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sirfrogsworth · 5 months

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I'm moving out of the city and I'm going to have to learn to drive. Any advice for someone (reluctantly) looking into cars for the first time?

Sorry for the late response, but I really wanted to answer this because I think I have some relevant advice.

I started driving the very day I was allowed to get my learner's permit. I took it very seriously. My dad was a mechanic, my brother literally built a car when he was 16. They were car guys and I was the goofy comedian they didn't really understand. So I wanted to be a really good driver to impress them.

I practiced every chance I got. I took driver's ed in school and got a 100% in the class. And I got a perfect score on my written driver's test and only got dinged for 1 thing on the main exam (it was bullshit, but apparently there is no way to protest a near perfect score).

But then I got sick and it didn't make sense to pay for car insurance and maintain a vehicle. So I didn't drive for roughly 15 years.

Then both my parents got sick and they became dangerous drivers and so I had to figure out how to drive again. And at first I was nervous, but after about a week of driving, I was nearly as good of a driver as when I was younger.

The reason?

Muscle memory.

Muscle memory will save your life over just about anything. The less you have to concentrate on the physical actions and habits required to drive, the more you can concentrate on situational awareness. If you don't have to think about turning the wheel, or braking, or even activating the turn signals, you can use all of that brain power to pay attention to all of the dumb fucks they let drive cars.

So my biggest piece of advice would be to break down all of the physical actions required to operate a vehicle. Even the tiny stuff like switching the station on the radio or turning down the fan on the A/C. Then find a way to practice these things over and over and over until you have that muscle memory embedded into your brain. My muscle memory was so deeply ingrained that it lasted through 15 years of not driving and a batch of mind-wiping electroshock treatments.

Find a safe place to practice and just repeat things until they feel like second nature. Especially checking your blind spots. If you can get checking blind spots to the point where you do it without even thinking about it, you will increase your safety substantially.

Other tips...

Small cheap cars are best first cars. Big cars can make you feel disconnected from the road. Almost like you are piloting the vehicle in a video game. I started on my grandma's 1987 Chevy Cavalier. It was tiny. It had no power. It was free. But I could feel everything I was doing. I could feel the turns. I could feel the road. I could feel braking and acceleration. And it really helped me understand the relationship between driver and vehicle. It was like a big go-kart but I think having that as my first car really helped me develop my driving skills.

And my last tip is to learn gradient braking and acceleration. It's mostly for the comfort of your passengers. It gives them a smoother experience but it also makes them feel safer driving with you. Basically you want to figure out how to apply pressure to the pedals in such a way that almost no G-force is felt. So you start with very light pressure and gradually transition into the max pressure you need. And you need to do it quick enough to stop and accelerate at the proper rate. If you don't transition fast enough you might not stop in time or be able to merge onto the highway. And if you transition too fast people will be lurching back and forth in their seat. But, again, practice makes perfect.

My brother is horrible at this, though mostly on purpose. He likes driving like everything is a race. And with his muscle cars, that can be fun at times. But when you are just going to the store it can make one a little nauseous. I find myself just grabbing the "oh shit" handles and never letting go.

But if you can smooth out your acceleration and braking to the point it is barely felt, all of your passengers will thank you for it.

Hopefully that helps. And maybe other folks can reply with additional advice. And if you have any more specific concerns feel free to ask. I wasn't sure if you were more worried about driving or picking out a car, so hopefully we can collectively cover both.

I wish you luck and hope you learn to love driving. It is pretty cool once you get the hang of it.

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riainceol · 1 month

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Dia daoibh, is mise Riain Mac Aoidh, I’m an independent musician from the North of Ireland.

Today is Bandcamp Friday and whilst I don’t have anything new to share today, did you know that my back catalogue contains a bunch of cool songs, and if you’re reading this post it’s about stuff you probably also care about?

Let’s take a look at a couple of my personal favourites.

Damocles is a song about the struggle of living under a society that wants you dead, as if the inevitability of the world turning on you is a constant pressure. I specifically wrote about my own experience with autism but we’re far from the only people who live with that pressure and doom.

Quite An Experience To Live In Fear was written about the “trans panic” in the UK and the US. While it is difficult to live with that spectre looming over you, the title is actually a reference to the people pushing transphobia. People like JK Rowling who have so much money and are granted ultimate security by capitalism are wasting their days in a quixotic campaign against normal people just trying to live their lives. They’re fascists, and fascists are ultimately cowards. They live in fear and drown in hate.

Dead Trees is a song about the older generations and their refusal to pay their lives forward to everyone coming after them. They stand towering over us in society in terms of wealth and influence and they might think they’ll be in that position forever, like towering pagodas, but wooden towers are just dead trees, and everyone dies.

The Kobold stands between you and your goal. He alone holds the key and in order to defeat him you must speak his name aloud for names have power, yet Kobold’s lie. I admit the dungeon music is very out of step with everything else on this list but it’s so fun to make.

I would have loved to have some new music available today but I recently relocated and am not set up to work. In fact I’ve been in this transition for a good couple of months now. If you’ve never supported my music before, now is a really good time to do so, as it helps this process go smoother for me and gets me back on track as soon as possible.

You can find these tracks and loads more like them here.

And if you can’t afford to buy anything right now, all of my music on my Bandcamp page has unlimited plays.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh agus Bandcamp Friday shona daoibh.

#independent musician #bandcamp #bandcamp friday #music #irish music

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tightjeansjavi · 11 months

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Slow Hands | Joel Miller x f! reader

Chapter 1 “Cuppa Love”

A/N: I breezed through this chapter in a matter of hours 🫠 I’m so beyond stoked for this little story and I hope it can end up providing all the soft Joel feels that we love ♡

~word count: 3.5k~

Summary: Joel Miller thinks that your coffee shop in Jackson is a bit too “frivolous” for his taste until Tommy tells him one day that it’s the best cup of coffee that he’ll ever have. Little does he know..he’s going to get more than just a cup of coffee when he finally meets you. You soon find out that the grumpy old man with a rambunctious teenager, is hiding sugar sweet softness under layers of hardness.

Warnings: some angst, Joel is struggling to adjust to living a domestic life, anxiety, feeling like an outcast, grumpy old man! Joel, shy! Joel, kinda mean! Joel, sunshine reader, flirting, fluff, awkward situations, reminiscing on the past, alluding to death/loss but no description, reader has no physical descriptions and is from Texas, reader has a nickname (beanie bc y’know coffee beans) no age gap, overall light chapter, vulgar language, +18 minors dni!

Joel Miller in your eyes was aloof, a tad bit on the grumpier side, never really smiling, always with a furrowed brow and a grunt under his breath. He was an old, grumpy man as Tommy Miller first described his older brother to you. That was the first time Joel Miller and his adopted kid, Ellie Williams rode into town one snowy afternoon.

You watched curiously from your coffee shop window at the sight of Tommy hugging his brother for his first time in years. It was a sight for sore eyes to say the least. By the time you gathered enough courage to introduce yourself, it was too late. Joel and Ellie were gone by the morning and you had missed your opportunity..or so you thought.

The following spring, Joel and Ellie had returned. From where? Well..that wasn’t disclosed to you. From spring to fall you’d catch Joel walking past your coffee shop every morning. His eyes would flit up to the old sign that swung calmly in a passing breeze. He’d shake his head, mutter under his breath before continuing down the street. You’d secretly hoped that he would stop in for a cup of coffee one of these days. Why? Well, you were curious. Curious about the old grumpy man that rarely shed a smile. You were curious on how he possibly took his coffee. (straight black) you imagined. No cream, or sugar as it didn’t seem like his cup of tea.

Presently, Joel was having a hard time adjusting to his new life. For over 20 years he was constantly living on the means to survive. There was no room for comfort or the little things in a post apocalyptic world; or so he had thought. Ellie was having a much smoother transition period into the domestic lifestyle. She was attending school now, working at the stables and she was making friends. Joel was happy for her, of course. After everything they had gone through together all he wanted was for his kid to be happy. Confusion would etch across his face anytime someone in town would smile in his direction or dare to even say good morning to him? He’d grunt out a goodmorning back followed by a painful forced smile.

Your little coffee shop in the middle of town absolutely plagued him. He’d walk by it every morning muttering under his breath about how frivolous your sign was. Cuppa Love how fucking cheesy was that? Not to mention, the sign above your shop had seen far better days, and the chipped wood, and peeling paint was grinding his gears to a painful level. Yet, despite the fresh and familiar scent of roasting coffee beans wafting through the cracked door, it was not enough to persuade him to take a peek inside.

Not yet at least.

“Have you met Beanie?” Tommy asked his brother in a casual conversation as they were riding back into town after being on patrol all morning.

“Who? N’What in the hell kinda name is that?” Joel gruffly asked as he looked over at his brother.

“She owns the ‘lil coffee shop tucked in the middle of town. She’s been here a few years, makes one mean cuppa joe. Honestly the best I’ve ever had since..well, you know.” He trailed off.

“That frivolous waste of space? Yeah, I walk past it every mornin.’ Doubt it’s the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had, Tommy. So, her name is Beanie? S’that like her nickname or somethin’?”

“It ain’t a waste of space! C’mon now. You gotta lighten up a little big brother. You don’t gotta be so up-tight all the goddamn time. How many times do I gotta say that you’n Ellie are safe. Y’know, I’ve had plenty of people come to me and say that you don’t even bother sayin’ goodmornin’ to them or nothin.’ There’s good people in this town, Joel. You can make friends if you—”

Joel cut him off with a low scoff under his breath. “Lighten up? I already told you, Tommy. It’s hard for me to go and adjust to..how I used to live because it ain’t even been all that long, and I still sleep with a goddamn shotgun under my bed, for Christ sakes. Sorry that your town folks don’t like the fact that I ain’t sayin’ goodmornin’ back. Didn’t realize it was such a crime.” He muttered the last bit with a heavy sigh.

Tommy reached his hand over and gently grasped his brother's shoulder, giving it a firm yet gentle squeeze. “Joel, I’m sorry if it’s comin’ across like I’m lecturin’ you or anythin’, it’s jus’ that I want you to feel comfortable n’happy here. I know that you and Ellie went through a lot, but there’s so many opportunities for you to start off fresh here, okay? Look, you don’t gotta go if you don’t want to, but just stop by Beanie’s shop and have a cup of coffee. I promise that you won’t regret it, and have I ever been wrong?”

