hole dwelling by kikuo is sooooo good omg

BTS of #RWRBMovie: V&A

Via Amazon:

NG: I think their time together at the Victoria and Albert Museum really sticks out to me as a defining moment of their relationship. My character, Henry, really shares the last frontier of his vulnerabilities and really opens Pandora's box in a way saying plainly to Alex, ‘This is my life. I'm terrified, but I'm willing to take this risk.’

From EW:

For Galitzine, who grew up going to the museum, it was a surreal experience. "I was born and raised in London and the V&A is an iconic place to visit — the galleries, the displays, exhibitions that have been on there. To be able to witness it in such a quiet state was really bizarre. Night shoots are disorienting at the best of times. It's 5:00 in the morning, you're trying to act and be emotional, and you're in this truly beautiful, picturesque setting. It was really cool to be able to explore it. It felt a bit like Night in the Museum. It was a weird, surreal but extremely enjoyable experience."

Director Matthew López didn't know for much of the pre-production process whether the V&A would even allow them to film there. "They were very, very protective as you could imagine," he tells EW. " Especially when we told them where we wanted to shoot, which is a lot of things we could break, and I really didn't want to be the guy who ended up breaking a priceless piece of statuary. But we ended up getting permission, and that was amazing." In McQuiston's novel, this key scene takes place in the Renaissance Gallery, which López and cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt visited while scouting in London. But while we still see Henry and Alex run through that gallery, they decided to choose another due to the V&A's filming parameters. "It's not the most photogenic gallery," explains López. "It's kind of dark and it's very, very big, so there's a lot of blank space between the statues. The chances that you're going to get just a white wall behind you are good. And it's very hard to shoot in there because the rule that the V&A had for us was that we couldn't bring in any exterior lighting. We could not bring it in our own lights." But Goldblatt had an idea to work around that limitation. "He led me to this area of the museum where we did end up filming it," the director continues. "That long, beautiful corridor with all those gorgeous statues filled with very homoerotic art, as well as that narrow alleyway of busts. We came back another night after closing, and he had them turn off everything, all the lights except for the spotlights that were there, illuminating the artwork. But turning off the floodlights that lit the gallery for people to walk around in. What you had in an instant was darkness everywhere and light shining on the art." Goldblatt manipulated the light further with a dimmer switch, creating an almost sacred environment in which Henry and Alex could express their love for each other. "We did not bring in any of our own lighting," emphasizes López. "That scene is shot with the lighting that's available to us at the V&A. We decided that the scene would be the boys for the most part in shadow and the statues illuminated. It was a beautiful use of a problem to create a better solution that you could not have come up with on your own if you had no problem."

From Glamour:

“My absolutely favorite scene to film was the night we shot inside the Victoria and Albert Museum,” says López of the scene depicted here. “We arrived at 10 p.m. and filmed until sunrise. To have access to that museum at night without any other people around made you feel what Henry and Alex must have been feeling the night they go there together. What made it so special is that, for one of the first times in the shoot, it was just me, Taylor, and Nick working. No other actors, no background players. It’s a magical scene in the book, and it was a magical night for all of us.” 

From HELLO:

In the film, as in the book, the pair dance together here as they vow to make their relationship work, come what may. This scene is also Matthew's favorite scene, "because it's the only scene in the film that is actually filmed at the location that it's set".  "That night was very beautiful and I think it's reflected in what you see on screen; there's a magic to that place at night and I like to think we captured it," he adds.

From NYT:

The two men under the dimmed lights were the actors Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine, and they swayed until the director, Matthew López, called “Cut!” around 2 a.m. for a lunch break. “It was just the three of us and our crew,” said López, who’s also the film’s co-writer. “It made for an incredibly intimate, really special night.”

From W Magazine:

There’s a sweet moment in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Why did you shoot in that sculptural exhibition? That’s not the gallery from the book. I went there with Stephen Goldblatt, my director of photography, and it wasn’t very cinematic. Stephen took me to another part of the museum, where we shot, with lower ceilings a more contained space with beautiful statues: David and Goliath, three women, the corridor of busts and torsos—very cinematic.

ive been saying this to friends already & felt the need to say it to you specifically but. you truly do have a knack to putting scenes onto paper in a way that makes it look easy. im not saying it actually is (no art is ever truly easy) but the way you translate the novel into illustrations just fascinates me.... especially with orv which has some pretty surreal parts that i had found hard to picture in images- but then here you come along and yeah! of course it would look like that!

i guess what im trying to say is that i really admire your ability to portray the books more abstract moments. things like kim dokjas body falling apart- id never have thought to draw it the way you do, like a statue falling apart and putting itself back together. but it feels Right now that ive seen it, and i struggle to picture it any other way now! i could very easily imagine an edition of the book accompanied by your black and white series at the corresponding scenes, and it would be dope as all hell <3

lastly. you give me so much emotional damage its not even funny. happy ill fitting clothes parody of an embrace (checks calendar) friday. i am bleeding internally. (coughs up blood)

GASP!! thank you so much !! :"3 it's SO EXCITING to find out that the way i draw it resonates with youu!! infecting you with images haunting my brain, THAT'S what i am here for. spreading my evil thoughts and images.

and orv is so fun, it's such a cool challenge to make an illustration feel like the piece of text it relates to. (which is why i try to sketch them out as i read. freshest vibes.)

and HEHE. good. continue suffering with me <3 (the ill fitting clothes days are still hilarious to me. how did this even happen. good for you though <3)

hi guyz !! im makin a bit of a different post today. i wanted to share some album/ep covers that ive been thinking about recently cuz album art is so cool + i love all of these artists dearly. enjoy my rambles :D

Sign - Nobukazu Takemura (2000)

my pfp !!!! i discovered the title track sign from the album hoshi no koe, but this is the record it originally debuted in! takemura is a japanese electronic musician who makes a lot of experimental music, and this album is no different. however, it has sort of a.. nintendo vibe to it? it’s difficult to describe, but it’s super fun !! i love the album art as well and the rhythmic motion of the building. the little music note guy has my whole heart too, theyre jus a little goober <3

Paraiso - Haruomi Hosono and The Yellow Magic Band (1978)

i wouldve put this in yellow but there is no option. anywayz this is a interesting album. ive recently started listening to hosono’s music and i enjoy it a lot !!! hosono house is fire, but this one is also good ! the cover art is what initially led me to listening to this, i love the beach atmosphere and the sky as space. and the little bubbles that have random monuments in them. and the palm trees n plants and agh. it’s delightfully surreal and im here for it !!!

S-F-X - Haruomi Hosono (1984)

look hosono you’re awesome and i love your early stuff so far. but i could not get into this ep at all. might try again tho !! but it’s really a shame because the cover is awesome. i love the distortion on the face and the pops of pink and yellow against the teal background. it’s very pleasing to look at and it’s been floating in my mind for awhile. very futuristic lookin !

Sail - Masakatsu Takagi (2003)

I AM THE ULTIMATE TAKAGI FAN #1 anyway. this album is so so lovely and silly. it has a special place in my heart now fr. the best way to describe it is animal crossing/picopop(??) type music. some of it reminds me of kero kero bonito’s music too. idk genres are weird !! point is it’s very upbeat and nostalgic. a few tracks are more somber sounding, especially rama. but i love the album art of this one, it’s like something you’d see in a dream or a childhood memory. i love the watercolor texture and the blend of pastel colors too!! and how it looks as if it was combined from multiple layers, as in each piece of the figure was made separately. overall takagi is a genius and this album SLAPS

Keep It Unreal (10th Anniversary) - Mr. Scruff (2009)

mr. scruff makes very cheeky and silly electronic music, but occasionally he drops an absolute banger. nah fr all of his stuff is good, some of it is just more “serious” than others. but i appreciate his sense of humor and the beats he makes ! this album of his is a great listen, but i especially love the cover. the og album cover is mounted up in the corner while these little bean guys are celebrating. truly a work of art. his other album ninja tuna also shares a similar art style !! very goofy <3

A Wizard, a True Star - Todd Rundgren (1973)

do i gotta say anything even. this is just a masterpiece of a cover. there is so much going on in the best way possible. i love the incorporation of the geometric shapes. the trippy visuals. it screams 70s. not to mention this album is fire. international feel is so good !!!

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek (2023)

PHOTOGRAPHY JUMPSCARE ! i recently go into caroline polachek and OML where have you been all my life. this album is pure pop bliss and her vocals are so so good. sunset and fly to you are especially good oug. the album cover in particular is very simple in concept but it’s executed so well. the lighting, the sand, the bus chairs, her outfit?? absolutely stunning. this woman oozes creativity fr.

Dreams - Gabor Szabo (1968)

i could not find a better quality image of this one but holy molay this is a great jazz fusion record. is it fusion? idk anymore. but this is a great album and the art is just. mwah. i love all of the intricate details and the flowers. it’s just gorgeous !!! what else can i say !

Dead but Dreaming - vivivivivi (2023)

final one !!! vivivivivi is honestly super underrated, though her song credits song for my death has 8 million views on yt. anyway, this was a pretty recent album from her and it’s very cool !!! def gives the vibes of an rpg. i love the album cover tho!! the artist did a tremendous job with it, i love the overgrowth of the flowers and the shading. it also suits the tracks well !!

Shadow & Claw (and why you NEED to read this book[s?])

Im gonna do a bunch of spoilers so just uhh read the book and THEN come here and read my super cool ideas please?

There are many, many reasons this book is excellent. When im reading, one of my (personal) favorite things is worldbuilding. For some reason, seeing the inner complexities of an unfamiliar but consistent world is just so fascinating for me, and Wolfe DELIVERS. The sci-fi/ fantasy fusion environment is so engrossing, and trying to reason out what Severian is actually seeing is consistently entertaining. But thats not the only reason that this book stuck with me. There are two scenes that are truly very special to me, because they feel to me so HUMAN in a way a lot of other media i interact with doesnt. And HUMAN in such a pinpoint accurate way i feel like it calls me out. I need to write this for myself, because i fear otherwise this book wont leave me. I doubt it will even if i do.

The first 100 or so pages of this book set up Severian's background and conflict. As an apprentice torturer he is assigned to care for a chatelaine, Ostensibly a form of noble women. She is sent down to the torturer's dungeon as a result of conflict between a rebel and the king, and so although she is innocent she currently sits as a pawn in said dungeon in an attempt to lure out said rebels. She believes that she will be let out when its over. Severian knows better but doesnt say. This is the conflict that comes to define Severian and the chatelaine's awkward relationship. Severian falls in love and comes to greatly value the time he spends with her, but also knows how this will end. This culminates in a scene i empathize with in a way i havnt really seen otherwise. The chatelaine is being brought to be tortured. Severian and the head torturer are to bring her up. The whole walk, Severian (or the Severian in the future writing this) thinks on how to save her from the awful fate about to befall her. Hell use his knife, hell kill his friends. hell brake her out. Itll be a rough time, but its worth it. She is put in the device. He tells her that it will kill her in 30 days. He lets her kill herself to avoid that slow creeping death. This action gets him expelled, and so in the end he still loses his friends and home. It was for nothing, and he knew that.

Severian always knew more. She may have been older, and wiser, and had more knowledge. But Severian always knew more. He knew how this was going to end. And he pariticipated in it anyways. The cognitive dissonance with the scene in which he contemplates her freedom only to kill her is an example of something i so often feel i do. Its something ive never seen put into writing well. Its beautiful.

