway -

kakashi is able to sense this without even turning around. he’s preparing to fight an aggressor under the least ideal circumstances possible - they were supposed to be on a mission where it was four people protecting one man, but because tazuna lied to them, they’re now in a situation where it’s one man protecting four people, including three children - and even with all of that competing for his attention, kakashi is still focusing closely enough on each individual kid to sense that sasuke is going off the rails. without even turning around, he knows.

we all remember this, right?

it doesn’t matter how much of an act sasuke puts on. kakashi has been there. he knows better. he can’t be fooled. he calls for sasuke by name and pulls him back from the brink.

kakashi interrupts this crisis so effectively. not only is he able to snap sasuke out of his panic, but he’s also careful to then extend his reassurance to everyone present, accomplishing the dual purposes of calming everyone else down and also redirecting attention away from sasuke’s more extreme reaction, which the others haven’t noticed yet. it’s deftly done. it addresses sasuke’s crisis on an individual level without putting him in the spotlight. it works. the way sasuke relaxes in that last gif...man.

calm down. i’ll protect you with my life.

i’ve already talked a little bit about how much it would mean for somebody with sasuke’s particular history to hear that (especially when those words are spoken by an adult who follows through on the promise every single time), but here i just want to focus on the fact that the only reason sasuke is lucky enough to receive this reassurance in the first place is because kakashi isn’t fooled by sasuke pretending he doesn’t need to hear it. kakashi and the kids are very new to each other at this point, but even so, kakashi still understands sasuke better than any other adult in the hidden leaf. he’s the first authority figure who sasuke hasn’t been able to trick into obliviousness - sasuke can’t pretend away his problems in front of someone who used to have all those same problems himself! kakashi is too savvy to be waved away with the whole ‘i’m super advanced for my age i don’t need any help don’t look behind my mask’ charade. kakashi invented that game. he knows it’s one you don’t want to win. he won it himself, when he played it, and winning just meant that everybody took him at his word when he acted like he was fine and nobody ever gave him the kind of help he needed. he’s not going to let another kid get away with the same self-destructive shenanigans, not when he’s around to call their bluffs and be the kind of support structure he himself could’ve benefited from when he was younger.

#naruto #pan watches naruto #meta #he's like me #*#haven't written tracts upon tracts of thoughts about these two for a couple days so you knew it was coming #i think about kakashi calling for sasuke in this moment at least once a day #the utter certainty in his voice when he tells sasuke 'calm down. i'll protect you with my life'#sasuke has never ever had anybody talk to him like that in his life #the dramatic change in his expression in that last gif......the Relief #for a first brief moment in five years sasuke feels.......................safe #literally i will NEVER be over kakashi managing to reach this kid #who thinks he's too strong to need adult assistance and in too much pain for anyone to ever understand #'i DO know how you feel'#every single day i think about that #the power behind 'trust me'#especially where i'm at in the show now #when sasuke has never been able to trust ANY of the adults in his life #his parents; itachi; his own community's government; orochimaru; 'madara'#everybody lying to him or using him for something #for him to have one adult who said from the very beginning #'my first priority is your safety. i will die before anything happens to you'#and for that person to make good on that statement again and again #that means so much #even if sasuke can't recognize it right now #someday......he'll see more clearly

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puffberries · 3 years

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FOR ALL TIME, ALWAYS | prologue.

gif is from this glorious gifset by @crispychrissy

summary: loki finds an old love amongst the tva ranks. Well, a version of her. you. and you, oh, you're a lot more fun

word count: 1.7k

a/n: lmao here i am with the beginning of a series 2 months late. hey sexy. anyway this is the set up to a variant tva!reader and loki that took me forever to write because have no idea whats going on at any given time. its very dialogue heavy, which is a new thing for me in my writing but hey! puff actually lets characters speak for once wow

CONTENT HEAVY SPOILERS FOR LOKI SEASON ONE

Loki never was one to turn down gifts. Prizes, offerings, he revelled in it all. Arguably, it led him down this path, the great chase of power that left him in chains. He admits to himself that he’s not skilled at holding himself back, but he doesn’t need to be. He’s a prince.

The tesseract is a glowing temptation. Landing at his feet like a side thought as everything else stirs around him, he’d laugh if he could.

Loki, prince of Asgard, had laid siege to New York, decimated its surroundings and damn near almost won- and here is where the Avengers fail. In the marble lobby of a building surrounded by the aftermath of chaos he orchestrated. They had fought valiantly, but this is where Loki is destined to make his Great Escape, leaving with the prize he was promised.

