#this art is so cool!! very nice style. i love the little touches of colour it looks so good
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Maaaan, I love this era of Detective Conan currently airing in Arabic right now, the art style was at its absolute peak in the anime. Love the more grounded, undersaturated colours. It gives it a feel like a live action mystery show, it's really nice. Love the highlights. It feels like the anime took a more realistic approach to how it drew, while still largely being very Aoyama Gosho about the faces and proportions... it's just really slick and clean.
(It's around The Clash of Red and Black.)
I especially love how Gin is drawn in these episodes, it's more grounded. I am not a fan of how he looks when the anime tries too hard to mimic Gosho's style later on, what works in his style, does not always work animated or drawn by someone else...
Plus: I miss when you could see so many individual strands of hair like that, isn't it great? It looks like hair.
The episodes around the 400s to the 600s in my opinion are the most appealing Detective Conan looks.
Haibara also looks her absolute loveliest in the episodes where she has to make her decision whether or not to go through a witness protection program (maybe around the 340 point?). I do miss the gold highlights her hair had in the first art style, though! ;_; She looks like she just has light brown hair. Her chappatsu/tea-coloured hair should have a touch of gold to it...
The episodes where they're trying to figure out who Okiya is, the Bourbon mystery... that's the closest Haibara ever looked in the anime to the way Gosho colours her (he gives her very light blonde hair in his illustrations, it's a little funny, it looks more kinpatsu/gold-coloured hair...)
There's also the period of time where she's depcited more like a strawberry blonde, which also fits how Gosho coloured her hair in the past (you see it in the standard Sherry's Soliluqoy/Sherry's Own Comment illustrations, where Sherry gives her thoughts on each new chapter, on the Conatsu website!)
Strawberry blonde Haibara was also pretty accurately depicted in the anime for a while!
But for all newer illustrations, like the Christmas ones, he gives her very light blonde hair with just a hint of red/orange.
Gosho changes up how he colours Haibara's hair in his colour pieces as much as shoujo mangaka change up their characters' hair colours in colour pieces...
... yeah, this was originally a post appreciating my favourite eras in the Detective Conan anime's art style, but I had to go off on a tangent about my favourites' hair. (I actually really liked the blonde hair Gin had in the beginning of the anime, silver definitely grew on me, and that in-between dull and silvery blonde in Clash of Red and Black is pretty cool, as they slowly made him look more like his manga counterpart, who was depicted with silver hair as early as Street Corner of Betrayal.)
The other characters are easier, with their more standards black/very dark brown hair, it's Gin, Sherry, and to a degree, Sonoko, who have other hair colours that stand out, and some of the foreigner characters (and whatever Vermouth might be)...
#Detective Conan#long post#Meitantei Conan#Black Organization#Haibara Ai#Gin#Akai Shuuichi#smoking *#cigarettes
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Ranking Precures based off their design and concept Part 2.
9. Heart Catch Precure
This is my favourite Precure season besides the original for the art style alone, despite putting it in the middle. I love the dresses and floral theme! The designs are so eye-catching although it does admittedly feel similar to Ojamajo Doremi.
There is the problem with Cure Sunshine being a trap character but not because she's willingly gender nonconforming. Feminizing GNC characters and framing nonconformity as a restriction when it's normally the other way around epitomizes traditional femininity as "natural" which is a harmful message for GNC girls and trans kids.
8. Star Twinkle Precure
I'm biased for an alien themed Precure because that's right up my alley! All the colours look so nice together and the outfits are playful and fun to look at. They could've done more to really embody their theme though, I wouldn't think of space just by looking. Especially when the alien precures just look like normal people with different ears.
7. Kira Kira Precure A La Mode
I love how much they committed to the idea and they went for two concepts here; pastry and animal! The actual outfits are so cute on their own but the pawed shoes and giant animals ears and tails are next level! It's probably Precure's funnest season in terms of theme. Zero subtlety and I love it.
6. Go! Princess Precure
It's a lot to look at but I just love the extravagance of it all! The hair is extra, the dresses are intricate, and they execute the princess theme so well! All the details just add to the luxury of it all but nothing actually feels out of place for me.
5. Yes! Precure 5 (Go Go)
Their hairstyles have so much personality and the butterfly theme helps make them distinct. Both outfit versions scream classic Precure which I love and the Go Go ones are a simple but noticeable upgrade. It's an understated yet perfect step into group precures without doing too little or too much!
4. Fresh Pretty Cure
I don't even know how to explain why I really love the appearance and style of Fresh Precure as it feels understated. It's just so cohesive to me, there's obviously a stylistic theme but the girls are still strongly distinct and character driven in their design. Their look feels original without relying on an obvious theme. It's hard to put my finger on but I just know that I love it!
3. Hug! Precure
My favourite in terms of design, only knocked back because of its concept. They just look so gorgeous, I especially love the makeup! Their colour pallets are soft and they're just mesmerizing to look at. It kind of throws me off because they end up looking older than their actual age but I think this is the prettiest Precure line up!
2. Witchy Precure
This is the most clever concept in Precure to me! I love the idea of having the same girls getting different magical girl outfits, it keeps it exciting! They also have very strong personalities that makes their individuality shine through their clothes while the witch aspect is never compromised. It just creates a lot of variety and cool ideas! All the outfits are stunning as well.
1. Pretty Cure
Feels like it should be a given the classic would get first place, they were the blueprint after all. Maybe it is nostalgia talking but the outfits are still top notch! It feels knightly with the shoulder and chest pieces reminding me of armour but the frills and bows add that touch of flare and femininity. Cure Black's outfit has an edge to it that I don't see from other precures and her outfit feels practical on top of stylish! Cure White's is more graceful that captures an elegance that hasn't been repeated since. They contrast each other perfectly! Shiny Luminous has a princess look that suits the theme, even though she does stick out to me. Nonetheless, they still slap and can't be any more respected!
#my bad if i missed any#pretty cure#precure#kira kira precure a la mode#heartcatch precure#heart catch precure#star twinkle precure#go princess precure#yes precure 5 gogo#fresh precure#witchy precure#hugtto precure#futari wa pretty cure
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Webtoons are good for the soul [Long post] [but worth it] [hopefully]
Bit of a long one (for a change...), sorry.
I haven’t read that many that’s a lie but here are my favs!
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe [ongoing - every Sunday]
or when Hades met Persephone. It’s a love story, fluffy yet deep and sad at times. Very well told and with incredible art (as you can see from the cover ci-dessus), in a pastel/watercolour fluid style, as is the storytelling. It has compelling characters, character growth, love, funny moments, and basically the best you could ask from a romantic story. And it had enough material to get you through good number of hours of reading before you have to break down every sunday in wait of the following week like the rest of us.
mah-hart-mah-sole/10
Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell by unfins [ongoing - every Friday]
Paul is in love with a cute girl who works in a café nearby. But Paul is shy and can’t work out how to go ask her out. So Paul does what anyone would do and summons one of the Great Dukes of Hell in order to get better at fumbling his sentences and blushing at beautiful maidens. It’s about discovery of one’s true self and how getting deep into shenanigans will lead you to find so much more. Also, sister. (You’ll understand when you get there.)
It’s funny but also compelling and serious but still incredibly funny. I don’t think I’ve laughed as much reading any other webtoon and yet the story is also really cool. It strikes a perfect balance, or near perfect. The expressions and the action scenes are just incredible too.
chenandeler bong/10
Suitor Armor by Purpah [ongoing - every Friday]
In a land with magic and war between humans and fairies, Lucia is the princess’s lady in waiting and her only goal in life at the moment is to get her Lady to have the wedding she wishes for and deserves. But then she gets a flower from a magic armor and everything changes. Also, she’s a fairy.
It’s well drawn, characters all seem unique, varied and personnality-driven. The art style is beautiful. It’s also deeper than what I expected, with inklings of different types and levels of drama.
Alright, I’ll say it, it feels like a ‘promising new Lore Olympus’. By which I mean not to compare but simply to say I felt as taken by the story as I did with L.O.
Modeus/10
Facing the Sun by ArtbyTesslyn [ongoing]
Aarya reaserches the intricacies of dobotics and artificial intelligence with her companion robot Liza who's expiration is long everdue. Things change with a hardware update. One can’t live without the other, and neither can the other.
It’s dark but beautiful, both in the art and in the story. The sci-fi elements aren’t overwhelming and pieces of lore bring begin to pain a picture over time. It’s a slow burn but oh lord! if it isn’t going to be blazing hot...
I Robot/10
Spellbound by Ronce [ongoing]
Eglantine joins a new highschool midyear and finds herself paired with a refractarian roommate. She does her best to fit in to her new school despite not conforming to all the expectations that others might have of her. Or of her strange but likeable roommate.
It’s a cute and queer little romance, very underrated in my opinion. The art is wonderful, it’s black and white in the beginning and starts having touches of colour here and there before going full blown coloured, and I didn’t even realize it had until many chapters into it... The characters all all diverse and interesting. Also did I forget to say it’s set in France and it’s a wizarding school? Because it is!
conseiller principal d’éducation/10
180 Angel by King Katbird [ongoing]
Chloe is an angel, she lives in Heaven and goes to school in the hopes of becoming a delivery angel one day! However her plan are compromised by her inability to do anything well except halo manipulation. Even flying is not easy for her. But a fateful meeting with a reaper sends her on a trip to Hell and back which changes her. Or is it that she had always been different?
It may not seem much from the banner but I tried it and I got hooke. The art is great and still improves over time, the plot takes a bit of time to set in - I’m still not sure it’s fully set in yet - but it’s worth it, and the characters are visually deep. It sometimes jumps weirdly between scenes or sequences but not so much it completely loses you.
LAMP/10
Letters on the Wall by JaelynGs [ongoing]
Tara comes back fom spain after a five years abroad to find things have changed and others haven’t, to her equal pleasure and dismay. This is how she and her friends deal with these old relatioships that they are now reviving.
Everything doesn’t go smoothly despite each and every character deserving them to. The art is good to begin with and manages to improve over time, as well as the storytelling. Where it might have been a bit hectic before, it smoothes over time. It was for the longest time the only reason I would stalk Webtoons everyday to see if there was any updates. Also each chapter has a colour in the name and that’s just cool!
If Da Yomanville Gang [see below] got me to come to Webtoons, this sealed the deal for me to stay. [And then there was Lore Olympus.]/10
Not So Shoujo Love Story by Curryuku [ongoing - every Tuesday]
Rei Chan-chan loves Hansum, the chin chin chinny goodest looking student, more than she loves her shoujo manga. But gorgeous Hannah is in her way and won’t seem to let her get her way with him. Why is that? Well, gaybe there’s a secret hidden behind her motives? Read it to find out...
It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s so, so stupid. I love them all. It’s dumb but so much fun to read. There aren’t that many chapters yet but enough to get into it. Also, sisters. (You’ll understand when you get there. Bis) So this is what the spring of youth feels like, huh...
chips/10
Always Human by walkingnorth [completed]
Sunati, a young engineer in training, fan of all those mods you can add to change your appearance, meets Austen, a beautiful yet modless girl who she’s been admiring from afar for a while now. She thinks the girl’s beautiful, but sdly she’s refused when she asks her out on a date, and for rather good reasons.
Now watch as they gravitate around each other and how it influences them both.
It’s a slow-burn quite realistic lesbian sci-fi story about finding love and accepting oneself and others in the midst of life and all it brings upon us. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, and it’s heartwarming despite broaching serious subjects - in a good way -, and it’s finished so you can read the whole thing! (It has enough chapters to give you a few hours of reading)
hay fever sucks/10
Da Yomanville Gang by Jason King [ongoing - every Tuesday]
Layla moved recently, to get away from a dose of angst she didn’t want to have to deal with. She meets new people, fun and friendly people, but it seems the angst can’t quite seem to leave her alone. Alone is what she’s not to deal with it anymore, however.
This is the one, long before Lore Olympus, which brought bme over to Webtoons. It’s not the best drawn, not the most compelling, but the strong point and what made me love it - beyond Layla’s chara design - is the depth of most of the characters, how not all good is good and all bad is bad, and reality often lies in the middle - and how they evolve over the course of the story. Definitely worth a read.
wheelbarrow/10
Love Bot by Chase Keels and Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Sunday]
In the near future - the year is (Blade Runner) 2049 - technology has advanced enough to creat pseudo-artificial intelligence and thus lovebots. Xada mods and repairs those emotionnaly intelligent robots for a living. What brings this story about is him toying with a less-than-friendly client’s bot so much so that he finds himself in quite a pickle when the bot ‘wakes up’.
It seems to be BL. Let it be BL, please! The art is very nice, the story feels dark but the pitch give way to many interesting possibilities, and, well, the characters are quite nice to look at, I’ll admit... Also, angst. I don’t always enjoy it but when I do, I do.
Not many chapters but it’s getting there.
i’ll let you bot my love/10
Mage & Demon Queen by Color_LES [ongoing - every Thusday]
Malori is the best and the most promising mage student at her school. Aided by Cerik, her best friend and swordsman party member, she attempts to conquer the last floor of the demon tower, reigned over by the ferocious Velverosa, the demon queen, whose defeat will bring glory and richess to those who defeat her. But all is not quite as it seems and, what is that, might it be a crush I see over there? Oh, wait, no, that’s just our protagonist getting squished by the weight of her love...
Once again, it’s fun and stupid (a pattern? noooo) but it’s worth a read.
LES/10
Down to Earth by Pookie Senpai [ongoing - every Tuesday]
Kade live alone and depressed in spite of fleeting relatioships since his big breakup, content with simply going by life while he works in retail. One day, an alien crashes into his backyard. Zaida’s an alien but she’s cute, seems innocent, is unfamiliar with everything, so he agrees to help. Thus begins a slice of life story of them roommating in his appartment until, maybe, one of them crashes into the other’s heart?
It’s cute, heartwarming, and I sort f relate with the main character. Although I don’t know if’d prefer a cute alien, a dragon or a stalking neighbour... [that’s an inside joke, I’ll explain if I ever make a list of the good yamete onii-chan! I’ve been reading] It’s a slow burn with enough depth to hook you up. Some characters are still uncertain in my eyes but that makes me curious.
loner/10
The Remarried Empress by Alphatart / Sumpul [ongoing - every Wednesday and Sunday]
Navier Ellie Trovi is an empress. Perfect and perfectly content in every way with her life until the day a mistress enters her husband’s life. Things sort of go downhill from there. Or do they? For she also learns about herself and what she might actually want out of life to be happy. Breaking the status quo might be the way.
It feels like one of those poor quality isekai comics or manga in which the MC is brought back to a time where she has the power to change her life and decides for emancipation and revenge, but it’s not. It’s more ‘yolo’ and had interesting characters, especially the MC - no pushover - and a slow-burn plot. Don’t expect to see the flash-forward in the first chapter quite yet, but come to experience the whole affaire in detail and in the most satisfying of ways! Also the art is cool!
divorce/10
Muted by Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Friday]
On her 21st birthday, Camille fails the ritual to become a full-fledged witch and is isolated from what remains of her old and successful family. This leads to her discovering truths about herself and her powers that will change her and those around her.
By the same author as Love Bot. I haven’t read the whole thing yet but the designs are good, the plot is interesting, the characters have depth and personnality, it has witches, magic, romance [I guess, still unsure of the details though], a bit of angst, and it’s set in Louisianna. All good points.
plant magic/10
Cursed Princess Club by LambCat [ongoing - every Monday]
Gwendolyn and her sisters, each a princess in their own right, are set to be betrothed to three princes of a neighbouring country after living all their lives happy and sheltered with their father and brother. Unfortunately, Gwendolyn is not like her sisters - and brother, for that matter - in that her beauty is... less than conventionnal. Devastated by what outsiders think of her she escapes into the forest and meets kindred spirits in the form of the Cursed Princess Club - non-gendered, they also have that one prince there! - and it might just help her grow into the confident woman she is destined to become.
I clicked for the funny hahas ‘because she’s ugly’ and cursed princess trope, I stayed for the genuine laughs and smiles and the heartwarming good nature of most of te characters. Also, haha, funny characters are funny. So, yeah, I started this with a bias - still haven’t caught up yet - and have been seduced by this lesser known webtoon. Don’t let the visuals fool you, it’s really good!
respect wahmen/10
Andy Bass by KenneDuck / Gia [ongoing - every Friday]
Andy Bass is our average highschool girl. Litterally. She’s half human, half fish, a real mermaid but vertically. That leads to less-than-friendly looks and reactions from others. However, the arrival of a new, and frankly very cute, transfer student might change all that.