Joel begrudgingly looked in his brother's direction. His brows furrowed, then softened as a sigh slipped past his parted lips. “I know you ain’t lecturin’ me. It’s just—it’s hard, Tommy. It’s hard tryin’ to jump into havin’ a normal life again. Ellie’s doin’ a hell of a lot better job than I am. Also think she may be avoidin’ me, but that’s a topic for another conversation. I guess there isn’t much harm n’me goin’ to this coffee shop. Can’t promise that I’m gonna like it.” His tone was softer now, nearly above a whisper because these were the genre of conversations that he dreaded having. Anything that had to do with feelings and emotions, Joel avoided like they were the plague. He had a hard enough time expressing himself as it is.

“I get it, Joel. Believe me. It took me months to not wake up on edge, to sleep without a rifle under my pillow. Maria was a big help of course, but I had to do a lot of growin’ on my own too. Baby steps, alright? You got me, Maria, and Ellie to help guide ya through this next chapter. You’re still my big brother after all.” He replied with a genuine smile smile on his face, one that had his eyes crinkle in the corners.

Joel found himself gently dropping his horse's reins around the withers before he was reaching over and pulling his brother into a one arm hug. “Yeah, you’re damn right that I’m your big brother, and you best not forget it.” Joel had cracked a hairline of a smile when Tommy had playfully pushed him away. “So, Beanie is uh..she’s nice I take it? Who the hell gave her that nickname?”

Tommy had an undeniable knowing smirk on his face as he lightly chuckled. “You’re lookin’ at him.” He stated proudly.

Joel rolled his eyes with an unenthusiastic shake of his head.

For the next week, Joel continued to stop right outside your shop’s door. He’d kick at the snow covered ground with the tip of his boot, look up directly at your sign, mutter under his breath and continue on his way. It wasn’t until one afternoon after coming back from patrol did Joel Miller finally make a proper appearance.

The bells that were tied to the side of the door jingled excitedly as Joel stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was the string lights glittering above and the rows and rows of handmade mugs just waiting for a customer to grab and cherish. The fire crackled calmly as Joel slipped his gloves off and nervously rubbed his hands together. “Uh—hello? Anyone in today?”

He thought about turning around and walking straight out the door until he heard the sounds of someone putzing around in the back area behind a curtain.

“Just a second honey and I’ll be right with ya!” You called from the back room. You had gotten yourself into quite a pickle with attempting to lift an god awful heavy bag of sugar onto the shelf above.

Honey?

Must be a southern thing. Was the first thing that popped into Joel’s head. Why else would you be calling a total stranger a pet name? Unless everyone around here had just truly gone completely soft in the head.

“Oh for fuck sakes! Who the hell decided that sugar was supposed to be THIS heavy!” You let out a frustrated grunt as the sack of sugar nearly tumbled out of your grip once more.

Joel raised a brow at the sound of your struggle. He glanced around, as if there was anyone else in your cozy little shop to help. He let out a frustrated sigh knowing that he was going to have to be the gentleman and help you out himself. “Y’need a hand back there? I got an extra pair.” No shit Sherlock.

“Congratulations.” You deadpanned.

Joel let out a quiet snort before stepping around the counter and pulled back the curtain to find your body nearly being crushed by the sack of sugar. Despite this, you had one hand outstretched in his direction for him to shake as your cheek was pressed against the burlap material. “Thank goodness someone decided to stroll in today. Pleased to meet you, I’m Beanie. Now, can you please give me a hand? You did say that you had an extra pair after all.”

Joel opted out on not shaking your hand. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to, it just looked like you were seconds from passing out and being murdered by a sack of sugar; so much for introductions.

The first thing you noticed about Joel Miller were his hands and how effortlessly he grasped the bag of sugar and lifted it onto the shelf above like it weighed nothing. You may, or may not have caught the way his broad muscles flexed from the motion, or the little stray curl that just simply wouldn’t stay put. He was handsome. Anyone with two working eyes could make that statement.

“Thank you kindly. Would have been an awful way to go..getting smothered by a sack of sugar was not on my bingo card for the afternoon.” You brightly smiled at your figurative savior.

Joel thought your smile was pretty. There was a certain lightness that was held within your eyes and—what? He just met you, and so far you were..quirky. As he nicely put it to his brother later that evening.

“S’no problem. I agree, it woulda been an awful fuckin’ way to go. It’s a miracle I was here to save ya.” He stifled a warm chuckle.

You wiped your hands along the colorful apron that you always wore as you ushered him back around the counter as you rested your elbows along the wooden surface. “So, coffees on the house just this once. Go on and grab any mug that you like honey, and then what’ll you be having?”

“Do you call all your customers honey?” He couldn’t help but ask as he observed the rows of handmade mugs dangling above him.

“Yeah! It’s kinda like my trademark. I’ve also found it makes people’s day around here when you call them something sweet. Y’know?”

“Ahh so it’s not just for your favorites or anythin’ like that?” He reached for the largest mug that had a brown tinted rim with an intricately painted owl on the front of the mug. Despite the size of the mug, Joel’s hands dwarfed it down immensely. His hands completely engulfed it as he set it along the counter.

“Everyone is worthy of a sweet nickname in my eyes. Oh, this is one of my favorites” You softly spoke as he set the mug down along the counter. “Forgot to mention that you’ll get to keep the mug as well. Just another token of kindness around here.”

Joel looked confused by your statement at first because well, he was still adjusting to strangers being kind for no other reason other than they just wanted to. “Well…wouldn’t you run out of ‘em?”

“No, you silly goose. I make them myself, and there’s plenty to go around I promise. I let all my customers take a mug home in hopes that they come back again for another cup of coffee whenever they’d like. They’re good conversation starters as well. Take this one for example, I painted this guy after seeing an owl in the stables one evening. He sat still for me the entire time, and it was almost as if he wanted me to paint him. Isn’t that so cool?”

“You make these yourself? Wow, you’re uh—you’re really talented, Beanie. I am quite fond of owls..that’s why I picked that one..” he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I make them all from scratch and then paint the details later. There’s one up there that I actually pressed flowers into the wet clay like a stencil and then painted in the petals and such after.”

“So, you’re like an artist then? I do a bit of wood workin’ myself. Ain’t all that good at it, but it’s a hobby that I guess I enjoy.” He wasn’t sure why he was finding it so easy to talk to you. The conversation just seemingly flowed between the two of you.

“Me? An artist? I suppose you could say that but I just do it for fun really..helps the time pass by and people seem to enjoy it so that’s just another bonus for me. I’m sure your wood sculptures are beautiful. It’s good to have a hobby like that.”

Joel nodded, clearing his throat. “Yeah, so uh—anyway I heard that this is the best..well, only place to get a cup of coffee in town. I’ve had a lot of coffee in my lifetime, so I am expectin’ the best. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, I'll admit it.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place because I am a bit of a coffee snob myself. So, what’ll you be having? I can make just about anything, which is pretty fucking incredible considering we’re living in a post apocalyptic world and all that. Least I can do is make a damn good cup of coffee.”

“As long as it’s better than that Starbucks crap that every goddamn person I knew used to eat up like it was fuckin’ gold or somethin.’” He chuckled. “Uh—just a latte would be good. I know, I don’t look like much of a latte man, but ya did say you could make jus’ about anythin’ so i’ll put that to the test.”

“I never understood the whole Starbucks hype myself. Not when there were perfectly good local coffee shops around but hey, to each their own right? Anyway, one latte coming right up!” You grabbed the mug from the counter gingerly before starting on his drink. He was of course naturally curious on where the hell you sourced your coffee beans. You must have been reading his mind or at that exact moment because you were answering his question before it ever left his brain.

“It’s amazing what you can find at old plant nurseries and greenhouses. You cannot believe the excitement on my face when I found a couple coffee plants at a nursery in Colorado. Maria lets me use part of the greenhouse for the plants and they surprisingly hold up pretty well in the winter.”

“Are you a mind reader now too?” He jokingly asked as he casually leaned against the countertop. “So, who gave you the nickname Beanie if you don’t mind me askin’? Does it stand for somethin’ or did it just stick?”

“Nah, I just have an incredible sense of intuition. Your brother Tommy so happened to have given me this nickname. It started off as the “latte girl” and then he started calling me Beanie because well, coffee beans. Then it just sorta stuck and now everyone that comes in here calls me that.”

“Ahh. Of course my brother gave you that nickname. Why am I not surprised? How long have you known him? I take it, you know who I am then? He’s got an awful big fuckin’ mouth that one.”

You had your back towards Joel as you were finishing up on his latte. Back before outbreak day, you owned a little coffee shop much like this one, in Austin Texas. The name of your shop was Cuppa Smiles, and it was like your baby. You were known for your cute little latte art that had your customers feeling extra special, even on the toughest days. Well, not every customer appreciated it…

“I’ve known your brother for a few years now Joel. I was found just on the outskirts of town in pretty rough shape. I thought I was toast when Tommy and Maria found me. Little did I know that I was about to be brought into this little slice of heaven. He actually told me a couple weeks ago that you’d probably be stopping in sometime. I’m glad that you did.” You had just finished your latte art that consisted of a heart with two eyes and a smiley face.

You presented the mug to him with a soft smile and as he looked down at the heart smiling up at him through a sea of cream colored foam, the realization suddenly dawned upon him that he had met you before. Back before the cordyceps took everything from him that he knew. Back before he slept with a rifle under his bed. Back before—

“You were the reason that I was always fuckin’ late to work!” He blurted out suddenly as if he was having an aha! Moment where the lightbulb was going off and yelling, ‘ding ding ding! We have a winner ladies and gentlemen!’

Confusion washed over your features at his sudden outburst as you looked between the mug and the broad man standing before you, trying to pinpoint if you had met Joel Miller before but how was that even possible…right?

“I’m..sorry? I don’t believe I understand what you’re talking about?” You looked at him as if he had suddenly sprouted five heads.

“I know you, I swear I know you because back in Austin there was this one fuckin’ barista that always was insisting on doin’ some silly little latte art on my coffee, and every goddamn time I was late to work, It was because of you!” He didn’t know whether to laugh or grow angry at his newfound realization. One thing was for sure, his mind was absolutely turned to dust.