Sand. A desert. Why was he in a desert?

Fine sand tickling his lungs, he tries in vain to cough away the post-jump confusion. He willed himself away, but it was hard to determine where he was, or which planet he was on, given the sprawl of the dunes.

Quizzically, he meets the eye of a woman, standing over him with no threat, but confusion. A sense of pride and purpose fills him quickly, spilling out as he announces,

“I am Loki, of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose.”

His words do not incite the fear or worship he was going for - really, they just stand and stare with a gravitas nothingness between them. He was Loki, of Asgard, right? He looks himself over once or twice. Surely, not even the blood of fallen Chitauri soldiers had been wiped off his boots since the battle. His glorious purpose was that he was a threat, born to rule and born to be feared.

“чи хэн бэ?” The woman asked, “чи яагаад манай гэрт ирсэн юм бэ?”

Naturally, a language barrier.

“Nevermind.”

A quick humming filled the air, and Loki’s eyes snapped the tesseract, buried in the golden sand. He thought for a second that it was inviting him, but that thought disappeared with the march of soldiers.

Orange isn’t really the TVA’s colour.

You’ve spent many a day toiling away in your little god-given cubicle, pondering the colour of the paint on the walls.

It wasn’t really orange. Tangerine, maybe? A soft, ‘I just vomited after eating boiled carrots’ kind of colour? You couldn’t decide, but that was hardly an issue. You had today, and tomorrow, and possibly until the end of time to ponder the question and procrastinate your paperwork.

“Look alive, partner!” Mobius veers over you, a loud concoction of cheerfulness and too much caffeine for this early in the morning, “Desk duty got you down?”

You pull yourself from your dead-eyed stare, “Here to gloat?”

Mobius, in every utter way imaginable, loves his job. Some days, you wonder if the time-keepers moulded him, built him to be their preacher. A perfect pastor for the designs of the TVA. Most days, however, you just wonder how he’s avoided getting clocked in the face for his golden-boy disposition.

With a coy little grin, he slides a file onto your desk. Weighty, with notes sticking out from the pages and loose papers dangling free. It’s the Loki List. Pages upon pages of every Laufeyson variant to grace these hallowed halls.

“Another variant was just rolled in.”

You scoff, “If you’re asking me to trail behind another dog-Loki with little plastic baggies then-”

“I’m not,” He stops you with a stern look, “Look, that loose variant case I’ve been working? I think a Loki is just what I need to crack this. I figured if you went down there and pried him from Renslayer’s iron clutches-” You laugh, albeit mockingly, “It’ll get you into the field.”

The offer is laced with temptation. He wants you to jump at it, and you almost do but -- Renslayer holds you back. You’re already in her bad books, chained to a desk on her command. If she doesn’t agree to let you essentially hijack her case…

Desk duty would be the least of your worries.

“Why do you need me to do it? Aren’t you buddies with Renslayer already?”

He hesitates, “I’ve called in one too many favours.”

“Oh, so I’m your stand-in?”

“Exactly.”

It dawns on you that you never really think things through, as you march down the maze of hallways to Courtroom B. What if Mobius was right? That a Loki variant was the key to solving his case. That would essentially mean freeing a variant against court order to what? Intern for the TVA?

You suppose you wouldn’t mind a Loki fetching you a coffee.

“Laufeyson. Variant L1130, AKA Loki Laufeyson, is charged with sequence violation 7-20-89.”

The man of the hour sucks in a breath.

Not because he’s scared. No, Loki, this Loki, the real Loki Laufeyson doesn’t feel fear. He’d been on trial before, many times in fact. Mainly for injuring Thor, and the only real punishment was a slap on the wrist, but that's beside the point. This woman, Judge Renslayer, is not imposing. None of this is. It’s simply a trick, he decides. This… land beyond time, tales of these all-knowing Gods, the time keepers. This is a bedtime story veiled like a threat.

Renslayer peers down at him from her seat up high. Routinely, she sifts through his paperwork, making him wait. Surely, she knows she’s testing his patience; “How do you plead?”

Loki snaps out of his ‘not-fear’, looking up at Renslayer with a sly smile, ‘Madame, a god does not plead,” He starts with confidence, “Look, this has been a very enjoyable pantomime, but I’d like to go home now.”

When you arrive, slipping into a pew of the courtroom as quietly as possible, Renslayer and the variant are trapping each other in an endless pointed argument of ‘fact vs lie’. Both of them believe they’re right, neither of them will concede.

You watch on briefly with interest.

“Well, perhaps I should speak to these ‘Time-Keepers, gods to gods.”