The second scene that made me fall in love with this book is much later. And really, its two scenes but you cant have one without the other. The first is a fascinatingly surreal piece of worldbuilding, and its done very well. Severian consumes something which gives him every memory that the chatelaine he loved had. And this recreates her, in a sense. Severian gains ALL of her lived experiences, and he becomes her. We are no more than what we have lived, and so Severian is now two people, at least for a while. He describes with lurid detail how he and the chatelaine love and interact and are together, not as one mind but as two now one, and that it didnt make sense and that they didnt care. It was also beautiful. This is not the scene that stuck with me, however much i liked it. No, my favorite scene in the book comes later as a result of that. As time passes, the chatelaine's memories fade. Severian becomes Severian again, more or less. But as he sleeps in a dungeon in the palace that the chatelaine grew up in, he experiences a "state posing as sleeping". This is not a dream. The chatelaines memories are the only ones present during this time. And so she begins to wander around the palace, baffled as too where she is. She describes the environment differently, given she understands it in a way Severian does not. She looks at her hands. They are wrong. She comes to the lock and realizes shes in the dungeon (she does not call it the dungeon) when suddenly. ... Severian looks around. There is a little girl there. She asks where the women went. She tells Severian that she knew there was a women by the way she walked, which was all she could see in the dark. Severian realizes what has happened. He leaves.

I cant explain how much that scene spoke to me. It is so BRILLIANTLY crafted, this smooth transition (no pun intended) from Severian to the chatelaine's perspective is so well done, the mild confusion but not outright horror as the reality of the situation has not set in for the chatelaine, the realization and acknowledgement but no direct confirmation by Severian. her hands. She just couldnt understand what was wrong with her hands. Sometimes i wish my self to be like the chatelaine, but in know myself to be like Severian. Knowing, but never changing, never acting.

I have a lot of thinking to do. This book makes me think. And i love it

hi natalia! i hope life has been treating you well and that you're doing amazing. i wanted to say, i love your account so very much! everytime i go through the f1 tags on here i'm alway searching for your username among the fics and safe to say is you have never ever disappointed me. when i first got into the fandom you were definitely one of the blogs that really hooked me in. oh girl you don't know how ecstatic i was going through your masterlist, i literally felt like i was camping in that one post going through everything in one night. still, even now i love going back and reading it again because that little spark of joy i feel clicking the links to every au is the reason i love to be on tumblr!

you never fail to deliver an insanely good level of world building like this is kind of surreal to me, because you give us such a fresh and wonderfully blissful take on social media au's. it's super cool to see you explore all types of medias like articles, blogs, twitter, instagram, youtube videos—i feel like you've used EVERYTHING girl. all your posts are sooo long and idt people realize how much work you have to put in to make a cohesive story like that?? + using all sorts of outlets ur an actual beast at this wow. and it's not just the way you deliver it, it's also all the ideas that you have. i'm a huge sucker for the deep lore ones that are like the ones involving racing teams and stuff. it's so great to see your takes on real time events and how it could've been if this or that happens. the readers are also of so much variety, i hope you keep doing that bc it adds a lot of potential and spice into the story. royal au is also sooo good! your account to me is basically girlhood personified. i'm always so immersed in it that i forget i'm reading an au... that really shows your effort in the work you put out. i can tell the time you spent crafting these pieces i mean WHO goes this far and wide if not pucksandpower?? ur the backbone of my mental health i would've gone in the trenches if it weren't for you... that's my mother ya'll. there is not one fic of yours that does not have me at the toes of my feet, all giddy to click the "keep reading" button. i wish for you to know that i, and i'm sure many others who follow you, really appreciate all the work you put in! i'm lowkey like suspicious with how real and professional some of the articles you make are bc how is that not something that would come out of an actual blog? 😭

AND OHHHMYGOOOD you are doing god's work for feeding my delusions on giving charles leclerc the team that he deserves. seeing the newey reader fic, that was when i knew you were ON to something like this girl is special she's doing all the research.. babe you could be the new damn chief tech officer if you wanted to i mean. you are operating in levels that we can't even comprehend?? one step ahead in everything. when i read your cl stuff in my heart i'm rooting for this man so bad and like if this isn't happening irl at least pucksandpower got my back like... you know what they say about delusions=manifestations so if we keep this up yall i believe it can be real trust me i've seen it in my head....

i'm sure there's a lot more that i want to say but anyways, i'm really glad that i ever found your blog and i look forward to future works you're gonna put out! cheering for you always and please take care of yourself, xx ❤️

Hi, my love! Thank you so much. I totally teared up reading this and I am not the slightest bit ashamed to admit it. Every single thing I post is crafted with love — I do it because I love working on them and because I love being able to make my fellow fans happy through my work. There truly is no more rewarding feeling. I have posted a whopping 119 fics/imagines/AUs on here and typing that number out really made me realize how crazy that is and how far I have come since I started this blog back in November

I can’t lie, sometimes the research and time I put into each of my works can feel overwhelming at first but I am always proud of the end product and especially happy to share it with you all. Some are lighthearted fun and I can have them completed in a few hours while others run deeper and can take me days upon days to finish. I truly want to build a mini immersive world through each of my AUs and I am so happy that you have been able to get that experience through them

Also I like to say that delusions make the world go round (and help keep us sports fans semi-sane) so I am more than happy to contribute on that end

Thank you again because your words mean so much to me! I can’t wait to share more work with you. Have an amazing day 🫶

Do you like old synthpop? Then OHM: The early gurus of electronic music is something for you!!

The whole compilation is on Spotify(some songs missing) and YouTube (3 songs missing) and probably other sites too :) it consists of the most important early composers and pieces from many different places, time periods and styles.

Some pieces uses one of the first ever electronic musical instruments: the theremin! It was invented by soviet musician-physicst Leon Theremin around 1920, therefore the name. This instrument is space-controlled, so you play it by moving your hand around it, not really touching it. It looks really cool!

In the first track (CD:1), "Tchaikovsky: Valse Sentimentale" (2:08) 1977, Clara Rockmore, a true pioneer in space-controlled electronic music, plays the Theremin together with her sister Nadia Reisenberg, who plays piano. This piece is truly magnificent and strange-soundig :D Rockmore actually was Leon Thermins student and protégé in the beginning of her career!

Before this gets way too long I must tell about one of my favourites in CD:1, which is the 4th track: "Williams Mix" (5:42) 1952 by John Cage. ...... And at the end of it you can hear a long abd roaring applause, which is very much deserved, of course :D Chris Cutler (musician, composer) tells about this piece in the booklet included with the CD collection.

"Williams Mix" follows a score five hundred pages long, which has never been reproduced, each page made up of two ten-inch graphic sections. The tape is to be laid directly on the page, which is a pattern showing all the edits and the angles at which tape should be cut, as well as recipes for constructing the sounds each piece of tape should contain -Cutler, 2000

The score he's talking about (a piece of it pictured above, x) is a sort of pattern or guide for making the pieces of magnetic tape that was used, making it possible to split, splice and edit the sounds. Around 600 tracks of sounds from for example the country, the city, wind- and electronically produced sounds. (X) This took about a year and was absolutely groundbreaking work! More info here!

If you liked that one, "He Destroyed Her Image" (1:59) 1973 by Charles Dodge is also a mix of different sounds, but made with newer and more advanced technology, and it's far more melodious and, well, structured. It plays with words like a poem, and Dodge has the following to say about it (from the booklet, source below):

I'd never been able to write very effective vocal music, and here was an opportunity to make music with words. I was really attracted to that. It wasn't singing in the usual sense. It was making music out of the nature of speech itself. I've always liked humor and had an attraction to the bizarre, the surreal. These poems were almost dreamlike in their take on reality. So that made me feel at home somehow. -Dodge, 2000

This is my favourite in CD:3 and the vibes are really amazing! I think thats all for this post but if you are interested, just ask me and I'll write about more of the songs! The whole collection has 42 in total :)

Sources for images are provided in the main text or ALT text, as well as links with other sources for information. Source for the booklet that came with the CD: OHM: the early gurus of electronic music: 1948-1980 (2000) by Thomas Ziegler and Jason Gross, ellipsis arts.

The Sandman, Season 1, Episode 1, "Sleep of the Just," First Impressions!

How could I not?

I mean, it's The Sandman. The freakin' Sandman. Easily one of the most influential pieces of fiction on yours truly, one I have read multiple times, one that I never expected to see any sort of adaptation, nor did I really want one, seeing how many horror stories we've heard of terrible scripts and projects through the years, some which Neil Gaiman himself had to step in and torpedo to keep them from unleashed upon the Earth.

But now it's here. An actual adaptation with Gaiman himself deeply involved, having learned from the successes of Good Omens and the failures of American Gods to bring us the long-awaited live-action adaptation of one of the most important graphic novel series of all time.

However, just a few notes before I begin. First, this is going to be different from episode-by-episode reviews I've done of other shows, as since I already know the story of The Sandman backward and forward, I can't really react to the story, as I largely already know everything that will happen. As such, I will instead review this as an adaptation, taking note of what's changed, what's the same, any neat tricks that the new medium provides, and the like. I will also do this assuming that anyone reading these not only has seen the series, but also is familiar with the story. This is going to be a spoiler-heavy discussion. You have been warned.

Also, one change I will not be remarking on is the thing that had everyone up in a silly tizzy earlier this year: some characters being portrayed by actors of different ethnicities and genders than was portrayed in the source material. Yeah, okay, I know that these are iconic characters, so seeing them look so different that what we're used to is a little jarring, but c'mon. The complaints just got absurd, and we all know where the bulk of them were coming from. So, here's the only acknowledgement of that business I'm going to make. Right here. Consider it acknowledged and summarily dismissed.

That having been said, let's go!

The original Sleep of the Just, while still being very cool, did demonstrate some growing pains that plagued the series until Gaiman found his voice around The Sound of her Wings. Back then, it was very much a horror series, with body horror and gore popping up quite a lot. Here, while the story is still very much the same, I can tell that Gaiman wanted to update the overall feel, going for something more mystical and surreal than outright unpleasant.

One major indication was the inspired, yet utterly obvious choice to cast Charles Dance as Roderick Burgess. Originally Burgess was a more smirk, neh-heh-heh type villain, one that would not look out of place in a Scooby Doo cartoon. Here, he's basically Twyin Lannister as an occultist, lending an air of regalness and authority largely missing from the original.

And since it's Charles Dance, how could they not shine a greater spotlight on his relationship with Alex? You really do feel sorry for the kid, growing up with such a bastard for a father. Having him be the one to kill Roderick was a bit dramatic (he just dies of old age originally, and his relationship with Alex is almost entirely glossed over), but completely understandable. So much so that I was wondering how they could get away with having Dream curse him?

Have him kill Jessamy. Good Lord, that'll do it.

Also, I heard people were really upset about all the gay people in the show, with Alex's relationship with Paul being mentioned, and I'm like, did you not read the comic? They were gay there too! Plainly!

I did note that Ruthven Sykes was still present, but despite Ethel Cripps having a larger role, the two do not run away together, perhaps to save time. It's not like she needed much encouragement in this version. I did note that the scene where the helmet is traded to Choronzon for the protection amulet was cut, so I wonder how they will explain how the helmet ended up in Hell.

One change I was very happy with was the greater emphasis on the Corinthian, who was a standout character in the comic. I get the feeling that he was one of those characters that was created when he was needed but ended up being so cool and so popular that Gaiman kind of wished that he had a bigger role, hence his later "resurrection." But now that Gaiman gets to have something of a do-over, we get the Corinthian having a more active role. I especially loved that interaction between him and Burgess, with Burgess, normally so contemptuous and cruel to those he deems lesser than himself (basically everybody), immediately sensing that there is something very dangerous about this charismatic stranger that just barged into his house and treating him with respectful deference.

The cinematography was absolutely on-point. I absolutely loved that fish-eyed lens effect they used a few times in the mansion to give it a more hazy, dreamlike feel. I popped hard when they reacted the panel where Dream escapes his prison and reenters the Dreaming. And the scene were Dream curses Alex? Spine-chilling. I do wish they could've gotten the Eternal Waking curse to work onscreen. I hear they tried, but it just didn't translate right for whatever reason. Bummer, that would've been awesome.