You blinked and opened your mouth like a blubbering fish as Joel solidified the truth that you did in fact know one another in some capacity. You couldn’t help the feeling of your heart stinging a little at his comment about your silly latte art.

“Oh my god, you were that man always saying he was in a rush! I remember you’d fly into the shop with—”

“My daughter.” He finished the sentence for you with flushed cheeks that were rosy at the peaks of his cheekbones. His heart was nearly hammering out of his chest as the past he forced himself to let go of was suddenly coming rushing back to him.

“She liked the strawberry jelly filled donuts that we always had on display.” You tone lowered, sounding more like a soft whisper.

“She didn’t just like them, she loved those fuckin’ donuts.” His head dropped slightly as he took a deep breath. “M’sorry for yellin’ at you like that. It’s jus’ that you’re the first person I’m seein’ in over 20 years that’s from my past that isn’t my brother. It’s just—it’s a lot to process.”

“Joel, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize for reacting like that, okay? It was a normal human response. You did look familiar but I didn’t put two and two together till you brought up the latte art. I’m sorry I made you late for work all those times. I guess I just never picked up just how much in a rush you were..”

He was looking up at you now through thick lashes and warm espresso colored eyes that seemed to have flecks of gold in them, depending on the light they were in. “S’okay. I kept comin’ back because the coffee was that good, and cause Sarah loved those donuts..she thought your latte art was anythin’ but silly.”

“Well, I hope this cup lives up to what Cuppa Smiles used to deliver.”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Joel remarked as he wrapped his hands around the steaming mug. He took a small sip and instantly felt like he was back at home in Texas. It was an early Sunday morning, the mourning dove cooed outside the billowing curtains, Sarah called for her dad downstairs in the kitchen, stating that breakfast was ready. His favorite mug, and babygirl were waiting for him in the warm early morning light.

“Holy shit. This is delicious! How the hell did you get it to taste so good?” Joel asked as he took another sip.

“It just takes a bit of sugar, and lots and lots of love.” You responded with a soft smile gracing your features.

Tag List: @cupofjoel @morning-star-joy @thetriumphantpanda @sinsofsummers @dinsdjrn @cavillscurls @kirsteng42 @korynnekorynne @yazsos @amanitacowboy @ilovepedro @pedrostories

Please comment if you’d like to be added to the tag-list! ♡

Chapter 2:

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scalingsvt8thusiast · 2 months

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Skin-Deep: Epilogue 1

summary: The one where you fall for Seungcheol amongst all the protests and insecurities. The one where you don't know that he's fallen for you too.

a/n: I literally just finished this hehe sorry it took so long guys 🥲 It's going to a be a 2 part epilogue. Enjoy! ❤️

“SIS!”

“WHAT?”

“TELL YOUR BOYFRIEND TO STOP SENDING FLOWERS!”

The door swung open and you were met with a bunch of roses. Vernon’s head peeked out from the side.

“I believe that would be the 5th one today,” Vernon said looking around your room which had effectively turned into a greenhouse.

You sighed as you moved a few vases, filled with a variety of flowers, creating space for your brother to set down the biggest bunch of flowers yet.

“I’ve tried to get him to stop-,”

“Don’t try,” Sneeze “make him,” Sneeze “Jesus!” Sneeze “make him stop!” Sneeze.

“This place is like pollen central,” Vernon pinched his nose, backing out of your room, “there’s more in the living room by the way.”

You chewed on your bottom lip, looking around. It looked more like a florist than you room right now. Seungcheol had been sending flowers everyday since the two of you got back together. It started off cute and innocent with one or two bouquets. Then it became a massive monstrosity of up to 20 bouquets a day.

You wanted to strangle him.

But you couldn’t, you couldn’t strangle your sweet, loving boyfriend who vowed to send you flowers every single time he thought of you. Definitely not because you physically couldn’t reach him as he was back at uni finishing off his last semester.

You had opted to finish your last semester online. Obviously it wasn’t allowed, but it helped that your father (and soon your brother) owned the land that the institute was built on. A quick email from your father had the Dean sweating in his socks as he called you personally to ask if there was anything he could do to make your transition from physical classes to online classes any smoother. Poor man was scared shitless.

Once last glance at your greenhouse room, you shut the door and left.

“Wow, Mingyu really went wild on this.” Vernon said, letting out a low whistle as he pulled into the driveway

The both of you looked on in awe. Spotlights danced between the building and the sky, streamers on every window, the fountain at full force and a variety of supercars lining the driveway. You and Vernon watched as various individuals exited their cars dressed head to toe in the biggest name brands and the shiniest jewellery.

“Gosh, did he invite the whole world?” You remarked, watching a girl in a full body of Balenciaga step onto Mingyu’s front steps in a pair of diamond encrusted Louboutins.

“Are we underdressed?” Vernon looked down at his own clothes and then to you, he had never been more thankful that his car windows were tinted. Thinking it was a simple house party, the both of you decided to turn up in casual clothing. You were literally in your princess leia hoodie and Vernon was wearing some ratty yoda sweatshirt.

You sank into your seat. Vernon, being Vernon, just had to drive his bright red LaFerrari. People were surrounding the car, probably wondering who owned 1 out of the 499 LaFerrari(s) produced worldwide.

It was too late to go home and change now, you spotted Mingyu bounding towards your car. Vernon rolled down his window, just enough so that only his eyes could be seen.

“Guys, park in the garage, theres too many people out here.” Mingyu beckoned to follow him.

Mingyu guided the car into park in his massive garage, away from the prying eyes of the other party goers. Right next to you and Vernon was Minghao’s McLaren P1 (number plate: XMH 8).

“Oh my god, Gyu.” You exclaimed as you got out of the car. “There’s so many people.”

Mingyu smiled triumphantly, placing his hands on his hips. “I’m aiming for Party of the Year!”

Vernon nodded with vigour, “Sounds achievable.”

“Wow Gyu, who picked that out for you?” You said, admiring your friend’s all Dior outfit. Very sleek for a boy who was about to get shit-faced.

“I did!” Mingyu’s smile got impossibly bigger.

You hummed, expressing your approval.

“But what are you two wearing?” Mingyu eyed you and Vernon, clearly confused. “Did I say it was star wars themed or something?”

“No, Gyu we thought this was a small party!” You cried, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious.

“We were just about to turn back and change.” Vernon murmured.

Vernon turned to you, “Should we get a maid to send over some clothes?”

You bit your lip, you didn’t like bothering your staff like this. Surely not everybody was dressed up.

“Mingyu!” Junhui’s head popped through the door, he stepped through the door fully when he saw the three of you. “You guys are here too!”

Junhui, who’s always in casual clothing, was dressed from head-to-toe in Alexandre Mattiussi’s newest collection.

You turned to Vernon.

“I’ll call someone.”

You and Vernon were holed up in Mingyu’s bedroom. You on his bed scrolling through your phone and Vernon playing around with Mingyu’s weights. Luckily, the party was in the main house and not many people were loitering near the garages so Mingyu was able to guide the two of you into his room without being spotted.

While you normally didn’t care about your clothes or what people thought, it was incredibly rude to show up to a nice event like this in casual clothing. You also didn’t want more rumours being spread about you being snobby, never attending any events with your parents.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and Mingyu’s head could be seen.

“Special Delivery!” Mingyu cried, pushing the door open fully to reveal a familiar face holding a massive bouquet of roses.

“Cheol!” You squealed as you ran into your boyfriends embrace.

He received you with a smile, burying his face into your hair, “Hey, sweets.”

“What are you doing here?” You beamed as you pulled yourself away from Seungcheol’s chest.

“I thought I would surprise you.” Seungcheol said, stooping down to plant a kiss on your forehead.

Mingyu cleared his throat awkwardly, “Also, here’s your change of clothes.”

“Come on sis, let’s get changed,” Vernon grabbed the bags from Mingyu, “Then you can go downstairs and show off your boyfriend.”

You and Vernon entered the main house. Vernon dressed in Kenzo and you were in one of your mom’s prototype creations for Celine.

Minghao spotted you two and quickly waved you over. You felt people’s stares and heard their not-so-soft whispers. Of course, you didn’t expect anybody to know you but people knew Vernon thanks to his regular attendance at events.

“Oh my word is that-?”

“Vernon Chwe! But who’s the girl?”

“Is that Hansol's new girlfriend?” (You and Vernon stuck your tongue out in disgust)

“Omg, her dress is to die for!”

“As usual, the Chwe twins become the talk of the party.” Minghao teased.

You rolled your eyes at Minghao before being pulled into Seungcheol’s arms.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Seungcheol drawled, giving you one of his lazy smiles.

“Hi, handsome.” A shy smile appearing on your face.

The two of you were in your own world, his hands on your waist as his thumbs traced soft patterns, his brown eyes staring deeply into yours. How he wished he had chose to surprise you at your house instead of a party. After being away from you for so long all he wanted was some alone time with you.

“Is that Choi Seungcheol?” “It is!”

“So that girl is not dating Chwe Hansol?”

“Must be some well-off socialite.”

God people were nosy.

You rolled your eyes at Seungcheol who returned with an amused chuckle.

“Let’s move somewhere else.” You muttered, moving to rest your head on Seungcheol’s shoulder, hiding yourself from the curious onlookers.

“Anything you want.”

The pair of you exited the main house and into the massive garden. The crowd started to thin as you went further out of the compound. You knew the place like the back of your hand having spent majority of your childhood running around here. You caught sight of what you were looking for, a white gazebo surrounded by a pond, which was thankfully devoid of people.

You pulled Seungcheol under the gazebo, returning into his arms as you rested your hands on his shoulders.

“You should have told me you were coming!” You pouted at him.

“That would have defeated the purpose of a surprise, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about all of this.” You muttered, burying your head into his chest.

Seungcheol stroked your hair affectionately. “I don’t care about that, I have you, that’s all that matters.”

“You’re so cheesy.” You grumbled from his chest.

He chuckled at your cuteness, continuing to run his hand through your hair.

“What about your parents?” You asked, not daring to look at his face.

“I cut them off.”

“WHAT?” You pulled yourself off him, mouth agape. “Cheol! You can’t do that!”

“Yes, I can.” Seungcheol assured. “And I did.”

“Oh my goodness, don’t stop talking to your parents just because of me!” You cried, you didn’t want to be the cause of a family fall-out. This was starting to sound like the Taiwanese drama your mother was telling you about over lunch.