Renslayer smiles with a shallow apology, “I’m sorry, but they’re quite busy.”

“Oh, they are?” Loki mocks, “What are they doing?”

“Dictating the proper flow of time.”

“I see, right. And then what do you do?” It wasn’t a genuine question. None of his are. It was in a Loki’s nature to poke fun at authority.

“Dictate the proper flow of time according to their dictations,” You couldn’t believe it. This Loki variant was actually getting on Renslayer’s nerves, “How do you plead?”

“Guilty… of this.”

The display that followed was quite an embarrassing one, albeit not uncommon for any magic-using variant. They desperately try to use the powers they’ve spent their lifetime cultivating in one last-ditch escape effort. It never works, and this Loki was throwing a temper tantrum like a magician who forgot to put the bunny in the hat.

You stifle a laugh, ducking your head in the pews. He looks back to find the source, but you don’t think he sees you.

Renslayer chuckles, her victory found in Loki’s upset, “Magic powers? They’re no good in the TVA, Mr Laufeyson. The court finds you guilty, and I sentence you to be reset.”

You watch as Loki is pulled to the side with a huff, and you stand, holding the files Mobius handed off to you as evidence close to your chest. You’re about to plead your case to a brick wall.

Renslayer spies you standing and nods you forward to the bench. You approach on quick feet, settling the papers on her desk.

“Agent,” She snipes, “What do you need?”

You look over at Loki, struggling against the binds of the power-heavy minute men. Something about being so close to a man pleading against death makes you actually want to help him. Weird.

“Actually, I’m here for the variant,” Before she begins to shut you down, you cut her off, “Mobius kinda… needs him for a case.”

“And he sent you?”

“He’s busy?” She scoffs, “Look, I know you don’t trust me, especially after the incident, but Mobius does, and I trust his gut.” You open the file you slid onto her desk. It does little to spark her interest, but you persevere, “Someone’s killing our minute men, Mobius has an idea who, and he needs a Loki to crack it.”

The mention of his name sparks his interest in your little conversation.

And there you are. What an exciting little twist. Not one of which he understands much, but one in which he knows he can exploit.

Runa, a friend of Sif. Albeit clad in beige and sporting an accent unlike the ones of Asgard, but you all the same. Of how you came to be in the TVA, and be friendly with the judge are questions he’ll ask later. All he knows is that you’re planning on sneaking him out of here.

“And you’re just here demanding I put you back in the field?” Renslayer accuses in a whisper.

“If Mobius asked me, then he must need me for something-”

“Or he’s a coward who can’t fight his own battles,”

“Mobius is going to be running the whole operation, we’ll have minute men with us the whole time, Loki will never leave his time-warp collar,” You place your hand over your heart, smirking up at her, “And I solemnly swear I’ll do my best not to make a mess of things.”

She sighs, pressing her fingers to her temples. Now you understand why Mobius sent you on the impossible task. You’re good at wearing people down, “Fine.” She leans forward, burrowing her eyes into your head with a glare, “But if anything goes sideways, it’s on you.”

You gulp. You were truly excited by the prospect of going on a field mission, but you’re already in hot water with all the big guys, not just Renslayer. One mistake, and yeah, you’re toast.

You look over at Loki with a knowing glance. He smiles.

Yeah, he’s a problem.

#loki x reader #loki series #loki angst #loki fluff #loki imagine #loki drabbles #loki season 1 #loki reader insert #mcu imagine #loki x y/n #loki x you

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 25, part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Holy crap, Episode 25! We’re halfway through! *Cue Bon Jovi*

Hunt Invitation

After taking a nice long break to watch Word of Honor pick lotus pods, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Yanli return to stressing over the shitshow that is the post-Sunshot cultivation world. Jin Zixuan has come to invite them to the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, with a special invitation from his mother to Jiang Yanli. Jiang Cheng reacts to this in a mature and reasonable manner, while Wei Wuxian...doesn't.

On the surface, Jiang Cheng has matured in recent months; much more than Wei Wuxian, with his secret burdens, has. But it's only on the surface, as we'll see later in the episode, when Jiang Cheng's insecurity will take the reins.

Jin Zixuan is adorably pleased by Jiang Yanli's acceptance of the invitation. Wei Wuxian is less pleased, but sort of tries to suck it up.

Jin Zixuan kind of undercuts the romance of his errand by asking Wei Wuxian for the Yin tiger amulet as soon as Jiang Yanli is out of earshot.