Haven’t read it all yet, not that there are many chapters out, but it feel fun and promising. Also, physically imperfect characters are best characters. Down with the reign of beauty and up with 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪!
Chin Hansum 2.0/10
For the Sake of Sita by Haga [completed]
A medical student passionately falls in love with a fallen goddess during his volunteer abroad in Nepal, and he desperately tries to fight off destiny to save his love. [the actual summary]
Okay, I’ll be honest: I haven’t quite read that one yet. I’m guilty of only having looked at the beginning and the end to see if it seemed worth it and, oh my gorsh! it does. The art is beautiful, the story seems sad yet beautiful too (I had tears reading the last chapters without knowing much of the rest) and it’s short, so jump on it!
[I’ll probably come back to that later when I’ve actually read it completely]/10
Us Right Now by yurineseventeen [ongoing]
Rina's long-term girlfriend, Noa, decides to run away from home. Rina has limited time to find her.
Not much more to say other than it’s sweet and it feels real. I like the beginning, haven’t read the rest yet, but will definitely soon.
keep going/10
New Normal: Class 8 by Youngpaka [ongoing - every Sunday]
Dongwoon has a big head. It does not make life easy. But what if he wasn’t alone being so... different? He discovers it is the case when he joins his new school a special class full of people who are different. Things get weird fast but also better and fun.
I haven’t read this in a long time, it’s on my list though. But until the moment I stopped at least, it was fun, funny, and interesting. It’s slice-of-life comedy, often ligthearted and stupid, sometimes more serious, but globally a pleasure to read.
sensei/10
The Witch and The Bull by Moonsia [ongoing - every Thursday]
Tan's job as the King's royal advisor has nothing to do with his hatred for witches, but it does make him a prime target for a curse that turns him into a BULL! The only way to undo this hex is to rely on the beautiful witch, Aro. Can her kindness turn his feelings around, and break this spell? [the actual summary]
There are two bulls and they have to ask it questions to know which is the real bull? I dunno, I haven’t read this one... But it’s been recommnded by @berigolote so it’s worth a try I guess? She did recommend Lore Olympus to me, so it’s on my list anyway.
to try/10
The Right Knight and Our Days in Lumain by buttersphere [completed & ongoing]
A fun short comic about a play on the ‘knight comes to fight dragon to save princess in her tower’ trope and it’s sequel. The sequel is not finished yet (seems on hiatus) but they are worth the read for cute, funny, fluffy knight and dragon/witch romance and grumpy princesses.
need more/10
NetOL by Forever9Nine [completed]
A slice of life comic about a veeery shy cat-girl (not literally) falling in love with a warm-tempered bookshop employee ( and NOT her colleague), and all the shenanigans that ensue. It’s short, it’s fun, and it’s cute. What more to ask?
oh wow sports/10
Susuhara is a Demon by Soya S. Holm [ongoing]
The usual romance storyof perfectly perfect girl meets absolutely bazongers delinquent and reluctantly carries her unconscious ass to her appartment to help her after witnessing a gang fight between multiple idiots and her (future) idiot and saving her from a knife attack by bashing the last standing dude with a wooden shop sign. Legend says there’s a demon in K-city, I still am unsure of whom it might be.
fun/10
It Stems From Love by Soya S. Holm [competed]
A short story about a girl who loves flowers and finds herself unexpectedly coughing them up dramatically whenever she’s jealous of those around her crush. It’s short, it’s cute, a bit dark at times, but definitely worth a read!
bouquet final/10
Lesbiampires by fabarts [ongoing]
So, yeah, lesbian vampires. Nuffin’ ta add.
Well, anyway, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s serious too, it makes me root for antihero type characters who actually murder people for fun (but in a fun and respectful way, I swear!) because, well, love./10
Perfect Harmony by bluebloodtanuki [ongoing]
An Overwatch fan-comic about Symmetra and her disaster roommates.
I don’t play Overatch but I like the lore and got dragged into fanfiction and shipping (by myself, mind you), so a fan-comic about similar dynamics AND it’s funny? Gimme.
Roadhog & Junkrat best duo/10
Love Doesn’t Talk by Ann [completed?]
A misunderstanding is fine. Two? Hmmm. Three? Surely that’s fate, no?
A cute love story unfolding before your eyes with no dialogue, only pretty pictures. I’m not actually sure it’s completed but even if it isn’t, the ending doesn’t feel disappointing in the least.
no words/10
AntiSTALKER by VOKIVORMOK [ongoing - every Thursday]
Humans, vampires and werewolves all cohabitate in this freaky highschool, despite tensions between the three races. A bittersweet yet fun love story between a fake stalker and his amnesiac prey...
Eugene wants Kira’s heart, she wants his head.
who?/10
Kiss It Goodbye by Ticcytx [ongoing]
Two lesbians in love recount to their drunk friends the story of how they met. It’s fun and cute, both in story and in art.
delinquent x prim&proper/10
Avril and the Divine Being by Charlie Genmor [ongoing]
Avril is a waitress, Cat is a reccuring client. Feeling blossom before they even exchange words and when they finally do, embarassment ensues.
I got hooked by the art style for this one and I have yet to be disappointed. Not many chapters but keep it close.
sunny/10
Sunflower by EtoileKonijn [ongoing]
Wednesday, an art student, meets Sophie, a friend of a friend. Feelings ensue. It’s beginning to have a good number of chapters (even if they are short) and it feels like it’s actually the slowest burn of them all. Very much worth a read though, for the art style especially.
cute/10
It Takes Two by love_of_pi [ongoing]
Common art style: imperfect but improving. Classic story: normal girl meets famous girl by accident and leave a great first impression. Shenanigans and romance ensue. However the tints of drama, the fun interaction between characters, and the smooth plot make it worth it.
Honolulu latte/10
A Mild Flavor by Ru-rin [ongoing]
A slice of life of different couples. One with a compromised relationship and bittersweet reflections of the past, and the other which is hidden from plain sight, at different times if life. It is not perfect but it managed to worm its way into my heart nonetheless.
tasty/10
The Greenhouse by Viesallon [ongoing]
Another one I haven’t read, but from the extracts I’ve seen the art is compelling, the story seems worth it - definitely deserves the drama tag it seems - and I keep it on my shortlist until I have time to read it.
supernatural/10
My Masochistic Boss by Arisas_Art [ongoing]
Debuting goth writer meets hellish boss of editing company about her new book. Disagreement and tensions ensue. It starts with a slap and might very well end in bed, stay tuned!
This one rebooted recently and the art is soooo beautiful, moreso than before is I may say.
sexy/10
Still Alive by Comic Kat19 [ongoing]
Half-zombie girl meets emo boy, baby ensues.
After the zombie apocalypse, they have to survive, and despite their differences, maybe together is better?
This I classify in the ‘Yuuutsu-kun to Succubus-san‘ category: a somewhat rough art style that I have come to love and enjoy greatly. Also the story is fun.
cat creature/10
The Biggest of Treasures by Aixn [ongoing]
That smile, that damn smile. It’s what got me to try and it got me to stay. The art style is beautiful and the chara designs is too. The plot? Not much to say yet, but cuteness is enough.
bright/10
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And there you go for now. These are my picks. I haven’t read everything on Webtoon, I haven’t even read everything I’ve subscribed to, but if I had to recommend anything I have tasted, here it is.
Sorry if I missed any you deem worthy; feel free to harass me and mock my lack of culture by flaunting your own.
Maybe more later, in the mean time: keep scrolling, scrub!
PART II
#webtoon#webcomics#comics#lore olympus#recommendations#yes i like cheesy romance stories so what?#about wlw#but not only#yes i also have a dumb child's humour#all of them deserve more views#long post#mega thread#look at what i'm doing instead of working on my finals#help
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Tom Nook X Reader
Fireworks
Alone.
10 pm on a Sunday and Tom was sitting alone in the residential services, typing away on his computer, trying to ignore all the sounds outside. The sounds of everyone running around, the sounds of people having fun, the sounds of fireworks going off. But most importantly, the sound of him. It’s been years and nothing has changed with him. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, trying to attract customers to his little raffle. Tom knee he was out there, that’s why he simply couldn’t go. The simple muffled sound of him shouting was enough to make his heart stop. “Come one! Come all! Step right up to redds raffle! For the small fee of 500 bells you’ll be guaranteed to win one of these fine prices! That’s right folks! You’ll never know what you’ll get but you are guaranteed to win!!!”
Huh. You’ll never know what you’ll get. Thats funny. That’s sort of how Redd and Toms relationship used to be. Tom however, did not get a guaranteed win. No, he got scammed out of 500 000 bells and was left in a ditch to rot away and die. He never thought Redd would be able to do something like that to him. Tom thought that he was different to Redd, that he actually cared for him. But Redd proved him wrong that night. He proved that Tom was no different than all the other fools that Redd tricked on a day to day basis. Because that’s what he was to Redd, he was just another one of his pawns in his big game of chess. He meant nothing to Redd and was easily disposable. And here he was, just outside his window, trying to make quick money off of his fellow islanders. And Tom was letting it happen. Because he was too much of a coward to go and do something.
Phyyyuuuuuuuu....
BOOM!!!
Another firework went off. Tom could see the ground light up from outside his window. Oh how he wished he could be outside. But he knew he wasn’t strong enough to face Redd. He never wanted to see him again, and he hadn’t planned on doing so. And he would do anything to avoid seeing his past partner.
Plingelingeling
The soft sound of the little bell that was attached to the door dragged Tom out of his thoughts. Someone had entered. And that someone was you. You were laughing and were holding a balloon. At least someone was having fun out there. You made eye contact with him and smiled, running up to him. You had a star bopper on, probably something that Isabelle gave to you. You looked very cute in it.
“Hi Tom!” You said as you sat down in the chair on the other side of his desk. “Why hello hello Y/N! Having fun out there I hope?” He said, giving you a genuine smile. “Yeah! It’s been awesome! The fireworks are really pretty and we’ve all had very fun! The boys are really happy as well! They’ve been running around for hours now! It’s really cute!” You said, very enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. Tom has asked you to take the kids with you to the festival. They both had been cooped up in the store for too long and deserved a break. And there was no one he trusted more than you. “But....I think they would enjoy it more of you were out there with them...” oh boy. So you would pull this card huh. He let out a slight sigh. “Yes, I would also enjoy it...but I can’t Y/N...you know that...” as he said this he felt two soft hands grab his paws. “Is this about Redd?” You asked, and just hearing someone else say that bastards name made him tense up and made his eyes widen. “...I take that as a yes...come on Tom! Who cares what that guy thinks! He’s a sad man who’s only enjoyment in life comes from watching other suffer! He’s not worth your time!” Tom knew Redd wasn’t worth his time, yet it didn’t exactly make it any better. Just stating the obvious isn’t going to help his case.
“...I’m sorry...look, how about we go to a secluded spot, far away from the plaza. Do you think Redd will leave his precious money making station to go after you? Trust me, you need to get out of the residential services. You won’t have to see Redd okay? I promise!” Once you said this, you took one of your hands and cupped his cheek. Tom responded by closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. How bad could it be. If he would just ignore Redd and get away as soon as possible, things might work out. And so, he took one of his paws and pressed it on the hand that was cupping your cheek. “Alright then”
Walking out from the building, Tom and you were holding hands. Tom could see all of the islands inhabitants running around, clapping or cheering. Some were sitting on the ground, others were standing up. And he could see one islander sitting on another shoulders as they ran past him and Y/N. “Oh hello Mr Nook!” The one on top shouted as they passed the two. The loud announcement of the name made a certain fox turn his head to see if what he heard was really true. And once he made eye contact with Tom and gave him a wide smirk, Tom knew it was game over.
“Well well well. If it’s isn’t Tom Nook himself. I’ll be honest, I thought you died or something nookie, but here you are! Nice of you to visit your good ol pal Redd!” Toms ears fell done on his head. All of a sudden he could feel memories of Redd and him wash over him. But not the good memories, no, rather the memories he wished he could lock in a box and throw into the ocean. Redd walked closer to the two and Tom tried to regain his posture. “Hello Redd. How are you doing this evening?” Tom looked at the fox. He was wearing completely different clothes than his usual “only an apron” style. He hated to admit, but he like the foxes outfit. Should he say something? “You look nice. I like the new clothes.” Tom didnt want to give the fox any sort of encouragement In any way shape or form but he hoped that the compliment would at least soften Redd up in the slightest. He refused to look into the foxes eyes. “Pff, thanks! I wish I could say the same for you.” this made Tom freeze for a few seconds, that’s was, until he felt you squeeze his hand. Slowly stroking it with your thumb. Once he looked into your eyes and saw nothing but support, he felt better. “Uncle Tom!!!” The tension was interrupted by the sound of two younger voices accompanied by the small pit pats of four small paws running against the ground. Tom could see Timmy and Tommy running up towards him. Both of the boys jumped into his arms and he managed to catch both of them swiftly. He felt a pair of small arms wrap around his neck. Tommy was giving him a hug and Timmy was enthusiastically explaining what they had done this evening.
“It was so cool!!! You should have seen it! Y/N made custom fireworks with us! I made a dinosaur and Tommy made a jellyfish!!! And then- then Y/N made their custom firework look like me and Tommy!!! It was so pretty!!! And then aunt Isabelle gave us these boppers! Look, look!” The two brothers were indeed wearing two boppers. Timmy was wearing a flower bopper and Tommy was wearing a heart bopper. Tom chuckled slightly at their frenetic nature. It was obvious the two was running on sugar and adrenaline at the moment. He was certain that the two small tanookis were gonna have a tummy ache the next day. He could hear the faintest sounds of a little bell coming towards them. He turned to see that, yup, Isabelle was coming towards them all.
“Oh! Tom! Great to see you out here! I’ll be honest, I felt a little guilty leaving you alone while I got to be out here” Isabelle said, huffing slightly as she talked to him. “Oh yes. I finished all my paper work you see.” That was a lie, however, only three people knew it was a lie. “Oh yeah I’m sure you had so much paperwork huh?” Redd said, inserting himself into the conversation. This is when you started to lose patience. “Why don’t you shut your trap Redd!” Redd was a bit taken back by this. You always acted so quiet when you bought art of off him so to see you be so audible was strange to be sure. “Oh I’m sorry? Where you involved Y/N? What are you gonna?” Redd said, irritation plaiting his voice. “I would love to tell you what I would do but there are children present you selfish-“ “enough! Y/N, you said it yourself. He’s not worth it. Just let it go.” Tom told you, stroking your shoulder in an attempt at calming your nerves. You looked into his eyes, and in one fell swoop, you picked up the two brother that were now standing besides him. The two of them let out screams of delight and laughter as you started to run off. “Come on! Follow me!!!”
Isabelle and Tom were trailing behind you. How were you so fast when you were carrying TWO children!? Just like always. You never cease to amaze. You finally stopped at the highest hill on the island. There grew a single tree full of the islands native fruit. You put down Timmy and Tommy who were still giggling like crazy. You sat down besides the two boys and leaned up against the tree. Soon Tom and Isabelle caught up with you, both extremely out of breath once they got there. “What in the world was that for?” Isabelle asked as she looked at you. “I felt like we needed a change of scenery. Tom needs to see the fireworks! And I thought, what better place then the hill! And so, I grabbed the kids and ran here!” As you said this, you scooted over, patted the place next to you. Tom sat down next to you and Isabelle sat next to the boys. And for the first time, Tom could actually focus on the sky. It was beautiful. Absolutely stunning even! The sky was filled to the brim with colours after colours. Exploding like big balls of flames. It took his breath away. Even Isabelle seemed amazed. She had seen the fireworks sure, but from up here, they were even clearer! All five of them just watched the fireworks in silence for 15 minutes straight. It was only when the three adults heard a soft groan that they turned the attention away from the sky and to the small tanookies. Tommy was resting his head on Isabelle’s lap and Timmy was using Tommy as a pillow.
“Whoops. Looks like someone’s energies run out. Poor things, it’s way past their bed time. I’ll take them home.” Isabelle said, gently picking up the boys in her arms. She was about to leave when Tom stopped her. “Wait Isabelle. Before you leave... could I have one of those boppers?” He asked. It felt silly of him to ask but he thought they were pretty and wanted to participate. But Isabelle wasn’t a judgemental person, far from it. She simply giggled slightly and bowed her head before him. “Here, take mine.”