“Listen,” Seungcheol said, moving the stray pieces of hair out of your face, “I plan to marry you and I don’t want you to deal with my crazy parents ever.”

“That’s all fine and dandy, darling.” You fretted, “But what about money? What about your inheritance?”

You weren’t worried about money per say, you alone had enough for the both of you for the rest of you life (and a million other lives). You couldn’t deny what his parents said: Seungcheol was raised with a certain lifestyle. If he were to lose everything it would be extremely hard for him to transition away from all that. He also spent majority of his life being groomed by his parents to take over, it would horrible to watch all that hard work be thrown away.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I own a large percentage of the company.” Seungcheol said nonchalantly.

You peered at him, eyebrows furrowing, “What?”

“The company is still technically under my grandpa and not my dad. He transferred my portion of shares to me before I came here.” He explained, tracing your eyebrows with his thumbs, trying to get you to relax. “He was quite pissed with my parents when I told him what they did to you.”

“He really likes you by the way.” A proud look on Seungcheol’s face, “I mean it’s impossible not to.”

You blinked a few times, loss for words. Seungcheol face morphed into that of worry.

“I probably won’t be some big shot CEO in the future. I might become a rapper or something.” He laughed nervously.

Now that Seungcheol’s future was so uncertain, he was worried he might not be enough for you. You who had such a bright future, even without the help of your parents. He didn’t want to seem like a burden to you.

“Cheol, you could be my stay-at-home husband for all I care.” You paused, “Are you sure you’re ok with all this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your relationship with your parents? The fact that you lost your position in the company?”

“Baby, I genuinely did not care about any position or ranking in that building.” Seungcheol clarified, “My relationship with my parents was destroyed the day they stopped prioritising their child over their work.”

Tears welled up in your eyes, you couldn’t help but feel like all of this was your fault.

“Please don’t cry, okay?” Seungcheol reassured you as he wiped the tears away from your eyes. “None of this is your fault.”

More tears started pouring down your cheeks as you let out soft sobs. Seungcheol pulled you back into his chest. He held you tight against him as he rested his chin on your head. He continued muttering soft apologies as you bawled into his chest.

a/n: not very confident about this chapter, but I seriously hope it wasn't too bad 😭

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meafortuna · 10 months

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ASTRO NOTES # 7

Spiritual awakening or just an astrology? 🪬

It's kind of a trend nowadays to get into spirituality, which I can't say is a bad thing, but I'm a logical thinking person and an over-thinker😅 and decide to go a little deeper into this topic. After all, astrology is a science, and that science can explain a lot about things like the dark night of the soul, the death of the ego, or even twin flames. Here are some astrological transits that will make you feel like something extraordinary is happening to you. I hope you enjoy this one. 🫶

• Uranus transiting (conjunction, opposition, square) your natal Moon. You may start to feel like you are thunderstrucked⚡️, something in you have really changed with the blink of an eye. Your emotions may become more unpredictable, your thoughts may start moving in different places and directions. It’s like you are going crazy, but you know you’re not. You will feel just like an alien, like you don’t belong here. 🛸

• Transit Pluto to your natal Sun. Oh, my godness! 🫥 This is one of the biggest transformation you will have in your life, especially if it’s in conjunction with your Sun. The ego death is real, your whole belief system changes and it’s hard, really hard. You will struggle with the urge to make the changes you will need to make, because you will have to lose someone or something you don’t want to lose. This will be your greatest rebirth. 🌅 After this transit, nothing will be the same in you and for you. It’s painful, but it’s probably the most powerful and beautiful process of your entire life.

• Saturn returns, in particular the first one. Here the things can be a little bit smoother, because after all Saturn represents the karma, the lessons we have to learn. 🪐 So if you have been working hard on the things you want and you still doesn’t see any results, wait until your Saturn return, everything it will reward you. And if you haven’t done any work to achieve your goals (here we can talk about health, work, love life and etc, depends on the house your Saturn is sitting) you will have to learn the hard way why does something always go wrong. In these about two and a half years, you will have to learn some lessons about patience or responsibility, in other words - you will have to grow up. 🐛 - 🦋

• Transiting Neptune 🔱 aspecting your Moon. With this transit you can start diving really deep into your subconscious. 🧘‍♀️You may feel the urge to start exploring yourself more, things like astrology, psychology, esotericism will naturally appeal to you. But there’s always a catch… there is a danger of overuse of substances that can lead to addiction. But if you’re smart enough, you will use the 🍄🍃more as a tool and with intent, not just to escape reality or to make yourself feel better.

• On the Twin Flame topic. ♾️ Here we don’t talk about transits, just aspects.

Pluto/Saturn/Neptune in contact with Venus or luminaries in synastry. The intense of the connection between two individuals it will be so strong, powerful and magnetic, like its something really destined to be. Aspects like this can lead to feeling like you have finally met your Twin Flame. 🎎🔥I will quickly explain why. With Pluto you will feel that transformative love you have never met before, we know the relationship between twin flames is super tense and emotional. 💣 Saturn will make you go back to each other, because there are lessons that have to be learned, that gives the on and off dynamic of the couple and the feeling you know that person from before. Neptune will give you that telepathic and outworldly feeling. 💞

I don’t want to kill the magic, but science is science and if you know how to use it, you will go much easier through your spiritual awakening journey.✨⚔️📚

~meafortuna💙

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ghostflowerhotpotch · 1 year

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Meet the Parents Part 2

Okay, once again, I rambled for too long and needed to do a second part. Sorry that this post is also coming delayed, real life stuff comes first.

Part 1 to be up to speed!

You know? Maybe it was for the best that the post got cut short, I realized of a small detail that didn't notice yesterday.

The sequence where this four frames are from last around a 1 or 2, I am not really doing this in any professional fashion so I cannot say the exact time; but it is pretty quick, even at half speed.

But you can see how for a moment, Gwen either realizes this is not going well, or drops the enthusiastic persona for a second. Either way, I think it shows that this is not going how she expected.

While Gwen hasn't heard enough to know it was a bad idea using their first names, I don't doubt that Miles talks about them fondly.

She got along well with May and Ben (I notice later that there are some flashbacks including Ben.) And that probably meant a lot to her because you can see how prevalent was the relationship between those families, eating together, talking, etc. Almost like a family.

I don't think Gwen would like to replace Peter and his family, but Miles is not a replacement of Peter anyways. She probably wanted meeting them (Even if I am sure she didn't want to have this meeting today,) would run a lot more smoother.

Because she knows Miles loves his parents, and they do sound like good people; she didn't even seem to think this could actually turn so awkward.

This moment just last a couple of seconds at best, so this goes fairly quickly.

And again, I am not saying this because I want to paint Miles' parents in a bad light; even if they are not giving a fair shot to Gwen, all things consider they are been extremely patient with Miles.

(I really need to do a post about that.)

Now going back to where we left it.

Oh this scene is so hard for me to see.

(Sorry, but DAMN the representation here; this didn't exactly happen to me, but similar enough that is giving me the most embarrassing flashbacks. No I am not saying this is an universal experience, just very painfully real to me.)

Okay, Miles' parents are being over protective here? Oh for sure.

While I think their actions are very logical and understandable once you remember they have no idea what Miles is doing; this is really the part where Rio and Jeff shows us they also need to mature in this movie.

And I don't say it as an insult; a lot of parents have trouble with this transition, and Miles is their first and only child; with said child suddenly not acting as the same kid anymore.

(Sidenote; I am surprised Miles doesn't have any siblings, Jeff and Rio look so in love I am surprised it didn't happen.)

I love how Gwen just takes her hand back, like "well damn I didn't even get a date with him and his parents already are telling me to back off."

Also oof, poor Miles. Honestly forget three months this is probably worse than that already.

Rio making that joke is painfully realistic and let's move on to the other part of that dialogue.

I think Rio and Jeff aren't just trying to establish some rules with Miles (considering the amount he has broken today,) but they also need to reaffirm themselves of being able to dictate what's going on Miles's life.

Again, this is coming just after they grounded him, and then he dipped out. They are feeling they are losing him.

I love Rio, I do, but ma'am this is how you get your kid to keep even more secrets for you.

Not much else to say here, this is the lesson she and Jeff need to learn. Miles is (probably) still hating being alive right now; and Gwen is somehow able to keep that composed face despite everything which has to be one of her most impressive feats in this film.

I honestly have to feel it for Gwen right now.

She probably knows the alert her watch is giving her is bad news, so she really doesn't have another choice.

Forget not making a good impression with Jeff and Rio, now she just lost her chance to have a decent goodbye with Miles.

At this point I don't think she would had admitted to herself this couldn't happen again, I think even now she hoped for another chance later down the line. But there is no idea to know when.

I have no idea what she would had said if she had the chance to say goodbye on her own terms, to his face; but it was certainly not what she ended up doing.

Girl, 3 years being spiderwoman and you can't still come up with good lies for situations like this?

Ok I cannot blame her for not being able to come with up with something better; this entire conversation was already not going well and now she basically needs to flee, which doesn't help.

Oof, look at Miles's face, he really looks so heartbroken here.

For all the awkwardness Gwen has sported during this conversation, this is among her most natural expressions; while she is probably not stranger for dipping early, I do think this is not how she wanted to leave.

Gwen really didn't want to leave, at least not leave Miles. While she couldn't really explain what was going on, I think she wanted to let him no that this isn't about his parents or him, she wouldn't be going out if she didn't have any other choice really.

Jeff hasn't really said much during this conversation, mostly having judgy stares at most, but you can see his expression become a bit more open once he sees Gwen's behaviour change.

Rio I think is trying to maintain a mask because she probably also caught on this looking a bit off, but also because is around here that she starts to realizing how much Gwen means to Miles.

I think is also around this point that Rio seemed to want to say something else.

She could just be trying to say goodbye, but I think her expression and her hand point out more than she actually wanted to intervene here.

I am pretty sure that regardless of how Jeff and Rio felt about Gwen, they didn't want to make her run away like that.

Because again, they are missing context; Gwen is leaving because the Spot flee and she just got herself into a mess, Miles knows this is related to spidey issues.

But as far as Jeff and Rio are concerned, this girl tried to be friendly (way too friendly for their liking but friendly nonetheless,) and is now running away after Rio decided to play Mother Hen.

(Sorry, that joke may not be understandable in english. Mama Gallina/Mother Hen is an expression used a lot in my country for moms that are very protective of their kids.)