As always, Jin Zixuan makes an impression by being the best Jin currently in existence, but the Jins are terrible. JZX is working to advance his dad's ambitions, and as such he is currently Wei Wuxian's enemy.

(more after the cut)

Opening Ceremonies

There's a bunch of cultivators arranged for the opening ceremony. Later someone will say that this is more than 5 thousand people. Ok, sure.

As I've said before, it's best to think of it like a theatre production and assume the other 4,900 people are offstage or, you know, painted on the backdrop.

The young lead cultivators from the four main clans are standing together. Nie Huaisang is trying out some new body armor.

The clan leaders are seated up on the stage, along with Jin Furen and Jiang Yanli. Unfortunately Jin Furen doesn't seem to have a personal name that I can discover. Her title Fūrén ( 夫人) means she's the primary wife of the head of the family, according to this excellent meta.

So “Madame Jin” is a decent translation...if you're French? I feel like instead of English subtitles including borrowed words from French (”Marquis” in NIH), Greek (”Water of Lethe” in WOH), and other European languages, we could try borrowing Chinese words instead. Jin Zixuan's mom is titled, not named, Jin Furen. Since we don’t know her actual name, I'll call her that and abbreviate it JFR.

Wei Wuxian's childishness continues at the opening of the hunt, as does Jiang Yanli's encouragement of his childishness. I know she's had a rough couple of years, and it's understandable to want to baby her little brother out of a sense of nostalgia. But it's not good for him, and she shouldn't do it; she should encourage him to be more mature, just as she does with Jiang Cheng.

War Crimes Contest

Jin Guangyao says they're going to have an archery competition, and they're going to liven it up by endangering some prisoners. These prisoners are Wens in Wen cultivator uniforms, meaning they're not the noncombatants that were being hunted down earlier. But they’re still helpless people in chains.

There are three different reactions when the Wen prisoners are brought out. All the Jins are pleased, or neutral. All of the Jiangs, including Wei Wuxian, are upset.

The Nies and the Lans, what we see of them, are a little shocked, but not obviously upset. Based on those reactions, it seems like this is a maneuver that in-world is considered shocking and cruel, but not necessarily unethical or immoral. Shocking, cruel displays of power are pretty normal in this world; remember when Wen Chao lit a Lan cultivator on fire just to say hello, and nobody complained?

This whole scenario, of course, has been designed to provoke Wei Wuxian. One major goal of this event, and the whole reason for wanting Wei Wuxian to come, is to get the Yin Tiger amulet. Making him lose his shit in front of 100 5000 cultivators is a good step toward compelling him to hand the amulet over.

We see Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli both signaling Wei Wuxian to keep it together, and he takes a step back and tries to chill.

Meanwhile, Jin Zixuan seems annoyed by all this, and goes to take a shot at it, making it clear from his demeanor that this is easy and JGY is making a show of nothing.

He hovers in the air and makes a perfect shot, pleasing most of the crowd and impressing Jiang Yanli.

Then his cousin Jin Zixun taunts the crowd, challenging anyone to do better. This presents a bit of a problem for Wei Wuxian. For the sake of the Wen prisoners, Wei Wuxian should just take this taunting and let the contest end, if no-one else is willing to take a shot. But for the sake of the Jiang Clan’s status, and his continued control of the Yin Tiger amulet, he needs to put the Jins in their place.

Every Day is Blindfold Day

This moral dilemma is resolved with an abrupt tonal shift, where the humanitarian concerns of all parties seem to vanish. Wei Wuxian flirts embarrassingly with Lan Wangji and then goes as far over the top in besting Jin Zixuan as it's possible to go.

The flirting hits differently, incidentally, when you edit Jiang Cheng's annoyed reaction out of it:

Lan Wangji doesn't seem embarrassed by Wei Wuxian's request, despite it happening in front of 100 5000 of their fellow cultivators. He looks Wei Wuxian straight in the eye for longer than necessary before turning away; it’s not exactly stern disapproval. We’ll get very used to this look, in Wei Wuxian’s second life.

Fortunately, Wei Wuxian carries a blindfold with him wherever he goes, (gifset here), and he is such a good cultivator he can hit 5 parallel targets simultaneously without even holding his bow straight or tightening the string.

(OP fixed the angle of the bow for this gif, which is why everyone is standing on a hill in the background).

Everyone is pleased by this shot except Jins Guangyao and Zixun; even the Jin cultivators are clapping, and Madame Jin is presumably this happy any time Jin Guangyao’s plans go wrong.

With that they start the hunt. Jin Zixun challenges Wei Wuxian to do the whole hunt blindfolded. Wei Wuxian agrees, but the censorship committee said no, apparently, so we don’t get to see that.

