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beignetbenny · 4 years

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If you're comfortable would you share more you projecting your relationship onto Zukka? I originally followed you from the grocery trip post and i honestly love that sort of thing

You... you want me to project my relationship onto Zuko and Sokka more? My relationship? The one where my GF texted me “if i cosplay zuko and you cosplay sokka and we kiss would that be crazy or what?” that relationship?

I have literally been DYING to do this

Zuko and Sokka met in their junior year of college (performing arts college because if we’re projecting we’re projecting) and the first time Sokka sees him he’s already like: I’m in love

Since Zuko is an arts student, his style is a little more on the quirky side i’m not gonna lie. It’s usually a mix of grunge and goth stuff with the occasional surprise like “oh you have a turtleduck pin on your backpack. Are those pride flag socks?”

Sokka already had a pretty established friend group, but Zuko had transferred back in that semester after taking a leave of absence for family reasons. So, immediately sokka takes him in.

Zuko becomes really good friends with Aang and Katara and Suki and Toph of course, as they spend most of their time together. With rehearsing, running to get food at obscene times of the night still in their dance gear because rehearsals ran long. They food hop and get boba at 2 am, coffee at 3 am, McDonalds at 4 and so on. They go out and get pasta at midnight and refer to it as pasta time. Only one of them has to drop that phrase alone in the groupchat and everyone agrees on a time. Pajamas be damned. They get away with it because technically they are student athletes

A joke by Sokka that is run into the ground by the time they sneak ben and jerrys into a Tap level 5 placement. Zuko is the only other one out of the friend group that gets the highest dance placement as Sokka. It’s understandable, tap dancing is very hard, its’ a difficult skill, and not everyone can do a winged time step into navy time steps it’s rightfully difficult and the timing is off

So... the two of them start rehearsing together more. It wasn’t that they didn’t a lot before, but the class was mostly split and sure they were definitely friends outside of classes too but Sokka felt like his super mega crush on the hot belter who came in with Aftershocks from Next to Normal was something he could get over. So he kinda stuffed it away the more they worked together.

Then they get assigned a scene. An acting scene. An acting scene that ended in a passionate kiss. An acting scene the teacher said they were both capable of

So they rehearse it. They’re both dead letter perfect by the first night because they have expectations to live up too and both of their siblings just get things so much easier and suddenly they’re talking instead of rehearsing.

Three hours pass before they remember “holy shit we’re running this with blocking in class tomorrow we should probably get this right”

So they go through the scene, the emotions are pretty high, and they both lean in for a stage kiss before Sokka stops

Sokka: Wait... Zuko: What? Sokka: This is okay right? I can touch you? I mean we didn’t talk about it first and- Zuko: Sokka Sokka: And I know this is both of our first scenes with a kiss and i really respect you as an actor and i don’t want to make you uncomfortable Zuko: ...Sokka Sokka: And I just want to say that- Zuko: You can kiss me Sokka: What? Zuko: It’s not a big deal. We’re both trying to be professionals right? It doesn’t need to mean anything. Sokka: ... yeah...

So they kinda uh... kiss... and they don’t really stop... kissing

They do it in class and the kiss maybe plays off a little too well. The other classmates clap, the teacher gives feedback. His main point is that you’re supposed to be in love but you’re acting like it hurts.

And sokka makes some bullshit excuse about how he saw the character differently and Zuko tags along to that idea giving more validity to the statement and the teacher is like “alright, bet. You’ve proved your point. It’s probably not what the playwright wanted but this is about expression so i’m glad you feel expressed”

They don’t rehearse together anymore because both of them feel like they’ve gotten it and don’t want to ruin anything. They still hang out. They still have pasta nights. But things are kinda weird. But more than anything, Sokka really misses his friend

In the end, they end up having to do the scene for a showcase. Meaning that during rehearsals they have to do it again and again and again and again until it sort of just becomes normal

Good luck kisses back stage turns into kissing in greeting when they’re visiting each others dorm rooms turns to picking up food orders for each other. Never in front of people, because you can make it platonic. And realistically it’s only done so both of you can make the stage kiss feel more comfortable.

But that doesn’t stop Sokka from being like “woah man i’m getting mad butterflies when we kissed even though I immediately called you dude after the kiss broke"

So sokka comes up with a plan because as much as he likes whatever they’ve got going on, which he does because friend and kissing and cuddling is GREAT for someone who is scared of commitment because the chance of something happening to that person would literally destroy him and that doesn’t feel great.

Instead, the night of the showcase he gets all of his friends to hype him up to ask Zuko out with his favorite candy, a coupon to get pasta, and well... the obvious question

But Sokka waits until they’re in places like an asshole but also because he’s kinda terrified and if something goes wrong it could change the whole dynamic of the scene and they’d both flunk out of fucking THEATER SCHOOL AND-

And he shoves the snack and the coupon and a note he hastily wrote into Zuko’s hands before running to his own entrance to do the scene because he’s stage left while Zuko’s stage right.

And they do the scene, but somethings a little off. Zuko seems distracted but he’s also happy? like super happy? Like did the laugh queue and made it sound genuine instead of spiteful happy? And he smiled into the kiss? That wasn’t... something they did. But Sokka went along with it because the scene SEEMED to be working fine

And then they go off stage and the second the theater darkens, Zuko shoves the prop pillows into Sokka’s chest

Zuko: Fuck you Sokka: What? What did I- Zuko: I mean, yes, obviously yes. The hot tamales were a great choice but fuck you. Sokka: Yes? Zuko: Yeah!

And that’s the only conversation they get in because they have to help with the other prop changes but the moment they are finally backstage and their mics are off they kiss in the little hallways backstage that goes from one entrance or another

(at least they think they’re mics are off but uh... that was embarrassing and i don’t want to put that on them carrying on)

When the show ends and they’re both wiping they’re stage makeup off about to leave their director approaches them and obviously they both think they’re in trouble because they just did a 180 to what they had practiced for the last month but the director loved it. And then he asks them why it was different and Zuko admits that something finally clicked. And the director chalks it up to opening night vibes and that now they should keep it that way for the rest of the performances

The night the show closes they do a Gaang pasta night and the rest of them don’t even realize anything is different until Sokka reaches over and takes something from Zuko’s plate (which was usually off the table and would result in getting fussed at) that they noticed something was up.

#zukka #eli tries to write #theater kid au #Anonymous

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writers-thoughts09 · 4 years

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True Mind, True Heart

Act 1 Chapter 2 (Part 1)

Title: True Mind, True Heart: Act 1 Chapter 2 (Part 1) About 5.7k words Pairing: Zuko x OC (or reader idk, mind you this is like a mega slow burn fanfic so i hope you’re okay with thaaaaat). I don’t own Avatar or the character’s except my OC. Rating: PG, maybe some 13 later on Warning: Mean Zuko, uuuuuh i think that’s it. A/N: I’m so sorry for the majorly late update! I’m doing my best I have a lot planned for this story and I plan to finish this, I hope you guys will follow Lila’s journey with me! :) <3. I apologize if the fight scenes are choppy and unclear, I’ve never written or broke down a fight scene in writing before. I might go back and fix this later. Tomorrow I’ll post part 2. Anyway without further adieu enjoy the read :)

|Prologue| 1 | 2 part 1 | 2 part 2

Act 1: Salvation

The sunset was quite a breathtaking sight to see if someone were to take the time to stop and stare. With the sun warm and low on the horizon, lovely rays of orange light sprawled softly across the sky, creating pink orange and yellow hues. A gradient of shades, begging to be admired. The white clouds that slowly rolled by basked in the mix of colors as they too took some of the sun’s golden tinge. Of course, no one was around to witness this natural piece of art since everyone was busy going about their business, especially on Prince Zuko’s ship.

For hours Lila sat silently in her dingy quarters, no hitch detected in her breathing. Quiet and still like a swamp with dark murky water. Untouched and motionless. Ever since Prince Zuko’s morning lessons, no one’s asked for Lila’s assistance with anything, so, for the remainder of the day, she’s been in her room.

If anyone, say Iroh, were to see her meditating, they would’ve thought she looked exactly like prince Zuko during his meditation sessions. Mimicking what she remembered the night she brought him his dinner Lila sat with her back straight, eyes closed, accompanied by nothing except deep breathing. Even though she imitated the prince’s form and tried to follow Iroh’s teachings from this morning’s lesson, it was like there was a block between her and her element. Like her fingertips would come so close to grazing that certain feeling but were still out of reach from fully grasping it. No matter how hard she’d concentrate to connect with that energy lying dormant inside her, nothing worked.

But finally, after sitting on the uncomfortable floor for who knows how long, Lila began to feel an inkling of that same euphoric peace build within her body again. It was similar to what she felt earlier above deck but slightly different. It was softer, less…magnetic as it ebbed the presence of her emotions away. Specifically, impatience and frustration when lieutenant Jee came knocking and interrupted her a while ago.

With meticulous breaths, Lila drew a smooth inhale in through her nose, filling her lungs, traveling down, expanding her belly, and gently expelled the air from her mouth, the water in her cup rippling in sync. Her heart maintained tempo with her breathing, which was strong and consistent as each beat pulsed through her being.

Though her body was at ease, patience evaded Lila’s mind, blinding her progress as she huffed in irritation. Eyes still closed she shifted her bottom for the umpteenth time. Soft like a feather but sharp like a beak, she drew another breath in, doing her best to maintain what little connection she felt with her element while keeping her frustrations at bay. Just when she was about to exhale, that breath turned into a yelp when a loud boom exploded from beyond the ship.

Like the snap of a rubber band, Lila’s concentration was broken yet again as her eyes flew open. With a start, the sudden noise made Lila jump and pull a small amount of water, which she didn’t notice as she stood up in alarm. Confusion and fear clouded her as she listened for what could’ve possibly made a noise that loud. It sounded like a flare, but Lila wasn’t so sure. “Is it an ambush?...No it couldn’t be; we haven’t had any problems or run-ins with anyone for a long while.”

Lila’s thoughts were going in circles as she rushed to her drawer to grab a fresh piece of cloth she cut up weeks before, tied it over her marred eye before reluctantly opening the door. Silently, a tawny-colored iris peeped down the metal hallways, no benders or guards in sight. However, even if they weren’t down below they might’ve already been above deck when whatever it was went off.

Noiselessly and carefully, with nimble steps like an alley cat, Lila crept through the corridors and up the familiar set of stairs. Mangled fingernails trailed along the metal wall to aid her lack of sight. Once Lila climbed up to the main deck and felt fresh air ruffle the fallen curls from her bun, Lila’s suspicions were confirmed. A bright naval flare signal was falling far out in the snowy distance. She watched, her good eye following its downward path, musing to herself, “Where did it come from though?”

Noticing the absence of prince Zuko, Uncle Iroh, and their men who were usually out and about above deck around this time, Lila glanced around the empty ship then turned to the command tower. Squinting her good eye Lila’s gaze raked up the length of it and stopped at the observation deck’s balcony. As clear as the golden sky she caught sight of the Prince. Half of his scarred face obscured as he peered through the telescope attached to the railing in front of him. Although she couldn’t see gauge what he was feeling, she was certain he figured out what or who signaled that flare and was already directing his next course of action.

When suddenly that same foreboding sensation from before when they first saw the beam of light, roiled around her chest and stomach, leaving Lila uneasy. Why? Well, she didn’t know what to expect. Was it the avatar? A false alarm? She didn’t know and not knowing left a nasty taste in her mouth.

After Prince Zuko finished barking orders at his men, solar colored eyes caught a glimpse of the curly-haired servant below seconds before he continued looking through the telescope. The girl stood by herself with half her face covered, the setting sun illuminating her tanned skin, and looked up at him with -what he could detect- nervousness. Prince Zuko didn’t know as to why nor did he care. The entirety of his focus on capturing the Avatar.

A brown eye fluttered as Lila snapped from her thoughts. Hurriedly she turned and hastened down below to the kitchen. She knew now was not the time to get distracted from her work. Earlier the chef told her he was ill and asked Lila to fill in for him tonight. She agreed though something told her he was lying. Through the maze of corridors and staircases, a passing conversation of a few men could be heard as they rushed by.