Oh, this shot.

This is an interesting comparison because when Miles heard that Gwen was leaving, he looked so crestfallen; she could see it so did his parents but he didn't register the fact that it was so pain this was for him.

Gwen maintained a somewhat composed face to them, but on this shot that she is giving everyone the back, she looks so sad.

This, is basically their relationship in a nutshell. Miles wears his heart in his sleeve and can't help himself on it, and Gwen tries her hardest to keep her emotions at bay, but everything so often they creep back.

This is awkward, and it looks awkward, and this is really more into speculation territory than analysis, but I think she did it because she wanted to go for a hug, or similar.

I had mentioned in other posts how I believe Gwen is an affectionate person, or at least, someone who likes and seeks physical affection to those important to her.

The way she went to hug her dad both at the beginning and end show how much she craves affection; and how she barely contained herself before hugging Miles tells me not just that she probably has even less people to hug nowadays, but how much important he is to her.

But she probably doesn't want to upset his parents more, and his mom told her just a minute ago to basically leave Miles alone; so this was the best she could think of.

Nobody is really happy. Even Rio and Jeff are realizing how uncomfortable is Gwen; thought again, they are probably thinking this is all their fault.

This is really the moment when Rio and Jeff are probably realizing that whatever the heck is going on with Gwen and Miles, is important to them, or at least Miles.

Again, Jeff and Rio are worried, and they have no idea what Gwen's situation is, Miles mentioned she left town but they didn't even believe she existed prior this so they probably doesn't think that's case. Or even if it was, well, keeping contact can't be that hard in this day and age right?

(Sadly, Miles really needed to fall in love with a girl who to get in contact with you need technology from another timeline.)

Miles is 15, and they just met this girl, they couldn't imagine how much she matters to him, specially with all the secrets.

And here, is when Rio finally can let her own feelings aside for a moment, and see her actual son, and not the idea she has of him.

Of course, he is just staring at where she is at, no idea when he would see her again.

A part of me wonders, if he would had tried to go and say something else if his parents wouldn't had been here.

I really, do think Gwen wanted to say something else.

Now with all the context, it makes me so sad to see Gwen leave, and still have trouble to actually do so.

Because she knows this meeting wasn't suppose to happen, and she has no idea if she could ever repeat it or when. She has been so focused on Miles she completely neglected the mission, heck, she even neglected to keep an eye on the guy, which wasn't even so much of a fix for this situation.

You know? Something I kept thinking while analyzing this scene, is how is not just Miles struggling to keep a civial life and a spider life, Gwen is going to the same thing, or similar enough at least.

At this point, she has embraced the Spidey life, she literally has no other choice because she cannot go back home. Her life as Gwen Stacy was gone; being able to just be a carefree teen is left by the times she can be crashing at Hobbie's dimension, and even then, you see that is not enough.

In this sequence, she tries to go back to those patterns, like the camaraderie she had with May, or the jokes she probably shared with her dad's buddies.

But it doesn't go well, and her last moments with Miles were extremely awkward, and them discussing about the organization.

This all feels just like a bitter reminder, she can't be just a teen anymore.

Is a shame, because on the Clock Tower we basically confirm, that Miles was the only person that could make her feel that someone was seeing her for all her. To combine those two worlds she belonged.

But she can't have that now, just like she believes, she can't have Miles.

#ghostflower #gwiles #gwen stacy #miles morales #atsv spoilers #rio morales #jeff morales #across the spiderverse spoilers #across the spiderverse #ghostflower files #will reblog this tomorrow to a decent hour lolol

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 7 months

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Hey Raven, are you going to watch the upcoming new Disney movie "Wish"?

I've seen mixed reviews, but i'm lowkey excited since we get to see a new Disney villain, especially since Disney got really lame villains after all the old classic movies!

Have you seen the trailer for the movie? What are your thoughts so far?

I saw Wish with a friend recently! I'll give my thoughts on the trailers here (in case you don't want spoilers for the film itself) and put my full thoughts beneath the cut (if you're okay with spoilers).

Looks-wise, I think Disney was definitely trying to go for something more stylistic and painting-esque for this?? And while I commend the effort, it definitely doesn't look as interesting as Puss in Boots 2: The Last Wish. The humor also definitely isn't for me, it feels very "quirky" and "so relatable" (Asha reminds me of Mirabel in that sense), and other times too juvenile (like the goat butt joke). I do like the idea of the villain passing as a good guy in-universe and actually being vain and selfish, especially since the marketing is making it clear who the bad guy is rather than making it a "twist" villain scenario. Not sure if I like Magnifico himself though??? All the ads with him in it feel like Disney is trying too hard to make people thirst for him. From just the trailers, Magnifico does seem interesting and like more of a return to the traditional "villain" rather than the protagonist having to deal with an existential dread or concept.

***Spoilers for Wish beneath the cut!***

Right off the bat, my first impression is the narrative is SO ham-fisted. Within the first 5 minutes alone we're establishing so much information and in such a clunky, unnatural way. Like... Asha says hi to her friends but then they robotically have a dialogue where they overtly call each other "friends" just so it's clear to the audience (when in reality no one talks like that). It's telling instead of showing, and this happens sooo many times early in the film.

Could not for the life of me remember the friends or their names. There were just too many of them when 1 or 2 would have been just fine to move the plot along and to help Asha. (Yes, I know they're a reference to the 7 Dwarves but it's STILL not necessary to have so many just for a reference.)

Bruh, the makeup in this movie is on point. Every time there was a close up of a character, I was staring at their eye makeup (especially Asha and the queen's).

Asha as a protagonist was... fine? She feels very close to Mirabel and at times Rapunzel in her character. I didn't dislike her by any means, but she didn't reinvent what it means to be a Disney protag. Her motivations also come off as… really “out of nowhere”. We’re told she “cares too much”, but she initially only wants to save the wishes of her mom and grandpa; she randomly decides she has to free ALL wishes midmovie and that was jarring. There could have been a smoother transition. Instead, it was abrupt and Asha didn’t change in any meaningful way. Even her “I want” song was vague (what exactly is “to have something more for us than this”?) and didn’t connect well with her character.

I do really like her design though! Her freckles, earrings, and how her hair moves are my favorite details.

Valentino was not as annoying as I thought he would be. Still didn't care for his sass and brand of humor, but at least he helped out a few times.

I called it, the film is trying so hard to make Magnifico "hot" 🤡 I don't get it but okay, Mouse. I see your effort.

Loved his fit!! Very cool cloak and diamond/star motifs everywhere! His lab and study was also fun to look at.

I quite liked the moments when the queen talked to her husband and tried to smooth things over with him. “I can fix him energy”— Their relationship seemed very genuine at the start of the movie.

NOT THE WISH NEPOTISM...

If they were going for “sympathetic” with Magnifico, it didn’t work. He gave this backstory about how he was traumatized before + left as the only survivor of a great tragedy and so now he wants to use his magic to prevent that from happening to anyone else. Thing is, we only ever know about this via his word and staring at a half-burnt tapestry. We never see the event on screen, nor what was left of the tapestry. I was expecting a twist where it’s revealed that he lied all this time about his backstory and rewrote history so he could more easily manipulate the people of the kingdom he founded and live out the fantasy of being worshipped as a “good guy”. That was such a missed opportunity!!

Something else I was thinking of (this was during “This is the Thanks I get” was??? Maybe Magnifico started off genuinely good but became worn down over time as people’s wishes grew more selfish and they became ungrateful for what they had?? Then he could have become bitter and disillusioned by the behavior of his people.

Another idea is maybe Magnifico was “villainous” only in Asha’s eyes, since they don’t agree on how to best handle granting wishes. This would be more of a clash of ideologies rather than the traditional Obvious Evil vs Obvious Good that Disney is so known for, but hey, it could be a neat evolution of their storytelling from classic fairy tale roots.

This is to say that there were so many more interesting directions they could have gone with Magnifico’s motives, character, and portrayal 😭 but the second half of the movie never commits to any of these, they just blame his complete insanity and turn to the dark side on Forbidden Magic which is such a cop-out.

The trailers gave away the twist that Magnifico was the villain. It wasn’t revealed until like the second song into the movie. Would’ve worked better as an on-the-spot reveal rather than part of the marketing, in my opinion.

When they showed the wishes, the TWST fan in my was shouting, "OMG IT'S WISH UPON A STAR, THE LIMITED TIME STORY EVENT FROM THE HIT DISNEY MOBILE GACHA GAME TWISTED WONDERLAND!!!"

As Wish is Disney's anniversary film for 100 years, there were tooons of easter eggs scattered throughout. (I had fun looking for them!) Some were visual (I saw Aurora's dress, Snow White’s well, Peter's Pan's costume, Ursula's green smokey hands, Asha's robes resembling those of the Fairy Godmother, etc.) or extended imagery/scenes (Asha recreates Mulan's dinner and “Reflection" scenes), others were more overt lines of dialogue (Magnifico says the "Mirror, Mirror" lines along with others, a deer named “Bambi”, Valentino mentions an animal metropolis in reference to Zootopia, etc.).

In theory, the wish magic sounds cool but has so much that isn't explained??? And yeah, it's magic so it technically doesn't have to be. However, there are things not explained even when it is important to the plot. For example, Magnifico crushes some wishes and seems to absorb their power for himself (including the wish of Asha's MOM, so you'd think this would be important)? The consequence of this is that the wish's owners... become sad??? Okay, what are the long-term effects??? Why isn’t this fully explored?? But then later in the film we see the same people whose wishes were crushed... regenerate their wish??? So what, he has to keep reaping them??? And why are the wishes only taken at 18 years old? What if a wish changes? Ironically, the townspeople of Rosas have a scene where they question the technicalities of this wish magic. Magnifico essentially tells them to shut up, and it kinda felt like Disney was telling us to not question their lore www

It was weird that they never fully explored the ramifications of going without your wish. You’d think they’d show us people without ambition or hope (which would incentivize Asha to return their wishes), but everyone seems blissfully happy without their wishes?? The only exception is Asha’s friend that betrays her (cannot for the life of me remember his name), and that’s namely because his asshole friends keep ragging on him for it.