But those shots of the Dreaming? Fucking gorgeous. I smiled at the glances of the Houses of Mystery and Secrets, and enjoyed those early cameos of Dream's servants. Also, I see you, Martin Tenbones! Was that Barbie's ship or something?

And let me just say this? Thomas Sturridge as Dream?

Yeah, that'll work. Here he perfectly nails Dream's majesty, mystery, and intimidation, but I also can easily see this guy demonstrating his drama queen tendencies, social cluelessness, and kind of pathetic dumbass moments we all know and love about the Dream King. That voice, yo.

So yeah, an excellent start. Netflix, I swear to God, if you cancel this, I will find you, and I will make you pay...by ranting about it loudly on the internet. See this one through, guys. I still haven't forgiven you for Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance!

Dream.ai Series: 001.

Whilst this isn't the first subject matter I picked for my forays into AI created art, this is the first set of images I'm posting as part of my Dream.ai series here:

Ash Williams (Evil Dead franchise), As Illustrated By Various Artists.

Simon Bisley set.

I was absolutely thrilled with these, although in actuality, I generated about a dozen, but this selection really captured the controlled chaos of Bisley's brushwork. I think the set of covers above would make for a great set for an adaptation of the teased, but never materialised season 4. . .

Botticelli set.

This was, in fact, the first set of Ash images I had generated. I don't know why Botticelli was my first thought as an artistic interpretation, but it worked out reasonably well. It didn't really capture Botticelli's style quite so much, but I was impressed enough to save five of the ruddy things!

John William Waterhouse set.

I think this is the set that impressed me the most, that genuinely made me go "Wow!" The Pre-Raphaelites is (are?) one of my favourite artistic movements, and John William Waterhouse, one of its foremost representatives, and I think his talent is captured pretty well in this set, if not precisely. I was most impressed by the second in this set, and surprised by the piece I called "Alternative Ash", as it definitely seemed to be an interpretation of my prompt, but still in Woodhouse's style. It was also literally the only one of about ten pieces that portrayed Ash as a woman - and I thought the result was pretty cool. Perhaps it's actually his daughter, Brandy. . .

Yusuke Murata set.

This set was admittedly a bit hit-and-miss, although I'm very fond of the second one. I do genuinely feel that, if there ever was an Ash comic, then One Punch Man's Yusuke Murata would be absolutely perfect for it!

Artgerm (Stanley Lau) set.

I'm quite an admirer of Artgerm and love his work (to the point that I bought his Marvel Portfolio and have a number of comics he painted covers for, waiting to be framed and hung on my walls!). Unfortunately however, these two images were the best it could muster, the other four or five I generated looking less than stellar.

Katsuhiro Otomo (left) and Rumiko Takahashi (right).

These two I've admittedly mixed feelings about, but they have their merits; I rather like to think the Otomo version is an homage to the Ash vs Evil Dead series, and the other two characters we see are Kelly (*sighs dreamily*) and Pablo. The Takahashi version I simply wanted to include as an artist who, on paper, might be antithetical to Ash's world, but would really probably not be; this is a mangaka who, from the 1970s, made her living from horror, high action and sex comedy stories; Ash would probably be a cakewalk to her! Unfortunately, any other attempt I made to incorporate her style, as with Otomo, looked bloody awful.

Hayao Miyazaki set.

Grossly inaccurate, but fun. These were the only three I made. Miyazaki-sensei would truly be antithetical to the world of Ashley J Williams, but what an interesting experiment it would be!

HR Giger set.

These were a little disappointing, tbh. I'd rather hoped that, owing to Giger's surreal, dark and often disturbing style, we'd get something similar out of these, but alas no. The first one tries, I guess, with some kind of interpretation of Ash's chainsaw arm, but they were rather lacking in Giger's creepy, skin-crawly weirdness. They still have a certain je ne sais quoi about them though, so I'm including them here.

Hope you enjoyed.

Kaleidoscope -- Musing 301

I am a kaleidoscope   of brightly colored   broken memories 

shaken this way   one day— that way the next

Remember those amazing paper or plastic tubes with angled mirrors and pieces of colored paper or glass in the bottom, and how these colorful, amazing patterns appeared as if by magic and changed with each shake of this miracle toy? Kept me out of trouble for hours.

Today, looking back over the long years, my days could/would change as drastically, if not as beautifully. One morning, my world would be warm and brilliantly sunny as my little room’s large window faced east and had no problem letting the sun in to fill my day. And growing up in northern Sweden, in the summer this would happen at three or so in the morning.

But you get used to this and you get good at going back to sleep to resurface in a few hours.

Brightly colored, youthful kaleidoscope pieces.

Other mornings, rainy ones perhaps, clean-cool water drip-drip-dripping from the trees outside my open window, the air cool and moist and very fragrant. Easier now to turn over and head back to sleep unless your mother bangs on the door again, time to rise and shine apparently, school day and all.

Rainy, still youthful kaleidoscope pieces.

One morning, the one after my first kiss (and I can still taste it) and the kaleidoscope had gone crazy blissed. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the world—well, one thing: she was not here, for we were young and there was no sex yet or sleeping over involved. She had left shortly after that miraculous revelation of what a kiss could be, leaving me starved for more and more and more.

Later I wrote a long song called “Time” where one section reminisced about this wonder of a kiss and reads like this:

Gingerly the lips collide

the honey of the tongue

melts to form a glow

a rush, a river

 Love's forever rising tide

now innocent and young

surges in a slowly

mounting quiver

 This moment is sweet to touch

sweet to feel

 Harboring such

ever surreal

pleasure

 Still, time is so hard to catch

hard to hold

 When dreams all hatch

awed by your old

mythical treasure

 I still think of her now and then, although she has to be in her seventies by now just like I am. Then, she was a wisp of a girl who for some amazing reason knew how to kiss.

Glorious kaleidoscope colors and patterns called love.

But when it comes to shaking up the kaleidoscope, truly and fully, nothing holds a candle to dreams. Nothing shakes and mixes up the pieces quite like they do.

Weirdly, I often dream of my old jobs, in various configurations, and about parking my car in places or on streets where I can never find it again.

Once I dreamed about a mountain with a wide clearing down its wooded slope and suddenly the most beautiful melody rang out from speakers the size of houses along the tree-filled sides. The melody was so beautiful that it woke me up, and with it still in mind I found a recorder and hummed the melody into it before I returned to sleep.

I have since learned how to play this melody on my flute, and I play it often.

Another melody surfaced about a month later, and ditto. I hummed it into my recorder before going back to sleep and I can play it, too, on my flute.

No dream melodies since then, though.

So many bits and so many pieces and so many colors and so many combinations. Dreams.

And then there are the images that arise now and then when I meditate. Out of nowhere, into nowhere. Like little, or not-so-little fish swimming past the aquarium window and then out the side of it, into invisibility, strangely.

Sometimes (happily) my mind manages to organize the colored flecks into poems and then they rise, unsolicited and spontaneously. This can happen at any time though mostly during my walks along the Pacific (and mostly not so pacific) shoreline (Yes, I am blessed).

Writing, too—like writing this right now—brings a host of different shakes of the kaleidoscope and sometimes, a little astounded, I read on my laptop screen what my fingers hammer out on the keyboard, seemingly on their own. Then again I am a descent touch-typist so my fingers type what I think as I think it, it’s just that I’m sometimes surprised at what I think (i.e., read on the screen).

I love writing.

I love kaleidoscopes.

::

P.S. If you like what you’ve read here and would like to contribute to the creative motion, as it were, you can do so via PayPal: here.

Feelings and Emotions about Final Stroke Volume 2

So @kudouusagi and I ventured into Mexico this weekend to check out the hopefully FINAL Free movie. And it was a wild adventure. But more importantly, the movie was probably some of the most I've enjoyed Free since Take Your Marks! I absolutely loved it! That doesn't mean it's not without flaws. But as someone who has watched every piece of Free media, read every single bit of side content and spent untold dollars on Free merch, it hit the sweet spot.

And I thought I'd share my impressions with those of you who may not see it for a very long time.

Okay, let's get some general disclaimers out of the way. 1.) I am not going to summarize this movie. You've read the summaries, you know how the movie goes. This post is just going to be my stream of conscious RinHaru/Free fangirl babble about how the movie affected me in various scenes. It will be in mostly chronological order because that's how I remember things, but I can't guarantee perfectly accurate flow. MOST IMPORTANT I AM A RINHARU FAN AND THAT IS MY PRIMARY FOCUS. If you are not here for that, this is not the post for you! Again, you have actual summaries. This is just a feelings ramble. 2.) I am not going to focus on characters that I am not overly concerned with. Others have covered what they’re doing. 3.) I am not going to mention any dialogue, unless it's dialogue that's been covered in other summaries since my Japanese is garbo and I don't want to lead anyone astray. 4. This movie is EXTREMELY visual-based. Dialogue is kind of minimal compared to most Free content and visual storytelling is KEY. No summary is going to quite convey the same feeling as the movie because framing and visuals are so important to really APPRECIATING this movie. There is a lot that is just surreal as far as dream sequences and out of body experiences. Endless metaphors. Constant flashbacks and Best of RH screen reels. It is just A LOT. So seeing it will be your best way of truly FEELING this movie. But I will do my best to capture my feelings at least. 5.) This movie is not perfect and I will have a section for nitpicks. It's just how I roll.