One man bumped her shoulder as he hissed, “hurry, we have to dress the Prince, the Avatar’s hiding place has been found. We’re going to the southern water tribe.”

Lila’s eye widened as her breath hitched at the mention of her mother’s sister tribe. If the Avatar is truly alive and has been hiding there for the past hundred years…worry gripped her heart over the safety of the tribes' native people. Although prince Zuko hasn’t engaged in many battles with other ships or neighboring nations, the Fire Lord’s son was a wildly stubborn and determined boy who’d stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Lila didn’t doubt he’d probably leave a trail of chaos in his wake with no regard for the consequences or how it’d affect the lives of others.

Once she entered the empty kitchen Lila rolled her sleeves up and got to preparing dinner, the red dye of her uniform reminding her of the clothes she wore as a child in the palace. As she cooked, she blinked back thoughts she knew all too well. Red uniform

Screams of fear echoing in the palace gardens

A girl in royal garbs

“You’re useless.” ... “Holy-ow!”

A sudden stinging pain roughly pulled Lila from the haze of old memories. In her stupor, Lila didn’t notice how close the knife was while cutting the spring unions and managed to slice her pointer finger. Quickly, the girl staggered away from the kitchen counter, removing the steaming pots and pans with her uninjured hand, and flitted about the kitchen looking for anything to stop the bleeding. She checked all the drawers, cabinets, and pantries as bright red blood continued to ooze over her finger and onto her hand. The throbbing and stinging continued to intensify making Lila bite her lip in pain as she tucked her finger beneath her thumb. Unable to find any clean rags or towels-

“My eye cloth…”

A tug on her heart stopped her search momentarily.

To her, that cloth was like a barricade of some sort to Lila. Sheltering the small girl from being reminded of it…the day she lost-

In summary, her eye patch was the only thing that blocked out the reality of what happened that day. Regardless of how vulnerable she felt without the cloth now was not the time or the place to start feeling insecure or hesitant, she knew that. There was work to be done; rice and meat filleting.

With the cleaning basins for the dishes nearby Lila went toward it to clean her finger and avoid food contamination. It should’ve been cleaned and refilled now that it was close to dinner time. Ready to dunk her hand in the water and wash her bloodied wound she stopped abruptly. The whole bucket was still dirty from lunchtime. Bits and pieces of rice, chicken, and other scraps floated about in the water. With a rough sigh and a curl of a plump lip, Lila closed her eye for a moment.

“I can’t catch a break,” she groaned lowly. Never again was she going to fill in for the chef.

Still, she was a servant…what could she do? Nothing. Before she could change her mind, Lila briskly grabbed the knot of the cloth from behind her head and pulled it free, a few strands of curls ripping from her bun. The milky white of her blinded eye on full display, free of any covering but chained to inhibition. Gloomy hands of her past groped and reached for Lila, but she slapped their searching palms away as she began wrapping her wound. Gentle but sure fingers tied the end of her cloth into a firm knot and she inspected her handiwork with a wistful smile. The memory of her mother’s soft hands dressing the wounds of a child rolled like a movie, replacing the ones Lila usually remembered.

“Lila, you fell again?”

The playful timbre of her mother's low voice filled their backyard. Lila’s childish eyes bubbling with tears raised from the cut on her knee as her mother calmly squatted in front of her fallen form.

“I didn’t mean to mommy. The tree was in my way,” cried her indignant daughter. Laughter rang from her mother, a white bandage appearing in her dark hands,

“Of course, but you also have to be careful where you’re stepping too, my love.” Knowing her mother was right but still unhappy with that answer, Lila huffed out a sniffle. Tenderly her mom cupped the back of her daughter’s freshly scraped knee and began lecturing, “Here, let’s teach you how to fix wounds, big girls are good at that-”

“Big girls like you, mommy?” A squeaky voice interrupted.

Nuna glanced up at her daughter’s question. Brown innocent eyes that held such curiosity reflected in Nuna’s blue ones she just had to laugh.

“Yes Lila, big girls like me and you.”

Lowering her newly wrapped finger, Lila’s lips fell back into a straight line. She had no time to get lost in her thoughts. Deciding to try and cover her eye with her hair, her uninjured hand pulled her hair free from the fire nation styled top knot. Onyx curls tumbling down the length of her back in one fell swoop, kissing the top of her hips. The overwhelming urge to moan in relief had goosebumps tickle Lila’s spine as the tension of her tight bun dissipated almost instantaneously. She brought her hands up under her hair and aggressively massaged her scalp, both eyes rolling back in pleasure.

“Ahh, yes…” A soft groan rumbled from the back of her throat.

“Ahem.”

“Oh, my goodness!” She gasped.

Whipping toward the kitchen door, hands tangled in her roots, the men from earlier in the hallway were standing there watching her as if they’d found an earth kingdom stowaway. Though the more she watched them with increasingly flushed cheeks, the more she realized they were staring at the eye. Tanned hands flew from her scalp to shake her curls and obscure their sight, but it was futile, they already saw the clouded pigmentation. Involuntarily closing her eye, the servant girl clasped her hands over her stomach and curled into a bow.

“Um, hello,” Lila stuttered but caught herself, remembering her place. Kind professionalism coating her soft question, “how may I be of service to you?”

The man who she heard speak in the corridor collected himself faster than the rest and cleared his throat before announcing,

“We are close to our arrival of the southern water tribe and Prince Zuko has requested your presence to dress him for the capture of the Avatar.”

Alarm colored Lila’s features when she recalled the last time she was alone with the prince. Streams of tears and memories he unintentionally triggered that night played before her. Swallowing down the building discomfort in her throat, Lila straightened up and schooled her worry lines into a controlled smile. She had to remind herself, “The Prince didn’t know.”

Apparently, for the men, Lila’s forced smile mixed with the ghastly mismatched color of her eyes was too much to handle, unable to hide their distaste. Faster than she could stop it, a pang of offense and hurt yanked at her heart, but she managed to stifle and shove the feelings away as she gave another trained bow. Though a question did come to mind.

“I beg your pardon, but may I ask why he requested me specifically? He has never requested this of me before,” words mousy.

Her question only seemed to cause the man to grow irritated, his eyebrow ticking in impatience as major attitude gripped his words, “The prince claimed to be displeased with our services in preparing him. Now, would you please stop talking and do what prince Zuko has asked of you? He’s waiting.”

“What about the food-”

“Servant girl, what did I just say?” The man angrily snapped.

With a flinch, Lila mumbled, “My apologies,” before bowing one last time.

Throwing an “Unbelievable” over his shoulder, he and his two companions turned to leave the kitchen.

His snarky tone made Lila frown and furrow her brows. Oh, this girl had no idea of the colorful range of words Prince Zuko used to describe him and his men! Comparing them to fire ferrets! Ha, the nerve of that prince! On top of a bruised ego, the man now had to deal with a servant who couldn’t even see right and didn’t know when to be quiet and simply serve! Lila watched them exit the kitchen, soft frown still intact as she cocked her head to the side.

With them gone, Lila moved the last bits of uncooked food away from the fire as she rushed to the prince’s quarters. With one hand on the wall, Lila hotfoot it through the twists and turns of the dim-lit hallways and up the main stairs. The frigid wind stung her cheeks, her servant's uniform doing nothing in keeping her warm as she speed-walked toward the command tower. However, it did help now that her hair was unrestrained, long curls shielding her arms from the nights southern cold. All but running into the tower, warmth immediately licked at her body. The fire emanating heat and light from the wall torches eased the stiffness of her shivering joints. Her relief was short-lived when she remembered that Prince Zuko’s room was still a few floors up. With a pout and a whimper, Lila began jogging the rest of the way toward her master’s room.

Once she reached his metal door, a winded Lila lifted her bandaged hand and softly knocked, a throb of pain shooting down her finger as she waited. Like usual, the gravelly voice of the prince commanded her to come in.

Using both hands, the petite girl turned the large cogwheel and pried the door open. Identical to last time, she peered into his room, took one cautious step in and hesitantly called out,

“You’ve requested my assistance, Prince Zuko?”

Mindful of the eye, Lila discreetly pushed some hair and hid it from view. The reaction of the men before told Lila it’d be better to keep her disability hidden if it was that distracting.

“Yes, come quickly. I want to be ready by the time we reach the southern water tribe.”

Judging from the clam raspy tone of voice, Lila concluded that The Prince wasn’t angry and carefully entered, closing the door behind her.

Near his meditation table, Prince Zuko stood like any fire nation soldier would with the usual scowl on his lips. As Lila inched in front of him she could already see that the straps holding his fire nation armor together were tied in all the wrong places. Being alone and in such close proximity to the brooding prince, Lila felt her nerves begin to quake. No way did she want a repeat of last time, anxiety sprouting from her chest. The tension was palpable in the room. The lack of conversation didn’t help either as she thought of what Prince Zuko and his men might do to the people living in that tribe. Though she’s never been to the northern or southern water tribe, they were still her mother’s people, thus making them part of her kin.

“Will they do what the fire nation did to my village, too? We didn’t even have the Avatar either and they still ravaged my village.”

In an attempt to silence her thoughts, Lila gingerly grabbed the chords holding the chest piece of his armor together and set to work. Her eyes trained solely on his battle wear. Cautious of her injury Lila made sure to keep her finger from touching him. Any bump or jostle hurt. Though her fingers, minus her pointer, were moving, her mind remained on the tribe's native people.

Zuko looked straight ahead as the shaky but lithe digits of the servant – Lila, was it? - untied and retied the straps in the correct places. The reason why he called for her specifically was that he figured she’d know how to do this from her years of servitude at the palace. Before his banishment, before that fateful day. As thoughts of his family started to prod the strongholds of his mind, Prince Zuko didn’t see Lila peek up at him from the side of his shoulder until he heard her low voice fill the thick quiet of his room.

“What’re you going to do to them?”

Like an arrow, sharp and precise, prince Zuko’s stare shot to her own, making Lila’s eyes widened in surprise. She expected him to be looking straight ahead if he were to answer her.

Breaking eye contact with him, Lila looked down and closed her blinded eye desperately hoping he didn’t see it as she went to fix the strings behind him. Erratic. That’s how Lila’s heartbeat felt. But yes, Zuko fully saw the milky hue of her eye. He too had a similar reaction like the three men, but not one of distaste or disgust. Just surprise, but he soon discarded what the feeling once he processed what she asked.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your concern, servant.”

Cold with an edge of warning. That’s all Lila could sense wrapped around his heated words. Especially when he said her name. Now onto the left shoulder greave, Lila peeked at him again. He was looking straight ahead, his face taut with contemplation? Lila couldn’t tell. With a beat of hesitation, she licked her lips. She could already tell he was beginning to lose patience. If she were to say another word, she didn’t doubt he’d snap. Her brain was telling her not to say anything, she was walking on thin ice that was melting fast, but her mouth felt differently.

“May I speak Prince Zuko?”

“No, you may not. Finish fixing this and go. I don’t need to hear what you have to say,” Prince Zuko snapped in restraint.

All while arguing with herself, Lila moved to squat in front of him and began tying the laces of his shin guards. She did not want to witness another fire nation attack on any village again, especially when innocent people are involved. Though she felt if she were to talk out of turn, prince Zuko would surely lose his patience and probably punish her. Besides, what could someone like her do, realistically? No one has ever listened to her. She has no voice, but still. They are my people, too. I have to try.

Opening and closing her mouth Lila fought to push the words out.

“The water tribe did nothing-”

Unnaturally warm hands cut through her sentence and seized her wrists as she was forcefully pulled up from the floor and against Prince Zuko’s armor-clad form. Strands of curls unintentionally tangling in his grasp. Chest to chest, with Zuko holding her wrists and hair between them, he glared down at Lila. Fear radiated off her body in waves. She felt way too exposed without her eye patch and a dull ache throbbed from her finger when her hands bumped against his armor. White and brown eyes flickered between golden ones before looking around the room to avoid his stare, but to no avail. Calloused fingers laced with hair firmly, but not painfully, gripped her jaw turning her face to his, thumb pressing into her cheek.

Patience completely evaporated, Prince Zuko ground out, “I told you not to speak, didn’t I?”