And so. Isabelle was off. She was off to put the kids to bed. That left Tom and you completely alone. Tom was readjusting his bopper and you were simply looking at him with a smile. “Hey look at that! We match!” You said, nudging his shoulder slightly. “Huh? Oh yeah! I guess we do ahhah...hey Y/N? I wanted to thank you. Thank you for fixing the Redd situation, thank you for taking care of the boys, just thank you for dragging me out here. And umm...” he took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. The tanooki placed a quick kiss on your cheek. It took you a second to realise what had just happened. But once you did, you smiled to yourself, grabbing his hand slightly.
“You’re welcome Tom.“ And so. The two of you continued to watch the fireworks, you leaned your head against his shoulder.
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
So yeah...another out of the blue fic that I wasn’t planning on writing!!! But listen, @mrmr-uwu told me about this headcanon she had about how the reason Tom isn’t present at the festival is because he can’t be with Redd because it’s to painful for him. Like do you expect me to hear that and NOT write a 2000 word fic about it??? Don’t be ridiculous I don’t have that self control! But this was really fun. Like I’ve said before I will take ANY excuse to write for Tom Nook. I will now get back to your normal Yandere content
#acnh#animal crossing#animal crossing x reader#animal crossing new horizons#animal crossing new horizons x reader#ac x reader#acnh x reader#tom nook#tom nook x reader#isabelle ac#timmy and tommy#crazy redd#jolly redd#ac#tom nook is a dad#Y/N is the mom#sorry i dont make the rules#thanks mar
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Prettybird directors Bradley & Pablo tell Addison Capper about an epic harvest of watermelons on Harry’s farm, inspiration from old pictures of Jack Nicholson and Paul McCartney, and racing against the setting of the sun
LBB> When you first heard Watermelon Sugar, what was your definition of a “watermelon sugar high”?
Bradley & Pablo> Honestly not sure we had one… maybe because we’re too naive. It just sounded nice. Luckily Molly [Hawkins, creative director], Bryan [Younce, commissioner] and Harry opened our eyes.
LBB> When did you first begin working on this promo? And what were your initial thoughts and plans when it came in?
Bradley & Pablo> We first started working on this song about a week before we shot it! We’d been trying to work with Harry on the album for a while - we had written two or three other ideas for other songs last summer by the time Watermelon Sugar came around.
In the end the timing felt kind of poetic. It was the last project we shot before the lockdown and it really was the complete antithesis to the situation we find ourselves in now. It feels super meaningful now that this has been released during the pandemic because It speaks to what everybody is missing right now - physical human touch and connection.
LBB> It’s a joyful bit of film anyway but even more so because it’s full of all the things that everyone wants at the moment. Did you ever debate changing it? Or did it all suddenly seem even more perfect?
Bradley & Pablo> We never debated changing it but we did start to get concerned that the record label wouldn’t release the video because they felt it was insensitive or tone deaf or something, but when we started talking about releasing it again, we had the idea of adding a tagline to the front of it like ‘in loving memory of touch’ or ‘dedicated to touching’ and it re-contextualises it in a way that feels perfect for the time.
LBB> Aside from the dedication to touching, did the film change at all due to the pandemic?
Bradley & Pablo> No it didn’t! It just came out a little later.
LBB> I get vibes of like old school hip hop videos but with a Harry Styles vibe. I like it. Were they an inspiration at all? Where else did you look for inspiration?
Bradley & Pablo> That wasn’t a conscious inspiration for us but that’s definitely a cool one to think about. We knew from talking to Harry and his creative director that they wanted to basically dedicate this song to girls and boys and sexual pleasure, it was about creating an atmosphere. We loved the idea and the spirit of it and we felt one of our main jobs was to portray this idea in a tasteful way.
There were two key references at the beginning of the project which Harry and Molly gave us. One was an old picture of Jack Nicholson eating a watermelon with this amazingly mischievous grin and the other was an image of Paul McCartney at a beach party in the ‘60s where he looks like he’s tripping on acid in the best way. Both of these really informed and encapsulated the spirit that we wanted to bring to this whole thing.
We also looked at photographers like Stephen Meisel to inspire some of the more composed setups and Guy Bourdin playing with the playful, sexy innuendos that you find in some of his work.
Other than that one of the biggest inspirations was actually just Harry’s own image that he and his creative director Molly have created around this album campaign. We love his progressive fashion sensibilities and Gucci campaigns and so we just wanted to make something that would fit into his world. He also has this effortlessness, he’s so magnetic and cool without trying so we wanted to make sure we created a scene where he could champion that.
LBB> Harry does some pretty pristine watermelon biting. How did you coax those out of him?
Bradley & Pablo> Sadly we can take no credit for that… Guess he just really knows how to eat watermelon.
LBB> What was the production process like? Where did you shoot? Where in the world has such an abundance of perfect watermelons? And what was the mood like on set?
Bradley & Pablo> The production process was fast! We shot in a location in Malibu. It was a private beach at this amazing house. Harry actually owns a watermelon farm in a secret location that we can’t disclose. So the day before the shoot we went with our whole crew, make-up artists, set decorators, focus pullers you name it! We all rolled up our sleeves, got stuck in and did the biggest harvest anyone in the USA has ever seen!
The mood on set was really good. Credit goes to the whole cast and Harry himself, who were all amazing to work with, they all had such amazing genuine warm energy and a big part of the success of this video is owed to them for being so much fun. We think you can really see that reflected in the video.
Meanwhile we were actually inwardly freaking out a little because we only had one day, we had to shoot from sunrise to sunset (which is a very small window in January) and there is an even smaller window within that where the light is actually good enough to get that punchy graphic blue sky and beautiful looking skin, and shooting on a beach is HARD! The shoot was also quite a new, different kind of challenge for us because it was loosely structured - we were flexible with what we were shooting - there was no real story it was more about just creating an atmosphere. We also tend to usually shoot with lots of lighting and art direction but we didn’t really have much of anything so it was a different kind of test in directing for us.
LBB> From an aesthetic point of view, what were your main aims and inspirations with the grade, art direction and costume?
Bradley & Pablo> We were definitely very influenced by the rich Gucci styling and the ‘60s era of the Paul McCartney image. The art direction and pallet started with the styling and grew out from there. We wanted to mix busy patterns/textiles with block colours like warm oranges, browns and the graphic blue skies to create this warm, hazy nostalgic aesthetic but with a modern contemporary edge that also came in part from the casting and some detailing in the wardrobe.
LBB> How did you capture the vintage looking shots?
Bradley & Pablo> We shot on 35 and 16 mm on an Arri SR3. That was really a core component that we would not compromise on. It was also just about keeping that side of things simple, hats off to Frank Mobilio [DOP] who, with a 16mm camera, a mirror and a reflector, managed to make such beautiful images. We also worked with our regular colourist Dave Hussey who always elevates things in his particular way.
LBB> What were the trickiest components and how did you overcome them?
Bradley & Pablo> TIME! As we said we were working against the sun. As we often do now on shoots, we split up and direct two separate units simultaneously. It’s nice to be able to do everything together but we are in a place now where we can trust the other as they go off more autonomously which massively helps us to be more ambitious with a shot list.
Also, learning how to keep those slices of watermelon looking fresh. The best solution seems to be to eat it and cut more slices.
LBB> Any parting thoughts?
Bradley & Pablo> Bring back seeded watermelons!
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Bradley & Pablo told LBB's Addison Capper about how they brought this film to life via an epic harvest of watermelons and one-day against-the-clock shoot.
LBB> When you first heard Watermelon Sugar, what was your definition of a "watermelon sugar high"?
Bradley & Pablo> Honestly not sure we had one... maybe because we’re too naive. It just sounded nice. Luckily Molly [Hawkins, creative director], Bryan [Younce, commissioner] and Harry opened our eyes.
LBB> When did you first begin working on this promo? And what were your initial thoughts and plans when it came in?
Bradley & Pablo> We first started working on this song about a week before we shot it! We’d been trying to work with Harry on the album for a while - we had written two or three other ideas for other songs last summer by the time Watermelon Sugar came around. In the end the timing felt kind of poetic. It was the last project we shot before the lockdown and it really was the complete antithesis to the situation we find ourselves in now. It feels super meaningful now that this has been released during the pandemic because It speaks to what everybody is missing right now - physical human touch and connection.
LBB> It’s a joyful bit of film anyway but even more so because it’s full of all the things that everyone wants at the moment. Did you ever debate changing it? Or did it all suddenly seem even more perfect?
Bradley & Pablo> We never debated changing it but we did start to get concerned that the record label wouldn’t release the video because they felt it was insensitive or tone deaf or something, but when we started talking about releasing it again, we had the idea of adding a tagline to the front of it like ‘in loving memory of touch’ or ‘dedicated to touching’ and it re-contextualises it in a way that feels perfect for the time.
LBB> Aside from the dedication to touching, did the film change at all due to the pandemic?
Bradley & Pablo> No it didn’t! It just came out a little later.
LBB> I get vibes of like old school hip hop videos but with a Harry Styles vibe. I like it. Were they an inspiration at all? Where else did you look for inspiration?
Bradley & Pablo> That wasn’t a conscious inspiration for us but that’s definitely a cool one to think about. We knew from talking to Harry and his creative director that they wanted to basically dedicate this song to girls and boys and sexual pleasure, it was about creating an atmosphere. We loved the idea and the spirit of it and we felt one of our main jobs was to portray this idea in a tasteful way. There were two key references at the beginning of the project which Harry and Molly gave us. One was an old picture of Jack Nicholson eating a watermelon with this amazingly mischievous grin and the other was an image of Paul McCartney at a beach party in the ‘60s where he looks like he’s tripping on acid in the best way. Both of these really informed and encapsulated the spirit that we wanted to bring to this whole thing.
We also looked at photographers like Stephen Meisel to inspire some of the more composed setups and Guy Bourdin playing with the playful, sexy innuendos that you find in some of his work. Other than that one of the biggest inspirations was actually just Harry’s own image that he and his creative director Molly have created around this album campaign. We love his progressive fashion sensibilities and Gucci campaigns and so we just wanted to make something that would fit into his world. He also has this effortlessness, he’s so magnetic and cool without trying so we wanted to make sure we created a scene where he could champion that.
LBB> Harry does some pretty pristine watermelon biting. How did you coax those out of him?
Bradley & Pablo> Sadly we can take no credit for that... Guess he just really knows how to eat watermelon.
LBB> What was the production process like? Where did you shoot? Where in the world has such an abundance of perfect watermelons? And what was the mood like on set?
Bradley & Pablo> The production process was fast! We shot in a location in Malibu. It was a private beach at this amazing house. Harry actually owns a watermelon farm in a secret location that we can’t disclose. So the day before the shoot we went with our whole crew, make-up artists, set decorators, focus pullers you name it! We all rolled up our sleeves, got stuck in and did the biggest harvest anyone in the USA has ever seen! The mood on set was really good. Credit goes to the whole cast and Harry himself, who were all amazing to work with, they all had such amazing genuine warm energy and a big part of the success of this video is owed to them for being so much fun. We think you can really see that reflected in the video. Meanwhile we were actually inwardly freaking out a little because we only had one day, we had to shoot from sunrise to sunset (which is a very small window in January) and there is an even smaller window within that where the light is actually good enough to get that punchy graphic blue sky and beautiful looking skin, and shooting on a beach is HARD! The shoot was also quite a new, different kind of challenge for us because it was loosely structured - we were flexible with what we were shooting - there was no real story it was more about just creating an atmosphere. We also tend to usually shoot with lots of lighting and art direction but we didn’t really have much of anything so it was a different kind of test in directing for us.
LBB> From an aesthetic point of view, what were your main aims and inspirations with the grade, art direction and costume?
Bradley & Pablo> We were definitely very influenced by the rich Gucci styling and the ‘60s era of the Paul McCartney image. The art direction and pallet started with the styling and grew out from there. We wanted to mix busy patterns/textiles with block colours like warm oranges, browns and the graphic blue skies to create this warm, hazy nostalgic aesthetic but with a modern contemporary edge that also came in part from the casting and some detailing in the wardrobe
LBB> How did you capture the vintage looking shots?
Bradley & Pablo> We shot on 35 and 16 mm on an Arri SR3. That was really a core component that we would not compromise on. It was also just about keeping that side of things simple, hats off to Frank Mobilio [DOP] who, with a 16mm camera, a mirror and a reflector, managed to make such beautiful images. We also worked with our regular colourist Dave Hussey who always elevates things in his particular way.
LBB> What were the trickiest components and how did you overcome them?
Bradley & Pablo> TIME! As we said we were working against the sun. As we often do now on shoots, we split up and direct two separate units simultaneously. It's nice to be able to do everything together but we are in a place now where we can trust the other as they go off more autonomously which massively helps us to be more ambitious with a shot list. Also, learning how to keep those slices of watermelon looking fresh. The best solution seems to be to eat it and cut more slices.
LBB> Any parting thoughts?
Bradley & Pablo> Bring back seeded watermelons!
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You could take Harry Styles' new promo for track Watermelon Sugar one of two ways. You could look at it and feel a little aggrieved at his shameless cavorting in the outside world, all touchy feely with a gang of beautiful people on a white sand beach. Then again, you could stop being such a grouch and take pleasure and immerse yourself in the vicarious joy of watching people doing pretty much everything that you would like to be doing right now but can't.
At least, that's what I took from the film, which was directed by Prettybird duo Bradley & Pablo. Dedicated to 'touching', Watermelon Sugar is an ode to the summer that we all deserved and crave. It's packed full of sun, sea and some of the most impeccable eating of watermelons you could possibly witness, which it turns out were all grown and harvested from Harry's own watermelon farm.
Bradley & Pablo told LBB's Addison Capper about how they brought this film to life via an epic harvest of watermelons and one-day against-the-clock shoot.
LBB> When you first heard Watermelon Sugar, what was your definition of a "watermelon sugar high"?
Bradley & Pablo> Honestly not sure we had one... maybe because we’re too naive. It just sounded nice. Luckily Molly [Hawkins, creative director], Bryan [Younce, commissioner] and Harry opened our eyes.
LBB> When did you first begin working on this promo? And what were your initial thoughts and plans when it came in?
Bradley & Pablo> We first started working on this song about a week before we shot it! We’d been trying to work with Harry on the album for a while - we had written two or three other ideas for other songs last summer by the time Watermelon Sugar came around. In the end the timing felt kind of poetic. It was the last project we shot before the lockdown and it really was the complete antithesis to the situation we find ourselves in now. It feels super meaningful now that this has been released during the pandemic because It speaks to what everybody is missing right now - physical human touch and connection.
LBB> It’s a joyful bit of film anyway but even more so because it’s full of all the things that everyone wants at the moment. Did you ever debate changing it? Or did it all suddenly seem even more perfect?
Bradley & Pablo> We never debated changing it but we did start to get concerned that the record label wouldn’t release the video because they felt it was insensitive or tone deaf or something, but when we started talking about releasing it again, we had the idea of adding a tagline to the front of it like ‘in loving memory of touch’ or ‘dedicated to touching’ and it re-contextualises it in a way that feels perfect for the time.
LBB> Aside from the dedication to touching, did the film change at all due to the pandemic?
Bradley & Pablo> No it didn’t! It just came out a little later.
LBB> I get vibes of like old school hip hop videos but with a Harry Styles vibe. I like it. Were they an inspiration at all? Where else did you look for inspiration?
Bradley & Pablo> That wasn’t a conscious inspiration for us but that’s definitely a cool one to think about. We knew from talking to Harry and his creative director that they wanted to basically dedicate this song to girls and boys and sexual pleasure, it was about creating an atmosphere. We loved the idea and the spirit of it and we felt one of our main jobs was to portray this idea in a tasteful way. There were two key references at the beginning of the project which Harry and Molly gave us. One was an old picture of Jack Nicholson eating a watermelon with this amazingly mischievous grin and the other was an image of Paul McCartney at a beach party in the ‘60s where he looks like he’s tripping on acid in the best way. Both of these really informed and encapsulated the spirit that we wanted to bring to this whole thing.
We also looked at photographers like Stephen Meisel to inspire some of the more composed setups and Guy Bourdin playing with the playful, sexy innuendos that you find in some of his work. Other than that one of the biggest inspirations was actually just Harry’s own image that he and his creative director Molly have created around this album campaign. We love his progressive fashion sensibilities and Gucci campaigns and so we just wanted to make something that would fit into his world. He also has this effortlessness, he’s so magnetic and cool without trying so we wanted to make sure we created a scene where he could champion that.