I thought the movie was going to go in a “you can make your own wish come true!!” direction but NOPE, turns out it’s just magic. Felt like Disney unintentionally wrote a whole movie about "wishes not coming true unless some big powerful entity allows it to come true” (Asha literally becomes the fairy godmother of Rosas at the end, making her ultimately no different than Magnifico)… ie a metaphor for how Disney owns so many properties it practically owns our childhoods www

"The power of friendship saves the day" ending 🤣 It was very Paper Mario ending-esque...

A song saving the day though?? It’s giving the Illumination Lorax film…

I was right about the humor. Too "quirky" and/or juvenile for me.

Animation was alright? Nothing awful about it, it just didn't feel as detailed or as experimental as other films with a similar style.

Songs were mid, which checks out with the recent Disney music excluding We Don't Talk About Bruno--

Some of the lyrics however were awful. “I let you live here for free and I don’t even charge you rent” is redundant. “So I throw caution to every warning sign” means you’ll show more caution than usual, not that you’ll forego caution. The correct expression is “throw caution to the wind”. Etc, etc, etc.

There was a cute after credits scene where they reveal that Asha's 100 year old grandpa (same age as Disney omg) wrote the "When You Wish Upon a Star" theme, which was sweet since his wish was "wanting to make a mark".

THE BEST PART OF THE MOVIE WAS STAR!! It was very cute (partly because it couldn't talk and just jingled and giggled, I was dreading another annoying mascot animal voice) and reminds me of my own pet… The way Star infused everything with glitter and formed unique shapes with the red twine was so fun 😭 I'M A STAR STAN, IT WAS ADORABLE AND KINDA BRATTY AND I'M LIVING FOR IT

Decent ideas, "meh" execution. Enchanted and Shrek did it better in terms of self-aware, fairy tale defying stories. It felt as though the movie was trying to deliver a profound message but got lost in the sauce of making as making Disney references possible and didn't fully commit to actually saying something meaningful. As a result, the film feels somewhat… hollow.

That one friend betraying Asha was the biggest surprise in the film but I still saw it coming 😂 I do get where he’s coming from though (being worried that his wish won’t ever come true) but it also felt like his conflict wasn’t resolved??? It might have gone better if the movie actually fully tried to push the “you can make your own wish come true” message (to reinvigorate the traitor to make his dreams a reality on his own) but they don’t 💦

Wish didn’t end up being “the wishing star’s origin story” because not once did anyone question where Star came from or why it was different from other stars (or what the significance of Magnifico blotting out the other stars was).

I think the people that would enjoy this movie are the people that are already highly invested in Disney and the nostalgia of it.

... Anyway, stan Star 🤩 (and the talking mushrooms 🍄)

#wish #disney wish #spoilers #question #notes from the writing raven #puss in boots 2 #the last wish #puss in boots 2: the last wish #Mirabel Madrigal #Encanto #Asha #twst #twst wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #Rapunzel #Enchanted #Shrek #Queen Amaya #King Magnifico

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silverofthunder · 1 month

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☆ speranza ☆

Terzo (Papa Emeritus III) x Female Reader

summary: ”I think I can see us being happy. Finding it along the way.”

content: 1.1k words, history au, arranged marriage, tiny bit of angst, hope of romance, SFW

Well, as I'm a bit stuck with my Dracopia series I decided to write something else. I'm not really into history but I love movies like Pride and Prejudice so I had to write this little piece. Hope you like this! 😊

"You look beautiful, my princess," your mother said, smiling warmly at you. You let out a short hum, taking a look at the mirror. You were wearing your finest dress – it was lovely but it felt so tight that you felt you couldn't breathe properly. Or maybe it was due to the fact that soon you would marry a man who you really didn't know, let alone love. It was bound to happen at some point but still there had been a tiny part within you that had hoped you didn't have to go through arranged marriage. It felt suffocating to get bound to someone that was basically a stranger. "My dearest..." your mother's voice shook you out of your thoughts and you looked at her. "You will learn to love him like I did with your father." You tried to smile at your mother but it probably wasn't that convincing as your mother took a hold of your hand and squeezed it. "Prince Terzo is a good man. Kind and well-mannered, highly respected and strong-willed. He will treat you right, we know that." "I hope so," you said and your mother gave you a stern look. She knew you had doubts but didn't appreciate that you voiced them. There was nothing that could be done to change things. You just had to accept your fate. Sighing, you moved your gaze back to the mirror and your reflection. You forced a smile on your lips and years of practice made it look near perfect, almost genuine. "That’s more like it," your mother spoke softly, bringing your hand to her lips and kissing your knuckles.

You and the Prince Terzo, who was your husband now, were taking a brief walk in the palace gardens. The summer day was beautiful, sun shining bright above you, and you had to admire the flower sea around you. Your life had changed due to marriage but it had been smoother transition as you had expected it to be. Fortunately, Terzo understood and even shared your thoughs of arranged marriage – neither of you were happy about it but you had promised to try. It had been a few weeks since you had moved to another kingdom, the one that was ruled by Terzo's older brother, Secondo. Their father had passed away due to severe illness as well as their older brother Primo, so Secondo had had to take the weight of the crown some years prior. "There seems to be a lot of thoughts occupying your mind." There was a hint of amusement in Terzo's voice and you turned your head to look at him with a small smile on your lips. "I do," you stated. Terzo looked at your curious, his mismatched eyes bright. It was a strange thing – the eyes being a different color but you found it to be a lovely detail. "Is there a chance I can hear about some of them?" Terzo's curiosity was welcomed. You had expected him to be uninterested about you, only wanting you to fulfill your duties as a wife but it was far from truth. He seemed genuinely to want to get to know you and it made you feel more appreciated. That you were more than just a woman who had to look pretty beside him and eventually bear his child. "Maybe," you answered, grinning slightly and Terzo shook his head and moved in front of you, stopping both of you in the middle of the path. He took a hold of your hand, leaning down and placing a light kiss on the back of it. Heat rushed to your cheeks even though the gesture wasn't new to you. But it felt somehow sweeter now. "Such a mysterious lady you are, my dear," Terzo said smiling. "I thought this marriage would only make us both miserable, like we would be birds trapped in a cage, but seems like it might not be the case." It was quite an optimistic view, considering you didn't really knew each other well, yet, but so far things had been good. And you wanted to believe that they would stay that way. "I'm also glad we seem to have same kind of view regarding this marriage." Silence fell between you after that and Terzo used it to pull you close to him, the heat now starting to tingle your cheeks. The way he was looking at you, was making your heart hammer in your chest and butterflies flutter in your stomach and the proximity felt nice, comfortable. "You are so beautiful," Terzo said quietly and you couldn't help the light chuckle that escaped from you. "Oh, stop it." Terzo's other brow quirked up. "But I'm only telling the truth. The first time I laid my eyes on you, I swear I forgot to breathe for a moment." "This," you said, motioning to your whole appearance, "will fade and change during the years." "I know. That's why what's in the heart matters the most in the end." You tilted your head, curious. "You really seek that? The deeper connection?" you had to ask. "Sí," Terzo answered, now lifting his hand up to cup your cheek and gently caress it with his thumb. "Always hoped that I could find that. I don't want anything hollow or meaningless, I've seen enough of that." Terzo's words warmed your heart and you couldn’t help but smile. It sounded too good to be true but it wasn’t like you had any other choice. You were now bound to Terzo and you had to do your part, fulfill your duties but if you could trust to Terzo’s words, there could be something else, too. Maybe something more meaningful, true in the future.

”Do you believe that we can find happiness in a situation like this?”

Terzo didn’t answer straight away, he focused on looking at you, probably thinking his next words. Slowly he started to run his fingers along the shape of your face, his touch light. You shivered, your cheeks burning as his fingers swiped over your lips. Terzo breathed in deep and you mimicked that, releasing the air right after.

”Can I kiss you?” Terzo asked, his voice sounding velvety. Your heart jolted and you moved your hand to take a hold of Terzo’s arm.

”Yes,” you whispered and then Terzo was leaning in, pressing his lips softly against yours. It wasn’t your first kiss but it surely felt like one. Sweet and short, leaving this tiny pleasant warmth lingering in your body afterwards. You squeezed Terzo’s arm, smiling at him in awe when your gazes met again.

”I think I can see it,” he said, the look in his eyes catching a certain kind of seriousness. ”Us, being happy. Finding it along the way.”

No matter if it sounded optimistic, you took it. Right now it was just enough.

#terzo x reader #papa emeritus iii x reader #ghost band fic #ghost band fanfic #jen writes fics

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rileyslibrary · 9 months

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Alright. A few updates.

I’m feeling much better. My sickness is almost gone; my stuffy nose is now open for business, and I had my first coffee since Monday. I managed to taste something finally. Needless to say, my eyes don’t hurt when I look at my laptop screen anymore, and I have begun writing again, which brings me to the next point. *changes topics smoother than a DJ transitioning from song to song at a club in Ibiza*

Expect a new story this upcoming week. Yes, it will be your typical platonic/fluffy scenario, but with a twist. What’s the twist? You’ll be getting scolded by the lieutenant in this one.

The library has reached this ☝️ many people, which is probably more than the entirety of Kinder Buenos i downed in my lifetime (and I’m talking per package, not per stick.)

Thank you. Thank you for wishing me well when I was sick, thank you for liking the stories, and thank you for following this blog. I don’t feel like I thank you enough, and I fucking cringe every time I see the word “followers” on my profile. You’re not “followers”. I take the time to appreciate each one of you when I see you in my notifications. Even when I don’t recognise you, I make sure I click on your profile and see your description, learn your name, and get familiar with you, even if that’s your first time or your last time visiting the library. I know how some of you will react when I post a story: the silent readers, the rebloggers, the caps lock commenters (I kind of fear those, but I’m getting more accustomed to it), and I cherish every one of you. Sometimes, I get a little confused when you change profile pictures. Other times, you change names, and I must recheck your profile to figure out who you are. It might sound time-consuming and “a lot” for someone with a full-time job and a life out of here, but I try my best. It’s the least I can do for you, who take the time to read and appreciate the stories. (That and keep making them; yeah, i get it, just go with the flow, I’m confessing my love for you here, jeez.)

I didn’t plan anything to celebrate the milestone (i know, again, sorry), but feel free to keep sending your requests for stories, points you’d like to discuss under the “the librarian answers” tag, your headcanons or anything else you want, really. I don’t know when exactly I’ll answer cause I have to catch up with work but I will, eventually.

Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

#rileyslibrary

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paunchsalazar · 9 months

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are there any manga artists you particularly admire or are inspired by? what about their work do you like?

yes, absolutely! I could go on and on!

There are so many manga artists I admire, though some feel further off from anything I can or would want to make, and some are more direct influences, they’re all fun to read.

Here are a few favorites just on my bookshelf, ones I think about a lot…

Naoki Urasawa

I really admire his sense of timing and ability to build tension, I think he’s really good at keeping a simple back and forth conversation visually interesting (something I struggle with and seek to improve upon!)

Rumiko Takahashi

I’ve read a good amount of her work and find myself appreciating Maison Ikkoku the most. I like how she makes use of the environment, lots of gags play around with the old apartment building falling apart around them, the street that freezes over in the winter, the train that passes by and drowns out the tail end of a sentence. It makes the world feel so lived in!!

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

He has been an animation director and it shows! I really admire his sense of clarity and momentum from panel to panel, page to page! I wish I could add more pages.. but he’s so good at guiding the eye and keeping the viewer/reader oriented in action scenes, and his draftsmanship is just insanely solid. He has a sense of timing that I think is informed by animation or vice versa, I feel like it slows the pace down to something closer to real time.

Bisco Hatori

I would include whole volumes if there was space… but I love her ability to make a “moment”… to slow your heartbeat down and make it pick up again. I also think she’s good at getting creative with camera angles and using simple set ups while keeping it visually interesting. I think Ouran starts out a little chaotic but gets a lot smoother as it goes on.

I love how she lets a bubble build and then pop! before it can get too serious… she created a story with a lot of flexibility in terms of tone!

I also admire how much fun she has with lettering and speech bubbles, it reminded me that, while comics are a visual medium, sound is something useful and highly effective. I feel like I can hear her characters when reading and find it really inspiring.

Hiromu Arakawa

She’s so good at dynamism and motion. I can’t say I’ve applied it, but I wish I could. I also really like how she handles cross cutting between different scenes, the A and B plot, on paper. I often find myself in awe of her scene transitions!

Fumiko Takano

Beautiful beautiful beautiful lines… this is just one quick moment of many but I love how you can feel time swell.. the camera pulls out, the day is at an end. She achieves so much with just pen and ink and the occasional screen tone and I admire her pen(cil) mileage a lot.

#that’s all I can fit but I’d keep going…#not pictured - Kyoko Okazaki for the simplicity of her lines and use of the same setting.. feels like time is passing #so good at establishing a mood without any dialogue… atmospheric!!

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ribbonetteart · 9 months

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A request for something a little different than usual 🍑👑

Progress stuff below:

I haven't done progress shots in a bit and I think it's something I want to do more often because I like talking and blogging I guess haha.

Now that I have more experience illustrating digitally, this kind of direct reference drawing is MUCH easier to do digitally 😫honestly this felt like a self imposed challenge lol. BUT I did want to do some more traditional stuff because I feel that I had been doing a little too much digital, if that makes sense. It's nice to play with my markers and color pencils once in a while too!!

Doing the line art on this piece ESPECIALLY felt easier to do traditionally than digitally. For some reason, trying to do line art on a tablet screen feels too smooth or slippery or something. Lining traditionally feels easier, probably because I put so much pressure on the paper in the sketch phase that when the lining phase comes next, it feels like I'm just following the lines on the page like a train on a track ^_^

despite uploading a couple of illustrations colored with marker now, I still feel a bit like a novice when it comes to marker. I got a new pack of markers that I wanted to play with, which was even more motivation to return to paper for a bit. But honestly, I feel like I fudged the window color blending. I watched tutorials and stuff on blending with markers but I guess I still need more practice ^^;;; at least it looks a bit messy to me. This is how this piece came to be a mixed media illustration, since I tried using color pencils to make that transition from blue to green on the windows a little smoother.

I think the pot holding the piranha plant came out a tad too saturated and it's calling too much attention compared to the very light floor and dresser. I was trying to follow the colors on the reference closely as an easy re-intro to traditional art, but next time I do something like this, I think I'll take more liberties with color and see what happens.

Overall, I'm quite happy with how Peach turned out. I don't draw humans too often since I typically draw Sonic characters lol. Sometimes it feels like I have to re-teach myself to draw people as a result. I really liked using the gelly roll for the highlights on her face and the polka dots on her shirt :3 I highly recommend using that pen as my previous experiences with other white gel pens don't compare to this one (not to sound like a commercial I'm just really happy it worked as well as it did!).

And finally, although redrawing a creation from a dress up game screenshot is probably not the most imaginative exercise I could be doing with illustration, I think it's fun and it's pushing me to do things outside of my comfort zone. I'm using new art tools (I'll get better with marker I prommy) and I drew a background! I'd like to do more backgrounds like this as a practice to encourage more original stuff. Maybe. One day. Probably.

If you read all of this until the end, thank you! Have a wonderful day, and thank you for following me and supporting my art :3c 💝

#princess peach #super mario bros #the dress up game is called 'pink cutie' in case anyone wanted to know

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mystycalypso · 23 days

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Can i just say how much i freaking love the work you two are doing, Holly hell this is some wild stuff as veteran of hello neighbor you two are making me proud of this small community that is running on tumblr!

Also i hope you two don't mind me asking two questions.

Firstly, If one of you two had the control over welcome to ravenBrooks show what will be some things you two will change.

Secondly, What are you're thoughts on the artstyle of the show considering that Man of Action is working on the show?

Okay to start, I know I say it every time we get asks like this but y'all are genuinely so sweet and nice and it's just really really cool to see people enjoy our stuff. Like- especially fellow old fans of the franchise. I know Kaydin also really appreciates how sweet you guys are but just idk it feels like my fandom dreams come true when people like things like our au and art for this series

As for your questions...

Personally, to start, and this is Jack being slightly particularly- idk nitpicky? But there are three things I'd want to just- fix immediately and all three of them are Nicky related.

Number one, his shirt. I'm sorry guys but I've been here since the alphas and I didn't even realize this was his Sharkotron T-shirt. It's- It's just an egg

Number two, I realized after intense studying of Nicky's- face that it looks really weird when he's front facing, but his nose is facing right. So scenes like this suddenly seem- off model for no reason? I've poorly edited the image below to fix both of these

Yes I am too lazy to edit them properly, sadly. Did make his shirt logo still one colour for ease of animation. Idk why but left facing nose Nicky just looks less weird. Just me and kaydin? Maybe.

Number three- uh... that hairline is atrocious /lh

I know he wears his goggles in the show like constantly but also- this is a 13 year old boy guys. I was 13 once and I have a very flat (minus a widows peak) hairline, but it did not stop my hair from falling all over my face, and I think it's fair to assume the same for the kid who's hair refuses to behave anyway

Just fluff him up a lil (again I'm sorry these aren't better edits lol)

You don't even have to have it show when his goggles are up because like a headband or headphones it pushes hair back, or otherwise

Although ironically while I'm explaining what I would change in the designs, I don't mind the art style at all, actually I kind of love it. Sure some things you kinda of have to get used to, like their ears being pretty low to the head, but in general I think it really fits the franchise. I know it didn't look too drastically different from the pilot, but there's so many little nuances in the designs that just make it better (especially when you look at characters like Trinity)

I've told Kaydin a dozen and a half times how I think show Nicky is the franchise's second best design for him. The first being this singular piece of art from Nicky's Diaries, like I have gone on for hours about why this rendering of him is just perfect.

Third being fan renders, followed by the book artstyle, the pilot and finally games

And while other designs I wasn't sure about when watching through the show the first time, really just lore hunting instead of caring about anyone who wasn't Trinity or Nicky ngl, when I started doing my expression analysis I realized just how nice the designs and individuality of the characters are. If you put Nicky's expressions oh Enzo or Ivan's on Trinity it wouldn't fit and that's something I don't think people would expect from a Hello Neighbor cartoon.

They also have things I can just appreciate as someone who's special interest is animation (but doesn't have the patience to animate TvT gotta love audhd) for example, just having shading even in shots where they could completely go without it. It makes it less drastic and a smoother transition when lighting gets intense. They're also now afraid to switch up camera angles and push the rigs for a more intense shot.

Also something I really appreciate

Smear frames!

God I love smear frames!!! It's another one of those things that It's like- knowing how much this cost Tinybuild, they could've easily cut it down to save money. But it just wouldn't have been as nice without it.

Sure there are probably people who look at the fact that Man of Action is working on the show and are disappointed by the art style. But I say this entirely genuinely when I say I couldn't picture this show looking any other way and working as it does.

Yeah, they could've used more realistic proportions for these kids, but it works so much better when it's pushed like this when Mr. Peterson is nearly double their height. He's visibly a hulking intimidating man who could lift a middle schooler and lock them away. You fear his build which contrasts his outfit best (really feels like they took the book description of him and just pushed it, as we know he doesn't have this same stature in the games)

Plus it feels like in general, they stopped focusing on that dumb "Oh we need to hide things in every frame" which- thank God. Sure they are still hiding little details, hell I have changed a whole chunk of theory about Theodore's relationship with his son because of something I found on accident

This photo of (seemingly) 12 year old Aaron Peterson.

I'm not gonna go into it here lol because this is already long and it's supposed to be about the animation.

Are they still building mysteries and people are still crafting theories? Absolutely! Not a day goes by that I haven't been thinking about whether or not Aaron will ever be seen in the series in the present day and if he is, what he will be like mentally.

But the point is, they're focusing on crafting something GOOD over just theory fodder. Both animation and story-wise, and I can appreciate that so much.

Like- this is gonna be a really hot Jack take here so be aware.

I enjoy this franchise and it's spinoffs much more than the FNAF franchise.

Sure, Hello Neighbor one is and will always be awful. But I am 100x more likely to play Hello Neighbor 2 or Secret Neighbor than I am to play any fnaf game myself.

When I make fnaf content it is almost entirely AU based. Because the idea of getting lore super wrong since I just can't be bothered to try and figure that convoluted mess out is annoying. Why even try to solve lore if I need to read more than 10 books for a minor detail that becomes a major antagonist? We can't even get a full confirmed backstory for the main antagonist!

But with Hello Neighbor they realized that people don't want to be jumping through 50 hoops for lore. Yes we want mystery, but one we can solve without dumb contrivances and plot holes.