With shuddering breaths and petrified eyes, Lila could only nod faintly. Paralyzed by his overwhelming build the words on her tongue melted, sliding down her throat. Releasing her jaw, Prince Zuko let go of her wrists, strands of hair snagging on his fingers as he dropped his hand. Lila winced from the sudden plucks of her curls. Shaking the hair off he rubbed the bridge of his nose, shut his weary eyes and sighed,

“Finish the last shin guard and leave.”

No reply came from the young girl as she dropped and tied the shin greave. A slight tremor in her hands. Once she was done she stood up with her head hanging low.

“I’ve finished Prince Zuko, do you require anything else before I go?”

“No.”

Long hair cascaded over her shoulders as Lila bowed. Rising back up she somehow managed to calmly exit the prince’s quarters, his eyes narrowing on her retreating form the whole time. With the loud thud of his metal door closing, both Lila and Prince Zuko let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.

Lila had half a mind to go to uncle Iroh’s room and talk with him about what his nephew was planning to do. Talk with him about how the Prince was nothing like what Iroh describes him as but decided against it since he was most likely napping. It was hard for her to believe there was kindness in the Prince’s heart when all she’s ever seen from him was anger and rage. You could see his brutality and hate in the way he bended, too. Once she exited the command tower the sun was still hanging onto the horizon, waiting for someone to look at what it created, but a thick mist now covered the expanse of the water the ship navigated. When out of the blue, loud crackling emanated below the ship. Lila ran to the front and hunched over the edge of the railing to see what was going on.

Squinting through the mist, she saw the ship’s hull was no longer sailing on water but breaking and cracking through solid ice. Snapping her head up Lila saw the ground splitting toward the water tribe’s village! One large jagged fault traveling right through the middle of it. Prince Zuko’s ship rammed through the iced floor like it were a piece of paper. Lila couldn’t help but panic internally, they were coming extremely close to the water tribe!

“If this ship doesn’t stop we’re going to run right through!” she gasped in horror.

From what she could see in the vapory haze, the southern water tribe was quaint. A wall made of snow circled the tribe, acting as a barricade. Small igloos littered within. From behind, the sound of the Prince and his men’s shoes clanked across the deck toward the front of the ship, preparing to disembark. Anxiety, fear, and apprehension swirled within her. This scene hitting way too close to home for her liking. She never signed up for this, well she didn’t sign up for this at all, but still. The three years she’s been on this ship she never really thought about what capturing the avatar looked like or being there to see it. All Lila knew was she didn’t like where this was headed at all. The prospect of the past repeating itself right before her eyes scared her.

When she turned to watch them pass Lila’s eyes caught prince Zuko’s for a brief moment. Again, he found nervousness swimming in her stare, and again, he didn’t care.

Finally, the ship came to a halt with an ominous screech. Powerless, Lila watched with bated breath. Her eyes flitting between the native people down below and Prince Zuko’s men. She swore her heart was going to pop out of her chest from how hard it was pounding it almost hurt. Suddenly the hull of the ship dropped, turning into a makeshift ramp, a loud thud resonating in the air. The ship's metal easily overpowered the tribe's barrier, the snow crumbling as it gave into its weight.

Faintly Lila could hear a feminine voice yelling for someone to get out of the way. The shrill scream making Lila’s heart drop and then kick up in speed, assuming the worst. It felt like her feet were bolted to the floor as she helplessly watched the Prince and his firebenders disembark the ship. Visibly shaking, Lila leaned over the front of the ship again to see, legs feeling like they were going to give out any moment.

From her spot, she could see Prince Zuko and his guards disembarking and a young water tribe boy with war paint coating his tanned skin, belt out a war-like cry as he charged up the ramp at Prince Zuko. The boy’s weapon of choice, a water tribe club, raised high over his head. He was easily overtaken. Lila winced when the Prince’s leg side swept the boy's club out of his hand, then kicked him in the face, sending the boy flying off the side of the ramp and into the snow. Lila could hear Iroh’s voice in the back of her head talking about how he knew his nephew wasn’t as corrupted as his other family members, but what she was seeing now proved otherwise. He was unlike what Iroh always tried to tell her. The Prince was brutal.

Zuko continued walking down the ship as if nothing happened. His steps were powerful and determined. The people of the tribe huddled up in one big group, trepidation and terror embedded in all of their blue eyes. With the men of the village off to war, Zuko was unsurprised to see the ones that remained were the women and children, except for the war-painted boy if you’d count him as a man. However, the longer no one spoke the more time was wasted in capturing the Avatar. The silence was so tense Lila felt it up on the ship. Zuko stopped in front of the crowd, his eyes sizing up each woman and child until his glare stopped on this one girl holding onto the arm of an elderly lady.

“Where are you hiding him?”

When no one spoke, both Lila and the young girl gasped when the banished Prince roughly pulled the elderly lady from the girl’s grasp.

“He’d be about this age? Master of all four elements?” Zuko demanded, shaking the woman by her for emphasis.

Again, no one answered him, they were all stunned in silence and fright. After a beat of quiet, Prince Zuko carelessly shoves the old woman back into the young girl’s arms. Both water tribe women gasping. Lila watches worriedly, praying up above that this village will be spared from the fire nation’s fury. Even from the ship, Lila saw the Prince tense up in frustration and knew what he was going to do next and whispered “no,” as he launched a wave of fire inches above the villager's heads. The women and children screamed and cowered before him.

“I know you’re hiding him!”

Below her, Lila saw the water tribe boy free himself from the snowy confines he was kicked into, the majority of his face free of paint as he picked up his club and ran at Zuko once more with another loud battle cry. At the last second, Zuko turned toward the annoyingly loud boy and dodges the boy’s attack, flipping him over his head when he swiped at the Prince. When he hit the ground Zuko punched another blistering fireball at him. Luckily, the tanned boy gathers himself rolling away from the blast, swiftly retrieving a boomerang that was strapped to his back and throws it at the Fire Lord’s son. It surprised both Lila and Zuko with how fast and strong he threw it, the air whistling as it narrowly missed the Prince’s face. Even where Lila was standing the boomerang would’ve whacked her in the face if she didn’t duck in time. All the while her eye followed the boomerang’s path. The boy was stronger than he looked.

“Even without bending,” Lila hopefully thought, “he’s handling himself well against the Prince. Maybe…this village won’t be ransacked.”

A growl erupts from the Crown Prince’s throat before he can shoot more fire at the irritating boy who just won’t quit, a little water tribe child cries out,

“Show no fear!” Throwing a fishing spear made of bone at his opponent. Again, he charged at Zuko, the spear positioned like he was going to run him through, but the Prince was prepared. “He lacks training,” Zuko gathered, easily breaking the spear in half with his wrist guards. He then snatched the bone rod from the boy’s hands, poking him repeatedly in the head with the butt of it until he fell on his bottom, and broke it in half again before throwing it to the ground.

On the ship, Lila’s eye followed the boomerang as it curled back around and headed back to the owner who threw it. With her eyes still on the weapon, she gradually turned and watched it spin at dizzying speed before it slammed into the back of Prince Zuko’s helmet with a loud thwack. Her eyebrows quirked in surprise as she wondered if the water tribe boy planned for that to happen, but her face fell when she saw the Prince standing menacingly over the boy’s fallen form. Fire jet out from his tightly clenched fists, the orange embers creating a dagger-like weapon.

For a moment, Lila feared for what Prince Zuko would do to him, but surprise quickly overtook her as another younger boy, maybe about twelve or so, with a bald head and peculiar clothing zoomed through the middle of the fight out of nowhere riding on the back of a penguin. In the child’s hands was a staff as the penguin flew right under Zuko’s feet, sweeping his legs out from under him. The young servant girl gasped when the Prince fell over, the village children cheering for the child all the while. The said child sped past the kids sending up a wave of snow splattering them all in the face, their cheers ceasing for a moment at the unexpected smattering, but continued yelling anyway. At this point, as much as Lila was concerned over the fate of the water tribe, she didn’t know if it was morally okay for her to laugh at the ridiculousness of what just happened.

Still, relief filled her heart knowing that Prince Zuko’s plan of capturing the Avatar wasn’t going according to plan. No village, town, citadel, or nation should be destroyed in finding the Avatar. Her heart and mind were conflicted. Although she did want the Prince’s banishment to end, she didn’t think this was the right way of doing it. She remembered the stories her father told her about Fire Lord Sozin killing all the airbenders to find and end the Avatar cycle.

Briefly, Lila faintly heard the kid happily greet the boy and girl, their names being ‘Katara’ and ‘Sokka’, with Sokka dryly thanking the child, who she heard him call ‘Aang’, for coming. Lila’s eyes flicker between Prince Zuko and Aang, both of them assuming a defensive fighting stance as Zuko’s men circle Aang, closing in on him. Suddenly the kid swings his staff, and with each swing, he sends snow at the guards blowing them away. With the Prince being the last one standing Aang sends another blast of snow at him, but he was unmoved, uncle Iroh’s firebending lessons paying off.

“Looking for me?”

Processing everything the child managed to do in under ten seconds, Lila’s brows furrowed. He managed to disarm and beat all of Prince Zuko’s men like it was nothing just by throwing snow at them. At first, she thought he was a waterbender but he didn’t move like one. His fighting style was different from what her mother tried to teach her and different from what she’s seen earthbenders and firebenders do. It was unlike anything she’s ever seen. On top of that, the arrow on his head and the unusual choice of clothing he wore was vastly unfamiliar from the clothes in her hometown and the fire nation. Her eyes widened in realization. No, this child couldn’t be- Prince Zuko voiced her incredulity, the snow Aang bent at him melting off his shoulders and fists, “You’re the airbender? You’re the Avatar?”

A/N: OKAYYYYY!!! Just so you know I want you guys to keep Zuko’s “Contemplation?” face in mind. There’s a few things I want you guys to catch in part 2. Sorry if it was slow paced. I hope you enjoyed it and please excuse any grammatical errors. Have a blessed day! Chapter three may come later cuz I have a zuko request I want to write!

Taglist (If i missed anyone PLEASE let me know :))

@bangtanboyswriting123 @bookedforevermore @agentsofblinks @lilmou5ie @eury-dice3 @shephard17895 @duh-dobrik @yourlivewire @luleck @oraclebirds

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heathert456 · 3 years

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Response to videos.

(*Text underneath for readability)

‘How To Create A Great Character’ video by The Closer Look on YouTube

I liked this video because it discussed three main components that characters could have to different extents, likability, activity, and competency. The video described some existing characters who have these traits at different levels and how those levels change how they are as a character and how the audience will perceive them. I like this concept, because it is a simple way of approaching characters that can help to give them strengths/weaknesses and make them more developed.

The video mentioned how characters need to have these components at different levels, because a character who is perfect, like ‘Superman’ does not have as much depth, a character who has none of these components would have even less depth. Some rules that were provided were that, they need to be good in at least one category, and they cannot be good at all of them. Some rules that were provided were that, they need to be good in at least one category, and they cannot be good at all of them.

Pixar- ‘What Makes Characters Relatable?’ video by Kaptainkristian on YouTube

I found this video interesting and insightful because it gave information of how to create good storytelling through the use of relatable characters with goals, backstories, challenges, etc. It mentioned how Pixar films do this very well, as oppose to Disney, who base a lot of their films from fairy tales. Disney films usually involve romance as the main plot driver. However Pixar gives their characters other goals, influenced by their unique character and backstory. Pixar asks, ‘why do we need to tell this story?’ and teaches good life lessons that are relatable for all age groups, they include something for everyone.

The video also talked about how Disney villains are bland, they have little information on their contexts, what is their motivation for being evil? A lot of the time there is no backstory for them, they are simply evil. This is something that Pixar does differently, they give context and backstory for why a character is the way they are, for example, ‘Syndrome’ from the Incredibles movie, has a past where he was often disregarded, the constant rejection lead him to become a villain, this is something that is included in the storyline. However, Disney villain ‘Jafar’ from Aladdin only has motivation to be evil because he wants to be the most powerful in the land. You can see from watching the film, that he is always portrayed as the second most powerful and is treated as such, but apart from that there is no evidence as to his motivation.