LBB> Harry does some pretty pristine watermelon biting. How did you coax those out of him?
Bradley & Pablo> Sadly we can take no credit for that... Guess he just really knows how to eat watermelon.
LBB> What was the production process like? Where did you shoot? Where in the world has such an abundance of perfect watermelons? And what was the mood like on set?
Bradley & Pablo> The production process was fast! We shot in a location in Malibu. It was a private beach at this amazing house. Harry actually owns a watermelon farm in a secret location that we can’t disclose. So the day before the shoot we went with our whole crew, make-up artists, set decorators, focus pullers you name it! We all rolled up our sleeves, got stuck in and did the biggest harvest anyone in the USA has ever seen! The mood on set was really good. Credit goes to the whole cast and Harry himself, who were all amazing to work with, they all had such amazing genuine warm energy and a big part of the success of this video is owed to them for being so much fun. We think you can really see that reflected in the video. Meanwhile we were actually inwardly freaking out a little because we only had one day, we had to shoot from sunrise to sunset (which is a very small window in January) and there is an even smaller window within that where the light is actually good enough to get that punchy graphic blue sky and beautiful looking skin, and shooting on a beach is HARD! The shoot was also quite a new, different kind of challenge for us because it was loosely structured - we were flexible with what we were shooting - there was no real story it was more about just creating an atmosphere. We also tend to usually shoot with lots of lighting and art direction but we didn’t really have much of anything so it was a different kind of test in directing for us. LBB> From an aesthetic point of view, what were your main aims and inspirations with the grade, art direction and costume?
Bradley & Pablo> We were definitely very influenced by the rich Gucci styling and the ‘60s era of the Paul McCartney image. The art direction and pallet started with the styling and grew out from there. We wanted to mix busy patterns/textiles with block colours like warm oranges, browns and the graphic blue skies to create this warm, hazy nostalgic aesthetic but with a modern contemporary edge that also came in part from the casting and some detailing in the wardrobe.
LBB> How did you capture the vintage looking shots?
Bradley & Pablo> We shot on 35 and 16 mm on an Arri SR3. That was really a core component that we would not compromise on. It was also just about keeping that side of things simple, hats off to Frank Mobilio [DOP] who, with a 16mm camera, a mirror and a reflector, managed to make such beautiful images. We also worked with our regular colourist Dave Hussey who always elevates things in his particular way.
LBB> What were the trickiest components and how did you overcome them?
Bradley & Pablo> TIME! As we said we were working against the sun. As we often do now on shoots, we split up and direct two separate units simultaneously. It's nice to be able to do everything together but we are in a place now where we can trust the other as they go off more autonomously which massively helps us to be more ambitious with a shot list. Also, learning how to keep those slices of watermelon looking fresh. The best solution seems to be to eat it and cut more slices. LBB> Any parting thoughts? Bradley & Pablo> Bring back seeded watermelons!
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LBB> When you first heard Watermelon Sugar, what was your definition of a "watermelon sugar high"?
Bradley & Pablo> Honestly not sure we had one... maybe because we’re too naive. It just sounded nice. Luckily Molly [Hawkins, creative director], Bryan [Younce, commissioner] and Harry opened our eyes.
LBB> When did you first begin working on this promo? And what were your initial thoughts and plans when it came in?
Bradley & Pablo> We first started working on this song about a week before we shot it! We’d been trying to work with Harry on the album for a while - we had written two or three other ideas for other songs last summer by the time Watermelon Sugar came around.
In the end the timing felt kind of poetic. It was the last project we shot before the lockdown and it really was the complete antithesis to the situation we find ourselves in now. It feels super meaningful now that this has been released during the pandemic because It speaks to what everybody is missing right now - physical human touch and connection.
LBB> It’s a joyful bit of film anyway but even more so because it’s full of all the things that everyone wants at the moment. Did you ever debate changing it? Or did it all suddenly seem even more perfect?
Bradley & Pablo> We never debated changing it but we did start to get concerned that the record label wouldn’t release the video because they felt it was insensitive or tone deaf or something, but when we started talking about releasing it again, we had the idea of adding a tagline to the front of it like ‘in loving memory of touch’ or ‘dedicated to touching’ and it re-contextualises it in a way that feels perfect for the time.
LBB> Aside from the dedication to touching, did the film change at all due to the pandemic?
Bradley & Pablo> No it didn’t! It just came out a little later.
LBB> I get vibes of like old school hip hop videos but with a Harry Styles vibe. I like it. Were they an inspiration at all? Where else did you look for inspiration?
Bradley & Pablo> That wasn’t a conscious inspiration for us but that’s definitely a cool one to think about. We knew from talking to Harry and his creative director that they wanted to basically dedicate this song to girls and boys and sexual pleasure, it was about creating an atmosphere. We loved the idea and the spirit of it and we felt one of our main jobs was to portray this idea in a tasteful way.
There were two key references at the beginning of the project which Harry and Molly gave us. One was an old picture of Jack Nicholson eating a watermelon with this amazingly mischievous grin and the other was an image of Paul McCartney at a beach party in the ‘60s where he looks like he’s tripping on acid in the best way. Both of these really informed and encapsulated the spirit that we wanted to bring to this whole thing.
We also looked at photographers like Stephen Meisel to inspire some of the more composed setups and Guy Bourdin playing with the playful, sexy innuendos that you find in some of his work.
Other than that one of the biggest inspirations was actually just Harry’s own image that he and his creative director Molly have created around this album campaign. We love his progressive fashion sensibilities and Gucci campaigns and so we just wanted to make something that would fit into his world. He also has this effortlessness, he’s so magnetic and cool without trying so we wanted to make sure we created a scene where he could champion that.
LBB> Harry does some pretty pristine watermelon biting. How did you coax those out of him?
Bradley & Pablo> Sadly we can take no credit for that... Guess he just really knows how to eat watermelon.
LBB> What was the production process like? Where did you shoot? Where in the world has such an abundance of perfect watermelons? And what was the mood like on set?
Bradley & Pablo> The production process was fast! We shot in a location in Malibu. It was a private beach at this amazing house. Harry actually owns a watermelon farm in a secret location that we can’t disclose. So the day before the shoot we went with our whole crew, make-up artists, set decorators, focus pullers you name it! We all rolled up our sleeves, got stuck in and did the biggest harvest anyone in the USA has ever seen!
The mood on set was really good. Credit goes to the whole cast and Harry himself, who were all amazing to work with, they all had such amazing genuine warm energy and a big part of the success of this video is owed to them for being so much fun. We think you can really see that reflected in the video.
Meanwhile we were actually inwardly freaking out a little because we only had one day, we had to shoot from sunrise to sunset (which is a very small window in January) and there is an even smaller window within that where the light is actually good enough to get that punchy graphic blue sky and beautiful looking skin, and shooting on a beach is HARD! The shoot was also quite a new, different kind of challenge for us because it was loosely structured - we were flexible with what we were shooting - there was no real story it was more about just creating an atmosphere. We also tend to usually shoot with lots of lighting and art direction but we didn’t really have much of anything so it was a different kind of test in directing for us.
LBB> From an aesthetic point of view, what were your main aims and inspirations with the grade, art direction and costume?
Bradley & Pablo> We were definitely very influenced by the rich Gucci styling and the ‘60s era of the Paul McCartney image. The art direction and pallet started with the styling and grew out from there. We wanted to mix busy patterns/textiles with block colours like warm oranges, browns and the graphic blue skies to create this warm, hazy nostalgic aesthetic but with a modern contemporary edge that also came in part from the casting and some detailing in the wardrobe.
LBB> How did you capture the vintage looking shots?
Bradley & Pablo> We shot on 35 and 16 mm on an Arri SR3. That was really a core component that we would not compromise on. It was also just about keeping that side of things simple, hats off to Frank Mobilio [DOP] who, with a 16mm camera, a mirror and a reflector, managed to make such beautiful images. We also worked with our regular colourist Dave Hussey who always elevates things in his particular way.
LBB> What were the trickiest components and how did you overcome them?
Bradley & Pablo> TIME! As we said we were working against the sun. As we often do now on shoots, we split up and direct two separate units simultaneously. It's nice to be able to do everything together but we are in a place now where we can trust the other as they go off more autonomously which massively helps us to be more ambitious with a shot list.
Also, learning how to keep those slices of watermelon looking fresh. The best solution seems to be to eat it and cut more slices.
LBB> Any parting thoughts?
Bradley & Pablo> Bring back seeded watermelons!
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Capsule Reviews April 2021
A few of the things that I've been reading over the past couple of months. I surprised myself when I noticed that most of these were indie books, but that's probably because all of my needs for big dumb superhero comics are currently being more or less covered by the material I'm reading for my podcast, Regarding Spawn. Anyway, here's some review.
Grenade by Will Kirkby
Grenade is in many ways an art showcase, a vibrant little volume centered on a world somewhat along the lines of Shadowrun, a cyberpunk setting with fantasy elements. The story focuses on a main character somewhat typical for the cyberpunk genre, a traumatized transhuman war veteran turned cop, haunted by their memories as they are drawn into a web of conspiracy tracing back to their wartime experiences. The story is hardly surprising, but this is a book that you read for the texture, not the plot. Grenade is gorgeous, jam packed with detail in the maximalist tradition of artists like Geoff Darrow but with an angular, punk edge, and the world building and concepts are all fun and have great hooks. There are certain ideas introduced at tossed aside that I wished to see a bit more of, but overall it's a very satisfying cyberpunk flavoured romp that would be well worth it for the art alone.
Home Time Vols. 1-2 by Campbell Whyte
Stand By Me by way of Over the Garden Wall, if put in reductive terms, I picked up the conclusion to Campbell Whyte's stellar first volume of the series and recently had the chance to read them back to back. They're excellent, maybe some of the best comics I've read this year, stellar YA material with a bold, experimental style and great storytelling. Centering on four friends about to graduate from middle school and go their separate way, the characters are suddenly caught up in a strange fantasy world with no way back home and the story focuses on how they cope with this as they gradually learn more about the world. The kids all feel like kids (or at least how I remember being a kid), the worldbuilding is really unique and off-kilter, fleshed out by loads of journal inserts ranging from photos to diary entries, to a handmade encyclopedia right out of Gravity Falls. The art is stellar, sticking to a general cartoon-y aesthetic but jumping back and forth through various styles of coloring and rendering with each viewpoint character, including sections rendered in a pixelated style which evokes a great deal of nostalgia for me as someone who grew up reading sprite-based webcomics. Some of the plot beats might not surprise you, but others probably will, and I can't recommend checking this out enough.
The Grot by Pat Grant
Another Australian book, not that I've been on a kick or anything. The Grot is quite excellent, a sort of "low post-apocalyptic" story set in a world littered with the detritus of our own. The world building is a treat, lived in and recognizably plausible but strange; cars and boats are powered by low wage laborers on pedals, electricity and running water are unheard of, cholera runs rampant, and anyone and everyone is partaking in an algae-based gold rush. The Grot is very much a gold rush story, and indeed about the biggest criticism I could make about it is that it could just as easily be set in any given historical gold rush with little effect on the narrative, the conceit of a post-lapsarian world is hardly taken advantage of, but then perhaps that's the point, "the more things change, the more they stay the same" and all that. The story itself is a classic one of ambition and confidence games, following two young brothers who arrive in a boom town with plans to be the only ones not getting suckered. The artwork and colors are vibrant and distinct, a loose, cartoonist's touch which nevertheless manages to make everything look distinctly real and absolutely filthy. Everyone is ugly and dirty, dressed in distinct clothes, cutting distinct profiles, looking real and alive, even if Grant doesn't pursue a photorealistic style. I'd recommend it for those looking for something different from the standard action oriented fair coming out from most major American publishers, but not sold on art comics. The Grot is a great read packed with story and personality.
Sazan and Comet Girl by Yuriko Akase
Coming out in 2018, right in the meat of Wife Guy culture, and preceding the rise of himbos by two years, Sazan and Comet Girl is a book well suited to the moment. It's about a nice, not entirely bright young man pursuing a Cool Girl across the stars as they fall in love. It's also, in fairness, Sazan and Manic Pixie Dream Girl in some ways, though it holds off the worst of that genre by characterizing Sazan primarily through the lens of sincere enthusiasm and support for his much cooler, more powerful love interest. It's a distinctly fun, peppy book, that's really gorgeously rendered, with full lush water colours on every page and a design sensibility firmly in line with retro-anime. It's not entirely without points to criticize, the titular Comet Girl spends the entire book rarely wearing more than bra and a pair of brave Daisy Dukes, and the trick employed throughout the final sequence of the book, which takes up the entire back half (the pacing is also a touch off) to get the whole universe cheering for the heroes is a little cheap. But overall Sazan and Comet Girl is really charming, it's cute, incredible to look at, just a little horny, and a fun adventure. I heartily recommend it.
PTSD by Guillaume Singelin
I'd had this sitting in my To-Read pile because I wanted to take some time between reading Grenade and this book, since there are quite a few superficial similarities between the two: they're both sci-fi adjacent, they both star traumatized veterans, both are lushly rendered by indie cartoonists, so reading them back to back would have felt like a disservice. For the record, they're ultimately not similar at all. PTSD is the story of Jun, a traumatized war veteran living on the streets of an unidentified city, pushing away all attempts at help or community as she slowly spirals downward, killing drug dealers to fuel her addiction to pain pills. One thing that stands out to me about PTSD tonally and about its main character is that it's willing to let Jun be really unpleasant in a meaningful way. Jun isn't an "asshole" because she's too much of a hard drinkin', hard fuckin' badass, she's an asshole because she's so deeply traumatized that she lashes out verbally and physically at anyone who comes near her. It feels unglamourous and real in a really enjoyable way.The art is also a revelation, it doesn't quite cross the line into Geoff-Darrow-insired visual maximalism, but every panel and ever inch of the pages are packed with lovingly rendered detail. Singelin's drawing style tends more towards cartooning than pseudo-realism, in a way that makes the charming moments utterly charming and the brutal moments appropriately shocking. I have some minor issues with the ending, the story kind of cuts out without really delving into the messy implications and the long tail to Jun's conflict with the drug dealers, and there's a touch of action movie logic in that the main character is alone among the veterans in her trauma having left her as a kind of towering badass rather than one of society's victims, but putting those aside PTSD is a really satisfying story about trauma and community.
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6: Brand Focus: Los Angeles Apparel
September – the season of changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes (those are nasty but if I speak…), and – usually – back to school shopping.
However, now that life has transitioned online, there is no reason to wear anything that is uncomfortable or at least two sizes oversized on a day-to-day basis. But – and don’t fight me on this - there is nothing more satifying than new and quality loungewear.
This is where Los Angeles Apparel comes in.
The brand formerly known as American Apparel rebranded as Los Angeles Apparel – the same basics brand, full of heavyweight cotton, styles ranging from classic to contemporary, and a wide range of colours, everything from neutrals to neon colours.
After bankrupting twice, American Apparel was purchased by Canadian manufacturer, Gildan, in 2017. Gildan went on to rebrand and remove the more notable points of the company’s marketing strategy – namely, the borderline pornographic advertising and sinfully high price range (some AA products can now be purchased on websites such as Wordans and Amazon).
Founder and Montreal native Dov Charney (who has his own demons, including accusations of sexual harassment and mismanagement of funds when he ran American Apparel in 2014*) then decided to take his ideas elsewhere, introducing Los Angeles Apparel.
Now operating out of a south Los Angeles warehouse, LAA poses itself as an ethical, basics, brand, paying workers between $15-$20 USD, as well as overtime pay and benefits, and varies from other fashion retailers in the amount of transparency to behind the scenes of their warehouse and in the production process – many of the brand’s Instagram stories include shots of models, posing outside and throughout the warehouse, and well as videos of various garment and production workers at their daily dyeing, stitching, and cutting tasks. Another plus of this brand is the composition of the garments, specifically their sweatshirts and sweatpants, tops, and bodysuits. Most places do not manufacture goods with 100% cotton - traditional brands either use a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, or an 80/20 blend for goods in the heavyweight category. Using 100% cotton leads to a garment that looks even better with wear and tear, as well as prevents pilling, worn out elastic cuffs and hems, as well as less discolouration. Lastly, LAA is mostly devoid of branding – their clothing has no flashy logos or tags, no awkward stitching or excessive distressing, product styles, and unsavoury colour combinations – likely stemming from their roots as a wholesale blanks company. There is a bit of 90’s flavour to the styles shown on the website, included oversized sweats and t-shirts, lots and lots of pleats (pants, skirts, shorts, everything), as well as having more fresh-faced models, both men and women.