Flute Hunting

We do get to see Wei Wuxian luring monsters into his nets by being too sexy for his robe, too sexy for his robe, and playing the flute.

We also get to see Jiang cultivators looking puzzled while random monster roars happen in the woods around them. We do not get to see any monsters, which is probably just as well.

Jiang Cheng is annoyed and concerned, muttering "I told you not to overdo it" which means he didn't, you know, tell Wei Wuxian NOT to do this, just not to do it quite so well. Jiang Cheng knows what Wei Wuxian’s abilities are and he is making use of him, as he should, but he doesn’t have the courage of his convictions.

Tree Confession

Wei Wuxian sees Lan Wangji and starts to say hi, but then he has a desaturated flashback to Lan Xichen telling him to back off, so he stops himself. But then Lan Wangji comes over to talk to him.

Lan Wangji starts off talking to him about his latest anti-resentment musical discoveries, and Wei Wuxian pushes back, even calling him Lan Wangji, but gently. Wei Wuxian asks "who am I to you?" and Lan Wangji turns the question right back at him, then waits a looooooong time, eyes downcast, while Wei Wuxian thinks of a serious answer.

Wei Wuxian says "I used to treat you as my zhījǐ" --which, as we’ve discussed before, is variously translated soulmate, confidant, intimate friend--with a strong meaning of "the person who truly knows me." Lan Wangji says "I still am." Coming from Lan Wangji, who NEVER says how he feels about Wei Wuxian or about anything, really, this sounds a lot like a confession of love.

It definitely takes the form, visually, of a love confession, as Lan Wangji speaks, then gazes at Wei Wuxian while he waits for a reply. Wei Wuxian's reply is this:

I don't think Wei Wuxian is oblivious (I'm speaking strictly of CQL, not MZDS, as always with these posts; they are different works). I think he loves Lan Wangji back, and knows it. But Chenqing and everything it represents are between them.

Lan Wangji is quite literally NOT his zhījǐ any more, because he doesn't truly know Wei Wuxian right now. He loves him desperately, but he doesn't know about his core, and hasn't accepted his cultivation method. So Wei Wuxian answers his confession by showing him Chenqing, effectively declining to accept his still-conditional love.

Snake Measuring

Next we get terrible hetero courtship in the form of Jin Zixuan finding snake discharge on the ground and talking to Jiang Yanli about comparative snake measuring. Seriously: that is the actual conversation that they are having.

Jin Zixuan boasts for a bit, and then awkwardly tries to ask Jiang Yanli on a date. When she turns him down he gets mad, because he's a typical heterosexual dude even though he's secretly a delightful person...very, very secretly. Jiang Yanli, for her part, can't string a fucking sentence together to save her life whenever he's around, so she's not helping their mutual understanding.

Lan Wangji attempts to hold Wei Wuxian back from beating Jin Zixuan’s ass yet again, but eventually JYL wants to leave, JZX tells her to wait, and WWX intervenes. Why doesn't Jiang Yanli have a maid or Jiang cultivator with her while she's on a date, incidentally? These kids are confused about whether they're doing feudal patriarchy or whether they're doing modern social life.

Jin vs. Jiang

Wei Wuxian jumps in between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, which JZX objects to. Jin Zixuan has no fucking business objecting and Wei Wuxian is 100% right, at this point. As soon as WWX shows up JZX should hand her off to her Shidi, bow, and leave her the fuck alone. Instead, he draws his sword on Wei Wuxian, and kind of on Jiang Yanli since she's right behind Wei Wuxian. Fortunately, Lan Wangji blocks him.

This instantly blows up into a Jiang-Jin Clan conflict, with Jiang Cheng unfortunately absent since he let his unmarried sister go off in the woods alone with the son of the Cultivaton world's most famous lecher. It looks like it’s a personal conflict, but since Jin Zixuan already told Wei Wuxian directly that Jin Guangshan wants his amulet, any arguments between them are part of a larger power struggle.

Cousin Jin Zixun comes running up to start shit. Wei Wuxian pretends--I am SURE he's pretending--not to know who he is. The dude hassles Wei Wuxian every time he sees him; Wei Wuxian is a troll, and right now CJXZ is butting in to something that doesn't concern him. Rather than argue, Wei Wuxian insults him by telling him he’s not memorable.

Jin Furen shows up with several maids and cultivator dudes in tow, which is the proper way for a highborn woman to wander around in the woods. She also brings Clan Leader Yao, because if it's Wei Wuxian Blaming Hours, Yao is going to be there.