‘Good V.S. Bad Character Design: Tips and Tricks!’ video by BaM Animation on YouTube

I really liked this video, it was very helpful, similar to the first video, it had a list of components that can help to create a good character design, silhouette, palette, and exaggeration. It mentioned the differences that a good and bad characters can have at a visual level, which I found interesting, how shapes can influence how a character is perceived. Squares could help to portray solid characters, circles for friendly ones, or triangles for fast and/or evil characters. It also talked about how colour theory can also influence a character.

Another thing that the video talked about was ‘shape language’, different shapes express different traits and aspects of characters. You can see this by looking at pre-existing characters and how their shapes communicate their personalities. For example, circles show no threat, they seem very approachable and friendly, whereas a triangle seems sharp and dangerous. Shape language can visually tell the audience what kind of character your character designs are.

They had some examples of fan art that they developed using techniques and processes shown in the video. One character had a mixture of different shapes, which could confuse the viewer to understand that character’s personality. They changed the shapes to triangular ones to convey a femme-fatale villain character. They compared shape motifs on a line-up of three characters. The shapes were at first jumbled up, but when they were rearranged to have only one shape, the characters were consistent, and their personalities were a lot clearer. Colour hierarchy was also mentioned in the video. How a main colour can be complemented by lesser colours and how the amount of a colour can convey character traits.

They worked on improving this design by first analysing what was wrong with it. A main thing was that it was too complicated, had too many colours, and some of those colours had the same values. They fixed the character by re-designing it in a simpler way and choosing less colours, that complemented each other and had had different value weights.

Another thing that was mentioned was that colours can help to show where a character is from, e.g. above the equator, colours are less vibrant on the bottom, colours are more vibrant. Something which I found intriguing was how some characters can be inspired by real life people. I already knew this, but I hadn’t previously thought about it as a possibility for a reference or a way to begin a design. And it is clear how these characters have been influenced by real-life. How a character acts or moves could also be inspired by real-life people. The video mentioned how artists/designers often look at the world and then apply real-world aspects into work.

Something else that was stated was that a character’s pose can influence how they are looked at as well. For instance, open, thoughtful, lazy, etc. We can perceive how a person or character is feeling or what they are doing, just by their basic figure. I found this interesting, because it shows how important pose can be.

This is another character design that they improved on. They talked about how you can block out a character’s shapes to help make it more dynamic, the design on the right was the original, but by simply changing the shapes, the design improved dramatically. I really like this technique; it is something that I would like to try out. The artist who sent the designs created them with guidelines to help with the proportions, this was a good approach, and is something I would also like to try.

They demonstrated how drawing characters with guidelines can be useful, how it can help keep the proportions consistent and how it can improve the designs overall. They talked about trios and how designing line ups of characters in three can help to give visual variation and complement each design. They suggested starting out with one square, one triangle and one circle and designing characters from that. They also suggested that colour could be used to further express the character’s personality. I like this technique, I think it could be a good exercise for me to further learn about how shapes influence character designs, create variation in my work, and experiment. At first, they did this in a basic way, then they exaggerated some elements to further express the characters and add variation to the designs. To push the concepts even further they created more dynamic poses and added expressions. I think it is really cool how their personalities come across, even though they are basic shapes.

They talked about how line-ups of characters can be dynamic. They gave two examples and described one as a fun roller coaster, and the other as a dull train track. They redesigned all of the characters that the artist sent in and displayed them in a roller coaster way. They explained how even though the characters are all different sizes, proportionality they are the same because of the use of guidelines. They showed comparisons of the before and after of the character designs. The original designs are okay, but the re-designs show major improvement. They exaggerated some of the features to express different features of the characters and gave them dynamic poses. the character’s personalities come across so differently in the re-designs and the messages behind them are clearer. They also each look unique, in the original designs, they looked kind of the same as each other and there wasn’t very much variation in pose.

‘A Guide to Good Character Design (Mega Super Ultimate)’ video by The Joopis on YouTube

This video had some very interesting points that I found helpful. The main point that came across was how important silhouette is. They mentioned how a character can be recognisable from only their silhouette and how this can help to identify characters. They also broke down popular character designs into shapes to show how characters can be made out of basic shapes. Another way they demonstrated how silhouette is important was by creating three head silhouettes and choosing their favourite, from there, they created three different character heads from the same silhouette. This was to show how big of an impact silhouette can have.

They talked about villain design as well, how across Disney characters, the villains tend to have similar colours, usually dark, and including black, reds and purples. This was to show how colour is important in identifying characters and what kind of character they are. They showed how they do this by showing a design they had done and a reference they used. They looked at the colours on a snake to inspire the colour they chose for their villain; these colours together are threatening and suggest danger. They showed how colour palettes could be extracted from things in real-life. For example; the muted pink colours from the kitten are soft and gentle, the colours from the birds are bright and vibrant.

They also briefly mentioned how clothing can add to a character’s backstory, context and further express their character. they talked about how the shapes of the clothing can also have an impact.

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pulaasul · 4 years

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Digimon Adventure Tri – Daisuke and the others? Who are they?

A Digimon Adventure Tri review.

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This review may be a bit late, but I didn’t watch the fifth movie because I was spoiled by a certain plotpoint and tropes and I really detest tropes of that plotpoint. Considering that I opted not to watch the fifth movie, I didn’t watch the sixth movie as well, I may get confused at the chronology of the events.

I had watched Last Evolution Kizuna, the review of which is linked here, thankfully the producers of Kizuna opted to have an original story as opposed to continuing from the plot threads that Tri left hanging over the course of six movies.

With the reason for this review’s lateness out of the way, let’s continue on with the Tri’s review.

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Despite the lateness, I am reviewing [デジモンアドベンチャーtri - Dejimon Adobenchā] Digimon Adventure Tri

As with some of the movies I had reviewed on my blog, I have an alternative title for Digimon Adventure Tri as a whole.

デジモンアドベンチャーtri 大輔たちわだれだ？or Dejimon Adobenchā Daisuke-tachi wa dare da?

Digimon Adventure Tri – Daisuke and the others? Who are they?

TL:DR

Tri was an enjoyable watch. If you want more characterization of the OG chosen 8 and their respective Digimon, it’s a definite watch.

If you’re a big fan of the 02 kids, they do acknowledge them, but better not to expect anything on that front to avoid disappointment.

For me, Digimon Adventure Tri as a whole is a 6.8/10 for me.

I love the many things they did here, but both my bias for the 02 kids and the many things happening just left a bad taste in my mouth.

If that doesn’t hint my love for the 02 kids, this is your confirmation XD.

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I’ll start with the movie series’ art style. I still maintain my stance that I do not like the art style they chose for Tri. I will, however, expand on my reasons from the other review.

Tri’s art style is better suited for still images rather than animated. The best suited comparison I can make, and I’m sure a lot of people will protest, but it’s like the Pokemon’s Sun and Moon anime art style.

From what I heard, the new Pokemon art style focuses more on animation detail and flow. Tri’s animation and art style, while a major improvement from the fights seen in Adventure and 02, still come short seeing the ‘derpy faces’ and awkward poses found in the movie.

(Yamato has bulging pecs and it looked like both Taichi and Yamato skipped leg day)

The new art style does make the ENTIRE CAST absurdly attractive from Taichi to Himekawa even down to the background characters who have something unique in their designs despite just being one off characters.

The new art style does lessens the “cartoonish” vibes we got from the first two Adventure seasons of Digimon, so no extra-large heads, hands and/or feet. You could definitely feel that this was an updated version of the previous art style, although taken to extremes.

Although… Jiggle physics are seen on the Digimon.

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PLOTWISE...

Having watched the entire movie series, I can definitely understand why the 02 kids were given that treatment. However, there were plenty of instances to incorporate them into the plot organically than what we were shown.

The overall plot was heart wrenching, it delves into the themes of sacrifice and unchecked grief.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT! BE WARNED!!!

We’ll backtrack a bit, I stated above about how the 02 cast could’ve been incorporated into the plot organically than what we were shown.

There were many instances where they could’ve been mentioned by anyone of the cast: the appearance of the Digimon Emperor, Hikari and Takeru checking up on Ken after the Emperor’s appearance, even the instances where they welcome Meiko into the group by encouraging her in times of distress; among other things.

A simple muttering of “where are they?” or “how are they doing?” from anyone, especially from Hikari and Takeru who were a part of the 02 team, would’ve made their exclusion from the main events a bit bearable and understandable.

Them not acknowledging their absence is a very out of character: for Takeru and Hikari, as they were teammates; from Taichi and Yamato as they mentored Daisuke, the former passing the goggle-torch unto him; Mimi and Sora for Miyako; Joe and Koushiro who has commented how reliable Iori was and how his thirst for knowledge was an admirable trait.

all my cons bullet points are my salt towards the 02 kids’ absence lol

In other matters, another thing worthy of criticism, this is for the franchise as a whole, is the fact that there’s a Leomon death inserted in every iteration of Digimon. (01&02 have the original Leomon, Tamers had Juri’s Leomon, Frontier both had Ice Leomon and KaiserLeomon in Kouichi Kimura, Savers had BanchoLeomon.)

Leomon’s death this time around fails to have an impact considering it has become a meme nowadays. Anyone vaguely aware of the franchise would even joke about the Leomon’s screentime before he dies, which was the case in the Tri movies.

There are two events in the Tri movies that didn’t really needed to be there, which really hampered my score for the movie series. First one is how the Mysterious Person, using Young Gennai’s form, to lick Sora’s face.

Another event that didn’t need to happen was how the same Mysterious Person choked Meiko to the point of her losing consciousness, those events IN THE SAME MOVIE really put me in an uncomfortable state, as did a lot of people.

This may be my bias speaking, but I really don’t like how Daigo died in the movie series. I am sure his death potentially served to raise the stakes of the plot, but not really.

The stakes of the plot was already at an all-time high with showing the “deaths” of the 02 kids in the first few minutes of the first movie. It’d raise the stakes even higher HAD THE OG 8 CHOSEN CHILDREN ACKNOWLEDGED THE ABSENCE OF THE 02 KIDS.

Daigo’s death was unnecessary for the stakes were already planted, but they failed to sow those particular seeds hence his death was needed. That and I really love Daigo Nishijima.

Tri could’ve been a rescue movie on top of stopping the apocalypse movie, Meicoomon shenanigans included.

I will admit that learning of Taichi’s supposed death in the tri movies, turned me off from watching the movie series to its completion, back when this was first released. Learning that Daigo, my favorite character, dies in the next one really turned me off from the franchise. Watching it now, I still maintain my stance that he didn’t need to die.

Devimon’s appearance really felt tacked on, he would’ve been a great plot point for Takeru to overcome in the movie, instead we got a few seconds of appearance then nothing. Not even delving into Takeru’s psyche about Devimon’s appearance.

The entire last movie was needlessly dark and that’s says a lot.

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Considering this is a review, no review is complete until you state all the positive things you can say about the movie.

As with the debut season of the franchise, Character interactions are at the forefront of the movie series. In here we learned things about them, including Hikari’s teasing remarks towards Takeru or how Yamato is actually scared of ghost stories.

We also learned that the Teenaged Wolves broke up, due to musical differences as Yamato claimed and formed two new bands. “Knife of Day” and “World of the Knife”. The fact that the characters saying the band names have a Might Guy teeth shine effect on them was incredibly hilarious.

Koushiro being a blushing mess when it comes to Mimi was also great.

The viewers can really see the entire group’s dynamic with each other.

The digimon themselves aren’t just one-note characters. They may act as a foil to their human partners, it doesn’t change the fact that they weren’t one-note compared to what we’ve seen in both Adventure and 02.

Interactions aside, each human character having breakdowns and developing in the movie series was another thing I liked about Tri, tying them to digivolving to ultimate/mega level was a pretty neat idea.

It means that Taichi and Yamato aren’t the sole stars of the Adventure saga now.

Speaking of characters, the new characters in this movie-series [Daigo Nishijima, Maki Himekawa, Meiko Mochizuki] were introduced organically and were pretty great in their roles. The twist that the former two were Chosen Children before Taichi and the others was neat as well.