I’ve never personally been a huge American Apparel shopper – the original brand was not the most inclusive in terms of sizing as most of their items run on the smaller size (even to this day – their 2XL fits more like a very roomy XL) or were the dreaded “slim fit” (the ugliest cut of clothing to touch down on this face of the Earth, please don’t argue with me). However, since rebranding, Charney and the rest of the LAA team began to embrace more true-to-size and oversized fits. After rebuilding my wardrobe with quality basics, I can say about 80% of my wardrobe is from LAA – the pieces are good quality, minimal, and tasteful. Also, as a person who tries to be as ethical with my spending practices as possible and invest in quality clothing, I feel a bit better knowing the $40 t-shirt won’t be falling apart in the wash or after a few wears. For anyone who has considered dipping their toe into LAA or has been looking for other basics to add to their collection, here is a listed review of my favourite items from Los Angeles Apparel**.
HF09GD Unisex - Garment Dye 14oz. Heavy Fleece Hooded Pullover Sweatshirt
If I had the power to get rid of all of the hoodies in the world and replace them with only one, this would be it. This hoodie is thick as hell to the point where sometimes it feels like canvas, but not in an uncomfortable way. The colours are also super rich – my favourite one is Chocolate (one day we will talk about how brown is the supreme neutral for its ability to be and blend with both warm and cool tone colours, but I digress). Another interesting thing about these hoodies is that they don’t hold smell the way I’ve found polyester blends do and when washed, literally smell like an entirely new garment. This is also one of the products that I found is actually more of an oversized fit, and as with most cotton goods – stretch (but not unreasonably) with wear. It comes in a huge selection of colours as well and the sizing is fairly unisex, as both me and my boyfriend have worn this hoodie and have marveled at the quality. While it is an investment ($100 CAD per hoodie, about double that for the whole set), it is truly the hooded sweatshirt I’ve ever owned.
Size: XL, Colour: Chocolate, Price: $100 CAD
3380GD - Heavy 2x1 Rib Crop Tank
As our beautiful friend who was floating around Twitter not too long ago said, “Get into eeeeet!”. And she was absolutely right. This tank top is made for the people who want to get into the w*fe-beater/undershirt-as-a-shirt trend but don’t particularly enjoy the length or thinness of those traditional tops. This cropped tank is a racerback, but not to the point where it is completely unwearable without a bra, provided you have a convertible bra. This top is also 5% elastane as opposed to polyester (for those who are curious, elastane is a member of the Lycra and Spandex family, so the stretch in this top will also provide some shaping benefits). While it does only come in two colours for the time being, I’m one of those people who owns everything in my closet in both black and white, so this was perfect for me. Another thing to note, all my BBWs, this top does not roll up or require too much adjusting throughout the day, and sits just above the belly button for a cropped look without making you look like Roger the Alien (you know what I’m talking about….). This tank top is relatively affordable, considering the wearability, and the ribbing isn’t too noticeable so if you wanted a nice cropped but semi conservative top, this just might be it.
Size: L, Colour: Black, Price: $30 CAD
1215GD - Heavy Jersey Garment Dye Casual Pants
Ok, you know when you want to wear sweatpants, but you also realize that maybe the occasion is not appropriate, or you just need a little bit of pizzazz without all of the frump? This is these pants. When I first read the reviews, I was skeptical, but after realizing all I own are jeans and sweatpants, I copped a pair. I wore these in 75-degree weather, walked a good three or four miles, and was comfortable all day. Plus, unlike most traditional womenswear pants, these pockets are DEEP. Like Mariana Trench deep, which I love because one thing about me – I’m going to use a damn pocket. I would say to avoid these if you aren’t into the straight leg look because with a t-shirt, they do give very public-school art teacher vibes, but they also come in a huge range of colours. A lot of people complain about the elastic band for a lot of their products (too tight), but personally I prefer that – it provides a longer wear time before you have to wash (since it takes longer for the garment to stretch out) and keeps everything cute and covered. These pants are also a nice alternative to jeans, and even come in the couple shades of blue to mimic the idea of dark/light wash. The price is a little obscene for some casual pants, but I think you’re someone who usually wears pants from Urban Planet, H&M, or even Zara, these will be a nice upgrade, sure to last a very, very long time.
Size: L, Colour: Black, Price: $52 CAD
1406GD - Long Sleeve Garment Dye Mockneck T-Shirt
Another one of my favourite things about LAA is the fact that a lot of their products are unisex (while not explicitly labelled as such, you will see a lot of the same items in both the men and women tabs on their website). I love a good long sleeve shirt, but my proportions were never too forgiving to pull it off without looking like a 1960’s ghost, or like I had gotten dressed in the tent section of Home Depot. This top is more of a boxy fit, but the bottom is cropped enough to make it hit just above the thighs for a nice, slouchy look. The colours in these are also super nice, veering more towards neutrals and pastels. This shirt looks good with bike shorts and tucked into jeans, and (the best part) the white is not see-through at all, which was one of my biggest complaints when buying shirts from brands like Hanes, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom, and Keya. The neckline is a lot higher than most traditional crew necks, but I’m a fan. Plus, I feel like it looks a lot better when you layer jewelry over it. If you’re springing to get a basic colour, I’d say it’s totally worth it, at $41 a pop, considering that it’ll last damn near forever.
Size: XL, Colour: White, Price: $52 CAD
B128CF - Long Sleeve Crossfront Bodysuit
The bodysuit that started it all. Y’all. The number of compliments I get whenever I wear this top is insane, not to mention of all the bodysuits I have purchased from this brand, this one is the most flattering, the most versatile, and the most forgiving, in terms of sizing. The cross-front bodysuit is a happy medium for people who want to get into the criss-cross top look without the hassle of strings and shit like that. Not to mention, many bodysuits in this style tend to be ribbed – and not the good kind of ribbing either *retches*. I own this bodysuit in both a medium and a large, and my advice would be to size down, especially if you’re planning on wearing it without a bra (not much of a choice considering this bodysuit has a deep, deep, V neck) and will definitely add to the effortless look of the whole ensemble. This bodysuit can be dressed up and dressed down, but my favourite way to wear this is with some slouchy ass sweatpants, white sneakers (preferably a little beat up) and a small shoulder bag – ad square or transparent sunglasses for some big 90s energy, like you just left a Bikram yoga class or something. The colours on this could be better – aside from the white, black, and flesh toned colour, I really don’t see a purpose for the coral or blue shade, but I may be biased considering I do avoid bright colours like that. Now, it may seem a little overpriced for what it is, but I promise you – in my years of bodysuit research, the only brand that’s coming close to this, especially for larger chested laydeez, is Capezio, and that’s literally dancewear. Like, industrial ass dancewear. Regardless, this bodysuit is top 2 and it’s not 2.
Size: M, Colour: White, Price: $49 CAD
BD12 - Bull Denim Oversized Bag
If I had to give a name to my aesthetic – particularly when it comes to accessories – I’d say I’m somewhere in between “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu and first year art student in the Midwest working part time at a dusty bookstore. This bag is more of the latter. For reference on size, it’s about as big, laid flat, as my large Telfar, but when on, doesn’t have the same structure, thus keeping it from looking like a burlap sack (or keeping you from looking like Santa on December 24th). The material is bull denim, which is similar in texture and style to regular denim, however, dyed to give it a rich and uniform colour. Also this bag comes in literally all of the ROYGBIV colours, plus black and white, and in a variety of styles and closures (they have one with a zipper for people who are diligent about things like that, as well as a more standard tote size and shape). This bag is perfect for literally everything – I like it when I go grocery shopping, or even getting from A to B when I have to carry a million things. Another bonus is the construction of the strap is thick without being comical, meaning that you won’t have those nasty lines in your shoulder after a long day, and you won’t have to worry about a strap busting and embarrazzzzing you (Nella Rose voice) when you’re out. In terms of pricing, you could get a little pleather number from H&M for the same price, but if you don’t take yourself seriously, then just say that (kidding!). as someone who loves the look of a good canvas tote, without wanting to look too much like a crunchy granola kinda person, this bag is lowkey one of my favourites (sorry, Mr. Clemens!).
Size: OS, Colour: Navy, Price: $58
Notes:
*= We do not condone predatory behaviour from anyone, but it is important to highlight that just because you love something doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Part of being a responsible consumer is also knowing about who you purchase from, not just what and how things are made. I am aware of this and am taking accountability for not knowing this information sooner.
**= All of these opinions are my own and not sponsored. Product codes will be listed in the title, and sizing, colour purchased, as well as CAD pricing will be listed at the end of each review.
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Dawn and Twilight’s Social Media Accounts
Kuya
@NevermoreButSnore.
1230 followers.
Yes, I copied Edgar Allan Poe. Yes, I’m not sorry about the rhyme. Or calling him out.
Not that he really cares.
Insists that he is a headcanon creator on Twitter
Everyone who follows him knows that he is lying.
If we really had to classify him as a writer, it would one who posts those way-too-accurate posts about writers complaining about writing.
Like the notebook hoarding one. Not that anyone here in the fandom is guilty of that, haha... haha... ha.
Ironically is one of the more popular ones out of the whole group.
His flat responses and laziness are way too prominent to NOT be noticed.
If you actually tentatively sneak into his DMs though, for writing tips, he will patiently listen and... rather bluntly advise you.
It’s still advice though and is always the type to check out and reblog any short fanfics.
It just has to be weird, sporadic hours because he is the type to fall asleep with the phone on his face.
Koga Kitamikado
1230 followers.
@CapitalKayKay
Listen, there is a reason why a lot of successful businesses chose Instagram as their social media so Koga is no exception.
What makes his account stand out, as you can see from his rather cheeky username, is that he is willing to be an open book.
So he isn’t constantly shoving down any products he is sponsoring or whatever piece he is endorsing.
It’s more of genuinely wanting to hang out and explore what the world has to offer.
Whenever he posts a picture of the gang together, he’s the one tagging all of them, even the ones with hard usernames.
And there’s always a nice comment thanking whoever hosted the fun time or being appreciative of the area and the locals.
It helps that he has a sense of humour so the memes are always just the right amount of teasing but nothing too bad that will deter potential clients.
Because of his down-to-earth nature, he reels everyone in.
Uses the space to invite everyone following him on any celebration/casual outing.
The thing is... he has a lot of followers.
So... good luck.
Aoi
1150 followers.
@DeredArtTooTsun
Look, even he knows he is a Tsundere. It’s a small victory getting him to acknowledge that, let alone use it to brand himself here.
But god, he’s the man I’m most jealous of on Tumblr.
PERFECT BULLET JOURNALS AND SKETCHES.
Got the spreads that literally define ‘aesthetic’, a perfect lineup of art materials even with pencils that have their numbers faded, and somehow, the emotions can pass through the paper and screen.
Even does tutorials on perspectives, positions with cute annotations. Just don’t praise them for being adorable though and focus on improving your skills, dummy.
Ironically though, it’s his mindless vents that get the most number of notes.
It helps that the pics include him, a very cute... I mean... manly boy screaming at very, very hot men.
A bit baffled but whatever it takes to get commissions.
That’s right, he takes them. At least there is a back-up option should the restaurant ever go out of business.
Spoiler Alert: Still doesn’t get paid as much. People, have you seen the number of talented artists here? Aoi might be in the rankings but it’s still hard attracting business.
Support your fandom artists, everyone!
Ginnojo
1000 followers. Just nice.
Ginnojoz
Poor grandpa didn’t intend to put that extra ‘z’ letter, it was a typo because scales don’t get along with haptic touch.
And unfortunately, doesn’t understand how to change it.
Once, he was huge on Vine before it died. The end of an era that he has to witness again. RIP.
Gin-Gin, it is RIGHT. THERE.
Expect to find his super short self-defence videos and Book Club Readings on YouTube.
Girls actually appreciate his instructions and attempts to provide help even if they are alone.
He did try to respond to the nice ones and actually succeeds.
It’s always easier getting to know the language of women when you don’t really see/touch them.
A deep baritone is perfect for some sexy excerpt of a historical novel...
Until he corrects the setting.
In fact, he sometimes rage-quits and rewrites it.
Unlike Kuya, him doing those established ideas actually catches on.
Yura and Gaku
1500 followers.
MelodyandTheBeat.
... Tik-tokers. Tik-Tok people?
WTH do you call them?
As you can see, they are the most popular since it’s combined stardom.
Look, their covers and music mixes are beautiful.
They always have their own version that somehow combines traditional Japanese music... with k-pop.
And of course, food porn.
Just be grateful there isn’t that awful squelching sound you hear when you consume jelly or the breaking of chilli seeds.
Listen, I usually separate them because it’s never nice to be grouped as having the same activity as your twin.
But in this case, being both equally beautiful AND talented sells their uploads.
Even the cringy ones made because Yura is such a Luddite.
Like just turning his head and being amazed his hair can turn so many colours, being impressed with each tilt until he gets to a black shade.
Suddenly hurls the phone away. Gee, wonder why? Guess black isn’t the new... black for him?
Gaku sometimes even introduces new filters he created based on Yura’s random requests that strangely get circulated on the site.
Oji
550 followers all know Oji-Sanz
Unlike Ginnojo, he deliberately adds the ‘z’ letter to sound cool.
You wanna know what’s worse?
He actually uses Facebook.
Aoi decides to give up on him. Nobody blames the poor student.
It’s apparently some old form of social media? Never used it, no sirree.
Always changing his relationship status but at the end of the day, he’s single and ready...
To post about all the lovely ladies destined to enter his restaurant.
He thinks it’s great publicity.
It really isn’t but one good thing about Oji is he includes EVERYONE.
This man respects his customers and always helps advertise their wares, especially if their connections lead to more resources.
And less grocery shopping on his part.
Does post the recipes he and Aoi created but will never use because the Milk Hall had a certain style to follow.
Officially makes Aoi his son... on Facebook at least.
Aoi now tolerates the account.
Barely.
Toichiro Yuri
WhatheMeSay has 1231 followers!
In your face @CapitalKayKay and @NevermorebutSnore!!
You know, I’m so glad that there aren’t any users with those names because I’d be so scared of accidentally tagging them.
Also, geddit? Because... What the fox say?
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding... yeah, I’ll stop.
Pinterest Guy. And actually does spend on his ‘hobby’ to show off to everyone.
It does boost you and your father’s sales so there is nothing to complain about.
His boards are always alliterated just to sound super catchy and it works so long as he gets the right emoji.
Kabuki plays better be promoted or else.
Filled with candid pictures of his victims all taken at different angles you didn’t know were possible and in varying degrees of hilariously misunderstood positions.
He even supplies a donation link, heavily leveraged by his followers, since there are incentives tied to it like early access.
A bit suspicious the photos look like cropped out parts from Koga’s posts and some of the text resembles Kuya’s... er... wisdom?
He takes an unholy amount of selfies when he thinks no one is looking and so they are always surprised upon finding them on the Selfie Board.
There is a locked board that no one can access, even his followers who are his comrades in real life.
It’s actually just one picture in there.
It’s you smiling and giggling at a joke of his. Not even you know it’s been taken. Guess he is as soft as his fur, eh? He better come out soon or else.
Kuro
Kuroruohtumbling
Ginnojo is unfortunately just old enough to have grown up with Scooby-Doo to understand the reference.
Snapchat, like a snapping snake! Hiss!
Unironically loves the puppy face.
Ok, but the glimpses of his stunts help show snippets of the circus life.
He and his whole troupe family will even don costumes best suited for certain filters.
Sometimes ropes in Ginnojo... and by sometimes, I mean enough for everyone to start wondering if the stoic man is part of the act.
To be fair, he randomly hugs people and ranks them here.
You, of course, were number 1.
Now, if only he didn’t use the bloody song to announce it but you forgive him.
Maybe even risks revealing his ayakashi form before deleting the message to you.
Loves making international fans and learning various languages through each post, sort of like flashcards but animated and more fun!
And with 1200 followers, he might become a polyglot like Koga.
Shizuki
Everyone bans him from creating one.
Because they know the power of his roasts is too great.
Little do they know he goes undercover.
Underground.
And under their noses.
That’s right. His rant town on... MySpace.
Unapologetically uses a good chunk of his salary from serving the House of Yuri just to get nifty themes that help with the whole burning process.
Look, there’s a reason he and Oji are friends.
This is why.