ONTO THE IMPRESSIONS - HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

THE MOMENTS THAT MADE MY FANGIRL HEART FLUTTER (Or just the really cute/cool stuff) - Ikuya teasing Sousuke about being lost after Sousuke appears out of freakin' nowhere in the beginning scene. - The acoustic version of Dried Up Youthful Fame plays over a combination of the RinHaru fight in FS1 and flashbacks to basically every RH scene in existence. This works AMAZINGLY well and gives you all the emotions. ;; This is the moment when I realized this movie was even MORE RinHaru than previously advertised. It just screams THIS IS THE IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP OF THE SERIES and I love it. You see their whole evolution even as you see everything breaking down. And as you know, you get new dialogue and new angles of their reactions during the fight. Simply gorgeous. - THE PINING - PART HARU. Haru is so miserable without Rin. He's also exhausted from overworking himself but Sousuke bringing up Rin sends him into total Rin despair. Complete with RinHaru flashbacks. - Natsuya appearing in Sousuke's car after Sousuke drops Haru off. I swear to god I thought Natsuya appeared out of nowhere and must have been sleeping on the floor lol. - THE PINING - PART RIN. Rin just sounds so broken for the first section of this movie. Both in his attempting to convince himself his choice in FS1 was right, as he talks to Mikhail's closed door. And in his scene with Asahi in the laundromat, when he basically melts into the bench. It's the most depressed I've ever seen Rin, and this includes Season 1. The poor thing. The way he says "Haru" to Asahi nearly broke me. HE'S SO SAD. - Another case of a character appearing out of freakin' nowhere. Mikhail isn't in the room when Rin opens the door but somehow appears right behind him. Why does this keep happening? - Baby Haru falling in love with a video of a waterfall was too precious. All of baby Haru in the water was too precious. - Makoto watching RinHaru's greatest hits via home movies in the theater. Technically, Nagisa is here too, but this is shown to be Makoto's dream so I'm going with him dreaming about Nagisa being here. It is again just SO MUCH RINHARU. And yes, the scene with them as superheroes is hilarious. The music here is a medley of Boy in the Water, Ever Blue and Words that Changed My Life. ;; - Also Haru is having dreams about running away from the relay and crying and you can see tears in his eyes and WHY DO YOU HURT ME THIS WAY KYOANI. Also bizarre how dream him falls through the screen and tries to stop bb Haru but passes through him like a ghost~. Also bb Haru in Albert clothing was suitably creepy. XD - You really feel how badly Haru and Rin are doing without each other, just unable to reach their full potential in swimming and the coaches keep commenting on it. - Ryuuji is a tsun disaster in this movie but I absolutely love him. - I have no idea what Makoto texted Rin because when he showed up to yell at Ryuuji, he was basically ON FIRE. He was pure rage and manhandling Ryuuji and it was just really intense. Then Makoto calms him down (though dude, Makoto, this is your fault, what did you say to him??) and Ryuuji basically starts hauling Rin around with the same intensity. I swear the angle made it almost look like he had Rin by the throat when it was just his collar. And Rin looks ready to tear up. He doesn't cry but just the sheer broken emotion on his face is SO GOOD. Especially after Ryuuji says his piece about Rin telling Haru how he feels and Rin breaks away. - Makoto and Rin trying to find Haru was suitably dramatic. I love Rin beating himself for everything he's ever said to Haru and just falling and rolling in the dirt until he reaches his sakura. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE COULD BLOODY TELL THAT WAS HARU. I could barely tell that was Haru. All you see is the back of Haru's head. Rin must have eagle eye vision. Though the look in his eyes is so awestruck when he finds him that I guess I will forgive the surreality of it all. - Okay words cannot describe how hilarious it is that Rin called Makoto to tell him Haru was there and then waited for Makoto to show up and then the SECOND Makoto shows up and tries to walk toward Haru, Rin stops him and goes over to strip. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY RIN WAITED TO DO THIS. HOW LONG WAS HE JUST STARING AT HARU FLOATING IN THE WATER? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, RIN? - The night pool is another thing that can't be put into words. It's gorgeous. The softness between Rin and Haru when Rin challenges him is just amazing. The moment in their race when Rin realizes Haru is racing normally again, the expression on Rin's face, just top fucking notch. So good. Also love the lighting during their race. Even if they are basically racing to techno porno music. I LOVE LIKE A MAGNET OKAY. - Haru is so friggin soft when Rin hugs him. The whole hug scene when they're being honest with each other about their feelings, they are so soft. Just the way Haru just sort of drops his head and looks so tender. And the teasing affectionate look in his eyes. And their gentle smiles at each other. I CAN'T OKAY I CAN'T. It's so fucking intimate I feel like a voyeur watching this. DO I HAVE THEIR CONSENT TO BE VIEWING THIS? - I love them pulling Makoto into the pool without warning. Lol they are such asses. They tease Makoto about it too. I liked that for a split second Makoto looked like he did in Season 1 Episode 1. Great callback. - So we know they ask to train together. And this actually brings my FAVORITE moment of the whole movie. There's this super fast clip of Rin and Haru doing laps with each other. And they swim past each other in different lanes. And Rin does his usual grin at Haru. And Haru does the MOST AMAZING SMILE (click to see it) back at Rin. I was DYING. You have no idea how long I've waited to see Haru happy while smiling with Rin IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT. I can't even explain why it means so much to me. It just really captured how far they've come. Because it's an allusion to when Rin beat Haru in Season 1 and he had that wild grin and Haru just looked shocked. Except now Haru is DELIGHTED. And ahhhhh my heart. - Also their cute bickering at one another while everyone freaks out and Makoto just shakes his head. Haru is so tsun in that scene too. XD - I loved the Ryuuji flashback when Mikhail basically does the Rin shoulder lean on Ryuuji before Kiyo shows up. It really cements them as the original MHR trio. Even down to how tsun young Ryuuji is and how Kiyo keeps calling him chan. I loved this. It was just really sweet. - I love Kinjou in this movie in general. But I especially love when he's being tsun about Haru since he cares about Haru's condition more than anyone. I'll never get why we never SAW his redemption arc but I do love slightly more unhinged "Rin" basically. XD - I have long detested the back-walking on Sousuke's arc in Eternal Summer BUT I really like Sousuke in this movie. And I truly enjoyed his race with Rin. It was very sweet and cathartic for them both. I just love Sousuke being wholly his own person in this movie and having so many other relationships with Makoto, Natsuya, Kinjou, Hiyori and Haru. Just good stuff for the lad. Also using "Clear Blue Departure" for their race was very very good. - So there's this scene when they all qualify for Nationals and are celebrating and I could barely pay attention BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL DRESSED SO AWFUL. It's like this is the most important moment of your lives and you are an embarrassment to fashion. Anyway, the positive here is Asahi who is the purest cinnamon roll and so happy about his qualification. YOU DESERVE THE WORLD, ASAHI. ;;b - I love all the races in this movie. Haru defying Ryuuji's advice in his Kinjou race was done really well. It was super intense. And I love the music. Drag Racer indeed. - I am a sap so of course I loved Rin and Ikuya showing up with Makoto when Haru's recovering in the clinic. - As always, I love Rin and Ikuya interactions in general. They're such a great pair. They don't have as much here as FS1 but they're still precious. Them hugging each other after getting their medals MY SOUL IS LEAVING MY BODY. - I AM SO UPSET HARU DIDN'T SEE RIN WIN HIS RACE. (More on that later.) But I did love the callback of Gou wearing Rin's medal to when Tora let Rin wear his medal and told Gou she could wear it next time. MY EYES ARE LEAKING. Also Rin's mom mentioning something that Rin still has to do. Which I'm assuming is about swimming with Haru but GEEZ YOU TOLD YOUR MOM ABOUT HARU TOO, RIN? Have you at least brought him to meet her yet? Anyway, supportive Miyako ftw. - I absolutely LOVED the scene where Haru leaves Makoto in the clinic. It's framed like a relay exchange. Where Haru thanks Makoto and then grabs his hand for a moment and strides past him, as if he's diving forward (into the water). This was SUCH A GOOD symbolism for their relationship. I loved it so much. I loved the metaphor of Makoto turning the race over to Haru aaaaah. - Oh about Haru's crazy dream sequence while he's unconscious. I really liked how he manages to grab his younger self to keep him from running. It's so dramatic. And bb Haru's tears. ;; - Total chaos with the relay changeup. I loved this madness. Even if poor Asahi got screwed over again. YOU'LL GET THEM NEXT TIME, ASAHI. ;;b Oh, I’m squeezing in Ikuya’s absolutely precious smile to Hiyori just before his race. It stole my heart completely. God it was gorgeous. - I love Kinjou seeing the "sight" in his race because he's so darkly unhinged about it and it's just such a cool contrast to Season 1 Rin seeing the "sight." This was a great scene. Kinjou is awesome. What a dick. XD - Okay, the final race was insanely good. From Samezuka getting all possessive over Sousuke. To Seijurou showing up and being all intensely supportive. To the way the powerful music CUTS OFF COMPLETELY when Haru dives over Rin (cue Rin eyecatch of Haru) and only picks up again once he hits the water CHILLS. And just Haru's racing is so fucking INTENSE. I knew how this would end and I was honestly EXCITED AND ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT. Free has never made me feel that way about a race because the winner never matters. But it mattered here and it WORKED. - Oh yeah, I generally loved everyone cheering for everyone. This is something that was sorely lacking since Season 1 after Eternal Summer started the teamsplit trend. And I think everyone cheering for everyone really captures the spirit of Free so this made me REALLY HAPPY. - I also like the flashing back to everyone else watching the race, including Misaki and his friend and Rin's homestay parents and Winnie. D'awww. - I admit being a RH, my hackles DID go up for a moment when bb Haru reached out to bb Albert in the same manner as Haru reaching out to Rin from Season 1 Episode 12. BUT I was relieved that Albert just grabs his hand so it's a different feeling. And I loved Haru "saving" Albert. The whole transition of the dark water around Albert to the bright beautiful water around Haru. - Speaking of Albert, they don't really let him speak that much in this movie. And it's almost entirely to Haru. But I love his lines. He's still an adorable bear. I love his rivalry with Haru so much. They're so good. - Of course I loved the final relay hug. And everyone crying with joy. Even Haru. FEELS. - It was so surreal watching Haru just DROP out of that group hug and fall on the floor. As much as I love Rin holding him on his knee after he falls, it's just such a surreal scene. It's seriously framed like Haru is dying. Bizarre. - OKAY SO HUNGARY. We know about the tracks and this creative version of a Words that Changed My Life playing against Ever Blue. But what REALLY sells this scene is the huge smirk/grin on Haru's face when he answers Rin's question about if he wants to see how the dream continues. That is one HAPPY CONFIDENT MAN. I love it! - Oh yeah, so on the final RinHaru note, I'm going to be real. The way they frame this movie, where Haru is constantly asked or asking himself questions about why he swims, why he swims competitively and what he's after... and then have Rin be his savior more or less. It really frames it that RIN and his relationship with Rin ARE those answers. Like it's not even ambiguous. You really have to SEE this framing to get what I mean. Especially with how the movie starts and ends with RinHaru's relationship. It's just stunning.

THE WHAT THE FUCK MOMENTS THAT STOOD OUT - Who let Sousuke drive? Why is this man driving? Why are people in a car with him? They could have at least shown him with a GPS or something. - Rei and Ai's introductions to Ikuya's team. Compared to Nagisa. Nagisa's is a normal bouncy introduction to Kinjou's team while Rei and Ai break out into full interpretive dance. I don't even know man... - Why is Makoto having dreams of RinHaru's Greatest Hits? It's just so weird. XD Also evil goldfish always blocking him. - WHY IS NAGISA GOING AFTER PRO COMPETITIVE SWIMMING? He has so many other choices. He has never shown interest in wanting to do this forever. He just liked swimming with his friends and THAT'S FINE. He gets to competitive swim but Nao and Makoto don't? The people who ACTUALLY WANTED TO PURSUE THIS? Why? Why does freakin' everyone go into pro swimming except for Nao and Makoto? It's so STUPID. Why can't anyone have any other path? I can buy Rei and Ai since that ties into their "need to get better at swimming" arcs. BUT NAGISA NEVER EVEN IMPROVED AT SWIMMING. He has no swimming arc! They just did this because they didn't know what else to do with him. And yeah, him and Kinjou are incredibly cute but this plotline is STILL STUPID. And miserably unfair to both Nao and Makoto. - SPEAKING OF MAKOTO, we're going to talk about AN INTERESTING SCENE. So Makoto relays the story of how him and Nagisa wanted to get Haru a charm to cheer him up after him losing to older kids when they were younger. An undercurrent of this is Nagisa wants Makoto to tell Haru how he feels about him. He eventually tells him he loves his swimming and is adorably embarrassed. We got back to real life and Haru's reaction to this? HE DOESN'T FREAKIN' REMEMBER. DUDE DON'T TELL HIM THAT. SAY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT. THIS DUDE POURED HIS HEART OUT TO YOU IN STORY FROM AND YOU TELL HIM YOU DON'T REMEMBER THAT. i can't even. i can't. Anyway, Rin is clearly feeling bad for Makoto after Haru's usual blunt nature so he tells him that he remembers hearing about a kid who defeated a bunch of older kids. And apparently this adds another level to the growing pyramid lore of how Rin first heard about Haru. Lol. But yeah, it was just so weird to have Haru react like that to what seemed to be an important story to Makoto and something he's been trying to convey since the last movie (maybe? we'll get to that). Why? I don't get it. - While I love the scene of young Ryuuji and the others. IT BREAKS THE PKH LORE. Since young Ryuuji is tsun. Now I figured originally that tsun Ryuuji was the result of losing his friend and that's why he didn't have PKH's charming personality. But no Ryuuji was still tsun as a youngster. SO WHERE DID THAT ULTRA LADIES MAN PKH PICTURE COME FROM? He seems like a completely different person from young Ryuuji. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.