The three of them performed their roles pretty well: Daigo being a shady mentor, who’s loyalty is divided between his student and his work; Meiko being the new kid on the block really helped establish how out of place she really is, it does help that Mimi was incredibly welcoming towards her; Maki’s unchecked grief led her to taking drastic steps just to be reunited with her partner digimon, kickstarting the whole plot of Tri.

[I have a theory that Daisuke and the others were reporting to Maki, once she learned that they were aware of Yggdrasil’s plans, she led them to a trap that was when they were one-shotted by Alphamon.]

We go back to Leomon. It was nice to see a familiar face. Even his scenes were hilarious and awesome. Him being able to stave off the infection from various points in the movie he was in was also great. It makes sense in character as he does have incredible will power, going back to the Adventure days when he was possessed by Devimon’s black gears.

I also appreciate that the boys and girls had equal opportunities at being the eye candy. The boys were the eye candies during their time in the hot springs, while Mimi and Meiko had their chance as eye candies during the school festival.

Last and certainly not the least, were the new arrangements of the Original Sound Track of the Digimon Adventure themes from Butter-fly to Brave Heart’s orchestral version. They’re simply that good to listen in a loop.

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As for suggestions, I have a few. This is constructive criticism after all.

Acknowledge the absence of the 02 cast.

Explain why they were absent in the first place, or at least what the characters think why they were absent.

From vacation abroad

On Yacht

Even visiting people out of Tokyo would also work

Both Leomon and Daigo didn’t need to die. Mortally wounded characters are fine, makes us think they’re dead for a few minutes to delve into character development, as was the case for Taichi and Hikari.

Make the 02 kids’ lives as stakes in the plot.

Cut back on the flashback images.

Exposition is also good, even Taichi voicing out his hesitance would’ve made for a great character moment, instead of just glaring at the enemy.

D.R Gennai shouldn’t have licked Sora. That event really didn’t need to happen.

D.R Gennai should’ve just let Meiko bleed to the point of unconsciousness instead of choking her as he taunts Meicoomon to fear and give in to her infections.

Devimon should’ve been an earlier opponent that was later reused in the ending movie to show how much Takeru has grown add in digivolving to Seraphimon.

A video file of Daisuke’s and the others’ defeat at the hands of Alphamon should’ve been viewed after the reboot happened, that would’ve raised the stakes higher.

Daisuke and the others should’ve joined the last fight in the last movie. Escaping from the hospital through their Digimon before collapsing at the very end.

I have no problem with Daigo’s partner becoming Baihumon. I think it’d been better had it been Azulongmon, considering he was the goggle head during his time and thus the leader of his group.

We know that Azulongmon is the leader of the Four Digimon Soverigns.

I think it’d come full circle had Daigo been partnered with Azulongmon.

I think the movie would then end with everyone visiting Daisuke and the others, Meiko included, introducing her to them.

Overall, I give the movie series a 6.8 out of 10 rating. It was a good watch, but the plot fell once they delved into darker themes and darker events for the sake of being dark and without substance. There were a couple of events that didn’t need to happen but happened for the sake of being dark.

Daigo’s death was certainly one of those events. The stakes could’ve been raised higher had the 02 kids were integrated into the plot and not just relegated into glorified silhouette cameos.

These suggestions would still run the course of the plot we got in Tri, but it would’ve flowed the plot organically and didn’t go dark for the sake of being dark.

I wanted to be generous with my rating, but it just won’t do. Even my bullet points review had more Cons than Pros. Factor in my bias for the 02 kids, and you get a 6.8 rating.

#digimon adventure tri #taichi yagami #daisuke motomiya #takeru takaishi #hikari yagami #yamato ishida #mimi tachikawa #joe kido #koushirou izumi #meiko mochizuki #daigo nishijima #maki himekawa #sora takenouchi #hackmon #alphamon #ordinemon #review

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illshowyourhurricanes · 4 years

Text

Back to the Beginning

Who wants a little peek into the life of our favorite musician to brighten their Monday? Look no further! I hope y’all enjoy, and as always, thank you for reading!

Image prompt 6: Ryan Brenner x reader (requested by @thisisparadisemylove)

Rating: PG due to absolute and adorable fluff.

Word count: 1946

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If you’d like to be added to/removed from my tag list, please just send me an ask!

This is related to (later down the line) A Familiar Face, which can be found in my masterlist.

The air in the city was dense and heavy. Before you could take anything in, to appreciate your time there, you had to train your lungs to breathe in the atmosphere; it was imperative to get acclimated to the moisture that hung invisibly around you. It was so thick, the humidity was almost strangling.

But when you hit that point where you could breathe again, to inhale that air with ease, the sensations surrounding you were breathtaking.

The uneven, crumbling brick paving the sidewalks were littered with people: tourists with strands of colorful beads hanging from their necks, carrying styrofoam cups; older couples holding hands while taking leisurely strolls; giggling teenagers ducking into shops with signs in the windows boasting shrunken heads and Voodoo dolls. The air carried with it succulent smells from various restaurants, and dance troupes occupied the middle of narrow streets to entertain. People spray-painted in metallic tones from head to toe stood frozen like statues, so still it was as if they weren’t breathing. Depending which street you were on, the energy around you would flip between an electric buzz or a warm leisure-- the kind that was the reason behind the city being coined The Big Easy.

But one constant in New Orleans, whether in the French Quarter, down Magazine Street, or lost just beyond the corner of Decatur and St. Peters’ expanse of the French Market—crowded with vendors selling silver jewelry or art, fresh vegetables and homemade soaps offered in booths at the farmers’ market further down the street, or finding hidden treasures buried deep at the flea market adjacent to the famous Cafe du Monde— was the music.

Street performers playing various flavors of music occupied almost every street corner in the New Orleans area. But Royal Street— Ryan had told you it was pronounced roy-AL, like a duo of two male names sewn together— that was where the real music was, the music with heart and soul and life, no matter the sweltering heat and thick, suffocating humidity. Thirteen blocks through the French Quarter and several leading down toward Frenchman Street was the city’s epicenter of live music. It was where Ryan wanted to take you.

“There’re all types of musicians down here, Y/N,” Ryan said, excitement apparent. Soft-spoken by default unless he was singing, full-bodied and soul on fire, Ryan’s smooth, soft drawl was a pleasure to hear, even if you had to strain to hear sometimes. But the enthusiasm of what he was set to explore with you— to share with you— added volume to his voice, thickened his drawl just a touch, and shifted his intonation to the point that his words sounded more like song than speak. “Jazz is the front-runner but you name it, and you’re goin’ to hear it. I reckon there ain’t a place like it anywhere else in the world.”

Ryan tore his eyes from a two-story brick building, balconies adored by wrought-iron and punctuated with lush hanging plants. You’d read that most of the businesses in this part of the city hailed in structures that were built centuries ago. You smiled as your attention turned to Ryan’s face, lit up with a wide, Cheshire-like grin. His happiness was your happiness, and when he gifted you with that big, toothy, genuine smile,, you felt like a Mega Millions winner. You knew you’d hit the jackpot with this man.

He’d ditched his pack in the bed and breakfast you’d booked days before, despite his protests.

”This was my idea, Y/N. “

“But I wanted to come.”

Slowly nodding his head in agreement, Ryan gently pointed out, “I asked you to join me—“

“And I accepted.”

He eyed you with his eyebrows quirked, and you continued. “You let me come with you, and you let me live life your way for a few days. It’s been exhilarating and uncertain and I feel more alive than I have in a long time.” Your eyes were full of sincerity, and Ryan took a few steps toward you, only stopping as stood right in front of you. He reached to tuck your hair behind your ear. “So let me find us a warm bed to sleep in and cold air conditioning to lay under.”

Finally, he conceded. “If that’s what you want, Y/N, you know you got it. But I gotta tell you, it’s not a usual part of my way of livin’.”

You bit your bottom lip thoughtfully and narrowed your eyes playfully. “Maybe it’s your way of livin’ with me.”

He’d left his pack, but still carried his guitar case. His tattooed fingers were laced with yours as the two of you walked; you had a destination: the flea market just a few blocks away. But first, Ryan wanted to take a slight detour.

“I really want to experience the music. Appreciate it. Take our time, if that’s alright.”

You’d nodded immediately, agreeing with him. You wanted the same thing, wanted to be there with Ryan and join him in his elation and opinions and feel a bit of that love he felt for music.

“And I know you want to go to the flea market—“

“I need to go to the flea market.” You interjected, and he laughed. You shrugged. and he shook his head

“You’re somethin’ else.” The slight smell of coffee wafted through the air, and as the smell became stronger, it took on an almost sweet scent. Applause broke out from somewhere ahead of you, momentarily drowning out an increasingly loud dissonance of chatter.

“You know, I think you’ve told me that before. Once or twice.” Before Ryan could answer, you found yourselves standing just outside the open-air, renowned Cafe du Monde. The scent, the chatter, and the perfect, faraway backdrop of a nearby trumpeter’s solo version of When the Saints Go Marching In was classic New Orleans. You felt a sense of nostalgia wash over you, and you knew at that exact moment that this city, so full of culture and history, art and Cajun food, voodoo and ghost tours, jazz and zydeco and blues and swing and swamp pop— this city meant something to you, and it was your first time visiting.

Ryan gently led you to an occupied table, smack in the middle of the cafe. He pulled out your chair for you with a boyish smile before sitting in the chair across the small table, guitar case close by his side. He leaned forward on his elbows so you could hear over the noise.

“The menu’s not your traditional menu,” Ryan warned you. His eyes danced from across the table, and he added, “Not that New Orleans skimps on tradition, but they do it their own way. ‘S their style.”

You found yourself leaning in as well, caught you in the cadence of Ryan’s voice as well as his words. Ryan wasn’t a huge talker, he didn’t need to be, but when he got on a roll about music or traveling or something that he was passionate about, he spoke up more than usual and you loved those moments. This was one of them.

“ ‘Bout a half-dozen choices to choose from. It’s slim pickin’s, but you can’t go wrong with what they’re offerin’.”” Ryan had been to New Orleans many times; there was just no other place like it. He held up his left hand, calloused fingertips and vertical lines inked between mid and lower knuckles of each finger. “You’ve got coffee—cafe au lait. Fresh-squeezed orange juice, milk…”

You had started to shake your head as Ryan went on. He stopped before he rattled off a variety of sodas and coffee over ice; he knew what you were saying without words, and had known as much before he spoke. The two of you shared a smile, intimate with understanding. Opening your mouth to share a sentiment, you were stalled as a waitress appeared tableside, vibrant purple hair pulled back and piled atop her head. She was around your age and looked frazzled. You smiled at her. Many days at the diner had you in the same state at some point.

“A cafe au lait and order of beignets, please,” Ryan said politely, inclining his chin to order while looking at the server, not just rattling off what he wanted. He was always attentive, and actually talking to someone rather than at them was something you valued at work. Ryan just did so naturally without a second thought. “Same for my girl here.” He looked at you adoringly with an expression asking for confirmation.

“You got it,” you said, meeting Ryan’s eyes for a beat of time, then looking to the waitress and nodding appreciatively. “Thank you.”

In his typical fashion, Ryan followed immediately, offering the woman a small smile. “Thank you, ma’am.”

When she turned to walk away and Ryan’s attention was yours again, he immediately noticed the way the corners of your lips turned upward. He looked at you as you appreciated his features from across the table.

“I’ll wait,” he teased gently. Leaning back in his chair, his long legs stretched out as much as possible beneath the table without invading your space, you nudged his knee with your own.

“Wait for what?” It was a rhetorical question; it was all in your expression, the way you sometimes got as quiet as Ryan himself and just looked at him like he hung the moon. Ryan had called you his girl, and you supposed it was true, but to hear him say it was another thing entirely. He had you reeling. It took you a moment to get back on track. “I was just thinking about your thank you ma’am. How it sounded familiar, and how someone else is bringing us coffee instead of me bringing it to you… which, in hindsight, is why we’re here. Together. It’s all come full circle in a sense.”