Their taste in women seems fine but we really have got to do something about their affinity towards DEAD PLACES.
To be fair, he made the whole thing drunk but that doesn’t mean he should maintain it SOBER.
He just feels that it is a waste of space if he doesn’t utilize it.
And it also becomes kind of cathartic. From the intrusive hugs to his master and Sir Gaku irking each other to no end, he needs it.
Zero followers... but only because it’s super private.
It becomes 1 the moment you jokingly create an account.
#ayakashi romance reborn#ayakashi rr#ayakashi aoi#Ayakashi: Romance Reborn#AyakashiRR#ayakashi ginnojo#ayakashi kuro#arr kuro#kuya#gaku#ayakashi kuya#kuro#arr kuya#kuya the tengu#ayakashi koga#koga kitamikado#arr koga#toichiro yuri#arr toichiro#ayakashi toichiro#toichiro the kitsune#arr shizuki#shizuki#ayakashi shizuki#arr aoi#aoi#ginnojo#ayakashi oji#arr ginnojo#Oji
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Meet Judd Madden: Melbourne’s Most Prolific One-Man Band
~Interview by Shawn Gibson~
Art by Jeff Smith
How are you doing?
Pretty good! As good as we can in these strange times.
When you are not doing music you are doing web design. How busy does that keep you?
There's not much work on at the moment honestly, so personal projects have filled the void. And video games.
You live in Melbourne Australia right? Tell me a little about Melbourne and where you live.
Melbourne is home to 5 million people. It's a wonderful city with vibrant live music, restaurants, parks – anything you're into, you can find. I've lived here for 16 years and I absolutely love it.
How have the wildfires affected you?
We had smoke here in Melbourne for weeks, though Sydney was much worse. The bushfires (as we call them) were hell on earth for those nearby.
How are you holding up with the Corona virus affecting everything?
My wife is working from home now, with me, so that's nice. My friends and family are healthy and safe, but I miss seeing them in person – video chats and phone calls are just not the same.
I miss live music and being in a crowd, the physical space and sharing in the moment. Australia is doing well comparatively, we're a spacious country with a low population, and we're good at following rules like "stay home."
What places do you go to in Melbourne to see heavy music?
The Tote, The Bendigo, Max Watts (HiFi), The Forum. I can't fucking wait to get to a gig when all this is over.
What are some Australian bands you love and we should check out?
In the doom/metal scene there are so many. Droid, Dr Colossus, Pod People, Thaw, Holy Serpent, Lucifungus are some I've enjoyed live recently.
Glacial by Judd Madden
My first introduction to Judd Madden was Glacial. I loved it and checked the other albums on your Bandcamp page.
Oh, cool! That album featured my one and only music video; Mountain Slayer, which received great exposure.
Is there an album that was removed from your Bandcamp page? There was a song on an album that almost had a hardcore tempo, great bass line! I want to say something like against set. I wish I remembered!
Before Waterfall (the first album) was released I made dozens of rough songs, to see if I could do it all by myself, and to experiment. Most of them were bad. "Against Set" and some of the less bad songs are on the Old Doom & Demos album. Listening now, it's not that fast -- maybe you're thinking of something else? There are not a lot of fast songs in my catalogue, perhaps "Mouth" from Waterfall or Waterfall II?
Please tell me about 528hz (DNA repair). I have heard many frequencies in that range, higher and lower but never in a doom song!
It's from "Everything In Waves" which is about reality, energy, perception, matter, cosmos. In my research about wave-forms of all types, I stumbled across the "healing tones" genre, with its wild claims about specific frequencies.
The song is mostly tongue-in-cheek, but leaves the question open. Can listening to certain tones have healing/meditative benefits? Well, we don't know everything, right?
Feel No Pain by Dead End Thoughts
What prompted Dead End Thoughts?
The desire to create even heavier music, with vocals. It's a separate project, as my main catalogue doesn't have vocals – Dead End Thoughts is a different beast. I wanted a space to explore complex ideas, the edges of my mind and darkness. The songs are thematically and musically extremely heavy.
It doesn't come from a place of depression or anger, as some people have suggested, but a need to explore and create something original. If it's original I'm happy. Musically the songs are totally organic, it's a stream of consciousness in the jam, with vocals and instrument layers added after.
Dead End Thoughts recently released 'Feel No Pain' (2020). Please tell me about the spark that started the fire for this album.
Feel No Pain is created directly from live jams between myself on guitar and Dan on drums. It's an evolution from the first album, which I created recording guitar first and drums second (which was difficult).
When you jam with one melodic instrument and one rhythmic instrument, both are free (within reason) to do what they like. Adding a second melodic instrument like a bass usually requires more planning and results in more structured songs.
We enjoy seeing where things go. These five tracks were chosen from around 20 that we recorded throughout the year. I realised mid-year that this could be the next album; the riffs were of similar tone, and I wouldn't have to drum over them!
Once I added a second/third guitar, bass, and vocals, they no longer sounded like jams and became real songs -- but you can still feel the live energy. It's also not perfect, which I think makes it more interesting.
We surprise ourselves when we're jamming, there is no staleness from playing a rehearsed song over and over. Most of the riffs on the album were new to us as we played them. It's so much fun.
On 'Feel No Pain,' Dan Jolly plays drums and did the album artwork. Please tell me about him and his role in Dead End Thoughts.
Dan has been one of my best mates for many years. We've played a lot together, he's a fantastic drummer who's even more into doom metal than I am! He played on half of these tracks unaware that they would become an album, sorry Dan. (laughs)
Our drumming styles are actually pretty similar, but he's younger and more energetic. I asked him to do the album art, as I was doing all the production and extra instruments, so he could share ownership of the project. It's an awesome painting, we had it before the lyrics so I was able to connect with "By Burning Heat."
Colour High by Colour High
Tell me about Colour High and how that is different from the music you make most of the time.
Colour High is an electronic doom project, similar to the music in Stranger Things. It was made over two months very late at night, in headphones when I couldn't make noise.
I've always dabbled in electronic music, once I even 'played live' in 1999 with my brick of a computer and CRT monitor. I just sat behind it and pretended to be doing things -- I wasn't.
Colour High is all about exploring sounds, compositions, just having fun and enjoying a different process. Having the entire score and all instruments available when composing is very different to the track-by-track approach required for solo instrumental music.
What makes Judd Madden laugh?
Most things. My friends, my wife, my cat. I love TV shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Always Sunny, South Park, The Office. Love stand-up comedy -- hard to name just a few, but Dave Chappelle, Brian Regan, Bill Burr, Iliza Shlesinger, Joey Diaz, Dylan Moran and all the greats like Carlin, Seinfeld, Prior, etcetera!
Which bands have influenced you and the music you make?
My parents like Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Beatles, Metallica. 90's bands like Tool, RATM, Chili Peppers, Prodigy. Then I started getting into Kyuss, Sleep, Yob, and the amazing stoner rock/doom metal scene. It resonated strongly with me and I immediately wanted to make music in that genre.
Now I listen to anything good: jazz, classical, electro, darksynth, math, weird stuff like Scott Walker or doom bands like Conan, Bongripper, Aleph Null. Completely obsessed with an electronic artist called 2814, the album Birth of a New Day is a real trip.
Name some good books that you have read.
The Gap Cycle, Stephen Donaldson. The Nights Dawn Trilogy, Peter Hamilton. Enders Game Series, Orson Scott Card.I like big space operas, currently getting through The Culture series, but honestly I've fallen out of the habit of reading – I usually listen to music in headphones in bed.
How is the weed in Australia? Good?
It's illegal mate. But good, yes. I never touched it until I was 30 – now it's fun occasionally. I find it can help creativity, particularly with music. It can lower your ego, allow a more natural flow.
Is there anything you want to plug or promote?
Aside from the new album and the other projects we've discussed, my wife and I made Duel 52, a card game that you can play with a standard deck of cards. It's free and fun, if you're bored in lockdown check it out!
What is in the future for Judd Madden and Dead End Thoughts?
Once Dan and I can jam again we'll keep making music, and another heavy album. For my main project I have the beginnings of a lighter album similar to Float, spacey and guitar-heavy. Calm, meditative music to balance all this darkness.
Judd, thank you very much for your time! Stay safe and sane through these tough times!
Cheers, thank you for your support!
Waterfall II by Judd Madden
Follow The Band
Get The Music
#D&S Interviews#Judd Madden#Melbourne#Australia#Doom#Sludge#Metal#Doom Metal#one man band#Dead End Thoughts#Colour High#Doomed & Stoned
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I would ask you 1-100 but that's a huge request and doubt you'll do it, UNLESS🤔🙃
UNLESS....
1. Name- Deanna or as everyone knows me, Star
2. Nationality- American
3. Age- 19
4. Birthday- April 5th
5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign)- Aries
6. Gender- Female
7. Sexuality- Bi/Pan (im fine with either)
8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)- Dark brown hair, greenish eyes and body of a 12 year old boy
9. What do you/did you study?- Animation
10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have?- I work in an ice cream shop just as a job but i wanna be an animator or writer for shows
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11. Your birth order- Youngest of 2
12. How many siblings do you have?- One
13. Do you have good relations with your family?- for the most part
14. How many friends do you have?- I would say I have about 8 close friends and then just a ton of other friends
15. Your relationship status- single but accepting applications
16. What do you look for in a SO?- usually a pulse and good hair
17. Do you have a crush?- kinda but also no
18. When did you have your first kiss?- haven't yet :(
19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?- prob meaningful
20. What are your deal breakers?- smoking and drugs and how they treat others
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21. How was your day?- well i just woke up so i guess good.
22. Favourite food & drink- Raspberry iced tea/Vanilla Lattes and Chowmein or burgers
23. What position do you sleep in?- either on my side or stomach. Im usually curled up in a ball so prime cuddle position...just saying
24. What was your last dream about?- I think it was about cake..
25. Your fears- bugs and the overwhelming thought of me being a failure
26. Your dreams- being someone where others can be inspired by
27. Your goals- to live a life with no regrets (i know typical right?) but also have a successful career.
28. Any pets?- 2 doggos
29. What are your hobbies?- drawing, painting, writing, video games, reading
30. Any cool places in your area?- kinda but you gotta drive to them so not really
31. What was your last awkward situation?- me stuttering over my words at work
32. What is your last regret?- idk
33. Language/s you can speak- English and barely any French
34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.)- hell yeah
35. Have any quirks?- i can make a guinea pig noise and can stand on my head for a while.
36. Your pet peeves- having my neck being touched and mouth breathing
37. Ideal vacation- Any disney park
38. Any scars?- only mentally
39. What does your last text message say? “Shes being a big girl and taking 5 classes.”
40. Last 5 things from your search history- im to lazy to check but prob youtube or fics
41. What’s your [device] background?- Phone background is a painting from a museum and my computer is a bunch of Nintendo items
42. What do you daydream about?- being a voice actor or a pirate
43. Describe your dream home- one that looks like a castle
44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion- I was raised Catholic but i really dont practice it anymore. I think it its a beautiful thing and alot of good comes from it, however i dont like it when it is used to harm others or defend evil people
45. Your personality type- So i took a test based on the 16 different ones and I am an Advocate type which apparetnly is very rare and less than one percent of the pop are it. https://www.16personalities.com/ heres the link if you wanna take it!
46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done- I used to suck on batteries as a child
47. Are you happy with your current life?- for the most part
48. Some things you’ve tried in your life- Snorkeling in Hawaii (which i almost died), Crystal Cave tour and donuts which i hate
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49. What does your wardrobe consist of?- hoodies and graphic tees
50. Favourite colour to wear?- black
51. How would you describe your style?- comfortable and sometimes i look good
52. Are you happy with your current looks?- ye
53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?- I want blue hair one day
54. Any tattoos or piercings?- have my ears and now my nose pierced but i do want tattoos in the future
55. Do you get complimented often?- usually for my hair and i find it happens often
56. Favourite aesthetic?- Gothic and pastel
57. A popular trend that you dislike- crop tops
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58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with?- “Good Night Moon” by Go Radio
59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like.- My Little Pony and Sofia the First songs slap
60. Favourite genre?- pop punk or pop
61. Favourite artist/band/genre? -Panic!, Taylor Swift
62. Hated popular songs/artists?- I wouldn’t say hate but im not really a fan of Billie Ellish, maybe i need to sit down and really listen but its just not my jam. I think shes a cool person and i love watching her on tv and what she stands for. By i hate Drake and Chris Brown for sure.
63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5- Head above Water, Happy when im sad, Love bug, Casual affair, I believe. So Avril Lavigne, Jonas Brothers and Panic!
64. Can you sing or play any instruments?- Im not the worst singer but im also not fantastic and i can’t play
65. Do you like karaoke?- sometimes
66. Own any albums?- like cds then yes
67. Do you listen to radio? What stations?- not anymore
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68. Favourite movie/series?- Any disney or pixar
69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc- YA like adventure books
70. Your fictional crush/es- oh here we go. Juvia and Gray (Fairytail), Catwoman, Danny Phantom, Captain Hook and Regina Mills and Henry (Ouat), Steve (stranger things), Riddler (gotham) and Molly Hooper (Sherlock) and prob more.
71. Which fictional character is you?- prob a mixture of Momo and Deku from My Hero and Honey from Ouran
72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so. Am I a shipper? ha. aight Gruvia, Nalu, Gajevy, Jerza, Kiribaku, Kacchacko, Todomomo, tododeku, LadyNoir and the love square, Captain Swan, Outlaw Queen, The powerpuff girls and the rowdyruff boys (respected partners) and like five thousand others
73. Favourite greek god?- Hades and Persephone
74. A legend from where you live that you like- literally nothing from where i live
75. Do you like art? What’s your favourite work or artist?- love art and i cant just pick one
76. Can you share your other social media?- i mean you can follow me on twitter at StarsnShortcake but all thats there is my shitty tweets and interactions with my friends and Voice actors lol
77. Favourite youtubers?- Mikes Mic, Macdoesit, Twamiz, Larri, Dan Howell, Amazing Phil, Jenna Marbles, Shane Dawson, Steph Inc, Garret Watts, and like a ton more
78. Favourite platform?- Tumblr or twitter
79. How much time do you spend on the internet?- too much
80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite?- I love anything Nintendo
81. Your favourite books (manga also counts)- Kingdom Keepers, Suicide Notes and the Selection Series to name a few
82. Do you play board/card games?- Yes
83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema?- nope
84. Favourite holiday- thanksgiving for the food
85. Are you into dramas?- ye
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86. Would you use death note, if you had one?- haha ye
87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?- no racism, sexism, homophobia and legal marriage everywhere. Also that no one goes hungry and everyone has a nice place to live.
88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse?- probably
89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be?- a hot demon
90. What would you want to happen to you after your death?- I turn into a goddess
91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?- ooo Celeste is a cool name
92. Who would you switch your life with for a week?- hmmm Tara Strong
93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo- either the stars or the black heart or the fireworks
94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true- Ive never eaten a chicken nugget, I can do the splits and I have cat
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95. Cold or hot?- hot
96. Be a hero or be a villain?- oooooo um im a sucker for villains
97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?- Rhyme
98. Shapeshifting or controlling time?- Shape shifting, i could be a plant
99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?- bold of you to assume i would wanna live forever
100. ….. or …..?- :0
--
HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ANON CAUSE IT TOOK FOREVER.
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Brain Drain
Ah yes, hello. It is once again time to drain these brains of mine.
A couple of more thoughts on this ‘Morning Pages’ process. Firstly, I’ve decided to take the Artist’s Way wording to heart and think of this as a non-negotiable exercise and, at least for the time being, I am going to do the full 1500 words as a block before I move onto anything else in my day. I’m still going to take the approach of retroactively editing them before I sleep in order to be more formatted, but the main body of text will be done first as, based on yesterday, I think this will focus me far more than spreading the writing out.
Secondly, the more I think about it the more experimental I realise this entire process is for me. It’s probably best thought of as a heavily modified and specified version of the ‘Artist’s Way’ approach, as one of the stipulations offered up by Julia Cameron is that these are to be for your eyes and your eyes alone - even then going so far as to suggest that these should be sealed away in an envelope so that even the practitioner does not read them.
So in that sense I am both taking a more documentative, methodical approach to the process and I am altering the formula by hosting these in a public forum. I understand that privacy helps to remove any filtering one may do but I also believe that the potential for these to be read comes with its own benefits. To that end this feels like an experiment of being creatively candid in public which is simulatenously exciting and daunting given that it runs so counter to the common approach of creating behind closed doors. I’d love to explore these ideas further as this journal progresses and see how my relationship with creativity changes due to these factors.