- WHY THE FUCK IS EVERYONE SURPRISED THAT SOUSUKE IS SWIMMING BACK? Like the whole point of the second half of the movie is they’re all training together. But it’s this huge surprise when Sousuke competes in back and qualifies. Was Nao hosting secret swimming lessons at night ala Rin/Rei from Eternal Summer? When did this special regiment happen? Why did nobody know about it? Why was it a secret? Was it supposed to be a secret? This just completely DOES NOT WORK with their whole theme of working together toward their goal. It surprises the audience sure but it holds no logical consistency to what they established about the joint training. It’s so dumb. - I hate the Haru passing out/collapsing storyline. It's stupid and adds nothing to overall story. It just makes dumb artificial drama. Especially since he basically gets over it at the end. It also means Haru sleeps through most of the tournament. Missing BOTH Rin and Ikuya's races. Which pisses me off. Don't you think it would have done him good after being traumatized by his friends' losses in Sydney to see them win here? This just really bothered me. He doesn't see the qualifying relay team either. He loses the chance to cheer for any of his friends. :/ This was a dumb choice. F minus. - So there's a scene where Makoto and Ryuuji are discussing Haru's decision to do the relay and Ikuya and Rin are hanging outside the closed door and Ikuya asks if Rin should be in there and Rin is like "Our relationship isn't like that." And honestly, WTF. This isn't a private moment. They are literally discussing Haru doing a final tournament swim. You know the thing you've been pushing him along for YOUR ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP. You can cry on his face, hug him and pour out your heart, wake up at his bedside... But sure, listening to him discuss his swimming plans THAT'S TOO MUCH FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIP. what the actual fuck. And this comes AFTER Rin says he's going to stop playing it cool around Haru. >_< I know it's supposed to be a callback to FS1 where Rin tells Ikuya his relationship with Ikuya is "more complicated than that." But COME ON. - I don't know why anyone is in Hungary. This scene makes no sense. Are they there for a race? Why is Makoto there? Why is Makoto looking around for someone (presumably Haru) and then being shocked to find him? Why does Ryuuji know that Rin is in Hungary but Makoto has to tell Haru that? Why does Makoto have to tell Rin that Haru is there? WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING???

- I don’t think they actually really resolved Makoto’s whole thing he needed to tell Haru in FS1. They set it up as this big moment of Makoto needing to tell Haru something and have him flashback to bb Makoto chasing after Haru and being blocked by goldfish. And I guessss it’s supposed to be the backstory Makoto tells him about him and Nagisa. But this just feels very weaksauce compared to how this was set up as some BIG IMPORTANT THING in FS1. And if it IS the big important thing that Makoto was pining to tell Haru all of FS1... Haru’s blasé reaction is EVEN WORSE. orz

- Wait! I forgot to complain about the utter insanity of making Momo and Ayumu team captains. Momo has the emotional maturity of a kiwi and Ayumu CAN’T EVEN SWIM. Do they even have enough swimming members for a relay team at this point? Captains have to swim! They need to demonstrate things and be the team representative. You don’t always have to SHOW the captains, KyoAni. It’s okay sometimes for people to just mention their new captain and say they’re learning a lot. Just. SIGH.

THE HORRIBLY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

- Nao. Just Nao. Basically they gave the recovery arc to Sousuke and forgot Nao entirely. HS sets it up so his eye operation isn't supposed to have a long recovery and he can swim again. DF sets it up so he has to keep recovering so he can swim again. WHY DOES HE NEVER SWIM WITH NATSUYA WHEN THIS IS CLEARLY SET UP AS A THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? Why is he doing virtually nothing this whole movie? I guess he helps training with Makoto a little but it's barely there. What a wasted character. 

- Natsuya wasn’t used that great here either, but at least he got to relay and react to Ikuya’s win. They were still cute. And yeah, at least Nao and Natsuya are cute now and then. I’m just overall disappointed with both their arcs. Especially since Ikuya got less focus in FS2 so the whole Kirishima brothers taking on the world thing lacked proper oomph. I’m not as disappointed with Ikuya since he still gets to relish his win and he is overall AROUND.

- Rei. Rei does nothing. Woo he makes some bracelets. This is a far cry to Rei's role in Season 1 and Eternal Summer. He is basically there to be cute with Nagisa and nothing else. He doesn't even qualify in Nationals so his whole learn to swim arc is ongoing I guess. He never even gets a suitably meaningful scene with Haru or Rin. Which is the MOST disappointing part of all. But he just feels really flat in this. - Albert. He just really needed more time in this. We needed to see more of his rivalry with Haru. We needed to know if he actually broke away from his mean coach. We needed to see more of his pure swimmer side. He just feels there for Haru to have a goal beyond wanting to swim with Rin. Not well executed. - Kinjou. Again, why didn't we see his redemption arc? Why did he suddenly change between FS1 and FS2? I love Kinjou in FS2 but it just feels so abrupt. And they barely resolve his issues with Hiyori or Kiyo. It's upsetting. - Asahi and Rin Connection. Come on, you had a huge scene with them. You couldn't have fit in a moment of Asahi seeing a pic of Rin's dad at the tournament and pointing out his own father in the pic. KyoAni connected every character under the sun after Eternal Summer but they couldn't even manage the ACTUAL meaningful connection between characters. No instead we get Ai and Mikhail being relatives. :/ This was so friggin' simple. Fail.

- THE FRIGGIN SAKURA TREE. I know they do this beautiful metaphor with the night pool and the way the lights are like blossoms and the colors and it’s great. But you found a way to get Albert’s friggin’ father to Iwatobi but you can’t get Rin and Haru back there to see the damn tree bloom. The thing that has been promised since Season 1, since the Eternal Summer Drama CD. It’s like YOU HAD ONE FUCKING JOB... I still can’t believe they failed this. What we got was beautiful but I can’t pretend this doesn’t irk the hell out of me. >_< - This isn't really a missed point. But dammit Asahi don't sell yourself so short. You qualified for the national team. YOU CAN DO THIS DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM. ;;b JUSTICE FOR ASAHI. He suffers the fate of butterfly swimmer. There are just too many butterfly swimmers. 8(

Overall, despite the WTFs and missed opportunities, I did truly love this movie and think it's the perfect ending to Free and the story they set up since Season 1. I'm amazed they managed to pull this off, given their need to showcase EVERY FLIPPING CHARACTER THEY EVER INTRODUCED. But it somehow worked and RinHaru's relationship shown as the centerpiece it always has been. What a ride, Free fans. What a ride.

P.S. Listen to the OST. It’s sooo good.

i’m not too sure about how some Japanese style weddings go now, but can u write something for sasuke having to remove to garter from underneath the s/o gown on their wedding day. although i also think he would a be shy abt it.

“Special Day,” Sasuke x Fem!Reader

Summary: How your wedding with Sasuke would go.

Warnings: none!

A/N!!!! I don’t know anythinnnnng about Japanese weddings and I’m not going to sit here and embarrass myself or disrespect their culture in any type of way so I’m going to keep this as just a modern wedding if that’s fine with you guys! If needed, I could definitely educate myself on it and write another version! Ty ty.

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The wedding day had came around extremely quickly, making the nerves bottle up inside of you even more than before. You were convinced Sasuke would run out on you or not bother to show up at the venue at all but it was only your anxiety talking.

You knew just how much he loved you and how confident he was in marrying you and even though he wasn’t big on romance, he had made sure to make the proposal as special as he could, you deserved that much.

As the morning and afternoon went by shifty, you were now standing in front of him at the end of the aisle in a big dress. Sasuke was pretty good on holding in his emotions but at the sight of you, he couldn’t help but tear up and wonder how he ended up getting lucky for someone to stick around and deal with him.

Your eyes had watched his shaky hands slip the ring up your finger, making you laugh quietly under your breath as you done the same thing, feeling his thumb brush over your knuckles as his head turned to make eye contact with you.

The butterflies that had exploded inside of your stomach felt almost like it could make you faint. It was such an overwhelming feeling that you had but it was all pure happiness and bliss.

“You may kiss your bride.”

Those words you’ve been waiting for felt like heaven and the way his hands had instantly grab a hold of you and his soft lips smash onto yours like he hadn’t kissed you in years.

He truly felt like he waited forever to do this and it felt like the ceremony was already extremely long but he was more than happy to let you have your way with the wedding, knowing your dream was for it to be big and extravagant.

You could hear your friends and family cheering and clapping, making you pull away with a flushed face and he set his fingers on your chin, pecking your lips one last time before holding your hand to walk back down the aisle as now a married couple.

It felt surreal to Sasuke, it felt like he was in some kind of dream that he was about to wake up from any minute but your hand giving his hand gentle squeezes, it reassured him that this was reality.

“I love you.” He blurted out, making your eyes move up to his and you could see the admiration written across his face as he stared down at you.

“I love you, always.”

The night had went on, you both had shared your first dance, you both had cut the cake, ate the food and took plenty of photos with not only each other but with everyone who had came to your wedding.

It was very long but eventful evening but once it came to the removing the garter underneath your dress, Sasuke had tried convincing you to not do it because of how awkward it was going to be.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” You tried to reassure him, reaching up to brush your fingertips along his cheek and he shook his head.

“I don’t know, me putting my head under your dress and go between your legs in front of everyone just makes me feel nervous. Shouldn’t we save that for tonight? When we’re alone?” He was confused on this lame tradition that you wanted to do so desperately.

He felt as if there wasn’t a point to do it and he felt embarrassed even thinking about being that explicit in front of their family and friends just to bite down on a piece of fabric and tug it off your legs.

It sounded a little too sexual to do in the middle of the dance floor but you insisted it was only fun and games, everybody does it at their weddings but it still didn’t make him feel comfortable.

“Do you trust me?” You asked him, reaching your hand out to grab a hold of his and he nodded slowly.

“Of course I do, what kind of question is that.”

“Then trust me when I say that it’s harmless and it’s just a game. No need to be nervous or embarrassed.” He huffed out a breath as he listened to your words and finally gave in.

It didn’t take long for you to be seated on a chair in the middle of the dance floor, watching his eyes go wide once he kneeled down in front of you. Soon his cheeks started to turn a dark shade of red as he looked up at you.

You started to encourage him, trying to ease up his nerves and it helped enough for him to somewhat lift up your dress for him to stick his head underneath and latch onto the thin piece of fabric that wrapped around your thigh.

Your friends were already tipsy enough to start cheering Sasuke on, especially Naruto who screamed at him to get it like there was a time limit. Once he had managed to pull it off your leg, his face was now red hot from and he quickly stood up.

“That was embarrassing.” He mumbled, making a laugh escape your lips while wrapping your arms around him tightly.

“You did great! Stop being so shy.” You mumbled, planting soft kisses on his hot cheeks, making him roll his eyes playfully.

Sasuke would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the activities for tonight. He was never a big social person when it came to big events, he was hardly social at all but being here tonight, getting married to you and interacting with everyone made him all bubbly and giddy inside.

He couldn’t help but feel the burst of excitement and happiness inside of his chest. It was such a new and fresh feeling for him, it felt good but at the same time he didn’t want to show or admit it, he liked keeping his calm cool and collected attitude to show how unbothered he could be.

But as he watched your face light up and beam with happiness tonight from being able to have your dream wedding, everything was worth it, everything was worth dealing with for you.

He didn’t care about anything else, he was just grateful to be able to give someone like you amazing things such as this.

.

.

.

.

Short but sweet, idk tried to make him as flustered as possible. Hope it somewhat went good.

I’m still getting back into this writing thing, I’m hoping I’m not fucking it up all over again sheesh

• Naruto Masterlist •

• Main Masterlist •

music like white noise

A/N: hello i still Care Them very much

-

Hornet reached for the mug on the table, to soothe the tickle in her throat before it was too late. Before-

She coughed.

Once. Again.

Then she was wheezing, her breath torn and itself tearing her already-tender throat. Driven by the foul compulsion that such a tickle could become, she caught herself on the coffee table and snatched up the mug instead, drowning it all in gulps of tea.