It seemed like a lifetime ago. As you and Ryan enjoyed your beignets, you relished in little memories, and that was what made your relationship so special. Ryan had taught you just how important simplicity was. He laughed as you balked, tasting your cafe au lait without adding sugar first, forgetting there was chicory in the drink. You stood from your chair to brush powdered sugar from a beignet out of the scruff on his chin. He taught you the difference between zydeco and swamp pop, and insisted on paying for your coffee and beignets.

“There you go again, Ryan Brenner. Fighting me over sweets and tips, bringing it right back to the beginning. You’d finally made it to the flea market, but before you could walk in, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you close, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. You let out a sigh.

“I like the present much better, Y/N,” he said, speaking into your ear. Your shoulder shrugged involuntary, his whiskers and breath tickling your ear. “The beginning was real nice, but this,” he paused, pressing his lips to your temple, “What we have now, it’s been on my mind since that first cup of coffee.” You looked up at him with a look of awe; it was a confession he’d never made before, and it felt like the perfect moment for him to do so, there in this huge flea market in New Orleans. You had words on the tip of your tongue, but they were stuck there.

When you didn’t reply, Ryan just smiled down at you. It was one of those small, simple, yet significant moments. You’d had so many with him. He let his arm fall from your waist to link his fingers with yours again, leading your further inside. “You make a damn good cup of coffee, Y/N.”

#dani's 150 followers event #drabble requests #ryan brenner x reader #image 6 #a familiar face #aff #look into the future

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crystalelemental · 4 years

Text

Time to break from Heroes salt to bring back Pokesalt. Thoughts on some of the leaks below the cut. If you need to block, “Pokemon sword and shield spoilers” and “Pokesalt.”

I’ll try to follow a logical order, no promises. Cinderace. I’m sure to absolutely no one’s surprise, I’m pissed it’s standing upright and is wearing sport shorts. We all knew it would be sports themed as soon as they brought up the godawful stadiums where battles happen, so...can’t say I’m surprised. Really not happy about it.

There’s a fire centipede that looks kinda cool? I actually really like the design. It kinda reminds me of those enemies in Wind Waker. Love that game. Anyway, it gets a Gigantamax form, so I guess makes it the first boss from Wind Waker. Okay, yeah, I love this thing.

There’s one INCREDIBLY blurry picture that the twitter account joked must’ve been taken when Nintendo broke into their house to silence them. Fair. I have no idea what it’s supposed to be. Kinda looks like an end-game Atelier demon-type boss. I dunno, not feeling it.

There’s something called Hatterene, which...if I could tell what was going on with its lower body, I would love it. It’s just kinda confusing looking. It also gets a Gigantamax form that looks great, but I now have a complaint. Why Gigantamax and not just a new evolution? A lot of these single-stage Pokemon are getting Gigantamax forms, but...Gigantamax is a temporary thing. It likely won’t exist past this generation. So these single-stage Pokemon are kinda placed in an awkward position. Typically, single-stage Pokemon don’t have great stats, and ultimately aren’t very useful. Giving them Gigantamax is a great application, but as an impermanent one, we’re basically damning all of them to uselessness. I don’t like that. I don’t like the idea that we’re knowingly setting all these Pokemon up to fail.

There’s uh...there’s another that’s too blurry to make out. It kinda looks like a pterodactyl busting out of an egg that’s also filled with lava or some shit. I have no idea. There’s a lot of dinosaur going on this gen, if all the leaks are true. It bothers me. Not because dinosaurs aren’t cool, but because...well...Gen 1. When talking about art direction, they’ve commented that Gen 1 had a more dinosaur-focused feel to things, and that they’ve shifted away from that. A lot of discussion on art design for Gen 5 was specifically about how they felt they needed more cute Pokemon, and to even that balance out more. This, uh...this is going backwards. I’m gonna be real, the dinosaurs aren’t doing it for me. I don’t necessarily hate them, but it’s not exactly drawing me in.

Lastly there’s this super coiled up snake thing called...Sandaconda? Holy shit that’s amazing. 10/10. I kinda like it? I like snakes though, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. I wonder if we’re finally going to get a snake Pokemon that isn’t part poison. I’d really like that to be the case. Bats got Swoobat, and spiders got Galvantula (because Gen 5 is best gen), but we don’t have a snake without a Poison typing. We have serpent-like Pokemon, with Serperior and Milotic. But maybe it’s just me, I don’t think they count.

Then there’s Gigantamax forms for pre-existing Pokemon. Machamp got one, which, frankly, is super deserved. It got passed up hard on Mega Evolutions, and didn’t get a regional variant like Golem (not that Golem won any prizes with that). There’s also Kingler and Lapras, which...hey, anyone else noticing that a lot of these are Gen 1? Again? There’s supposedly one for Rolycoly and Garbodor. Which...damn, Garbodor. Never thought I’d see the day it got some attention, but really glad if that’s true. Still, the vast majority of these upgraded forms are Gen 1. Already. Again. I swear, ONE generation where you get that dick out of your mouths, please.

Anyway, slight improvements over yesterday. Yesterday, the only thing I had to praise was the fox. At least now there are a few designs I really like. I’m pissed to know so many Gigantamax forms are for Gen 1 Pokemon and single-stage Pokemon in the current gen. But I shouldn’t be surprised at all. Also, like...Cinderace? Is that the middle or final form? Because we’re missing one of those two, and I don’t know which. I’m hoping it’s only the middle form, because it’s mono-Fire, and that would suck. I guess my point here is, there’s still a chance for Cinderace to evolve into something that doesn’t suck. As it stands...god, as much as I’m weirded out by design elements, Sobble’s winning. Grookey’s evolutions are probably the most consistent and not bizarre of the bunch, I just...look, I have a monkey bias. I don’t like them. It’s why I never run Infernape; I just don’t like them. So I can’t. Sobble would likely still be my pick, even knowing that its final form has clawed feet and eerily large human hands attached to its stick-like arms. Unless Scorbunny’s final form can salvage it. But hey, good news! At the rate we’re going, Gen 5′s starters will no longer be my least-favorite bunch!

#pokemon sword and shield spoilers #pokesalt

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sirwolficus · 6 years

Note

Lantern maple harvest

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?

honestly i have two best friends whom i love with my entire being and i would actually kill for, and its a weird story how i met the both of them. the first best friend i have is (obviously) @artsysouleater who i think is dead on here?? but we met a few years ago when i was wearing a snapback with a shit ton of buttons (cause i collect them son) and they walked over to me intending to talk to a mutual friend but instead came over to me and was like hey!!! u got some cool ass buttons dude!!! i was like :0 thanks you cute bean!! do u want to look at them?? and i was pointing at them and explaining what they were while they were like mhm mhm cool, i pointed to a doctor who button i have and said “this ones doctor who, or professer why haha’ and immediately was like FUCK FUCK THEY DIDNT GET IT and then artsy said was that,,,, eddswowld,,, and then a long lasting friendship was born and at this point were stuck together they cant get rid of me

the second best friend i’ll just refer to as V cause she aint on tumblr but she is AMAZING OK. she can be kinda insane sometimes but honestly me too so i cant complain (also she is REALLY HOT AND ATTRACTIVE and honestly i used to have a mega crush on her woops). at our school we have this thing called “the big event” since its an arts school, where you can choose two workshops or something (they change it every year) and i wanted to do a drama one and an artsy one. me and artsy (we were friends at this point) were given a yoga class cause the one we wanted as the second workshop were full so thats always fun, and i am ABSOLUTE SHIT AT YOGA. i have no balance bitch like oh my god. artsy was way better than me tbh. from beside me tho, V speaks up and says “hey dude its ok!! im really bad at yoga too haha” and bitch she is worse than me and thats a powerful feat!!! we basically chatted through the yoga class with me forcing artsy to talk too kind of idk it was two years ago i dont rlly remember, and i during this summer i was like hey,, V,,, is rpetty and talented and i lov her she is now my official best friend numero dos and now i have matching contact names and a groupchat and its amazing i love them so much

for the first impressions i actually asked my friends (artsy and V in that order) and they gave me permission to post pics of their texts with their pics and most of the names blocked out so you can actually see what they said lmao

my first impressions were basically the same, when i first met artsy i was actually begging god PLEASE let them be gay and like the same things i like (at the time it was mostly eddsworld cause i was real obsessed with it) and we spent an entire lunch period just talking about fandom stuff, i followed them on tumblr like immediately and made them follow me back HA, and when i first met V i immediately said to myself “i want her to be my girlfriend”, i was super charmed by her honestly the gayness was real!!

maple - is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

ive actually always wanted to play violin/guitar, but i dont have the fingers for that stuff. i say that bc with guitar it helps to have tougher finger pads (which i definitely do not have) and violin i just dont have the patience for it woops

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why?

okay thats a really hard one.. but if im being honest it would be Ann from Parks and Recreation, a show i literally was just watching this evening lmao, mostly because of the logic she uses and that time when chris broke up with her but she didnt even fuckin realise it thats me bitch oh my god

i honestly couldve said an oc that i have, that some people who pay attention to my oc art may know as t/tycho (who was actually recently renamed to aicho) but i dont think that counts because that oc used to be a self-insert character, again they arent anymore but their personality is still too close to my own so i dont rlly think they would count

#long post #ask meme #reply #anonymous

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tamiddyinyourcity · 4 years

Text

11:10pm.

Alright.

Stress.

Flashbacked to the time I broke up with Patrick, the brunette one. I wonder if I handled it okay... well of course, calling his sloppy friend a sloppy bitch isn't the greatest route. (But, he and she had been mega sloppy.) I ended it the best way I could, by trying to both 1) be reckless in a way where they'd not want to speak to me ever again, and 2) blocking them on everything since I didn't want him to see what I posted, but just making tweets for general venting purposes. So... it doesn't truly matter how I reacted. The past is in the past. I didn't expect him to stay up that late just restless over me or reading my posts. He acted like he didnt care if i was around, so I left... so, whats the problem?

It was sorta sad, hearing the way he said "have a good night" so glumly after I dumped him.

I was serious. I was super betrayed by his treatment of me and invalidating my feelings and perspective. And if that was how the big talks would go, frankly I saw no reason to continue sticking around.

But... I could've been better about it in certain aspects.

I don't regret leaving him since he was doing that thing where I voiced a concern, or even potential resolutions, just for it to be dismissed.

But, idk. Idk. Its weird. Its a weird feeling all around.

Like, damn, havent exactly had a guy like me to the extent of being dumped, and going, "Let's keep checking in on her tweets, or try to read as many of her blog posts as possible."

But.... yeah.

It wasn't easy for me, I pretty much blacked out and did the mean stuff relating to his idiotic girl best friend who couldnt respond to a fucking text but was so keen to stalk my page, (stupid WHORE,) [i like using the word 'whore' in a different context than the original word is based; unless Patrick was right, and she did have threesomes in the past or some shit..... but no shame, dick is dick,] and then cried in the laundry room near my house.

For a long long time.

My eyes hurt, just thinking about that night. It's not like I wanted to dump the guy who used to idly rest his forehead against mine as we googled Red Pandas at 3am, or that I could listen to Rico Nasty with.

....

Whatever.

He chose what he chose, and I reacted under the pretense of never seeing him again. Life happens. Oh well.

...........

Good stuff happened today.

I was actually managing to restart old script ideas I had in the past.

Then, some kids across the street were putting on a mini jazz performance. Trombone and the flute, a nice sized crowd of people watching. Only like ten, though. Not exactly social distancing, but it was pleasant for a half hour and genuinely had uplifted my mood for the day. :)

It also reminded me of Other Patrick, and the jazz records he owned. He used to be so excited, showing me all the classics his dad gave him.

Gaaaaah. If not for a pandemic, I'd totally be down to drop off some housewarming goodies to his parents. (I'm bad at having relationships end well, but, good at still being the favorite girl for whoever the person's parents are. Not sure about my most recent ex, but they were still pleasant towards me and didn't shoot me any daggers with their eyes..... Oh well, who knows.)

Anyway.

Hmmm.... I painted some concept art, since I finally found my favorite pens and some old pastels of mine. Fixed my bulletin board recently.

I'm pretty good at the whole "draw dismembered bloody figures puking up gore" thing. No, it's nothing psychopathic, its for a horror comedy that I'm writing, lmfao.