So, I guess I’ll start by taking the measure of my day, as I am very much enjoying the ‘touching base’ element of these Morning Pages. I definitely feel a lot more blocked than I did yesterday, and it seems as though there’s somewhat of a hump to get over when I do these within the first 500 words or so before I get into a state of flow with it - this was true of yesterday also. Maybe that is one of the possible benefits of this exercise, that 'ramping-up-to-flow’ stage is one I likely experience whenever I sit down to create and the Brain Drain may be a way of me overcoming that before I come to do any of the actual creative work of my day.
It seems as though forcing myself to do all 1500 words yesterday put me into the same sort of flow-state I gain from working on a really successful piece of music, and then today I am once again reset back into that familiar place of being 'blocked’, which even now I am slowly working through and unpicking purely by writing these words.
Looking back on previous creative work this would seem to make an awful lot of sense. How much more demotivating it is to have to wake up and untease the same blocked feeling each morning on projects that I care deeply about and am heavily invested in than it is to instead get that part of the process out of the way on an off the cuff exercise like Brain Drain each morning. Maybe attempting to ease such a block through the work we care about is where all feelings of 'I’ve lost it’ and 'this project is hard now. Therefore how much better it must be to work through those blocks in a format that we’re not quite so invested in.
Even right now there is a part of me that is very much resisting this process. It is an anxiety that masks itself as restlessness and tells me to 'go and watch a film, Aaron. Why put yourself through something so hard?’.
As it is the creative enemy I have decided to call this my personal Antagonizer.
Other thoughts of the Antagonizer, or the 'me’ that feels uncomfortable and uncreative:
- 'Go and make a milkshake Aaron. Don’t do this. It’s 30 degrees outside today. You really need to just cool down.’
- 'Get up and walk around. You really need to release some of this tension that you’re feeling.’
- 'Go and talk to a family member. Telling them about what you want to write would be much easier than simply writing it’.
That’s right Antagonizer, I WILL use your criticism in order to help me hit this wordcount. Checkmate.
Yesterday has taught me that past this feeling is where enjoyment and flow lie if I can only push through it. I imagine some days will be significantly harder than others, and I imagine that I will even have days where 1500 words won’t begin to scratch the surface of this block, but I would so much rather try to push through this block writing whatever comes to mind over-and-above pushing through this block attempting to create whatever passes for a masterpiece in my world.
On to next steps then. I would like to select a new artist to listen to today as I get on with other work. This would also be a good opportunity to show off a little of how I organise my inspiration, despite how embarrassingly over-elaborate it is.
On Spotify I keep a folder of artists who I’m either interest in, inspired by, are important pieces of musical history, examples of current artists who are doing what they do incredibly successfully, or artists that I feel would be generally useful to experience. For each artist, I will create a playlist, and in each playlist, I will save that artist’s entire discography chronologically. I will then slowly work my way through each of the artist’s discographies, deleting what I’ve listened to and categorising songs that jump out to me either in terms of whether I love, like, or dislike them, the emotional qualities that I want to emulate in my own music, or the technical qualities that stand out as exemplary within each song. This allows me to simultaneously build a picture of what my musical tastes are, keep an accurate record of my listening history, and create song palettes for different emotional qualities that I wish to put into my own work.
(Above: the technical qualities of music that I have categorised. This forms up a reference library that I can use to further refine these qualities when I’m working on my own music)Here are the criteria I use to define each of these categories.
Idea: the concept behind a piece.
Narrative: the story told.
Lyrics: how ideas are expressed through words.
Mood: the emotionality of a piece.
Expression: how ideas are framed and delivered through the articulation of the music.
Musicality: the use of harmony, rhythm, and theory to communicate those ideas.
Rhythm: the measure, speed, flow, and cadence of a piece.
Timbre: the overall texture, tone, and sonic palette of a piece.
Structure: the flow of a piece over time.
Mix: how the timbre has been arranged as an ensemble.
Master: how the piece has been polished.
Delivery: the title, artwork, context, presentation, and moving image that contain the piece.
(Above: the emotional qualities of music that I have categorised as a reference library for how artists that I look up to achieve specific emotional qualities in their work).
These are decidedly more abstract and are generally more subject to the songs themselves that are being added.
For reference, here’s the current list of artists who’s work I want to study, all at various stages of listened to, completed, or not listened to at all:
- Labelle
- Car Seat Headrest
- Snail Mail
- Japanese Breakfast
- Let’s Eat Grandma
- Soccer Mommy
- LCD Soundsystem
- Big Thief
- Have a Nice Life
- Beebadoobee
- Animanaguchi
- 100gecs
- Courtney Barnett
- Chromonicci
- Owsey
- Dark Cat
- Valentine
- SOPHIE
- Kamasi Washington
- Prince
- Aurora
- Massive Attack
- Haywyre
- Maths Time Joy
- Counting Crows
- Jack Strauber
- Blossom Calderone
- Goldfrapp
- Janelle Monae
- Meteorologist
- Easyfun
- Saint Lewis
- Julian Gray
- Jade Cicada
- Blake Skowron
- 92Elm
- Maxime
- Stereo Cube
- Chuck Sutton
- Gemi
- Queen
- Laxcity
- Duumu
- Oh Wonder
- Galamatias
- Umru
- Underscores
- Brockhampton
- Fleece
- i Monster
- Deaton Chris Anthony
- Amy Winehouse
- The Beatles
- Sumthin Sumthin
- Radiohead
- Flume
- Knapsack
- Dodie
Here are the artists who’s discographies I have completed via this approach:
- Sidney Gish
- M.I.A
- In Love With a Ghost
- Bowie
- Pink Floyd
- Baird
- Rudimental
- Iglooghost
- Madeon
- Porter Robinson
- 100gecs
I use a similar system alongside this over on Pinterest for visual work in order to better inform my visual style and aesthetic sensibilities. Here is how I define my visual observation:
Interior & Exterior, the space of dwelling.
Colour, of which idiosyncrasy and primary colours are a main focus.
Tone, subtler than colour. An intangible quality communicated by shifting hues and gradiated layers.
Mood, the way an image feels.
Looks, clothes, & apparel: personal artistic image and identity.
Desolation, a quality not currently present in my own work, but one that I often observe and love within other work, as well as in storytelling and other environments.
Layout, the way things are arranged in relation to one another within a space.
Idea, the concept behind a thing.
Texture, the tactile quality of visual elements.
Form, the shape and bounds of a thing.
Presentation, the context a thing is placed within.
Render, the quality imparted by computer generated imagery.
Type, how words are displayed.
Pattern, the use of repetition.
As you can see, how I define sound and visual art share a fairly common language between them.
Anyway, I divert. I’m going to select SOPHIE as the next discography to tear through and I am also going to continue working through the UE4 Beginner learning path, though before either of these I have some university paperwork/admin stuff to finish so I’d best crack on with that.
Toodles!
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Cramp’s Comic Recommendations For Fans Of Classic Rock And Co.
Allright here we go. This is my current list of comics/manga/graphic novels you might enjoy if you’re into classic rock. Before we get started I’d just like to let you all know:
- This list is far from being complete. I’m sure there are many more groovy comics out there that I’m simply not aware of yet so if you have any suggestions feel free to add them :)
- I know I said “Classic Rock” but some of my choices may drift into other musical directions
- Needless to say I do not own any of the following images. They all belong to their rightfull owners and I’ll use them as visual reference material only.
- Sorry for eventual misspelling
Let’s go ^^
1. Bob Dylan Revisited
Let’s start with an obvious choice. This is a collection of 13 well-known Dylan Songs, each of them graphically interpreted by a different artist. The most striking feature therefore is the high variety of different art styles. Some of them are cartoony, some are very abstract while others are almost photo realistic.
Dylan’s mesmerizing lyrics have always been inspirational and these beautiful depictions truly are a sight to see.
Including works of Thierry Murat, Lorenzo Mattotti, Nicolas Nemiri, François Avril, Jean-Claude Götting, Christopher, Bézian, Dave McKean, Alfred, Raphaëlle Le Rio, Maël Le Mae, and Henri Meunier, Gradimir Smudju, Benjamin Flao, Jean-Phillippe Bramanti and Zep.
Zep’s take on “Not Dark Yet”
Jean-Phillippe Bramanti’s interpretation of “Knocking On Heaven’s Door”
Definitely worth checking out not only for Bob Dylan Fans.
2. Baby’s In Black” by Arne Bellstorf
I’ve seen several people in the Beatles fandom complain about the lack of Stuart Sutcliffe material when it comes to early Beatles history.
Well, here it is: a graphic novel that focuses on the relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe and fotographer Astrid Kirchherr who took the very first professional photos of the Beatles during their time in Hamburg (1960-61).
Told mostly from Astrid’s point of view this comic presents itself in a grey and melancholic tone that fits the rather sad story. Bellstorf’s drawings are simplified and charming (they remind me of early sixties children book illustrations which suits the setting’s time period)
If you’re interested in early Beatles history (especially their Hamburg days) you should give this one a try.
3. Blue Monday by Chynna Clugston Flores
I really wish I had known about this amazing comic series a few years earlier, not only because this is a slice of life/coming of age story with teenage characters who are actually likeable and relateable but also because “Blue Monday” is an overall highly entertaining depiction of early nineties teen culture/rebellion in an American suburb that comes with a lot of references to Britpop, mod culture, Buster Keaton movies and Adam Ant (to name only a few).
To quote the author herself: “It’s like Archie on crack, with cursing and smokes”.
The art style of Chynna Clugston Flores is very vivid and expressive and has a certain stylistic touch of anime/manga (like a lot of comics from the early 2000s). I also really enjoy all of the graphic fashion details in this one. Plus, this is the first comic with it’s own soundtrack and that’s always a nice bonus.
I’d recommend “Blue Monday” for fans of Britpop, Punk, New Wave and early 1990′s culture.
4. Punk Rock And Trailer Parks by Derf Backderf
Another story about growing up in American small town madness, this time set in 1980s gritty Punk subculture of the former rubber city of Akron, Ohio. Protagonist Otto who likes to refer to himself as “The Baron” becomes fascinated with Punk after attending a Ramones concert. He meets several Pubk icons (thus as The Clash, The Plasmatics, rock journalist Lester Bangs and many more) and becomes someting of a local punk star himself.
Derf Backderf (who is best known for his highly acclaimed graphic novel “My Friend Dahmer” and his Eisner award winning comic “Trashed”) created a comic that is as “raw and dirty as punk itself”. His art style is an unique combination of expressionism, underground cartoons and punk magazines.
“Punk Rock And Trailer Parks” is a must-have for punk fans (especially if you’re into The Ramones and The Clash. It made me a huge fan of both of them).
5. “CASH - I See A Darkness” and “Nick Cave - Mercy On Me” by Reinhard Kleist
Two biographical graphic novels by Reinhard Kleist, both of them tell the story of a fascinating personality in rock history and both of them are incredibly well drawn. Kleist’s art is full of life and movement and very atmospheric due to his impressive use of stark contrasts.
I personally love his semirealistic way of drawing people and I’d highly suggest you to check out his other works too. He made a lot of biographical comics that really amazed me.
CASH
Cave
Definetly worth reading. Not only for Johnny Cash and Nick Cave fans.
6. Nowhere Men by Eric Stephenson, Nate Bellegarde, Jordie Bellaire and Fonografiks
I talked about this one a while ago but I’ll gladly do it again since it’s just too cool. “Nowhere Men” is set in an alternative past/present and future where scientists became as popular as pop stars (catchphrase “Science is the new Rock n` Roll”) but somewhere along the way something definetly went wrong.
The hype of science shares obvious similarities with the beatlemania of the 60s and the founding of Apple back then. Furthermore, the characters are partly inspired by well-known personalities of Rock history. There are many more or less hidden nods and references to musical popculture wich is why I put it on this list.
Nowhere Men is a thrilling sci-fi dystopian that requires an observant reader because there is a lot of jumping back and forth i time and inbetween information. The art style is realistic and full of very vibrant colours.
I found myself reading this multiple times to get all of the details in the world building. A thoughtful and brilliant writing indeed.
7. P.I.L. by Mari Yamazaki
Japan 1983: 17-year-old Nanami couldn’t be more frustrated. Her grandfather loves to spend all of their household money on useless luxury junk and her strict school criticizes her messy hairstyle. Caught between teenage rebellion and responsibility as she tries different side jobs to earn at least a little bit of money, Nanami also has a thing for punk music and overall everything originated from England.
P.I.L. tells the story of conflict between two generations who aren’t as different as they might seem. Sometimes funny and heartwarming, sometimes with a bit of drama this is a charming slice of life/ coming of age josei with a more simplistic but aesthetical pleasing art style.
as the title might suggest, Nanami is a big fan of P.I.L. and other bands of the punk, neo punk and new wave movement such as The Stranglers and The Killing Joke
8. Yellow Submarine by Bill Morrison
A comic adaptation of an animated film such as Yellow Submarine? Yeah, I was skeptical at first too but hear me out: This is really great. Morrison did an amazing job at capturing the trippy and psychedelic feeling of the legendary Beatles film. As the 1968 film used the medium of animation as an actual form of art to accomplish things only animation can do, Morrison did the same thing and used the advantages of the comic medium to accomplish things only comics can do. And it works. It really works.
Every single page of this colourful book has a different panel layout. Some of them are so beautiful and creative that I’d love to have a full-size poster version of them :’D
If you liked the film, if you love the psychedelic age, you’ll probably like the comic too.
9. In The Pines by Erik Kriek
“In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines...”
5 Murder Ballads, some might call them dark Country Music, each of them beautifully illustrated by Erik Kriek. Atmospheric, dark and gritty and always on point to match the spine-chilling western-like storytelling of these ballads, great for fans of horror literature a la E.A.Poe.
10. Andy - A Factual Fairy Tale by Typex
Allright folks this is it:
Typex’s “Andy” is by far one of the best comics/graphic novels I’ve ever red. It defenitely is my personal favourite reading of 2019 (and tbh I kinda doubt anything will top this anytime soon)
This is more than just a biographical take on of the most enigmatic pop-art artists of 20th centuary’s America, this is a portrait of the 20th centuary itself. There are so many references to art, history, literature, music and more that I could fill a book counting them all. And of course this is a monument for the medium of comic itself. Typex really managed to show what comic’s are capable of (At this point I’m really sorry I can’t explain it better I’m not good in writing stuff like this yet...)
Visually one of the most appealing things are the different art styles Typex manages to pull off so well for every chapter in Warhol’s life because each of them are a mirror of their zeitgeist. The introduction of Warhol’s childhood during the 30s is drawn in a cartoony style of old news paper comic strips. The chapter of 1967 has a psychedelic edge. The chapter of the early 60s shows similarities with the works of Roy Liechtenstein
So many icons from the 1930s-1980s have a cameo in this graphic novel it’s just amazing. If you’re even remotely interested in anything of this time period you’d definitely should read this. (seriously, READ THIS). But at this point I’d also like to mention that this comic does not shy away from showing very explicit content and sensetive topics (please keep in mind this has a mature rating for a reason)
Yeah so I couldn’t give this piece of art enough praise. It is absolutely brilliant, a masterpiece in every sense and word.I wasn’t too aware of Typex before but appearentely he also did a graphic novel on Rembrandt. I’m gonna read this too.
Some honorable mentions:
California Dreamin` by Penelope Bagieu
I haven’t red this one yet so I can’t say anything more about it. But I wanted to let you know that a graphic novel about the life of Cass Elliot exists.
Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner
One of the prequels of the legendary “Watchmen” by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It’ “only” an honorable mention because you’ll have to be familiar with the Watchmen universe to fully get all of the story. This prequel focuses on Laurie Jupeczyk, the second Silk Spectre and her own adventures during 1967, the summer of love in San Francisco.
Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor
Another one I haven’t fully red yet, but so far I’m loving it. It basically tells the history of Rap and Hip Hop from the early 70s to the mid 80s. The art style is intentionally old-school wich really fits it’s tone and setting.