This time, she kept the mug in her grip as she lowered herself back onto the extra cushions and pillows stacked behind her on the couch. She adjusted the blanket with her free claws, fought back the urge to sigh, and took a slower drink.

Lace leaned out of the kitchen, relying on the doorframe to achieve a dangerous angle. “Did you need more tea, sweet?”

“Mm.” Hornet tilted the mug and considered the remaining liquid. “If you could.”

“Of course.”

Lace twirled upright and spun to join Hornet in the living room. Hornet offered up the mug, and Lace leaned down to kiss Hornet’s forehead.

Lace frowned. She pressed a hand where she had kissed. “My, that’s quite a fever.”

“You say this like it’s some achievement.”

“Oh, yes. Not everyone could have such a fever, nor be so lovely even when laid low.”

Hornet snorted, which became a cough. She threw one arm out; Lace passed the tea back into Hornet’s claws. Hornet drained it. She’d averted the worst this time, at least.

“Oh, dear. Sorry, darling.” Lace kissed her again, the same as before, and reclaimed the mug.

“Give me but a moment.”

“Not your fault,” Hornet said to Lace’s back, and settled into her nest again. Unthinkingly, she closed her eyes, giving in however briefly to the not-quite-ache behind them: the sensation like rotted webbing, throbbing slowly.

She should have been in bed, but that would have had Lace back and forth all day at her own insistence, and Hornet’s restlessness would have driven her forth for her own tea at some point. Once, her self-reliance was an endless wellspring, painfully and necessarily so. Resisting this habit could still be its own battle.

So they had reached a compromise: this nest, the pillows and cushions and blankets. Lace had selected them and fluffed them up. Lace had brought Hornet food, and stayed with her in between these tasks.

Lace returned with the mug now, along with a plate and a damp cloth draped over one arm. She looked Hornet over – her dulled chitin, her sharp limbs burrowed or shrouded in fabric, absent their usual sense of constant, pre-spring tension. Hornet’s eyes opened; she watched as Lace set down the tea and the plate and took the cloth in both hands and leaned over her again. Those eyes were tired. Attentive, but tired. Hornet was tired, and it was bound to show through sometimes.

“Here, darling,” Lace said, plainly, tenderly. She draped the cloth between Hornet’s horns, where it might shift, but wouldn’t fall, even if she moved.

“Thank you.” Hornet did move, tugging the plate closer. Toast, topped with a careful amount of spicy pickled waterbug. In truth, she had little appetite, but she needed whatever food she could manage. And it had been thoughtfully prepared, with just enough of the soft spread to keep the toast from being unpalatable. She wouldn’t waste this.

She tucked up her legs as she ate. Lace sat down beside her and picked up a waiting book. Hornet set the plate back on the table and lay back. Lace said nothing, only resting a hand lightly on Hornet’s leg, over the blanket.

Hornet had no input to offer, and Lace’s theatrics were, if anything, born from an understanding of when not to speak. There was no weight in their silence, nothing wanting, nothing to fill.

Sleep would be best. Hornet closed her eyes.

But everything, everything grated – her breath down her throat, the fever under her shell, her head’s wavering between pressure and pain. Indeed, none of it was pain, precisely. She could manage pain, push through if needed. But this wasn’t pain, just sickness. Normal sickness. She didn’t need to push through, and in fact doing so would be detrimental to her recovery.

Sleep would be best. She had eaten, now she should sleep. She should sleep.

As if thinking about it ever helped. She grunted.

“Go ahead and turn on the radio, love,” Lace suggested.

Hornet rolled onto her side. “It won’t bother you?”

“Not at all.”

The device in the center of the coffee table was modern and graceful, all whorls in wood and shining metal. Lace reached forward to fiddle with the wires before pushing it closer to her wife and leaning back, satisfied.

Hornet twisted one bright knob. The next thing she did was lower the volume, and then she let the program sink in. An announcer’s soft voice, offering information about agricultural statistics. She flicked the dial.

A sporting match. This piqued her interest.

She lingered on it. Shots passed and caught, equipment wielded with precision and valor.

It reminded her of all the exercises she’d rather do herself.

Flick.

Two former nobles arguing about something, and ignoring a moderator who tried to bring reason.

Flick.

Instrumental music. Pleasant.

But it left her in the same restless daze that silence had.

Flick.

An audio drama. An angry former guard and a thief, something about a cursed mask.

Trials were performed for the entertainment of others, again rich people behaved poorly.

Though there was some comeuppance.

Hornet listened through to the inevitable betrayal at the end of the episode, in part because she wasn’t absorbing anything at all. She was subject to another coughing fit partway through, requiring more tea and a steadying backrub from her wife.

After that, she realized that this would require more focus than she had to appreciate, and that if she had that focus, she wouldn’t have enjoyed it much. It wasn’t to her taste.

Once again, her claws darted from under the blankets. Flick.

An opera. The singer’s voice was dimmed by the radio, but otherwise high and full in spite of the grainy speaker. Hornet listened long enough to determine that it was a comedy; the singer was dramatically lamenting a ribbon lost in a river as if it were a pet.

“You could do better,” Hornet observed.

Lace sang quietly, without looking up, “Just so, ma petite araignée, just so.”

Still, she left it on. It occupied enough of her attention to let the rest of her drift off. And it seemed that Lace was familiar with the piece, because here and there she sang along: sweetly finishing the lament of the ribbon, falling silent for the next section about a carriage ride, and joining in again for a song about cheesemaking.

Hornet thought it was about cheesemaking. She dozed, deeper and deeper, catching less frequent snatches of music. So perhaps the cheesemaking was a metaphor of some sort.

She couldn’t be sure.

-

Hornet sneezed, uncurled, and was halfway upright on one arm before Lace said, “Where do you think you’re going, darling?

Hornet looked over, and stared at her numbly. Her breath wheezed through her mouth. Finally, she said, “Wherever I please.”

And then she dropped back heavily onto the couch and pressed her face back into a pillow. The cloth rubbed into her shell. It should have been tepid, but it was refreshingly cool. She lifted her head enough to pluck at it, and found that it was a different color than before. Lace must have changed it while she slept. Hornet hadn’t stirred at all, so she supposed she’d needed the rest.

“How long?”

“Long enough for me to make soup.” Lace leaned forward and spun the lid off a thermos that had been waiting on the table. She passed it to Hornet. “About four hours.”

The soup went down almost easily. Her sore throat had been replaced by mere roughness, and the warmth and substance itself would have helped no matter what. She took a long drought, drawing in the salt and strength.

She set it back on the table with a determined plunk. “Much better. My thanks.”

“Good.” Lace sighed fondly. “It’s so boring when you’re not well enough to spar. No one else is half as fun.”

Hornet smiled, a wide twitch of her chelicerae. “Ah, and so you reveal your true purpose.”

Lace pressed a hand to her chest. “Wanting to spend time with my handsome wife, feeling her best?”

“Don’t frame it like that. You’ll make me feel guilty for teasing.”

“You always were soft-hearted,” Lace said, her lilt making it a compliment. She leaned in and stole a quick kiss between Hornet’s parted fangs.

“As you say. But enough,” Hornet croaked the declaration. She cleared her throat and coughed, but got her breath back alone. She took a drink of soup just because she wanted it. She sat up and shoved the pillows towards the back of the couch, and commanded, “Come here.”

“Very well.” Lace obliged, claiming the space Hornet indicated so that Hornet could lie in Lace’s lap. “Comfortable?”

“Finally.” Hornet slid her arm up to reach around Lace’s shoulder from the back. She pulled herself against Lace’s chest. “If you try to move me, you’ll see whether or not I’m truly able to spar.”

Lace hummed. “You are feeling better, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I’d not give up such a luxury as this.”

"Nor would I," Hornet agreed. She nestled into Lace's lap, and closed her eyes again.

Her entire life had become luxurious, it seemed. And there were no requirements to earn it; not suffering, duty, nor any performance. She could have them just by existing, which was well enough, if surreal.

But then there was this, too: here and now, the softness around her aching body, the food warm and ready, and – and, miraculously while yet the most natural thing in the world – her wife with her. None of it was lost, even while she was suffering. She didn’t have to earn them, but nor were they likely be taken away from her. This had been proven, time and again.

That, she supposed, was safety.

Press Week | T. Holland

Pairing: Tom Holland X Famous!Actress!Reader

Warnings: no-no words maybe?? sexual innuendo, lots of fluff, lost of dialogue, a lot of 1D references but you probably won’t see them

WC; 3K

synopsis: just three times you and Tom were too adorable during press week

a/n: I had too much fun with this, tbh these are all based of actual interviews so don’t come for me

Masterlist | Taglist | Prompt List

—

"I'm Tom Holland."

"That does not sound like me!" Tom protests, mock offense displayed on his face.

"You're right, you're right, my bad. Okay, let me try again," You said, coughing you slap your chest a few times. "I'm Tom Holland!" You said using your best British accent and high pitched voice.

Tom smacks his lips together, rolling his eyes, "And I'm (Y/N) (L/N)!" He said, making sure to do an over the top impression of you.

"And we're answering the internet!" You announced, lifting a jar full of paper slips to the camera. You pull out the first piece of paper, reading it over yourself, thinking over an answer before saying it out loud, "What's your guy's go-to date night?"

You and Tom both look at each other before turning back toward the camera, "Netflix and cuddles."

"Not chill," You clarified, "this is a family-friendly show, Netflix and cuddles."

"Although," Tom objects, "sometimes we chill," he winks at the camera. You slap his arm for the comment and he yelps in pain, "Kidding!"

"Moving on." You hand the jar to Tom and he rummages around a bit before pulling out a random slip of paper.

"What's the worse feeling in the world?"

You pause, tapping your chin as you think. "Oh! Do you know when you're like really excited to get an apple and you go and get it and you're expecting it to be all crisp, juicy and sweet and instead you bite into it and it's kind of soft and a bit dry?"

Tom bursts out laughing next to you, burying his head in his hands as his body shakes with laughter, "oh my god, I love you," He spoke.

"I love you too?" You said although it came as more of a question. You weren't quite sure why Tom was laughing so hard, you were being serious.

He gathers his composure, wiping a few tears from his eyes, "Okay, so now that my girlfriend gave her ridiculous answer."

"It's not ridiculous! You asked and I answered," You interrupted, crossing your arms. Tom rolls his eyes, patting your knee gently.

"The worse feeling in the world for me does not have to do with food," He makes sure to give you the side-eye at the comment, "It’s when (Y/N) gets mad and I'll tell her to 'calm down, baby' I made that mistake once and I never will again."

You nod your head, giving the camera a serious look and pointing a finger, "Seriously don't tell your girlfriend or boyfriend that or they will strangle you."

"I've experienced it firsthand," Tom backs you up, "It's not my preferred method to be choked."

The whole room goes silent and you can feel your cheeks burning up in embarrassment at his comment, of all the things that come out of his mouth he had to say that? Tom glances at you, scratching the back of his neck, he mumbles a sorry and quickly hands you the jar of paper. You’re quick to pull out another question to change topics, "I simp for Tom's biceps any day."

Tom wiggled his eyebrows, flexing his muscles at the camera and you giggle, wrapping an arm around the muscle, "Honestly, me too."

Tom smirks, flexing a bit more and you gasp, making dramatic camera motions as he goes.

"What's the next question, lovie?" he asked.

You dig into the jar pulling out a slip, "How can I die for Tom Holland without being dramatic?"

Tom blushes, letting out a soft chuckle, before looking down at his converse and back toward the camera, "I don't know, maybe just don't die for me?"

You pat Tom's shoulder, flashing an apologetic smile at the camera, "Sorry, he gets flustered easily."

Tom scoffs, swatting your hand away, "do not."

You quirk an eyebrow at him, but say no more and read the next question to yourself, laughing.