I thought it should have good Carrie/The Witch's House/Ju-On The Grudge vibes. :)

Getting better at my layering, anatomy, and brush strokes. Aye.

Aaaand feeling nice. :)

Admittedly, I miss my ex sometimes. Its not the feeling of "oh my GOD i cant believe i cant fuck him or be all naked and vibing anymore", or me crying over not being able to kiss a dude or get good morning texts.... its pretty passive.

Like chilling and doing good, until I woke up this morning with some bad thoughts.

Which nearly resulted in a homicide, once my mom tried to test me. (It luckily did not end with me smashing a microwave into my mom's skull eleven times and doing atrocious acts, it just resulted me leaving the house after she screamed at me, crying in the rain a bit, returning, her acting like nothing happened, and then i seemed okay until i dropped a bag clip and shouted "FUCKING WHOOOOOOOORE" at the top of my lungs, being a blatant signal that I needed to be as easy on myself as possible for today.

Thankfully, jazz music done by 15 year olds playing blissfully through my street, and painting, and film inspirations for horror flicks... helped me out.

Awessome.

11:40pm.

I guess it's just odd, knowing someone can go from liking me so much that they're reading up on every single thing I do post breakup, (really fucking weird but borderline sexy in a way i dont feel like explaining,) to not having me pass their mind.

I don't know if I do.

It's probably better not to think about it too much. I'm currently happy and content in my situation.

Also, me and Rowan are just friends. Which is fine, since not only do I not have the funds to move to the UK or something, buuuut they're, uh.... I don't know.

I still adore em, but them texting me "i want to die" in the middle of what was a pleasant conversation, and then dipping for like an hour or two..... scared the shit out of me. And they never acknowledged it when they returned, which sucked.

Its just scary. I wouldn't want someone to hide things from me, and then before I know it, pass away, you know?

Yeah.

I think that's why I prefer to post here.

It would give insight if anything ever happened. Best case scenario, someone out there relates to the things I write about on here. Worst case scenario... lets not even discuss that.

But, evidence either way, so. :D

11:45pm.

I did really like Patrick. I'm sure he knows that. Or, idk. But I also doubt he cares.

Things were going so great before things broke off. Which just.... made things so much more frustrating, yknow?

Ugh.

I guess now is a better time than ever to get some of the memories out:

Ice skating with him, and my ankles started getting sore, so eventually we had sat down for a bit. He was doing that thing where he looked like he was fake smiling, since he knew I always worried he didn't like me in the way I hoped. (I still have my doubts... But to be fair, he did have depression and anxiety, so the days he could open the door with low eyelids and generally bitchy were just him trying to force himself to be active instead of allowing himself some off days.... It was a cross between, "hes trying too hard to be something hes not", and "hes just not at the same level as me". We still worked out as a couple, shame the way it ended like that.)

Two separate occasions of us in his car during the coldest parts of the season, sleeping smushed together in one car seat (with our scrawny asses) until we both eventually hit sobriety after a night drinking with him.

Christmas with his parents. Loved it, got to tell his family about noise music concerts and whatnot. The food was super good. And he was so damn pretty.

One of the phone calls we had, before getting back together after our first breakup. We were getting pretty good at communication, and I was happy about it.

That time we went to see the meteor shower one night, and I screamed bloody murder, since when I was staring up at the night sky when it was pitch black.... I heard a bunch of footsteps rapidly approaching us from the woods. It turned out it was not a serial killer coming to slit my throat before chasing him into the forest, but even more surprising, and oddly.... some old man with neon green running shoes, jogging, at midnight... far from civilization.... huh.

Me going, "Do you want to kiss me?", and him saying no, only to want to once he realized I was cutting him out my life. (Jesus Christ, Patrick; don't tell girls who you think are nuts, that you have no intention of trying with, that you want to kiss them? What's the fucking point? If he wanted to kiss me so bad, he should've just came over and did it right then and there, then. But, he didn't. Even if he did, as if it was a shitty romcom movie on Lifetime, he'd still probably pull a "just because i wanted to kiss you doesn't mean I *like* you", dick move.... God, why is he like that?)

The idle mornings of eating breakfast with him, either at the local diner or in his house. His cereal is still weird, but i mean, like, it was alright. Gravel, with the smallest hint ever of honey? And he usually was peak antisocial when he woke up... oddly adorable.

That day in Berkeley, when I apologized to him, and somehow the topic of why I did what I did came up, so me just going "Hey Patrick!", and him, exasperated like usual, going "What??", just for me to say "I had feelings for you!", and his smile instantly dropped. LMFAOOOOOO, that alone had me like "i said HAD, CALM DOWN", and explaining the complicatedness of "i like you a lot and was being a horrendous bitch because i couldnt tell if you liked me, or if i was blatant enough with what i thought was me being too obvious for my crush, and was confused and embarrassed so badly and im sorry", just for him to be like "you liked me?????????????", aaaaaaaaand yeah.

And ironically, that made him like me. Lmfao. Cute. Then we yet again acted stupid and indirect about our crushes out of fear of embarrassment! Why the fuck do we always do that????? Thats literally how we ended up breaking up several times?????? Jesus christ.

No wonder I preferred blatantly going "i have a crush on you that im trying to get over, unless you're down", to people. Way easier that way.

Rowan and I are gonna have some space for a bit. Mainly since I get too attached, and do not want to have the whole "he saw my pink canoe, but doesnt wanna buy the lake just wants to admire the view" scenario happen.

He's still a dope dude nonetheless.

Just also turned off at men who don't ask much about me.... its boring.

We both don't do much, but that doesn't mean I wanna only hear about *his* side of quarantine... you know?

Yeah.

12:09am. Feeling pretty okay.

Eli messaged me today, too. I go to his house tomorrow to help him get ready in the morning again.

He still has a crush on me... oh dear. I feel bad, a teensy bit. When it was pre-pandemic, being able to seem interested in a guy for the sake of maybe some company for a walk around the city or handholding for a film was cool.

Plus, compensation.

It's not the same feeling as me being his medical assistant, in a way, and then him awkwardly asking if one night I could "stay over" and "cuddling works for me, too"....

Thaaaaat makes it clear that he has feelings for me.....

Not a good idea.

Yikes.

If his condition was less severe, his teeth were straight, and if he seemed a little more aware to his surroundings and himself... then, maybe. Or even just the last two, since I'd still probably be interested in someone who had a physical disability, as long as their mind was sound, and they still had an attractive face or other aspects.

But it just doesn't feel right.

Is the movie/book Flowers for Algernon relevant? Where the teacher for Algernon goes from being his teacher, to when the treatment to increase his intelligence and soundness of mind starts working, eventually becomes his girlfriend?

Eli's still a kind man. And more generous and thoughtful than plenty of men I had met.

I'll be his friend.

If the pandemic blows over, we can stay in touch. Truly.

I wonder how long this will last....

And I guess giving Patrick that letter did have a purpose. I had a nightmare, that he had passed away. I forget how I heard it in dream. I think Azalea, (the nice version in my dreams,) showed up, just dming me like "Hey, I know we weren't on good terms, but I figured you should know he passed away, seemed like you liked him".

And the dream was.... super depressing. I think I woke up crying. Which did eventually lead to me writing that letter, since I didn't want him to die, with him thinking I hated him, or whatnot.

And if the reverse ever happened, then same.

He knew I always complimented him so much, for the sake of if an incident happened, he would at least know I thought pretty well of him. (Like if one day I had a stroke or seizure due to a lack of diet, or got hit by a car, hit my head on the stairs wrong and simply never woke up, got into a coma, and whatnot...)

I'd much rather have people know I did genuinely appreciate them, while they're still around.

Since in case I ever pass away, it would matter that they knew.

Or if they died, I'd rather know Patrick is in like... (Catholic people have a heaven, right? He seems like a not piece of shit, at least in the extent of not being a vicious human being,) a good place, and not planning to haunt me in death.

Anyway.

Itll be alright.

I just should stay indoors and be extra vigilant these days. Thats all.

12:25am, peace out yalls.

0 notes

fashioneditswebsite · 4 years

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DESIGNER NORMA KAMALI - 53 YEARS OF FABULOUS FASHION

DESIGNER -NORMA KAMALI A STIFF DRINK WITH CHERRY BOMB' PRESENTED BY GLENLIVET Legendary New York Fashion designer NORMA KAMALI sat down with Kerry Diamond, founder of Cherry Bomb, a media company of women and food, for an intriguing `Conversation' at Spring Studios Sunken Living Room, during New York Fashion Week "The Talks" series. Known for her famous Sleeping bag bubble coat, innovative swimwear, the Parachute jumpsuit and a long-standing store on West 56th Street, off Fifth Avenue in New York City, Norma is a talented American designer who has been in the business for some 53 years. Large golden flags flutter on the facade of her store which is a fixture among global fashionistas. Norma Kamali's clothes have been worn by celebrities like; Cher, Bette Midler, Priyanka Chopra, Christie Brinkley, Bianca Jagger, Miley Cyrus, Gwen Stefani, Yoko Ono, Raquel Welch and Farrah Faucett among them. She created the yellow dress worn by Beyonce' in the video for `The Lion King' movie and created costumes for the legendary 1978 movie `The Wiz.' Norma was honored with the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

FITNESS GURU

Hailed as one of the original wellness guru's by the Daily Mail, Norma is also a huge advocate of health and fitness. She began this part of her journey when two of her best friends died of AIDS in the 1970s. "I began seeking information about how to build a strong immune system through healthy lifestyles." Norma opened a wellness Cafe' at the back of her store serving vegetable juices and green teas. She also sells olive oil and tooth soap toothpaste in block forms, made without chemicals.

RELEVANCE & STARTING THE BUSINESS

Kerry Diamond opened the informative Q&A by asking Norma: "What do you attribute to your still being relevant? "Earlier on, one of the wisest things I learned was that you have to be your authentic self, no matter what else is happening. I did decide that I wanted to have a creative life by having that commitment. Stand behind your authentic self and you would survive, appreciate people, everybody is not going to like what you do, but those close to you will be there with you," answered the designer. Kerry asked `When did you know you wanted to be a designer?' Norma replied: "I always wanted to be a painter. I went to FIT on a painting scholarship and a scholarship for fashion illustration. My mother said; `I think you have to learn how to type, cause this art stuff is not going to get you anywhere,' and I said to my mother `I will never learn how to type.' I got a job with Northwest Airlines in the sales office and took advantage of the $29 employes roundtrip to London. For four years, every weekend, I'd travel to London, where the street fashion provided inspiration and I felt it within my soul - This is what I wanted to do. I bought clothes and brought them back to New York and sold them...I rented an apartment for $285 a month, I began making clothes and started a business in 1967."

FIT MEMORIES

Asked about jobs for women in fashion back then in the late 1960s, Norma explained: "FIT was one building, every girl dressed like they were going to a fashion show. A good part of the population at FIT were girls who loved clothes. It was not about brands, it was about European fashion - that was the center of the Universe. It was not until Yves Saint Laurent became a brand that American fashion designers came on the scene and made brands. It still wasn't a time where women worked...Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and of course Halston came up as the US fashion scene with John Fairchild and Women's Wear Daily pushing them. It was the seventy's and early eighty's and I wanted nothing of this fashion. I was so out of place, I didn't understand. So much of it was about my personality. Nobody wore a mini skirt until London, no girdles and garter belts.....There were very few women back then that had their own businesses, but for fashion, it was my personal adventure."

WOMEN IN BUSINESS - THEN AND NOW

Norma expressed her views about the new media and female designers; "As much as I love the sixty's it's now such an extraordinary time. I'm so happy to be here now because we can communicate with one another and people around the world..I am a feminist. I never felt that men had the upper hand, I was very lucky. I got recognition, probably more than I deserved. I never felt that men had a priority over my vision and goals, it wasn't the creative part of it, but just being a businesswoman in a man's world." Norma elaborated: "There are so many women designers who are doing incredible things now because it comes from the female spirit. I, as a woman, understands a woman's psyche. My clothes say it and women connect to it, others say; `I could never wear your clothes.' and I'd say `That's OK.' Being the richest or the most famous woman designer in the world was never my priority. I don't know that bigger is better. I want my creative life, I want to have a good life."