Fritz The Cat by Robert Crumb
I suppose I can’t make a list like this without at least mentioning an absolut icon of the underground comix movement. Crumb created the adventures of this nasty junky cat during the 60s. Fritz can be seen as a satirical mirror of counter-culture’s zeitgeist.
and speaking of Crumb, his “Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country” trading cards are neat too...
allright that’s it for now. like I said, if you have anymore suggestions, feel free to add ^^
#long post#Cramp talks#classic rock fandom#comic#thierry murat#lorenzo mattotti#nicolas nemiri#francois avril#jean-claude götting#christopher#bezian#dave mckean#alfred#raphaelle le rio#mael le mae#henri meunier#eric stephenson#Nate Bellegarde#jordie bellaire#fonografiks#ed piskor#erik kriek#derf backderf#arne bellstorf#penelope bagieu#mari yamazaki#robert crumb#typex#reinhard kleist#chynna clugston flores
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Text
The Secret
By ModLennon & Mod McCartney
Rating: T (Little swearing)
Pairing: John/Paul
Summery: Moden AU! John meets a boy with a secret, but will he ever find out what it is?
Chapter: 1/?
Notes: Hey! It’s been a while I know! There have been a lot of things going on. However we have both been working on this story together for a few months and figured the best time to debut it (and return!) would be 6th July, or McLennon day! This is an ongoing project. We have a few chapters already, however we don’t know how many it will be in the end. We also hope to make it an ongoing series as it is quite a light read. Just cute and fluffy McLennon!
xx ModMcCartney
Paul nervously followed the slightly older boy. His dad had arranged this kind of 'play date' with the son of a friend. After moving again, Paul had fallen out of contact with his group of friends. He was too far away to casually meet up and gradually they had cut him out. Besides, currently Jim was very strict about who Paul should be with and for good reason. It was what made Paul nervous to meet new people. He wasn't normal and his greatest fear was people finding out. He was too nervous to really ask Ivan where they were going. Ivan didn't know Paul too well, but he wasn't really nervous or shy around him. He was quite the extrovert, and was excited to bring a new person into his little friend group. He looked at Paul as they walked, feeling a bit bad for the kid. He seemed so nervous.
"So you play music right? Like... older music?" He asked, genuinely interested. His dad had suggested a few talking points before he met up with Paul to help him break the ice. Paul was pulled out of his thoughts by Ivan talking.
"O... Oh... yeah... I mean... kinda."
Paul hadn't found many people who enjoyed playing the music he did. He mostly played along with the songs in his room now. Without other people to compare with, it was hard for him to gauge how good he really was.
"Well Pete and John will love that, they're /obsessed/ with the oldies. Stuart's more into art stuff, he can be a bit pretentious about it all so don't mind him." Ivan warned. He wanted to help Paul as much as he could, he felt bad that he was the new kid without any real friends. "I think John's been trying to get a group together for a while, I dunno if that's something you're interested in, but he bugs us all the time about it." He was happy to chat as they walked. He was headed towards a little cafe that was their usual hangout. It was done up in a sort of retro style, and even had a jukebox with old music. Ivan sped up a bit when the cafe was in sight, excited to see his friends.
"Well... I... I dunno..."
Paul feared might sound terrible with others. They might sound bad singing together. He didn't want to embarrass himself. He sped up to keep up with Ivan, realising they must be nearly there.
"It’s just a thought. He'll probably bug you about it if he finds out you play," Ivan shrugged and smiled at him. "He's kinda pushy. I think you'll like Pete the best, he's quiet too."
As they passed the window a boy with shaggy dark hair banged on the glass, pulling a silly face at Ivan through the glass, making him laugh. A boy with bright blonde hair in the same booth was laughing. The other with dark hair was looking off with a disapproving expression. Paul watched the interaction with wide eyes. He fell behind Ivan a bit, as if he could hide him. But it was stupid, considering he'd have to go into the cafe and sit down. They'd all see him anyway. Still he hung back and almost hid in a corner when Ivan went in to greet his friends. Ivan gave the boy who pulled the face a playful shove when he got inside. After a little laughter, he turned and beckoned Paul closer. He introduced the blonde boy as Pete, the disapproving boy as Stuart, and the other as John. Paul gave a polite little smile and awkward sort of wave. He didn't take a seat, he waited until the others had settled to find a spare space. His dad had given him some money so he figured he could get himself a drink when they each had their place. John had been on the inside of the booth, but after a brief meaningful look with Ivan, and an exasperated sigh from Ivan, he got up to let Ivan on the inside. That left the only open seat right beside John. Ivan looked at Paul again.
"If he bothers you at all just let me know, I'm not afraid to make him take a lap and think about his actions." His tone was teasing, but his eyes were a bit genuinely apologetic.
He knew from the look John had given him that John found Paul attractive, and the seat switching had been done so John could hit on him. It wasn't the first time something like that had happened. John was unashamed about his sexuality, he simply liked beautiful people. Though he knew nothing about Paul yet, the instant attraction was undeniable. John wanted to know him better. Paul just smiled again in acknowledgement. When it had settled, he stood up to get something.
"Dya want anythin?" He asked Ivan quietly not wanting to be the centre of attention but he couldn't rudely get something for himself and not offer Ivan.
"Oh I'm alright for now, thanks!"
Ivan looked genuinely delighted that Paul had asked, more so because Paul was interacting even if just in a small way than anything else. The other three all had some mix of drinks and little pastries and Ivan was happy to munch off of theirs to taste test what was good today before deciding what he wanted. Paul nodded and went off to get himself something. He came back with a tray. He went for tea and had a cup, jug of milk and little teapot. He even treated himself to a piece of cake. If he was eating he had an excuse to not talk. By the time Paul got back, Ivan and Stuart were in a little debate about painting techniques, which Pete was trying to mediate. John had been watching them, quite amused, but shifted his attention as soon as Paul sat down. He looked the boy over again and smiled.
"So how do you know Ivan?"
Paul gave John another of those wide eyed looks, shocked he was being directly addressed. He hadn't managed to start eating yet so he didn't even have that excuse.
"O... our parents are friends..."
John bit his lip and looked down. /Fuck/ it was ridiculous how cute this kid was! Did he realize how adorable that wide eyed look was? He had to literally look away.
"That's cool. So are you living here now or just visiting?"
"We're livin around here now."
Paul wasn't sure how to talk to John. He kept looking away from him. He distracted himself by making up a cup of tea. John had to get used to that stare, otherwise it would be impossible to talk to Paul. He decided to go for a more playful conversation than serious, as he was much better at that.
"Ahh nice. So you're gonna be one of us then. I trust Ivan's told you about our initiation process by now? Don't worry too much, you'll have a few months to prepare…"
John made his voice sound a bit grave, as if Paul would be doing something quite unpleasant in order to join their group. He was only kidding, of course, wanting to make Paul laugh. Unfortunately Paul didn't know Johns humour and couldn't read him yet. He froze looking terrified.
"I... y...ya what?"
Paul nearly left then. He didn't want to have to do something horrible! His first though was what if they chucked him in water??
That would be disastrous!
He leaned away from John a bit. John saw the terror in Paul's eyes and realized he had fucked up.
"Ah shit, I'm only joking!" He laughed, putting his arm around Paul's shoulder in a shockingly forward move to pull him closer again. "We're just a group of misfits, you don't have ta do anything ta be with the group. Sometimes my bad humour just gets the best of me."
"O...oh... r... right..."
Paul tried to relax but it was difficult now he was pressed against a stranger. Still he calmed a bit, realising it was a joke. At one point Paul glanced down as he lost his balance. As he did, a slight blue sheen ran through his otherwise black hair. It was only really visible up close and for a split second. John had been just close enough, intensely admiring Paul, so he noticed what he thought was a flash of blue.
"Woah, you colour your hair?"
It was a stupid question, as that wasn't anything weird, but it just sort of slipped out. He hadn't seen any blue before, and was a little taken aback by the sheen of blue. Even now he couldn't see it anymore. Was it just a trick of the light? Paul looked up at John with a confused look.
"N...no... see... it matches my eyebrows."
Paul raised his eyebrows a bit so they touched his fringe.
"Oh.. I just thought I saw…" John reached without thinking to push Paul's hair back a bit behind his ear, checking for blue underneath. There was nothing. He shook his head a bit with an apologetic smile. "I must be losing my mind today," he brushed it off with a laugh. Paul froze. He looked a little scared about John messing around his ears.
"M...maybe it was a trick of the light?" Paul suggested.
When John moved back he picked up his drink and had a sip. Paul couldn't take his eyes off John, so captivated his cake lay untouched. There was something about John and as he joked more, Paul relaxed and admired little things more.
John nodded, "yeah must be." He turned a bit so he was mostly facing Paul, giving him all of his attention. "So tell me more about you, what do you like to do when you're bored, what do you think about right before you fall asleep? What's your favourite band?"
John wanted... no needed to know everything about Paul.
"That’s a very strange set of questions." Paul giggled a bit. "I like Elvis. When I'm bored I mostly play music but I draw sometimes. And as for what I think about... I dunno. Depends what I've done today or gotta do tomorrow." Paul raised an eyebrow. "Gemini by the way." He joked, giving John a little jab at all the questions. John nodded with a very serious expression.
"Ah yes, that's a very Gemini way to answer those questions." Then he grinned, "sorry, I just don’t see the point in small talk, you know. If I wanna know you, then I wanna know you." He explained.
"And those questions give ya enough ta know me?" Paul had a little grin now. He had completely relaxed. "But I'm intrigued. Ya seem ta be an expert on Geminis. So tell me. What d’ya expect?"
"Mmm you'll be very difficult, but I like a challenge. Probably a bit of a diva, too, right? I bet it takes you an hour just ta get your hair right." He teased a bit, testing the waters for how much he could joke with Paul.
It was clear by the way he was looking at Paul, already so taken with him, that he wasn't trying to insult him.
"It naturally falls that perfect! An when ya say diva, it's not just a polite way of saying two faced right?"
Though John had not seen Pauls bitchy side. He wondered what he'd think. What if he didn't like that side of him? Paul stopped himself. Why was he thinking /that/? They had just met!
John laughed a bit, "no no no, bein a diva is different. I can handle a diva." He said, as if reading Paul's mind.
It seemed so forward, but something about Paul made him feel like he'd known him his whole life. He felt so relaxed and comfortable around him already.
"How dya know ya could handle me?" Paul tilted his head a bit.
He wasn't even stopping to think how he was basically flirting with John. He had never even really considered his sexuality.
"Do you think I couldn't?" John raised an eyebrow, amused.
John had been leaning closer unconsciously as they spoke. He had the strangest sensation that they were the only two in the world in that moment, the others completely forgotten and blocked out of his mind.
"I haven't had enough proof ya could." Paul shot back.
"Fair enough." John quite liked that, Paul didn't seem as nervous as he had initially. "So, Elvis ey?" He switched the topic, pulling back just a tiny bit, a pleased grin on his face.
Paul gave a little nod. "Well... others too but ya seemed ta only want one answer."
"Elvis is a good answer. Vinyl or digital?" He looked quite serious about this one.
"Well I do have a record collection but it's a little difficult to travel with them so I gotta have some on my phone too." Paul explained taking it just as serious.
John nodded approvingly. "I'd like to see your collection. Can I come over this weekend?" John had no shame inviting himself over.
Paul suddenly looked shocked again. "Wh... what?"
"I'm not doing anything Saturday night. Can I come over?"
Ivan took that moment to jump in. "John you can't just invite yourself to people's homes!"
Paul was looking nervous. But it was the weekend so... he wouldn't exactly be alone in his house with John.
"Well... I... I think the whole point of me coming here was for me to make friends right?"
"So that's a yes?" John grinned brilliantly, completely ignoring Ivan's comment. "I'll need your number then so I can text you to get your address."
"Why? Can ya not remember it if I told you?" Paul raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't wanna risk it. I've got a shit memory," John explained.
He wasn't lying, though he did want Paul's number anyways so it wasn't the full truth.
"Is it that bad?" Paul teased.
John nodded gravely. "It's horrible, Pam." He joked, hoping that Paul would get his sense of humour.
"Oh so ya blind to, considerin ya can't even /see/ my gender." Paul was getting used to Johns humour.
"Hey you can be a boy named Pam. It is 2019, you know, there's not as many lines these days." He grinned again and reached for something in his jacket pocket, "though you are right, I should really get a proper look at you, now that I know such intimate details like your zodiac sign."
John put on a rather large pair of glasses that were a bit reminiscent of Buddy Holly's glasses. Paul was shocked. He never expected John to have glasses, or that he would look so... /attractive/ in them. He suddenly nervous, under Johns gaze, blushing slightly.
"Do I make you nervous?" John asked softly, a little thrill running through him at the sight of Paul blushing.
Fuck, he was far too cute. John wasn't used to falling so hard, so fast for someone. He had never felt such instant attraction before. Paul glanced up.
"No...well...kinda...when ya gotta put on glasses ta analyse me..."
"Mmm.. well ya shouldn't be.. ya look even better up close in high detail like this. Really you're very pretty." John was a bit more serious again. Paul blushed again, heavier this time.
"W...well thanks..."
Sure, people had told Paul he was cute before, but somehow hearing it from John meant to much more. He looked up again and in a sudden act of bravery, he put his hands both side of Johns face and rested his fingertips on the arms on his glasses. "May I?" He looked like a curious child. Things like glasses always fascinated Paul. John was a bit shocked, but altogether pleased that Paul didn't seem so shy now. How could he? To John it felt like they'd known each other for years already. Christ, something about this kid was really getting to him.
"Sure," he said softly. He had a quickly passing thought that he might have trouble ever telling Paul no.
Paul carefully lifted the glasses off and after studying them for a moment carefully slipped them on his own face. He gave a little sharp intake of breath when he realised just how bad Johns eyesight was then looked up.
"Well?"
"They suit you well," John looked him over approvingly with a little grin.
Paul gave a bashful little smile. He had to take them off though, they did hurt a bit to keep looking through. He carefully put them back on Johns face.
"I think they're better on you..." His hands lingered on the sides of his face.
John had to fight back a sudden urge to turn his face and kiss Paul's hand. Christ, this whole interaction felt too intimate for two people who were just meeting for the first time. His eyes locked on Paul's, just staring at him. Paul felt frozen as he stared back at John. He had never felt anything like this before. His heart hammered so hard he was sure everyone would be able to hear it. Even though nothing was being said it was like they were having an entire conversation.
Johns friends looked at each other not quite sure what to do. In the end Stu leaned over to John.
"Dya want us ta leave ya alone with ya date or what?" He teased.
Stu invading the space broke the spell and Paul looked over as if remembering there were others there. His hands fell from Johns face. John looked over, a little pissed that Stuart had interrupted the moment.
"I would appreciate it if ya fucked off, yeah."
Ivan frowned, "You're monopolizing all of Paul's time! Let him meet everyone else."
Paul flushed again realising he had been ignoring the two other boys. That was incredibly rude!
"S...sorry..." He apologised, scooting away from John a little. John frowned at that.
Pete, who had been sat back watching gave a little shrug. "Theres obviously somethin going on here. Are you sure you two have never met? Like as kids or anything?"
"No." Paul said rather quickly. So quickly Pete raised his eyebrow. He sounded so sure.
But who remembered every person they ever met as a /child/? John hadn't really thought of that possibility.
"Are ya sure? I mean ya never visited family here or anything?" Paul just seemed so... familiar.
"No. We haven't met." Paul said again with just as much certainty.
John hadn't been in his year at school. They were the only kids Paul really hung around with. He didn't spend holidays around the home.
John shrugged, guessing Paul must be right if he was that sure.
The others looked completely baffled. Pauls accent told them he had never strayed far from Liverpool, but he was so certain... for now they left it.
Stu was the first to stand up.
"I gotta get goin. I wanted to swing by the art shop before it closed."
Of course as much as Stu wanted to hang out with his friends he just as equally wanted to be home painting. Pete also said he was supposed to be back before dinner as he had relatives visiting. Ivan frowned.
"I really should be getting Paul home. I have to get back too."
Honestly Ivan just didn't want to play third wheel in whatever John and Paul had going on. Paul really didn't want to leave John. He felt like the time was far too short.
"Well...I still have this cake..." he said weakly trying to prolong the time with John.
"I can take him home. Is that alright?" He turned back to Paul. "I don't want ya ta waste your cake." He was more than happy to latch onto any excuse to stay with Paul longer.
Ivan paused for a moment. Jim might be angry he left his son in the care of a stranger to him. But he knew John. And while he could be immature he wasn't exactly dangerous.
"Alright." He finally relented. "I'll see ya some time."
Pauls heart fluttered as he realised he was about to spend some time alone with John.
Chapter 2
#McLennon#mclennon fic#happy mclennon day!#paul mccartney#John Lennon#Modern au#ModMcCartney#modlennon
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