Tom looks over your shoulder, before you fold the paper up again, "What? What is it?"

"How can I be (Y/N)'s new boyfriend?"

"Absolutely not!" Tom screams, ripping the paper from your hand, crushing it as you laugh, almost falling off your seat.

"She is perfectly happy with me!" He huffed, chucking the piece of paper offset as you continue to giggle next to him.

"Position already filled," You told the camera, leaning over to press a quick kiss to Tom's cheek.

"I think I’ll be picking the next question." Tom takes the jar from you and pulls out the next one, "If you guys could date anyone else in the world, without offending the other, who would it be?"

"Louis Tomlinson," You said, not missing a beat. At the same time, Tom says, "I wouldn't."

"oh shit," You giggle, biting your lip as you look to Tom.

His mouth falls open as he tosses the paper aside, "Of all the people and you pick my favorite member of One Direction?"

"Well, he's your favorite for a reason, no?" You counter.

"The man's got great hair, I won't lie. He's funny as hell, but I'd like to think my girlfriend prefers me than an ex-boy band member."

"It was a hypothetical question," You reassure him before adding, "but Louis if you're watching this my number is-"

Tom slaps a hand over your mouth, "Don't even think about it."

You stare at Tom, looking back down at his hand and he catches on quickly, "babe," he warns.

You giggle before licking his hand and he retracts it quickly, wiping it down, "Babe," He whines as you laugh.

"We're very professional," You point toward the camera, smirking as Tom continues to wipe his hand on his jeans.

"That's why they put us in this interview together," Tom said, still wiping his hand.

"Anyway," You take the jar back from Tom. "While my boyfriends freaking out because I licked his hand and I literally kissed him this morning, let's move on to the next question." You slip your hand in the jar, mixing up the paper a bit before picking out a random one, "PLEASE bring back the bed selfies."

Tom laughs, "See here's the thing, I would, truly, but (Y/N) doesn't like when I post myself shirtless and I quote, 'looking like perfect boyfriend material.'"

You scoff, "Priorities, Tom, Priorities. I'll let you post them when I get to be cuddled in your chest as well."

Tom shrugs, looking into the camera, "that can be arranged."

...

"We have some very special guests here with us today," The host said, causing all the fans to clap and cheer. "You might know him as the fishbowl man, but ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jake Gyllenhaal!"

The crowd claps as Jake jogs onto the stage, he stands arms open as he accepts their applause. He makes a more motion with his hands, to which the fans obey. He laughs, taking a bow as he takes his seat on the far end of the table.

"Next up we have the man, the legend, the one who plays your favorite sixteen year old from Queens, Mr. Tom Holland!!"

The crowd loses their mind as Tom strolls onto the stage, he stands, blushing, mouthing thank you as he bows repeatedly, blowing a kiss to the crowd while flexing a muscle. He takes his place next to Jake, tapping his microphone, "I'd like everyone to give a warm welcome to our other new member, you may know her as Eva Rose, but to us, we call her (Y/N) (L/N) or as I like to say, my lovely girlfriend," he winks.

The fans cheer, clapping and screaming as you take the stage. You smile, waving back at them and blowing a kiss, doing a little shimmy to your seat, where Tom pulls you down for an innocent kiss that makes the fan scream.

"I'd like to welcome our next guest, my best friend, and a walking goddess Zendaya!" You said into the mic. She struts onto stage, doing a little twirl as the fans cheer. She waves, grinning as she bows and takes her place next to you.

"And finally, we have, everyone's favorite, the only reason you want to see this movie, Jacob Batalon!" Tom grinned, waving his best mate on stage. Jacob runs on, fanning himself in mock excitement, laughing as he takes the last seat.

"Hey, guys! How is everyone?" The interviewer asks.

"We're good!" Tom said, waving to all the fans, "happy to be here."

"So this your second movie and obviously the cast has changed a bit, can you tell us what it was like working with them?"

Tom nods his head, looking toward Zendaya and Jacob, "Um, I think it was a really cool experience working with (Y/N) and Jake. It was kind of surreal to be working with such big names in the business, ya know? I met the love of my life on set too, so that was kind of a big plus."

You shrug, leaning into the mic, "it was just a big plus, that's all it was."

"Trust me, you didn't want to be on set when (Y/N) wasn't around. All Tom would do is gush about her for hours on end. I thought my ears were going to fall off," Zendaya pipes up, laughing as Tom goes red in the face.

"He got the girl, didn't he?" Jake asked.

You nod your head, "I think he did, not quite sure."

Tom swings his arm over your shoulder, "No I definitely did."

You look up at him, taking the chance to press a quick kiss to his lips and he hugs you a bit closer. Jake rolls his eyes as Jacob and Zendaya fake gag.

"You should've seen them on set, it was horrific."

The interviewer laughs, "I assume that means you guys have some embarrassing stories to tell?"

"Plenty."

The interviewer goes around asking questions about the movie-making process, filming, stories from the set, and questions from fans. You unscrewed the lid to your water bottle, taking a sip and Tom uses the opportunity to gently tilt it upwards, causing more water to come out. You cough, wiping down the water that drips down your chin as you glare at Tom. He smirks, giving you a coy smile and you have to resist the urge to slap it right off his face. A few fans had noticed the interaction and were pointing to you two, giggling. You lean over, whispering in Tom's ear, "I'm going to get you back for that."

He turns toward you, covering his mic, "I'd like to see you try."

"If you could play any other character, who would you want to play?" The interviewer asks.

Tom uncovers his mic, leaning in to answer, "Um, I think I'd like to play-"

You poke him in his cheek and he turns his head toward you, "yes?"

"Nothing carry on."

"As I was saying I think I'd like-"

You poke him again.

"Babe."

"Nothing."

He continues speaking and this time you let him go a bit longer before yet again, poking him in his cheek, this time he continues, swatting your hand away, only restoring in you poking him more as he continues to try and speak.

"I'm sorry," Tom said, "My girlfriend is making it very hard to answer."

You smile sweetly, "No one cares what you have to say anyway. I'd love to play MJ."

Zendaya laughs, "I'd like to play maybe... Shuri could be a lot of fun."

The interviewer moves on to some fan questions, handing them mics so they could talk to you.

"Hi my name is Isaac," One of them said.

"Hi, Isaac!" You all chorused.

"I'd like to first say I love you, (Y/N)."

You place a hand on your hear, "I love you more."

Isaac laughs, cheeks tinted a fair shade of pink.

"Seriously," You add.

Tom sits beside you, pointing to himself, giving the audience a quizzical look, "look like she's moved on already," He pouts.

You roll your eyes, "I'm sorry, Isaac. Tom's quite clingy."

Tom grabs your hand in his as if to prove your point. He kisses your hand softly.

Isaac chuckles, "my question is, do you ever get jealous of Tom and Jake's marriage?"

Jake bursts out laughing, slamming his fist down on the table as he regains his composure, "That was the best question ever."

"Um, no, no, I don't get jealous. It's hard to when you're just the side chick," You replied.

Tom's head is buried in his hands as he and Jake laugh.

"See what I mean? There was never a competition, Jake already won."

...

Tom held a small bin in his hand, full of tiny slips of paper, "So it's like charades, but with words?"

The interviewer nods, "Right, so there's something on the paper and you have to describe it without saying anything on the card, you have five minutes."

"I can do that," Tom muses, "can we start?"

The interviewer nods and Tom pulls out the first piece of paper, reading it to himself, Your first date.

"Um, it was you and me," Tom starts, "we were on set, in my trailer and we ordered some crappy pizza-"

"Our first date?" You asked. Tom nods throwing the paper away.

"I thought the pizza was quite nice," You mumbled.

Tessa

Tom makes a barking noise, not even looking up from the paper as you immediately said, Tessa.

Tom breaking his nose

"Okay, this happened to me once on set this year. It has to do with my facial structure, it happens more often then I'd like."

"Face fillers!" You said.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. I've done this about three times, it normally involves blood and bruises, the directors hate when it happens..."

You think about it for a bit, staring at Tom's face, "Oh, you breaking your nose!"

He nods, grabbing the next paper. (Y/N)'s iconic premiere look.

"You do break it a lot, your poor nose."

He shrugs, "'s fine now, hospitals work magic."

"It's actually my kisses that heal his nose," You corrected.

Tom nods his head, smiling up at you, "Okay, um, my girlfriend, she went to a thing and was dressed in like a-"

"My red carpet look?"

He crushes the paper, "You did look gorgeous, lovie."

"I know."

"I don't know why I even bother with compliments."

First kiss

Tom thinks about it for a bit, before tapping his lips gently and holding up his pointer finger. You tilt your head to the side, before leaning in to kiss him softly. You pull back only for Tom to grab the back of your neck and bring your lips against his again.

"Wasn't asking for a kiss, baby, but I won't complain."

"What is it then?"

He taps his lips again, "We were on set, having a funny face competition and you made a duck face and I thought you wanted to do a thing and so I did a thing."

You burst out laughing, "our first kiss?"

Tom grins, cheeks dusted pink, "yeah."

He grabs another piece of paper, Tom spoiling movies.

"Marvel hates me because of this."

"You spoiling movies."

(Y/N)'s strange love for apples

"We were in an interview and I asked a question and you immediately replied with the most ridiculous answer ever-"

"Apples."

When (Y/N) stepped on a snake

Tom laughs, taking a minute to calm down as he remembers the vivid memory, "We were in Australia, on our way back from the beach and there was an ssssss."

You stare at Tom as he does an impression of a snake, making a hissing noise and moving his hands and head in a (what you assumed) was a slithering motion. If you were being honest, you knew exactly what the card said but you quite liked Tom doing an impression of a snake, "when I stepped on a snake."

He snaps his fingers, "yes!"

"In my defense, the snake was the same color as the sidewalk and It didn't make any noise, but uh, it was pretty scary, it hissed and I ran."

"I've never seen her run so fast in her life," Tom added, "I almost couldn't keep up with her."

Tom's fear of spiders

"It's ironic, I'm terrified of what I am."

"Your fear of spiders."

He pulls the next card, "You for some reason think this guy is better than me-"

"Shawn Mendes? Harrison? Niall Horan? Dylan O'Brien?" You list off on your fingers.

Tom hides his face in his hands, "oh my god."

"Oh! It's Jacob!"

"I don't know why I bother with you."

You giggle, grabbing one of his hands to hold, squeezing it gently, "Is it Louis Tomlinson?"

He tosses the paper to the side and you kiss his cheek, "I only think he's hotter."

"Gee thanks, babe."

"I love you," You whispered, making a kissy face. He sighs, leaning in to press your lips together, noses brushing.

"M'kay, sure you do," He mumbled, grabbing the last few pieces of paper.

"You guys have five seconds left," The interviewer announces, startling you both.

Tom blinks, looking down at the few pieces of paper in his hands, "I shouldn't even bother, should I?"

You shake your head no and he looks to the interviewer who gives him a thumbs up to keep going.

"My best mate, he went to go get us something and he came back and managed to make a mess."

"That's extremely vague, but I'm guessing when Harrison spilled coffee all over himself?" You inquired, Tom tosses the paper in which you take a sign that you were right.

Tom nods, grabbing the last piece of paper. He gets down on one knee, gently taking your hand in his.

"Oh! You and Jake’s marriage."

He nods, getting back up and sitting next to you. He tosses the now empty bin behind him.

“Man, you’re so lucky to be married to such an amazing guy.”

Tom shrugs, smirk playing on his lips, “I guess he’s alright, would’ve preferred someone else though.”

You gasp, bringing a hand in front of your mouth, clearly displaying the diamond ring on your finger. Tom looks at it, shrugging as he turns to face the camera. You wink, blowing a kiss, making sure the diamond reflected in the light, “oh really, who’s the lucky person?"