I initially found the deep friendship between superhot Yi Zuyuan and dumpy Jin Furen implausible, but then I remembered that my lifelong bestie is a smokin' hot redhead with impeccable fashion sense, while I am a roly-poly nerd. Friends don’t always match. Also, Jin Furen's actress, Hu Xiaoting, looks like this:

...so she is actually hot in real life. Not as hot as Zhang Jingtong (who plays Yu Ziyuan) but literally nobody is as hot as Zhang Jingtong. Don't @ me, you know I'm right.

This is a heck of a long scene, so we’ll pick it up in part two!

Soundtrack: Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Writing prompt: Newly-divorced, cold-hearted CEO Yu Ziyuan buys an apartment next door to newly-divorced, warm-hearted pastry chef ...uhh let's call her Jin Dàngāo (蛋糕), sure. She can name her business after herself.

They discover their daughter & son are in the same college class, and so they meet up over coffee....several times...trying to matchmake their hopeless, hapless kids, while bonding over their own terrible (former) taste in husbands. Who will Cupid strike first, the kids or the moms?

#the untamed #the untamed gifs #wangxian #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs

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adelineardn · 2 years

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Hi! I'm writing a "Voldemort dies early" AU and well, I want Nagini to join the crew. I didn't watch The Crimes of Grindewald but from what I heard, she has very little personality there, and her background is quite the mess. So I'm trying to nitpick good bits from the canon and add enough of irl info to make something that makes sense.

I saw your addition on a post about Nagini, so I hoped you could offer some comments on my thoughts so far. If not that's cool.

Her name

Nāginī, the female counterpart of a Nāga, the king cobra, or a serpentine class of semi-divine deities found in Hindu religion.

Parvati; Almost Perfect

I'm not saying her parents couldn't name her that, but couldn't it also be a nickname she picked up later in life?

The Maledictus curse

I like the idea of the hereditary blood curse. It could be in Nagini's family for several generations, passed from mother to daughters. She could know that she'll start having problems controlling her transformation around (let's say) 30, and the snake form could become permanent in her 40s.

There could be ways of delaying the inevitable permanent transformation, or even a way to lift the curse altogether.

(BTW I looked up the golden snail princess myth you mentioned in the post and it's super similar to some stories of Brother's Grimms, except the girl in the version I remember read turned into an apple tree.)

Life and locations

From what I can tell Nagini's journey goes something like this:

Indonesia

America - the circus, she's at least 20 or at this point.

Europe with Credence (1920-1930s)

Albania, where Voldemort allegedly found her, already fully snake-ified

England

I looked onto Asian - US migration and most commonly it was for cheap labour, namely Japanese, Chinese and South Korean people, and later on Bengali Muslims and Filipinos and others (whenever one group tried to unonize they would start hiring from another ethnics to keep the labour cheap).

Would it be pausible that Nagini's family was partially muggle and they went to chase the American dream? Only to face rampant racism, might I add.

Again, I didn't watch and don't intend to watch The Crimes so everything I know about her time in America comes from gifsets and wikis, and nobody knows what she was doing in Albania...

Since Voldy is dead it would be a group of ex-Death Eater tourists who would find and befriend her in Albania (or somewhere else) circa 1980. I'm thinking since she's not the only one hunted by the law it would be her name on all their paperwork when starting a legit rare potion ingredients collecting business...

Again, feel free to ignore this but I'd love to hear somebody else's thoughts. Finding headcanons on Nagini is surprisingly hard.

omg sorry for only responding now (I’ve been away from tumblr due to the hilarious amount of schoolwork), again I’m so sorry :(( I’ll put my thoughts into points to make it look neater: 1. yes!! the name “nagini” could have been a nickname and not her actual birthname. 2. maybe there could be a potion of some sorts to delay the permanent transformation, or maybe a ritual of some sorts. 3. in the fantastic beasts movies, it was stated that nagini was found in the jungles of Indonesia, so the theory of her family going to america to have a better life being the cause of her getting captured does not work. 4. I have a feeling she went to albania to flee from the whole wizarding war thing. 5. ahh your last point is great, it might be possible IF those death eaters are able to find and “befriend” nagini. idk if the death eaters knew about nagini, but if they do then yeah!! aaaa I have a strong feeling that your work is going to be superrr cool <3333

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daxterdd · 4 years

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OT3 + The Nigerian Job (part 1)

#leverage #leverage ot3 #leverageedit #eliotspenceredit #parkeredit #alechardisonedit #eliot spencer #alec hardison #parker #ot3 #lvg ot3 #content warning #cw flashing gif #cw flashing lights #ot3edit #mine #.my plan was just to make one gifset per episode but there was too much in the pilot. tooooooo much

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yenforfairytales · 3 years

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Consider - Sam Smith’s song “Diamonds” for Silverusso

Consider me OBSESSED. I hadn't heard this song before, but it's perfect!! Thank you! Silverusso Anthem until further notice lol. Here's a YouTube link!