Do I still love FNAF? Of course. My senior quote is from William Afton ffs ("You may not recognize me at first, but I can assure you, it's still me") but one of these franchises is growing to better itself and gain more love, while the other is slowly becoming more of something I enjoy without trying to understand, and I think the Hello Neighbor animated series is- the pinnacle of this difference.

I love Welcome to Ravenbrooks. I love Hello Neighbor. I can’t wait to see what comes next from TinyBuild, and how season two will be even better than season one. (As proven by the fact that Nicky gets to yell louder in that one teaser clip alone than anyone got to in season one lol)

#welcome to raven brooks #hello neighbor welcome to raven brooks #hello neighbor #hnas #answering asks #ask response #nicky roth #seriously kinda love fluffed up Nicky though #he's so silly #also nicky's hairstyle in show matches his in book description very well to me #how it sticks up to the side no matter how much he wets it #so real as someone with fluffy hair too

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tikitania · 6 months

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Nutcracker Season!

Nutcracker season can elicit an array of feelings. Some love it, some hate it. I was falling into the indifferent category. I don't live in a major city, so the month long onslaught of ballet school-civic rep level productions has me a bit bummed out…and ready to tune it all out. AND THEN…I stumbled upon this very interesting panel discussion lead by ballet critic, Alastair McCauley, comparing the original Lev Ivanov Sugarplum PDD to the Balanchine version, getting into the nitty gritty of the score and the choreographic language that can be found in both versions, pointing out the various ways in which Balanchine quoted Ivanov. This is so interesting and only available online until Dec. 17, so hurry and watch it while you can. Who knew about the original version of the Sugar Plum sliding across the stage on point on a hidden stage tracking device?! If you do anything, watch this first video with the panel talk and demonstrations. The videos I included after that are just if you want to get obsessive like I did to dig deeper. Panelists: Suki Schorer, Wendy Whelan, Sara Mearns, Jonathan Stafford. (Watching Suki coach is worth watching!) NYCB Dancers: Chun Wai Chan, Ashley Hod (Balanchine version) & Anthony Huxley, Emma Von Enck (Ivanov Version)

MacCauley mentions the Fonteyn version a few times during this talk, so I found it for you. The tempo is certainly much faster, and it really makes you appreciate Fonteyn's speed! But I actually prefer the slower tempo, which allows the music to really soar. But I also wondered if it was the audio quality of this historic recording is simply too compressed and tinny to do it justice.

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The Mariinsky dances the Vasily Vaionen version of the Nutcracker, and I wanted to see how it compared to the Ivanov version. I really love the Mariinsky version. It's a departure from Ivanov, but still very classical and regal. PPD below with Baby Shakirova.

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BONUS: If you want to watch the full Mariinsky Nutcracker, here's a 1994 recording with Larissa Lezhnina and Victor Baranov. And for some real fun going down the rabbit hole, this is an amazing Soviet black and white recording of the PDD with the late Svetlana Efremova (SHE IS AMAZING!) and Sergei Vikulov. Notice that the extra four cavaliers are not in this one, so the choreography is adjusted. I have a thing for soviet era black-and-white ballet films. Not to be overlooked, the Grigorivich version at the Bolshoi is worth mentioning. There are a few things that stood out to me. Its religiosity, for one. The PDD essentially starts with Masha and her prince praying together as if at a mass. And then, towards the end, are the huge lifts that end with an upside down ballerina (not my favorite pose…)

Interestingly, ABT's version by Ratmansky also incorporates the same big lift, but transitions into a spin. You can see it here, and it's a much smoother transition. Ignore the weird speed manipulation in this video. It can give you motion sickness.

AND….I found this POB version. The Nureyev choreography is horrible and Tsikaridze knows it. He can barely hold back his own laughter as how bad this performance is. When I watched this, my first thought is that Nureyev must have been a misogynist because the Sugar Plum/Clara choreography is so god awful that it seems like he's trying to humiliate ballerinas. Poor Myriam Ould-Braham, she does her best to dignify the choreography with her impeccable technique, but there is no saving this. Another thing that bothers me is that the couple are hardly dancing together, it's like a bad ballet class where they dance side to side. I hope this version soon disappears forever. Watch at your own risk. It made my blood boil.

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Okay, that's it for a while. I may go see the Houston Ballet's Nutcracker if I have time. But I will mostly be focused on taking time off with the family, puttering in the garden, and catching up on my ever-expanding to-do list. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season!

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robotslenderman · 15 days

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Question.

Your dark materials and vtm fusion fic.

Do daemons have to resettle and change when you get embraced?

I wonder if the banes effect the daemon, like an ugly nos daemon or a really aggressive brujah one?

Also I'm on chapter 2, it's really good!

aaaa I'm glad you're enjoying it!

My headcanon is that yes -- when someone dies, their daemon turns to Dust, and when the Embrace is finished the daemon spends a few hours reforming. The daemon remains unsettled for about fifteen years, which is how long Cainites are considered fledglings for, and the daemon resettling is usually the signal that it's time for their sire to formally release them.

However... my headcanon is that this doesn't always happen. In humans, it takes major trauma for a daemon to unsettle -- it's the trauma of the Embrace that causes a daemon to unsettle. So people who make a much smoother transition and are less ruffled -- their daemons either resettle more quickly, barely change, or don't unsettle at all. For example, Wendy took to vampirism pretty well (kennels notwithstanding) so her daemon, Sammie, merely changed colour from a sable ferret to a white one.

Before the Masquerade, it was a lot more common for people's daemons to unsettle for only short times or not at all because their lives weren't turned completely upside down; they could still remain in touch with mortal families and so on, if they so chose. Not any more. Becoming a vampire so dramatically upends your life that it's very rare now for daemons to unsettle unless you were already a ghoul used to the life.

I also headcanon that Tzimisce daemons never resettle again and always retain the ability to shapeshift.

Another headcanon is that dying very much acts like the same severing that witches undergo with their daemons in HDM; daemons can now wander from their vampire without limit, and while that magical empathy is still present a daemon can be awake when their vampire sleeps and vice versa. A vampire with enough self loathing may be abandoned by their daemon or abandon their daemon. Elders are less fazed by this, but neonates find it horrifying.

Thinbloods, however, can wander farther from their daemons than mortals but there's a limit. In the prologue of the fic the Thinblood is really anxious and worried about Aredvi possibly wanting to abandon him one day, and feels discomfited when she leaves his side for a greater distance than she could while they were alive, even though they've been a vampire for a few years by then.

A daemon is affected by the same vampiric weaknesses but I hadn't considered physical banes. In my head Sammie just looked like a normal ferret, but the idea of a Nos daemon looking hideous is something I hadn't considered and is a really good idea. I'd definitely considered them to share the same emotional/metaphysical banes (eg inability to photograph Lasombra daemons, Brujah daemons being contrarians, Tremere daemons being prone to blood bonds), but not physical ones, oooh...

#VTM #His Dark Masquerade #HDM AU #Divine Intervention #Mithfic

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samobservessonic · 4 months

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I can now say for sure that this is the final part of the biggest Sonic story in StC so far. Five parts is nothing to sniff at and everyone one has been an epic. This climax promises to go strong, with the threat of Metallix hanging over our heroes. Sonic learned at the end of the last issue that whatever he does in the past, it might not stop Metallix after all, yet still he has to take the Time Stone and go on blind faith alone

Anyone who’s played Sonic CD will be familiar with this mechanic. Although admittedly, I could rarely get it to work and have never managed to get the good ending myself lol…

Like in the game, after travelling back in time, Sonic needs to destroy these machines to create a good future. But there’s a few differences here for the sake of the story adaptation. The first being that the machine itself is growing into the Miracle Planet. I actually can’t remember if that was the case in the game or not, but it’s a cool addition either way and works with StC’s more brutal takes on the way Robotnik’s technology works. The second is that Sonic needs to go inside the machines to break them, which he can do by being shrunk down small. These two features had no connection to each other in the game, but I like that they’ve linked them here for a smoother story transition. And third…

…the machines are powered by the Time Stones, with removing them being what breaks the machine. It’s a neat way to work the Time Stones into the plot without including the special stages, which would’ve taken more time to establish Now that I think about it, the Time Stones replacing the star posts as Sonic’s method of travelling through time in the game is also good streamlining for the sake of the story

Also nixed from the story is the second machine you need to destroy, the Metal Sonic hologram, which in the game would make the small animals appear unafraid of Sonic once more. There’s really no need or extra time for that here, as Sonic warps back to face Metallix in the present day, just like he knows the past version of himself did before

Now Sonic is back here and after watching the scenes play out in the same way, we get to see what comes next. Except that he doesn’t know what’s coming next himself, as whatever he changed in the past hasn’t affected the future. But wait a moment…

…Oh come on, it wouldn’t be a dramatic reveal if the changes to the timeline happened instantly. With everything Robotnik built on the Miracle Planet (or infected it with?) now gone, no shrink ray means that Sonic is no longer small

Which also affects Metallix! Huh. I know Metallix comes back to StC in a big way (which again, mostly happened before my time), so I’m looking forward to seeing how that pans out. A lot more than our aromantic protagonist is looking forward to spending a month trapped with Amy, I reckon

And that wraps up our epic! I feel like I’ve said most of what I could already say to sum up while I was reading through - this story had the gravity that a Sonic CD adaptation deserved. It wasn’t afraid to change things up for the sake of adapting game mechanics into the comic more smoothly, but at the same time it really did show off a lot of what you could do in Sonic CD. It genuinely felt like this was a story written by someone who played and enjoyed Sonic CD and wanted to make a story out of it, as opposed to being a game tie-in that was mandated to be written

I suppose some could argue that the first two parts being about Captain Plunder could’ve been a separate story to the Sonic CD adaptation, but I am a Captain Plunder celebrater (which is a step up from being an apologist) and think that a big member of the StC rogues gallery deserved a big introduction, too

So yes, this feels like a big milestone in StC. We have two specials to cover before getting back to our next Sonic story in the main comic, but I’m sure that the momentum they’ve built up with this story arc will keep going after this short break Also, before I forget, I thought there was something to do with Porker Lewis on the Miracle Planet that happened in this arc, but either that happens in a different story or I'm just remembering it wrong. Just thought I'd say that, since I brought it up in one of the last issues

#sam observes sonic #sonic the comic #stc issue 28 #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #metal sonic

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