OWNERSHIP AND THE HARD TIMES

On the subject of investors and ownership, Norma feels very strongly about owning her business. "I've had opportunities to have investors, but the voice in my mind kept saying `You want a creative life.' I still own my company for 53 years...OMO on my label means `On My Own.' My heart hurts for them that sold their name and soul." Reflecting on some personal areas in her life, Norma revealed: "I got married at 17, so smart? NO! When I was bringing clothes from London, ten years later it was very hard, I had $98 in my name, I had to leave (the marriage) to save my soul, I had an apartment with a mattress. I learned that I had to tell my story. I needed to re-create, so OMO was my brand and people gave me sewing machines." Norma told the story of meeting a magazine editor for an interview and the editor looked at her and exclaimed "What happened to you?" and Norma broke down in tears, telling her story. "She got me sewing machines and help. I'm very good at calling people up, if it's someone I can help, it's my turn because people helped me. I eventually got a really good lawyer and a really good accountant and that helped me as they were super helpful."

NORMA'S ADVICE

With years of experience, Norma obviously has a wealth of knowledge and advice to stay afloat in the business of fashion - "You have to get ready to fall and know how to get up quickly. People see your talent and they take advantage. You have to hold your ground don't matter how desperate you are to show your talent. You have to keep one thing in mind, keep the passion and it'll come. You have to walk away when it's not right, there will be a time when you can show your talent. You'll never be sorry when you walk away - it's an option you'll have."

HOW TO RECHARGE

As the `Conversation' came to a close, Kerry asked Norma how does she re-charge. with her ever-present mega-watt smile, Norma responded: "I am like the energizer bunny, I'm very into restoring, meditation and sleep, sleep, sleep! It's so important. With the stress we're in now, I'll strongly recommend it. Sleep and restoring are very important. I work out every day. If there's a dance party I'm there, I love to dance. My body at 74, I don't feel any pain, working out is very critical. I'm feeling good, I don't feel any aches in my body."

FUTURE SHOCK

What's in the immediate future for this incredibly talented New York designer? "I am writing a book about healthy lifestyles and aging with power, coming out in early 2021. We had to push it back to after the elections." Norma is also launching her own skincare line all from natural ingredients like charcoal, cacao, jojoba, and aloe, consisting of cleansers, exfoliant, moisturizer, and self-tanner. Read the full article

#FashionDesigner #NORMAKAMALI

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dawnjeman · 5 years

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Beautiful Homes of Instagram: How to Build your own Home

Beautiful Homes of Instagram is truly one of my favorite type of posts I publish on Home Bunch. It’s certainly not the easiest, but it’s a favorite and I hope it is for you too. I feel very proud to be featuring so many talented homeowners and be able to not only see their homes but especially know their story and the process of designing their space.

I am very happy to have Kristin of @kristin_kgdesigns on the blog today and I really think you will feel inspired by her beautiful home, especially if you dream of building your own home but feel intimated by this big task. Here, the homeowner shares more details and some encouragement:

Hi everyone! Luciane asked me to write up my “story”… so it all began back in the late 1970’s when little Kristin came into the world… kidding. No one needs to hear that! Let’s talk about my house building story, shall we?

That story starts about 3.5 years ago. We were living in our dream house we had built ourselves and had worked so hard on. It was on 5 wooded acres and we loved it. Then my oldest started kindergarten. We loved our house and property but we were not in the best area and certainly not a good school district. I thought we could stick it out for another few years but after one day of volunteering in his class I came home and told my husband we had to move. He nearly killed me…but he eventually acquiesced and we decided to start looking in the “good” school district. Lucky for us one of the top districts in the state was only a 20 minute move.

We sold our dream house and started looking for a house in the area we wanted to be in. Turns out we totally couldn’t afford the area we wanted to be in. So that meant we’d have to build again to get the kind of house and property we wanted our kids to grow up in. We found a gorgeous 5 acre property that had a 1962 ranch house that had never been updated and had an unfinished basement. We bought that property and did a boundary line adjustment so that we had two separate properties. We lived in the ranch house while designing and permitting our new house on our own. We literally designed every inch of this new house ourselves. While doing this (and both working full time), we gutted and completely remodeled the ranch house.

Permitting took us 15 months to complete and we broke ground in August of 2017. We moved in 10 months later. We were the general contractor and my husband built most of the house while I was his laborer. We both worked full time during all of this so we would get home every night and walk out to the new house to work until bedtime. For over two years we said no to almost every social invitation we received. We worked on this labor of love every day. And we couldn’t be happier. We love this house and can’t wait to raise our kids here.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: How to Build your own Home

This is Kristin, a talented landscape architect, with her beautiful family!

Front Porch

A cross fence-style railing adds a farmhouse feel to the exterior of Kristin’s home. Exterior paint color is Sherwin Williams Extra White.

Welcome mat from Target.

Rug under welcome mat from Target as well.

Raised Metal Planters: CB2.

The rocking chairs from Wayfair.

Home-Sweet-Home

What a dreamy foyer! I love how serene this space feels. Wall paint color is Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams.

Trim paint color: Extra White by Sherwin Williams.

Front entry rug: Target.

Similar Barn Artwork: here.

Front Door Paint Color

The front door paint color is Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams.

Foyer Lighting: Wayfair.

Kitchen

We went with a simple shaker style in white for the kitchen cabinets.

Cabinets: Canyon Creek Cabinet Company.

Lighting & Pot Filler

The pot filler is from Wayfair.

Kitchen Lighting: Capital Lighting.

Kitchen Backsplash

The backsplash is a subway tile in a matte finish with a medium gray grout.

Refrigerator & Countertop

“I wanted to give you one of the best cost saving tips if you’re building or remodeling a kitchen. Our fridge looks and functions like an expensive unit but it’s really just two separate, simple units with a trim piece attached. Ours is by Frigidaire and we love it! Saved us a bunch of money but we still have the look and function of something much more expensive.”

Get the Look: Refrigerator, Freezer & Trim.

Quartz countertops: Coastal Gray from Pental Quartz.

Kitchen Hardware

The kitchen hardware is from Ikea BAGGANÄS Handle, black.

Runner carpets are from Target. Other Lovely Runners: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

All appliances are LG.

Counterstools

Counterstools are from Target. They’re so sleek and practical!

Flooring

Flooring is DuChateau Youngscombe vinyl plank- similar here.

Ceiling Beams

The cathedral ceiling features beams and shiplap. Beams Old World Traditions – The Magnolia Faux Beam in Light Oak – similar here.

Windows are black painted vinyl by Prime Windows with a custom interior grid.

Dining Room

A warm and welcoming dining room is located between the kitchen and the family room.

Dining chairs are from Crate and Barrel.

Chandelier

Chandelier is by Capital Lighting.

Dining Table

From this angle you can see the beautiful combination of shiplap cathedral ceiling with the board and batten fireplace. This is an idea to keep in mind!

Dining table is from Crate and Barrel.

Living Room Console table: Silviano 84” Iron Console Table by Crate and Barrel.

Barn lights are from Recesso Lighting – similar here.

Living Room

Different types textures bring the right amount of warmth to this space. The leather section is a practical and timeless choice.

Leather Sectional: Custom-made by local company to the exact dimensions of the RH Maxwell – similar here & here.

Coffee Table: Drum Reclaimed Woodblock Barrel Coffee Table – similar here.

Chairs

Accent Chairs: Esters Wood Armchair by Project 62 for Target in Millbrook Husk.

Mantel & Rug

The mantel was a DIY project the homeowner did from a Douglas Fir.

Rug was a find at Homegoods – Beautiful Rugs: here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here (my dream rug

Tile is Statements tile, Wide in color Fog – similar here.

Hallway Console Table

Console Table: Target.

Mirror: Here.

Powder Room

This is a dresser from Wayfair that my husband cut a hole in and installed this sink. It works just like I hoped it would!

Vanity is a retrofitted dresser from Wayfair.

Pendant light is from Wayfair.

Mirror: Here.

Sink & Faucet

Sink is from Wayfair.

Faucet: Derengge – similar here.

Home Office

The home office paint color is Dovetail by Sherwin Williams. The quartz countertop on built-in is Pental Quartz ‘Icelake’.

Round black table in the center is from Target.

Office desk is from Wayfair.

Office chairs are also from Wayfair.

Wall Gallery

Photos are from Shutterfly.

Bonus Room

Upstairs you will find a bonus room with plenty of space for entertaining.

Round table from Target.

Ping Pong table is from Wayfair.

Metal Dressers are from Urban Outfitters.

Brass round mirrors from Target.

Daughter’s Bedroom

Wall is a decal from Innovative Stencils (she loves owls and wanted a brown wall with a forest).

Bed is from Ikea – similar here.

Dresser

Dresser is by Tvilum.

Master Bedroom

Kristin’s bedroom features many great architectural details. Main wall color is Agreeable Gray by Sherwin Williams.

Lighting: Wayfair.

Barn Doors

The antique doors are from a local Architectural salvage store.

Bed & Nightstand

Bed is from Crate and Barrel.

Nightstands are from Crate and Barrel.

Table Lamps: Target.

Grid Board & Batten

Accent Wall: my husband built it by attaching trim in a grid right on to our textured, sheet- rocked walls and painting it all the same color. Accent wall color is Dovetail by Sherwin Williams.

Rug is from West Elm.

Bedding

Bedding is Nate Berkus for Target.

Master Bathroom

This master bathroom is all about symmetry and beauty. Now… imagine taking a bath with that peaceful view. I feel more relaxed just by looking at this picture.

Freestanding Tub: Anzzi.

Tub Filler: Vanity Art.

Lighting

Chandelier is from Wayfair.

Sconces are also from Wayfair.

Vanities

Vanities are the 60” Malibu vanity by James Martin – available here in 48″.

Flooring & Wall Tile

Tile is Statements tile, Wide in color Fog – similar here.

Accent tile is a subway tile.

Mirrors: Here.

Mudroom

This is the kind mudroom / laundry room that anyone would love to have. It is almost the size of a NYC apartment!

Faux leather storage bins from Target.

Mudroom Bench & Windows

The mudroom bench is actually Ikea butcher block. Brilliant!

Lighting: Wayfair.

Floor Tile

Tile is Statements tile, Wide in color Fog – similar here.

Paint Color

The paint color is Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray.

The laundry room backsplash tile is Bedrosians Enchante Charm.

Outdoor Dining

The living room opens to a very spacious back porch.

Picnic Table: Cost Plus.

Dining Bench: Cost Plus.

Dining chairs are from CB2.

Chandelier

Chandelier from Wayfair.

Outdoor Fireplace

The outdoor fireplace mimics the living room’s fireplace, featuring tile and board and batten paneling.

Many thanks to Kristin for sharing the details above. Make sure to follow her on Instagram to see more pictures of her stunning home!

Have a Blessed week, my friends!

Best Sales of the Month:

Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

Serena & Lily: Free Shipping on Everything with code: NEWGOALS

Wayfair: Massive Rug Sale! Up to 75% OFF!

One Kings Lane: Take an EXTRA 20% Off Sale Items with Code OKL20MORE for Savings of Up to 70%! Limited time only.

Joss & Main: Up to 80% Off on Clearance

Pottery Barn:Mega Sale: Up to 60% OFF Plus Free Shipping

West Elm: New Items on sale – Free Shipping with code: FREERIDE

Horchow: Free Shipping with code: FREESHIP

Anthropologie: Extra 50% OFF Sale Items!

Posts of the Week:

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Classic Colonial Home Design.

Empty-Nester Modern Farmhouse.

Interior Design Ideas: Home Renovation.

Stone Lake House.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Building a Forever Home.

Newport Island Beach House.

Belgian-style Modern Farmhouse.

Stone Cottage-style Home Design.

New Year, New Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Before & After Home Renovation.

California Duplex Home Design.

Australian Beach House.

Family-friendly Home Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Canada.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors.

Transitional Home Design.

Interior Design Ideas.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: California Beach House.

Follow me on Instagram: @HomeBunch

You can follow my pins here: Pinterest/HomeBunch

See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

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