(x)

I got carried away again...

Have it all

Rip our memories off the wall

All the special things I bought

They mean nothing to me any more

Is that not Terry Silver? He was clearly bored with his rich, executive life in KK3. But he came alive when he started scheming and met Daniel.

(x)

I mean, he started off with his target being Mr. Miyagi but quickly became hyper fixated on Daniel. There was a shift of focus.

I have a feeling that when we see Terry again(hopefully in s4), he'll once again only feel truly alive in his interactions/manipulation with Daniel, after decades of just bland existing. In a parallel to Kreese, who credits Johnny with bringing him back to life.

And with this part:

But to you

They were everything we were

They meant more than every word

Now I know just what you love me for

We could apply this to the fake persona Terry bought to befriend Daniel, how he found Daniel's weakness that way. But the shipper in me, likes to pretend that Terry and Daniel had more interactions after the '85 All Valley. That maybe Terry tried to be involved in Daniel's life somehow, either by trying to make amends or by messing with Daniel further, and Daniel shut that shit down and Terry realized he couldn't get any form of relationship back. Cue Terry ruining Miyagi's Little Trees and Daniel getting a restraining order! Any headcanon or theory fits lol.

I am crossing my fingers that Season 4 provides more insight or flashbacks 👀

It's hard to believe Terry just walked away like nothing after Daniel beat Mike. Like he literally walks offscreen with a shocked expression on his face at the end of the movie. But what about after??

We deserve to know lmao

Anyway

The first verse is Totally Terry.

And the second verse is 100% Daniel:

Shake it off

Shake the fear of feeling lost

Always me that pays the cost

I should never trust so easily

You lied to me

Then left with my heart 'round your chest

Like??? Are you kidding me! Basically, despite Terry completely using Daniel and betraying his trust, a bond was formed. And Terry took a piece of Daniel with him. It haunts Daniel that he cared about someone that never really existed. He has trusts issues to this day, and like he tells his daughter, he lives with the fear every day.

Daniel feels like it was all his fault though. That he brought it on himself. I think when he meets Terry again, they're going to fall into their old habits. Whether Daniel realizes it or not. Terry's going to exploit that deep down Daniel does care about him. Because Daniel will still be a tangle inside of guilt, admiration, and anger.

Although, it would be fun to see Daniel doing a little exploiting of his own. Because I think deep down Terry cares about Daniel as well. I could be reaching, but they're both schemers now and it would be fun to see them play a little cat and mouse. 😘

(x)

The bridge is both of their POV:

Take all the money you want from me

Hope you become what you want to be

Show me how little you care

How little you care, how little you care

You dream of glitter and gold

My heart's already been sold

Show you how little I care

How little I care, how little I care

Possibly both of them pretending not to care. This fits better with their s4 versions. While they try to hurt and outdo the other. These two characters are actually so similar, but that's another discussion.

I still think it'd be fun to see a flashback of Terry offering to pay Daniel's way through college, or the dealership, and an argument breaking out and it ending badly. Johnny has had several flashbacks of his younger self, whether with Sid or Kreese, and if this show continues to follow its theme of balance then we are due some flashbacks with a younger Daniel. 👀

It seems like Seasons 1-3 are Johnny's trauma and possibly Seasons 4-6 will be Daniel's...

And if anyone's wondering why I think Daniel got a restraining order against Silver, it's because Daniel has never seemed afraid that Terry would pop up somewhere. Even after he saw that Kreese was back in Season 2. Like when he went to the Cobra Kai dojo at night and had that little standoff with Kreese, it didn't look like Daniel thought it was a possibility that Terry was in the building or about to pop out and scare him.

Again, I'm probably reaching lol, the answer is probably much more simple in regards to the show and its writers. And anyway, even if there was a restraining order, I'm sure Terry had that removed with his connections almost immediately. And even if he left Daniel alone that doesn't mean he hasn't been keeping tabs on him🤣🤣

(x)

I digress!!! The chorus is bittersweet:

My diamonds leave with you

You're never gonna hear my heart break

Never gonna move in dark ways

Baby, you're so cruel

My diamonds leave with you

Material love won't fool me

When you're not here I can breathe

Think I always knew

My diamonds leave with you

To me it's like, "diamonds" being the superficial go ahead and leave I don't need you, but also "diamonds" being the take my heart with you and all that implies when it's toxic.