Tom winks, holding up your interlocked hands, two rings set on each, "Who knows?"

— End —

🏷 Tom Holland Taglist: @honeybittersweet @cams-lynn @runway-to-my-aid @peterspideyy @yoinkyourheart @t-monosapiens-h @hollandsamor @quaksonhehe @imanativeofswlondondahling @jillanaholland @keenmarvellover @lexysclubhouse

strike through- can’t tag you

Hello, I had to make an ask in fear of it getting drowned out in the notes. First of all, your art is great and just wow. But I have always been curious to your interpretation of a qcard relationship. Personally, to me some of the pictures such as the rose one and the brilliant one where the two are kind of absorbed in a wave of red (would really love to know your thought process behind that) Picard seems to be a bit overwhelmed and lost for words. It's obvious in the pictures that (1)

thank you for your thoughts + inquiry! i too love to analyze details + recognize subtleties, especially with such an interesting relationship like q + picard.

hm... my core interpretation of qcard will always be that it's an agonizing, desperate "i need you with me, to know you makes me better, and you might not like it or be able to admit it, but you're better for knowing me, too," life-altering relationship where the god-like character straight up adores this one puny, grumpy human for a reason most likely neither can truly wrap their head around (the answer is love 💘). and on top of devastating romance, the relationship is so comedic + ridiculous. it's just an exceptionally delicious dynamic to me. i could talk about the intricacies + underplayed details of romance within q + picard scenes for hours.

my art is all about love + fluff + comfort + softness + intimacy. that's all i ever have in mind when drawing, and each piece is entirely separate from the others. there's no aspect of continuation in my art (unless it's a comic), i've just drawn another kissing pic lol. my focus isn't necessarily on picard or picard's feelings in my pics, even though i love him very much, it's more about q, how much q loves him, the gravity of such love. i love how much q loves picard, whether q understands the love he holds for picard himself or not, it's all so supremely + specifically special. and picard definitely would be shook up by an unmistakable affectionate touch from q... 😳😳😳

and also, i'm sorry to bring about any disappointment lol, but i didn't have much of a thought process for that pic. my art isn't directly + intentionally poetic; my reasoning behind art is usually "idk i thought it would look cool" or "i did that bc i'm lazy." the bg of red was just experimental texture usage; q defies human comprehension, so it's fun to play around + follow some surreal concepts. 😉

☽ darling, don’t leave me.

yandere! jojos + dio. general headcanons. tw: mentions of physical abuse, gaslighting, confinement, and noncon (dio’s part).

art credits: rosuto, ぴの, wW 武 Ww, unknown, suan, tumbleweed.

Jonathan Joestar is obsessive.

A true gentleman, Jonathan knows better than to let his feelings stray from his control. Still, he’s never been one to pursue love, so these feelings are entirely new. He courts his darling like any other self-respecting man of his time, allowing them the space to choose whether or not they desire him too. He doesn’t take being turned down personally as he’s perfectly content with merely being by his darling’s side. Even seeing them fall for another man is something he cannot force himself to intervene in; every smile and laugh not directed at him hurts far worse than any punch he’s ever received, but Jonathan thrives in seeing his darling happy and carefree.

Clingy as he may be, he isn’t above taking a few of darling’s possessions should the opportunity present itself. A head band or hair tie here or there, perhaps a pair of gloves or a hat his darling is sure to not miss — Jonathan is surprisingly adept and subtle at stealing and keeping these little trinkets. Darling may notice a few missing possessions, but it’s nothing Jonathan can’t laugh off as a misplaced item and easily replace with something new and extravagant. Money isn’t a problem, especially when it comes to his sweetheart. If it means they’ll stay by his side — or even look his way as more than a friend or confidant — he’ll give his darling the world.

Overbearing and well-meaning as he is, even gentleman aren’t without their flaws.

“You don’t have to feel the same. All I ask is that you don’t leave me.”

Joseph Joestar is protective with a hint of possessiveness.

Acting much more like an older brother rather than a lover — similar to his grandfather Jonathan — Joseph is hyper-aware of anyone that might hurt his sweetheart. He’s not sure how it came to be this way, really; it’s a first for him to not know even his own feelings. His darling is easy enough to read, and perhaps that’s what got him into this situation, where even the slightest brush of skin against his or the mere sound of them saying his name sends his nerves on edge. He likes the attention they give him when he acts like a brotherly figure; there’s no need to worry about unwanted feelings developing between the pair. At least, darling doesn’t have to worry, because Joseph falls in love despite his precautions. It isn’t until a competent rival appears that Joseph becomes rather intensely possessive and competitive — a rival like Caesar.

He hates losing, especially when he had his eyes set on the goal first. The moment a suave man like Caesar sets their sights on Joseph’s darling, he’ll turn snarky, snappy with even his darling. It’s a brutally stark contrast to the playful, chipper demeanor he usually bears, but it’s easy for darling to play it off as him having a bad day — until he doesn’t relent. His grip is harsher these days, his tone more grating and condescending whenever darling shows interest in his rival. At some point, he’ll lash out whenever they show interest in any man other than him.

If his insecurities and one-sided love are kept unchecked, he has no qualms with cutting his darling’s connection to anyone he deems a threat.

“Of course I’m jealous! You’re mine! You need me!”

Jotaro Kujo is manipulative with a hint of sadism and lucidity.

With a cool and collected exterior, it’s easy to convince his darling that everything they believe is wrong. Even a lionhearted lover will doubt themselves; or rather, Jotaro would seek an individual like this out. He’s used to women and men swooning over his good looks and alluring physique, though he doesn’t care much for the attention. Even when he degrades and admonishes his admirers, they fawn and swoon over him — it’s nothing short of disgusting, really. 

His ideal darling — the only type of person he’d seek out, rather than let come to him — is someone with a steel heart, someone hellbent on rejecting his words as law, someone who puts up a fight. Degrading and humiliating them will be a treat, a fun little challenge to come home to. He doesn’t want them to enjoy this in the slightest; he wants them to slowly break, to slowly doubt every piece of information they hear unless it comes from his mouth. Even the death of a loved one will seem surreal, exaggerated, fake unless he says so himself, and even then he won’t allow his darling that sort of luxury.

Once he’s tied his darling down (with a ring, and with ropes), they won’t see very much of him. As he pursues his career in Marine Biology, he’s often away on business trips, his only excuse for long periods of absence being “it’s too dangerous”, or some slew of insults thrown his darling’s way. He isn’t fond of divulging much of his personal life with them even if they are the love of his life; to him, secrets come hand-in-hand with relationships. Darling’s life is in danger simply by association; it’s best to act as if they don’t exist. Still, that doesn’t mean he’ll let them slip through his fingers. When he wants something, he’ll get it even if it’s eventual. 

Darling was doomed the moment he found an inkling of interest in taming them.

“Don’t look so scared when I’m around. I shouldn’t have to repeat myself.”

Josuke Higashikata is protective with a hint of delusion.

Sweet and compassionate as he may be, Josuke isn’t immune to feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, and obsession. He rationalizes these feelings as merely being protective of a good friend of his, but it’s not until his friends point out that what he’s feeling is love that he truly understands why his heart pitters and patters like raindrops when his darling’s around. He completely understands if darling doesn’t return his feelings — these things take time, he’ll say — but he doesn’t take kindly to jealousy of any sort. A mere mention of liking someone else will have him moping and distancing himself, but he’ll stay around just enough to ensure his beloved’s protection.

Josuke wouldn’t fare well with a darling who’s familiar with getting under his skin. Even an insult or two to his hair isn’t enough for Josuke to give up on his one-sided love; if anything, it’s an opportunity. Crazy Diamond has the power to heal after all, and when Josuke’s emotions run away from him, his darling may end up with more than a few cuts and bruises. Bones will be shattered, blood will be spilled, and apologies will fumble past trembling lips as darling’s abuser fixes them up — as if nothing ever happened. The only trace of evidence are the tears in Josuke’s eyes and the excuses on his lips — this easily becomes the norm. Both he and his darling will constantly tread along eggshells, the former worrying that his actions destroyed any chance of a relationship and the latter worrying the next time they step out of line, they’ll die.

But Josuke wouldn’t let his sweetheart die, no. He can heal whatever wounds they may receive, even its its from him. He’s a platonic yandere, at worst, and an overbearingly violent one at best. 

“Please don’t scream. People will think I did something terrible to you.”

Giorno Giovanna is manipulative with a hint of protectiveness and lucidity.

This soldato is cunning and intuitive, a natural-born leader with charisma rivaling his true father’s. He turns heads wherever he goes, inspires everyone he meets — it’s almost laughable how easy it is to twine people around his fingers. As a mere Passione soldato, he isn’t much threat to his darling, but as don, any hope of escaping his suffocating love is slashed. His control reaches farther than his darling can ever tread, and although he understands why his little coccinella would go so far as to run away, the thought of being without them is inconceivable. How can he protect them if they’re not at his side? Without him, darling could fall in love with the wrong person, someone who wears a mask and will hurt them once they’ve settled down together; without him, darling could fall in love with a monster. His step-father was like that, and he’d made Giorno’s childhood a living hell. So how could he let his darling tread that same path?

With a well-behaved darling, the don is a fairly normal lover... once they get past all the bodyguards and paranoia-filled lifestyle. Unlike his father, Giorno is not sadistic in the slightest; rather, seeing his darling in physical or emotional turmoil hurts him. He’s more apt to manipulate them in subtle, gentler ways rather than through brute force or threats. After giving them a new identity, he’ll keep them someplace safe, a private island off the coasts of Italy, somewhere heavily guarded and devoid of life except for his beloved and their bodyguards. It’ll be lonely, he’s sure, so he’s certain to visit whenever he has an ounce of free time. But even he can’t replace one’s need to feel social, safe, normal. That’s just the price his lover has to pay as the future spouse of a mafioso.

If he lived a different life, there’d be no need for all of this. Giorno’s love is bittersweet at best, but that realization isn’t enough to let his darling go. They need him, perhaps just as much as he needs them.

“I really can’t take it when you cry like that… smile for me, alright? You’re so pretty when you smile.”

DIO is sadistic, manipulative, and possessive.

Love has never done much for him, not in the way feeling powerful has. He prefers ruling over others rather than giving someone the ability to rule with or over him. His darling is nothing more than a plaything, at best — something to pass the time, something to sate his curiosity. Just how far can he push them before they crumble between his fingers and shatter like a precious gemstone? He takes pleasure in testing these boundaries, humiliating his darling as if that will help him understand this odd feeling humans call love. It’s possible for him to truly fall in love with his darling, but they will never take priority over his desire to end the Joestar bloodline. Perhaps, once he accomplishes this goal, his darling will be something nice to come back to, something stagnant and forever his.

He’ll go to lengths to break his darling, over and over again, see how much torture they can withstand before they realize that crying out or begging gets them nowhere. Will they hide their defiance under a facade of obedience, or will they truly break? It’s all an experiment to Dio, but either way, he’ll force them to be his little sex slave — sometimes, if they’ve behaved particularly nasty, darling will be the sex slave of his devoted followers, a little reward for being such wonderful subordinates. 

Apart from sexual torture, he’s keen on testing his darling on tidbits of information from the books he reads — completely mundane and often vague questions designed to make his little slave fail. It’s just a precursor, really, because he likes seeing them shine with determination only for it to shatter before their eyes. Punishments always follow, usually humiliation or sexual assault of some sort; though if he’s in a particularly bad mood, he won’t shy away from physically hurting his darling. All the better to break them with.

It’s a miracle if darling survives this little game of his, but if they do, he’s certain to keep them around for far longer than he originally anticipated. Being immortal can get so boring, you see, and what’s the fun of bottomless money and endless casual sex if he can’t keep an entertaining and worthy slave here or there?

“Tell me you love me as I fuck you into the mattress.”