I can definitely see this song being used for gifsets and music videos. Especially after we get some prime silverusso scenes once s4 comes out 👀🙏

It really represents both eras. And I can't wait to see how much these characters and their dynamic have changed or stayed the same when they're in the same room again.

Thank you so much! I'm deep in those feelings now

#silverusso #daniel larusso #terry silver #headcanons welcome #cobra kai #karate kid iii #cobra kai season 4 #sam smith - diamonds #i can't wait for the crazy #bless u anon #asks

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letyourcolors · 4 years

Text

JATP + Love Language: Julie Molina (and Juke)

Okay this is the last post of my series analyzing the love language of each character (and ship) from Julie and The Phantoms (Luke - Alex/Willie - Reggie/Flynn/Nick/Carrie). Miss Julie Molina took me a little bit longer because this queen has just so many layers and I wanted to do it as best as I could so here we go.

Gift giving + acts of service

Alright guys, hear me out, I swear I’m NOT crazy.

I think there are multiple interpretatios for what would be Julie’s main love languages – she does experience all five of them during the show. BUT. Here’s the thing. Everybody likes spending time with their friends, everybody likes hugging the people they care about and everybody loves compliments. The thing about your love language is how you naturally manifest your love – and how you perceive other people’s actions as well.

Julie values acts of service and surrounds herself with people who communicate in that way. Her best friend saw how much she rocked with her band and deliberately created a bunch of social media to promote her work. Her father organized a performance at their house so he’d help her get noticed by agents and a larger audience. So, obviously, Julie understands acts of service as a demonstration of love.

We can see that clearly in her relationship with Luke. As I’ve discussed in my previous post, his primary love language is acts of service. And it’s because of how much he helps Julie that she falls in love with him – for instance, the moment Luke gives her the lyrics to ‘Bright’, she sees how much he’s trying to help her and that makes her appreciate him for the first time. She gives him the same [heart eyes emoji] look when he shows up at her school just to talk about the song choice of their next performance, showing how much he’s working on it.

(Original gifset here)

HOWEVER, I’d like to stress out the difference between acts of service and gift giving so y’all can understand what I'm talking about:

Acts of Service, which translates to showing and feeling love through helpful service, such as cooking a meal or cleaning out the car.

Gift Giving, which means we “speak” our love through presents ranging from small tokens to surprise deliveries.

Luke is actively doing things for Julie in order to help her achieve what she wants; he takes her lyrics and turns them into a song, he books a gig so she’ll have the chance to perform again, he gives her his own song so she’ll have something to perform. Same applies to Flynn, she’s actively helping Julie even if she isn’t asking for it.

Julie, on the other hand, shows her love by giving people something that will make them happy, which is not necessarily a helpful service. It comes from an elaborate idea – and it’s a pretty great and beautiful gesture.

Our first example of that is when she tries to make peace with Flynn by putting out a performance for her. That’s not going to help Flynn, it’s supposed to make her feel loved and appreciated – so, basically, a gift. And it’s actually a perfect and really well thought gift because, as I’ve said on a previous post, Flynn is all about words of affirmation, and Julie knows that. Writing her a song with such incredible lyrics to thank her for being an amazing friend is the best possible gift she could give Flynn.

I think the same applies to what she does for Luke. I understand how it could be perceived as an act of service, but I disagree. I think acts of service apply to more immediate tasks; like you wash the dishes for someone you love, you remember to pick them a coat on a cold day, you take one of their tasks when they’re doing something important. That’s not what happened here.

On episode 1x08, Julie talks about wanting to do something to make him feel better and she comes up with a beautiful surprise: she’ll show his parents the lyrics of Unsaid Emily. She was putting thought into finding something that would light him up. I don’t know about you but for me it makes perfect sense to interpretate it like that. It’s kind of abstract, but it’s still a gift.

Last but not least, what makes Julie go back to stage on 1x09 is receiving her mom’s favorite flower – even though it’s not a direct gift, it’s perceived as such, and it’s what restores her faith and gives her the strenght to sing again. She was talking about being all alone and the Dahlia made her feel loved.

Look at my baby crying. I love you so much. We stan Julie Molina in this house.

#julie molina #jatp love language #love language #julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp*#luke x julie #julie x flynn #my texts #juke #i loved doing these so much :')

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